Chapter 03: The only thing I know for real

Disclaimer: neither of the franchises that appears here belongs to me.

If there is a thing I truly enjoy since the time before becoming an undead is traveling. The fact that I could discover new places and meet interesting people was a good motivation, but not my main reason for the wandering lifestyle; in my case the joy was in the journey itself more than reaching the destination.

Although my travels after escaping the Undead Asylum weren't particularly fun or relaxing I can say that at least in those travels I met some of my greatest friends who helped me to reach my goal. It's a shame the fates that befell them. They didn't deserve it... Except Lautrec; creepy backstabbing bastard.

And with that my good mood went the same way that the sanity of Gwyn's black knights went. "It's there a problem Mikael?" Asked my traveling companion after noticing my mood change. Truly Merlin's ability to detect the mood of everyone around her was uncanny.

"Nothing much Merlin, just reminiscing about the past" I told her without skipping a beat and with a tone that indicated that I wasn't interested in talking about it. She tried to press the issue but a single glare from my part shut her up.

Good it seems that she had learned the lesson. Let's hope it sticks.

"So where are we going?" I asked the witch in hopes to change the subject. After all I wasn't in the mood for that kind of talk, and fortunately Merlin caught up on that because she didn't press the issue.

Good.

"We're going to visit the King of this kingdom. After all I need to give my report in regards to the devils activities in the region" she answered my inquiry with her typical smile. "What, did you thought that I didn't have s job?" She asked me with a mock hurt tone.

"No. It's just that I'm surprised that you're allowed to roam freely every day without a wrangler when your job requires you to be with the king almost every day " I responded without missing a beat or stopping to look at her.

She hung her head like if I hit her physically, I couldn't help but roll my eyes while a small smirk appeared on my lips. After all, roasting and annoying friends and foes alike was one of my favorite pastimes in both life and undeath. Is such a shame that some people couldn't appreciate it more.

"Why are you such a meanie!?" She asked me giving me an expression that I couldn't help but find useless. Gwyn damnit woman stop looking like an useless thing and I won't find the need to hit you again. I thought to myself as she continued talking. "If you continue to act like that you will end up maidenless" she finished her rant and I couldn't help but look at her like she grew a second head.

"In the name disappointingly fake tits of princess Gwynevere what are you babbling about now woman?" I asked her perplexed at this out of nowhere declaration on her part. After all this was the first time someone called me that. She just smiled and puffed up her chest like if she was proud fo what she was about to say. In my case I just took a deep breath because I suspect that what she was about to say will make me angry.

"Simple my dear undead friend, if you keep that attitude you will never attract any fair lady and therefore will remain single for all eternity because you have no charisma or charm" where her words as she skipped around me with that annoying smile on her face.

Yes. It was indeed moment of applying Lordran's medicine for chronic stupidity on the Witch once more.

SMACK!!

"Why did you hit me this time asshole!?" Merlin asked me while once more massaging her head, I couldn't help but shake my head, truly one would think that by this point she would know better. But I think that as they saying goes: one should never confuse wisdom with intelligence. A popular bit of knowledge that is frustratingly unknown for most magic users; After all just look what happened to Sseath, Big Hat Logan and The Witch of Izalith for not being wise enough.

"You fooled around and found out" I easily answered her before adding with a smile "besides who ever said that I didn't have my fair share of ladies back home?" I will admit that the flabbergasted look in Merlin's face was priceless. Hah!! joked on her, I may had been a manwhore that slept with every single pretty girl on sight but one thing I know is that my relationship with my fair lady was genuine and born from our mutual desire for an honest and heartfelt desire of being accepted and loved no matter how cursed our existences were.

"Y-you are joking right Mikael?" She asked me stuttering, I just smirked knowingly and keep walking. "Wah!!! Mikael you're a meanie!!!!" At that childish display I couldn't help but be grateful that we were deep in the road because the mere thought of this mess Happening in the middle of some town or city made me in equal parts embarrassed and extremely angry.

"Stop fooling around Merlin, otherwise I will be forced to smack you again" I told her with an evenly voice which made her shut up and stop doing a fool of herself "But yes indeed I did have someone special back in Lordran, although for obvious reasons our relationship wasn't meant to last" I finished my explanation with a solemn tone."Besides why are you acting like that? I'm far older than I look Merlin, it's obvious that during all this time I had some relationships" I asked her that because I don't understand her reaction about that little bit of information.

"I thought that you were virgin without any romantic experience just Like I am!" Cried out the witch"life is unfair, the literal dead has more luck in love than I" continued to cry out in envy her. To be honest I don't know how to react to this because in one point I'm pretty sure she's mocking me and in the other this is just sad and pathetic.

And I was going to continue to say something when my instincts picked the imminent danger and without wasting a second I parry the upcoming attack with my shield which was a lightning arrow. One thing I found interesting was that the shield was enough to parry the attack without receiving damage. Something unheard in Lordran because no matter how good the Grass Shield was it wouldn't be enough to block a lightning attack fully, I couldn't help but smile viciously at that.

"I may not need to go on the defensive that much anymore" I thought to myself because if this was the level of the common rabble then I can cut loose more frequently. But first I need to determine the level of threat of our foes and check out Merlin state. "Are you okay Merlin?" I aaked the Witch who was already on guard with her staff held high glowing with arcane energy.

"I'm fine, I managed to conjure a magical shield around me to deflect the attacks" she replied with an uncharacteristic serious tone while just like me looking around to determine the location of our attackers "they're neither in the front or the rear, and there's no more attacks coming from either side" I thought analytically because the situation wasn't good for us; we were surrounded and couldn't determine the location of the enemy.

But it was in that moment it dawned on me. And for what I saw in Merlin's face she too got it; they are above! So we both looked up and I almost cursed outloud because they were at least 20 of those devils right above us. So without wasting any time we launched our attacks at them.

"Great Fireball!/Magic Missile!"

I conjured the pyromancy on my hand and threw it at them while Merlin did the same by conjuring various magical projectiles that she sent at our foes. The resulting explosion from the spells killed a good chunk of them and forced them to land where I received them with blade at hand and a smile on my face.

Yes, once more in the battlefield. At the knife edge between victory and hollowing. Just like in Lordran, just as how it is here in this strange land filled with so many strange yet familiar things. Truly the Uchigatana was a masterful blade because with a quick and swift motion I decapitated three of my foes before doing a 180 turn to bisect another enemy before it had time to react.

"So who's next?" I asked them with that same smile on my face. They all took a step back with terrified faces. "Well, I suppose I will continue with the offensive" I put my shield on my back and took a two handed stance with my blade as I channeled my pyromancy into the Ushigatana igniting the blade in arcane fire.

"What' are you waiting fools!? Kill him!" Screamed the one that looked like their superior. A young man, not much older than myself when I got the Dark Sign with curly blonde hair red eyes armed with a sword and wearing a set of black and blue heavy armor. He looked at me with a superior attitude, most likely born from his social status.

I couldn't help but scoff in derision at this. After all, there is no such thing as social standing on the battlefield. "Don't blame them, they have good survival instinct. After all there's a big difference between bravery and stupidity" I told the man with a sardonic smirk. Which angered him. Let's make him more angry "after all, just look at how Merlin and I took care of your troops" I continued as I gestured to the area around us surrounded by the dead bodies of his troops while Merlin silently was preparing a spell. Whatever it was I hope it was powerful because while I can take care of these fools and their commander I don't want to show my entire hand to anyone watching this. (Because I know for a fact that the bosses of the fool in front of me were watching.

"You dare to mock me Astiel of House Amdusias !?" Shouted angrily the devil as lightning began to run Across his body. So a Devil that could use lightning. That's new but not worrying, after all I doubt he have the sheer skill and mastery on that element as Solaire and certainly he wasn't comparable to Ornstein. I couldn't help but snicker at the thought of this fool being on the same league of the legendary Dragon slayer.

That certainly didn't help to calm him down "you mongrel! You dare to mock me the Heir of the Noble House Of Amdusias !?" Raged the fool in front of which made me break into full laughter. This moron didn't know how dead he was. I think that it was time to show him his place intl the food chain.

"Sorry about that, it's just that I find extremely funny that some random idiot thinks that he's some kind of all powerful warrior only because he's given command of some troops because he's the member of some random noble house that no one really cares" my words certainly hit him on his pride and was barely keeping his cool. Very impressive for some foolish noble. Is such a shame that my next words would certainly deal with that.

"Besides out of all the lightning users I met and fought you are certainly the weakest of them all." I finished with mocking smirk that certainly destroyed the self control of the devil that a furious snarl launched a lightning from his blade towards me. I just smiled satisfied with a plan well done.

So I rolled to dodge the attack before dashing towards him. The devil was expecting that because he lunge at me with his sword but I also expected that so I side stepped him and with a upward slash I bisected him. In a good moment too because using that distraction Merlin finished her spell. "Lightning chain!" With that scream a powerful lightning bolt came from her staff killing the survivors instantly.

My dark Sign began to absorb the souls of our recently deceased foes when I notice something once I get the soul of fool I cut in half. A very familiar feeling. A Chaotic burning feeling. That I was very familiar with. After all I had dealt with the inhabitants of Lost Izalith. And while the other devils gave that same feeling, the noble gave me a more potent feeling. Which pretty proved a hunch I had:

Somehow the The Flame Of Chaos ended here and some fool was playing with it. Great. Just another thing to add to my ever growing list of things deal with.

"Are you fine Mikael? You seen lost in thoughts" Merlin asked me while walking towards me, I just shook my head to clear my thoughts and focus on the matter at hand. Later I can device any plan of action to tackle this situation.

"I'm fine Merlin just lost in thoughts" I blandly said to her as I sheated my sword and turned to look at her "I suggest that we stay out of the roads and travel across the forest to make it harder for them to find us" The witch nodded at my suggestion and gesture me to follow her through the forest. But before doing that I just looked up where a single owl was resting in a tree "I don't know who you are or what game you're playing but I will stop this foolishness before it gets out of hand" after saying that I threw at the bird a throwing knife killing it instantly before continuing following Merlin.

Yes, things would be more complicated than expected indeed. But so what. Nothing in either life or undeath worth doing was easy. So with newfound conviction I followed my companion through unknown roads towards whatever fate had in store for me.

Line Break

There weren't many things that could surprise me anymore after living for so long and fighting in this neverending war against my maker and his children, not since HIM left her and replaced her with that facsimile of her. But today was another of those occasions.

After all, not even I in my wildest dreams could have ever imagined that the little halfbreed mongrel my 'dear husband' created for some of his schemes could have found such treasure. Because that thing may look human and that soul eating ability may be terrifying. What truly caught her attention was its soul.

A raging untamable primordial flame that burned brightly and proudly feeding on the many souls the thing devoured. I couldn't help but bite my lower lip in barely contained desire to go there and claim him and his flame for myself, but I knew better. Any move towards him while he was with the halfbreed it would end up Ina fight that would attract any of the other side which could end badly for me.

So I decided to hold my hand for now. After all I had all the time of the world at my disposal. Besides as such declaration of war the only answer was to respond the same way.

"Mikael isn't it? At such declaration I can only say this at such declaration: I Lilith the Queen of the Nine Circles of hell and mother of all devils accept your challenge!" Declared the Devil woman with a wide smile that showed her desire and envy at the wild.

Author Notes: Yes I like to play Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, shy do you ask? Well this chapter was mostly to showcase how more oof less both mikeale and Merlin fight and to introduce one of the big bass of the current arc: Lilith the Queen of all devils l, wife of Lucifer and first woman made by God and the simultaneously the first Karen and onlyfans content creator.

For those wondering Amdusias is the name of a Duke of hell in the Ars Goetia and one of his powers is control over lightning.

Hope you like the chapter. Bye.