At the Fony Inc. skyscraper and main base of operations for the Angel of Darkness, Suzuno was stealthily picking her way through the building. And by stealthily picking her way through, I mean she was fighting off hordes of gargoyles that had sprang to life as soon as she had hurled through the window of the topmost floor. They were small, brittle and frail, but in such large numbers it was a miracle she was not overwhelmed. Still, she wasn't called the Death Scythe for nothing. With each swing of her hammer, dozens of gargoyles met their demise as she fought her way through the large office that seemed to encompass the entirety of top floor. And from the magical defenses, Suzuno had no doubt it was Bernael's personal office.
"This security is pitiful," Suzuno remarked as she viscously smashed each and every gargoyle into little pieces. Sculpted beaks, claws, wings and muscled limbs lay strewn at Suzuno's feet, and still more of the little clay demons came for her. The door opened and they were joined by a cavalry of armor that moved on its own, floating weapons and a wide variety of ancient artifacts, no doubt cursed by Bernael and his associate, Beliel. Suzuno felt a claw graze her ankle and she lashed out in the direction of the attacker, sending it flying through the window.
"I need to find Ashiya," Suzuno said angrily, "why do you insist upon hindering me?!"
Suzuno swept her hammer about and struck the floor, sending out a shockwave of magic and clearing a little room for herself. The magic blasted apart the gargoyles nearest to her, but those who remained simply clambered over the bodies of their fallen comrades to get to her. She blew a lock of hair from her face and glared at the little demons. They were persistent, but Suzuno wasn't leaving without Ashiya. There had to be something there that was feeding the spell, something that would keep all these inanimate objects alive while Bernael was so far away.
She blocked a blow from a floating sword and ducked under a clothesline attack from a suit of samurai armor before she skidded to a halt before a large display case that housed a large, beautiful gemstone. Gemstones were the perfect conduit for magic, and made them the favorite of many of Ente Isla's most powerful magicians. She heard suits of armor clanking behind her and reflected in the glass display she saw swords poised to run her through. She ducked before they could, and one, two, three swords sunk hilt deep into the large, violet gemstone. Suzuno took advantage of the situation, and with one great cry she brought her hammer down upon the stone and its display. It shattered, the blades of the swords broke and fractured, and then everything that was alive, aside from Suzuno, suddenly fell to the floor.
"Phew," Suzuno said, eyeing the scratch upon her ankle, along with several small bruises along her limbs, "that could have been much worse."
She strode up to the computer, and after a few moments of recalling her private lessons with Urushihara, she managed to bring up the home screen of the computer.
'It's a good thing Bernael's security is so lax,' Suzuno thought, 'otherwise I wouldn't have been able to just shake the mouse and get his computer working.'
After a few trial and error clicks and taps of the keyboard, Suzuno found a personal diary log in the computer. Clicking on it, she found herself engrossed in a rather sordid tale of Bernael's love for Beliel. Suzuno wouldn't call it love, though. From the sound of it, it was more of an obsession.
"To be expected of one who doesn't know how to love," Suzuno muttered to herself as she read that day's entry.
"Apprehended a Demon General… fought Lucifer and won… meeting them tonight. Dammit all, where is Ashiya, answer me you useless machine!"
Suzuno shook the monitor in her frustration, but after a moment she realized how silly she must have looked and desisted.
"HHHMHMMMMPHH!"
There was a loud knocking, and a suit of armor that hadn't attacked her began to shake and stir.
"HMMMM!"
From the visor, Suzuno heard a muffled voice, and from within the dark depths of the helmet, she saw two eyes twinkling at her pleadingly.
"Ashiya?!"
"HMMM!"
"I'll get you out of there, just hold a moment!"
She pulled out her hammer, and Ashiya just about fainted right there in the suit of armor where he had been bound and gagged. When she Suzuno struck the armor, Ashiya felt absolutely nothing as the armor was blown to smithereens around him. Taking a paring knife from within the sleeve of her kimono, Suzuno cut Ashiya's bonds and helped him up.
"Are you alright," Suzuno asked, looking the demon up and down.
"Better now," Ashiya said quickly, rubbing his wrists where the ropes had cut into them, "where is m'lord? What has happened? Bernael did not tell me anything."
"Good Sadao, Emi, Lucifer and Raphael are all back at the Edo-Tokyo Museum! We must make haste to their side, or else I fear it will be too late."
"But, what is going on?"
"They are fighting Bernael and Beliel! They won't last long unless we go now!"
Without waiting for an explanation, Suzuno grabbed Ashiya by the collar of his shirt and lifted him. It was quite a sight, and Suzuno could barely get Ashiya's feet off of the ground, but after a quick toss, Ashiya had been thrown from the window and Suzuno launched herself out after him. She intended to simply jump while Ashiya flew, but the demon caught her in his arms and after a moment the two of them were rocketing through the sky as fast as Alciel's wings could carry them.
"How could you abandon the battle to come and save me while those four attack the two most powerful angels here? And why is Raphael here, fighting alongside my master? What am I to make of all this?"
"Building," Suzuno shrieked as Alciel almost flew into a skyscraper. She screamed as he narrowly avoided the side of the building, clutching at Ashiya with all her might.
"Do not drop me," Suzuno said, holding the Demon General closer than she had ever held anyone before.
"Do not choke me," Ashiya gagged, "and we have a deal."
"My apologies."
At the Edo-Tokyo Museum, Maou, Emi, Raphael and Lucifer were lost in the blinding darkness. It was a disturbing effect. They could not see themselves, not even when waving a hand in front of the eyes that they opened and closed to make sure they were working right. They couldn't see anyone or anything. All of their other senses suddenly tried to accommodate for the loss, only to increase the level of fear that radiated from Maou and his allies.
"Everyone, come to my voice," Raphael said loudly.
"As you wish," Bernael growled through the darkness.
There was a loud sound of flesh on flesh, accompanied by cracking bones and a cry of agony.
"Raphael," Lucifer shouted, "where are you?! Maou? Emi?! Guys, I'm freaking out!"
"An angel of light, afraid of the dark," Bernael asked, his voice dripping condescension, "what a sight you are, Lucifer! Are you going to cry to mommy? I warn you, she can't save you… not even the great Ignora could beat me, now."
"I… I'm not afraid," Lucifer's voice quavered through the darkness, "I am the Lightbringer! I am the Morningstar!"
For a moment, Lucifer ignited all of the energy in his body, sending out great waves of violet light as he fought to break through the darkness. His only reward was a frightening image of Bernael, whose face was stained with blood splatters and whose eyes were pitch black and seemed to drink in the light Lucifer emitted. Bernael tilted his head and giggled at Lucifer, who looked scared of the fallen angel's depravity.
"Lights out," Bernael hissed, his wings snapping open as he shot as Lucifer with incredible speed.
Maou heard Lucifer's body hit the floor and he closed his eyes, not that it made any difference as he couldn't see anything, not even the light Urushihara had created.
"This is bad," he said to himself.
"Maou," Emi whispered, "is that you?"
Maou's first thought was that it was a cruel trick, that somehow Bernael had discovered his infatuation with Emi and was tempting him into a false sense of security.
"Yeah," Maou whispered, "you there, Emi?"
"Right here," she breathed.
Maou felt her presence, and when the two of them lightly reached out to where the other stood in the darkness, they flinched, recoiling from the contact. Maou had no idea what he had touched, but he hoped it wasn't anything obtrusive.
"Maou, that is you, right," Emi whispered in a shaky voice, reaching out and pulling on some fabric of what she hoped was Maou's clothing.
"Yeah," Maou said in an undertone, "where are you, I don't want to accidentally touch you somewhere inappropriate."
"Take my hand," Emi said.
And Maou did. He felt his heart rate increase substantially, and between the fear of Bernael, and the insecurities he felt about loving Emi, he thought he might have a heart attack. He almost did when Emi pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed him tightly.
"What are you doing," Maou hissed.
"Making sure it's you," Emi said.
"How can you tell," Maou asked, wondering how the Hero could tell so much about him from just a hug.
"Cause I can feel that your hair is short, you're not wearing a fancy suit, your body is crazy warm, just like it was when I held your hands and you sucked out my emotions, and… well, I can just tell ok," Emi explained in hushed tones, blushing and hoping to the Gods that Maou couldn't sense her emotions.
"Emi," Maou said, his voice uncertain and filled with a strange emotion Emi had never heard before.
"Yes," Emi breathed in his ear.
"Get down," he said, so quietly that she almost missed it. Emi crouched, but did not let go of Maou's hand. It might have been weird, but it was literally the only thing Emi could sense aside from the floor underneath her.
Then she heard it. There was a light, crisp tapping upon the floor, as if someone with thick soled dress shoes was headed their way. She heard them slow until they stopped, frighteningly close in the all-encompassing darkness.
"I sense you, Devil," Bernael said, "you smell so much like my wife… your evil, your malign presence, but there's something else too. Something different…"
There was a pause, and then a long, deep breath was inhaled, followed by the smacking of lips.
"Celestial force," Bernael said in a curious voice.
"Hmm. Now, Satan, I'm not sure if you know this, but that stuff will kill you. Why, this one time Beliel accidentally ingested some after being expelled from Heaven. Poor girl almost died," Bernael said, hissing the last word.
Emi shook where she knelt upon the cold, hard floor at Maou's feet, her hand still held in his as she listened to Bernael speak with growing dread. A strange feeling assaulted her, and she felt her fear being drained by some unseen force. The emotion was siphoned out by Maou, who had no intention of having Emi be discovered where she knelt at his side. Her fear would be a dead giveaway, so he sucked it up and channeled it into his aura, making a dark whirlwind swirl about them and casting an atmosphere of dread upon the place as Bernael spoke to him.
"You seem to have a little more power than I anticipated," Bernael commented, "but no matter, no matter, you'll fall too."
There was a strange sound, like metal being scraped upon metal. Too late, Emi realized what that sound was: a sword being drawn from its sheathe. There was a moment of dread, and then the sound of a long metal blade slicing through the air broke the silence. Splatters of blood struck Emi across the face, and the hand holding hers went slack as Maou the Demon King fell to the ground, struck down by Bernael, who traipsed off in search of Emi. She just about let loose a sob, but the hand holding hers shakily gripped her, and through a mental link, Maou whispered at her to remain quiet so that Bernael couldn't hear her. Emi felt great tears obscure her already dead vision and she blinked them away furiously, trying to make no sound as she moved. She felt Maou's body… he was on his back. She felt one way, and suddenly she felt the rough texture of his pants… whoops.
Emi worked her hands the other way until she found a pool of sticky wetness. Her sense of smell picked up the ruddy iron scent of blood and her fingers were soon covered with what she knew was Maou's blood. He grabbed her wrists involuntarily, the area around the wound was so sore and Maou had had just about enough of all the pain. He was so very tired… perhaps just a few moments of rest would be nice. He was roughly shaken by Emi, who felt his grip slack for a moment.
"Stay with me," she breathed, her chest tight as she held Maou, "don't go to sleep. Stay awake."
"But I'm so tired," Maou gurgled past the blood in his throat. He swallowed and tried again.
"Just a few minutes, I swear I'll get back up and fight, just let me sleep."
"You're delirious," Emi hissed as she pressed her hands against the wound.
"Agh," he spluttered, his body wracked with bolts of lightning as Emi pressed her hands against the gaping slash in his chest.
"Shhh."
"Emi…"
"What is it, Maou," she whispered back, trying her best to remain calm and quiet as Bernael stalked about the darkness, searching for his last victim.
"Go…"
"I'm not just gonna leave you, stupid," Emi breathed as she lay down next to Maou, still holding his wound as best as she could in the darkness surrounding her.
"Please…"
"No."
"Emi, I'm toast," Maou wheezed quietly, "go now, find Ashiya and-hurg-Crestia… get them back to Ente Isla. Please, you guys are all I have. Emi, don't make me-"
He spluttered and gagged on more blood, but he hadn't the strength left to swallow it back, so he held his mouth open and let it drain as best he could, out the side of his mouth and onto the floor, away from the Hero.
"Don't make… me beg …"
"Maou," Emi whispered, but no response came.
"Maou? MAOU?!"
But still, no response came. Somehow, Maou could still hear Emi. He could almost feel her presence, too, but he wanted to yell at her to shut up and keep quiet.
'What are you doing,' Maou thought, his mind strangely clear as he drifted into oblivion, 'I'm right here, shut up, he'll hear you!'
Maou couldn't see anything, but somehow he heard something as his senses failed him.
"Found you," a voice whispered above Maou, two black eyes glinting in the darkness above him, only visible because they seemed to absorb and exude darkness at the same time.
Bernael heard the dying gargles of the Devil. It must have been painful, to think that he was dying without conquering Ente Isla, but that was for lesser beings. Bernael was the Angel of Darkness, and in the Darkness, his will was absolute. Or at least he thought it was. Still, why could he not find the Hero? Her Celestial Force had burned with a luminescence few possessed, but now he couldn't find it. Another sound reached Bernael's ears, a loud, exaggerated cry of pain.
'I have half a mind to go back and stab him again if he doesn't just die soon,' Bernael thought, rolling his pitch black eyes.
'Wait,' he thought, 'Celestial Force…'
There had been some in the Devil… but how? Obviously, Crestia Bell had been poisoning them… but if that was the case, the Demon King would likely have been demented, unhinged from the Heavenly power… unless there was more than one person within that aura of terror and evil that the Devil had created.
Bernael rounded back in the direction of his fallen adversary, stepping lightly and keeping his ears sharp for any sign. Sure enough, he heard voices, two of them, one obviously a female. Both were low to the ground, and both sounded desperate.
'My, my,' Bernael thought, 'the Devil was protecting the Hero? No wonder I couldn't find her, I never would have guessed that. Still, I suppose this explains why the Devil never came for Beliel.'
Bernael raised his sword so that he was ready to stab downward at the source of the female voice. His black eyes glinted in the darkness, and his final thought was one of victory as he prepared to thrust.
"Found you," Bernael hissed.
Raphael's eyes opened suddenly. He felt energy coursing through his limbs, even as his life drained away. His Celestial Force was revitalizing him, and after he noticed his wounds were gone, he realized why. His body had become a vessel of an enormous amount of power. Being the Angel of Love, he had the ability to absorb it and turn it into power, much like demons did with fear, but what he wanted to know was where the power was coming from. He felt around with his emotional sensors, but there was nothing nearby, save an inordinate amount of sorrow and grief. But love? Well, there were some residual traces, sure, but the source of those traces could not be a more confusing subject for Raphael… the Devil, whose corpse was slowly draining of life, was exuding love. What was more confusing was the Hero, whom he could sense right next to the Devil, her sadness over his death overflowing out into the darkness around her. But this made no sense, how did he have so much power? It would take quite a lot of love to fill him like this, indeed he found he had more power than he did in Heaven. It would take something completely selfless, a sacrifice, to save the life of someone dear to the Devil, who was the only one who still had traces of love within his heart, rather than just terror and sadness and pain, which seemed to instill itself in everyone as soon as they were engulfed in Bernael's darkness.
"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends, John 15:13," Raphael quoted, feeling his power burst through the dam in his chest and light up the darkness surrounding him.
Bernael paused, his sword prepared to strike down at the Hero, when a light burst forth from behind him. It was not a normal light, it exuded a feeling of love, but to each individual person, that love meant something different. To enemies of the Archangel Raphael, it filled them with loneliness and despair. For those who counted themselves as friends or allies of the angel, they found themselves bolstered and rejuvenated by Raphael's power, which made them remember those for whom they fought. Their loved ones, their friends, their families, and everyone they had ever known. Bernael turned about, his sword dropping to his side as he gazed upon Raphael with hatred as tears fell from his eyes.
"You would make me relive my loneliness? You would force me to watch as I killed the woman I love over and over and over and over," Bernael shouted at the angel, looking insane.
"I would! I am the Archangel of Love, and you have been nothing but an affront to my divine authority!"
Raphael's wings burst from his back, and for all to see his power was indeed great: his wings spanned out almost ten feet upon either side, perhaps a bit longer, and they glowed with power. Bernael's wings appeared as well, almost as large as Raphael's as he wept.
"You forced me to do this," Bernael shouted, "you are the ones who made me kill my wife!"
"You did that yourself," Raphael said, his red eyes glowing with a bloody light, "you struck her down out of selfishness and by doing so you showed your true intentions. She was just a tool, someone you admired for their beauty and their skills. There was no love, only usefulness."
At Raphael's side, Urushihara began to stir. He had been so sure he was pretty much dead, it wouldn't surprise him if that were how it ended, but then something incredible happened, something he hadn't felt in years. Celestial Force had drained into him, and it didn't poison him. In truth, it made him feel nostalgic and incredibly powerful, but he couldn't help but wonder where he got it. As he clawed his way to his feet, he knew the source of his newfound power. It had been Raphael, whether intentionally or by accident, his own power had overflowed into Urushihara and revived him. But even with these amazing happenings, Urushihara felt something stir in his navel, and for some reason the only person he could think about was-
"Suzuno," Lucifer whispered.
With that one name, and with all of Lucifer's attentions focused upon the woman of his affections, Raphael's wings grew. Urushihara opened his wings, and to his surprise found they were white and glowing, just like Raphael's, only they were a bit shorter than his.
"Give up, Bernael," Urushihara said.
"Why should I," Bernael asked with a shrug.
"Because, you obviously don't have the power to fend off all of us," Raphael supplied, "it looks to me like you're sagging a bit, there."
Raphael nodded at the fallen angel, and everyone could see what he meant. Bernael looked completely different than he had when the battle had started. He looked unsure, though his cocky smile remained upon his face. His sword hung limp at his side, the collar of his coat was crimpled and uneven, his hair was disheveled and his face was incredibly pale. He shook where he stood and he was covered with a thin sheen of sweat.
"Just stress," Bernael suggested casually, "if you guys killed the women you loved, you'd feel a bit off color too."
"Hmph," Raphael huffed, crossing his arms, "it saddens me to think the great Beliel was stuck here with you for two hundred years. I am glad she ended up choosing the right path. Even after all these years, she still cared more for the denizens of Ente Isla than she ever did for you. I feel that she has taken her place in Paradise."
"Do not speak of Beliel in my presence," Bernael shouted, his voice rising with each word until he was shouting hysterically, "do not sully her name with your poisoned words, Raphael!"
"What do you think, Lucifer, should we destroy him together," Raphael asked, ignoring Bernael and glancing at Lucifer.
"I generally try not to associate myself with Heaven, nor any of its lackeys," Urushihara said, earning a reproachful look from Raphael, "but in this case, I'll make an exception. Let's wipe the floor with this asshole."
"Big talk for you, Lucifer," Bernael sneered, "let's see you back it up!"
Bernael charged the aura of light, and Raphael held out his hand, a sword of blazing scarlet light appearing in it, while Urushihara did the same, a sword of shining violet bursting to life in his palm. The three angels collided, but for all their blows, their cries of effort and their grunts of pain, Emi paid none of it any mind. In her eyes, only one thing mattered, and that was the prone outline of the Demon King next to her. Her negativity was pulled from her as the Devil's body fought for survival, and though her emotions were great, she feared they would not be enough. Relief surged through her when he coughed and spluttered, miraculously still alive.
"Maou," Emi said, "are you alright, can you hear me?"
"Yeah," Maou said, trying to sit up, "argh…"
He fell back and laid there shivering, unable to move. He looked down to see a pool of blood about him. He was covered in it, but still, it seemed Emi's emotions had been just enough to save him. He had some magic left over as well, so he laid a hand against his chest and tried to heal himself, but his mind was still so fuddled from almost dying that he couldn't access the magic. Emi, seeing his motives, gently grasped his hand and set it at Maou's side before she took up a kneeling position at his side and laid her own hands upon his chest. The blood was still warm and it was drying quickly, but Emi paid it no mind as she used the Celestial Force she'd gained from Raphael, which was quite a bit, to heal Maou.
"It's so itchy," Maou said, trying to itch at his chest until Emi swatted his hands away and continued the spell.
"Well, duh," Emi said, "healing magic always feels like this."
"Not mine," Maou said with a smile, thinking about how it was always his job to give the Hero incredible amounts of shit.
"Oh? And what does your healing magic feel like, if you have any?"
"It feels like being burned alive, or maybe just cauterizing a wound," Maou said.
"And how is that better than an itch," Emi asked with a frown.
"Because, I'm rather be burned alive than have to sit here and itch for eternity. It's like I have bugs all over me," Maou said.
Emi wanted to give the Devil a good fist to the back of his head, but she figured it would be counterproductive, so she simply turned magenta in the face and smiled her best evil smile.
"I could make it so that bugs were all over you, if you like," Emi said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
"No, that's fine."
Maou, whose eyes had been shut, opened them to find Emi's appearance had changed. Raphael's overflow of power had caused her to transform into the Hero, with long, silvery hair and red eyes.
"Let's take this outside," shouted a voice.
Maou and Emi turned to find Bernael, with a hand raised towards the ceiling. A large black spot appeared upon the ceiling before it was blown upward, sending shrapnel and pieces of masonry everywhere. Bernael's wings snapped as he took to the air and flew through the hole, pursued by two flashes of light that had to have been Urushihara and Raphael.
"Geez," Maou said grumpily, "once again I'm confined to the sidelines while everyone else fights the battle."
"Hey, no problem, it's not like I just saved you months of painful recovery, freaking ingrate," Emi said with a scowl.
"Uh, no offense meant, but even you have to admit, I usually seem to get stuck on the backburner while everyone else goes out and has all the fun… not that I'm complaining, I'm about done, physically and magically. I'm lucky to be alive," Maou said quietly, gazing up at the display of lights as three figures darted at each other, their great wings flapping as they dive bombed each other like birds of prey.
"It's doesn't look like it's going too well," Emi said, looking up at the hole in the ceiling at the battle.
"Raphael's power is fading," Maou said, "look, he and Urushihara seem to be slowing down."
"Shit… what are we gonna do," Emi exclaimed, stamping her foot, "where are Suzuno and Ashiya? All we have are two angels who are fading fast and a Devil and a Hero who are both drained."
"But you have power, don't you," Maou asked, looking at Emi's silver locks and her red irises.
"I have some, yeah, but not enough to make any real difference in battle, besides, it's best I stay here to make sure you're ok… can't have you dying on me," Emi said, glancing at Maou before looking away and blushing.
Maou sighed and held the bridge of his nose. He feared that was case, yet that was to be expected, Beliel had been far more powerful than either of them had anticipated, and Emi's power wasn't enough to stave off Bernael in his deranged state.
"They're failing faster," Emi said quietly, wrapping her arms about herself to stop from shaking, "they… they might actually lose."
"C'mon Urushihara," Maou said, "you can do this… GO MORNINGSTAR!"
Urushihara, who was fighting with all he had to fend off Bernael's vicious onslaught, was distracted by Maou's encouragement, resulting in him being blasted by a blot of black lightning. He flipped and tumbled as he rocketed right into the side of a building, hard enough to crack it and break several windows. He shook it off pretty well, but shook a fist at the hole where Maou and Emi were watching him and shouted back.
"DUDE, I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD HERE! STOP DISTRACTING ME DAMMIT!"
"MY BAD! YOU'RE DOING GREAT! GOOD WORK!"
Maou decided to remain quiet, but even as he watched, Raphael and Urushihara seemed to get slower and slower. Their movements became sluggish and their wings began to shrink, though not too much. Bernael must have sensed their flagging strength, as his seemed to redouble.
"Is this it," Emi asked, looking pale as her hair turned red once more and her eyes faded back to green.
"Is this what?"
"The end," Emi whispered, looking at Maou with wide eyes.
"What do you-"
"Think about it," Emi said, "if we don't stop Bernael, he'll stay here and grow more and more powerful, until he finally decides to return to Ente Isla. Then he'll have an entire world of power from which to draw as he attacks. We need to stop him now, or it's the end of both worlds as we know it."
"How," Maou asked, "unless we can power up Raphael and Urushihara somehow, there's no way we can win. Not even Ashiya and Suzuno could hope to stop him now."
"Love," Emi said, a revelation dawning upon her as she thought about it.
'I may be the Hero, and he may be the Devil, but I have a duty to save the world from evil, whether the Devil consents or not,' Emi thought savagely.
"I have an idea," Emi said, sidling up to Maou, "it's not great, but it's something, and it goes against everything I've been taught… but if it's to save the world…"
"Just spit it out already," Maou said, "what's your idea."
"Kiss me," Emi said, blushing furiously.
"What?!"
"Oh, just shut up and do it," Emi said grabbing Maou by the collar of his shirt and pulling him close, "make like it's someone you actually care about and pucker up for the sake of the world."
Emi and Maou scowled at each other, and then, without warning, they fell together. The kiss was not passionate. Their eyes remained opened and locked upon the ariel battle above them, but still, their lips remained pressed together. Maou, in his desperation, had sucked in his lips so that he didn't feel quite so intimate.
"Noffings happening," Maou spoke through their contact, his eyes firmly planted upon the battle rather than Emi's blushing face.
"Sphut up," Emi replied through narrowly opened lips, "I can tafte your breaff, it'ff awful."
They mashed their faces together, so it was less like a kiss and more like a furiously irritating conversation between two people who had very little room to move.
"Thiff iff ftupid," Maou sighed through gritted teeth and sore lips as he tried to swing Emi to the side so he could watch the fight.
"I ffaid kiff me," Emi said, "not touch me, idiot!"
"Oh, ffcrew you," Maou said, his stomach churning wildly as he fought his body for control, "fftupid Hero wiff fftupid ideaff."
But even though both were outwardly disgusted, their inward reactions were surprisingly different. Emi's butterflies were back, and they were dancing about violently in her navel from her contact with the Demon King, while Maou was internally reliving every private moment he had spent with the Hero, and every moment when she had appeared more beautiful than ever before.
'So, this is the true power of a Hero,' Maou thought, 'I guess she is the only one who can stop the Devil… tell you what, she can defeat me any time she likes, I won't even complain.'
Maou had a rush of adrenaline, on top of the thousands of other hormones that shot through his bloodstream when he had begun to kiss the Hero. And on top of that, he could've sworn her heard the victorious brazen sound of trumpets as his wildest fantasies reached their climax. The Devil clenched every muscle in his body in an attempt to control the feverish shaking that had taken it by storm. Then, however, he did something extraordinarily foolish. Without thinking, or even giving the slightest thought as to the consequences of his actions, Maou tried to wet his lips, only to run his tongue across Emi's lips in the process. Their lackluster connection broke, and Emi stiff armed Maou in the face in an effort to push him away.
"EEEWWWW!"
"OOOOWWWW!"
"Stupid Devil," Emi said, spitting, "what do you think you're doing, huh?"
"I was just trying to lick my lips, they're chapped! I wasn't getting into it! And now look, you gave me a fat lip!"
"This isn't helping," Emi declared, stomping up to Maou, "get it together and let's do this!"
"Hold up a sec," Maou said, breathing fast as his heart raced and a little voice in his head called for their immediate reconnection, "we need to feed Raphael's love or whatever, so we need to picture someone we love, who were you thinking about?"
"I wasn't thinking about anyone," Emi said defensively, her face turning red, "what about you, hmm? Who was it, Beliel? Chiho?"
"It was Beliel," Maou lied, disguising his feelings, much to the frustration of the little voice in his head, who wanted him to pounce upon Emi like a mountain lion.
"Go figure," Emi said, "the Devil would be a pedophile. You into little girls, you sick fuck?"
"What? NO! What about you, little miss know it all? Thinking of daddy as you kiss Satan? Incest isn't attractive either! Or maybe you were thinking about Olba, he's a little old for you, isn't he?"
"Say that to my face, you little shit," Emi said, putting her face right in Maou's, though in a much less desirable way.
"This is getting out of hand," Maou stated, pulling at his collar and taking a few steps back, "let's just get this over with, ok? Make sure you have… whoever it is you're thinking about in the forefront of your mind, ok?"
"I'm not sure I can do that again…"
"Yeah," Maou said nonchalantly, crossing his arms, "you're right. I'll just forget about Alciel and the whole 'both worlds is at stake thing' and I'll go home to my EMPTY APARTMENT AND JUST WAIT FOR HELL TO RISE FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH, BECAUSE THE HERO WASN'T WILLING TO TRY AND HELP SAVE THE WORLD!"
Maou couldn't help but to shout at Emilia. He was so very sore, both inside and out, and his feelings were shot by the constant strain of closeness that Emi was privy to as the Hero. He was sad because he couldn't have her, he was depressed about Ashiya, and to top it all off, Raphael and Lucifer were slowly but surely losing the battle.
"I'm sorry," Emi said quietly, "but you're the Devil, I can't just forgive you and forget all that you've done."
"Only half right, Emi," Maou retorted just as quietly, "you may not be able to forget, but you can forgive… you just won't. I bet if you set aside your hatred of the Demon King Satan and opened up to me, Maou, you might feel a bit better about doing what we have to do to save everyone."
Emi didn't want to say it, but Maou was right. In the end, only she had the power to forgive Satan for all he had done. His goals, while previously muddled, were admirable to some extent and his change of heart since he had become human was incredible. Emi swallowed past her pain, and slowly she moved towards Maou, a strange look in her eyes. For the first time, she didn't see Maou as the Devil, she saw him as Maou, the hardworking MgRonalds employee and steadfast defender of his friends. The change in perspective rendered her speechless and she stepped right up to him. Their eyes met, the red and the green, and for the second time that night, Maou's millennia was made.
The second kiss was totally different. There was passion, there was something there, a spark upon which Emi and Maou threw gasoline without caution. Raphael's aura of love may have had something to do with it, but the both of them kissed, and thought not of other people, but of each other.
"It's time we end this, Bernael," Raphael shouted, "Lucifer, do you remember Angel Formation Protocol Number 21?"
"Of course," Lucifer said as he swiped a blast of darkness to his side and countered with a beam of lilac energy.
"Commence the attack, now!"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
Together, Raphael and Urushihara created a large orb in their hands. With mirrored movements, they brought the orbs up over their heads, and then thrust them at each other, forming an even larger orb between them. Intense pressure began to build, and they let it build for a moment before they both turned and threw their unified attack at Bernael. It was a single beam of energy, constant and powerful, that shot towards Bernael with the speed of light. Bernael, who was familiar with Angel Formation Protocol Number 21, stopped and waited for the attack, intending to show them his true power. The intertwined beams of crimson and violet wound their way towards him, only to be intercepted by a larger beam of pure darkness. For a moment, Raphael and Urushihara feared they were being overwhelmed as the meeting of the energies slowly slipped towards them.
"Son of a-" Urushihara grunted as he poured all of his might into the attack.
"We're done for if we don't get any back up," Raphael said, veins throbbing in his forehead as he fought to keep the darkness at bay.
Emi and Maou were now locked together in an embrace closer than most young lovers. Their bodies were pressed together, their kiss was gentle and tender, yet fiery and electrified and their hands roamed over each other as they bonded. Maou ran his fingers through Emi's hair, noting how soft and wonderful it was with his eyes closed. He could smell her shampoo and he felt her hands move up his spine and around his neck as she pulled him closer.
"Mmmm," she moaned into Maou's mouth as they stumbled on the spot.
"Hmmmhmhmhm," Maou said, laughing into the Hero's kiss as he thought of the possibility of him and the Hero becoming an item.
'Oh god,' he thought, 'how would Ashiya react?'
The two of them slowly walked, Maou guiding Emi as they moved. Within moments, they were against the wall, and Maou's demonic carnal instincts took hold. Emi breathed out, and Maou could feel the breath as it left her lungs. As soon as she had fully exhaled, Maou pressed himself upon her, like a boa constrictor crushing its dinner. He was not overly fierce, but it made Emi moan and blush as the Demon King literally took her breath away. Maou's demon senses were tingling. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was going to eat the Hero alive, or simply continue kissing her, both sounded good and Maou began to kiss at Emi's neck, his hands roaming and squeezing as they went. Suddenly, Emi's eyes were wide, and the Devil from her nightmares, the one that sought control of Ente Isla, was before her once more, nibbling at the nape of her neck and pinning her against the wall. She took a breath and pulled away for a moment, noting the red glow in Maou's eyes.
"Too much," he asked, looking down at her with a determined expression that Emi took to mean he was ready to save the world some more.
"No," she said, "I just… nevermind."
They both resumed their contact, though Maou now kept careful tabs upon his demon side, which had threatened to overwhelm him for a moment. He pulled Emi away from the wall as they kissed and simply held onto the woman of his affections as they pressed their lips together. A sound from outside alerted both Maou and Emi to changes in the battle, and almost simultaneously, Bernael was thrown down through the roof and onto the floor of the museum while Suzuno and Ashiya broke through a window. Maou and Emi broke apart, their part in the battle obviously complete with Bernael's sudden downfall. Suzuno and Ashiya looked around, wondering what had just fallen through the ceiling and Maou and Emi did their best to appear tired and worn out, though in reality both were incredibly hyper attentive and focused. Of course, they were primarily focused on each other. Both were breathless and red in the face, looking anywhere but at each other. Suzuno and Ashiya both looked fierce, a true picture of those whom had a score to settle, but then they saw Bernael get up from the rubble, his wings short and weak. Urushihara and Raphael flew in through the second hole created by Bernael's fall, both looking incredibly happy and immensely powerful. Their wings were far larger than anyone could've anticipated, and they glowed with a shining silvery light that seemed to envelope them in their entirety.
"Let me guess," Ashiya said, lowering his hands, which glowed with green energy, "I missed the battle again, sire?"
"At least you didn't stop to get your cape, this time," Maou said, waving his hand, "besides, I didn't do much in the battle either, I just sat down here and waited for these guys to win."
A strange reaction followed Maou's statement: Raphael, looked quizzically at the Devil and the Hero. He knew where the power came from, though not how it had been manifested, and he had no way of proving it… it just seemed so unlikely. Still, he said nothing as he eyed the Devil carefully. Emi glanced subconsciously as Maou while Ashiya, on the other hand, rounded upon Urushihara.
"Why did you not lend his majesty your aid, Urushihara?!"
"This is ridiculous, you're gonna yell at me after I beat up the guy who kidnapped you? And besides, look at these wings, you idiot, they're white, not black! If I gave him my power, he'd probably die from Celestial poisoning," Urushihara rebutted loudly.
Everything stopped when Bernael cleared his throat.
"Uh, still here guys," he said quietly.
Everyone glared at the fallen angel, whose power had severely diminished. He had a bad nosebleed, a few missing teeth and blood dripped from his temple. His suit was in tatters and he looked like he would've been knocked over by a rogue breeze, but everyone still regarded him as a threat.
"Bernael," Raphael said flatly, walking toward the rubble where he stood, "Angel of Darkness, I hereby take you into custody to face crimes against humanity and for the death of the angel, Beliel. You will be tried by the court of the Highest and Almighty and you will comply with any orders you are given unless you wish death."
"You can't stop me," Bernael said, a manic fire in his eyes, "I draw my power from darkness!"
"There is nothing but light here," Raphael said angrily, activating his power and lighting up the entire display room, which was in shambles, with divine light.
"You can light up the room all you want," Bernael said, crossing his arms, tilting his head and frowning at the waves of purified light that the angel was sending outward, "but you cannot light up what lies within you."
The light stopped, and Raphael looked like he was choking. His eyes bulged, his face turned red and he gripped his chest like it was burning.
"Yes, now you get it… the Darkness within each and every person is what gives me power. And that's the great thing, everyone has this darkness, to some extent, some more than others. It is that wild anger you feel when you are wronged, that involuntary reaction when you are upset, the urge to simply break down and give up when all seems lost! All of these things, coupled with your deepest and darkest fears are what I feed off of! Let's see what your darkness does, shall we?"
Bernael snapped his fingers, and the Archangel Raphael's eyes turned black as he was taken over by the fallen angel's power. He suddenly stopped struggling as the darkness took hold and he frowned, turning slowly to look at everyone around him.
"Kill them," Bernael said, looking at his fingernails.
Raphael did as he was commanded, swinging his large fists out at anyone and everyone aside from Bernael.
"Shit," Maou yelped as a fist arced over his head.
Lucifer, however, was still brimming with power, and he met Raphael in battle. The fallen angel conjured a sword of pure light as Raphael charged him, and with one graceful blow, he swung it clear through Raphael. There was no physical damage, but Raphael's eyes faded from black to red and he dropped onto the floor, panting.
"Angel of Light, remember," Urushihara said, swinging his sword, "purifies the Darkness and all that…"
"No matter. I have several others whose darkness is far greater than Raphael's… let's give them a show, Satan!"
And with a snap of Bernael's fingers, the Devil became a slave to his own darkness, trapped in a cage of despair, sins, and certain overwhelming emotions of unrequited affections.
Christ on a crutch, this is a long chapter. Ok, so when I began this chapter, I intended to end it with Bernael's ultimate defeat, and with his being dragged back to Ente Isla by Raphael. Turns out I lied... to myself! Also, MaouxEmi, everyone! I wrote a lot of this when I was dead tired, so the kissing scene was a bit much, I know, and not very in character, and I'm sure there's a plot hole in there somewhere, but I don't care. Also, I have a couple of songs for each of the scenes, which I will describe later. The quote that Raphael recites is, again, from the Bible, cause I like to think Raphael is a 'by the book' angel. I feel like I'm missing something I wanted to discuss with my readers, but I can't remember what it was now... oh well. Anyway, this chapter was very experimental... for instance, you might find I threw in a few humorous instances... if you didn't find them I probably didn't write them right. I also spent some time changes in perspective and everyone's personal thoughts as the scene unfolded, which is how it played out in my head: a large scale battle, in which Raphael and Urushihara are busy fighting a losing battle and Maou and Emi have to act as batteries for the Angel of Love. Alright, so for those songs..
During Maou and Emi's kissing scenes, I listened to:
watch?v=t0imaSCnSuA
During the scenes with both Emi and Maou in the darkness, I listened to this:
watch?v=1TG4LBBXedc
In particular, the part where the lyrics go "I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness, too... so I stayed in the darkness, with you." Fucking righteous.
And for the entire chapter, I listned to this:
watch?v=IztjWxOcouE
Cause everyone died and was brought back to life because I'm a terrible author that can't kill characters... WAIT, nevermind! Sorry, Beliel!