NMHA Ch. 42 - Worldly Burdens
A/N - Time to check other places in the world!
"You have been distracted as of late, Gabriel." The metallic, stern face of the Voice of God, though not Speaking, resonated in the Garden of Eden all the same. Metatron watched as Gabriel rose from her kneeling position, the small wildlife in the Garden scurrying away from the robes that billowed ever so slightly outward in her turn to the other top-ranked angel.
"Hm? What do you mean, brother?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Your actions. You are direct as ever in matters of business, but beyond that you have been distant. It is unusual." Metatron's own head mirrored Gabriel's. "Are you stressed?"
"No more than the rest of you have been," the Strongest Woman in Heaven replied, smiling softly as her gaze shifted over to one of the trees.
It was idyllic, a view of such natural beauty that those who gazed upon it could be easily moved.
Yet when Gabriel looked at it, the only emotion she felt was melancholy.
"What is ailing you?" the silver-armored angel asked, a question that Gabriel had to think over for several seconds before replying.
"How many more of us have Fallen in the past year, Metatron?"
"Too many. Of those that have abandoned Heaven, less than a hand's-count of lower-ranked Angels have Fallen for reasons not related to the increasing demands placed upon us all."
"And the Church?"
"It remains strong. There are notable exorcist trainees that show potential, particularly a Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou. Both have flourished under the tutelage of Griselda Quarta."
"Shidou. I believe there's another exorcist of the same name?"
"Her father."
"So she has decided to follow in his footsteps, I presume."
"Both girls also have significant holy affinity. In my last mission to the Church, I overheard discussion on whether or not to attempt pairing an Excalibur Shard to each."
"I see." Gabriel lifted a hand to her forearm, closing her eyes in thought. "It does me glad to see that even with Father gone, His gift still lives on in the sons and daughters of Adam."
"Yet you still appear troubled."
"Does it not worry you, that even as time has passed, we are still bleeding?"
"Of course it does. But I do not believe that the simple matter of numbers is what you had in mind, am I mistaken?"
The blonde stood in silence for several seconds, before she began walking. Metatron wordlessly followed her, allowing her the chance to speak.
"Our situation is more dire than I believe the Archangels are aware of," she finally said.
The metal mask of the Voice of God glinted, shifting slightly as they continued walking along. "Your wariness of the Church has already been heard and noted."
"That... is not quite what I was speaking of, but even then I do not believe it is receiving the weight it deserves." Gabriel waved it off. "I digress."
"Then what else is alarming you?"
"Has Michael not shared with you or the others the... peculiarities, that he has experienced while managing Heaven's System?"
"Has he shared any such matters with you?"
Gabriel smiled.
"No. He hasn't. However, when I see him leave the Seventh Heaven, he's always... harried. Before, it was merely stress from the sheer strain it places on him, but these days there is also confusion. Frustration, as well. I am... concerned for him, yet also wonder what may be ailing him so."
The blonde lifted a hand to her heart as they continued walking, stepping over a small stream that trickled gently by. "He has not said anything. But for one who has stood by his side as the face of Heaven, it is clear as day that something in the Seventh Heaven is bothering him. Perhaps the job of monitoring it is taking its toll on him."
"Curiosity cost humanity their place here," Metatron warned. "It is what caused the first of us to Fall."
"Is it truly a sin, to want to know another's struggle?" she asked.
"It is when Michael has not brought it up with any of us, not even Sandalphon."
"Yet it is pride that cost us our finest, in our finest hour. We are far from that state now."
Gabriel did not look, but she knew the mask her brother always wore was directly at her back.
"...You believe he is slipping down the Morningstar's path?"
"I do not believe it is being done with selfish intention," she hedged. "We are all under duress, so perhaps Michael is seeking to alleviate some of our burden by not bringing up another of his. Yet, is it not prideful to keep to one's own issues to themselves, to think that one can tackle a mountain alone and think it to move?"
"Such as how you have taken a disgraced Exorcist in as a personal proxy on Earth?"
Gabriel let out a soft exhale and smiled. "Exactly. I know my hands alone will not be our salvation. But even a pebble can make a mountain shift, in the right place at the right time."
"You miss the point, what I mean to bring up is the fact that you took such unilateral action in the first place," Metatron corrected her, stopping in place and banging the butt of his spear - a physical one, not merely a construct of light, on a rock. "Do you realize the implications of your action, should the Church catch wind of the true nature of your expulsion of Exorcist Yaegeki?"
Gabriel turned around slowly, gaze zeroing in on Inaeron, then the silver-armored angel. "I thought you believed the Church is no threat?"
"It is no threat so long as we do not give them reason to be," Metatron replied, still as a statue. "Yet, poaching a Sister renowned for her healing prowess, much less an exorcist with such potential as he, is grounds for a diplomatic incident. Even between two longtime allies. I have been questioned as to their disappearance more than once, particularly as they developed a habit of appearing in hotspots of supernatural and religious violence around the globe."
"I did not ask Masaomi Yaegeki to travel to Afghanistan and render humanitarian aid," the blonde pointed out, holding a palm up and to the side.
"Yet that is exactly what he and Saint Argento did," the armored angel countered. "It is good that the exorcists that recognized them were not of the Sinai division, or else there would have been not only another bloodbath but the aforementioned diplomatic disaster. To say nothing of if the Islamic Grand Imam received word that his Ghazis had an encounter with a Heaven-sanctioned Exorcist and a child Saint!"
A hand lifted to his mask, before running over it and through his hair. "What was a child doing in a warzone to begin with?"
"If it is any consolation, I argued against it, but young Asia would not be swayed."
"Which is all the more reason why I am displeased with former Exorcist Yaegeki; for him to abet such a dangerous request is a severe instance of neglectful guardianship."
"Or an understanding of his charge's altruistic nature. From what I've been able to tell from both their reports and otherwise, she handled herself with a maturity and grace far beyond her years." Gabriel's lips quirked upward. "In fact, she reminds me of a certain young Jew whose inner strength received him our Father's blessing, becoming an Angel above other angels."
Metatron tilted his head and crossed his arms, staring Gabriel down balefully, but didn't say more. So the Strongest Woman in Heaven continued to speak, expression falling back into solemnity.
"The Church was going to execute an innocent man for doing what any good, honest soldier of God would do in his place, and was stifling a young girl seeking to find God through the world around her. I took his punishment, or lack thereof, into my hands as a representative of Heaven, and personally greenlit Asia Argento's pilgrimage."
"Exorcist Yaegeki was charged for providing aid and protection to a Devil," the armored Archangel pointed out. "Even in the eyes of Heaven that is punishable by death."
"For saving an innocent mother and son from a mob at risk to one's own health, however, his actions are worthy of commendation," Gabriel answered back. "We may still be at each other's throats, but if we discriminate based on the blood in one's veins then how are we any better than the Devils we warred with?"
"Even if they are the reason Father is dead?"
"...That was not their fault."
Metatron's voice darkened. "The forefathers of the Devils ran Him ragged. They broke His heart, shattered His trust, and harmed Him deeper than any had before. They may not have been the direct culprits, but in wounding him so, he had no choice but to offer his life to seal away Trihexa."
"The son should not bear the sins of the father. The Demons are dead, their essences fractured and scattered across all life, never to return."
"Leaving an evil deed unpunished is, in and of itself, an evil deed."
"And do you believe my actions to be evil?"
"That is why I am here. I am the Voice of God, the Arbiter of His Will, and the Recorder of Choice. I am tasked to protect His Kingdom in any way possible."
Inaeron banged against the rock again, it and Metatron's voice echoing throughout the Garden. Various animals, which had been watching the two curiously, turned tail and fled at his Projected voice. "Up to, and including, dispatching those that represent a threat to the Kingdom of God."
Gabriel turned around. Spread her arms.
"If you truly do deem me a threat to Heaven and Earth for my actions, then strike me down here and now. I will not resist."
She stared at Metatron, meeting his concealed eyes with a firm gaze of her own.
"No." Inaeron vanished into motes of light, the armored angel breathing out slowly as his face tilted to the sky.
"No," he repeated himself, voice back to normal. "You are not there. I may not agree with your actions, but your choices have still been of pure intent. My struggle is in understanding why you would save a single human, jeopardizing our relationship with the Church in the process, and do this without consulting the rest of us beforehand. You tread dangerous ground with such... loose cannon behavior."
Gabriel's arms lowered, soft smile returning. "I realize that. Yet the path of good is considered narrow for a reason."
"You of all people recognize how 'good' is subjective," Metatron pointed out. "You were there when Azazel was cast out of Heaven for his lust. Yet he claimed, and still claims, even with wings of black, that what he was doing and has done could lead for the greater good of us all. What makes you different?"
"For one, I have no intention of laying with a son, nor daughter, of Adam. I am a patron aiding in Exorcist Yaegeki's duties, to serve the world as a soldier of God in the way that best suits our shared beliefs. No more, no less."
Metatron tilted his head upward, and if his metallic mask were missing Gabriel knew she'd have seen his eyes close.
He took a deep breath in.
And sighed.
"Azazel had no intention either, not at first."
Gabriel bowed her head.
"I am aware."
"Yet you still do not regret your actions?"
"My only regret is that I have not been able to further unburden my brothers and sisters of the onus you all bear."
"Yet even as the, arguably, least-burdened of the Archangels, you have succumbed to your own."
The Strongest Woman in Heaven's brow drew together.
"What would you have me do, Enoch?" Gabriel lifted her head again, voice tightening slightly. "As the public face of Heaven, I recognize that we must appear united always, lest we see our weakest preyed upon by the opportunistic eyes that watch our every motion. But that is not who I am, nor who I was made to be. I am a deliverer of truths and a protector of the innocent, not a... a figurehead. Would you truly have me sit and... what's the saying...?"
"Twiddle your thumbs?" Metatron offered with a slight hint of amusement entering his voice.
"Yes, that," she finished, lifting a hand in thanks. "You know as well as I that is not my purpose. My purpose is to help others remain on the straight and narrow. To provide them aid in doing not the easy thing, or the 'religious' thing, but the right thing. Being a force of good in the world, is in and of itself, an act of service to God. So that is what I have done, by taking Exorcist Yaegeki and Saint Argento under my wing. It may not be much, but in doing so their actions may well relieve some of your and the other's burdens."
The silver-armored angel tilted his head.
"I still believe that you should have informed us. Perhaps we could have come to a better solution together. Additionally, if not us to warn you of the ledge, then who will look out for you, if you stray too close in doing your duty?"
For that, the blonde had no immediate answer.
"Brother, sister!" the beats of six pairs of wings heralded the arrival of another Archangel, this one bearing armor of gleaming gold, masked just like Metatron.
Gabriel turned to the other angel. "Sandalphon, what is the alarm about?"
If Heaven's scientist was directly approaching them in a moment such as this, then something was very amiss.
"Michael collapsed outside the Seventh Heaven and was rushed to receive immediate medical attention."
That would suffice.
She blinked, then turned to Metatron, who faced her with graveness evident in his masked gaze. Her own gaze sharpened in response, giving him a short nod.
"And what of Raphael?" the silver-armored angel queried, turning back to Sandalphon.
"Raphael is currently tending to him," the other full-armored angel replied, gaze shifting between his brother and sister. "But so far, Michael is unresponsive to any attempts at awakening him. The current theory is that the stress of handling Heaven's System became overwhelming."
"Gabriel mentioned that she noticed him growing increasingly agitated with each instance of monitoring God's Legacy, so the theory has merit," Metatron offered. "Has any individual, angel or no, entered the Seventh Heaven aside from Michael?"
"Uriel has put it under direct lockdown. He recognizes the risk of leaving it open at a time like this. I have additionally placed a block on travel to and from Zebel." Sandalphon turned to Gabriel. "Sister. As our current Archangel is indisposed, you are next in the chain of command. What is your order?"
Michael was unconscious and unresponsive?
That... changed things significantly.
"Bring me to Michael," she decreed. "This is no time to idle in Eden."
"This discussion is not finished," Metatron interjected.
The Strongest Woman in Heaven turned back to him, and gave a single nod. "We'll finish our talk once this crisis is under control. Until then, however, this must be shelved."
A beat passed, then the Voice of God bowed his head. "Agreed. Let us leave, brother."
The golden-armored angel nodded, lifting an arm as holy light coalesced around them, all three vanishing in a flash of white.
M*GIRLIRL: Hey you two, it's ya girl! What can Magical Girl Levi-tan do for you today?
Bark at Me: Well firstly, I wanted to introduce Ruval to the chatroom. Welcome man, hope you're holding up well.
M*GIRLIRL: Ooh, finally got to using a computer for chatting, did ya bird boy? Congrats! I like the name, btw!
Devil Fried Chicken: I take offense at my chat name.
Bark at Me: I mean, considering that you've got a scorched back and that you're a Phenex, can you blame me for giving that one to you?
Devil Fried Chicken: ...Woof.
Bark at Me: Good boy.
Bark at Me: Jokes aside, beyond keeping in touch a bit better this way, I wanted to catch up about the past few months. I haven't really had the opportunity to speak before, what with the whole starting up a faction thing and all, but now that I've got a moment I felt like you two should get an update.
M*GIRLIRL: okie
M*GIRLIRL: so how ya doin
Bark at Me: Oh, not too bad. Pretty much over the fight I had with a certain warmongering cadre, currently waiting for Egypt and Sumer to send back some sort of response to the messages I sent out. All in all, I'd even say pretty good.
Devil Fried Chicken: ...Oh for the Morningstar's sake Luna, do you have to make every two leaders in the Three Factions into an enemy?
M*GIRLIRL: ooh, got into a fight with kokabiel? howd that go?
Bark at Me: Well, I'm 'kill-on-sight' in his eyes, but I'm still alive somehow. Managed to hold out long enough for someone else to step in and stop the fight, but, well...
Devil Fried Chicken: You were completely outclassed, weren't you?
Bark at Me: I was expecting an Ultimate-Class in strength, not a damn Satan-Class fighter!
M*GIRLIRL: so you were completely outclassed
Bark at Me: ...yes. yes i was.
Devil Fried Chicken: At least you're alive. Even if having Kokabiel as an enemy is alarming, I'm glad you're still in one piece.
Bark at Me: Thanks. It wasn't all bad though, I managed to secure a non-aggression pact with the Grigori in the process. It was a lot dicier than I expected it to be, but, well, the plans of mice and men and all that.
M*GIRLIRL: Azazel's a tricky one. How'd you manage to pin down a deal like that so quickly?
Bark at Me: Well, I may have saved the family of one of his cadres, and then proceeded to call him out on lying to my face about it. That probably had something to do with his willingness.
Devil Fried Chicken: So he tried using your good nature to turn the tables on you. Disgraceful.
Bark at Me: horrible though my time in the assembly was, at least it gave me a good bullshit detector.
Devil Fried Chicken: I'm afraid I'll have to admit that aforementioned time was much more enjoyable for me. Things were simpler back then, funnily enough.
M*GIRLIRL: was it just the assembly?
Bark at Me: yes. you just helped me hone it, its always hard to tell whether youre being serious or facetious
M*GIRLIRL: waaaah, why you gotta be so cruel luna-taaaaan TwT
Bark at Me: because i know you get your kicks from the byplay you crazy bitch
Devil Fried Chicken: Is this byplay? It sounds pretty one-sided to me.
M*GIRLIRL: because it is, help me bird boy!
Bark at Me: Don't listen to her, you should see the sorts of things she sends one-on-one!
Devil Fried Chicken: This isn't the sort of thing I'd like to see, is it?
Bark at Me: Probably not. Unless you got a thing for shameless, twin-tailed, and insane
M*GIRLIRL: like you do?
Bark at Me: I've already got enough crazy in my life, thanks
Bark at Me: You alone take at least a good seventy percent, but I've learned to live with it, so be thankful
Devil Fried Chicken: What was that saying about sleeping with crazy?
Bark at Me: True, but joke's on you; I don't have anything to stick in crazy
M*GIRLIRL: d'awwww, lyt luna-tan~
Devil Fried Chicken: That reminds me. I noticed you haven't been participating in as many events with the other Satans, Serafall? Is something going on with them?
Bark at Me: wait, what?
M*GIRLIRL: Ah, that. It's a simple matter, really
M*GIRLIRL: I've been all but pushed away
M*GIRLIRL: No clue why, but Sirzechs has tossed me pretty bodily from his inner circle. I think it's just him, Ajuka, and Grayfia at this point.
M*GIRLIRL: I... don't get it. It doesn't help the issues I have with him these days, either.
Bark at Me: That is weird. Why would he ostracize his public relations specialist and spin doctor?
M*GIRLIRL: Your guess is as good as mine. He's always planning something, though, so I can't help but wonder if this is another one of his schemes. I'm almost certain it is.
Devil Fried Chicken: That does explain your distance from them. If I noticed, though, then I'm sure others have as well.
M*GIRLIRL: The Gremory and Sitri families are still strong allies, and our parents get along the same as always. I almost wonder if he's under pressure from the Baels. But that doesn't make sense either, since Ol' Zekky would want to keep things nice and tidy and I'm probably the best spin doctor they have between my mentalism and my PR experience.
Bark at Me: Is he trying to get rid of you, then? Cut you loose, like he did with me?
M*GIRLIRL: Again, I'm not sure why he'd do that. He called your abandonment 'putting you through the crucible', but I've proven time and again that I'm an invaluable ally. Why would he divest himself of that sort of asset?
Devil Fried Chicken: So someone who has a greater degree of freedom can make use of it, perhaps? Or so that said asset can act on their own accord, rather than being tied down?
M*GIRLIRL: Maybe. But it still doesn't add up. What would he be aiming for, if that was the case?
Devil Fried Chicken: I'm sure you could try asking him.
M*GIRLIRL: He's good at keeping his secrets. I'm not sure I could draw anything useful from him, even if I tried getting into his head full-bore!
M*GIRLIRL: No, if Sirzechs isn't telling me, then I don't think I'll have the opportunity to know his plans until everything has come to pass.
Bark at Me: You could try spiting him, I know I would after the shit he pulled
M*GIRLIRL: Perhaps I could. But I won't. I'm not gonna stoop to that level.
Bark at Me: Heh. You're a better person than I am. Pretty high bar, that ;p
M*GIRLIRL: you flatterer you
Bark at Me: And what about you, Ruval? What's been going on, over on your end?
M*GIRLIRL: Oh yeah, I haven't heard anything more about the raids recently, were you able to cut off the head of the snake?
Bark at Me: Wait, raids?
Devil Fried Chicken: Yes, well. Let me put this into a little more context; recently, my trade convoys have come under attack by a band of Extra mercenaries. I fought their leader briefly, and they proved themselves exceptionally dangerous, even as they escaped. I did, however, deplete their forces, so apparently I managed to gather myself a respite like their leader suggested.
Bark at Me: Were the mercenaries equipped with modern combat gear?
Devil Fried Chicken: From what I could gather from their cremated corpses, yes. I do think they're the same group that kidnapped you in the first place.
Bark at Me: They're back? Fan-fucking-tastic. Were you able to figure out who their current employer is? Or at least where they're stationed?
Devil Fried Chicken: Unfortunately, no. The next time they attack however, I'll try and preserve one of the bodies. No guarantees I'll do so, though.
M*GIRLIRL: Uwaaaah, so ruthless!
Bark at Me: Be careful, Ruval. I might not be as experienced as you, but I know firsthand how devastating a good stun grenade can be even against a superior opponent.
Devil Fried Chicken: I think I and the enemy I face are beyond such ploys at the tier of power we stand in now, but I will take your words into account all the same. I'll be wary of such tactics.
Bark at Me: Thanks. I'm not sure how I'd handle hearing that you got yourself killed.
Devil Fried Chicken: If that does become the case, I'll be sure to haunt you as helpfully as I can.
Bark at Me: I already got one voice in my head, not sure I'll be able to make room for another!
Devil Fried Chicken: Then I suppose I'll have to make sure that doesn't happen, hm?
Bark at Me: You damn well better.
Devil Fried Chicken: You be careful too. Their leader is a lethal foe, and you can't patch yourself back together like I can. Don't hold back against them, otherwise you're dead.
Bark at Me: I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Ruval.
M*GIRLIRL: just kiss already
...
Bark at Me: Thanks, Serafall. Real subtle suggestion there. 2/10, I know you can do better.
Devil Fried Chicken: Better? Wait, do you mean the introduction gala?
M*GIRLIRL: Nuuuuuuuh, I'm sorryyyyyyyyyy!
Bark at Me: sure, lets go with that
Devil Fried Chicken: When you put it like that it makes me think that this sort of thing's happened more than just that one time.
Bark at Me: a lady never shares her secrets ;p
Devil Fried Chicken: Ahem.
M*GIRLIRL: eh? what secrets? that you're a flaming lesbian?
Devil Fried Chicken: Lesbian, sure she is. I take exception to the 'flaming' part though.
Bark at Me: Because we're not wed?
Devil Fried Chicken: Exactly.
Bark at Me: Heh. Cheeky bastard.
Devil Fried Chicken: I'm a Devil fried chicken, according to the username. I have to defend my title from this incursion somehow, do I not?
M*GIRLIRL: no, you don't have to, take your good finger-lickin's like a good fast food meal
Devil Fried Chicken: I'm afraid I'll have to turn down being eaten, thanks.
Bark at Me: Even if I was the one offering to make a meal out of you~?
Devil Fried Chicken: You just said... grk. I know where you live. Don't tempt me.
M*GIRLIRL: luhmao
Bark at Me: Hahahahaha
Cao Cao was not someone who considered himself a fool.
He'd seen some of the worst the world had to offer, and at the hands of those who would prey on humanity, he found himself uniquely suited to knock them down a peg.
That was not a responsibility to don lightly. He knew he had to be everything that a hero would strive to be, in order to found his Hero Faction. Strong, smart, charismatic, larger than life, as its leader, and as the wielder of the most directly powerful Sacred Gear he recognized that it wasn't just his duty to take the fight to the monsters. It was his destiny.
So the navy-haired young man was understandably confused, why he was having... difficulties, finding others who shared his worldview, despite his patron's suggestions.
His gaze shifted back to the heroes he had gathered thus far. Teens, and children, some barely entering their double digits, and one that was still but a child. The crowds around them parted in their presence, paying no heed to what these young foreigners were talking about.
"Ah, come on!" one of the teens groaned, standing over the rest and running a hand through his hair. "You seriously expect to find another descendant of a hero in this pit?"
"It may be a pit now, Hercules," Cao Cao met the Greek descendant's eyes and smirked. "But there once was a time where this place was known as the envy of the world."
"I'll take your word for it, sir." This one was a white-haired child, eyes flicking from side to side. "That being said, how will we know we've found our mark?"
"A simple matter." Cao Cao turned around, spreading his arms as a wide smile broke across his face. "This much blood of heroes, alongside so many Sacred Gears, all in one place? The way will come to us, Siegfried. There is a gravity to power, and we have a significant amount of it concentrated here."
Inwardly, however, he did have some concerns. He had been unable to locate the blood of the Once and Future King, and the descendant of Grauzauberer's founder had gone quiet. He was sure he had managed to convince Georg to join, as well. Had something happened to him?
"You said that the last time too!" the sole blonde in the party said, pouting as the near-teen kicked at the sandy street. "I'm getting so tired of walking around and finding nothing good, why can't we, I dunno, go kill some monsters or something?"
"Our strength comes from unity," the young Chinese man replied, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "The more of us that stand together, the greater our reach will become. Why settle for mere creatures, when we will eventually be able to challenge gods?"
The descendant of Jeanne D'arc was about to say something, but Cao Cao felt a tug on his sleeve.
"...Someone's here," the child, an eerily quiet and placid one, said, lifting a hand over in the distance.
"Yeah, the streets cleared out really fast," Jeanne added, glancing over at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao frowned, eyes narrowing as he noted the figure in the distance. It was difficult to tell initially, due to the heat, but as they approached he recognized that it was that of a woman. He could also feel the telltale shiver of a Bounded Field wash over him as he and his allies passed a certain threshold.
"Good call, you two. Stand back, and stand ready. It seems even if we haven't found a hero, we've found something else."
No. Not a hero. Nor a woman.
Not with those wings.
A Devil, one whose batlike, ethereal pinions gleamed with every color imaginable.
As she got closer, she began to speak.
"I wasn't expecting to find you lot here," the brunette lips curved into a grim smile. "But this is pretty convenient. Let me guess, you're looking for Gilgamesh? Or rather, his descendant?"
Cao Cao's eyes widened, before narrowing. He smiled, holding out a hand in what could be considered a pose, but would let him manifest his weapon in a moment's notice.
"You're well-informed," he said, almost casually, tilting his head to the side. "You know who we are?"
"The Hero Faction," she replied. "A ragtag group of heroic descendants banding together to take on the supernatural world. Lead by none other than you, the wielder of the True Longinus."
Said spear appeared, hand on the haft as he leveled it at the Devil, whose eyes flicked down to it briefly.
Yet she showed no fear.
Strange.
"Well informed indeed," Cao Cao agreed, suspicion creeping into his tone. "So, if you know who we are, then why not return the favor?"
The Devil grinned. "And give up the suspense? Why should I do that?"
"If you don't, we may feel provoked into attacking."
"I think you have someone who may well attack anyway," she pointed out, gesturing to Hercules. Indeed, he was grinning, cracking his knuckles as if preparing to strike.
The blue-haired leader lifted a hand to wave Hercules away. "Stand down."
"Oh come on, she's literally asking for it!"
"I said stand. Down. You'll have your chance to crack skulls."
Their gazes met for a long moment, before Hercules stepped back, grumbling and gazing at the Devil with clearly murderous intent.
A moment passed, and Cao Cao tilted his head, facing the Devil once more. "So? How about now?"
Another moment passed, and the Devil finally replied, slipping her hands into her duster pockets.
"Luna."
"Luna," Cao Cao echoed, keeping the True Longinus steady as he slipped one hand into his pocket, mirroring her motion on one side. "Would you be willing to share how you know about us?"
"Afraid not, but I'll share what I'm doing here at least. Ideally, I'd talk you out of your little... crusade," she trailed off, eyes looking between each person there. "But I suppose I'm a bit late for that, huh?"
"If anything, a Devil saying they wish to stop us only gives me more reason to believe in my cause."
"Hey, I'm not saying that you don't have merit wanting to stand up against Devils. I can respect that actually; I got screwed over by 'em myself." Luna shrugged and closed one eye. "They don't discriminate on who they fuck with. But I can't exactly agree with the way you plan on going about taking them on, either."
The wielder of the True Longinus narrowed his eyes. "...Elaborate."
"Sure, but if we're gonna get into some longer talks, why don't we find someplace a little nicer to do so?"
"That wasn't an offer to negotiate," Siegfried spread his legs to the sides, readying himself to move. "It's five against one. We've taken down meaner things than you, we can make you spill your secrets."
Luna shifted, cracking her neck with a tilt of her head.
"You sure about that? I'm fully-grown, have about as many years of experience with my powers as a good half of you have been alive, and would be rather offended if you attacked me for my openness. Sure, maybe, maybe, you could beat me in a fight." The brunette's smile could cut diamond. "But if hostilities erupt, I don't plan on fighting."
Hercules laughed. "So you're going to run like the cowardly Devil you are?"
The Devil's hand came down to rest on Leonardo's head, easily, like an adult patting the head of a child they're looking after.
But Leonardo was behind the other heroes, and Luna had been several meters in front of Cao Cao the instant before-
His eyes widened, whirling around to see their youngest effectively taken hostage. Leonardo's were like saucers, shivering in place as a stranger, a Devil, rested her hand on his head.
'I didn't even see her move!'
"Who ever said I'd be running? No, if you attack then I'm not gonna fight." The Devil's smile started growing teeth. "There's a big difference between fighting and killing... and I am especially good at killing."
Luna looked down, and her smile softened. She rubbed the child's head, as if to comfort him. "Please don't make me do that. Lives aren't something to be taken lightly, regardless of our origin. That you're all so young only compounds that fact. I don't like to start anything. But if I do get involved in something, I'm finishing it. One way or another."
Her hand went from Leonardo's head to his back, slowly pushing him to Cao Cao and the others, an opening he quickly took, running behind Cao Cao.
"If you are trying to prove yourself to us, you aren't doing a very good job."
"I know better than to try and 'prove' myself. Anything not human, to you, is deserving of derision and discrimination, regardless of whether or not they want to be what they are now." The Devil slid her hand back into her pocket. "Because if you acknowledge the fact that there might be more akin between monsters and men, you might even end up questioning your purpose. You're the heroes, you're meant to slay foul beasts, fight the inhuman, and save the day. Anything else is secondary, to you."
Cao Cao didn't deny it. "Perceptive of you, Devil. So what?"
She turned around, lifting a hand to gesture for them to follow her. "If only the world were so simple. So what do you do, when you eventually realize that there are monsters all around you that are all too human? Can't say I know, and I'm not sure you do either, but I'm willing to try and come to an understanding with you brave 'heroes' all the same."
"And what do you see yourself as?" Siegfried demanded.
Luna tilted her head back and beamed. "Why, I'm one of those foul, manipulative creatures known as a Devil. I didn't ask to become one, but I'm not going to shy away from what I've become either. Instead, I'll hunt other monsters, so that in the future there won't have to be more like me."
Then she turned back to the street and started walking along. "Feel free to join me and talk a bit more about figuring out where Gilgamesh is, if you want. Or not. I'll leave it up to you. I'll be eating at one of the local shops for about an hour."
She kept walking, and eventually stepped out of sight.
"We gonna let her just walk away like that?" Hercules grumbled. "We could take her."
"I'm not so sure about that..." the white-haired swordsman shook his head, shuddering faintly. "She could have crushed Leo's head any moment she wanted. We didn't even see her move past us, she was just... there."
Leonardo stuffed his face into Cao Cao's leg with a whimper at the reminder, the blue-haired human's hand coming to rest on the younger child's head.
"What was that about 'questioning our purpose' anyway?" Jeanne scoffed. "We're heroes. She and other Devils are monsters. We're meant to fight monsters. End of story."
Cao Cao said nothing, instead watching where the Devil had left.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping that nobody else could hear the rapid thumping in his ears aside from himself.
She could have killed them all.
He wasn't someone who considered himself a fool.
He could, however, see when he was woefully, woefully outmatched.
Could they have taken her?
Maybe.
But the cost would have been high, far too high to be acceptable. Even if they did succeed.
He rolled Luna's words over in his mind, mulling over them carefully.
Were they just a lie? She admitted to being a Devil, after all, and she didn't hide the fact that she'd take them apart if one of them - most likely Hercules - jumped the gun and rushed her. Maybe literally?
More words stuck out to him.
("I'm not saying you don't have merit standing up against Devils. I respect that actually; I got screwed over by 'em myself.")
Really now? Was she saying she was a criminal of some sort...?
("If I do get involved in something, I'm finishing it.")
Or did she have a personal vendetta against the Underworld?
He lifted a hand to his chin.
Perhaps they could work with that...
Luna swirled a coke in her hand as aquamarine eyes shifted over to the seat next to her, noting that a certain someone had joined her.
"Fancy meeting you here," she started, making an upward-circle with her finger to bring up a privacy ward. "So, decided to hear me out?"
"Something like that," Cao Cao replied noncommittally.
The brunette shrugged, sliding over another coke. "Suit yourself. Glad you didn't take too long to make a choice; drinks warm up pretty quickly in these parts."
She got a lifted brow at her comment, but the blue-haired young man didn't answer, instead taking the drink and popping the cap open. He didn't, however, immediately drink, instead rubbing the lip of the opening.
Cao Cao stopped, tilting his head until Luna heard a quiet crack.
"You said you were 'screwed over' by them. The supernatural. The Devils," he finally said, taking a drink after saying those words.
"I thought you would want to talk about the hero descendant we're both looking for?"
"Just answer my question, hellspawn."
She shrugged. "Yep. Parents got electrocuted to death, just because they were my parents. But when I made the asshat responsible pay blood for my family's blood, I got labeled an heir killer, basically the highest form of criminality you can be accused of down there."
Luna closed her eyes as a rumble of low laughter escaped her. "I think the guy at the very top got a kick out of the irony; I hunted heir killers as the achievement I required to get into High Class."
"A Devil hunting other Devils for personal gain. I can't say I'm too surprised."
"Not much different than a human climbing over their coworkers for a highly-vaunted promotion, really. At least here, I was cleaning up after someone else's mess. Many were made into killers by their masters' actions, after all."
Cao Cao glanced over at the brunette, and the way her eyes focused on the bottle currently tipping its contents into her mouth.
"I get the feeling there's a bigger story there than you are letting on."
Luna's bottle clinked against the table. "What can I say? That all the Strays I returned to the Underworld were deserving of the punishment they received? I'd be insulting the ones that didn't, if I did."
The Chinese hero descendant broke into a disbelieving grin. "And you expect me to listen to someone who admits to killing innocent people?"
"I think the fact that I admit to it, regret it, and am trying to do better should stand for something."
"Regret won't bring those people back."
"Nope. Nor will it bring back Mom and Dad." Luna's head shifted away briefly, as her fingers tightened on her drink. She turned back to Cao Cao immediately after. "But the best I can do is try to live up to their memory. To carry the weight of their lives with me, the ones I took and the ones I lost, as I keep moving forward."
Cao Cao frowned, returning to his coke, drinking it slowly as he mulled over the Devil's words.
"What is a 'hero', to you?" said Devil asked suddenly. "I know you want to make a faction of heroes, but what is it that you stand for?"
The blue-haired young man blinked. "What do you mean?"
"One man's hero is another's demon. Everyone's got different priorities, so if you stand for one thing you invariably end up opposed to something else. Even if it's not what you expected it to be at first." Luna's head lolled to the side momentarily. "I just want to know what you want to achieve."
"So you can decide whether or not to kill me while I'm still not powerful enough to challenge you?"
The brunette rolled her jaw, tapping a finger on the countertop, letting the muffled market chatter fill the silence.
She broke the ambience seconds later with a slow, concessionary shrug. "Well... yeah. I suppose so."
Cao Cao's own drink tapped on the counter, coming to a rest as his hand moved away, shifting to face Luna.
"Surprisingly forthcoming of you, to say something as threatening as that."
"I already told you, didn't I?" Luna smiled. "I'm a monster that hunts monsters. Just because someone is human doesn't mean they aren't a beast that needs to be put down."
"You think humans are no better than Devils?"
"I'd say Devils are more inclined to their inner darkness, sure. But I know humans can be just as bad. Just look at World War Two and what went on in Germany. Or the various genocides still going on in the world today. Can you really look at those, and tell me to my face that humans and Devils can't be the same brand of horrible?"
Cao Cao tilted his head. "And you think that the supernatural elements that puppeteered humanity for their own purposes in those instances don't exist?"
The brunette chuckled wryly. "And you think that everyone involved were brainwashed into following orders blindly? No, people went, and go, along with such things willingly. What about the soldiers who storm houses, pillaging and raping civilians who not only did nothing wrong, but can't do anything to defend themselves?"
"If we weren't so obsessed with the offers of power that creatures like Devils and Gods give us, there wouldn't be such horrific atrocities in the first place!"
She met his firm gaze. "Do you really believe that the supernatural is to blame for everything? Humans helped them become what they are now. You could say that they exist today, not because they leeched off of us, but because we created the systems that allow them to do so without suffering some sort of just punishment in turn."
"Exactly!" Cao Cao stood sharply, Luna's eyes following his as his voice rose not necessarily in the heat of the moment, but from a deeply-ingrained passion. "They coddle, they leech, they take, and bleed humanity of its potential, not because they have to, but because they can! They do so without caring about what it does to the rest of us, or worse, because they're afraid of what humanity can become! So why is it that you insist on showing them they have reason to be, why is that such a bad thing!?"
For a moment, Luna could understand how Cao Cao had managed to gather the Hero Faction before.
But then the moment passed, and she bowed her head once.
Her mind wandered, to an era of her life that had since passed.
Of simpler times.
She swallowed, eyes prickling as she stared hard at the table.
"It's not just humans that are taken advantage of."
There was another long beat of silence.
"Even if, if, the treatment of certain Devils such as the ones you hunted down, is undeserved," and though Cao Cao's voice remained firm, Luna could detect an ever so brief pause in it, "humanity is by and large the majority of their victims. Does that not mean that a hero should fight for humanity, first and foremost?"
"That's so limiting, though," Luna interjected. "What does that mean for the little Youkai girls whose parents were killed at the whim of a corrupt researcher? What does that mean for the dhampir who is called a monster, or the one who is locked in a dungeon, simply for what they are? What does that mean for a young girl and her mother, that they would be hunted down and butchered for the father's origin? What does that mean for even the noble, who is subject to psychological conditioning and a millennia-long life of servitude for making a single poor choice? Do you really think they deserve what they got? That because they were born that way, they deserve to have their childhood happiness ripped away from them? That they deserve the same mistreatment as the Jew, the American Indians, the African, or the Uighur?"
She didn't let Cao Cao step back in, splaying a hand out on the table, palm-down. "I'm not saying you're wrong, fighting for the sake of the victimized. I'm saying you're wrong, wanting to fighting for humanity and only humanity, the race. There's more to this world than just humans! It's not just humans that populate this planet, there's people; living, thinking, feeling beings, of all shapes, sizes, colors, and cultures."
Luna let her posture slacken, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Even if they're not humans, even if they're born stronger, or faster, or more magical, and thus more alien for their nature, or even more 'evil'... there's humanity to them too. To me, that sort of diversity should be celebrated and protected."
'Even if a good ninety percent of people are blithering morons or selfish pricks, there's still a few that are worth it.'
Her eyes reopened, and they met Cao Cao's. "Even so, I couldn't care less if they're human, Devil, or dragon, or anything else; they can suffer just like anyone else, and so deserve justice like anyone else. The innocent and the victims, the exploited and the abused, the ignored and the abandoned? That, that, is the humanity I fight for."
"And you think you're allowed to play judge in such a manner?"
"I've seen both the highs and lows of society, whether it's Devil or human. I've experienced it, too. I'd say I have a pretty good grasp of what I'm talking about. Even then, there's people to help me back onto the right path if I begin to stray." Luna's smile could cut glass. "Besides, I could ask the same thing to you. What's your justification to take the role of grand arbiter? Divine providence? The True Longinus? Do you mean to say you'd try and use Truth Ideal to get your way, and damn anyone who doesn't follow along?"
Cao Cao's face flashed, and the brunette readied herself for a fight. Yet, he didn't move from his spot.
"I was given the True Longinus, the god-slaying spear, for a reason: to slay gods. If I need to use Truth Ideal to bring about the era of man, I will."
"And where's the freedom of humanity in that? It sounds more like a cage to me."
The blue-haired young man's lip quivered faintly.
"If it's just the supernatural that I use it on, then I don't see the problem."
Luna's smile softened, and she lifted her drink to her lips. "If you do that... then you just perpetuate the cycle. You become the very thing you swore to destroy."
She sipped her coke, closing one eye while the other shifted over to where Cao Cao was sitting.
He sat there, staring at her for several long moments, leading the brunette to slide a slip of paper over to his part of the counter. "Think about it a bit more. If you do want to talk further..." she trailed off with a gesture to the slip of paper as she set the coke down, lone eye focusing on the bottle.
She saw shifting in the corner of her eye.
By the time she opened the other one and looked back with both, Cao Cao was gone, as were the paper and drink she'd offered him.
"Didn't want to stick around for Gilgamesh, huh?" Luna chuckled to the empty air. "Gee, I wonder why?"
Cao Cao wasn't a man who considered himself a fool.
As he walked away from the diner, one hand in pocket while the other gripped treacherously onto the bottle offered to him by the she-Devil, his mind was awhirl with the words said.
He hadn't had much time to dig into her apparent vendetta against the Underworld, considering how she had taken charge of the conversation and deflected every attempt to get the upper hand.
Yet at the same time, there was something else there.
He'd seen the worst of what the world had to offer, and at the hands of those who would prey on humanity, he was uniquely suited to knock them down a peg.
("What does that mean for the little Youkai girls whose parents were killed at the whim of a corrupt researcher?")
If anything, it proved that his mission was all the more important to uphold.
("It's not just humans that are taken advantage of.")
She spoke as though she were one of them.
Her? The one who so casually threatened to kill them all?
("Parents were electrocuted to death, just because they were my parents... when I made the bastard pay blood for my family's, I was labeled a Stray. An heir-killer at that.")
In other words, she was persona non grata in the Underworld. She probably was out for revenge, too.
How could he spin this encounter to his advantage?
Yet still the words resonated.
("I just want to know what you want to achieve.")
The answer was simple; he wanted to free humanity from the clutches of the supernatural.
("That's so limiting, though.")
"Cao Cao?"
Easy for a Devil to say; she just wanted to head him off before he became a threat.
("I'm a monster that hunts monsters. Just because someone is human doesn't mean they're not a beast that needs to be put down.")
Then why didn't she murder him then and there? If she was so supremely confident as to admit to deciding whether or not to kill him, then that Luna Devil could likely have done so.
Especially since he'd walked right into her web.
("Humans helped them become what they are now.")
Were these thoughts the strands that she stuck to him, persisting despite all attempts to remove them?
"Cao Cao."
What was her game? Was she trying to ensnare him in her lies, turn him against his own mission?
("The best I can do is try to live up to their memory.")
So why did her words resonate? How did she know exactly what to say? How did she know exactly how to say what she did?
("There's more to this world than just humans!")
Says the being that would enslave humans...
("I'm not saying you're wrong, fighting for the sake of the victimized.")
Cao Cao was no fool. He'd seen some of the worst the world had to offer at the hands of the supernatural. So he really was uniquely suited for stopping humanity's exploitation.
("I've seen both the highs and lows of society, whether it's Devil or human. I've experienced it, too. I'd say I have a pretty good grasp of what I'm talking about.")
Was that it?
A hand came to rest on his shoulder, and Cao Cao stopped, blinking several times before turning to see Jeanne staring at him with a furrowed brow.
"What happened in there?"
The blue-haired hero descendant opened his mouth, scrambling for an answer.
"I..."
He didn't dare say what he had been about to, instead shaking his head. "I was unprepared for what I faced. But I escaped unscathed, and that is the more important detail. We'll continue as we have been."
"And what about Gilgamesh?" Siegried asked.
Cao Cao sighed and shook his head again. "The information she provided will not prove useful in that regard. No matter, it was a calculated risk all the same."
"So you're saying this whole encounter with that she-Devil was all a big waste of time," Hercules ground out.
"I am," the wielder of Longinus confirmed. "That just means that we will need to make sure our future efforts are more well-grounded."
Leonardo just watched Cao Cao, brow furrowing ever so slightly as the young Chinese man continued to lead them onward.
The hero descendant in question paid them no further heed for the immediate moment.
A/N:
Yes, that is an Ozzy Ozbourne reference. Plus, this is Luna we're talking about, she'd totally be down for a double-entendre nickname like that in a chatroom with people she's on good terms with. And after six years, I'd say she's at least forgiven Serafall for her actions, even if she hasn't forgotten.
Again, I use a chat-based system, but this time I use it for a slightly different intent than before. Considering how two of them are too busy to be seen interacting in the Underworld, while the other is a criminal and presumed dead, they can't exactly meet face-to-face.
Speaking of, we also get some more faces, both canonical and pseudo-canonical. It's been a while since I last laid my hands on Heaven, and here we see that things are indeed happening. Metatron's calling Gabriel out on his twitter-dot-com, Michael ends up taking an unexpected nap on the doorstep of Heaven's System, and Heaven's seeing some more turbulence overall. I also added a bit about what Masaomi and Asia have been doing in Gabriel's service, and I think it helps flesh the world out a little more. Let me know if you agree!
And then there's the Hero Faction. The fact that Cao Cao's a fuming specist makes it... difficult, to write him both as an individual who should be reasonable, charismatic, and intelligent, and as someone who needs to be headed off lest he end up casually committing hate crimes. Hopefully this chapter gives a good show as to his mentality, both in terms of his prejudice against nonhumans, and his desire to protect humanity, while allowing Luna her opportunity to prove herself a charismatic individual of her own. Whether Cao Cao's desire is to justify his actions, or because he's legitimate but misguided, that's still up in the air. I'm leaning toward the latter right now, though.
Tempura Wizard out.