Chapter 7 Ray of Light

Centuries had passed since the fall of Argosax, and with his defeat, Hell was remade in the image of Mundus. The far too clichéd Hell had been transformed into an elysian inferno that some would mistake for the Paradise that did not exist. Instead of screams of anguish, the Underworld was filled with the drone of a harmonious choir. But paradoxically, the rebuilt Underworld had become a fitting home for the Demon Clans.

Sparda had become a high-ranking general among the active troops of the Underworld, and still developed his sword mastery at every chance he was afforded. Everyday, his sword became more and more like a part of himself. Others had started to call it "The Sparda," named for its creator and one true master. It was during one of his "shadow practice" sessions that Sparda was approached by one of the most despicable and worthless creatures of the Underworld.

Sparda swung his sword around his body; during the swing, The Sparda became a scythe and returned to normal in one swift motion. He continued, bringing his sword from a downward position, raising it high and fast. A kick from his cloven-hoofed foot followed, then he thrust his sword forward, extending it with his mind alone.

The hapless creature crawled up to Sparda as he finished his frame. Looking down upon this poor, misshapen demon disgusted Sparda.

The demon was human-like in appearance and crawled on all fours. It had another arm with a large hand growing out of its back, and often hopped around like a toad. Stories of this clan of demon came from afar; its agility gave it an advantage in battle that most, even the most powerful demons, have trouble keeping up with. Unfortunately, it was also known for being completely obstinate and aggravating. And its insane cackling didn't help either. Able to contort its body and grow in size, it became known as…the Nobody.

The Nobody hopped around in place, clapping its large hands and snickering while it spoke to Sparda.

"Hee hoo hoo! Sparda! Hee hee! Mundus commands your presence. Ha ha hoo!" It landed and became stationary, watching Sparda, waiting for a reply. Sparda continued to throw punches and kicks, using his massive sword as a physical buffer.

The Nobody spoke again, "Great Sparda! Hee ha hoo! Mundus wants to speak with you!" It hopped around like an insect. Sparda ignored it. The Nobody, well-known for being a particularly dull clan, came closer to Sparda, too close for comfort.

"Did you hear me! Ha ha ha ha…" Its detestable laughter was cut off by the thrust of Sparda's sword through its face. A quick slash upwards and the Nobody fell to the floor. Its acidic blood began to dissolve its body as Sparda stepped over the corpse and headed for Mundus.

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As Sparda walked through the Blood Plains, he noticed the difference from the war. Large stone statues of every demon that fell that day, an eternity ago, covered it. It was aptly renamed "The Room of Fallen Ones" as an homage to those that died for Mundus. As Sparda entered Mundus' pristine white fortress, he saw some familiar faces. Beowulf stood there, with Nevan, the electric seductress, and Cerberus as well, the ice-imbued Hellhound. These three demons stood in front of hundreds of demonic legions. Sparda assumed his position alongside the other generals and sighed in irritation as Mundus appeared.

His three plasmic eyes were the only objects visible, hovering high above the highest-ranking demons in the Underworld. The orbs seemed to focus on Sparda, and Mundus' voice boomed from a vast, unseen body.

"I have summoned all of you here for a reason…" Mundus' voice trailed off, piquing the interest of the four devils.

"Long ago, in my youth, I was told of the genesis of the world. Innumerable eons ago, the world as we know it today was the only world. Born from darkness, this one world, an entire universe, split in two."

The attention Mundus wanted was now his. Sparda seemed to lean his head towards Mundus, listening and thinking.

"A ray of light……." Mundus paused, seeming to recollect events of his past "A ray of light created the other……the human realm…"

The utterance of the word "human" caused each of the four devils to cringe with disgust. In the demon world, although most had never seen one, humans were viewed as weaklings unworthy of their own existence, so much so that most demons had forgotten about them entirely. However Mundus was not one of them.

"A human world, a demon world, existing together in disharmony for an eternity……..These realms were once united, so why not rule them as one?"

"But Master, Mundus…" Beowulf spoke cautiously, "This world seems to be a place not worth the effort. What little reward it would be, to conquer. Why do you want to –"

"You shall not question my WILL!!"

"Master…" Nevan spoke, "Why hasn't this been tried before? By Argosa-"

Suddenly, Mundus forced Nevan to the ground with a burst of red lightning, "DO NOT EVER SPEAK THAT NAME AGAIN!! That empty fraud did not know what power was at his fingertips. I toiled under his very nose, finding a way to unite the worlds once again"

"But how…" Sparda said, "If these worlds are now separate, how will we reach the human world? Many demons of our caliber and higher have tried before to break through, yet all have failed. Only those shapeless spirits that haunt Hell's darkest corners have ever managed to slip through."

Mundus' low laughter rumbled throughout the room, "And that is precisely it. Our former 'ruler' did not realize the advantages of demonic spirits crossing over. However, I did. I utilized those very spirits to influence humans to do MY bidding. The Darkness has already spread its tendrils across their realm. There is only one step left…"

"And what would that be?"

The Human World cried and screamed in agony and terror. Despicable acts were being carried out by humans obsessed by evil.

People in long black robes throughout the world were slaughtering entire villages; men and women alike were tortured, children killed. The blood-soaked ground hissed under the burning embers of blazing houses and smoldering corpses. And at the center of it all, rising high above the chaos, was one tower…

Temen-Ni-Gru – Its very name now sent fear into the heart of all mankind. One man's dream of evil was almost consummate. The Architect of the Temen-Ni-Gru stood at its apex. Next to him lay his daughter, sobbing frightfully, staring into the blank eyes of her dead mother. The Designer had used his own wife's blood to activate the tower. His daughter looked up at him in disgust and terror as huge church bells, desecrated with blackened skeletal angels, dropped from their yokes.

The Architect raised his arms and removed his black hood. The sky boomed with thunder and red lightning. Through the blood-curdling screams of humanity, he spoke:

"He plucks the threads that make us dance, finger and toe…"