Author's Note: I forgot to include the voice actors in the last chapter so I'll do a double in this one. Also, I finally commissioned art to serve as the logo of the series. Should be getting it in about a month or so.

Xander Crowley(Keith Silverstein) who voices: Masayoshi Shido(Persona 5), Zhongli(Genshin Impact), Flynn(Shin Megami Tensei 4), Speedwagon(Jojo)

Ray Lazarus(Justin Briner): Same as Luck, but only lower-pitched and with a haughty tone.

Tobias Salazar(Kellen Goff) who voices: Overhaul(My Hero Academia), Freddy(FNAF: Security Breach), Porco Galliard(Attack on Titan)

Mia Armstrong(Cherami Leigh): Makoto Nijima(Persona 5), Kyoka Izumi(Bungo Stray Dogs), Sarada Uchiha(Boruto), Asuna Yuuki(SAO)

Chapter 24
The First Child

"The Antichrist...?" Raiden parroted. He could swear he heard that name somewhere in the past.

"The messiah who will bring a change to this world, of course." Mary bowed slightly before bending her back to the point where it looked like her spine was going to break"Our God! The savior that will end humanity's suffering! His descension is already guaranteed to happen, no matter what anyone does. And when he comes it will mean that the apocalypse is here."

"Savior?" Raiden perked up at that."Wait, you're not making any sense. What do you mean him coming to this world will start the apocalypse?"

"I'll tell you what I feel like telling you, hun." Mary resumed her normal posture."You have one question left. Don't waste it. But yeah, as I said before, everyone in this world desires to die and for the world to end at some point in their lives. Some people aren't satisfied with their lives, you know that. Everywhere you go, you can find unsatisfied people. People who wish they were dead for how much misery they find themselves in. And besides, humanity is its greatest enemy. People are killing each other daily for arbitrary things. They're not like you or me, who fight for a reason."

"Don't compare yourself to me!" Raiden barked back."No way in hell that's true! You're saying humanity wishes to die as a whole?! That's stupid! And even then, what gives you or your God any right to end the world?!"

"It's not about rights. It's about doing what's right for the world. Sound familiar?" Mary gave him a mocking smirk, causing Raiden to tense up."You are an open book to me. You are the self-righteous type, I can tell. You fight for what's right for you. Just like me. We both have things we have to do for the greater good, no matter how many people we crush in our way."

"I will stop you right here and now!" Raiden declared, taking a fighting stance."You said you were the strongest of your group, right? That means if I take you down here and now, the rest should be easy! If I stop you, I will prevent the Antichrist from setting foot in this world and be revived!"

"Hahahaha! Wrong again, boyo! I just told you his awakening is inevitable. More so because he's already here. Alive. But sadly, he's incomplete."

"Incomplete..." Raiden inquired, curious to know more but he knew he couldn't waste his last question."So you have a way to revive him...but he's incomplete. What the fuck does that mean? Does it have to do with the sacrifices?"

"That's for you to figure out." Mary kicked the head of her ax, resting it on her shoulder."Anyway, I'm getting tired of talking. Let's fight for a bit, yeah?"

Without giving him a chance to reply, Mary started sprinting towards Raiden, her ax scraping the ground below. Raiden jumped in the air, avoiding the first swing. He went for a kick, but Mary easily blocked her with her arm and grabbed his foot, tossing him towards the flaming house.

"Mirror Magic: Shower Rain of Hell!" Mary traced her finger in the air, creating a white line that began shooting shards of glass at Raiden.

"Inferno Magic: Blazing Cut!" Raiden began sending slashes of fire at the mirror shards, but found himself quickly overwhelmed. Glass began piercing his skin, and forced him to cover his face to avoid any damage there."Fuck!" He fell on his knees, his whole body in pain.

"You shouldn't have tanked that, you know." Mary sighed in exasperation."No matter how big those muscles of yours are, my glass can go through it. I think...judging from your expression, some of them went all the way through. But it's not over yet. Mirror Magic: Final Bound Prison!"

Raiden gasped as he noticed human-sized mirrors surrounding him in a circle. Mary ran to one of the mirrors, disappearing inside of it. Soon enough, her reflection appeared in all of the mirrors. Each of the reflections held a long, mirror shard in their hands."Try dodging this!"

All reflections threw their attacks, forcing Raiden to start reflecting them with his swords. The reflections began throwing more attacks, beginning to land a few of them on Raiden. Hissing in pain, Raiden sent a slash of inferno at the mirror Mary entered, forcing her to exit and jump to another mirror at incredible speed."How is she so fast?!"

"As long as I can travel through my mirrors, my speed is unmatched." Mary proclaimed, moving around Raiden in a way he couldn't track at all. Each time she passed by him, she would slash him with a piece of mirror, quickly covering his body in wounds.

"Inferno Magic: Scorching Impaler!"

Mary barely avoiding being pierced by the black spikes of fire, forcing her to retreat into the mirrors."And now, Inferno Magic: God Hand!" Jumping high in the air, Raiden slammed the giant hand of inferno against the ground, dispersing the fire around and destroying the mirrors.

The amber-eyed boy landed back, taking a deep breath."Man, she's just toying with me...she's not the strongest Child of Sceva for nothing."

"Not a bad show." Raiden froze, feeling Mary right behind him, whispering in his ear."But can you show me more?"

"Scorching Impaler!"

The spikes pierced through Mary, but her body broke into pieces as if it were a mirror."Not the real one...At this point, I'll have no choice but to-"

"Don't let up now!" Two Marys lunged at Raiden, each holding an ax. Clicking his tongue, Raiden began battling against the clones. Each of them was as formidable as the real Mary. And as strong as well, since it required him to use both hands to block each powerful strike, but this would leave him open to the other clone and force him to duck.

A clone swept him off his feet with a kick, but Raiden was quick and used this opportunity to kick them both away by supporting his body with his arms, gaining some distance. He threw his blades at each clone, piercing their heads and breaking them into pieces.

"That was great. So full of surprises." Mary clapped from on top of a branch, sitting there leisurely."You're adapting well. I was right to choose you as my opponent."

Raiden spat on the ground, walking to pick up his blades. He had lost a lot of blood by now, but he was still good to go. However, he knew if he sustained more injuries like that, he would be done for.

"I bet you're enjoying yourself. The thrill of a fight to the death. You must be used to it, considering your mentality in a real fight. You were fighting to survive right now. We are the same, after all."

"I'm not a psycho like-"

"Kind of like you."

"Like me?"

Mary pointed at Chris with a malicious grin."How will that girl feel when she finds out her parents died because of you."

"Because...of me? What the fuck does that mean?! You killed them in cold blood!"

"And why do you think I killed them?" Mary asked, jumping down from the tree."Because I knew you'd show up. Because you came to me, wanting answers. You were so determined and eager to get those answers that you accepted to do those favors for me regardless if you thought it was suspicious. And you handed those gifts to my victims, resulting in their ultimate demise. Had you not approached me and accepted my deal, I would have found another way to get to you. But since you fell right into my trap, all these innocent people had to die. You made that girl an orphan because of your desire to know more. Because you have a purpose."

"No...I...but that's..." Raiden gasped, feeling as if he was suffocating."But I didn't know you'd do this! I didn't know it would end this way!"

"Good luck explaining that to that child. If you ever do, of course." Mary cackled in glee."I didn't know you had it in you. To sacrifice all these people because you wanted to know more about the fifth-leaf Grimoire. You said you found me suspicious, didn't you? Surely you must have considered that I was one of the Order of the First, at least. But you didn't care. You went ahead and did those favors for me. You got those people killed. They died because of your ambition. And that girl will never live a normal life because of you."

"No, you're lying. I...I didn't do this!" Raiden's breathing became erratic."They...you...you killed them! Because I...came to you..." He looked at Chris, realizing the poor girl had been crying in her sleep. No doubt she will cry more. All because of him.

Dropping to his knees, Raiden let his blades go and grabbed his head.

"Come on, get up." Mary shook her head in dismay."You came this far and now are crumbling? All this shouldn't be important to you at all. You want to know more and you came to seek answers. I would do the same. Because I have a mission to complete. A goal. And so do you, right? All that blood in your hands must have come from somewhere. So get up and fight. If you die here, all of that will go down the drain."

Raiden bit his lower lip so hard he drew blood, grabbing his blades again. He rose his head, fury in his eyes. All directed towards Mary."You're right. I can't just give up here. I have something I must do but before that...I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"That's the spirit!" Mary beamed, readying her ax."But it's over."

Raiden felt something against the back of his neck and froze."Game set point, hun."

"RAIDEN!"

The mirror clone was slashed into pieces by a black sword, saving Raiden from being killed.

"Abel?" Raiden breathed in shock at his squadmate.

"Ms. Valenstein! The girl!" Abel shouted towards Caroline, who was already rushing towards Chris.

"I got it!" She opened her Grimoire, casting a spell."Slime Healing Magic: Gentle Slime Crib."

Green gooey substance poured out of her Grimoire, engulfing Chris inside as her wounds began to heal.

"Ah, so the cavalry has arrived." Mary observed with interest."How unexpected, but not unwelcomed. I was getting tired of thrashing Raiden around. Hmm?" Mary raised her head, noticing something approaching her in the sky. The woman jumped back just in time before an explosion went off.

"What was that?!" Abel cried out, glancing around, only to find a chocolate bird in the sky holding to people."Magic Knights?"

"What's up? Heard some commotion from far away and we decided to check it out! Name's Karina and this here is Fragil!"

"What's going on?" Fragil asked the people below them.

"That woman's name is Mary. She's a member of the Order of the First and is of the Children of Sceva. More specifically, she's the first one. Meaning the strongest."

"You're kidding!" Abel was flabergasted."That's the woman that kicked all of our asses in the cave! No wonder you're looking so bad. She must be incredibly strong."

"Nonsense! For my art, there are no limits!" Karina's gaze fell on Caroline and Chris."Hey, Fragil. Go keep those two safe. Your magic is okay, but by the looks of things, we'll need all the heavy hitters for this. And that lady is a healer, so it would suck if she dies."

"Okay...I can do that." Fragil nodded, making Karina descend to the ground to drop her off."Alright! You guys better work extra hard! I'll cover you!"

"Huh? You're not going to fight too?" Abel asked, receiving a glare from Karina.

"Well, if you want me to fight with you side by side, I could do that. But Karina warns you that you'd get blown to pieces by the end of the fight. I can't fight in a team because of my explosions. Huh. Come to think of it, a blown-up body missing a few limbs would be beautiful, will it not? A person missing a limb, something that they need, surely leaves an everlasting effect. Until they die, that is."

"Too much information." Abel grumbled under his breath, whispering to Raiden."She's a little...uh..."

"Crazy. Just say crazy." Raiden stood up, followed by Abel."Anyway, she'll attack from afar. From what Magna told me, her explosions are quite strong. Meaning that all we gotta do is create an opening."

"You'll tell me everything that's going on, right?" Abel asked, giving him a sideglance.

Raiden sighed, rubbing his nape."Yes. Now let's go. You'll be my shield and I'll be the sword."

"Huh? But my defensive spell isn't that good."

"Better than having none. She has Mirror Magic and is capable of creating clones. She's also insanely fast when she enters them. Be careful not to get stabbed or pricked too many times."

"Yeah, I figured. You look like you're about to roll over. Are you sure you're okay? You can sit this one out if you don't feel fine. I'm worried."

"It's not like she'll let me." Raiden gave Abel a bloody smile."Let's roll."

"Finally done strategizing?" Mary seemed to have run out of patience."Not like it'll do you any good. I wanted to kill Raiden, but I guess you guys can make a fine addition."

"Hey, you, Big Bro Raiden!" Karina hollered from above."What'll we do if this gets out of hand?"

Raiden glanced behind him to Caroline, Chris, and Fragil."We'll think of something. Leave it to me. But doing anything unnecessary will be too risky!"

"Ugh, fine." Karina groaned, pouting in annoyance."But if I feel like I'm in danger I'll do it."

Without another word, Raiden and Abel rushed towards Mary, their weapons ready to strike. Mary grinned in excitement, throwing her ax on the floor and manifesting two shards of glass in her hands."Come!"

Raiden and Abel swung their weapons against the shards, which were surprisingly sturdy as Mary held them in place. Raiden used his second weapon to gain the advantage and brought it to the side, but Mary simply rose her leg, blocking it with her knee. Before Raiden could cut deeper, she kicked him in the stomach, sending him away."Don't worry. I won't kill you. You are much too precious to me, Bel."

"Again with that name. I'm telling you that's not my name! I'm Abel!" Abel pushed her back with Hellbreaker, his Grimoire flipping through its pages."Yin Magi-"

"I can't believe I get to try and kill you a third time." Mary's voice was low yet strong, a grin gracing her features."Too bad your brother is nowhere in sight."

"Wait...how do you know about-"

"Move it!" Karina shouted, sending a chocolate way directly towards Mary, with a snap of her fingers, the bird exploded, sending Abel skidding on the ground."Kaboom!"

"What the hell, Karina?!" Raiden bared his teeth at the girl, who stuck her tongue out at him."You almost got us too!"

"You idiots have to keep moving if we want to catch her by surprise! Don't just stand there and daddle!"

"KARINA! BEHIND YOU!" Fragil shouted, alerting the curly-haired girl. On instinct, Karina threw a chocolate spider behind her, quickly jumping off her bird just in time to avoid a stab to her head."KABOOM!"

"Karina!" Fragil screamed in concern, watching as Karina's body emerged from the smoke.

"Shit...this is bad. How did she sneak up behind me?" Karina had one of her eyes closed."And with those three down there it'll be harder to concentrate."

"We have to get her out of here." Caroline stated, watching over Chris."Her wounds are healed, but she inhaled too much smoke. We have to take her somewhere else to stabilize her."

"Karina, we need a bird!"

"Right, right." Karina grumbled, annoyed that she was creating too many of her creations as it was."Chocolate Magic: Sweat Eagle!"

A giant eagle made of chocolate emerged from her Grimoire, heading down to pick up the girls. Meanwhile, Raiden and Abel continued fighting Mary, but they were being overpowered despite having the advantage in numbers.

Mary kicked Abel in the chin, knocking him to the ground, and dodged in time to avoid Raiden's kick, striking him in the solar plexus and sending him crashing against a tree.

"Yin Magic: Catastrophic Rain of Black Blades!"

Mary jumped in the air, her Grimoire, which was completely crimson and decorated with various pieces of glass printed on her it, and cast a spell."Mirror Magic: Final Bound Prison!"

Once more, various rows of mirrors appeared, surrounding the boys and each of them containing Mary's reflection. Another mirror clone ran past them, heading for the girls escaping on the bird. The clone jumped from branch to branch, waving a sharp piece of a mirror in her hand.

Raiden gasped, jumping out of the mirror prison and running towards the clone."Inferno Magic: Inferno Manipulation!" He cried out, creating wings out of fire as they began to flap, elevating him in the air.

"Can't this thing go any faster?!" Caroline grumbled, punching the chocolate bird to no avail.

"I'm not sure!" Fragil told her, panicking as well."She never gave it any commands or anything! I think it just flew on its own!"

A pair of hands grabbed onto the wing of the bird, prompting the girls to gasp."Do you seriously think I'll let you get away!" Mary was climbing up, a malicious grin on her face.

"Protect the girl!" Caroline stood up, handing Chris to Fragil."I'll take her away from here."

"What?! But she needs you!"

"Who said you'll get to fight me separately." Mary finally got on board, cracking the shard in her hand in two and holding both pieces in her hands."I'm cutting you up both like pigs."

Caroline grimaced, grabbing her Grimoire.'It's not ideal, but I have no choice. I'll be killed if I do-'

"CAROL!" Raiden screamed in concern, throwing his blade with all his strength. Before the clone could attack, the blade pierced her head, killing her on the spot and breaking into pieces. The raven-haired boy landed on the bird, his inferno wings folding behind him."You guys okay?!"

"Y-yes..." Fragil nodded, understandably freaked out.

Raiden turned to Caroline offering a small smile."Sorry..."

"Calling me by that nickname even though we just met." Caroline shook her head in disbelief, causing Raiden's eyes to widen."I guess you must have been just as scared as we were, so there's no harm done. The child is fine if that's what concerned you."

"I was worried about you...guys as well." Raiden sighed in relief."Her name is Chris. Don't let anything happen to her and please...help her, Caroline..."

Caroline studied his eyes carefully before sighing."Got it. I can't say no when you look like a kid ready to cry. But what are you going to do? Surely you're not planning to go back there."

"Abel and Karina are there. I can't let anyone else die today. No matter the reason." Raiden looked over his shoulder."I refuse to make that mistake again."

"Before you go, here." Caroline moved her hand to Raiden."Slime Reinforcement Magic: Cure Blessing!"

From her Grimoire, green dust came out and surrounded Raiden before entering his body. The teen could feel his power increase significantly and his energy returning."This is..."

"It won't last long. I meant to use this on all of you, but the situation didn't allow me." Caroline supplied."It will boost your physical abilities and your magic temporarily."

"Got it. Thank you for the help." Raiden nodded in appreciation before nosediving back to the ground.

"Wait, Raiden-" Caroline cried out but it was in vain, Raiden had already jumped back.

As this was happening, Abel was dodging and blocking the incoming projectiles coming at him from the vast amount of reflections being projected on the mirrors around him.

"Look alive!" Mary cackled, throwing more mirrors at him. Abel had his eyes closed, using what he had learned about Ki to anticipate the attacks and act accordingly. However, his mastery of Ki had yet to be perfected, and his body was beginning to feel that as some shards were being stabbed across his body.

'Interesting. It seems like this Abel is trickier than the one I know. He's blocking some attacks he shouldn't even be able to see coming, but it seems it's not absolute.' The real Mary looked up at the sky from the mirror, noticing Karina was circling around.'And that one...seems like making those chocolate things isn't her only magic. She can blow them up as well. And like Raiden, she reeks of blood. Just what does it mean? Well, I suppose I shouldn't kill them. They had my interest, now they have my attention. I'll incapacitate them and get all the information I need to satisfy my curiosity.'

"Yin Magic: Explosive Dance!" Abel jumped in the air, slamming his sword on the ground and creating an explosion of black energy that repelled the incoming attacks, breaking several of the mirrors.

"What?!" Mary was taken back, not expecting such a level of retaliation.

"Kaboom, bitch!" Karina snapped her fingers, exploding the many chocolate spiders she had created around the mirrors, making a huge gap. She took advantage of this, flying by and grabbing Abel, taking him away.

"Thank you..." Abel grumbled as the short girl pulled him up."I owe you one."

"I didn't do it for you. If she killed you there, she would have just come after me. And I don't feel like fighting this psycho."

Abel laughed sheepishly."Well, much appreciated anyway."

"Shit. More clones incoming." Karina clicked her tongue, noticing that more clones had appeared from the burning house and were hot on their trail."Just how many of these things can she make? There's no end to them."

"We have to get out of here." Abel concluded."We're no match for her. Can you blow this place up? They'll follow us and eventually catch up if you don't."

"Yeah, I know." Karina huffed in annoyance."I didn't want to waste too much mana on her but-"

Abel jumped on top of Karina, barely missing the countless mirror needled going straight through the right part of the chocolate bird, tearing it to shreds. Abel and Karina hugged each other as they scream while they fell. With his quick thinking, Abel pulled out his Hellbreaker, stabbing it into one of the trees to stop their fall. Once they were close to the ground, Karina pushed herself off Abel, landing on her rear on the floor.

"You okay?" Abel asked, pulling his sword out of the tree.

"Never better," Karina muttered under her breath.

"You guys!" Raiden landed in front of the duo, rushing towards them."What happened?"

"That psycho did something and shot us down from the sky." Karina explained."And you? Did the others get away?"

"Yeah. They should be far enough for Bloody Mary to get to them. Still though, with all these clones around, it'll be difficult to find the real one. Not to mention she's insanely strong."

"We have to do something about the clones then." Abel suggested."But where are they even coming from? I haven't seen her use her Grimoire for spells other than that mirror prison and the needle thing."

"I think I might have an idea." Karina caught their attention."But you both need to buy me a minute. Also, get as close to the house as possible. But not too close, though. Fire isn't good for my spells but you didn't hear that from me, got it? All you need to do is fight off the clones and cut whatever you see coming. And I mean everything. Don't ask dumbass questions now so go along with it."

"A minute against Bloody Mary? Should be easy enough. I guess." Raiden rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right..." Abel chuckled nervously, not too eager to fight Mary again. Both Black Bulls nodded at each other, brandishing their respective weapons as they rushed back. Karina created another bird and jumped on top of it."Let's get this party started!"

Mary waited patiently, sitting on the grass in front of the burning house with a dozen of mirror clones in front of her."I knew you'd come back. Saved me the trouble of dragging you back."

"Make your jokes while you can. This is where we claim victory!" Raiden announced, pointing one of his blades at her.

Bloody Mary scoffed."And look who is making jokes now. Claiming victory, is it? We'll see if you can."

The clones wasted no time and began surrounding the boys, each wielding piece of glass in their hand. Raiden jumped towards some of them, using Scorching Impaler to pierced through some of them. Abel jumped in the air, slamming his sword and creating an explosion of black energy that sent another group flying away.

Mary hummed in amusement, watching as more clones began appearing from inside the house.

"Chocolate Creation Magic: Chocolate Dancing Dolls!"

The oldest child of Sceva glanced upwards, noticing Karina dumping liquid chocolate on the ground from above, making a huge puddle of chocolate. From the puddle, humanoid figures began taking shape, wobbling towards the clones.'Can those things become explosives as well? No, it can't be. If they blew up now, those two will be caught in the blast. I wonder what her angle i-What the hell?!'

Mary stood up upon seeing Raiden cut one of the dolls in half, splitting it in two. To her confusion, Abel did the same. They alternated from attacking the clones to cutting away at the dolls.'What are they doing? Did that kid have the intention of taking them out with the clones and they're afraid of being in the radius of the explosion?'

'It's working.' Raiden spared Mary a glance, using both his blades to block an incoming kick from the mirror clone. He kicked its leg, forcing her on her knees before stabbing through her neck, destroying her.

'I was confused about why Raiden did it, but I'm glad I followed his lead.' Abel ducked in time to avoid a punch from a clone, accidentally hitting the one in front of him with her weapon. He swung his sword in a circle, cutting them instantly.'Maybe Magna told him about the time he went on a mission with Karina, so he's aware of what this spell does. Still, I wouldn't have minded a heads up.'

'So I stand corrected.' Karina grinned from ear to ear, watching as the fallen dolls that the guys cut began standing up, creating more as they divided.'Seems like her clones can't use any spells. Otherwise, those two would have been turned to swiss cheese by now. Just a little more.'

Raiden hissed in pain, feeling someone slash at his back with a sharp object. His hands were full, however, blocking the incoming attacks of two clones. Before another clone could attack him, one of the chocolate dolls staggered over, punching it in the face but making no real damage. The clone looked stupified before cutting the doll's head off and kicking it away before another one took its place. Eventually, the clones were outnumbered by the various size dolls that were roaming around the field.

Mary clicked her tongue.'I played into her hand. I got cocky because they're easy to break apart and seemingly don't have any power, but they've multiplied everything they were cut. No wonder those kids were attacking them as well. But to what end?'

"Eyes up here!" Karina loudly announced, throwing two small birds at her. Mary narrowed her eyes, readying her ax to attack, however, the birds exploded before they even reached Mary, baffling her.

"What?!" Mary cried out, covering her eyes from the smoke."That sneaky little bastard...did she set up a smokescreen so she could attack me by surprise?"

Karina began exploding a great number of chocolate creations around the area, making the smoke even bigger. Once she decided it was enough, she dived down to pick up Raiden and Abel. The clones tried to go after them, but the chocolate dolls were not allowing them to make a single move.

"Now! KABOOM!" Karina snapped her fingers, the mana in the dolls bursting and causing an explosion. The chain of explosions was so big that it even reached the house, blowing it up into pieces. The Magic Knights nearly lost their footing due to the shockwave, holding onto Karina for safe measure."Look at that sight! A house that no doubt served as a place to live so many memories...gone like the wind. Never to return. How beautiful..." She beamed in delight before sighing."Too bad they could just make another house. Otherwise, it'd be a great piece."

"Why did you destroy the house too?!" Abel gasped, watching in horror as what was left of the house was the foundation, a few walls, and what was left of the fire.

"Are you dense?" Karina glared at the brown-haired teen."Didn't you notice the clones were coming from the house? Her magic is all about mirrors. So I deduced that those clones were coming from them. Strange. I guess that means she relies on mirrors being present to do things like that."

"Now that you mention it, you're right." Raiden rubbed his chin."There were a lot of mirrors. Way too many. I'm talking about mirrors going up the stairs, along the corridors, and even in the living room."

"Huh. No shit?" Karina hummed."I guess her house would be filled with mirrors. Bold of her to lure you in here."

"Actually...that's not her house." Raiden grumbled, his mind going to Chris."It belonged to that girl's family. For some reason, Mary was here."

"Wait, what?" Abel quirked a brow, and before he could udder another word, Karina spoke up.

"That's still odd." Karina scowled."Even if Bloody Mary used this house randomly and killed the kid's parents, that still doesn't explain why there were so many mirrors in the first place."

"I'm not sure either." Raiden took a deep breath.

"So are you going to tell us what we walked into or what?"

Raiden lowered his gaze, watching as Karina tapped her foot impatiently."I-"

"Uh...guys...?" Abel pointed down below. The smoke was slowly clearing up, but one silhouette could be seen perfectly from afar.

"No way." Karina's eyes shot open in shock."She should be completely vaporized."

Unbeknownst to them, Mary was not unscathed. She watched in fascination as her left arm finished healing, black dust surrounding it and regenerating her lost limb."Had I not realized their intentions at the last second, I wouldn't have survived such an explosion. I can't believe I was forced to go to my Evolution to reduce the damage. Those explosions are no joke."

She splayed her hands, walking on and facing the trio that was in the air."I didn't want to do this but I'll show you just how different we are. Raiden, as I said, we are the same. But what separates us is the fact that I killed those close to me to gain more power. Something that you will never be able to do. Am I right?"

Raiden said nothing, simply staring in disbelief.

"That's what gave me the power I have. It's why you could never be what I am, an Alternate. Let me show you what hell is really like." Mary removed her tattered robe and showed them her Brand of the Beast. The brand was glowing, and a second number six appeared next to it, black markings appearing all across Mary's body, similar to shattered glass. Her eyes turned crimson and her sclera black, her pupils changing to vertical slits and the symbol 'I' appearing in both her eyes. A pentagram manifested itself beneath her as a black aura engulfed her. A third number three began forming itself on her palm as she cackled maniacally, releasing a tremendous amount of mana.

"No way..." Abel stammered."She can't be that strong!"

"Such magic power." Raiden couldn't believe his eyes."So this is the power of the strongest child of Sceva."

Karina simply gritted her teeth, choosing to remain silent.

Once her transformation was done, Mary suppressed the black aura, making it disappear. At that moment, the clouds covering the moon finally moved away, letting the moonlight hit the earth and illuminating the darkness. Mary looked like something that crawled out of hell. Her skin had grey-white, with various shards of glass affixed to her body and painting some of her skin red due to the blood. Bloodstains on her cheeks made it seem like she was crying blood. Down her elbows, her arms were darker, forming sharp claws with bloodstains on them. To top it off, a pair of wings resembling a tree branch came out of her back alongside a horn on the left side of her head.

"What the hell...?" Abel's voice was low, afraid of what he was seeing.

"Is she a devil?" Karina turned to Raiden, who bit his lower lip in response.

"I'm not sure. She said something about being an Alternate. Whatever that means. But her mana...it feels colder than before. And much stronger. But not as much as a devil's mana should."

Mary spat blood on the floor, the sound of gurgling filling their ears. Glancing at them, she graced her throat with her thumb, making a cut that began to bleed. Her Grimoire floated next to her, flipping through its pages. Every step she took made the sound of glass being broken.

("Malefic Mirror Magic: Bloody Ramping Shower!") Mary gave a blood-curling growl that sounded like a lot of animals screeching in pain. Tracing her claw in the air, a red line formed, firing crimson needles of glass at them. Raiden grabbed Abel and Karina by the back of their shirts, jumping from the bird just in time as the needles completely decimated the chocolate bird, leaving only its bottom half.

Mary moved so fast it looked like a blur, appearing in front of Raiden, and before he could do anything, she kneed him in the stomach, stabbing him with a piece of glass that was coming out of it and slamming it against a tree.

Raiden screamed in pain as Mary growled in his face, her razor-sharp teeth threatening to take a bite from his neck.

Abel appeared from above, ready to attack her while she was distracted. But the woman swatted him away, sending him crashing against a tree trunk. Raiden took advantage of this and rose his blades in the air."Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"

Mary grabbed two shards that were protruding from her head, pulling them out with a snarl and using them to block Raiden's attack."No way...my Inferno isn't cutting through her magic?!"

The oldest child of Sceva screeched, jumping back and tossing the shards at Raiden's arms, pinning him against the tree. She continued taking shards out from her body, rapidly throwing them at different parts of his body until he was fully suspended.

"Big Bro Grumpy!" Karina cried out in concern."We have to do something now! We're going to die!"

Mary turned on her heels, facing the now startled Karina. She readied her claws, sprinting towards her at great speeds, but was intercepted by Abel.

"Shit..." Raiden held a moan of pain, trying to move his body but found himself unable to."I'm losing too much blood...Abel...! Use that mask thing you did when you fought me in the Black Market!"

"What mask thing?!" Abel asked, gritting his teeth as Mary was pushing him back.

'Wait, does he not remember?' Raiden closed one of his eyes, feeling some blood dripping from his forehead.'Aw shit...'

Abel felt someone grab him by the neck, easily lifting him in the air. He could feel his neck getting wet with the blood in Mary's hand, holding back the need to barf. Mary sniffed him, giving him a knowing grin.

'I see. So he's reached that state...' She thought, unable to talk and only give feral noises.'I know you're in there, Bel. Maybe I ought to force you out by killing this kid. Would that bring you out to play?' Tightening the grip on his neck, Abel began to find it harder and harder to breathe. He couldn't concentrate on his magic which caused him to drop his Grimoire.'Is the girl just going to stare?'

In effect, Karina had made no move to save Abel. She just observed, with a cold expression on her face, holding her hands close to her chest.

'No matter. It's too bad. I was looking for a challenge. Oh, we-'

"Mary. It's me. Answer."

Rosemary blinked in confusion, reaching for her jacket and pulling out a small mirror.'Mother.'

"There you are. We're about to-Oh, my." The image of Baby appeared in the mirror from an unknown location."Seems like you were having fun. Nice, nice. So that's what your full brand looks like. Anyway, I have to cut this short I'm afraid. We're starting the ritual soon. We'll be getting our sixth member today. Trust me when I say you want to meet them. So drop whatever you're doing and come here ASAP."

Mary growled lowly, rolling her eyes but nodded regardless. She threw Abel on the ground, knocking the air out of him.'Duty calls. The bell saved you guys. Good. That means you can get stronger, Raiden. Next time we see each other, you better give me the fight I want. Besides, you still have one more question left.'

With that, Mary began flapping her wings, taking off into the sky and disappearing from view due to the trees.

"Oh, no you don't!" Karina flipped through the pages of her Grimoire."Now I get to have my fun!"

"Don't!" Raiden's voice sounded hoarse."It's too dangerous...We don't know what else...that transformation of hers can do..."

Karina glared at him, but he wasn't in the best condition to glare back. She glanced at Abel, noticing he wasn't moving either and was probably knocked out."Well...I guess I can't waste too much mana, given the circumstances. I'll take you, dummies, to wherever that nurse is. She's our best bet if you want to live."

"Got it...Thank you, Karina..." Raiden smiled in appreciation before he passed out.

"Tell me that after you're not dying." Karina scoffed as she began removing the shards from Raiden's body. Unfortunately, she didn't account that gravity would do its job and make him fall on her, much to her dismay.


In one of the many bases of the Order of the First, the four children minus Mary stood around an altar. An unconscious woman was lying on the floor, motionless.

"Good job bringing her here, Hazama." Troy praised his "older brother", approaching him."It mustn't have been easy to agree to use her for the sacrifice."

"That's an understatement." Hazama sneered, folding his arms."I didn't want to get her or Isabella involved. I don't know what Mary's or Joseph's motives are, but it seems like Isabella is more than meets the eye. She should be dead and yet..."

"She's standing over there." Troy trailed off, his eyes darting to where the young woman with the dark-haired woman with blue eyes waited next to Baby."No doubt this will affect your business."

"It's not only about the profits. I ended up making a deal with that Ray kid." Hazama sighed, watching the unconscious Christa in the middle of the altar."They're just girls trying to get by like everyone else. Normally I wouldn't care, but I've grown attached to them. And now...I was forced to drug Christa and bring her to her death."

"We all had to sacrifice to get to this point. I guess some more than others." Troy narrowed his eyes at Rosemi and Joseph, who were chatting away."Some sacrificed for the sake of something precious to us, and others for pleasure and power. Makes me wonder what category the new girl falls on."

"It's hard to say. She is different. Different from Isabella. She calls herself Levi, but I'm not sure what to make of it. That bastard Joseph knows. I guess we'll see where things go from here."

"I'm excited, Rose-chan!" Joseph beamed."We're getting a new sister today! Isn't that great?!"

"It most certainly is~!" The woman in question was almost as tall as Mary herself. She had dark skin, cream-colored hair, and orange eyes. She spoke as if she were singing or reciting a song."I cannot wait to see what she will bring to the table~."

"Well, I just hope we don't take too long like last time we did it with Troy. The last thing I want is to repeat the ritual numerous times."

"Outrageeeeous~!" Rosemi boomed, hands on her hips."I have to practice for a performance I have in a few days~! I can't fall behind these girls and their foul music~!"

"You talking about that idol girl?" Joseph smiled as he received a nod in response."She's soooo cool and cute! She's the upstart singer that's been going around lately."

"Cute she may be, but her music is certainly not good enough to be in the same league as mine~! My music reaches people's hearts and speaks to them in a way no novice can hope to achieve~!"

"Sorry, I'm late." Mary arrived at the hideout, standing beside Baby."Everything ready."

"Mary! So you are alive too!" Levi stood up, her eyes wide in shock.

Mary's face contorted to confusion before the light bulb in her head lit up."Ah! Little Leviathan! It's been so long, hasn't it? I barely recognized you with that body."

"Don't talk to me so casually, you creep!" Leviathan pushed Mary off her."You're covered in retched human blood! At least shower!" She clicked her tongue, staring at the other four children."And why are humans here anyway?"

"Truth is, they're not human." Baby answered without missing a beat."Just like us. We're neither human nor elf kind. We're Alternates. Beings in the middle of the paths between humanity, angels, and demons. So everyone here is equal. Well, unless it comes to ranking. But I'll explain that later."

"Alternates...so that Forbidden Spell that angel mentioned that day...It worked. Wait, are we the only three elves alive?"

"Nah, there's also Licht, Fana, Rhya, and Vetto." Mary explained, a hand on her hip."Licht is the one who woke us all up. Well, he woke up Mom here, to be exact. And she woke me up eventually and the rest is history. Actually, Bel is around but hasn't woken up like you have. And if he's here, that means that damn brother of his is also around as well."

"Mom?"

"That's what us, the Children of Sceva, call her." Mary replied lazily."She awoke great power within us for the sole purpose of bringing forth the False Sheppard. The lawless one. The Antichrist himself."

"Wait, but that means-"

"I'll fill you in at a later time." Baby stopped their conversation, her attention shifting to Mary."So, you used your Brand's full power. How was it?"

"Oh, it was out of this world. So much power coursed through my veins I thought I was going crazy." She cackled madly."Though I guess the only downside is that I seemingly can't speak and only growl, and snarl and all that good stuff."

"Well, each one here has their unique characteristic." Baby said, scanning the room."Joseph and Hazama can talk."

"It's not a big deal, honestly." Mary waved her hand in dismissal."Just slightly annoying because I can't taunt my opponents verbally."

"What's this about a Brand?" Levi cocked her head to the side.

"It's what we'll be doing today." Baby grabbed her by the shoulders, guiding her to the altar."You see, to become an Alternate, you must be willing to sacrifice someone dear to you. By offering a sacrifice, the ritual begins. You must kill that person and drink their blood." She pointed at the altar and the carvings on it that all connected to a single point, where an empty cup was placed. Once you drink the blood, we'll take it from there and hope your body accepts the Brand. Once it does, you will be one of us and will awaken to power beyond humanity. This is all for the sake of our mission."

Leviathan sighed, a troubled expression on her face."Seeing as how I've already died because of those damn humans...I guess there's no choice but to become monsters to kill monsters. But wait, is this even going to work? I don't care about that human over there."

"Trust me, it will work. Even if the human in your body dies, you still keep some of their feelings and emotions. That's how I did my ritual when we first started." Mary elaborated as she reminisced about the past."Good times. Those human folk I used to live with weren't that bad. It's too bad everyone will die anyway. But yeah, Isabella was best friends with that woman, according to Hazama. Apparently, she has a sister, a Magic Knight. But getting her instead would have been quite the disaster, so."

Levi seemed to think over herd words. Isabella was quite attached to that woman. And sharing a body with her made her feel the same way, albeit a little distant."Alright then. If you think it will work."

"That's the spirit, Leviathan." Mary ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance.

"Don't touch me with your bloody hands, Rosemary!" Levi swatter her hand away.

"You calleeeeed~?" Rosemi hollered from afar.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Mary?"

"Then call me Levi. Leviathan is a mouthful."

Mary sighed, raising her hands in defeat."Sure thing, hun. Now go get ready. Sooner we get this done, the better."

Levi decided that she was right, so she headed for the altar, walking up the stairs. As she did so, Joseph handed her a silver knife, offering a small smile."I'm so happy I get to have another little sister."

"This whole sibling thing is based on ranks, right?" Levi took the knife out of his hands."Then don't be surprised if I aim to become the older sister, you creep."

"Ah, wouldn't have it any other way." Joseph maintained his smile, despite the insult.

"So?" Baby eyed Mary suspiciously."Where were you this whole time? Causing a ruckus?"

"Having fun. Doing some recognizance." Mary placed her hands behind her head in a carefree manner."Don't worry, Mom, everything is playing out nicely. It's just a matter of time before our plan comes to fruition."

"I see. Well, we are still missing one more in our ranks." Baby observed the group, who were beginning preparations for the ritual."With Levi, that makes six of you. We are one short. We'll have to be careful choosing the next one. Remember that probably no one else from our kind will be on board with the total annihilation idea. They'll most likely follow Licht and the others."

"Meaning we need to get another human." Mary finished her train of thought."I'll keep my eye out. Since they will be the last, it has to be special."

"Indeed." Baby nodded in agreement."Well, we can discuss that later. Get in position. We're starting."

Mary gave her a toothy grin, going to her position. The five Children of Sceva surrounded the altar, each of them with their hands in front of them.

Levi approached Christa who was still out cold, knife in her hand.'All I have to do is draw blood. I've been given this chance. I can't let it go to waste.' Falling on her knees, Levi carefully placed the knife near Christa's abdomen."Damn body...just move!"

'Seems like Isabella is still in there. Or her subconsciousness.' Baby frowned a bit, but didn't let it bother her.'But that's fine. I'd at least gotten my hands on the one other elf that would be on board with this.'

"Screw this...die you, filthy human!" Levi stabbed Christa, causing her to wake up with a howl of pure agony.

"It begins." Joseph giggled excitedly.

"W-w-wha-?" Christa couldn't finish her sentence before Levi stabbed her again, getting some blood on her face."Isabella...?!" Her body began to convulse as she desperately searched around the room until her gaze fell on Hazama."B-bo...ss..."

Hazama gritted his teeth, refusing to maintain eye contact with her.

"Now say the words." Baby positioned herself behind Levi, a hand behind her head.

"I sacrifice." Levi closed her eyes, delivering a final stab at Christa's neck, essentially killing her. Her body convulsed for a few seconds before it stopped moving. Blood began filling up the markings on the altar, all going towards the empty cup that began feeling up.

Mary gleefully went for the cup, sniffing her with delight before jumping over to Levi, offering the cup to her, and returning to her position.

"Let us begin. Today, we welcome a new sister into our world. And with her help, we will be closer to reviving the Antichrist and bringing an end to this world. The Lawless One will be our guide and we will receive his gratitude when the time is right. We will be the stars illuminating his path to true salvation. And it all starts with you, my children. We are equals in the face of God, isn't that right? However, we are not humans or elves. We are not angels nor demons. We are Alternates. The third path is chosen by those willing to sacrifice everything for their ideal world. We have the tools needed to revive the Antichrist."

Her hands began glowing in red as she prepared to cast the spell."He was defeated a long time ago for rebelling against God's ruling. But he will come back to resume his work. And he will free us of the oppression of His dictatorship. Let us welcome a new star! Forbiden Magic: Malevolent Evolution!"

At the same time, everyone repeated those words as the whole room lit up in red. Levi gulped down on the blood, tossing the cup on the floor when she felt her body burning from inside. She thrashed around, as the Brand of the Beast began branding itself on her hand slowly, the sound of flesh being burnt echoing throughout the area.