Damn. Thanks for sticking around. I know the past chapters are lower in qualities, be it in terms of plotting (Lucifer being a goof), dialogues (cringe), and the writing. So I appreciate it if you're still around, and totally understand if you dropped this story because of that
I even struggle to read my own older chapters without physically wincing
I'll probably rewrite those chapters again some time in the future so it'll be on par with my current standards, but that'll take a long while to do, and I'd rather write my other stories.
Which would be a good reason for you to check out my better stories like Death's Chosen, Academy DxD, and most recently Refugees (Which is sorta like Everyday Life with Supernatural Girls but a bit more mellow since it deals with emotional traumas)
give em a shot first, and let me know if you come there from this AN so i know some people do read them and writing these aren't a waste of time :pepeDerp:
Lucifer
Chapter XXV
||Reunion, a Type of Heaven||
The Dark Sun glowered angrily over a field of mangled corpses.
Lucifer passed by a group of Demons building a pyre, nodding absently when they stopped piling up logs to salute with their spindly appendages. The Angels called them monsters. Ogres. Orcs. Spawns of Hell. He called them into his army, raised them as soldiers, and introduced them to the idea of brotherhood that was forged in battle, and trust achieved by leading them into victory.
Dark red eyes swept over the bloodied wasteland, taking in the devastation the Infernal Legions of Hell had wrought, and how terribly the Kingdom of Heaven had failed. Camp fires were burning in the distance, sprawled across the Tainted Hills. He could hear the singing and the thunderous laughter of his men. No doubt Beelzebub had already ordered the distribution of their well-deserved liquor.
He would join them in time, but for a little longer he felt the need to stay here as he knew one Seraph was still present, mourning the loss of his fallen brethrens, their bodies eternally trapped in Hell, to be raised by Asmodeus as his army of undead. And Lucifer had all the time in Hell to let him stay in his cage and learn how his rebellion never dithered in number. Perhaps in qualities, but that wasn't avoidable.
Heaven's second army had been utterly annihilated today. Over three fourths of their number were cut down before Remiel ordered the retreat. Ever the hopeful fool, he was. Stubbornly clinging to an illusion named 'hope', refusing to let go until it was all far too late.
Normally, when they die, Angels have their soul retracted in a shiny beam of light. 'Back into the arms of the Heavenly Father', as they would say.
In Heaven, maybe.
Not in Hell.
Hell was Lucifer's.
No souls could escape his Hell. Unless he pardoned them, of course. A scenario highly unlikely during the event of the greatest Rebellion the Realms had ever witnessed.
No. No dead Angels should be allowed to return to the ever welcoming hands of their Creator. Instead, they would serve him as one of his General's undead legion, or join his other General's undead legion that was made up of the dead Demons and Devils. He couldn't let the numbers be lopsided, otherwise that wouldn't be fair. Every army should have their own undead legions to tank the enemy's first charge after all.
A strategy only made possible as Leviathan had become an excellent necromancer. How? By studying with the humans who created the magic, of course! It was a learning process that took years, mostly trying to nab themselves a good necromancer since they were rather crafty and slippery.
But all's well that ends well.
The Archdevil approached the gate containing one of Heaven's Seraphs, studying his bitter expression with a rather satisfied smirk. Winning felt good. Winning over his brother who cast him out brought him twice the satisfaction.
"Good afternoon."
"You…!" Remiel seethed fiercely, gritting his teeth, trying to lunge at the Devil but was held back by the magical chain strapped to his neck, wrists, and ankles—courtesy of Leviathan who liked to tweak with her magic. He was clothed only with a filthy rag, as Lucifer had no intention of scarring his eyes by seeing any of his former brothers or sisters naked.
"Me." Lucifer smiled his trademark smile that had been grown to be loved by his people, and utterly despised by his enemies.
"You… Your men fought without honor."
"No." Lucifer hunched his shoulders as he motioned over the scenic carnage behind him. "Yours did. Odd that they lost."
Remiel clenched his fists, trembling with rage unfit for an Seraph.
"Oh don't be so furious… brother."
"You are not my brother!" The Celestial snapped as the magical chains jingled. "Murderer! Traitor! You've become nothing more than the scourge of Hell itself, Lucifer."
"My. That infuriates you the most, does it now?" Lucifer's smiling lips curled upwards by a millimeter. "But I digress… there's no need for you to be so spiteful to me. After all, I wasn't the one who led your Angels into our gaping maw."
Tactically, it was a brilliant move. Though there were sacrifices that had to be made. 10,000 Demons and a few Devils as acting Generals, to be exact, in order to lure Heaven's main army into believing they were Lucifer's main army where in truth most of their numbers were made up of illusions. While in reality, Lucifer's main army of 90,000 strong was set to ambush Heaven's relief force that was planned to be joining the battle.
And it was a deadly successful ambush indeed.
He might have lost an army of 80,000 illusions and 10,000 Demons, but his Generals could always create another one, and there were still enough humans in the world vile enough to reincarnate into mindless Demons. The year 1066 AD was a bloody year indeed, for both Earth, Hell, but hopefully not so for Heaven.
Nobody would want to waste their time of victory wiping the pearly gates and clouds from visceras and gore, would he?
"So tell me, are we really to blame? In a way, it's you and your lackeys who impaled themselves into the spike that is my army."
Remiel growled. At this point, Lucifer found it hard to discern the difference between this Celestial and one of the Demons who could only growl in response. Except they were much more docile, though lacking in the natural golden hair.
"Once I get out of this cage—"
"You will." Lucifer interrupted. Earning himself a look of mixed confusion and surprise by his captive. They would only talk on his terms, not the other way around. "Before sundown, I will set you free, and in exchange, you will tell your brothers of your mistake."
"And you think I won't exact my revenge the moment you set me loose?!"
"Of course you won't. Don't joke around, brother." The word tasted like ash in the Devil's tongue, but anything to further twist the knife lodged in the Celestial's pride. It worked wonderfully, as Remiel's anger became evident in his fierce golden eyes. "Or rather… you can't. Setting you free counts as an act of mercy. What kind of an Archdevil repays mercy with vengeance? A Fallen Seraph, mayhaps."
Remiel fell into frozen silence, becoming aware of the restriction for being a creature of good.
"Careful now. I think one of your feathers just turned black."
Rage had vanished, taken over by a childlike fear. "N-no… I…"
"Now, now. Don't worry, my Angelic enemy. It's not you, it's Hell. It has a certain effect on beings. Beings with desires. Desires such as revenge. So you see, Hell isn't at all welcoming for Angels like you so… I'd suggest you tell your brothers and sisters of how much of a mistake it'll be if they set their foot here."
Lucifer opened the gate, and the Demons nearby shuffled behind him, ready to protect their King if the self-righteous creature of Heaven tried to attack him. Not that Lucifer would need any help, nor that they would stand anywhere close against even a severely weakened Seraph, but they would rather die than to let their Master walk into danger unprotected.
He stood before the Seraph, his shadow looming over him as he reached out to one of the twelve white wings.
"Especially since… Being near me exposes you to your deepest desires." His words fell off his mouth as smooth as silk, yet instilled fear like a venom. A fear that turned to dread as Remiel meekly witnessed the darkening of his own feathers.
"...!" Gasping loudly, the Seraph scrambled away to the back of the magical prison, his wings desperately trying to fold themselves to be out of reach from the Devil. "Wh...what did you do to me?!"
"Me? I didn't do anything." Lucifer stood in his spot, lowering his hand into the pocket of his coal black dress pants. "That was all you."
"Liar!" Remiel barked. "My faith is true! My cause is just! I would never stoop so low like you sinners!"
Lucifer's simple smile was sinister in the eyes of the terrified Celestial. "Liar? So you preach the truth when you're terrified of it. Hypocrisy is a terrible sin, brother, one you hardly notice until someone else points it out for you."
"Enough! I won't hear a word from—"
"Oh but you will," Lucifer stepped forward, stepping into the Seraph's personal space, making him uncomfortable by his invading presence. "Because you are my prisoner, and me; your captor. And you will listen to me because this is not a discussion, brother."
"S-stay away…"
"You know I can't do that." The Devil said as he unclasped the chains binding the Seraph's wrists, fully knowing he was invincible unless the Seraph would try to exact his revenge, which had a big difference with equal justice. One was just, the other was a sin great enough to completely destroy an Seraph, as no sin was small or big in their eyes. A strange code, but nonetheless one Lucifer intended to fully manipulate in order to win the war that had just begun.
With a snap of his fingers, the mystical cuffs binding the Seraph's neck and ankles dissipated into nothing.
Physically, the Seraph was free, yet he was bound by his own code of honor. A mortal mistake for a supposed immortal.
"Well then." Lucifer's russet brown eyes stared deep into his soul, as if searching for a trail of sin Remiel was trying to hide with his virtues.
Remiel winced as the Devil clapped his stiff upper arm.
"Off you go. Should we ever meet again-preferentially not in battle-let me know how it felt having to obey the words of someone you so sinlessly despised."
Fearstained, shakened at the revelation the Devil had brought unto him, Remiel burst out of the roof of the cage with a single bat of his wings, carrying upwards, high and far away from the wretched land, but mainly to get himself away from the Devil himself.
It was said every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of Heaven.
Lucifer doubted Remiel would agree to that.
One battle might have been won and lost. Equal to both sides on paper. But one traumatized Seraph was a different kind of battle won, as that was one less Seraph to be personally dealt with.
There were five more, but one's a scribe who rarely talks.
And like it or not, fair or not, tricked or not, the Kingdom of Heaven owed him one Seraph. Mercy was just that powerful of a tool when used correctly.
He swiveled around, exited the broken cage, and set off to rejoin the celebration with his men, and perhaps escalate it with the women too in his tent. Or theirs. He wasn't picky with where he slept.
Nearly a thousand years later, the memories burned like cinders. First it sparked; a sign of life. Faint, but the warmth was noticeable for him to turn around and take a closer look into the crevasses of his shattered memories. And then it crackled as the Devil remembered, and understood why the fully armored Seraph standing on guard behind Gabriel and Michael was so cautious of him.
He smiled to let him know he remembered, and Remiel quickly tore his eyes away from the Devil, peering into the other participants that wouldn't stir him with unease as the room's uneasy tension were reaching skylimit.
Lucifer's seat was next to Sirzechs in the round table; no head meant everyone sat there were of equal status. At least that was how it was supposed to be symbolised, because clearly the circle was split in three. On his side were him and Sirzechs; as if one Devil bearing the name Lucifer was not bad news enough. For the two other factions, of course.
Also on the same side seated Rias and Akeno to his left, then Sona and Tsubaki to Sirzechs' right. Two Kings serving as representatives from Kuoh Academy. Which, to be clear, was not part of either Lucifers' plan. Rias had been exposed to a great risk and died once. However, as Co-Overseer of Kuoh Town as well as the provider of the place of meeting, duty dictated that she must be present.
At least this time she was next to him, grabbing his hand under the table for moral support like the nervous girl trying to put on a tough face she precisely was. Lucifer idly wondered if Sona was holding Sirzechs' for the same reason. Probably not.
Behind them stood Grayfia Lucifuge and Lorelei Paimon as the Devils' 'bodyguards'. In truth they were simply Devils with one or two power ranks beneath their Satan Lucifer, ready to execute their enemies that would hopefully come from their obvious untold invitation.
On their left side, also in their own share of the circle, were two of Heaven's Archangels, as well as two of the Archangels he didn't entirely hate; Gabriel and Michael. It had taken Gabriel everything in her not to leap into his arms the moment they met again, and it had taken Michael a great amount of stress out as he did notice one of Gabriel's golden feathers had turned ink black in a blink.
They were flanked by a Seraph on each of their sides. One who was clearly confused of him, and one still very much traumatized by him. Maybe Remiel had kept his embarrassing meeting with the Devil a secret from Heaven, which would explain why he was present here. Sister Griselda and her misguided kids were present in the back, their eyes that were avoiding his or Rias' told him enough that they were at least remorseful for the trouble they brought.
Then again-concerning Remiel's nervousness-aside from the faction leaders themselves, he doubted their escorts were told the Devil himself would be a part of this meeting. In fact, the ones who recognized him were only the Faction Leaders, as he had caught their bodyguards and companions to look at him as if he was not meant to be here.
Understandable. Saying they would be meeting two Lucifers would probably make them try to convince their leaders how terrible of an idea this was and ruin the ambush.
The Grigori representatives were seated to their right. Unfortunately, Lucifer didn't get the time to reintroduce himself to the bicolored hair man, formerly a field general of his own army, now a technomancer addicted to Sacred Gears—or so he was briefly told by Sirzechs. Lucifer could see a potentially amusing companion for a drink or more, as the Governor didn't seem to harbor hate towards him or bitterness.
They both had slain each other's men, after all, and sometimes, their closest friends in battle. Trading war stories over a bottle of liquor seemed to be a fun evening event.
Azazel was presently spouting formal words to begin their formal meetings; sentences Lucifer had no interest in as they were just introductions. Not the meat of this talk.
Unrelated to meat, a woman with cherry blossom hair was seated next to the Governor. Penemue, he recalled. He couldn't find her face in his memories, which likely meant she didn't partake in the war as part of an army. One particular fact to note was that they only had one 'bodyguard' as opposed to the Devils and the Angels.
That one, he recognized. Brown-skinned Fallen Angels were hard to miss due to their naturally fair complexity, more so with her fierce amber eyes. But this one was unique for another reason—and he wasn't referring to her physical qualities or her outfit that was more swimsuit than a formal suit, and especially not because of her tinyness in terms of height or largeness in terms of her chest.
He had met and bested her in combat; as it turned out, the Devil was quite resistant to holy thunders. Though she didn't seem to be aware of who he was just yet, she had left quite the impression on him during their clash due to her beastly yet graceful style of fighting.
Benemune. The Beast of Thunder. Or was it Thunder of the Beast? Beastly Thunder?
Epithets were hard to remember because he didn't value them as much as names.
The Grigori's low headcount was also part of their plan. Out of the three, while the Grigori had the most numbers, they also had the most internal issues; a fact Azazel had shared between the leaders, who then was extended by Sirzechs to Lucifer. As such, they couldn't bring as many people as they wanted or their strongest as they were needed to guard their homebase from a potential uprising.
Nevertheless, Lucifer knew he would want to keep his eyes on Benemune during the reveal of his name. His passing eyes were mistakenly thought as an attempt to flirt, as she gave him a teasing smirk, which he returned in kind with his own.
Enemies of the past, sexfriends in the future. Because why settle for just friends?
Rias gripped his hand tighter.
So Lucifer wandered his eyes over to the lovely Gremory who was green-eyed in both literal meaning and idiom, and gave her his knowing smirk.
In so far, he was the only one who was previously a faction leader, as well as the only one who was untouched by nervousness' twitchy embrace, or perturbed by the tightness in the air. His composure was natural, unforced unlike Benemune's, and casual unlike Sirzechs' formal sitting posture as he was leaning to his right hand; a thumb underneath his stubby jaw, the index resting underneath his nostrils, and the rest covering his mouth, covering his smile.
This clearly upsetted the more stuck-up members of the summit, which was just his way of telling which individual he would want to avoid in the future. Stuck-ups were no fun to talk to. The funnest and easiest to tease, however.
"—as such, before we start our meeting, allow me to extend our deepest and sincerest apology to the Underworld Empire, as well as the Overseers of Kuoh Town, for our unruly compatriot Kokabiel—"
Penemue was cut off by her own leader. "Who thought rejuvenating an old war was a smart move during this turbulent time. Evidently, he wasn't quite right in the head. Not that he has one anymore."
Benemune snickered openly, as did Lucifer who knew the outcome of this meeting had been determined, and all of this was just verbal exchange of sorries and formalities. Michael and Sirzechs just smiled at ease as the tension dissipated slightly, while the rest of the occupants remained focused, unaware they were part of the ruse, kept in the dark in order to not cause them to be more nervous because then they would be expecting a terrorist attack and be in high alert, and do something unnecessarily drastic.
Six of the occupants were youngsters after all, and what kind of irresponsible adult would enforce such heavy thoughts on them?
Gabriel? She was smiling because she was glad Lucifer was having a good time.
Penemue rested her eyes briefly and appeared to be taking a quiet sigh, positively wondering why she had to be here as she continued, "...And we would like to extend our apology to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Vatican Church for our severe lapse of control."
"As do we, toward the Overseers of this city." Gabriel responded, blessing the room with her smooth yet by no means powerless angelic voice. "As well as our gratitude for the immense help the Devils have provided, for rescuing the life of our own, as well as allowing us to secure our stolen Excaliburs safely."
"Apology and gratitude we gratefully accept." Sirzechs nodded. "We all have suffered losses. Some losses that can't be rebuilt; my condolences for Kokabiel."
Azazel shrugged along with a sigh. "He was a lost cause. We were just too stubborn to keep him around, thinking he can be redeemed. I'd even go as far and say killing him was an act of mercy. He was never the same man after the Great War ended."
"Aren't we all." Lucifer agreed. His voice wasn't loud, but the words it carried caused most people to look at him, some with confusion evident in their eyes. "I'd say we've all had enough of losing something we put value into."
"...Indeed we do." Penemue muttered, not quite sure of who exactly this human was, and how he could be lenient in the presence of these great leaders. "...We seemed to have skipped our introductions earlier, I realize. Is it too late for that?"
"Hm? Oh I'm actually a Devil with the least amount of importance in this room." And it was technically the truth; for the Devil did not have to resort to lie. Lucifer waved her off, keeping them guessing, wondering, as he sat there in their head, rent free. "Do please go on. Forgive me for my unnecessary interruption."
"A Devil with the least amount of importance sitting next to a Satan, while a Lady of a noble House stands behind you?" Benemune joined the fray, pointing out the elephant in the room. "Sorry but that's pretty hard to believe if you ask me. You don't even exude their Devily power."
So his Uncle kept his words. Not surprised. The Omega's Blessings were... undoubtedly powerful enough to overlap and erase any trace of his old Demonic or Angelic Power. Even if he still was a Devil.
"Oh that's likely because I'm his sister's lover." Lucifer said with a straight face with a straight matter-of-fact kind of tone, while Rias grew extremely embarrassed and Sirzechs just shook his head, trying to keep a straight face. "It comes with several benefits, you see… one of such is being seated next to her brother. Out of pity, I suppose."
"And it's not like he's mistaken." Azazel came to his rescue, knowing Lucifer wanted to continue with his own personal entertainment. No harm in trying to curry favor with the Devil himself. "We all have had enough of this needless conflict between our kin. Isn't that why we're gathered here? To put a formal end to this, and start a new one in hope for a more prosperous future? Especially with the absence of the Abrahamic God, our Creator, may… He rests His soul? That's one confusing thing to say..."
It was as if the entire room became frozen in time after Azazel dropped the bomb a bit too early than recommended. Lucifer kept quiet because he was studying others' reactions, especially the religious kids. To his surprise, they seemed to be taking it rather well… if their sullen look suggested anything, it was that they had been told of the numbing truth prior to this meeting.
Same for the Devils.
The Angels just looked depressed because their Dad's gone.
They didn't yet know He wasn't dead, just wishing He was dead by drinking Himself to an early eternal grave. Lucifer wasn't kind enough to spare them from this particular truth, as seeing their faces would be priceless. However, he was not a moron who would cause an uproar between the factions.
God was away. That was all they needed to know and prepared to work around with. Not around the possibility of His second coming which might never come.
"Huh. Was I not supposed to say that yet?" Azazel blinked, but moved on without caring. "Well anyway, as I was saying… what actually was I saying again?"
"Something 'bout future and that." Benemune said, fully enjoying the fact that the hardworking and calm Penemue was in full amount of stress and embarrassment.
"Right. Future. Yep." Azazel muttered. "The past can't be changed but the future can still be shaped, and the Grigori Institute would much rather shape themselves above the foundation of peace between our factions, especially since we seem to have a new form of threat; one common enemy we can all shift our attention to."
"I don't see why not." Sirzechs said casually, dropping his formal act, confusing the living out of the younger Devils and most other occupants who weren't a faction leader. "Us Devils have no intention of going to war with anyone for that matter."
"Neither does the Kingdom of Heaven." Michael followed.
"So. All in favor? Good. We'll worry about the paperworks or the naming later, preferably with booze and not tea. No offense, Zechs. I know you Devils like tea."
Lucifer raised just his palm. "I don't. Pretty sure he doesn't either."
"Good! Two Lucifers are drinkers!"
Michael spoke again in spite of the sudden confusion and doubletakes in the room. "We agree to shed all matters of the past to forge a beautiful future."
"Still have a way with your words, don't you." Lucifer stood up from his chair as he sensed a shift in their dimension; clear evidence of magical tampering. They were trying to be stealthy, whoever was doing it, but Lucifer was certain most of the people in the room were aware of it.
His hellforged sword materialized in his right hand as the Angels jumped out in shock and fear, fully aware of the weapon that had cut down their brethrens, conjuring their weapon made of pure light, all pointed at him. The church choir girls also drew out their swords, how nice of them, but they were pulled back by Griselda. Gabriel must have informed her about this.
"L-Lucifer?! What are you doing!" Rias cried out in shock, staring at him with her eyes wide, just as a protective barrier formed between her and the Devil, taking Akeno with it. She turned around to see Lady Paimon stepping closer to her. On the other side, Grayfia did the same to Sona and Tsubaki who were equally blindsided by the rapid development of an otherwise peaceful talk.
"Becoming the center of attention, evidently." Lucifer eyed outside the window, noting the color of the skies had shifted. "They're here. Bit ahead of schedule."
"Why else do you think I cut the bogus meeting short." Azazel replied with a smirk.
"Because you're bored."
"That might have played a wee bit part in my decision."
"Lucifer?" Benemune repeated.
"Lucifer." Azazel nodded, standing up. "The mastermind behind this plan, didn't I say?"
"Well yes, but… isn't Sirzechs the Lucifer? Did they elect a new one?"
"I am merely Lucifer in title, I'm afraid." Sirzechs said as the Power of Destruction manifested in his palms, blazing black energy as he prepared himself.
"Eh. Lucifer… Helel… Names are just titles that stick." Lucifer shrugged, resting his coiled greatsword over his shoulder. The cinders burned bright, ever hungry for souls. And of course, his suit was unharmed and speck-free.
"Oh hell— you're that Lucifer?!" Holy lightning blazed from Benemune's wrists, coating her arm as it crackled violently.
"Take it easy you moron." Azazel knocked the top of his retainer's head with his knuckle. It was quite loud. Lucifer even winced. "He's not the enemy anymore. He's an ally. A-L-L-Y. Penemue, you're sticking with us. Benemune's the only one fighting from our side."
"Good." Penemue rose from her seat, following Azazel to join the Devils in their barrier.
"Wh-what's going on?" Sona asked, but received no answers yet. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Please, Lady Sitri, Lady Tsubaki." Grayfia said, expanding her barrier to accommodate Azazel and his secretary. "All will be explained in due time."
Not far from her, Rias raised her own questions, staring at the scarlet-haired Devil. "Lady Paimon? Why was I not informed of this?"
"Because the plan's discussion transcends your present jurisdiction, Lady Rias." Lorelei answered calmly. "Currently, we are under assault by a terrorist organization, which has taken the bait, which is the gathering of three major factions. Please remain calm. You may be a Satan's sister, but I will not refrain from doing what I deem necessary to keep you in this bubble."
"My. Assertive today aren't we." Lucifer sniggered. "Stay close to her, Princess. You too Akeno. Take a seat and enjoy the show."
"V...very well…" Rias blankly nodded, knowing her limit. Somehow, she felt like she had met Grayfia's equal. Lorelei Paimon was the Devil she aspired to be, but meeting her in person in this… strange circumstances was quite daunting, more so as she was surrounded by powerful historical figures.
"The… The Devil! I-it's him?!"
"Ah. Good to see you still remember me, Remiel. Still have your white wings I see."
The Seraph shirked away in complete terror.
"Please don't torment your ally not twenty seconds after our agreement, Lucifer."
"Whatever could you mean, Little Mikey?"
Michael sighed. Half of it was relief, knowing Lucifer wasn't as vengeful towards him. The other half of the sigh was exasperation over the old nickname being brought up once again.
"Calm down, my friends." Gabriel stood as well, gesturing her hand for the Seraphs to lower their weapon as she conjured a protective barrier of light, surrounding Griselda and Irina and Xenovia. "This too, is part of the meeting. Sister Griselda, you and the children will stay here with me. By no means are you allowed to step outside this room."
"Understood, Lady Gabriel." Griselda nodded, consoling her two befuddled Holy Sword wielders.
Michael turned to his Seraphs. "Remiel, Seraphiel, you're with me. Protect this room at all costs." Both Seraphs nodded, though still cautious to the supposed Father of Evil. "And stop your judgmental stance. He's our ally."
"B-but…"
"Remiel. That was a command."
"...Understood, your Holiness."
"Hehey, the softie Mikey can get stern too. Surprise surprise."
"Egh… don't make me regret being here, Azazel."
The Governor raised his hands with his palms exposed. "Bit too late, seems to me."
And then, time itself stopped.
But nobody present was affected. The effort was wasted.
Then came the bombardment. No attacks went past the giant barrier encompassing the entire old school building created by Sirzechs, and strengthened by Lucifer. Conjuring a barrier of this size normally required Devils to concentrate, meaning they wouldn't be able to cast another kind of magic. Not for them, of course. Neither were normal Devils by any means aside from their appearances.
Lucifer stepped towards the window, admiring the slightly harmful but still harmless fireworks. He was soon joined by Gabriel, who didn't waste her time to give him a fond hug from his left side since the other had a sword in it.
"Dear brother!"
"Sweet sister!"
"Ah… sweet, sweet reunion!" Azazel cooed, joining the two. "What about a little bit of love for your distant relative eh?"
"In a friendly manner of speech, Azazel," Lucifer said as he turned his head to the approaching Fallen Angel. "Lay hands on her, and it won't be just their head I'll take."
"Oooh. Yikes. Threatening me so early after our peace?" The Governor laughed in good nature, standing several paces away from Lucifer's infernal hellsword. "Isn't it strange how all of you 'great leaders' are extremely overprotective to your sisters? I feel severely left out here."
"Hey, you can ask Penemue to be your sister." Benemune pointed out, casually walking to join the group, still coated in her lightning.
"I'd rather die."
"Hey don't get too close to me." Azazel warned, now trapped between fists of crackling lightning and a greatsword of burning hellfire. "Your thunder still stings."
Sirzechs soon joined them, stopping some feet away from Gabriel, his hands still coated by his malevolent Demonic Power, looking outside the window to see a flock of robed individuals trying their damndest to break through the barrier.
"I don't feel any particularly powerful individuals from them. You know who they are, Azazel?"
"Dark blue robes… three eyes on the hood sewn vertically… Nilrem? Probably? They're my best guess. Definitely affiliated with the damn Brigade… There's some Devils in there with them. And a Vampire who is half-human. Sacred Gear user. Yep— Gasper Vladi."
"So it's true." Sirzechs muttered quietly. "They've spread to the Vampires as well."
"Chance to enlarge our three-way pact to a four-way one, you reckon?"
"Possibly." The Satan said to the Governor, while the younger individuals in the background were struggling to understand how the leaders were so casual with one another. "But the Vampire Clans are seclusive. I doubt they'll agree to forge a pact with us at this early stage."
"Best to deal with Asgard first." Lucifer added, keeping his senses stretched outside the vicinity of the building. "We have the means. Let's see how it ends."
"Is it time yet?" Benemune asked, eager to pummel some magician's face. "If not, when?"
"No, not yet." Sirzechs replied.
"These are just the small fishes. Tadpoles." Lucifer added. "We're waiting for our biggest catch yet… Going out there now would just ruin their illusion that we're trapped here."
"When in reality, they're trapped here with us." Gabriel completed.
Azazel chuckled. "So beautifully tragic. I nearly cried."
"I count… close to a hundred." Gabriel muttered. "Perhaps they don't intend to send their leaders here?"
"And waste this good of an opportunity to ruin three major factions all at once? Fat chance." Azazel said. "They have the numbers, but they lack discipline. They fight only for themselves. Or their leader, if one's present with them."
"Speak of the Devil… Get ready fellas." Lucifer announced as he felt a ripple in the invisible cobwebs of magic. One only he could sense until it was obvious enough for the rest.
A Devil's teleportation circle had just appeared by the schoolyard, and it bore the symbol he was familiar with; the violet sigil of Leviathan. And one he wasn't familiar with; a gargantuan magic circle lighting up behind the Devil's.
"Katerea." Sirzechs said as a female Devil appeared out of the Leviathan circle.
"Ah great..." Azazel cursed, as a giant, three-headed canine emerged from the larger teleportation circle. "How the hell did they get Hades' lapdog with them…?"
"...Hey wait a bloody minute… that's my dog!" Lucifer growled. He would never forget his loyal hound once he saw it was still very much alive. "Oh you have a lot of explaining to do, Missus Devil with exotic skin tone…"
"One fish at a time, Lucifer." Sirzechs reminded. "Though Cerberus did return to Hades' as your 'death' nullified whatever deal you had with him. But this is rather concerning… if the Grim Reapers are on their side—"
"Hades? Hardly." Azazel interrupted. "At most they struck a deal with him and that was it. He would never put himself at risk of the three factions."
"Then we must simply ask them politely."
"Very much agreed, lil sis. Now if you could excuse me..." He gently moved away from Gabriel's embrace, and slammed the tip of the coiled greatsword into the wooden flooring. But it wasn't the wood panelling that it pierced, but instead the very fabric of space itself; Banishing all sentient living beings that were caught inside a giant black and white magic circle that encompassed everything within a mile. A God-tier spell that normally required an hour of casting time, made easily enacted by the Omega's Gift.
The trap that was set, now executed. Last part of the plan; kill everyone but three, and spare the likely important hostels for questioning.
And everyone was transported into the Dimensional Gap; an astral plane of existence that existed between the Realms and the void. Instead of the school, the giant floating rock had now become their field of battle, and a giant dome had turned it into an arena where no one, unless by his will, could escape.
"Wh-what's happening?! Why are we in the Gap?!"
"Where are we!?"
"Lady Leviathan! Orders?!"
"Stay calm! What they've done is exposing themselves! Fire everything!"
Everything apparently wasn't enough to penetrate the magical blockade that was as thick as a sheet of paper. All spells and magical trickery simply sunk into it, being destroyed by the barrier infused with Sirzechs' Power of Destruction and doped by Lucifer's own.
As bedlam befell the group of magicians and their Devil commander, Lucifer let his greatsword vanish from his grip, as the rest of the now united faction leaders moved to their predesignated area of defense, preparing for the moment Sirzechs dropped his barrier since it worked both ways.
"Don't kill the Devil." Sirzechs reminded the terrifying battlegroup.
"Or the big dog!" Lucifer hurriedly added. He caught Benemune groaning from somewhere in the back. "Let me handle them. If I can't talk sense in them, then I might as well cut my own tongue."
"Understood." Michael nodded.
"Please don't…" Gabriel sadly muttered.
"Alright. Let's enjoy the show, shall we..." Azazel exclaimed, sitting inside the protective barrier made by Grayfia and now strengthened with Lorelei's. He cast a puffy cloud to sit on so he wouldn't have to dirty his formal suit or pants with Dimensional Gap's dirt or dust.
"S-Sir Azazel, is this all a ruse?"
"Eyup."
"But… What about the peace summit?" Sona followed Rias.
"Already been done, Princess Sitri. Exactly two days ago, in a secluded room, in a place I cannot specify for the sake of secrecy, where deals were made and counter-insurgency plans were hatched. This one is just for show to lure these mongrels who call themselves 'Khaos Brigade' into an attack, which appear to pay off greatly, as far as I can tell."
"Then… does this mean you were all well-acquainted with one another before? I… I don't understand…"
"Complicated relationships, Princess Gremory. Trust is hard to build these days… but luckily your lover there, owns a great trust borderline adoration from the prettiest Archangel I've known. That, and the fact we now have a common enemy who we can expend all of our pent up stress into. But all will be made clearer for you two in due time. All in due time… as all's well that ends well." Azazel laughed chestily, genuinely happy with the outcome so far and perfectly at ease. He'd be surprised if he got the tiniest of cuts.
Sirzechs dropped his barrier, and the two Lucifer made their way forward. The Lucifer in title flew above to deal with the magicians, while the real deal approached them from the ground in stride. Benemnune had leapt the instant the barrier separating her and her prey was gone, already causing havoc as bright yellow thunder flashed here and there.
Originally they were meant to fight at the school, but this was fine too. No buildings in sight; meant they could go nuts. These stragglers had as much chance as a baby tossed into a pit of rabid pitbulls.
"Call your bets, everyone. Who will do it faster? Lucifer cajoling the Demon Dog and the Devil, or these monsters we call 'Faction Leaders' wiping out those poor nameless magicians who didn't know the thematic robe they all wore was actually red in color?"
To be continued...
On DxD's wiki, Benemune is described to have strong looking eyes with long purple hair and large breasts (surprise surprise). That sounds like Yoruichi from Bleach for me, so that's what I based her appearance on. 'Sides, DxD hasn't reached the hollywood level of diversity amirite gang? Haha ecksdee
Also I know Gasper is Rias' Bishop by canon, but I don't think I've mentioned anything about him or confirming he is still in Rias' Peerage.
