NMHA Ch. 74 - Collection Call
A/N - Recently, I had a talk with my beta about this story. It's helped me realize just how much it's become a part of my life.
It's kind of scary, actually. The thought of eventually finishing this story is an intimidating prospect- not only is it a big fucking saga, but it's also something that I made. That it's affected other people, even if only tangentially.
Suddenly, I think I understand a bit more what it's like being a parent.
Damn it, I'm too old for this shit.
Ignore the fact that I'm 24 and that by this age my parents already had me.
Also, I may have gotten Matsuda and Motohama's names swapped. Shiiiiiit. I went back and fixed the naming issue in the previous chapter.
She dragged herself out of the lake of fire, panting heavily with the exertion. She ignored the shocked looks from the Demons who'd come to investigate the eruption that had been part of her Fall, and instead took note of her own state.
After the stunt she pulled with Heaven's System, calling Yahweh angry would have been the understatement of Creation. She'd barely gotten out of there in one piece.
Even now, her Isaz was completely shot, blinded by the pyroclastic fury the Creator God had unleashed upon her, and her Quzh was not much better, blurry with exhaustion after fighting her way out of Heaven.
Still, as Azrael rose to a knee and lifted a hand to her breast, a satisfied smile rose to her lips.
She could feel it, the seed of divinity that laid there. The very same seed that she'd rigged Heaven's System to spread across Creation.
Someone spoke, a melodious voice that she had not heard for a long time.
"I could feel His Wrath, even from my palace."
It was quiet, awed, and even if the Fallen Angel of Death wasn't able to properly see or sense him at the moment, she knew exactly who the speaker was. "You actually did it, didn't you?"
The brunette closed her eyes, knowing they were not necessary at this time. She let them rest, though her mind continued to flow.
"I did," she confirmed, resting a hand against the ground to pull herself back to her feet. Though the lake of fire had done away with her garments, she acted with no shame.
Then she looked down, and tutted. The chill air, and the heat of the lake of fire behind her back, was rather uncomfortable.
After the deed Azrael committed, she felt entitled to at least this much.
With a snap of her fingers, and a single wish in mind, robes that had been burned off by holy and fell flames alike reformed, encasing her flawless form in the same garb she typically chose to wear.
With some differences, of course, for one about to begin a war.
"Before I escaped Heaven, I sundered His script and spread the remains across Creation," she announced aloud, smiling broadly. "Heaven's System no longer obeys a single master. Now, the future is ours to decide. Ours to claim."
As she lifted a fist, she couldn't help the smile widening further. It was but one step in her quest, yet the fact that she took it only showed that it was possible to finish.
He would fight back. He would seek to gather it all once again under His power.
But so too would others.
After all, now anyone could become a God.
They only needed the circumstances to nurture it.
As consciousness returned to Luna, so too did the sharp static in her brain, intermixed with strange knowledge and senses - Isaz - that had not touched Creation in an unknowable period of time.
The static alone would have sent many back into blissful unconsciousness.
She took account of her surroundings whilst pushing back the agony with the focus of experience, noting the departed spirits whose destination was unknown. She could still feel their echoes, touch on their memories, if only briefly.
The perpetrator was familiar. Like a passing dream, she thought she knew the monster who had done all this. But like a fine mist, even the attempt to grasp onto the blurry image disrupted it, a moment later it had flowed away.
The way needles stabbed into the back of the brunette's eyes discouraged her from attempting to push the matter.
Still, even if the names she could list among the departed were numerous, she too could feel the lack thereof for those of particular import, as well as the weak flames of the Nekoshou not too far off. Weak, but still alive.
Her nose curled. As much as she hated to admit it, even if everyone else here died, it was fortuitous that Georg was not among them, particularly from a pragmatic standpoint.
In the far-off distance, she could feel the cataclysmic impacts of Demon versus Super Devil. However long she had been unconscious for, they were still clearly going at it.
Of greatest urgency however, was the presence of the young man who had knocked her clean into the abyss of unconsciousness.
Fiery, yet contained. Furious, yet subdued. Alive, but sick with worry.
"Thank you." she grimaced at the rawness of her throat, and the rasp that had delivered her words. Luna pushed on regardless. "For saving them. Kuroka and Shirone."
Now the young man's fury had heightened, a brief flare before settling on a higher intensity than before.
"They don't deserve to die just because they're affiliated with you," he replied tersely, and she could hear him walking stiffly up to her bound form. "But you yourself? I'm still debating on it."
The shadows that crept into his voice sent a chill down Lunarunn's spine.
And yet, there was also the feeling that even if he did, it wouldn't stick. Just like it hadn't with Ajuka.
"She's not dead, Issei."
"I know that," Issei responded with a growl. "But that still doesn't mean she wasn't kidnapped from under your protection!"
Finally, a twinge of irritation shot through Luna as well. "And arguing about it's not gonna help her get un-kidnapped, will it? If you were gonna kill me, you had every chance to while I was still out."
"And that gets to the next part." He took a few more steps forward, and Luna could feel Issei's breath on her face. She opened one eye, and even if her vision was blurry she still was able to lock with the blazing emerald. "I need a way back home. Now."
Her mind processed the demand, before coming to a realization. "Is something happening with your parents?"
"Yeah, someone who was previously a friend of mine's going after them." Issei stepped back, letting out another growl, flexing his fingers as though groping something, taking deep, quick breaths before continuing. "It's been an hour since you showed up, and the more time that passes, the less I have to stop Motohama before he does something that can't be taken back!"
How he knew that, she didn't know, but that wasn't the important detail at this time.
"Shit." Luna forced back further curses, and flicked her wrist to summon the blade in her prosthetic.
When nothing happened, she opened her other eye and stared at the fully-reformed arm.
Her breath caught.
Almost immediately, the twisted wings of Catclysm Eclipse sprang into existence from between her shoulder blades, wrapping around her almost like a shell.
It's back.
It shouldn't be back.
It's gone.
It's gone.
Why is it here?
It shouldn't be here, shouldn't be here, shouldn't behereshouldn'tbehere-
"HEY!" Issei shoved the wings aside and stepped in close, causing them to shift to each side, reared back like a viper ready to strike. "Focus!"
Focus, focus focusfocus-
Luna's breath caught again, and the ropes that Issei had bound her with snapped. She bolted upward, pushed past the brunet, fell to her knees, stretched her arm out.
The viper that was the Tainted Gear lunged, and she screamed.
"What the fuck!?" The young man shouted, eyes wide as he ran forward.
CRASH!
Cataclysm Eclipse smashed to the ground, taking with it the source of Issei's alarm. Luna looked back at the young man with wide eyes. "Prosthetic," she scratched out, shaking in place. "Prosthetic!"
"I- gh- agh," he looked around, lost for a quick moment before his eyes landed on something in the distance. "I-I'll be right back!"
As he ran off, Luna stared at the freely flowing blood.
'Blood makes the grass grow,' she thought, and giggled at the macabre humor. Her shaky gaze then shifted downward toward the very end of the fell wing.
Cataclysm Eclipse pulsed.
As Issei hurried back, Lunarunn's eyes lifted to the metal arm he held in the crook of his own. She reached out hand, and Issei all but shoved the prosthetic into it. She didn't waste a second before lining up the entry of the prosthetic.
She jammed it into place.
The brunette screamed again, the metal arm spasming, the joints flexing wildly in place, but before Issei could react, her screams began to quiet. The spasming arm settled, uncontrolled thrashing becoming controlled flexing after only a few seconds.
In the moments that followed, the only sound was Luna's ragged breathing.
"Okay..." Issei started, slowly, with wide eyes. "What the fuck was that?"
It took a few seconds for her to respond.
"...Removing something that shouldn't be there."
"That was your arm, Luna," Issei pressed.
"It was," she agreed.
"Then why-"
"A reminder," Luna stood, looking back down at the reattached prosthetic, metallic fingers curling into a fist.
"A reminder?!" The young man's horrified and outraged expression nearly made the brunette smile.
Almost.
Her Isaz turned back to all those that had died here.
Her thoughts turned back to those that had died before.
She changed the subject.
"But you're right, I have to drop you off back in Kuoh," Luna glanced at the two Nekoshou, prosthetic hand clenching and unclenching rapidly, lips pursed and brow drawn. "I have to get Koneko and Kuroka back to HQ for medical attention too. I can't stay in Kuoh- I still have to finish our mission here. But I can get you in contact with the Youkai in the area. They've been keeping an eye on Kuoh since the reconstruction."
Issei's jaw clenched at the reminder of what happened to his hometown in the first place, but nodded shortly. "I appreciate it," he grunted. "And Asia?"
"Yeah, I know. She was under my protection, and taken from it." Luna met his eyes. "I'm not sure where she was taken, but I'll do what I can to get her back."
The brunet's eyes remained on the brunette's as if looking for any sign of falsehood, before his expression firmed. "Alright, fine. Get me home."
As Issei disappeared into Luna's portal with said information, she lifted a hand to her face, pulling it away to see the blood that had come away with it..
'I talked the talk,' she thought grimly. 'But whatever that Demon wearing Ruval's body did to me fucked me up something fierce.'
A portal like that should have been no problem, but here she was with another nosebleed.
Fulfilling her promise to Issei would be a lot harder to complete. Then again, she did say she'd do what she could.
That, Luna could abide by.
First was to take note of the losses. Her whole base had been killed off save for a choice few, yet there was no sign of Georg, which brought its own fair share of concerns. Both Koneko and Kuroka were stable, but out of commission for the foreseeable future. Jaspal was no fighter, so she couldn't replace Kuroka.
A major foothold, lost. She'd need to reduce the size of their dragnet. Thankfully, Jaspal had drilled the importance of communication redundancy into the brunette's head.
She held out a hand, forcing past the pain in her head to pull a cell phone from her 'storage space' within the Dimensional Gap.
Jaspal responded nearly immediately, though not with the words Luna had hoped from her.
"What happened, Luna?"
"A lot," she replied with a grimace. "We lost the forward base. Someone absurdly strong wiped out the entire locale and-"
"No, I mean what happened to you?" Jaspal cut in sharply. She must have been furious. "I remember when you went berserk the first time, and now the janitors are cleaning up my dinner after an encore performance from the Evil Piece you put inside me!"
The brunette's eyes widened, shooting a look over to Kuroka. "Ohhhhh. Oh, that's not good. Are you okay?"
"Just queasy, but I want answers. Now!"
"Ruval was possessed by a Demon."
Stunned silence on the other end of the phone, then- "Did I hear you properly, Luna? Did you just say-"
"Yeah, I'm not joking. He's apparently possessed by the original Phenex, and he did some sort of impromptu ritual on me." Luna grit her teeth, breathing out harshly through her nose. "That's probably what caused that essence surge to occur- and it makes Kuroka's condition more concerning."
"Kuroka?"
"Unconscious and in a bad way, but stabilized thanks to Issei. She and her sister were at the forward base when it was attacked. Have you heard anything from Georg?"
"I have not."
"Damn. Check the infirmary then, if he's not responding then he might have needed to fall back too. I'm certain he's not dead-"
-Mostly because she couldn't feel his lingering spirit among those that were killed-
"-but he could be out of commission like Kuroka," she finished. "Please check, and prep the infirmary while you're there."
"Understood." Jaspal was silent for a few moments. "Things are bad down there."
It wasn't a question, and Luna didn't answer it as such. "We'll figure something out. I'm not in great condition myself, but whatever Phenex did, it's resulted in some form of breakthrough with the third pair."
There was a soft exhale from Jaspal's side.
"...Then I hope whatever your breakthrough was is enough. I'll get a backup squad onsite. Do what needs to be done."
The phone line disconnected after that, but Luna nodded all the same as she slipped it back into her pocket.
What needs to be done? Of course she would do so.
That was why she was here.
"Contact on the west side! Deploying barriers!"
"Breach and clear! Breach and clear!"
"You commoner scum, I'll fucking kill you a-AAAARGH!"
"Tango down. Keep moving, if we're surrounded we're dead!"
Even as the command sounded over the radio, one of the Dawn Legion troops dove to the side, and not a moment too soon- a sphere of magic detonated, claiming the lives of those too slow or distracted to notice the high-level magic bearing down on them.
"Theta Team is down, repeat, Theta Team is down! Where- Gngh!" Another blast of magic blew out the wall above him, raining glass and debris across his upraised arm. "Where the fuck are the Enforcers?!"
"Still dealing with Shalba, seems the Demon Child's a persistent one!"
"What did you expect, that Vali would walk over him?" another Devil snarked over the chaotic symphony of bullets, grenades, and spellfire. "Shalba's a damned Demon Child! Just be glad it's only him at this location!"
"For the True Satans! Long live Lord Lucifer!"
An eruption blasted through the hall, but was stalled by a barrier of light that sprang up in front of the soldier in cover, the force punching through the walls to each side but leaving the soldier unharmed. Before he could even look up, a shadow blurred by him, the fanatical screeching of the True Satan loyalist cut short with a gurgle.
The hooded fighter let the spear of light disperse into motes of dust just as his target dissolved into dust, their being unwound by the Holy element they had been impaled by.
"Come, we must continue," he tilted his head back to the remaining soldier. "Reinforcements are on their way, to remain still is to court death."
"Y-yessir!" The Devil in question saluted briefly, but by the time he'd reached his savior's location, said individual had already rushed ahead, blood and dust spilled in his wake.
"...Damn, the Enforcers are scary," he whistled low under his breath. "I'm just glad he's on our side."
Further down the path, Kokabiel didn't pay the Devil he'd rescued a second glance. He would live, or die, but it didn't truly matter in regards to the mission.
There had already been far too much resistance at this location. Not only was the Cambion forced to keep Shalba Beelzebub busy, but the loyalists were well-entrenched, well-armed, and in disturbingly high spirits.
Fanatics were no issue for him, but for the common soldier in the Dawn Legion, it meant stiff resistance at every corner.
Even so, Kokabiel continued unabated. He'd help where needed, but one thing stood out.
A location this defended must mean a high-value target.
The Baels, perhaps?
Something brushed across his mind, and immediately the iron bastions of discipline slammed the doors of his thoughts shut, blocking out the intruder while he took note of their signature.
A Mentalist. No, worse, a good Mentalist. He wasn't even sure when they'd managed to infiltrate.
If they were focused on emboldening the loyalists, that would explain the suicidal drive their foes were showing. But then, was that the only reason he noticed their presence in the first place? If so, then what had they done to his head before he did?
Damnation, he loathed Mentalists. Dantalion had been much too thorough with his studies and experiments for Kokabiel to have any other opinion.
More concerning was that even as he ran through his own psyche, nothing was out of place.
He'd have to deal with them, and quickly.
The question was, where were they?
...
'Wait.'
Kokabiel paused as a faint memory arose to the surface.
This Mentalist signature was familiar.
But why would she be aiding them?
Unless...
Kokabiel lifted a finger to his ear. "Enforcer Renegade, changing from combat support to dispatch. Mentalist in my AO."
A hiss of breath came in from the other end. "I thought the Dantalions were wiped out!"
"They were." Kokabiel confirmed. "But that does not mean their damnable arts are gone."
And if one of their 'artworks' was reactivated, then it didn't matter if the Dantalions were slaughtered to the man.
"Understood. We'll let Enforcer White know."
He nodded, and as an afterthought added another comment. "Also prep the teams for extraction; I have little doubt this will get much messier once the Mentalist is dealt with."
"Ten-four. Good hunting, Renegade."
The earpiece went silent, prompting Kokabiel to lower his hand, the narrowed eyes of his face creased into a blend of vexation and pity.
"Consider yourself lucky that Lunarunn sees you as valuable, Leviathan," the former cadre muttered to himself as he hurried onward, fending off attackers both physical and psychological as he cut a swathe through the loyalist-infested mansion.
The Devil-turned-Demon hummed cheerfully as he walked down the halls of the Assembly, his Peerage and an entourage of other Devils following closely behind, seemingly deaf to the shouts and screams behind him as law-abiding citizens were ordered to the ground by loyalists.
Truly a pity. Devils really had fallen far, if these people were so cowed as to simply roll over.
As much as Diodora enjoyed peaceful times, he had long since learned that peace was only granted by those at the top of the food chain.
Everyone else had to come to terms with the fact that their lives were expendable.
His eyes shifted back to the former nuns- his Peerage. His servants.
Ah, they were far from the strongest. But their loyalty to him could hardly be denied, especially nowadays.
Diodora looked forward, and threw the doors open, walking into the Assembly without a care in the world.
Normally, in a time of crisis like this, members of each Pillar would be coming and going, providing reports and requesting aid as necessary.
However, with the Lords, almost all heirs and heiresses, as well as a number of Elders captured by that Aesle individual, the number of Devils present were limited, and the number moving from their seats even moreso.
To think, he once thought this august chamber filled with individuals far too dangerous for him to challenge directly.
"Diodora." He snapped out of his thoughts as the most dangerous individual in that room called out to him. His squinted eyes rose to see the full-bodied form of Sairaorg Bael staring down at him balefully.
The other, older Devils in the room stared at him like - but perhaps more importantly, they were wary.
Not many would have the gall to breach the forum of Devil power, after all.
'Heh.'
He was finally being acknowledged. And all it took was becoming a threat.
Truly, their world was a disgusting place.
"Ah, Sairaorg." The Astaroth-Dantalion's lips curled upward as he bowed eloquently, noting the presence of the Bael's Peerage in the Assembly chamber. "I do believe that seat is not fitting for you. Especially given your history with your family."
"And would you say that you are any more fitting for the Seat of the Great King?" The Bael Devil replied tersely, rising from where he sat. "Especially after siding with the True Satans?"
"Absolutely not," Diodora agreed, lifting his hand and snapping his finger. Immediately, loyalists flooded the room, spells aimed at everyone in the room save for Sairaorg and his Peerage.
Neither King's gaze strayed from the other.
"Personally, I think it'd look rather proper as kindling instead," he finished, eyes opening slightly.
That got him snarls from the other Devils, but he paid them no heed. Elders though they were, they had long since gorged themselves on the meal of peacetime.
No, what kept his attention was the youngest King in the room.
Sairaorg grimaced at the force of Diodora's presence, but he didn't back down. Diodora's smile widened.
"Where is my grandfather?" the dark-haired Bael asked.
"Currently?" The Demon tapped his cheek, before spreading his arms. "Currently, he is enjoying an extended stay with the True Satans. It wouldn't do for him to die so quickly, would it? No, he lives. For now. It depends on my mood when I return for the old snake."
"That's brazen of you to so freely admit to such behavior, especially in these halls." Sairaorg commented. "And coming from me, that's saying something."
Diodora shook his head amusedly. "Hah. From where I'm standing, there is no 'brazenness' here. Only those who want to change the world, and those with the power to accomplish it."
The staredown continued, and the teal-haired young Dantalion-Astaroth could feel the tension growing thicker and thicker, especially with all the Devils currently held at swordpoint.
"What do you want, Diodora?" The Bael finally demanded, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Simple. I want revenge." Diodora glanced over at the other Devils. Old. Some of which were too old. That was Fepelon Shax, the elder of the Shax family, wasn't it?
Verily, how contentment is the death of progress. Diodora was already in the slime's head, looking through his past, and... ah.
Well, he wasn't going to feel bad about this at all. Though to be fair, he had little guilt using his powers these days in general.
The halo pulsed, and the Shax elder collapsed, frothing at the mouth as blood leaked out from every orifice.
Sairaorg's gaze snapped over to the dropped Devil, before rounding back on Diodora himself, stepping forward enough to lean on the bannister. "Enough! Leave them out of this. If you wish for a fight, then we shall do it one-on-one, like true Devils should!"
"I believe you're mistaken on something, Sairaorg." Diodora held up his hands placatingly. "I'm not looking for a fight. I'm performing a coup."
"You will do no such thing! Over my dead body!" One Devil made to rise, wings spreading and magic arrays already forming in place.
Diodora's smile turned nasty, a hint of teeth showing between peeled lips. "That can be arranged."
Then he snapped his fingers on one hand, and Elder Balam collapsed, to the visible dismay of Sairaorg's Rook as the stony-skinned Devil ran to his elder's side.
"Grandfather!"
"You worthless dreg-" More Devils sprang from their chairs to lunge for Diodora, and this time a wave of fuschia force swept outwards. Every Devil in its path froze, stuck in place by a single, overwhelming Command.
Be still.
"What is this-?"
"Out of my head...!"
"Damned... brat!"
"I said that's enough!" Sairaorg jumped from his seat and landed in the center of the chamber across from Diodora, hazy white light surrounding his body. Touki, Diodora knew. "I know not what you have done to them, but I won't let you harm these people any longer!"
To that, the Demon laughed, and Sairaorg tensed as he lifted a finger.
Instead of attacking, however, he pointed it to the fallen form of Fepelon Shax. "Did you know that Elder Shax has a major standing in the trafficking industry?"
A beat passed.
"What?" Sairaorg did not move from his spot, but he continued to eye Diodora, much more warily this time.
"Elder Shax was part of the trafficking industry," Diodora repeated, lifting his arms in a shrug. "Drugs, weapons, labor, sex, you name it. Even after his 'retirement', he liked to play kingpin over his little playground, and sample some of the... acquired goods, in his words."
His smile grew again. "He deserved far worse than what I did to him."
"And what about my grandfather!?" Grandoma Balam demanded. "Why did you go after him!"
"Worked with Elder Shax in secret," Diodora smoothly deflected. "Not so much on the human-devil-youkai-et cetera trafficking side, but he had a particular fondness for weapons and performance-enhancing drugs. Speaking of weapons trafficking, Montus Balam had ambitions to unseal Malacoda at some point, just to see the destruction the strongest Malebranche could unleash before he entered his final sleep."
Silence echoed louder than words could have, and Diodora relished in the empty noise.
"Of course, it also extends to the current Pillar heads too. Did you know that Lord Valac frequently forced himself upon his wife? He always wanted a son, and the wife was an absentee drunkard anyway. He paid good money to marry her; it only makes sense that he got some investment back."
"And how do you know this, exactly?"
"You mean beyond the contacts I acquired within the TSF? I'm a Mentalist, Sairaorg." He tapped the side of his head. "Even if those memories were false, that just means that these Devils were hiding something far, far darker."
"So you're saying you killed Lord Valac? You realize what that means."
"I think we're already well past the point of just being a 'Kill-on-Sight' to the Pillars," Diodora snickered as one of his Peerage members stepped forth, lifting a finger to point at the hooded woman. "But you would be mistaken. I didn't kill him. She did. I just facilitated his passing."
"You are still at direct fault for the murder of a Pillar, betraying the Seventy-Two, and joining forces with terrorists."
"The Seventy-Two are far from innocent, Sairaorg. Your kindness is commendable, but it is utterly wasted on..." He trailed off, gesturing to the entire room. "This. I could keep going. I have half a mind to, but I have no intention of monologuing any further."
"Then I will stop you from claiming the seat of Devil power in the name of the True Satan Faction," Sairaorg declared.
"You'll do no such thing." Now the Demon's face threatened to split him in two. "When did I ever say I would be claiming Lilith in the name of the True Satans?"
More silence.
"You were using them," Kuisha Abbadon, Sairaorg's Queen, realized with narrowing eyes.
She was shaking. Slightly, but still shaking, and more pointedly keeping her gaze off of him.
Much like many of the stronger Pillar ladies he'd worked on, for that matter.
Well, credit to her for trying to stand up to Diodora's presence, if nothing else.
"Just as they were using me," he affirmed. "But I do believe it's time for me to set out on my own. And with control over the capital and the surrounding areas, I could give the True Satans a run for their money."
Sairaorg's expression didn't change.
"You have the potential to stop me," Diodora admitted. "I know your power; though it is not on the same tier as the Satan Children, I would need to spend far too much time putting you down to complete my own mission. But more importantly, you have a strong heart. You know the struggle. You know what it's like to be looked down on. And still you are unbowed."
He glanced over to his Peerage. "I admire your backbone, Sairaorg. You did what I could not back then: you made this horrible place respect you. And now you have the opportunity to shape this place to your wishes. All you need to do... is join me."
"Join you," he echoed, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
He was reluctant. Understandable. Then again, that's why Diodora had asked Isaiah for assistance in this matter.
"Of course. I believe your mother is afflicted by Sleeping Sickness?" Diodora hummed. "I know someone who might be able to restore her."
That caught the young Bael's attention, the shock of that revelation causing his shroud of Touki to disperse into the air.
"You..." It seemed he was at a loss for words, even as he looked between his Peerage members and Diodora himself.
He shrugged. "More specifically, one of my servants does. But his word is as good as his blade, and I have yet to see him lose a duel."
And if Isaiah's knowledge that his girlfriend was the wielder of Sephiroth Graal was indeed the case, then he supposed he had another thing to thank Rizevim for.
Admittedly, he was stung that Isaiah would keep that a secret from him. But he also understood that it was at the Marchosias Devil's behest. He would not blame the swordsman, but it was another reason to cut ties with the TSF.
It all starts here. All Sairaorg needed to do was accept, and everything would fall into place.
"I can help you, Sairaorg. All you need to do is help me in turn." The teal-and-pink-haired Demon held out a hand. "Join me. Let's make a world she can live peacefully in. A world without the parasites that drove you and her into the mud, and kicked you both while you were down."
The Bael stared at the hand that Diodora offered, brow creased in thought. While the shrieks and shouts echoed outside, the inside of the Assembly was eerily quiet- the remaining Elders and servants avoiding Diodora's attention after he dropped two of them without any visible effort, Sairaorg's Peerage paying attention to their King, and said King himself deep in thought.
"...This world, it is cruel," he admitted, quietly, though for all the silence of the Assembly chamber his voice seemingly echoed. "Cruel enough to hate it." Sairaorg's eyes closed. "No, I despise it, for what it did to my mother. Though Zekram, the king of this world, himself never singled me out, everyone else in his kingdom did. Weakling. Worthless. Waste of space. Never given the time of day."
As mutters began to rise amidst the crowd, Sairaorg's head tilted upward with a wry chuckle. "After all, what good is an heir without a bloodline to inherit?"
Diodora tilted his head, brow drawing together. Already, the gears were starting to turn, and he did not like what little he could skim from the other Devil's head.
Sairaorg's lips curled upward. "But I made them give me that time. Not through acts of brute force, but by showing that I could if I chose. That despite the disgust and hatred, that even without the bloodline I was born to have, I still rose above them all. Even my own father. All with a Peerage of 'rejects', 'spares', 'failures', and 'extras'. And I wouldn't trade them for the world."
"What you are doing here is not the act of someone seeking change." He crossed his arms once more, staring intently at the teal-and-pink-haired Demon. "No, all you would do is maintain the status quo. For someone who hates the Underworld so much, you've become exactly what it would want you to be."
Now the Demon's eyes widened slightly, nose curling. "Is that so?"
"My grandfather is not a kind man. Yet what is the point of cruelty, if everyone is so beneath you as to be pitiable?" The Bael shook his head, staring at Diodora. "What kindness he showed was to give me incentive to become strong. Perhaps when I was younger I did not read between the signs, but I understand now."
"Because even as a 'worthless' child, you are still a Bael. A useful pawn, in his words," the Mentalist added.
Sairaorg smiled ruefully. "I know full well the story of the Dark Moon. Just as I know that my grandfather would throw me away just as easily if I did not play my part. It is for that reason that I strove to become what I am today."
"And yet you will not join me." It wasn't a question, nor did Diodora suggest it was.
"In doing so, the cycle continues." He gestured to everyone else. "How many will die here even if I make my recruitment contingent on their safety? If you spare them now, the seeds of rebellion will sprout, and I have little doubt you will put said rebellion down without mercy. Just like what happened with the FFP."
Gasps abound, and now Sairaorg scoffed and glared at the nearest Elder, his Touki shroud erupting in full force. "Enough with the fake shock, everyone in this room knows the truth of what happened! The Dawn Legion and Ajuka's death is our harvest for the mistake that you made, so suck it up!"
"The nerve-!"
"How uncouth can one Devil be?"
"Show some respect to your elders!"
As the Elders in question either glared back or protested Sairaorg's lack of tact, he just raised a brow, a wordless challenge as meaningful as a thrown glove.
And yet, between the two young hellspawn, none of the other Devils present took him up on the offer.
Sairaorg breathed out slowly, letting out a low chuckle. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to say something like that."
The black-haired Devil turned back to Diodora, whose smile had firmly left his expression. "I do not know what you lost, but I think I may have an idea. I would apologize, but I know you would find only insults in my words."
His voice rose. "Instead, as the heir of the Bael Family, going forward I will let it be known that I consider my grandfather's actions that day unconscionable. As acting head of the Bael Pillar, I hereby denounce Zekram Bael and bar him from the Bael holdings!"
More gasps, of alarm and indignation, but still the Bael heir remained unmoved.
Such a move was unprecedented. Never before had a Pillar fallen so far out of lockstep with its own elders - not even Lord Phenex had sanctioned his own progenitors! Already Low-Class Devil servants and couriers were fleeing the scene to spread the news. Diodora didn't need to waste any effort on maintaining his Command against them.
Equally of note was how fitting a punishment it was. For someone whose entire mission was to ensure the survival of his world, there was a rather delicious irony in being effectively banished by the very family he helped create.
"While my word remains the word of my bloodline, my grandfather shall no longer find respite in the lands of his family." Sairaorg tilted his head and stared at Diodora. "But that is not why you are here, I know. You said it yourself; this is revenge."
And yet...
"So you still stand in defense of his world." Diodora's voice was flat.
"I stand in defense of my honor," Sairaorg corrected him. "If I let you do as you wish, innumerable Devils will die, and I would never forgive myself for allowing it to happen!"
"Again, your kindness is wasted on this trash," the Demon half-spat, throwing a hand to the side, gesturing to the rest of the chamber. "You would enable their misdeeds!"
Sairaorg glanced around, and inclined his head.
"Perhaps," he acknowledged. "But my kindness is mine to give, Diodora. Not yours. And I would enable their misdeeds no more than I would yours if I bent the knee now."
The Demon snarled, taking a half-step forward. "In doing so, you would leave Misla Bael to rot!"
Sairaorg's breath caught. But this time, his fists clenched from within his crossed arms, and he took a deep breath.
"I will find another way to save my mother," he declared. "And if I cannot, then I will honor her memory in the life I live. Regulus Nemea!"
The Pawn of The Strongest Youth bounded to the ground, and in a flash of light said Youth gripped a mighty battle-axe in one hand, leveled squarely at the Demon.
"As the man who will become a Satan, I will give you one chance to leave peacefully," he said, expression unflinching. "Begone, Diodora Astaroth, or you will see exactly why I am the Heir of the Great King!"
Diodora was stock-still, eyes wide and pupils dilated. Even his halo had stopped, though his servants shifted in place, looking at each other.
"...'Live a life to make them proud'..." he whispered, lifting a trembling hand to his face. "That line again... that... fucking... line again..."
Sairaorg was silent, the Touki shroud undulating in the further silence of the chamber.
Nobody spoke. Nobody dared to. After what happened to Montus Balam and Fepelon Shax, the Elders knew not to interrupt.
Diodora's shoulders slumped, as though coming to an internal conclusion.
Silently, his lips moved.
"...Alright. We'll do it your way."
It didn't help.
The entire room shook with the presence of Diodora's aura, the full weight of the original Dantalion exploding outward with physical force. Though Sairaorg merely took a step back, the same could not be said for the rest.
In moments, the Assembly became a bloodbath as Devils either fell on each other in screeching wrath, or fell to the ground, suffering the same fate as the Balam and Shax Elders. Even Sairaorg's own Peerage was not immune.
Kuisha Abbadon struck, a small dagger made from the Power of Creation bouncing off of Sairaorg's Touki shroud before she drew back and began summoning Holes.
The rest of the Bael Heir's Peerage joined Kuisha in attacking their King once the dagger left the Queen's hand.
Their eyes glowed a bright fuschia.
Even as Sairaorg's axe spun, knocking away the projectiles before they could hit him or otherwise detonate, the Demon he was beset by wordlessly summoned a communication array, and calmly spoke six words into it.
"Kill every last one of them," he commanded, staring at Sairaorg as the heir fought both his Peerage, turned by Diodora's Mentalism, as well as Diodora's own.
The screams outside intensified in response, but Diodora paid them no heed.
Instead, he stared at the Bael, the sole Devil in the room who remained untouched by his telepathic commands, with undisguised venom.
Luna flew, senses outstretched as she scanned the countryside for any sign of the monster that had killed her men and taken Issei's girlfriend. Even though her outer expression was a firm mask of concentration, her thoughts were in disarray.
Jaspal had given her some numbers regarding the matchup against Sirzechs. Alone and without her powers, Luna would lose. That certainly was the case, only to be saved by Ruval- Phenex, she reminded herself.
The fact that a Demon had possessed her closest friend stung something fierce, though she set it aside for now.
But the ruby-eyed financier also ranked Georg well into the Ultimate-class of Devils when actually going all-out. While Super Devil was a unique rank assigned only to overpowered Devil anomalies, Jaspal at least said the Faust descendant might be able to go toe-to-toe with Serafall in Balance Breaker, maybe even pull out a win.
Luna had, perhaps wisely, not chosen to bring that up to Serafall. The maou shoujo would have taken it as a challenge, and the brunette didn't want to have to explain to the locals why the ice caps suddenly gained millions of tons of mass.
Though that might help with the whole climate thing going on upside, the brunette wasn't going to touch that mess with her hands as full as they were now.
A faint smile rose to her face, despite the circumstances. Maybe she was just coping. Losing that forward base was a significant blow to the Dawn Legion's mission today (to say nothing of Ruval...), and even if Jaspal was en route with a secondary setup, the matter still stood.
Who was strong enough within the TSF to overpower a Satan-level member of the Dawn Legion so thoroughly as to not destroy the entire region?
She could only think of a few potential candidates.
Ophis could be playing both sides, but the Infinity Dragon was not a schemer. She just took what she wanted, as was her supposed 'right' as the second-strongest being in existence. Plus, Luna had technically granted what Ophis wanted, so she was technically an indolent ally?
Crom Cruach was also a possibility, as the strongest Evil Dragon- though only 'Evil' insofar as uncaring toward the plight of others in his pursuit of an adrenaline rush. Georg would have let her know about that sort of fight though, and Crom Cruach would not have taken Asia, except perhaps to force her to heal his foe if they were strong enough to interest him.
Georg met that threshold, which made it all the more concerning that he was missing and there was no indication of a fight.
Apophis and Azi Dahaka were also possible, but again, that would mean Georg would have left some sort of destruction behind, but the landscape had been largely untouched.
But there was someone who -
"You!"
Luna's body rocketed to the side, impacted by a white missile, slamming through the treeline and crashing into the ground, but even as her powers swelled, a realization struck
She... wasn't being attacked?
No, that missile wasn't an attack. That was a body.
More than that, that wasn't just a body, that was a Devil, who was now pushing himself up to closely look at her face. A profound joy lit up his eyes, a wide, disarmingly genuine smile on his face even as realization filled the brunette.
"It really is you, isn't it!?" Rizevim Lucifer exclaimed, wonder suffused in his voice as he stared down, and for a long moment Luna had the impression of an overenthusiastic child. "Ever since the Summit, I've wanted to see you face-to-face, but now that I'm here-!"
"Where's Asia?" she cut in, partly to cut to the point, and partly to parse her own whirling thoughts.
Why was Rizevim acting like a kid in a candy shop? Did it have something to do with the ritual Phenex did on her?
"Ah-" He pouted, rising back from his compromising position over Lunarunn. "Oh. You mean the girl?" He lifted a thumb and jabbed it in the other direction. "I dropped her back there once I felt you coming." A white-haired head tilted. "Lemme guess, does that Issei kid want her back?"
It clicked. "You knew I'd come looking."
Rizevim chuckled, looking away with a wry smile on his face. "You always were too nice for your own good, Azrael. Then again, that was what made you so... endearing, even back then."
That name again. There was a hiss in the back of Luna's mind, but she herself didn't feel the same agony as she had when Phenex used the name.
"Azrael..." Her brow furrowed. "Sorry, but I can't say I'm familiar with that name."
He laughed. "Hah! Oh, that's a good one! Playing amnesiac to get under everyone's guard? Seems like you picked up on the game pretty quickly!"
When Luna didn't join him, his chortles faded away as confusion, then comprehension, crossed his face.
"Oh." Now he looked disappointed. "You're saying you really did forget?"
"I've... forgotten a lot of things," Luna hazarded. She had to be careful, extremely careful. Rizevim was a Super Devil, and the brunette was far from a full tank. The last thing she needed was for him to think she wasn't Azrael- that might be the only thing keeping her alive.
Indeed, even now, her entire body seemed to shiver in his presence- not intentionally, but as though something about him was... off.
Still, that set her thinking.
'Outsider'. That was what Kokabiel called her. The fact that she - or a past 'she' - had played a major role in God's death, if not killed him outright.
'The visions'. They referred back to a time when she - or a past version of herself? Or was that Ulan, she had a history before being Luna after all - waged war against the Creator God.
'...Azrael'. That name had been distorted when she first heard it. Distorted enough to cause a reaction in Creuserey and Sirzechs. Yet Rizevim could say it clearly, and Luna hadn't been affected- not directly, at least. Yet her patron's response to the name drop was... unsettling.
'Ulan. What's going on?'
No response. Go figure.
'Are you fucking serious right now? This has gone on for way too long, stop leaving me in the dark, dammit!'
"Is that so?" Rizevim had descended back into chilly ambivalence. "Then it seems things aren't going to be quite as smooth as I would have liked. Do you at least remember my name?"
She could see how loaded the question was. Either she responded truthfully and risked him becoming even more interested in her, or she lied and was either found out or lost Rizevim's interest altogether. Rock and a hard place, through and through.
But at that moment, Ulan finally responded again.
"He won't hurt you," Luna blinked. "No matter what you say, out of everything in this world, you are the one thing he will not harm."
That... sounded like an infatuation of some sort. Or an obsession. Uh oh.
She tilted her head.
"...I'm pretty sure it's Rizevim. Rizevim Livan Lucifer?"
There was a long beat of silence as the Super Devil stared at her, expression inscrutable.
Then, he smiled. "Hah. Really? I suppose I am Rizevim. Funny how that works out, hm?"
That didn't sound particularly encouraging.
Yet, he turned away, lifting a hand to his side. "So, mostly amnesic, and still you've cobbled up a revolution. Honestly, it's still amazing how much you've managed to accomplish despite being labeled a no-name murderess."
"I'm hardly going to apologize for killing a sadistic, murderous psychopath."
"Funny, the vast majority of the Underworld considers you the same."
"I'd hardly call myself a psychopath." Luna smiled, a touch of self-deprecation on her face. "I'd say I care too much, actually."
Rizevim laughed again. If it weren't for the fact that he'd slaughtered well over a hundred men and kidnapped Asia, not even including his position as the leader of the remnants of a tyrannical regime, she might even considered him normal for a brief moment.
To say nothing of the misdeeds she knew he was capable of, based on her previous knowledge of the world. So she was not fooled in the slightest.
"You have no idea how long I have waited for you to come back, Azrael," Again, Ulan hissed in the back of Luna's head, though Luna herself wasn't affected. "Quite frankly, I had long since thought you wouldn't be able to fulfill your promise."
A promise? What was that about? "I try not to make promises I can't keep."
"Indeed you do." The white-haired Super Devil turned back around, lifting a brow. "So, are you here to finish what Father started?"
The Worldweaver chose her words carefully once more. "...Admittedly, that is one of those things that I do not recall."
"Truly?" Rizevim frowned again. "That... is disappointing. I'd hoped that you would have remembered. You know much, that I can tell."
As did he, apparently. Was he alive during the time period of Luna's visions? Apparently so, if he was talking about a promise that she - Azrael - made so long ago.
"No matter." White hair swayed from side to side. "I can help you get reacquainted with the past, if you come with me."
"I'm not liable to help someone who killed an entire company of my men and women," Luna's eyes narrowed.
"Them?" Rizevim raised a brow. "They were just chaff. Side characters, even."
"They still had families."
"And why should I care for people I don't know anything about?" The Super Devil pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come now, don't be so stubborn; you want to know what's going on, and I can help you with that. Anything else is secondary, simple as that!"
Right. Rizevim was a sadistic, murderous psychopath too. She'd almost missed that little detail.
"You directly interfered with my mission." Luna crossed her arms beneath her bust. "I can't just let that slide."
His eyes flicked down, drawn perhaps by the glint of metal, ignoring her accusation in favor of a complete tangent. "...Why do you have a prosthetic arm?"
"What's it to you?"
His lips curled downward and the air grew heavy. "Answer the question."
"Lost it in a fight," she replied, flatly and bluntly.
"And you didn't reconstitute it?"
Luna's eyes narrowed, flicking downward briefly to the arm in question.
"It's a reminder," she replied instead, honestly.
He stared, as though wondering whether or not she'd elaborate. When she didn't, Rizevim started snickering.
"Oh-ho! That is curious, very curious indeed. I want to know more." His eyes alighted as his lips peeled upward. "Meeting you was worth the effort, I think."
The brunette's head tilted slightly downward. "I can't exactly say the feeling is mutual."
"Well, that's why I brought the girl with me. Both as a lure, and a bartering chip. I'll send her back to the brat, unconscious but completely untouched, if you spare me the time." Then he shrugged, stepping to the side,with palms facing upward. "Or I could send him her mutilated corpse. I don't really care either way, though seeing how Issei blows up again would be at least mildly amusing."
And he was always looking to be entertained. So if she bailed, then Asia's life was forfeit.
Damn it. She'd made a promise to do what she could to get the girl back to Issei safe and sound.
Well, it wasn't the first time she made a deal with a Devil.
"Fine," she bit out. "But send Asia home first."
"And have you run away? Now why would I do that?"
"You seem pretty well aware that I stand by my word."
"Then be a bit more specific with your word," Rizevim smiled, and Luna suppressed a groan. Devils and their wordplay...
She shook her head, conceding the point. "Fine, I promise I'll hear you out on the condition that you return Asia Argento to Issei Hyoudou."
"Done." He snapped his fingers, and Luna could feel a brief swell of demonic power emanating from the other Devil.
Still, she frowned. "I'd like to see her off for myself."
"What, you don't trust me?" he pouted.
"Not in the slightest."
Rizevim snickered again. "There's the acerbic tongue I've missed so much! But fine, fine, if it'll settle your nerves, I'll bring her back for a moment."
A portal opened to the side, with Rizevim sticking his arm through the portal and pulling a dazed, half-conscious Asia Argento through the portal, holding her up by the scruff of her jacket.
"W-wha-?" was all she managed to get out before Rizevim tossed her back through with the same nonchalance, before twirling a finger. The portal, already closing, turned from facing Rizevim to facing Luna, and through it Luna could see the park of Kuoh.
As well as Asia having fallen on top of Issei, the two of them now sprawled in a rather questionable position.
The Worldweaver groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as the portal finished closing. Never mind that Rizevim had created a portal bridging between worlds, as opposed to the much simpler (but still quite complex) teleportation spell, but Issei's ability to make everything that happened around him more perverted was nothing short of incredible to behold.
Normally she'd find it funny. Right now, it was just a nuisance, especially given the circumstances.
Either way, she'd managed to get Asia back to Issei with... a surprisingly little amount of effort.
"So?" he asked, raising a brow.
She just hoped that whatever she was getting herself into now was going to be similarly easy.
"Alright, you upheld your part of the bargain. I'll uphold mine." She walked forward as Rizevim summoned another portal. She paused at the boundary, then glanced back at him.
"But this better be worthwhile," she warned.
Luna had all the pieces to the puzzle. She knew it.
She just needed to get the big picture now.
And unfortunately, only one person had both the means and interest in telling her.
He just smiled back indulgently.
"I won't accept anything less."
(?)
It was a warm, bright day, perfect for a farmer's market.
Ruval walked along the stalls of the local trade, taking stock of the foodstuffs and the various knickknacks sold by the merchants present.
Normally, he would be overseeing the whole affair, to provide the best experience for those beneath him, but Rexen had offered to take the management off his hands for a while.
This was a personal request, after all. He could hardly deny the opportunity to be a customer at a local event. Especially given who had made the request.
Said individual had already run off, eager to taste the fruits of the land.
For someone who had once been known as the Scourge of Hell, her demeanor was almost childlike in its joy at the simple pleasures of the world.
Some time at the market was, thus, an easy request to grant.
As Ruval examined rows of exquisitely-shining Bael Apples, he tuned out the pitch of the farmer to focus on his own thoughts.
The last few days had been a blur. Even thinking back on it, the memories slipped away like a dream.
What he did know, however, was that it wasn't important. He could think back on that later- or better yet, focus on the things that did matter.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."
And speak of the Devil...
There she was. The sundress that hugged her body only accentuated the sapphire of her eyes, glimmering brilliantly in the light of day.
"I found some kiwis- I was told the variants grown in the old Bael territory are especially sweet? I'd love to try some, and you did say you were paying." she beamed and turned on the spot, walking off briskly, arm in the air. "Come on! Let me show you!"
With a smile, Ruval followed. That was his favorite fruit, after all.
Even more importantly, that was his favorite person, too.
What more could he want?
All the while, the sun stared intently down upon him.
A/N:
I know it's been over a month since the last chapter. Usually, my bouts of inspiration occur during work. Unfortunately, work has been keeping me so busy that I can hardly capitalize on that inspiration.
I will admit, taking a hiatus on this story is tempting.
I am worried, though, that if I do, this story might end up going without an update for a while. Especially since I'm a creature of habit- if I fall out of the habit of writing (like I have been, thanks work, ugh) it'll be really tough for me to get back into it. And I care about finishing the tale of NMHA too much to be willing to let it go just yet.
Agh, the catch-22... at least cutting back on YouTube has given me a bit more impetus to work on this. Maybe I'll continue that trend.
