Maou fell backward against a tree, and within moments, Emi was upon him, like a ravenous wolf tearing apart her kill. Only, there was no blood and gore. In place of these were passion and desire, both of which Emi used as tools to tear Maou's inhibitions to pieces. He threw his arms around her, savoring the way her hair smelled of citrus shampoo, and how she bit his lower lip affectionately.
"Mmm!"
Maou pushed her away, panting hard. Emi was breathing heavily as well, but the hunger in her green eyes was unlike anything Maou had ever seen. She looked as though she might just eat him alive.
"Training," said Maou, trying to kick start his train of thought. He had just been telling Emi about something important- theoretical something or another, but he couldn't remember it for the life of him.
He made to push her away, but she flung him back against the tree.
"You were talking about the intermediate plain between two Gates, where the spell caster is in control," Emi whispered in his ear, "and I'm the spell caster, so I'm in control."
Sadly, Emi and Maou's training had not gotten very far. The day was overcast and grey, and it was still rather chilly, as it was early in the morning. Even so, the two of them had no problem maintaining warmth, even next to the ice-cold falls.
"Mmmm! Emi, pleashe focush!"
His lisp was due to the fact that the Hero was playfully biting his lip again. The way she looked at him was so innocent and seductive, the Devil felt the urge to stop the lesson and commence physical relations.
'Do it!'
"Oi, thish guy," Maou groaned, speaking through Emi's extraordinarily wet kiss.
'Give it to her!' shouted Maou's demon. 'Take her behind those trees and show her your dark spear!'
Emi's knee was suddenly between Maou's legs. In an instant, he felt his navel wrench as Little Satan stood at attention.
"Ok, that'sh it!"
In one fell swoop, Maou drove away the little demon on his shoulder and pushed Emi away. It was difficult, given how powerful she was now that they'd returned to Ente Isla, but he managed to hold her at length and stare right into her eyes. She pouted for a moment before Maou took a deep breath.
"Dead puppies," he huffed, "sweet, innocent, dead puppies. You're favorite kind of dog, except little, and cute, and dead."
"Well, that killed the mood," Emi snipped, wiping away the saliva from the corner of her lip, as though she hadn't just had her tongue in and around her mortal enemy's mouth.
"Good. Then maybe we can get some training done," Maou posed pointedly.
Emi led the way back into the clearing by the falls, but it was no good. Something about the way she moved stole Maou's concentration, and by the time they'd returned, he had already forgotten where they had left off.
"What were we talking about before our discussion became- er- derailed," Maou asked.
"The intermediate plane between two Gates," Emi supplied, sounding thoroughly uninterested in learning.
"Right. Uh- well, I suppose that about does it for the theoretical review. Let's do some practical application!"
Emi half expected Maou to drop his pants and proposition her, as it seemed to be on par with the sort of backwards thinking that the Demon King employed. Demon or no, he was still a hot-blooded man, and as a rule, all men were horn dogs. Emi was so titillated, however, that she felt she might accept his advances, anyway, even if only to shock him. Instead, Maou set Emi up to meditate, sitting on a freezing cold stone by the water. He then had her open and close several Gates. That was the easy part. The hard part for Emi was controlling where the Gates opened.
"Focus," Maou whispered in her ear. "Feel the place you're trying to reach. Imagine you're falling towards it. Start from far away, and zoom in until you have the exact spot."
"I can do that," growled Emi, "but I have no idea what Heaven is even supposed to look like. I can't open a Gate precise enough to take us there if I don't know exactly where it is."
"Well, don't look at me… I'm the Demon King, remember? Still, maybe with a little help, you could see Heaven firsthand."
That was where Urushihara and Lailah came in. The Hero, her mother, and the former archangel all stood in a circle with their arms crossed. Emi's brow was beaded with sweat. Lucifer was pouting, and Lailah was busy berating the Demon King.
"Are you even sure this will work?" she asked. Maou suddenly realized where Emi got her snooty tone. The resemblance between mother and daughter when they were upset was uncanny.
"How would I know? Just shut up and show Emi what Heaven looks like! We're burning daylight, and every day spent here increases the chances of us being found out."
The fallen angel glared at the Demon King for a moment before tutting and dragging her daughter to the pool by the elbow. The water was clean, crisp, and cool. They could see all the way to the bottom, as though the fish were swimming in liquid glass.
"Lucifer-"
"Sorry, I'm not going to be much help," Urushihara said, picking his nose and flicking a booger away.
"So nothing new there, I guess," Maou shrugged.
The Demon General grew hot under the collar and grumbled something about showing Maou, marching over to the pool and kneeling on Emi's other side. Together, Lailah and Urushihara dipped their fingers into the icy mountain water. The clear water became opaque before it suddenly became grey and blue. With a start, Emi realized it was mirroring the sky above them. By the time she had turned her gaze back to the mirror-like reflection, the image within had changed. Emi saw a white light. She was rising through clouds that shown with their own luminescence, as if lit from the inside with golden flames. The image twisted, and suddenly, Emi saw it.
It was a marvelous city made of marble and gold. The streets were lined with gold, and everything had an unnatural glow. She felt a wave of celestial force stronger than any she'd ever encountered sweep over her. The sun was setting at her back, painting the white city with reds, oranges, and pinks. Even as she took in every pillar, every terrace, and every garden, the image faded, leaving her with a longing she'd never experienced. For the first time, she found that she wanted to go to Heaven, even if it was only as a tourist.
"It's amazing," Emi muttered without thinking. On her right, Lailah stared at the water, her face portraying a sadness so intense that she looked as though she'd never be happy again.
"It truly is," Lailah agreed.
"It was," scoffed Urushihara. "Heaven lost its beauty when it lost its integrity."
With that, he stood from Emi's side and walked away, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed in thought. Somehow, Emi felt that if she had been cast down from a place like that, she'd probably be a little bitter, too. Lailah flicked away a tear before clearing her throat, bidding farewell to the Devil, and following after Urushihara.
The Hero stood from the pool before turning to face Maou. He was watching her as though he couldn't get enough of her beauty.
"I think I can do it," she said. "I think I can get us to Heaven."
The next two days passed in rapid succession, as they were spent in relatively the same way. In the mornings, Maou rose from his outpost to go to the cabin, where he met everyone for breakfast. As they had exhausted the leftovers, Ashiya had taken to fishing with renewed vigor, and had netted them some very tasty trout. All those who could use magic to sate their appetites did so, leaving just enough food for the Yesod fragments and the humans.
After breakfast, the Devil and the Hero went down to the pool, where they would train hard, and, provided no one else came to check their progress, they would openly display their affection for each other.
At first, it was simple and sweet: a gentle touch here, a sultry glance there. But as they spent more and more time together, it was less about the fact that they were going to die, and more about them finally having connected to someone. Even so, the end of their journey was closing in on them, more rapidly than ever.
At the campfire, at the end of the second day, Maou found he could no longer contain his concern for Chiho and Rika. They had been working hard every day with Suzuno and Emi in an effort to increase their magical potency. Chiho, much to everyone's surprise, could now move objects without touching them, though nothing particularly heavy, and more often than not, the object she moved dropped in midair, as if she had suddenly lost her concentration partway through casting the spell.
However, that didn't change the fact that they were humans from Japan, and that their lives could still go one as if nothing had happened if they went back before the battle. When Maou brought it up, everyone froze, looking between Rika, Chiho, and Maou.
"Wha- are you serious? NO! I'm not leaving!" Chiho shouted.
Her cheeks were red, and she puffed them out, looking as though she were about to burst. She stood in a wide stance, with her hands upon her hips. Maou quailed before her large, angry, and tearful eyes. Somewhere along the way, Chiho had grown from a timid girl into such an outspoken, stubborn woman, that Maou felt she could give Emi a run for her money.
"Chiho-"
"NO! I won't leave! I have to help! All my friends are here-"
"Chi-"
"I don't care if I'm not a Hero, or a demon, or an angel! I won't be left behind! I won't!"
"CHIHO!"
The Demon King's shout cut clear through Chiho's outrage, silencing her. Maou smiled and held up his hands in surrender.
"It was just an offer. One last chance before we leave tomorrow. I'm not gonna make you leave if you don't want to. I promise."
"O-oh. Ok."
Chiho sat down, her face the color of a cherry as she stared into the fire. She'd been sure she would have to fight tooth and nail to win Maou's approval. She'd been waiting for someone to bring it up ever since she'd tackled Maou into the Gate with Rika. In the end, it seemed she needn't have been so defensive.
"Sorry, Maou," Chiho mumbled.
"It's nothing… I'm just worried about you is all. Do you… do you know what you want to do? I mean, as far as teams go, I'm not sure putting you on the offensive with no weapons is a good idea," Maou explained.
"She'll be with me, of course," Lailah announced, "as will Rika."
"W-with you? What will we be doing?" Chiho wondered.
Chiho had been there when they'd come up with the war plan, or part of it, but she'd been so preoccupied by the fact that everyone was leaving, and their subsequent shunning of her, that she'd forgotten most of it.
"One team will seek out Ignora," Lailah told her, "and the other will strike at Gabriel and the Tree of Life. Meanwhile, I intend to use the assault as a diversion to get into Sataniel's laboratory and recreate the Incident. If all goes as planned, we can sever the connection between the angels and the Sephiroth in one fell swoop."
"And if the plan should fail?" Alciel asked.
Several people glared at the Demon General, who simply shrugged off their anger and said, "They deserve to know the consequences. They are willing to risk their lives for this, after all."
"If we should fail… then we will undoubtedly we killed. Or used in experiments," Lailah added darkly.
"Oh, we'll definitely be used in twisted experiments if we survive," Urushihara chuckled, "mother dearest has years of research to complete. Any living specimens will probably be kept, just barely alive, until she's twisted us into something so horrible we won't know who or what we are."
"Sounds like a real nice lady," Rika muttered, looking dreadfully pale as she tried to keep her dinner down.
"Oh, you have no idea," the snarky fallen angel grinned.
Another tense moment passed before Rika fell forward, regurgitating her dinner. She moaned and wiped her mouth, heaving for a few moments. Ashiya was immediately at her side.
"Are you alright?"
"Rika?!"
"Are you ok?"
She waved off the concern, smiling as she hiccupped. "Just a little too much excitement. Not feeling well. I think I need to go lie down."
She looked meaningfully at Ashiya who frowned back until realization dawned on his face.
"I'll escort her to the cabin," he proclaimed, lifting her with unassuming ease and hauling her off to bed.
"Are you ok, Chi?" Emi asked quietly, laying a gentle hand on her arm.
The high schooler smiled and nodded, though there were tears in her eyes. She knew that abandoning her parents would be hard, but faced with the very real possibility of never seeing them again sent her mind into overdrive. They would be left in Japan to wonder what had happened to her, probably holding onto the thinnest sliver of hope that she'd be found. But she wouldn't. She would be dead, or worse, kept alive as some twisted angel's plaything.
"Fine," she whispered.
Emi laced her fingers through Chiho's and threw an arm over her shoulder. Within moments, she was crying, sobbing horribly as she tried to keep it together. Here she was, volunteering for a suicide mission, and crying like a baby in front of all of her friends. She hugged Emi tightly, and the Hero hugged her back. Chiho felt a drop on the back of her head, and Emi's ragged voice muttered in her ear.
"It'll be ok, Chi. I promise. It'll be ok."
The Hero was crying, too. Somehow, that made Chiho feel both better, and worse. Worse, because Emi was likely crying because of Chiho, but better, because if the Hero could cry, that meant it was ok for her to do it too, right?
"Hey… uh… Chiho? I- I wasn't trying to scare you," Urushihara said lamely, gently tapping the girl on her shoulder, "I was… well, that's the absolute worst case scenario. The chances of us actually surviving are, like, zero, so-"
Chiho sobbed harder. Urushihara was promptly conked over the head with a ladle and pulled back into his seat next to Suzuno, who frowned and brandished her cookware at him, as if to say 'One more word and I will brain you.'
"Suzunee," Alas-Ramus called from Nord's lap, "be nice tah Woocifah!"
"As you command," Suzuno muttered, nodding to the little girl with the silver tiara.
It took a moment, but soon Maou realized that this was it. It was the last night for him to tell Emi how he felt- how he really felt. Sure, kissing was fine. Anyone could do that. He'd given her an inkling of his feelings already, but he had yet to tell her how he truly felt… could he do it? Could he lay himself bare like that? It was one thing to imply and make jokes about them being together, but could he tell Emi how much he cared for her? Should he reveal that he thought of her every moment of every day? Or that he was so hopelessly in love with her that his mood could hinge on a kind word or gesture from her? Should he tell her how her merest whims pulled and pushed at him like the tides of an ocean?
Was it wise? Would it ruin what they had? Would she hate him? Would there be ramifications? What if she told someone?
There was so much to consider, so much to ponder, but it didn't change the fact that he had sworn to tell her. He'd made a solemn vow, an oath. She deserved to know. Even if she rejected him, hated him, or tried to kill him, what did it matter? His life was forfeit. Rejection meant that he would simply go ahead with his plans to save Ente Isla with his demise. It wouldn't change his feelings.
'I'm leaving,' Emi shouted as their future argument played out in his head, 'you can get to Heaven on your own!'
The Demon King froze. If Emi refused to open a Gate to Heaven, he would be responsible for the doom of the entire world. At one point, that had been his goal, to an extent. Now, however, he was more likely to end up crushed by Heaven's might, which threatened to engulf everything he held dear.
'I'll wait until we're there,' Maou decided. 'A quick sidebar is all I'll need. I can tell her before we split into teams. That way she'll be too busy fighting to think about it. And if we survive, who knows… anything could happen! It's perfect!'
"Haha!"
The Devil stood, tall and regal, as his diabolical plan was formulated. He trust out his loins and placed his hands on his hips. For a moment, he felt as though he were still wearing his royal robes, and that they were flapping majestically in a breeze.
"Sit down, idiot," Emi snapped in an undertone, still hugging Chiho to her chest as she cried.
"Oh… right, sorry."
Maou rounded the campfire and took Rika's seat, on Chiho's other side. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, doing his best to smile determinedly.
"We'll get through this, Chi," Maou promised, "Trust me. I'd never lie to you."
Chiho saw Maou's smile and tried to replicate it. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffled before nodding. She choked out a laugh born of the bitter taste of desperation and despair before steeling herself and quietly leaving for the cabin, where she hoped to get some rest.
"You should all get some sleep," Maou said to those still sitting around the fire. "Something tells me we won't get another chance to rest."
"As you say, Good Sadao," Suzuno uttered, tugging on Urushihara's coat sleeve and leading him away from the fire.
Nord handed Alas-Ramus to Maou , and with Lailah and Acies-Ara in tow, he too left for the warmth of the cabin, leaving Maou, Emi, and a dozing Alas-Ramus by the fireside.
There was so much Maou wished he could say. There were things he needed to tell Emi, but due to circumstance, and an inability to properly express his feelings, so much would have to be left unsaid. Emi stood and held out her arms for her daughter, only to find that she had vanished, absorbed into Maou's mind. He raised an eyebrow and extended his own arms.
"Wanna hug?" he offered smugly.
"Sure."
He'd expected a snarky comeback, or an exasperated sigh and a roll of the eyes. Instead, Maou felt his sense of self leave him as he numbly stood and gave Emi a hug. It felt rather awkward and tense at first, but with each passing moment, the negative aspects vanished, and suddenly he found himself holding onto the Hero as tightly as he dared. He could feel the heat of her body through her coat, and she smelled wonderful, like summer and spring rolled into one, with a slight hint of pine trees.
He'd finally found it: someone he could truly lean on. Someone he could share it all with. Through that one, single hug, Maou tried desperately to convey all of the goodwill and love he held for his nemesis.
"Maou?" Emi asked, stunned by how tightly the Devil was holding her.
"Emi, you'll stay safe, right? You'll get everyone out alive, won't you?"
She pushed him away, and Emi found tears in the Demon King's eyes. She shook her head at him before wiping away his tears.
"We'll all get out alive," Emi told him.
But even as she spoke, Maou was sure she was wrong. One way or another, he felt that he wouldn't survive whatever happened tomorrow.
"Yeah," he muttered lamely, "we'll definitely make it out… but, just in case- if anything happens, I want you to save Alas-Ramus and yourself…."
Emi frowned. She pulled Maou's chin upward, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I won't abandon you… or anyone else, for that matter. We'll all make it through this."
"You're right," the Demon King nodded. He felt as though a lead ball had just dropped into his stomach. If things did not go as planned, it seemed Maou would be unable to help Emi. They were on different strike teams… how was he supposed to protect her without being at her side?
When he finally returned to himself, he found Emi looking thoroughly mortified, and more than a little embarrassed. It reminded him of how she had appeared outside of his apartment, when she'd lost her wallet running from Lucifer, and had to spend the night at his place.
"Well… I guess… if things really don't work out… this'll be the last time we'll get to talk…"
Maou watched her twiddle her thumbs as she circled her point of conversation. It was so endearing, so adorable… he felt the urge to hug her again, but he restrained himself.
"Uh, Emi? Are you ok?"
"Fine… I need to… just in case… but if we survive…" she looked conflicted, like she was arguing with herself, and she was going back and forth with the speed of a professional tennis match.
"Spit it out, already," Maou smirked as Emi's face turned a delectable shade of scarlet.
She squirmed unpleasantly for a moment, as though preparing to do something disgusting. Finally, she leaned forward, grabbed Maou by the back of his head, and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"All that for a peck on the cheek," Maou asked, flabbergasted.
"It's for luck," Emi mumbled bashfully.
"Do I need to remind you of what we did just a few nights ago? Are we gonna go through all the bases now, after we skipped clear through most of them?"
"Shut up, Maou! Geez, you're so clueless!"
But Maou saw the Hero smile as she spun on her heel and traipsed away thoughtlessly, as if she had been stunned by her own actions.
"Good night," she called to him as she sauntered around the corner of the cabin.
Maou grinned and shook his head. "Yeah. Night, Emi."
Morning dawned, but the strike party was already awake. Sleep had been hard to come by, if not impossible to find. No amount of coffee could calm their nerves, and no normalcy could cure their fear of what was to come. Today was the day they stormed the Pearly Gates. It was also the day that they might lose their lives, though they tried not to think about that.
The morning came and went. The camp was packed away. The fire in the grate was snuffed out. All that remained was for everyone to go outside and walk through a Gate. It seemed like something so small, but it was also terrifying, like a monster in their path. That one, simple act had the potential to destroy everyone present.
No one moved. No one spoke. They simply sat together in absolute silence, occasionally sipping on a mug of coffee as the cabin grew colder with each passing minute.
Emi stood. Everyone turned to look at her. She was determined, majestic, even, but her standing could only mean one thing. It was time to go. They were positioned upon the precipice of change, and just by getting to her feet, Emi had commanded that they take the leap and meet their fates.
She led the way outside. Maou went behind her, and soon, everyone was congregated in front of the cabin.
"Arms at the ready," Emi muttered.
Crestia Bell pulled the hairclip from her head. It grew into her massive warhammer. She cast off her cloak, revealing her inquisition robes, which concealed her slim-fitting leather armor. With her hair down, and her church robes, she looked like a different person. 'Death Scythe' suddenly seemed a more fitting description for her.
Lucifer drew a katana, black as night, and twice as petrifying. He wore the coat he'd bought so long ago in a secondhand store. It looked eerily reminiscent of the coat he'd worn while serving as Archdemon. With his powers restored, he stood a bit taller, and seemed much more formidable.
Ashiya drew the sword he'd been commanded to carry by Maou. It glowed with a fell emerald energy, and his amber eyes seemed to shine like headlights.
Nord extended a hand, and a holy sword appeared therein. Acies-Ara's voice seemed to resonate from the glowing violet gem in the guard, "Ready for action!"
Emi drew Better Half, otherwise known as One Wing. Her eyes and hair changed color, and armor appeared over her clothes. The sword, having been regaining power over several days, was now large, and far too heavy for a normal human. Emi, of course, swung it around as if it weighed no more than a switch.
In lieu of a weapon, Maou pulled the Crown of Sataniel from his pocket. With a light touch, he set the crown atop his head. Power coursed through him. He heard whispers in his ears; complex formulae, forgotten secrets, and all other manner of lost knowledge pressed itself against Maou, as if urging him to use its power. If only he'd had the time, he'd wager that the secrets it contained merited decades of study… now, however, it was little more than a battery for him.
"I think we are ready," Lailah said, pushing her dark hair back behind her ear.
"Alright…here goes nothing," Emi breathed.
She extended her arm, and the holy sword pierced the air. She charged the blade with celestial force. White hot flames rolled down the blade, and Emi cut a slow, deliberate circle in midair. A glowing white line traced the blade's path, until a white oval hung in the air. Emi withdrew her blade and pressed it into the center of the oval. She struggled a bit, as though she were pushing through something more substantial, but the sword slid home. She twisted the hilt, and the sound of a lock being turned was loud as the oval filled with a soft white glow.
Celestial force poured through the opening. There was no intermediate space, no in-between. Somehow, the holy sword seemed to cut a hole straight into Heaven. Maou wondered if Emi had even needed the training he had imparted.
A shout rose from behind Maou. He turned to find Ashiya on the ground, doubled over in pain, groaning as he shielded his eyes from the white light, as though it were a blinding sun. Urushihara and Lailah both shook, their faces lax as they stared at the light. Maou, who was closer, suddenly realized that the celestial force was quickly overpowering them.
"What the- are you guys ok?"
Maou went to Ashiya, who was still on the ground, writhing in agony. Urushihara and Lailah were both paralyzed- was it Maou's imagination, or was their hair changing color? And why the hell wasn't he affected?
'The Crown,' Maou thought. 'It's protecting me… but how can I protect them?'
"Dammit," Lailah muttered. "So busy… looking forward to going back… forgot to account for… celestial force…"
"I'm on it," Emi said quickly.
The Hero went to Ashiya, raising a ward that shielded him from the ravages of the celestial force. By the time Emi had finished, however-
"Dammit," Urushihara shouted, "dammit, dammit, dammit!"
"Y-your hair," Suzuno muttered, pointing at Lucifer's head, "it's… it's…"
"White," Maou noted.
Urushihara's hair, which was usually violet, just like his eyes, was now so white that it was definitely not natural. Not even a blonde who bleached their hair every day could achieve the stark blinding white that had graced Urushihara. His eyes were still purple, but other than that, Maou guessed that he looked just as he had during his time commanding Heaven's legions. Lailah, too, had regained her silvery hair, though her eyes remained dark. She spread her ivory wings, and they were huge, as though her full angelic power were restored from just a few moments near the Gate to Heaven.
"This will certainly level the playing field," Lailah grinned.
"Maou, can we go back to Japan? I need some purple hair dye, like, stat," Urushihara griped.
"We are literally going through the Gate right now- our lives could be lost… and you want to go dye your hair?!" Maou asked incredulously.
"There's simply nothing for it," Ashiya muttered. He looked a little green in the face, but that didn't stop him from lifting Lucifer by his scruff and punting him through the Gate. Ashiya followed after him immediately, intent on keeping him from trying to return.
"Well… I guess… let's go," Emi muttered.
She followed after Ashiya. Her silhouette faded as she, too, was engulfed by the light. Lailah wove her arm through her husband's, and together, they stepped through the Gate as well. Chiho and Rika stepped forward hesitantly, but Maou threw out an arm to block their path.
"One last chance," he said.
Chiho pouted for a moment before smiling. Standing on her tiptoes, she quickly gave Maou a kiss on his cheek, the same one that Emi had kissed the night before.
"There's no way I'm backing out now," she said happily, vanishing into the Gate before Maou could respond.
Rika stood, open mouthed, looking back and forth between the stunned Demon Lord, and the Gate that Chiho had just escaped into.
"H-hey, wait up, Chi!"
Rika hurried after her friend, leaving Maou to bring up the rear once again. He looked behind him, but no one was waiting to tackle him into the Gate this time. Maou adjusted the crown on his head. With a straight back, and a royal swagger, he made his way into the blinding white light, following his friends.
And with that, the Devil came upon Heaven as a harbinger of the end. And all hell followed with him.
Heaven.
That single word alone brought visions of white marble terraces and palaces, and roads of glimmering gold to the minds of all who entered the Celestial Gate. They thought of sprawling gardens, fluffy clouds that glowed from within, and a pair of great golden gates.
Little did they know, things would not be quite so spectacular.
"Uh… this is Heaven?" Rika asked.
All around them, there was a massive blank slate. The sky above was laced with thick clouds. The terrain was flat, with a few craters here and there. Other than a a few small scars in the land, the greyish dust beneath their feet seemed to stretch on forever in all directions.
"This looks more like a moon landing," Chiho noted quietly, trying not to break the silence that pressed inward from all sides.
"It is," Urushihara said. "We're on the blue moon. This is the homeworld of the angels."
"So then where's Heaven?" Emi wondered.
The Hero cursed her idiotic whims. She's been about to open a gate, just as Maou had instructed, when something told her to use Better Half. It was almost as if she'd gone into a trance. Something about it just felt right… and now Heaven was nowhere to be seen. Clearly the gut instinct that told her to slice a hole into Heaven wasn't all that trustworthy.
"It's right above your head, darling," Lailah pointed.
Everyone looked to the sky, and as one, their jaws fell agape.
Nestled in the clouds above them, floating in midair, was Heaven. The sun was bright as it shone through the clouds, spearing through lofty towers, reflecting off of polished marble floors, and giving everyone on the ground a grandiose view of the place. For a moment, it looked like a renaissance painting, except without all the weirdly muscular naked people.
"It's amazing!" Chiho said jovially, her fear of the mission forgotten.
"Wow," Nord muttered, grinning as he thought about how far he'd come since he was a wheat farmer.
"Aaaaand, there it is," Urushihara smirked. "I was wondering how long it would take for them to find us."
"What are-" Maou froze mid-sentence. He followed Urushihara's gaze, and immediately spotted three figures. Each one was a dot, slowly moving up and down, and growing larger with every passing second. He saw three pairs of great white wings, three pairs of purple eyes, and three tall, strong angels in togas. Each carried a sword at their hip and a bow slung over their shoulder.
"Were they expecting us?" Lailah asked incredulously, looking fearful.
"Nah, they probably just sensed something when we appeared… they'll figure out who we are soon, though." Urushihara said, slinging his sword over his shoulder.
"I'm not sure I'm up for a fight," Nord groaned, looking slightly green in the face. He let loose another choked cough. Apparently, he hadn't fully recovered.
"I'm not feeling that great either," Rika said, holding her gut and clapping a hand to her mouth as she fought the urge to vomit.
"That makes three of us," Emi moaned, her voice cracking. Her throat was parched, and her nose was quickly filling with mucus… how was she supposed to fight when she still felt like crap?
Maou pushed by his allies, coming between them and the angels that were quickly descending upon them. He opened and closed his hands, trilling with excitement at the prospect of testing himself, and the limits of the Crown on his head, which made him feel invincible.
"I'll take care of this," Maou said.
The angels touched down not twenty feet from the strike party. From their stern gaze, they obviously knew something was amiss with the trespassers.
"Announce yourselves, intruders," spoke the angel in the middle. He had shoulder length silver hair, and he was incredibly toned and well sculpted. His jawline was pronounced, and his nose and chin were sharp. He had a high forehead, and his limbs were so muscular that he probably only left the gym when it was absolutely necessary.
"Demon King Satan Jacob," Maou grinned evilly, his red eyes flaring brightly, "and these are my associates… I'll tell you their names if survive my first attack!"
The Demon King savored the shock on the buff angel's face. It was good enough to eat, and Maou did just that, draining it away like it was water, and he was dying of thirst.
"Here I come," Maou cried, vanishing and reappearing in the center of the trio of angels, all of whom gasped and reached for their swords.
The Devil was about to blow them away with a blast like a nuclear explosion when Lucifer barked, "Stop!"
Maou froze. Too late, he realized his guard was down. He dove to the side and rolled away before any of the angels had a chance to attack. He whirled about, ready to re-engage the enemy when his arms fell limp at his side. The three angels were frozen where they stood. They were not covered in ice, but they might as well have been. They did not move. Their eyes remained fixed where they were.
"What the-" Maou began.
Lucifer stepped forward and patted the lead angel on the cheek.
"You boys know when to obey your betters… that's good. If we lose today, I think I'll recommend you for a promotion. Until then, stay here and don't move a single god-damned muscle."
Urushihara gave the angel's cheek another pat, harder than the last one, before the cocky smile fell from his face. He tucked his hands into his pockets, as he often did when he was stressed, and surveyed the faces of the angels more closely, looking sad and reminiscent.
"M-mister Urushihara? What did you do to those angels?" Chiho asked. Her voice was filled with poorly disguised fear, and she cowed behind Emi, who looked nonplussed.
"Lucifer is the Morningstar," Suzuno explained. "While he was an Archangel, he commanded Heaven's army. None were higher than the Lightbringer. As such, he still retains that command."
"It's not effective on other archangels," Lucifer sighed, "but it still works on the rest of them… and their expressions are always the same."
That's when Maou noticed it: the slightest twitch in the lead angel's eye. A shaky muscle in another angel's leg. An unintended glance from the other. They were not frozen by magic. They were following orders. Their faces were still painted in surprise and fear, as though they were terrified of Lucifer.
"It's the first law of the angels," Lailah added quietly, "'You must always obey your superiors.'"
Lucifer took one last look at the frightened faces of the frozen angels before turning away and taking up the recitation, "'And you are never to question their edicts, unless you would dare to question the word of the Lord and Savior… Amen.'"
Lailah took two swords from the belts the angels wore and gave one to Rika, who studied the flawless blade timidly. She also grabbed a bow and handed it to Chiho, who marveled at the craftsmanship. It was a fine bow of polished silver. The limbs were made of a strange white material that might've been ivory, or some type of wood that didn't exist on Earth. The bowstring was silver as well, with a blue sapphire placed right where one would nock an arrow. The stone was the size and shape of a marble, and it caught Chiho's eye with a spectacular glow.
"Um… Lailah? I don't have any arrows," Chiho said.
"These longbows do not shoot arrows, dear. They fire compressed bolts of celestial force, drawn from the environment around the wielder. You will never run out of arrows," the fallen angel said, smiling kindly at Chiho's confusion.
"Oh," Chiho looked down at the bow again. She'd always hated having to recover her arrows… now she could fire to her hearts content! And she'd never have to pay to replace broken arrows ever again!
"On Earth, the bow would likely draw directly from the nearest source of magic… which would be you. It would be unwise for you to use it without proper training and testing your limits. That said, I'm sure we can practice together sometime. I'm quite the archer, myself," Lailah said smugly.
Chiho nodded. She looked much more pleased with her weapon than Rika, who was still holding the sword as though it were something disgusting, like a giant slug.
"I don't really know how to use a sword," Rika muttered, "what if I hurt somebody?"
"Just make sure whoever you hurt is an enemy, and you should be fine," Emi said, clapping Rika on the back and almost causing her to drop the blade.
With their first obstacle cleared, Urushihara was able to teleport everyone into the floating city using the inordinate amount of celestial force he'd regained. As soon as the war party appeared on the glowing golden flagstones, however, they knew something was amiss.
"Where is everyone?" Emi asked.
The streets of Heaven were empty and devoid of life. No noise was heard, save the crackling of golden angel fire in shining silver braziers.
They had teleported into a large square, with tall buildings on all sides. All the windows and doorways were dark and empty. A large thoroughfare cut a path through the square, leading up to an enormous citadel at the very precipice of the city. A silver statue was displayed in the center of the square, showcasing a large, powerful archangel with a drawn sword. Little chubby baby angels played around him, tugging at his tunic as they beamed up at him with reverence.
'Papa,' Alas-Ramus asked quietly within the confines of Maou's mind, 'what we doin' hewe?'
'We're gonna make sure no one comes to try and take you away,' Maou thought.
'You won't let them take me?'
'Never.'
Alas-Ramus relaxed, going into a restful state within Maou's head as he summoned her power and manifested a sword. It almost looked like Emi's, though it seemed a bit different, much to the Hero's dismay.
"Son of a… it's huge," Emi whispered.
Chiho blushed, once more thinking that Emi was envious of her breast size. The Hero had never exactly been discreet about her jealousy, and Chiho had learned to take it as a compliment… but just how long was Emi going to be bitter over such a trivial matter? That was when Chiho followed Emi's gaze to Maou, who held a sword that was extraordinarily similar to Emi's.
The blade was large, at least as large as Better Half, but as it was touched with the power of the Demon King, which was amplified by the crown on Maou's head, it seemed even more fearsome. What was a beautiful Holy Sword in Emi's hand was sharper and jagged in the hands of the Demon King. The glowing gem on the guard shone with the same malign power that seemed to burned in Lucifer's eye, as if the power of the Yesod acted as a catalyst for holy and demonic magic.
"This isn't fair," Emi scowled, "I'm the Hero! How come your sword is bigger than mine?"
"I'm the Demon King," Maou said simply, smirking to himself.
Emi continued to grumble. She had no clue of the depths of Maou's response, however. As a Demon King, he had trained mercilessly to become the embodiment of demonic power and ferocity. Not using the Crown of Sataniel, he'd held the world in the palm of his hands. With his new experiences working at MgRonalds, and equipped with Alas-Ramus and Royal Artifact No. 13, his power could hardly be fathomed… and yet he still worried as to the outcome of the battles before him.
"Which way do we go, Lucifer?" Maou asked, his fell gaze sweeping imperiously over the courtyard.
"Gee whiz, man, maybe in the direction of the enormous fucking castle that you literally cannot miss?" Urushihara countered sourly, gesturing toward the palace.
"I was just checking," Maou sighed, shaking his head as he turned away from the statue in the center of the yard and led the way up the street, which wound its way between sprawling white villas and glorious marble pillars inlaid with gold and ivory.
As they went, the group kept a sharp ear out for any signs of attack, but none came. They strained their ears for any signs of life, but there were none. Silence seemed to cover the entire city like a blanket. Even in the distance, where one might pick up the normal humdrum buzz of activity, all was quiet.
"They were ready for us," Lailah said.
"What do you think would've caused this," Maou wondered, turning his head from side to side as he peered down countless empty side streets, each filled with shadows that put him on edge.
"Martial law," Urusihara muttered. "Lesser angels have been evacuated. All that's left are the guards and highly ranked officials."
"So, only people worth fighting," Emi surmised with a shrug.
"Uh huh, something like that."
As they slowly made their way up the large thoroughfare, the group took the time to admire the abundant wealth and luxurious layout of the city. The roads were wide, with stone blocks laid so perfectly even that one barely needed to take heed of their steps. There was a wide assortment of thin alleys and streets coming off of the main stretch, and they seemed to zig-zag off into other parts of the massive airborne structure. The solid marble construction and centralized location of the citadel reminded Maou of the Earthen phrase 'All roads lead to Rome,' for no matter where he looked, there were always parallel pathways leading towards the palace.
"The laboratories are at the top of that tower," Lailah said, gesturing to a very tall, wide tower that was reminiscent of a modern Japanese skyscraper, looming high over the fortress, "the Tree and it's Sephiroth will be in the lower levels."
Maou nodded, not really paying much attention to Lailah's words. He was more concerned with how Emi's hair swayed as she walked. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth… He felt as though he could watch it all day. His contemplation of the Hero and her marvelous magenta hair was interrupted when he felt something sharp hit his ribcage.
"Ahem," Urushihara cleared his throat. He was looking quite pointedly at Maou, a single eyebrow raised.
Maou blushed, suddenly aware of how obvious his staring would be to the casual observer. He huffed and pouted, chin in the air as he walked faster so as to outstrip Emi. She threw him a quizzical look, but then smirked and shook her head. She wasn't about to point out his need to always go first.
The streets widened further, creating an enormous avenue as several other paths melded into their own. Before them, great gates of solid gold barred the palace, which was otherwise surrounded by a two story wall.
The gates, much like Maou's crown, were made of a polished gold so bright that they almost glowed. Still, no one was about. Nothing moved to intercept the war party. So far, Heaven had been a huge letdown for everyone.
"The Pearly Gates?" Rika asked.
"The Gates of Saint Peter," Suzuno muttered, clasping her hands as her lips moved in silent prayer.
"Where in the hell is that old man," Lucifer asked, spitting on the golden road and grinding it with his heel, like one would a cigarette.
Lailah couldn't help but notice the sour tone Urushihara used when speaking of the old saint, and she said, "Saint Peter was relieved of duty some time ago. Ignora relies on her personal force for protection nowadays."
"Go figure. That old man was a pasty bag of bitter wind… I think that's why we got along so well. You should've heard the dirty limericks he learned from a demon trying to bribe his way into Heaven," Lucifer snorted.
"Dirty limericks," Maou said distractedly, once more enamored by the Hero, and her luscious lips, "yeah, I love those things."
"Well, it went something like 'There once was a woman from Que, who filled her-'"
Urushihara was stopped in his recitation by Suzuno, who drew her ladle. This caused the fallen angel to turn white and leap backward, so as to stay out of reach of the Bailiff of the Inquisition.
"We've no time for your perverse rhymes, Morningstar," Suzuno muttered threateningly.
"Well, I suppose we should just… go in?" Maou suggested casually.
Had Emi not been right beside Maou when he made to open the Pearly Gates, the Devil might've spontaneously combusted on the spot.
He strode forward confidently, straightening his crown. He held out an arm, ready to keep walking as he pushed the gate open. His fingers were moments away from the celestial gold when Emi's eyes shot wide.
"Maou, don't!" Emi cried.
He froze, his fingertips millimeters away from the glowing metal when he heard it: a faint crackling buzz, like an old streetlight. The metal flashed. Maou felt searing heat beat against his hand, and before he could be engulfed in an inferno, Emi had tackled him sideways.
They lay together, shivering for a moment. Emi had knocked the wind out of Maou with her ferocious tackle, and she was so jarred by the adrenaline that she clutched Maou tightly, even after they were out of harm's way.
"Whoops, guess I forgot about the defenses. Sorry, Maou." Urushihara muttered, itching the back of his head as everyone glared at him.
"Are-are you ok?" Emi stammered.
Maou could feel her breath against his face, and the heat of her body pressed against his. It took him back to the night they'd spent together, where Maou had truly witnessed Heaven's splendor in the form of Emi's body.
"Fine," Maou muttered, his eyes boring into hers.
Emi realized their prolonged embrace and pushed herself up before offering a hand to the Devil. He took it, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. To relieve the tension and awkwardness, Maou turned to face the gate with a frown.
"Well, how the hell are we supposed to get past this thing?!" he asked angrily.
Lailah strode towards the gate and prodded it with a single finger. Her entire form glowed, and the Gate took on a shine as though pure sunlight had beamed down on it through the clouds. With the ringing of bells, the Gates of Saint Peter swung open.
"I don't see any guards," Urushihara muttered, "which means-"
"The way forward is clear," Lailah summated. "We must hurry, into the citadel."