Not My Harem Anime!

by The Tempura Wizard

Power fantasies oft reign supreme when you reincarnate into new worlds, especially ones you know. The world is rarely so kind, though. Even for those with powers that many would consider unique or even game-breaking, life can be ruthless. Being reincarnated with the wrong equipment was only the start, but what protagonist lets something like a bad hand keep them down?

66. Chapter 64

NMHA Ch. 64 - Resurgence

---

A/N: Another chapter, another step forward.

Y'know, I had a real hankering for cinnamon candies the day I posted the last chapter. Mmm... cinnamon...

And now I'm jonesing for them again. Damn it.

Anyway, y'all know the drill.

---

"So... how did the meeting go?"

Issei sat with his mother and father upstairs, mulling over the question. The two Devils, two Angels (one Fallen), and one Youkai which had previously been meeting on the floor below, had since returned to their respective sections of Kuoh. The fact remained; an important meeting had occurred, and it had happened in their house.

"It went... well enough," he replied, rubbing the back of his head with a small grimace. "It didn't come to blows at least, but it was pretty close once or twice."

How much could he get away with saying? How much did he need to hide? How much could he hide? Issei didn't want to lie to his parents, and they were already at least aware that there was more to the world than met the eye - he and Asia hadn't exactly hid the fact that she could heal people. Certainly, Issei's dad would know that firsthand.

Still, judging by the way Miki's face scrunched up at what he admitted, the Sacred Gear wielder felt inordinately guilty about the idea of hiding just how dangerous his world was.

His world, Issei recognized a moment later. Perhaps the look in his eye helped convince his mom from pushing the topic, or the way his face twisted at the reminder of the life he'd been unceremoniously thrust into.

"Did they enjoy the food?" Leave it to the Hyoudou matriarch to be curious about her handiwork. It brought a smile to Issei's face.

"Most of them did. Tensions were a bit high for the meal to be enjoyed like it should have been, but I do think it helped. How were you able to make Kaiseki Ryori so quickly, anyway?"

Miki Hyoudou just closed one eye and smiled. "A mother's secret, Issei. Was it the tension that made you ask me to look after your father?"

Issei nodded once. "Yeah. Better to have things as private as possible for that sort of thing."

"...Issei," his father grunted as he shifted his legs, swinging them over the bed. "Be honest with us, son. Is this all because of that explosion that happened a month ago?"

"Sort of. One of the three factions that were involved has a criminal on the loose. She was the one to cause it, so now they're trying to help pick up the pieces."

"Factions... like the Yakuza?"

"Gorou!"

"It's fine, Kaa-san." Issei waved his hand to placate her. "It's... something like that. Not the Yakuza, though I wouldn't be surprised if they were involved somehow. They're all just shy of being at each other's throats, but they're trying to come together in the name of a common peace."

His parents exchanged a glance, before Gorou turned to Issei. "Son... are you alright? Are you caught in something where you're in over your head?"

"I'm..." he was going to say 'fine', but the look in his dad's eyes stopped him cold. He swallowed, glancing away. "I... I'm in over my head, yeah. But this isn't something I can... just, walk away from, y'know? It's not that easy, especially after what I've already done."

"Sounds like the Yakuza to me," Issei's dad commented, a smile playing at his lips from the bit of humor. "So... what did you do?"

The young man took in a deep breath, and exhaled. "Manifest this."

He extended his arm to the side, letting the Boosted Gear's metallic gauntlet slowly appear across his arm. The brunet was keenly aware of the way his parents stared bug-eyed at the crimson-armored arm, particularly at the green gem that represented Ddraig's eye.

"You know how Asia has a... gift, that lets her heal people?" Issei glanced between them. "This is... kind of like that. Except, mine doesn't heal. It doubles. Exponentially."

"Double... what, exactly?" his mother wondered aloud, reaching out to run a hand down the red gauntlet, blinking in surprise at the cool steel - or something else - that her son had apparently summoned out of thin air. "Do you mean it doubles injuries, or-"

"No!" Issei waved both hands in front of his face, ignoring the thoughtful hum that Ddraig was making or the way his mother jerked back at the sudden movement. "No, no, it's a power booster. It allows me to stockpile power and double it. Naturally, it's called the Boosted Gear."

"And by power you mean...?" His dad leaned in, a glint in his eye as he peered at the Boosted Gear.

"Physical attributes. Energy output, durability, speed, you name it, this thing can Boost it. The only limitation is my ability to maintain those Boosts."

"So what if you Boosted your durability? Specifically, your ability to maintain Boosts?"

Issei lifted a finger, about to respond, before lowering it, looking down in thought.

"I've thought about it, but I haven't really had the opportunity to explore the idea. Life's been... I've had more important things to do."

"I can imagine." Gorou held a hand to his head. "Even just hearing about my son being a part of this world that's like the Yakuza... you can understand that we're concerned for you, right?"

"I know, I know." Issei waved his hands placatingly. "I should know, considering I'm part of it. It's dangerous, I'm in over my head, but I'm pushing through it as best I can."

Gorou and Miki looked at each other, exchanging a conversation without words before the husband returned his focus on Issei.

"Is there anything that we could do to... help?"

Issei set his jaw. "No. Not unless you can help me deal with the woman who set off that explosion. For reference, you know how I can double things?"

His father tilted his head. "Does she have a similar ability?"

"I don't know the details. But when I say she caused the explosion, I don't mean by building a bomb. I'm talking literally." After a beat of silence, Issei felt the need to emphasize what he said. "Yeah. She's that dangerous."

"...Are you sure you're alright, Ise?" Miki asked, almost hesitantly. "That's... that's a bit much to just accept."

"Mom," Issei pleaded. "I know I've given you two a lot to swallow, and worry about, but please. Trust me when I say I know what I'm talking about."

"A-alright." his mother complied, even as Gorou pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

"Okay, so my son is wrapped up in a conflict involving a woman who can shoot nukes from her hands. Please excuse me if I'm just a little incredulous."

"It's a lot," the Sacred Gear wielder repeated. "But you saw what happened. You've seen Asia heal your back. You see the Boosted Gear. If you give me something, like a sheet of paper, I could make it twice as big or something to prove my point."

"No, no, it's fine. I believe you. Even if it's... a lot."

A lot. That summed up their discussion quite well.

"Anyway, about the help thing. You mentioned your power is exponential multiplication, right?" Issei's nod prompted his father to continue. "If you're able to double... any physical attribute, then wouldn't you be able to Boost your own tolerance for Boosting ad infinitum? And if you do that, then wouldn't your natural reserves increase because they're under such pressure - sort of like a muscle?"

"I can only Boost so quickly. When I first manifested the Boosted Gear, I could only double my physical output once every ten seconds."

"Even going off that base number... don't forget, Issei, we're talking exponential increases." Gorou waved at the laptop over on the other side of the room. "Here, let me open up a spreadsheet and show you what I mean."

Miki blinked, and walked over to the laptop, grabbing it and passing it over to her husband. He opened it up and immediately set to work, putting it to work.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a matter of interest, son," Gorou chuckled. "Say your power 'base' is 100 to start, for simple numbers. Say that every time you Boost past your natural limit, your base increases by a tenth of a percentage point. It's a really small value; it may be higher, it may be lower. Either way; every time you Boost; that is to say, once every 10 seconds, your 'bank' increases by a tenth of a percent. Twice would be a single percent of 100.1, then 100.2001, and so on."

That didn't sound like a huge return for something that sounded incredibly, incredibly risky.

Eventually, however, Gorou started scrolling down as the functions regarding that 'base' populated, and Issei's eyes widened.

"What the-!"

"I forgot that you aren't as mathematically-inclined." He sighed, with a self-deprecating chuckle. "My apologies. This is why I wanted to give you a visual perspective."

"This is... even if my baseline only increases a tenth of a percent every time I Boost..."

"In less than two minutes, your reserves would increase by a single point." He lifted a finger. "One. Now, do that again, with that additional one. Less than two minutes after that, it's 102.1. And it scales. And if that increase is increased proportionally to how many times you're over that limit?"

Issei sat in stunned silence.

"It doesn't work like that," Ddraig interrupted Issei's frozen state of mind. "Never mind the fact that you'd scale so far beyond Great Red that you'd effectively become an Outer Being before twenty minutes have passed. It's closer to the original, but even that..."

The dragon trailed off, and Issei could see why. Increasing one's base parameters by nearly ten percent in a matter of fifteen minutes? Which can then be turned back to increasing their strength?

'...I take it that it does work like that, judging by your silence. Did you know that, or-?'

"Shut up, whelp."

'Did my dad just one-up you in your own domain?'

"I said silence!" Ddraig snapped, though it seemed less out of hostility and more out of... mortification? "Look, even if he has a brilliant idea, it has diminishing returns, and it becomes more and more dangerous the stronger you are!"

'...And how long would it take me to reach that point in Scale Mail?'

There were several beats of silence, before the red dragon grumbled. "...thirty seconds. And you'd get the same sort of results as he's suggesting in about twice as long a time. The returns are diminishing, but they're still returns. You'd just need to find something that can withstand having that many Boosts Transferred to it. I can warn you when you're reaching a point where you'd kill yourself doing so, as well."

But even so, that was far faster than anything he'd thought of before.

His mind drifted back to the brunette that had - briefly - tutored him to fight. The very same brunette who seemed to be an agent of... it.

Issei would take every advantage he could get.

"Dad. I'm going to say it now; you're utterly brilliant."

"Thanks, but... it's just simple mathematics."

'Maybe, but what it means is far more than that.'

"Sure. But even if it isn't exactly the way you put it; even a single extra Boost could mean... so much. You said it yourself; it's exponential." Especially against the woman who had - once provoked - broken his back before he could so much as blink.

If he could get so much stronger so quickly, he could face her down as an equal next time, much less stand on equal terms with the faction leaders who he had hosted for a lunchtime meeting.

"Thank you for sharing with us, Issei." His mother smiled. "I'm glad we could help, even if it's just to give you a new idea. Was there... anything else that we should know?"

Part of him wanted to reveal the truth behind the Boosted Gear and its inhabitant, but he decided against it. He'd already shared quite a bit, and even if they seemed to be taking it well, Issei could see the crinkling around his parents' eyes. They needed some more time to process, and come to terms with the fact that their child was going further into a world they couldn't truly be part of.

So he just shook his head, smiled at them, and moved on. "...I'll ask them to not visit here again - you two have already been through enough."

---

In the bustling village of Obaral, in the light of day, when Devils tended to rest, the former mercenary known as Isaac sat on the porch of his cabin, a shotgun propped up against his shoulder as he stared into the sky. At that moment, he wondered why he was still on the ground, rather than up in the air, where he could hear the report of firearms.

Firearms much like his, in fact. He remembered his time as a sellsword for his village's sake all too clearly.

Of course, they'd already been raided before- this time, Lord Phenex had been ready.

Hence the bolts of lightning that speared through the air, striking several before the power behind the spell vanished, sending trailing bodies falling back to the ground.

But it wasn't enough. What guards were here were meant for a raiding party. What had come was akin to an army.

A blast of ice struck the pillar next to him, prompting Isaac to flinch back before grimacing. No, he couldn't shy away like that. That kind of weakness would get him and everyone who had sheltered in his cabin killed. They couldn't take his cabin - not yet. Not when there were still people trying to escape.

Even so, the former mercenary shivered. All he'd wanted was to help his home. How in the world was it that they'd be attacked for... what, doing well?

Yet still he remained in place, weapon at the ready and jaw tightened as Devils screamed and buildings burned.

But not his. Not yet. Thankfully, there was a Devil with a minor penchant for water magic inside who had been able to dampen the first fires.

The moss that might form could be a problem, but that was a problem for later.

Now, a Devil had dropped to the ground, and had readied another firebomb, this one close enough that the detonation would undoubtedly set the house alight.

Isaac recognized him. It was a mercenary from another village - 'Ilnstad?' - that had been part of his group briefly, about two missions before the Dark Moon Incident.

The other Devil recognized him too, slowing down for just a moment as he processed.

It was at that moment that Isaac took his holy pellet infused shotgun and allowed some of his tightly-controlled emotions to peek through, face twisting into a horrid snarl.

Everything was coming apart, not by his hands, but by... the desires of some new handler of his old crew?

Was this just destiny taking its course? Was Obaral just fated to die, forgotten?

That other Devil's head exploded in a burst of gore and dust, the holy water-infused pellets carving through the other merc with divine fury.

Isaac's gaze shifted back to the doorway, to the empty house, and the not-so-empty hidden basement within.

If his home was to be a victim, then he'd defy that fate by any means necessary.

---

Ruval stared at the grisly scene with a dangerously neutral mask on his face, noting the two dozen half-dusted, pellet-ridden bodies in front of the burnt-down wreck of a house as the Devil next to him - one of Obaral's former elders - turned away gagging.

Part of him wanted to scold the elder for his weakness when they had put up a strong front during their negotiations... but he knew far too well that not many Devils were truly as implacable as they purported themselves to be... himself included.

If they had just listened, if they hadn't been so stubborn, if they hadn't been so ready to distrust when he said he wanted to give them a guard...

The Lord Phenex drew in a deep breath, letting himself taste the stench of blood, bile, and death in the air, alongside a heady mix of ash and smoke.

So. This was what Diehauser meant by the war already beginning. A bustling village, burned to the ground for the sole sin of joining the Phenex outreach efforts.

He exhaled, forcing down the pounding in his ears that sought to add to the damage, to release some of the fire flushing his veins that very moment.

The near-loss of his Rook and Bishop was an afterthought compared to this. Aesle really had been going easy until now.

But why? Why go so far when Aesle clearly had no serious bad blood with Ruval or the Phoenix Initiative?

'...Aesle Marchosias.'

That's right. They were of Marchosias blood, with the same devastating skill as Eospa - and apparently, the same unflinching loyalty to... the old guard...?

Ruval's hand rose to his chin, stroking it in thought. If Aesle was moving on to more violent pastures starting with Obaral, then did that mean the masters of the Marchosias family were back and had a bone to pick?

Then why go after him in particular? Was he chipping away at their support base? What did the True Satans - if they were actually back - stand to gain from wiping out a village? It'd only galvanize those nearby to enter a coalition to defend themselves.

Unless it was to discourage them from doing so because Ruval was unable to protect this place.

'That's plausible.' Once was a tragedy, twice was a coincidence, thrice was a pattern.

That being said, he had no intention of letting villages under his domain be swept aside so easily even a second time.

"Lord Phenex... what do we do?" The sole elder that survived Obaral's destruction, hidden beneath the burned-down house of a former mercenary with a number of other villagers, asked once he'd gathered his wits.

By that time a minute had passed, and Ruval could answer immediately.

"You gather the survivors while my men gather the bodies for cremation. I placed a guard to protect Obaral, but it was to beat back a raiding party, not... this." He gestured to the bodies on the ground, though he kept the much older and much weaker Devil's gaze locked. "Elder Xen... this has become far more than just a matter of bandits. You have my deepest apologies for what happened to your people; I will do all in my power to make a new home for those that remain, and ensure that this does not happen to anyone else."

His arm flashed out, the spear of something springing into existence as he slammed the butt on the ground.

"The House Phenex is now in a wartime stance - we only suspect our enemy's affiliation, but we know who the enemy is and the lengths they will go, and we will allow it no further."

The Lord of the Phenex Pillar's face curled into an almost avian glare and sneer. "The next time these whoresons try to touch my people, I swear to you that I will incinerate that hand!"

---

"You know... I pulled you out from that warehouse so that you'd be able to live, Isaac," Cleria murmured as she stared at his catatonic - but not dead - form, floating behind her by way of a platform constructed with magic. As she walked the halls, she took a glance back at her former subordinate. "Yet here you are now. Honestly, I feel kind of sorry for you."

He didn't respond, but after the beating that he'd received putting down two dozen of Aesle's soldiers, Cleria didn't expect him to. For a Low-Class Devil, he had proven incredibly tenacious.

She just wished that it hadn't been his home that had been the target.

"Ah... nothing to it now, I suppose." The branch Belial looked forward again, stepping by a dazed-looking former nun, her hair disheveled and panting softly as she approached Diodora's quarters, already on guard.

That was one of his newer Peerage members, right? Did the Devil do something to her? That look was concerningly common among his former holy maidens.

"Perish the thought," a voice that wasn't her own replied tartly within the confines of her mind. "Isabel is just recovering from our most recent... session. And before you accuse me of taking advantage of her, if you were to ask, she'd say she quite enjoys the feeling. After a bit of prying; but we all have our guilty pleasures."

Cleria froze. '...You're not supposed to be in my head.'

"Please forgive my impertinence, but recently it's become more difficult to stay out than to get in. Mentalism is not a skill most Devils have, after all." She heard his chuckle in the back of her mind as she continued forward. "Though you'd probably have more to be afraid of me learning than most. Wouldn't you, Cleria Belial?"

Her eyes narrowed and the gray-eyed Devil drew on her power, focusing inward. '...I don't know what you're talking about.'

"Ha, you learn quickly. Using Worthless to shroud your own mind from mentalism? A clever use, but ultimately an - ironically - worthless one in this circumstance."

How was he doing that? Shouldn't he have been shut out by now?

"You'll find out once you step inside my office. Feel free to do so, by the way. Oh settle down, you need not fear my knowledge. If I wanted to rat you out for being Diehauser's spy, I would have you marching straight up to Creuserey and admitting your duplicity yourself. You know as well as I his tolerance for such... infidelity."

Despite his 'reassurances', her breath quickened. How'd he know? How'd he scrape that information from her mind so quickly?!

That got a laugh from Diodora. "If I shared, then it wouldn't work in the future now would it? No, I think I will keep that particular tidbit of knowledge a secret. But don't keep me waiting now. Step inside, I have refreshments and you seem like you could use a strong drink."

'Not like I would accept any from you in the first place.'

That got a long pause, before he finally responded, with it carrying a hint of irritation. "...A pity. Regardless, you are here for a reason. Step inside, enough prevaricating."

Internally grimacing at the command, Cleria complied-

Whump!

-only to find herself dropping to her knees as she opened the door to Diodora's office, eyes locked on the one in question.

He had changed. Not just in the way his hair had gained highlights, or the way he had horns and was that a broken halo? Not just in those ways, but his very aura too.

Before, he'd just come off as an unassuming Devil with an immense well of presence, a testament to his skill at mentalism.

But now? Now?

Now...?

'Nnn...?'

She wasn't sure what to think. She wasn't sure she could. His very proximity smothered her mind, practically beckoning her will into his embrace, and much to the Belial's relief, she was just able to keep herself from succumbing outright, though it took every fiber of what could resist to do so.

Yet there was a nearly equal part of her that screamed and thrashed to submit, setting her body alight with desire and need, something that she'd only felt from one individual before.

That someone was at the very top of the TSF's hierarchy.

The son of Lucifer, the direct descendant of the strongest Demon, she could get. He was the oldest and most powerful among them. But Diodora...?

Diodora clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly as he visibly took in a deep breath and reined in his power. "Tch. So, able to think straight again?"

He did that on purpose, Cleria realized.

But no. Even now, her body shuddered, and it took the gray-eyed Devil a long minute to regather herself from the mere seconds of the other Devil's... new power? Hidden power?

Whatever the case, he had changed, and even if she knew to be wary of him before, now even being in the same room as Diodora sent shivers down her spine.

"...What are you?" she finally hissed out, keeping her eyes focused on the ground after a brief glance toward him sent her mind fogging and her body heating up once more.

"What am I?" Diodora echoed, snapping his fingers, Cleria noting the magical platform carrying the catatonic mercenary floating further into the room. "There are a dozen different ways for me to answer that. You will need to elaborate."

"Don't play games with me, blast it all," the Belial Devil snarled. "Just answer me!"

"I'm afraid you don't get to make demands right now,' he replied icily, rising from his seat before turning around. "In case you weren't aware, the only reason you're not a panting, drooling mess on the ground right now is because I'm holding back, and I could always deposit you to Creuserey. I know your secrets, Cleria. I know your true affiliation. I know your desires. I know your plans."

She grit her teeth and growled, but didn't otherwise respond, prompting a satisfied hum from Diodora.

"Good girl. Then you know who holds the cards. Though coming at me so aggressively really doesn't suit you, especially when entreating with a potential ally."

That gave the gray-haired girl a pause, as though retracing her steps and actions before finally speaking again.

"...I apologize for my... aggressiveness, Lord Astaroth," she finally forced out. "Your presence is... unnerving."

"Mh." He sighed. "Better. Not that I can blame you; not many Devils would react too kindly to their own bodies demanding subservience to another. I know full well how... frustrating it might be to have to resist your own Id. Certainly, the children of Demons are painfully difficult to deny when they want something."

Children of Demons... was that why Diodora had a broken halo now?

"Yes, actually." Cleria cursed as her brief thought was immediately picked out. "As it so happens, Lord Rizevim performed a ritual on me for the sole purpose of recreating a Demon's power."

That got a small, restrained chuckle from the green-and-fuschia-haired mentalist. "He succeeded. So, Cleria, here's a little pop quiz for you... which was the Demon of Mentalism again?"

The answer occurred to her immediately, and she could practically feel Diodora's smile widen to something altogether more malevolent.

"Yes, well. He's dead. The old king of minds is dead. By right of conquest, long live the king."

By right of conquest?

Her eyes widened.

The Dantalions had been wiped out, hadn't they? So that meant..."That was you?"

"Yep. They deserved it."

"Wh- how?'

Diodora sighed, and though Cleria pointedly did not look up, she saw his boots come to rest in front of her.

"Do you know what the Dantalion family did to keep their place in the Pillars?"

"They operated as personal confidants and tutors-"

"A good answer, but that was merely a front," he flatly denied. "They were agents of Zekram Bael's command structure. They are a family known for mentalism - that is, the art of accessing another's mind. Do you really think that someone like the Great King wouldn't have them in his pocket to monitor others, or even... reeducate and rehabilitate problematic elements?"

Cleria was silent, prompting Diodora to continue. "Of course you don't. You're a smart girl, you understand. Simply put, they were a key element in maintaining Zekram's control over the Underworld. After all, how easy would it be to implant ideas of aristocratic rule in the minds of the young and impressionable, especially in places where nobody would be able to tell if something did happen?"

Again no answer. So the Devil-turned-Demon stepped away, the footfalls of his boots echoing in the sparsely-decorated office. "They simply had to go, and Rizevim had spotted the perfect opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Control perspective, control narrative, and you control the world. Naturally, there's still a few mentalists here and there that could aid in his plans, but with the bulk of his propaganda machine gutted, how do you think Zekram will react?"

"He would... tighten his control, right?"

"That's the most reactive response," Diodora allowed, "but you forget that the Great King is a master planner. He'll have contingency upon contingency. No, I think he'll actually use the culture already set in place to whip the rest of the Underworld into a frenzy. After all, one of their illustrious Pillars just got... squashed. Perhaps he might even come out of retirement to respond to this state of emergency."

"So why go that far?"

"Because even if he has plans upon plans, something in his plans did fail - the image of invincibility." Diodora sat back down in his seat. "Paradoxically, despite the fact that we as a species have suffered from multiple wars, the common Devil - noble or no - is of the belief that we who have survived have done so because we are untouchable. Indestructible. Indomitable. The Pillars that remain would never fall. By removing the source of this image, both in action and in target, that image will start to fracture."

He chuckled. "I slapped Devilkind itself directly in the face by murdering every last mainline Dantalion. Naturally, they're going to be angry. They're going to be shocked. They're going to be indignant, even. But beneath all that, there's something that Zekram will have to be very careful of. And I mean to ensure that it blows up in his face in the worst way possible."

She understood exactly where he was going, even if there was one thing she didn't. "...Why?"

"Because he took something from me. Something irreplaceable. So I mean to do the same. And you, Cleria... you're going to help me."

She grit her teeth, biting back the snappy response... yet to no avail, as it had risen to her mind anyway.

"Why should you?" He let out a huff of laughter. "Because if you don't, the Belial family is next in line for extinction."

"Diehauser would flatten you," the gray-haired woman immediately replied.

Diodora shook his head and chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure - he may be powerful beyond belief, but he's not his line's progenitor. I'd say I have at least a decent shot."

He leaned forward, leaning his chin on clasped hands. "Besides, I wouldn't be the one to deal with him anyway. Rizevim said that he'd... make an example of your cousin personally."

That caused Cleria to clam up, quickly paling. Diodora was one matter - even if his presence was now something to be feared. But Rizevim? She'd only caught glimpses of his power, and utterly monstrous didn't even come close.

Diehauser could beat Diodora, she was sure of it. Cleria also favored Diehauser's chances against Katerea or Shalba. Creuserey was more of a coin flip, but Rizevim? It wouldn't even be a fight.

"...What would you have me do?" she muttered, clenching her teeth together.

"Keep doing what you are now." Diodora reached out to place a hand over Isaac's head. "Go ahead and tell Diehauser that you're compromised, even. But you would do best not to leave Aesle's forces. That'd naturally be considered desertion and treason, to which we'd need to respond in kind."

Cleria stood, though she still resolutely stared at the ground. "So you're threatening my family, is that it? What's your game?'

"Considering that Diehauser is in support of Ruval Phenex's plans to upend Zekram as the Great King of the Underworld, your family is a target anyway," Diodora smoothly retorted. "I'm simply laying out the facts."

"And how would you know that my cousin and Lord Phenex are friends, exactly?"

"Even if I've mostly withdrawn from the Assembly, and even my own home, I keep my eyes on the shakers of the Underworld. Anyone paying attention could see that the two are close, and if I know then Zekram already has three different methods planned to deal with that partnership." Diodora pulled his hand away from the unconscious Devil's head, sending the magic platform drifting back the other Devil's way. "Simply put Cleria, you're safer here than you would be back there. Just ask Diehauser next time you two talk, he'll all but confirm it for you."

"And how is that, exactly?" Cleria's gaze shifted to Isaac as he floated to her side..

"You know what will get you killed here. With Zekram, he might decide to nix you for his schemes, and you won't even get a chance to fight back or know why. He may even frame your 'disappearance' as a willful act by the TSF or some other faction to put more of his strings on your cousin." Diodora shrugged. "Anyway, I took what I needed - take the commoner. You want him alive, so consider it a gesture of goodwill between us. I may not give you much leverage, but that does not mean I am unwilling to be magnanimous."

The gray-haired woman looked between Isaac and specifically the desk. Any closer and her head would get all fuzzy again.

Then she bowed her head and left without another word, though it didn't stop Diodora from leaving a final parting comment.

"You may want to go the other way. Crueserey is in that direction and he's particularly angry right now."

Cleria paused, glanced back at Isaac, paled, then glanced back, wincing as she realized her mistake, before muttering out a weak "T-thanks," and biting her lip at the unnatural reflex to be charitable to him as she stumbled off in the other direction with the mercenary in tow.

It wasn't until later that Cleria realized that Diodora never explained what his 'game' was, regarding the Belials as a whole.

Not one minute later and the Asmodeus in question barged into the room, only to see that Diodora was already standing, wings spread to each side and eyes glowing dangerously.

Unlike with Cleria, however, Crueserey was not budged by Diodora's presence, though his wrathful expression did give way to surprise when he noticed the horns, the halo, and the large batlike wings.

After a few short seconds, the anger returned and he finally spoke.

"Were you the one to wipe out the Dantalions?" the Asmodeus Satan growled.

"It depends," he replied softly. "What would happen if I was?"

Crueserey stared at Diodora, Diodora stared back, neither backing down. Eyes locked, both remained still, lest the other take even a slight shift as a sign of weakness and a sign of defeat.

The green-and-pink-haired former Devil smiled. "Not so weak now, am I? You're sizing me up as a peer now, rather than some scrap of offal that Lord Rizevim decided to bring home with him."

The child of Asmodeus scoffed, crossing his arms. "You're still no more than offal, in my eyes. But I am not a fool; to consider you anything less than a potential threat would be thus. I suppose this was what Rizevim saw, and what Katerea was betting on when she decided to make nice with you."

"We have similar experiences," Diodora easily replied. "She lost her fiancee, much like I did. We are kindred spirits, even if our... beliefs on the nature of rule once differed."

"Said fiancee in question was none other than the Warchief of Severance, a man whose accomplishments have given him a legacy to this day." Crueserey sniffed. "Meanwhile, yours was the refuse of the Vatican, someone who wasn't able to do anything beyond warm your bed before she was torn open and burned."

Diodora's smile slipped, gaze going from cold to glacial. "Is accomplishment truly the only way to judge merit to you?"

"What else is there? Personality?" The Demon Child scoffed. "We all wear masks, and we all want the same thing; to realize our own goals. Nothing else matters - so naturally, it comes down to what our goals actually are, and how far along we've come to accomplishing them. I acknowledge your power, and the lengths you have reached, but what is your goal again? Petty revenge?"

He hawked, then spat on Diodora's desk.

"Pathetic. You may be powerful, but you are a man driven by the shadow of the past, too stubborn and juvenile to let go of something you never should have taken in the first place."

The glare turned into an outright snarl, Diodora leaning forward on both hands, pointedly ignoring the spit on said desk.

"Oh really? And what, pray tell, does that make you? A bitter relic of a bygone era, perhaps? Someone keen on following his father's coattails to the grave? Because the way I see it, your little bid for the throne of the Underworld is no more than a petulant manchild throwing a temper tantrum because someone took away his favorite toy!"

Crueserey's face turned stormy. "Our rule was just! We ruled as our fathers did - through strength and authority!"

"You mean through tyranny and fear. As did your mothers and fathers - the only reason why Devils didn't rebel against them was because Devils were literally incapable of rebelling against them, save for the mighty few." Diodora stood back up. "The two are not the same. Nor are you and your father the same. The fact that you assume similarity is indicative of your ill-fitting to be a leader."

"It is in our blood to bow to those stronger. It is in our veins, to be led by the mighty. It is power that rules over Devilkind, and it is through power that we shall remain."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a Devil anymore."

"Instead, you're just a worm playing at being a Demon. Even more pathetic." Crueserey's cloak whirled around as he turned and stepped outside. "Regardless of what Lord Lucifer expects of you, I look forward to seeing all your designs crash down, you miserable cur."

"Better a dog than a nobody."

The black-haired Devil paused, prompting Diodora to continue.

"At least I have a purpose beyond myself, unlike you."

That got a chuckle of all things, out of Crueserey. "Do you really think that? Or are you just justifying your own selfishness? Perhaps you and Dantalion really are alike. It would certainly explain why I cannot stand you."

Then he was gone, and Diodora promptly scoured the Devil's insult from his desk.

'That makes two of us.' He dearly wished he hadn't finished with Isabel already - he could use one of his girls to relieve himself right about now.

---

The next day hadn't proven much better for Luna. Regardless of what she did, the sleepless vision returned. Always the conflict. Always the rage. Always that damnable Throne of God...

She shook her head, shaking the cobwebs from her thoughts as she sidestepped a pair of men, talking between each other with animated gestures. Was Trihexa trying to share something? Was that Ulan herself deciding to go the visual novel route before showing her sorry face again? Luna could hardly tell, but whatever it was, it ended up causing her no end of fatigue.

Her thoughts drew away from the visions, however, when she heard some of the whispers in the cafeteria.

"Did you hear?"

"You're shitting me!"

"One of the Enforcers set a duel for the leadership of the Dawn Legion!"

"Does he really think that would work?"

"Considering how everyone on the top echelons is just that powerful, that vacancy means a power struggle's inevitable."

"Feh, I'm strong, why am I not invited to this?"

Then came the more frustrating comments, as she gathered her food in silence.

"Where the hell is Lunarunn in all this crap?"

"Shouldn't she be doing something?"

"I wonder if she's trying to cut loose ends."

"I heard she was being tried for something."

"Is there some sort of coverup?"

"I came here because I wanted to be a part of a movement, not the same pissing match between gods."

Luna cringed at the last comment in particular. Perhaps it was that which caused her to be recognized.

"Hey! Boss!"

A bright-eyed young man, though those eyes were scrunched with... she wasn't sure what. Concern? Anger? Frustration?

Still, come the one, come the many. So the questions and the people alike came rushing in.

"What the hell's going on!?"

"Where have you been the past month?"

"What's this about you being on trial?"

"The fuck happened to your arm?!"

"Why have you not done anything?"

Her teeth grit, and she threw up her arm, silencing and stopping them all in a single motion.

Luna drew in a breath, and breathed out.

"You have not been informed?"

She looked through each of the men and women who had come up to her with questions and comments. Upon seeing she had their attention, Lunarunn continued.

"I have been put on trial for the actions I have taken within the Japanese town of Kuoh, in settling a grudge that the rogue Grigori cadre Kokabiel held toward me. In the midst of combat, he took my arm, and my control faltered, resulting in an explosion that would have resulted in Kuoh's annihilation... had it not been for the Red Dragon Emperor."

The brunette immediately continued. "Before anyone says anything; I had contingencies put into place to disburse funds to Kuoh, due to the nature of the town as a neutral territory held in stewardship by the Devils. Even so, the Shinto pantheon was justifiably furious with my actions and demanded I be held to account. I agreed; my actions, though accidental, still brought about the near-destruction of tens of thousands of lives."

Luna glanced around to gauge the air. She was being given their attention, at least. "Nearly one month ago today, I was held in court-martial over these charges. I did not deny them, though I argued the circumstances. It was an action brought about from an instinctive reaction to pain. If I could have localized the explosion, I would have. If I could have prevented it entirely, I would have. Furthermore, I did everything I could to de-escalate the situation, despite Kokabiel's attempts to kill me at every step. My arm was the cost for my attempts for a peaceful solution."

"And where is Kokabiel now?" One of the others spoke.

"Dead, were it not for my actions." That got the room muttering. "I eventually defeated Kokabiel, but I never sought to kill him. As the Protectionist head within the Grigori, he was known for the advocacy of human rights within the supernatural. Were it not for his misplaced concerns over my identity, he could become a powerful ally of the cause. So I healed him, I spoke with him, and eventually convinced him to turn away from his murderous quest."

"And how do you know that?" One of the soldiers, indicated by his military uniform, asked. "How do you know he won't just stab you in the back?"

"Do you shoot a soldier who is incapacitated, but still able to survive given proper medical treatment? Do you, reasonably, attack someone who has shown time and again that they aren't your enemy?" Luna asked in turn. "No, even beyond the matter or morality, we have a legal and military standard to abide by. His fight was over, and despite his best efforts, his attempts to prove me the threat he thought I was were undone."

"Then what do you call that explosion!?"

Luna's gaze shot over to the woman who blurted out that question. "A tragedy that could have been avoided, if only cooler heads prevailed. Once the trial is complete, I will release the redacted footage to the public to further validate my innocence, and the uncensored footage to everyone with a security level of three or higher."

"Why hide the footage behind a security wall? Don't we deserve to know the truth?"

Luna paused, before slowly answering. "...Some of the information within is extremely sensitive. If it were to be released without any checks, then there's a major risk that our mission would be severely impaired."

Her gaze shifted to the back of the room, then back down at her tray, held aloft by telekinesis in the moments she gestured with her arm. "But considering the details of the case, I will also offer the full version of the hearing on a magically-enforced guarantee to not disclose the full version to others, should you not possess the adequate security clearance."

A brief moment of silence followed,

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"That... that doesn't seem too bad, if it's that important."

"That you would go so far as to give us a way to know the truth... truly, our leader's generosity knows no bounds!"

Luna couldn't help but comically sweatdrop at that last comment. That was a bit too fervent an approval for her tastes, but she shook her head and soldiered on. "It is an option for you all to take. You can accept or refuse it as you choose, but I want to make sure that everyone else is insulated from the impact of your choice, one way or another."

"...Why hasn't the trial been finished already, anyway?" One of the other members spoke up, a Youkai with a monkey's tail, rubbing his chin as he peered at the brunette. She recognized him immediately. "Don't these court-martial things usually only last like a week at most?"

That brought silence to the cafeteria.

"That's what I'm wondering about myself," Luna agreed. "I agreed to follow the process because I trusted that it would be followed with all due respect and haste. In fact... I believe this duel Set put forth for my temporarily-abdicated position as leader of the Dawn Legion is in response to it taking so long."

Granted, he all but said so himself.

"So, boss." This time, it was a blue-haired man who spoke, meeting Luna's gaze with a lifted brow, as if challenging her. Which, Luna thought, he may as well be. "What do you mean to do about this... infighting between the gods?"

Fitting that Cao Cao of all people would point out the idiocy of that supernatural species. Still, he raised a good point. It also brought into mind the same thought that Kokabiel had elicited.

The brunette held up her remaining tray. "I will eat. I will prepare. Then, I will resolve the divine pissing match going down in my house. Just because I am one arm less, doesn't mean I am any less the leader of the Dawn Legion."

She lowered her arm and stared evenly back at Cao Cao, then at Bikou, then at Vincent, back in the corner, as well as Heracles and Jeanne and Siegfried. "It would do all well for me to remind everyone of that." Her stern gaze dropped for a friendly smirk. "I'll have it done before you all leave to kick off Zero Day."

"You think you can do so, worn out as you are?" Cao Cao persisted, to which she fixed him with a flat stare.

"I haven't had any real shut-eye in a month what with all my devious, devilish deeds in planning, so pardon me if I'm not caught up on my beauty sleep," she deadpanned back, to the laughter and whistles of quite a few in the room, including both Heracles and Jeanne. "I might not be at the top of my game, but that doesn't mean I can't kick ass six ways to Sunday, and believe me when I say they'll be feeling it by the time I'm through."

"Is that so?" Cao Cao tilted his head one way, then another. Then, he smirked. "But does that mean you could beat us all, despite being surrounded?"

Luna stilled, as did many of the people there, the rest watching in either confusion or anticipation. A chill ran down her spine as the implications of what Cao Cao just said sank in.

She should have pushed the envelope on her trial earlier... Then, perhaps, this wouldn't be happening. Her tray of food slowly floated over to a table and lowered itself onto the surface.

"...Is this treason?" the brunette asked, softly.

"You said it yourself; you aren't the leader anymore." The blue-haired man looked around. "In fact, nobody is. It's an empty seat, and what better way for humanity to show its mettle than for one of their best and brightest to ascend to the throne? It's only a start for the Dawn Legion, but why not use that momentum to extend that same strength to the rest of the world?"

"Because you'd lord it over the rest." Luna slid her hand into her pocket. "You said it yourself; you want humanity to show its strength. But when you say 'humanity' you just mean humans. We've talked about this before."

"Yet here you are now; disfigured, disgraced, removed from your throne, and only now even planning on taking it back after your fight with Kokabiel." The human shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Truly, how the mighty fall."

"Do not mistake my willingness to follow the rules I helped make as weakness, Cao Cao," she warned. "If I don't follow my own code, then how can I expect anyone else to?"

"A noble sentiment. But sentimentality doesn't change the world - action does." There were gasps and people backing off as the all-too-pure spear appeared in his hand, the point directly in front of Luna's nose. "And so far... your actions have been concerningly sparse."

Her nose twitched, as though holding back a sneeze. "Have you not read the memo? We're waiting for just a little longer."

"Destiny waits not for those who sit idly by."

"Nor does the ripe harvest take haste," she countered. "I would know - it cost me dearly long ago. Look, I planted the seeds. They are about to bear fruit, and the last thing we need is for recklessness to salt the fields. First impressions are important, and I plan for the Dawn Legion's introduction to the world unforgettable."

"How much longer must we wait then?" Cao Cao demanded with narrowed eyes. "Us, who thirst to right the wrongs inflicted upon us by the gods, the monsters, and those who share your heritage, Devil?"

"One month. No more, no less." Luna lifted a finger and slowly pushed the spear away from her face, ignoring the way her finger was engulfed in the True Longinus's holy aura.

Most Devils would wither instantly, and many more would recoil in pain. She was neither. "The Abrahamics are planning a conference then. I plan to reveal it for the farce it is, and bloody their noses in the same stroke."

More muttering around the two.

"You mean for us to challenge all those in Heaven and Hell?" the blue-haired hero descendant asked, brows raised. "Bold talk."

"It's talk I will back up." The brunette set her hand on her hip after extinguishing the holy fire on her finger with a quick flick, like the flourish of a sword. "But to do that, I must ask for patience. Your desires to see wrongs righted will be met, that I assure you. As long as you have virtue enough to wait for that right moment, I will place my life on the line for it. As I always have."

She smiled, this time suppressing her temper to let her smile be as guileless and disarming as possible. "I want it too, after all. And Heroes are meant to be the pinnacle of humanity, are they not? So if a lowly Devil like me would put everything on the line, then wouldn't that mean you could do the same?"

"Do not presume to know what defines a human, when you are not one any longer," Cao Cao spat, though the point of the Longinus began to lower all the same.

"But I was one, once. I still remember living a mundane human life. My life as a Devil has not surpassed mine as a human. Not just yet." Luna bowed her head. "I may not be one any more, that is true. But is my experience enough to recognize the world? As it stands now? I believe so, and I believe it could be so much better, for everyone... if only we plan, and prepare, and strike when the time is right."

The Worldweaver lifted her gaze to the rest of the room, eyes flicking from individual to individual. "I know that you're tired of waiting. I apologize deeply when I say that we must wait just a little longer. But I promise you all; your patience will not go unwarranted, your efforts not in vain."

Silence reigned, but this time it wasn't filled with the tension of Cao Cao's threat, despite the True Longinus remaining out, if lowered to the ground.

'This is more like it. People talking to people, and understanding each other.'

Even better still, the muttering in the back of her head had subsided. For the first time in over a month, her mind was clear, if for even a moment.

"So drink deeply from peaceful life while you can, and appreciate the things we have, and the vision we fight for," she intoned aloud, throwing her hand to the side. "Eat, drink, and be merry, so that when we set forth it will be on full stomachs and fuller spirits!"

She just needed to keep moving, otherwise It would catch up.

Luna broke the cheers with another smile, her arm rising in a brief shrug. "And to start with fulfilling my side of the bargain; while I'm prohibited from speaking with them directly, has anyone spoken with the jurors on their deliberations? And where is this fight between gods supposedly taking place?"

---

150-Proof: Hey, Serafall, you got an hour or a few?

EternalInfernalSparkle: Uh... depends on how important it is?

Luna cracked her knuckles.

…

EternalInfernalSparkle: Oh. Ye, that would be pretty serious. Don't you worry, Luna-tan! Your favorite magical girl is on the case!

---

As the gods appeared in the night sky, well above the wooded treeline, the sand divinity's face split into a grin as he spotted the figures dotting the skyline. Already he knew he'd made the right choice to publically challenge the interim leaders to the throne.

Utu. Inanna. Ninurta- not Nannar, curiously enough. That was to be expected. As was Georg, who was staring imperiously at the chaos god, a staff tightly in hand as man faced down gods on both sides.

But they weren't the only ones.

"Say, I wasn't expecting you to be here, Loki," he greeted one of the newcomers with a friendly wave.

"How could I not?" The Norse God asked, a wild grin on his face. "I wouldn't miss watching a godly brawl for the world! ...Well, perhaps the nine worlds, but that is neither here nor there-"

Yet there were others beyond Loki who had appeared. Indeed, even the human Cao Cao - as was that new, cloaked Enforcer, who hefted a greatsword, the flat of the blade on their shoulder.

Set hadn't figured out that new one just yet, even if he had a suspicion - though even they wanted in? Ooh, this fight for the throne was going far better than he could have anticipated! All he needed to do was make himself scarce until the rest were exhausted, and- wait, Loki would do that too. He needed to go first.

Speaking of additional fighters, a certain blue-haired warrior had shown up as well, spear over both shoulders as he peered at the gods with a growing smirk. Yet still, Cao Cao said nothing, staring across at the Vanir who showed up, Odr. Loki glanced over at the other Norseman with a raised brow, before his eyes lit up with mirth and laughter broke loose.

Indeed, many of the figures present, including the Shinto war god Hachiman and the ascended Chinese spirit Guan Yu, turned to see what the commotion was about, with Loki's laughter dying down swiftly upon noting that no others had picked up on his

"It seems that we're all in for quite the spectacle tonight," he explained as all eyes fell on him, pointing upward. "Especially with the leading lady herself on the scene."

Eyes turned upward, and out of the black of night she descended, with not one but two pairs of monstrous red wings, the choker of Cataclysm Eclipse gleaming from within her duster as she lowered herself to their level, and looked around, before locking eyes with the Sumerians present.

"Sup, bitches?"

Naturally, the gods bristled at the casual insult of a greeting.

Despite her sudden appearance, Utu fired back with remarkable swiftness. "Lunarunn, you do realize that you are in breach of your terms of release, correct? As of right now, you are a mass-murderess in the eyes of the law."

"Yeah... about that." Luna's index and middle finger rose to tap her cheek, before she leveled them at the Sumerian sun god. "I was cleared of those charges, over three weeks ago actually. There was just never a hearing to validate that innocence. Curious, no?"

"What are you on about?" That was Set, though even if his words were dismissive, there was a grin on his face.

"Simple. Once the jury was going to declare me innocent, when the Shinto forgave my actions on the condition that I continue to fund Kuoh's reconstruction, the memories of the jurors about the entire trial were somehow wiped." Her eyes slid briefly to the one in question before directing her gaze upon the Sumerians. "How awfully convenient."

"What mockery is this?" Inanna asked, sliding her hands behind her back as she stared at Luna with an incredulous pout.

"Court-martials only last a week at most normally - and all the information to be gathered already was. So why have I not heard back? I actually ended up talking to some friends of friends of the jurors, and they said they hadn't heard hide nor hair about the trial." The brunette closed her eyes and shrugged. "As if they didn't even know that a decision hadn't already been made."

"Or that they were still deciding," Cao Cao pointed out.

"No- their memories were tampered," Georg cut in, glancing over at his fellow human. "Out of curiosity, I ran a check-up on one of the jurors from my department and discovered traces of memory magic. It was good - fitting for a goddess whose element is dealing in the cloak and dagger. But I'm better."

"And we're supposed to trust the lapdog of the accused?" Ninurta demanded. "You could just as well be lying for Lunarunn's sake!"

"The other jurors in question seem to agree, from what I have heard." Luna smiled. "A friend of mine from outside the Legion went and spoke with them, and she came to the same conclusion; their memories were altered. Specifically, the memory of them being chosen as the jury for the court-martial simply... wasn't there."

"Even if all this circumstantial evidence were true," Inanna allowed, "why would we want to keep you under lock and key? Why not simply make them think that they decided you guilty?"

"Why would you?" Luna asked back, cupping her own chin in finger and thumb. "After seeing me maimed and comatose, I bet one of you got the smart idea that because I was so badly injured, I was no longer fit to lead the Dawn Legion. That I had become... weak. That you thought you could quietly assume command by using my trial as a cover, and then when nothing changed and business continued as usual, you'd come out and say that you're in charge now."

She sniffed. "Never mind what the humans, the Youkai, and the other gods might think - and apparently I have enough of a loyal following that a guilty verdict would have caused a lot of unrest within the organization."

Her eyes shifted to the red-skinned eunuch, lifting a brow.."Hence why there was silence on the matter; if I just disappeared, then it'd be much smoother to take charge that way - even more so if I incriminated myself. Set just caught on early, hence his challenge. Isn't that right?"

Set threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, you are a treat! And you figured this all out right after our little talk?"

"Well, I had a long night to think about it. And it makes sense, too. Gods will be gods, just like Devils will be Devils." The Devil shrugged. "Just like how you'd cheat your way to the throne, possibly by fighting dirty here, the Sumerians believe themselves supreme. That by taking the reins, they'd have a second coming of relevance."

Set's laughter died out as he glowered at Luna. "I would much rather you not spoil the fun like that. I won Osiris's throne fair and square; he should have realized that it was a trap, but in his arrogance he either didn't or entered the sarcophagus anyway."

"So instead you'd try for a 'lesser' leadership, but one with just as much potential." Luna sighed. "Honestly, I'm glad that you respect my rule enough to desire it for yourself, but... fair warning, I don't take kindly to other people going after what's mine."

"So what are you going to do about it then?" Hachiman asked. "The challenge has already been issued. Everyone here seeks leadership of the Golden Dawn one way or another."

The brunette's head turned to him, then her eyes closed and she sighed.

"Of course. Just because I was cleared of all charges doesn't mean I'm automatically reinstated to my prior position. After all, the courts fell through, so the process of returning to the headship of the Dawn Legion wasn't completed as it should have been. Honestly, for gods of law and order, you sure do like to play by the 'rule by law' playset, rather than the 'rule of law' one."

Utu in particular sneered at that, especially as Luna threw her arm out to the side. "But eh, what the hell. If the seat really is empty, then I suppose I'll have to join in this little spat over who has the right to lead!"

More silence, as the gods looked amongst each other.

"So, since all you chucklefucks never actually decided on what this challenge would be, how are we gonna do this? By vote? By trial of combat? Some messy combination of the two? Because believe me, even if I'm an arm down I could use a good fight to let out some steam." The Worldweaver smirked as the wings of Cataclysm Eclipse started to glow from the lines of red running across them. "Fair warning though; I'm not gonna hold back for any of your sakes."

"You say that, despite admitting to being a cripple?" Loki leaned in with a grinning leer. "You are either supremely confident, or supremely idiotic."

"You're all here because I brought it all together, aren't you? But you know what, why don't I up the ante a little more?"

Luna's hand rose in front of her, palm-up, as she crooked her finger. "All of you, against me. No holds barred. You want a piece of me? You want to lead the Dawn Legion? Go ahead; take it... if you can. The one to strike the killing blow gets the whole shebang; I'll even support whoever lands it!"

Loki's grin widened, and he started laughing once more at the brunette's final comment.

Her eyes shifted over to Georg and the hooded figure, both of whom nodded and descended while the attention was on the brunette.

"Well, that's two out of the running right away. Whether that's because they were just here to defend my honor, or they know what's coming next, either way I can respect them backing down. So. Anyone else?"

Silence, then, a snort.

"Clearly the past month has driven you mad," Utu sneered, readying his own spear as he glared at Luna from his remaining eye. "If you think you can uphold that vow, then I say we all prove her wrong!"

"Ableist too?" She shook her head. "Harsh. Besides, last time you called me mad, I kicked your asses in your own domain, without Cataclysm Eclipse, and claimed an eye for my troubles. If I'd used it back then, someone was gonna die. You sure you wanna take that risk now? Because I'll be taking that other one, too."

Luna got a response in the form of the hissing of a sandblast behind her, swerving out of the way to see Set holding out a hand, a scepter in the other as he met her gaze.

"I think that should suffice as an answer," he jibed, before launching another, the shine of light appearing from the other direction as Utu charged the brunette. This time, Luna vanished, letting the two impact as she reappeared above them.

"So be it. Don't blame me for making you all cry by the time I'm through with you, though."

The four wings radiated with energy, and Luna rocketed back down, beginning the battle in earnest.

---

"So what brought you here?" Georg asked the hooded figure as the sounds of combat erupted above.

"I wasn't sure whether or not Lunarunn would show up," he admitted, lowering the hood to reveal long black hair and a stern expression. "It is... interesting, to see her take this method of approach."

"She likes getting her hands dirty," the magician replied. "Besides, even if the others hadn't seen it, her disappearance had given the others the impression that Lunarunn had been crippled by your fight with her."

Kokabiel scoffed. "I blame Ophis for healing me as thoroughly as she did. I'm surprised she hasn't visited to demand Luna give her that empty space yet."

"As am I," Georg confessed. "Though I wonder if the Infinity Dragon is watching and waiting to determine whether or not to just follow through with her original mission."

"What is a month or a year compared to an eternity without the Great Red?" the cadre agreed, nodding his head sagely as someone in the air above them shrieked in indignation.

Georg ignored the background noise, even as a god crashed into the ground nearby and didn't get back up, even as a low wheeze emanated from the cratered ground. Was that Loki? "And what about you? You certainly seemed prepared to brawl with the others if she hadn't shown up."

"It's... fascinating," Kokabiel said, choosing the word with deliberation. "The idea that she could take these varied elements of the factions and tie them together beneath a single banner, I mean. That there appears to be some sort of cohesion is even more surprising. The last time that happened was..." he shook his head. "The gods cannot be allowed to take the reins of the Dawn Legion lest those ties be undone. In that regard, I would have supported you and Cao Cao equally had this royale not been interrupted."

Georg nodded. "I was suspicious when Utu appointed his sister and I as the acting leaders during Luna's trial. Unfortunately, I could not do anything- not without risking the integrity of the system. It appears my suspicions about it being a calculated measure were founded."

"So then she goes and kicks it right over," Kokabiel scoffed. "Without technically breaking any rules, either."

"Special circumstances require special consideration. When someone has a read on you, do something to throw them all off or turn their bullshit against them. Good to see she's learned at least that much during our games." The magician chuckled as someone in the sky let out a bellowing scream. "Oh, Luna must have taken Utu's other eye just now. I wonder if she made some comment about justice needing to be blind?"

Kokabiel glanced away. "You are a sadist."

"Guilty as charged." Georg shrugged with a smirk. "You're the one grinning about the otherworldly beatdown going on above our heads though."

The cadre huffed, and more tellingly did not look back at the magician. "I don't know what you are talking about, human. Even if I do enjoy seeing the gods put in their place, even if I am an angel disgraced beyond disgrace, I still have some decorum."

---

Luna twisted as she threw a blinded Utu aside, body contorting in midair to avoid Ninurta's apoplectic cudgel while delivering a hammer blow of a wing strike to the god in question, sending him shooting away like a comet. Then she saw the seven-orb-raimented spearman lashing his weapon forward, another wing diverting the path of the True Longinus in a screeching of sparks before she vanished and reappeared a ways away, a storm of monochrome and colorful bolts alike flooding the sky from her fingertips, Cao Cao parting the deluge with masterful spearplay.

Was he holding back? Cao Cao's Balance Breaker had an effect that negated the abilities of women. Had he tried using it and it just didn't work? Or was he saving it for the right moment? Considering her unique nature, Luna wasn't sure, and she wasn't going to risk it with him.

Unless he was pressured, he wouldn't dare use it and risk someone else stealing the kill - also fitting, for the rest of the gods to see that the last to battle her for the leadership of the group was a 'mere' human. Barring any changes to the conditions of the royale, he'd be last to go.

Either way, she was enjoying being able to let loose after a month of house arrest, to say the least.

"Ahahahahaha- whoop!"

Her attention was diverted once more as bolts of divine energy shot toward her on both sides, following the brunette as she shot upward like tracking missiles - she had a feeling they'd hit like missiles too.

If she let them hit, anyway. She weaved between the bolts, diverting them off the curved surface of her wings to send them careening away in a cacophony of explosions, already lunging back down toward the culprits.

She dropped in front of Hachiman, the God in question already putting away his bow after noting its ineffectiveness in favor of a katana, lunging in with an overhead slash - simple, elegant, and powerful.

Luna's wing shot up, catching it between its spikes, before it twisted abruptly. The god went flying, though his grip did not falter.

Still, he was taken aback for but a moment, and that was enough: that same moment of disorientation as the Shinto War god regained his balance, the Dark Moon flashed forward in a blink.

Luna appeared on the other side of the now-motionless Hachiman, black lines shooting across his body, blood spraying from them like a ruptured water pipe. The Shinto god fell, defeated in a single moment of vulnerability, as she continued forward unabated.

He was a god - he'd be fine, he'd just need time to pull himself back together.

Though admittedly, Luna wasn't sure why Hachiman was present - he struck her as a wiser war god, more Athena than Ares. Why would he be here as well?

Her hair rippled wildly as she whirled around with arm outstretched, deflected a blast of azure with a barrier, the attack courtesy of the incensed woman a ways away, her own hair fluttering in the wind. The Sumerian goddess's hand outstretched, the outline of a spear forming within.

Inanna was interrupted as the brunette appeared, face-to-face, sole hand gripping the goddess's tongue even as the goddess's own was outstretched, the outline of the spear in question fading into the night. Hazel eyes widened in alarm as realization struck, a cold sweat immediately forming.

"I don't think so," the Worldweaver whispered oh-so-softly. "You have a lot to make up for, y'know. Consider it a mercy that you need your ability to speak more than your brother needs his ability to see,"

She leaned in to plant an almost taunting kiss on the other woman's nose. Said kiss was followed up with a hard wing to the goddess's temple. Inanna dropped like a rock, the brunette letting go of the tongue in that same moment.

The sun god in question certainly adapted to his blindness quickly, Luna noted, as Utu flew after his sister, more concerned for her safety than pursuing the brunette further. How long that would last, she didn't know.

Either way, neither Sumerian was a threat any longer, though she still had designs for them both once she wrapped up here.

Luna's eyes flicked over to Set, the annoyingly persistent sand god, who managed to tank the worst of her blows by rendering himself as difficult to pin down as his very domain.

Of course, with Cao Cao lunging back in, she couldn't focus on putting the other god down, instead focusing on-

"Itthiratana!"

One of the orbs behind Cao Cao lit up, and Luna felt the rush of Cataclysm Eclipse and Worldweave alike vanish like leaves on the wind.

'Shit-!'

The limbs remained, though she was forced to block the spear by clamping all four wings of Cataclysm Eclipse to pin the spear in place inches from her face, instead of blowing Cao Cao back with telekinetic and physical force alike as she had done with Ninurta-

WHAM-CRK!

-whose cudgel slammed into her back right after she managed to disengage with the spear wielder.

Luna staggered forward, hearing something in her back crack. However, where years ago such a blow would have broken her spine, now it just meant she'd have a nasty bruise tomorrow. That is, if she didn't undo the damage inflicted by what should have been a telling blow. Once Itthiratana wore off, at least.

Though the pressure from her opponents remained; Set came back in, swinging a blade of sand with such intensity as to scour the skin from her very bones, but released it and backed off quickly to prevent himself from being struck down the same way Hachiman had.

The sand blade descended still, so Luna twisted, her body and wings alike contorting to a degree that all but indicated her supernatural nature to avoid it, using that same momentum to roundhouse kick Cao Cao away as he lunged in once more to follow up Set's attack, foot.

Her blood pounded, her breaths came freely and her mind was sharp, clear as the sky around them - all clouds dispersed by the fighting.

This felt right - the rush of adrenaline in the conflict, the way her eyes were focused on the foes before her. The king of sand, the ancient warrior, and a human, one who had learned through failure, one who fought with cunning and ferocity alike, and one who wielded naught but his own skill and gifts.

The Worldweaver couldn't have asked for a better way to show why she was in charge.

"Heheheh... ahahahaha, HAHAHAHAHAH!"

As Itthiratana's light faded and the rush of her twin powers returned, Luna laughed, and if the remaining fighters backed away slightly from the manic nature of her cackling, that was neither here nor there.

"You all have no idea how much I missed this!" she cheered. "Being cooped up in that room for as long as I have been, this just feels good-" She stuck a finger in her mouth before fishing out some sand that had somehow found itself in there.

Truly, sand got everywhere. At least Luna was prepared for the eventuality. "Nice try infiltrating my body with sand by the by, but that just won't work on me."

Set's eyes widened, before they narrowed. "You knew?"

"It's your best bet at taking me down. Subtle too, which you aren't afraid to turn to," Luna replied, shaking her head before glancing over at Cao Cao. "And you've waited quite a bit before using Itthiratana - finally figured out that you can't wait for your own chance to use it?"

The spearman shrugged. "You've been dominating the fight so far - yet you were struck right after I used Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin's second ability. Thus, it is clear that if any of us are to win, then I must use it freely."

Indeed. The thought of that particular orb caused a frown to mar the brunette's otherwise pretty features. That was something that had been on her mind, and the disappearance of both Cataclysm Eclipse and Worldweave confirmed her concerns.

'...So it works on physical attributes, huh?'

But Worldweave in particular was heavily soul-based, so how did Itthiratana negate it? Was it like unicorn dust in that it sealed her body's ability to channel it...?

"We'll need to test that further," she decided then and there, cracking her neck. "After we're done here."

Her eyes shifted from god to god, then to human, then to gods again. Out of the three, Cao Cao was undoubtedly the most dangerous, so...

"By the way," Luna called out, almost casually. "This has been fun. It's been nice to get my blood flowing after a month of sitting on my laurels."

But it was time to end this charade. Her head reared back.

Where she had primarily been using Cataclysm Eclipse this time, Luna turned back to Worldweave, the well of potential surging forth as she changed the world around her at its fundamental level, focusing on her and her position in space. One moment she was a ways away from all three remaining fighters, and the next she was in one of their faces, her head already rushing forward.

Cartilage crunched as her head slammed into the sudden object in its path, blood spraying from Cao Cao's ruined face as he recoiled from the teleporting headbutt. Luna wasted no time in lunging with her arm outstretched striking the spearman in the throat while it was exposed - once, twice, thrice her lone fist blurred, the other two blows to his solar plexus landing as his hands rose upward.

All humans needed to breathe - and Cao Cao would undoubtedly be desperate for air after it was knocked out of him, one of the two openings for breath was shattered, and the pathway for both was heavily damaged in its own right.

He fell without words, without so much as a scream.

All that escaped the proud warrior - her most dangerous foe in this battle - was the wheeze of a man who was left struggling for life in an instant.

Her eyes shifted to Ninurta and Set, before teleporting behind the former much the same way she had for the human. One wing went to the small of his back, punching clean through, then she whirled around, sending the god shooting back into the earth.

The strongest foes would receive the harshest punishment - it was the only way to ensure they wouldn't get back up.

At least in this case, this was just a matter of disciplining upstart elements.

'Discipline. Says the girl who just savaged a dude's face and throat - and just impaled a god to boot,' she thought sardonically, shaking her head before glancing over at Set.

"So. How are we gonna do this?" The Worldweaver asked with a fierce glare and a wide grin - more bared teeth, really. "Are you going to insist on continuing this pointless fight, or are you going to concede so I can make sure nobody actually dies?"

Set paused, clearly thinking it over. She'd just downed a god and the strongest human he'd seen in a long time in moments, after all. Still, a god had his pride, and this particular deity was the one to stir the pot in the first place.

"I..." he started, jawline hard as his breath caught, before he forced the words out. "I concede. As much as it galls me to do so after you bring up my past failure, I know a losing battle when I see one."

Luna's expression lightened at that. "...Good. Thanks again for helping kick me back in gear about this whole thing. Were you expecting me to come out and lay down the law like this?"

"I shall neither confirm nor deny that question," he replied snarkily, pointing downward. "That being said, boss, I'm pretty sure you've got some people to heal."

That she did, and as Luna descended she was met by the gods and human in question being lined up on the ground by Georg. His eyes flicked over to the brunette.

"I take it he conceded after what you did to Ninurta and Cao Cao?" he guessed, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "Good. Cao Cao's not in good shape, you'd best patch him up quickly."

A brief nod as Luna hurried over and knelt down by the laid-out man in question. He really was a mess - she'd broken his nose badly, and he was still gasping for air after she half-crushed his windpipe, his neck swollen and purple from the bruising.

It was remarkable that he hadn't suffocated already. Then again, Cao Cao was the diehard type; he certainly inherited the 'heroic' ability to bounce back from defeat, even if she still thoroughly handed him one.

But that didn't mean that there wasn't some sort of impact on the spearman himself.

His gaze, which had been staring at the ceiling, locked onto her, and his body shifted, turning away slightly, even if his gaze remained firmly on the Devil, as if to try and still the trembling that was going through his body now.

Cao Cao was helpless before her, at least in that moment, and she could see just how he despised it.

"I did warn you all that this wouldn't be a good time for you, yet you tried anyway." She lowered her hand to Cao Cao's throat, drawing a faint hiss as the brunette's hand brushed his abused flesh. "But I'm not without mercy. I never wanted it to end with bloodshed."

"You... were enjoying it," he whispered out, even as the purple and swelling around his throat started to fade.

Luna paused, before releasing a sigh.

"I was," she admitted, cracking a faint smile. "But there's a difference between wanting something to happen, and making the most of it when it does."

"S-semantics," he coughed out, though his wheezing had already lessened. "A-animal."

"Like you're one to talk. You were just as into the fight as I was before I went for the kill."

He narrowed his eyes, and perhaps more tellingly took a second before he responded again. "I fight for humanity's sake."

"I said it before, didn't I? You're a lot like me in that regard." She shook her head. "We just have different definitions of it. You could even say that humans aren't much more than animals who manage to develop an ego."

Luna gave the human a brief wink. "Certainly, with egotists like the sexy Devil before you running around, it wouldn't be too difficult to pick up!"

Cao Cao 'tsked' and rolled his eyes, but his chest spasmed ever so slightly. That exact moment, Luna's hand went to the remains of his nose and yanked it hard, eyes flashing with every color as she did. The blue-haired man's eyes widened as a scream ripped from his throat to follow the tearing sound, shooting to a sitting position as his own hands rose to the very part of his face that he thought Lunarunn ripped off. Certainly, it felt like it for a brief moment.

"W-what the hell?!" he swore, before the spearman regained clarity. He felt the healed nose, just as it always had been - no, actually, not quite. It was close, but there were very slight differences...

"I needed to distract you before I went and did that - I'm not the greatest at healing messy injuries like that, not without agonizing pain. I had to basically reconstruct your nose, after all." The brunette rose from her crouching position. "You can breathe alright now, right?"

"I..." he took a deep breath, before blinking confusedly. "I can. What are you...?"

"You should already know the answer to that, Cao Cao," she answered whatever question he had quietly, turning around to walk over to Loki - who still hadn't recovered from when Luna made a crater with his body.

That state of near-unconsciousness appeared to be a running theme for nearly all of the gods that Luna had fought.

So the Devil stood above the bodies of the gods that sought to conquer what was her's. Gods laid at her mercy, and she granted it.

None of them would walk away entirely unscathed - they each were marked in some way, as a reminder of this night. In that regard, Lunarunn chose not to restore them as completely as she could.

But she healed them all the same, the wounds she inflicted by and large undone by her own hand. None would be any lesser for what remained, be it scars, discoloration, or otherwise.

Her price?

Luna blinked as Inanna asked that, sitting next to her brother, who now wore a blindfold.

She looked around at them all, and each god there seemed to have the same question on their minds.

Nothing was free, after all. And she had every right to kill each and every one of them, even if said gods would never bring up that blow to their egos.

"Your fealty," Lunarunn finally answered. "I asked for faith in me before, and you chose to abandon it when I appeared weak. I've given you all a second chance despite that. We all have a reason to want the Dawn Legion to be everything it can be. We share the same goals. Change. An end to the status quo. A righting of wrongs that have long stood. There is no need for a pissing match because I ended up getting hurt. And it shows I need to step up my game when it comes to showing who's in charge around here. So that being said, if any of you have reason to doubt my ability still, I will not force you to stay."

Luna looked around, and saw that none of them had moved from their spots, even after they were well able to do just that.

The brunette's eyes then went down to the stump of her severed arm, before her expression firmed and she held it up. Before their very eyes, the world shifted, and from the folds of the distorted space, Lunarunn pulled her arm back, each fold of space giving way to what looked like black metal, a gauntlet of red and black like her choker and wings emerging where her severed arm once was.

The whispers in the back of her mind had returned with a vengeance as she flourished the gauntlet, arm extended out to the side.

This time, she shut Trihexa out.

"I've given you all a second chance," the founder and once-again leader of the Dawn Legion repeated quietly; the attention of gods, Fallen, and man alike entirely fixated on her. That same moment she lifted the gauntlet of Cataclysm Eclipse to the side of her face, palm facing herself as she briefly flexed its fingers. "But I'm not Yahweh; my mercy extends only so far. If you continue to stand alongside me, let me say this now: don't need a third chance. Because you won't find it with me."

And from that gauntlet, surrounded by those glowing lines of red, a violet gem gleamed outward from the back of what should have been her hand.

---

A/N -

Good news and bad news.

Bad news is that I'm late with this chapter; it took me weeks to finish, and another couple days on top of that to do any finishing touches. This is thanks in no small part to work having a big project that ended up being a huge timesink. That being said, I apologize, and do mean to continue getting chapters out once every couple weeks or so.

Good news though, is that I have a Steam Deck now, my VR kit has been quite upgraded, work's been going well, and this story broke 1000 Favorites! It's nothing compared to some of the heavy hitters in the fandom, but the fact that I've managed to get that little 'k' on the side of my favorites count is an honor and a blessing. Thank you all!

Is Cao Cao weaker here? Not at all; Luna caught him off-guard and struck him using his biological weak points. If she struck him anywhere else he'd have recovered and the fight would have gone on. Using Worldweave to teleport isn't so much moving from point A to point B as it is having already 'been' in Point B going forward from a specific moment in time. So if Luna was already doing a headbutt after locking onto a point in space, and Cao Cao wasn't trying to evade the moment her head reared back... well. He wouldn't exactly get the chance to stop his nose from getting caved in, followed by his trachea and his solar plexus.

Like it or not, gods, high-tier angels, and other beings of similar strength have an innate combat advantage over humans in that their bodies aren't vulnerable to attacks the same way a human's is. I hinted at it with Kokabiel's battle against Luna, and you can just look at the Phenexes for a canonical example, but once you pass a certain threshold of power as a being with a metaphysical form, injuries become much more superficial. Hence why Luna can basically Zantetsuken Hachiman and get away without instantly killing him in the process.

It also makes those humans who can stand up to the supernatural and beat them all the more remarkable.

In any case, I'll be back later. Hopefully this next chapter comes out a good deal quicker than this one. Tempura Wizard out.