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"Rias" – Speech
'Issei' – Thought
[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear Ability/ Ddraig and Albion Speech
Beta'd by BigCC
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"My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night.
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends – it gives such a lovely light."
- Epitaph of Mei Schwarzwald
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Epilogue: Crowned Queen
With Sirzechs Lucifer
"Those poor girls…" the Crimson Lucifer let out a soft sigh and shook his head gently as the wails and sobs of grief coming from Mei's gathered Peerage continued unabated. "To be brought back to life, just to have their most beloved family member ripped away from them because of it. It's almost cruel of her…"
"Love can be selfish and cruel." Serafall offered with a slight sniff from where she was standing by his side. "Zechs-chan…we have to make sure that nothing like this can happen again. It's already a tragedy, but it could have been so much worse."
"I am well aware Sera, and I agree, on both points." Sirzechs agreed, the two Satans in perfect agreement. Mei had been an exemplar of everything that Reincarnated Devils were supposed to be when Ajuka had first created the concept; a brilliant mind, immense power, and an immense, undaunted charisma. If everything hadn't gone so horribly wrong, Mei would have become an absolute credit to Devil-kind, an exemplar of what every Devil, reincarnated or otherwise, could strive to be.
And all of that had been utterly wasted because of the pointless, vain pride of Amadeus Bael and the Old Maō Faction's genocidal stupidity and arrogance. Had he had a single inkling of just what was truly going on and what Mei would be able to grow into and accomplish when they were deciding the fate of that still-human girl all those years ago, he would have had Venelana use her still unused [Evil Piece] set to reincarnate her and damned the inevitable political consequences that would have followed.
Ironically, Mei's rampage against the Old Maō Faction's various puppets and patsies scattered throughout the younger generation of Devils over the past few years had done significant damage to their Faction's infrastructure, likely one of the reasons that the majority of the remainder had been desperate enough to join hands with the Khaos Brigade in the first place, which had in turn led to their strongest members being wiped out. Now, with the death of Arbitrage Asmodeus, the Old Maō Faction was effectively decapitated and mostly reduced to shreds.
Oh, doubtlessly there were still scattered members remaining, maybe even a few smaller cells who'd buried themselves deep enough to avoid notice. They'd still be skulking about, looking for an excuse and might try and rebuild with time, but for now the Old Maō Faction was effectively de-fanged with all of its organized fighting power and most of its political power utterly wiped away.
Now they just had to make sure they didn't get a chance to lick their wounds and heal, otherwise this mess could just repeat itself.
Thankfully, with Amadeus blatantly revealing his 'charming' true self and his connections to the Old Maō Faction, along with all the evidence they'd acquired of their involvement with attempting to reactivate the Ritual Atonement System; the Four Maō now had all the evidence they would need to dig deep into the Old Maō Faction's affairs and bring everything to light once and for all. It would also have the added benefit of giving them more than enough reason and political capital to start a full investigation into the Bael Family, starting with anyone close to Amadeus and the Terror Twins, Roan and Regalia, and working their way up with every connection they found from there.
The fate that had befallen Amakusa Chiaki could also be put to good use if they required any further justification to push things further.
He very much doubted that Lord Bael was a sympathizer, let alone an actual member, of the Old Maō Faction; the old Devil might not like Reincarnated Devils but he fully understood the necessity of them to keep their race alive. He'd openly called the Peerage System a 'disgusting necessity' more than once. This entire affair was going to throw an entire truckload of egg onto his face and badly tarnish his reputation for being able to control his family. Sirzechs was honestly toying the with idea of using the incident to force the man to step down and allow Sairaorg to take his seat. With how badly the man had bungled everything, allowing a conspiracy that could have resulted in the end of the Devil Race to ferment and nearly come to fruition right under his nose, Sirzechs was honestly quite confident that he could actually pull it off.
'And that was probably just another part of your predictions, wasn't it Mei?' the red-haired bishōnen Satan though with another shake of his head, unable to suppress the faint amusement he felt at being so utterly manipulated by someone who was more than a millennium his junior. Truly, the insight gained from the Well of Mímir was an utterly terrifying thing when coupled with someone as crafty as Mei Schwarzwald. If Odin had even a fraction of this kind of wisdom and foresight, then Sirzechs was going to have to be far more careful when dealing with the ancient Norse Sky Father when they next met.
Over to one side, Sirzechs caught sight of his dear younger sister and the rest of her Peerage all but smothering Hyōdō Issei as they all engulfed him in a tight group hug. If Mei had things as thoroughly planned out as he was starting to suspect she had, then he honestly doubted that there was ever any risk that the young Red Dragon Emperor would have been harmed as a part of Mei's final game. He hid a grin as he caught sight of Rias pulling the still shell-shocked Issei into a heated lip-lock, much to the consternation of the younger female members around her.
A sudden glow of purple light drew his attention back to where Mei had finally fallen. There, [Fatal Attraction Zwei] had risen up and began to float next to the body of its former wielder, making the Crimson Maō frown in confusion. That wasn't supposed to happen; after the death of their wielder, a Sacred Gear usually dissolved as it was reabsorbed back into the Sacred Gear System created by the God of the Bible. The staff should have vanished moments after Mei had breathed her last.
Then again, Mei had been quite free with the fact that she had directly altered the Sacred Gears of each of her sisters; it wasn't that much of a stretch to believe that she had likely done the same to at least her own original half of [Fatal Attraction]. Perhaps even a 'software update' that would spread over and activate when she joined the two halves of her Sacred Gear together to create [Fatal Attraction Zwei], to ensure that the newly reforged Sacred Gear would share the same alterations as well.
[Wielder Mei Schwarzwald, all life signs have terminated.] a cool, feminine voice seemed to echo out from the Sacred Gear, making all of the assembled devils and angels stare at it in confusion. [Last writ confirmed. Initiating Succession Protocol. Devil designated 'Amakusa Chiaki' has been listed as designated successor of Fatal Attraction Zwei. Initiating separation of inferior Artificial Sacred Gear [Katars of of Vāyu], and joining with new host.]
"What!?" the inventor of Artificial Hellfire could only gape in shock as her former Artificial Sacred Gear suddenly floated gently out of her body without so much as a twinge of pain before it dissolved into the air. "How?! Mei-nee-sama, just how long have you been preparing for this?!"
"From the start, most likely. Mei likely directly altered the [Katars of Vāyu] so they could be removed without issue or injury when they received the proper signal from [Fatal Attraction]." Ajuka mused aloud as he watched the staff glow purple for a moment before it shrank down into a small, luminous purple orb and vanished into Chiaki's chest, likely merging directly with her soul. "After everything else we've seen her accomplish, I don't doubt that figuring out a way to interfere with the Succession Protocol of the Scared Gear System would have been child's play to her after she drank from the Well of Mímir. She likely wished to ensure that her last surviving sister would at least have her Sacred Gear to help support her, even if she died before she could fully complete her goal."
"Nee-sama…!" Chiaki broke down weeping again, hugging her arms around herself tightly. She was now carrying the only remnant of their sister inside of her. All of her remaining sisters quickly moved to surround and support her, save for one.
Takanome Arisu, with eyes still running with tears of grief and loss, did not move to join her sisters in comforting one of their own as she so dearly wished to, instead she turned and started to walk directly towards where the members of the Four Maō stood gathered. Mei-aneki had done what she truly believed had to be done, regardless of what damage it had done to her soul and conscience, therefore it now fell onto her, as the oldest remaining member of their Peerage, to ensure that her dear sister's actions would not be in vain.
Stopping a meter away from the strongest members of Devil-kind, she hardened her will and stared them all defiantly in the eyes. "Our sister is dead." she stated coldly, then normal lazy and unconcerned tone that she usually affected nowhere to be found. "We died and were only brought back by our sister's sacrifice while Chiaki has suffered for the past three years. Mei-aneki offered you a final chance to do right. On behalf of all of those who have suffered and lost due to this tragedy, Great Maō, I charge you to make things right and never allow another Devil Clan to do as Amadeus did, so that our suffering will never be repeated onto another undeserving soul."
Sirzechs stared down at the far younger Mid-Class Devil for a long moment, aware of the now tense air surrounding his sister's Peerage before he bowed his head to Arisu. "On my word as the Maō Lucifer, I swear to all those that can hear me that the suffering you and all of your sisters have endured will not be allowed to reoccur so long as I draw breath. This entire incident has given the Four Maō more than enough political clout and evidence to bring an iron boot down onto the throats of any remaining so-called 'Devil Purists.'"
"May your words hold true, Sirzechs Lucifer." Arius agreed, her voice frosty in a way that only a Yuki-Onna Hanyō could manage. "My sisters and I have already lost enough. Should any more Devils come to seek harm on us, then we will not hesitate to defend ourselves and strike them down without exception or mercy, regardless of what position they hold or which of the 72 Pillar Clans they belong to."
Her threat delivered, the Ice User turned on her heel and strode back to her sisters, finally hugging Chiaki once more.
"She's a fearless one." Ajuka remarked absently, soundly vaguely amused.
"She has already died once." Falbium let out a tired grunt. "After that, I guess the prospect of dying again doesn't have as much impact."
'Or she might have actually been hoping for it on some level.' Sirzechs thought to himself. Having just lost the person who had been the combined mother, sister, mentor, colleague, and friend to each and every member of their Peerage, it honestly wouldn't surprise him if the girl had, on some deeper unconscious level, been half-hoping that she would be able to reunite with her older sister once more. And the others likely would have piled in on her heels, no doubt.
Not that Sirzechs would have ever allowed that to happen. His Pride and ego were not anywhere near fragile enough to feel that much, if any, offence at being called out by a grieving girl to fix the mess that he was at least partially responsible for in the first place; particularly when it comes from one of the people that had suffered so much because of his mistake.
Serafall merely watched mournfully as her former student turned away; having not even looked at her more than necessary. "Arisu-tan…"
"Sera, you will need to contact Olympus once we're done here to inform them about the [Primordial Spark of Divinity] that Mei used. Doubtless they felt it being used and knowing how hot-headed that bunch can be, we'll need to get on top of this before anyone does something stupid." Sirzechs pointed out to distract her. "Let me know if they want more than words to soothe whatever ruffled feathers remain, I know Athena and Hermes can be quite…persistent on that kind of thing."
"Mm. Assholes." the normally bubbly Maō Shōjo muttered unhappily but nodded. "I'll get on that. What about Asgard and Jötunheimr? Mei did go in and violate one of their most guarded and sacred sites."
"The Jötnar haven't had anything resembling a central government for millennia; if any of them start making noise, we'll deal with them then." Ajuka put in with a shake of his head. "We already have an alliance, so Odin isn't likely to raise that much of a ruckus over this. Besides, they still owe us quite a bit for our help in dealing with Loki. Worst case, we'll just have use up a bit of that to even things out."
Their quiet, impromptu political discussion was suddenly put on hold as they caught sight of a red orb suddenly appearing in front of the Gremory Group, and it was one that nearly everyone there instantly recognized; the core of the Red Dragon Golem that Mei had initially set on Issei back at Kuō Academy when things had started. As it had been the last time they had seen it, the orb was surrounded by two versions of Mei's [Barriers of Solomon].
"Why is that thing here!?" Issei glowered at the floating orb, only to gawp in shock as a nearly transparent image of Mei Schwarzwald suddenly appeared above it, looking exactly as she had done before her final demise.
"If you are receiving this message, then my plan has been completed and I am finally dead." the recording of the Stray Queen stated confidently. "I set up this message to ensure that my final words are truly and fully understood and so that I could bequeath what I choose to the appropriate people. Unfortunately, time is not something I have in abundance, considering that that louse Arbitrage just managed to somehow smash through the barriers protecting my Garden a few moments ago. So, I shall be brief. To start with the elephant in the room, I bequeath the core of my Red Dragon Golem to Rias Gremory."
"What?!" the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess looked utterly flabbergasted.
"It is now far more than a mere golem core. Through all that has occurred, it has been transformed into a…a seed would be a good word, or perhaps an egg would be a better comparison considering its origins." the recording seemed to muse on that for a moment before shaking her head and continuing. "I already know you will be disinclined to trust anything from me after everything that has occurred between us, Rias Gremory, but I still feel the need to offer this as recompense, however insignificant it might seem, for all of the pain I have caused you since I drew you and yours into this incident. I will make no excuses or offer any apologies for the actions I took; I would have done far worse if it had been required of me to regain my beloved sisters, no matter how it would have scarred my soul. Wading through a sea of innocent blood would have been acceptable to me. But consider this…would you not have done the same for your beloved family and Peerage if our situations had been reversed? While you might detest admitting to it, there is at least one aspect that we share; we both are the kind that love others deeply and madly, to the point that a threat to them will draw out our rage and malice like nothing else."
Rias scowled, but couldn't find it in herself to argue that point, no matter how much she disliked it.
"So, I offer up this final gift to you, a gift of strength beyond the [Power of Destruction]that you were born with; an Artificial Sacred Gear born of your own will, the power of the Red Dragon Emperor of Domination, Y Ddraig Goch; and shaped by the structure of the [Boosted Gear]. I had originally intended to pass it on to Ajuka-sama to further his own research, but you have managed to earn enough of my esteem for me to offer it up to you. Take it, so that you might grow strong enough that you can protect your Peerage, strong enough to ensure that the fate that befell my family never touches your own. To accept it, mere place you hand on the surface of the orb."
Rias glared as the recording seemingly paused itself. The mere thought of using one of HER Artificial Sacred Gears was deeply infuriating on multiple levels, but at the same time she couldn't deny the temptation. The offer of power, of strength that she could use to protect her precious and most beloved Peerage was a siren's song to her poor heart. Her Pride as a High-Class shrieked that she should turn away such an offer from someone that had caused her so much harm, but her nature as Gremory pleaded that she take it for no other reason than that it would help ensure that she could protect her precious ones. It was a stalemate that raged silently in her mind for a long moment before it was suddenly broken by the appearance of a red gauntlet across her beloved's left arm.
[Accept the gift, Rias Gremory]. Ddraig's voice rumbled out. [I watched through my partner's eyes as that woman modified it, and that egg will do you no harm. You will need time to adjust to it and it to you, and even more to learn how to truly wield and control it, but once it has truly hatched and your new power is born, it will grant you something akin to a lesser version of the [Boosted Gear] that is my prison. Better that it be in your hands than gathering dust in some lab or warehouse or, even worse, it falling into the hands of one who would be your foe.]
"Ddraig…" the redheaded Devil maiden could only blink in surprise at the Welsh Dragon Emperor putting his own two cents in, before she paused and exhaled. Mei had indeed done a great many things that had pained or displeased her for the sake of her own Peerage. How could Rias refuse such an opportunity to help her own for the sake of something as pathetic as her own Pride and not immediately prove herself Mei's lesser?
To put it simply, she could not.
Eyes hardening in determination, Rias stepped forward and raised her hand out toward where the orb was floating. The spells guarding it faded away from her path and then her fingers brushed against the glowing orb. With a flash of bright red, the orb vanished into her body.
"Oh my…that certainly feels…strange." Rias mused softly, one hand gently moving over her heart. "Is this what it feels like to possess a Sacred Gear? How curious."
"Hyōdō Issei, again I offer no apologies to you for the actions I took." Mei's hologram continued, utterly unaffected from the effects it was having. "Nor do I offer you a physical bequeath. Instead, I offer up the power you were capable of forging because of my interference. Through the trials you have faced you have reawakened Ddraig, developed a new and improved incarnation of your [Welsh Blaster Bishop], have gained a greater control over your [Cardinal Crimson Promotion]. Strengths that I have forced you to acquire that is now yours to use as you see fit. I also offer you a simple warning. Your enemies still abound and many dire threats that even I would have been wary of crossing fists with still lie in wait. Take heed and protect all that you have claimed, Sekiryūtei, or your fate may mirror mine."
The hologram turned around to face Sirzechs and the other Maō. "Sirzechs-sama, Serafall-sama; to you I do owe one apology. I should have come to either of you when everything first happened. If I had, then much of this dark night could have been resolved far more cleanly. Even with all the manufactured evidence that the Old Maō Faction had already prepared against me, I believe that you would have at least heard me out. But I didn't, because I truly couldn't. Reviving my sisters was already my only obsession from the moment I realized they had truly been torn from me. It was myfault that Amadeus was able to pull off his foul little trick and rip their lives and Sacred Gears from their bodies, and thus it was myresponsibility to see them restored…that is what I told myself, at any rate. Now, I can admit that I had lost a good bit of my own sanity in those early days after their murders. It was only after discovering that Amadeus Bael had trapped their souls within their Sacred Gears that I regained some of my clarity. I had hope once more, hope that I could, somehow, some way, regain my beloved sisters. I could not let that chance go…and I did not want to."
The hologram turned her head upwards to look at the ceiling. "Truly I am the most disgusting kind of person. I have committed the gravest sins among even Devils without hesitation, mercy, or compunction; all just to grasp at the merest glimmer of a chance to no longer be alone in the world. And, miraculously, all of my work, all of my efforts and sacrifices, they have all paid off in the end. My sisters now have the chance to live as they should have. Even knowing that my own death is at most hours away cannot even begin to dampen the joy I feel from that."
"Mei…" Sirzechs shook his head, eyes closed and his expression tight and pained.
"Now, I can do nothing but offer you a final gift to show my apologies, information. Sirzechs-sama, I offer up all the information that I have managed to gather over the past three years regarding the remaining 72 Pillar Families, and the Bael Family in particular." Mei's will continued. "Hopefully you will be able to make use of it to ensure that those who would dare to plot genocide are forced to pay the price. Serafall-sama, the dossier I can offer you is far smaller, but it contains all the information I could gather on the Old Maō Faction's suppliers and contacts within the other Pantheons. Some I lack any substantial proof of, but I hope that at least I will be able to point you in the right direction. Use it wisely, please."
"Mei-chan…" Serafall offered softly.
"Ajuka-sama, I leave to you all of my data on Sacred Gear Research, including the designs, concepts and the few remaining finished pieces…save for those that I have already granted to my sisters. I am sure you will make great use of them." the hologram continued.
Ajuka was quiet, his head bowed. While all of that would indeed be a boon to his own research, it was not worth what it had cost.
"Falbium-sama, to you all I can offer is a list of every one of the Old Maō Faction's strongholds, storehouses, and holdouts that I could locate inside the Underworld. I doubt that you will appreciate the extra work, but I know I can count on you to see it through."
"Ugh…fine." the Lord of Sloth let out a grumble.
Finally, Mei's Holographic Will turned toward her gathered sisters, all of whom were staring at it with still teary eyes.
"My sisters…my most darling and precious treasures." the hologram began, the first traces of emotion entering the recorded voice. "I have left you alone again, and for that I can never apologize enough but such words are utterly insignificant. I failed youall three years ago when I let that cockroach Amadeus rob you of what you so rightly deserved, and now I have failed you again simply so that I can carry the punishment for my own failures."
"Nee-sama, no! You didn't! It wasn't…!" Maya tried to speak, but she couldn't get the words out before her voice broke. Around her, her sisters all voiced their own agreement with her words.
"I know that you will deny my words, and I cannot thank you enough for that kindness, but I did fail you." Mei's Will smiled sadly. "By dying and leaving you again, I have failed as your older sister. I should have found a plan that didn't involve shaving away my own lifespan like I did. But I was so lost in my desire to see you all returned to me as quickly as possible that I blinded myself to the pain my own passing would cause you. That is a failing if ever I have heard of one."
"As always, that girl expected far too much of herself." Sirzechs muttered softly to himself.
"What I have to leave with you isn't much, but it is what I can do." the hologram smiled sadly. "Chiaki-chan, you should have already received my Sacred Gear, [Fatal Attraction Zwei]. Completed, it is a power on tier with any of the Mid-Class Longinus, and I installed a tutoring program to ensure you can learn everything that I have to offer when it comes to Gravity Magic. Another alteration I've made is that [Fatal Attraction Zwei] will no longer supplant your natural magical affinities with Gravity once it awakens, instead it will merely grant you a powerful affinity for Gravity in addition to your own natural affinities for Wind and Fire."
"But…why…why me?" Chiaki choked out desperately. "I hurt you, Nee-sama!"
"The reason I am grant this to you is simple. Even when you acted against me while your memories were sealed and modified, none of your punches, kicks, or magical attacks held any true malice directed towards me." the Will stated, as if reading her sister's mind from the past. "Something unique about the [Memoriam Blade] is that while it may be able to seal away memories within the mind, it cannot affect those memories that dwell in the heart. You, my dear Chiaki-chan, have never attacked me with true hatred burning in your heart. How could you? In your heart, you still remembered who I was and loved me none the less. It was why our fight was so much fun. And that is why you deserve my Sacred Gear, you kept your true memories of me in your heart for these long three years, despite the false memories I implanted giving you nothing but reasons to hate me. Such a thing is truly incredible."
"N-nee…sama…!" Chiaki couldn't even get anything out, she just broke down and started to sob again.
"Arisu-chan. You are the oldest of our sisters after me, and I am officially passing command of our Peerage on to you. I know I can count on you to protect our sisters with everything that you have." Mei's hologram stated.
"Mhm. I will." the Yuki-Onna Hanyō gave a firm nod despite her teary eyes.
"As a symbol of that position, I hereby bequeath to you the Garden of the Queen and everything that remains within it that I have not already bequeathed to others." the hologram stated, causing Arisu's eyes to widen in shock. "I'm sure that my final battle with Hyōdō Issei must have done a terrible amount of damage, but the construction golems that I have stored here should make repairing and rebuilding anything damaged a relative simple task. Rely on ours sisters for help and you will do fine. Chiaki-chan should be able to show you where I kept the ward schema that I designed as well. All that I ask is that you make this place into what I had intended it to be when I first designed it; a safe refuge and haven for our Peerage to know peace and solitude from the outside world when they need it. I am counting on you, Arisu-chan."
"I won't fail you. I promise you, aneki." Arisu swore, one hand clenched tight.
"Reo-chan, Rika-chan, Shinobu-chan, Maya-chan, Natsuko-chan, Aria-chan, Anya-chan, Aiko-chan." As Mei's message named each one of her remaining sisters, they looked at her. "And of course, I'm including Chiaki-chan and Arisu-chan in this too. Know this one thing above all else, I love you all with every aspect of my being, with everything that I am and will ever be. I cannot truly regret the action I took because in the end they brought you back to me for a brief instant. The only thing I can truly regret I have is that I will not get to see you all grow into who you are truly meant to become. Please, take the lessons I have taught you, take the words I spoke to you as I died, and all that I have left you and walk boldly onwards to the future."
The message's voice suddenly became very stern. "And above all else, learn from my mistakes. Putting everything on the line and burning the candle at both ends should always be done as a last resort and never a first response. Above all else, trust those you have seen and believe are truly worthy of it. Had I not let myself become a victim of my own pride and obsession, I might have gotten the help of the Four Maō to see you all returned to me. Instead, I burned away my own life doing everything on my own, and for that I will not get to see the future with you."
"Aneki…" Arisu breathed out wistfully. It had been so long since she had lectured them in the flesh. It was odd, the things that you miss when they're gone.
"I do not doubt that one or two of you will want to try and revive me yourselves." Mei continued sternly. "Let me make this clear, it cannot be done. Amadeus's final dirty trick to resurrect himself from his fake-[King] Piece has torn, mangled, and altogether shredded my soul. Even if my soul survives after my death, it will take a long, long, LONG, time for it to recover and regenerate itself from the damage done to it, far longer than even the ten-thousand year lifespans that you all possess. I will not tell you not to try, I know that will do no good, but I beg of you to please, for me, not to do anything stupid for the sake of such an impossible goal."
"Says the woman who did the impossible several times over." Issei muttered, though only his own Peerage heard him.
The hologram began to dissolve, starting at its feet. "Ah, so our time is up. Arbitrage is almost here and I'd best be ready to deal with him before the final act begins. In parting, I will say one last thing; I have dabbled into a lot of more esoteric techniques and mixed mythologies in these past three years. Among them included a few ways that I might revive myself with enough time. Some of them were so simple that I actually set them into place out of sheer preparedness. If my previous words can not persuade you, then perhaps the fact that I might be able to return on my own in the future and any actions you might take could very easily interfere with the plans I have set. For now, please trust in your big sister, okay?"
"Mou, Nee-sama…you're tricking us again, aren't you!?" Chiaki pouted. She always did this kind of thing to stop them, and it worked every single time!
"Well now, Chiaki-chan…who knows?" the 'hologram' offered her a wink before fading away, leaving the room staring after it in shock. There should have been no possible way for a mere recording to answer a question such as that, even with Mei's knowledge of her Peerage. Had she truly…?
An Indeterminable Amount of Time Later
Deep in the Wastelands of the Underworld
The red sand of the Underworld billowed as a crimson-red flame was born. Over six feet tall, the power exuded by the flame would have made any living creature flee had this not been one of the most barren and desolate areas in the entire Underworld.
Within the flame, the outline of a feminine body started to take shape. Abruptly, its eyes snapped open, revealing blood-red pupils.
"WRATH WILL NOT BE DENIED, MEI SCHWATZWALD!"
-[End?]-
