NMHA Ch. 6 - Will to Power (Part 1)


To progress in the society of Devils, there are three ways that someone can raise their ranking beyond that which was already granted to them.

The first, and slowest way to work up the ranks is to contract with humans. That there was a point system in place to show progress was a clever move on Ajuka's part, to make it more entertaining for those doing so. Like an experience bar in a video game, once a certain threshold is achieved it is possible to test for a higher class ranking.

Luna imagined she would get a kick out of the process, at least until the novelty wore off, but at the same time she was lacking in the time it would take to do so. A species whose lifespan is in the millennia is far more prone to stagnation compared to that of shorter-lived creatures. The series did basically shove it in the face of the viewers that doing so was a tried and true trick, but also incredibly slow.

Though she had thought it could be different now that she was living the series.


"So I had been looking into contracts these past couple weeks," Lunarunn started, reaching across the table she'd been asked to sit on to adjust the position of a mouse, the cursor of the computer on the opposite counter drifting over to one of the tabs she'd opened up regarding contracts.

Already she missed having a smartphone. The thing on the other counter was just so damnably slow and clunky comparatively.

The brunette pursed her lips as she felt a needle slide into one of her outstretched prismatic wings. After the brief stab of pain subsided, she carried on with what she was talking about. "I was wondering what I would need to do in order to get promoted to High-Class that way. It seems like the most applicable way to do so, considering my circumstances."

"So I take it you wish to discuss with me about the process?" Ajuka then asked, idly withdrawing a syringe containing the bodyjumper's liquid vitae before placing a hand over the entry point. A brief glow later and the residual ache from the extraction faded.

"No, I think I get the gist about the process itself. It's more the scoring system that I've a question on." Luna moved the mouse again and clicked. "I decided to spend a little bit of my allowance to get better spreadsheeting software, so I could work on the numbers. Taking into account the kinds of tasks I would probably see myself doing, I've gotten a rough estimate on the points I would earn in a week and compared it to the threshold for promotion."

"It sounds like you have everything squared away then. "

"No, no, I'm actually curious." Luna highlighted the bottom number and turned around to Ajuka, face set in a querulous scowl. "Could you check this for me? I'm wondering if I messed something up."

He paused, then walked over to the mouse, scrolling through it at rapid-fire pace before responding. "Mhm. Looks like that's accurate."

"...That's two hundred - with change - years of day-in day-out contracts to get promoted from Middle to High Class."

"Yes, and?" He turned around and lifted a brow at Luna. "Ah, once human, that's right. That's probably a lot of time for you."

"A lot- yeah, yeah it is." She rubbed her forehead and exhaled. "Time that I want to spend doing more meaningful things than being a glorified oddjob operator."

"You and every other Devil," The green-haired Maou turned and smiled knowingly. "High-Class devils are there for a reason, after all. Either they've inherited their Pillar's power, or they've worked long and hard for the privilege."

Immediately a certain Phenex rose in Luna's mind, causing her to shake her head. "Could have fooled me. Seems like the only High-Class Devils I'm able to read anything on are from one of the 72 Pillars, and of most of them the vast majority seem to be doing nothing worthwhile with that status.

"Born with the silver spoon in mouth comes to mind, if I'm going to be honest here. And don't get me wrong, I'm glad they have the opportunity to rather than being embroiled in a civil war or an ideological one with the Fallen or the Heavens." She noted that Ajuka stopped to give her a speculative frown, but pressed forward anyway. "But... they're just so complacent. They don't know how bad it can be out there. They don't realize just how good they have it. It's a real issue with rich people back on Earth, but it's like it's multiplied by ten here."

"Ten?"

"I'd say 'ten thousand' but I'm still having nightmares about the way Sirzechs's presence alone nearly asphyxiated my parents and I," Luna deadpanned, only half-joking. It was a rather traumatic experience for someone who had only the lightest tastes of that sort of thing before. "I'd raaaather not have a repeat of that any time soon."

"Hm." The green-haired Maou let out a brief huff of laughter. "You aren't wrong, though. These past generations of Devils have been quite fortunate to not know the horrors of war."

"I can only imagine how rough it must have been. Though 'rough' is probably doing it a disservice, if the look on your face says anything," Lunarunn added, taking into account the look of patronizing amusement on Ajuka. "That being said, even though I'm technically educated on the horrors of war, I know it's another thing entirely to actually be in one."

The amusement dropped for a somber expression. "There's a reason why Hell is oft depicted as a burning landscape filled with the agonized screams of the damned."

The brunette winced. "Uuuuuffff... Let me guess; scripture's citing some of the worst battles in the Great War?"

"Quite an accurate citation, I will admit."

"Damn." After several seconds of grim silence, allowing the researcher to lean in and take further notes on her wings, the bodyjumper exited the spreadsheet. "Back to the main topic though. Two centuries is way too long a time for me. Got any other suggestions what I could do?"


Lunarunn knew she'd have to try something else.

The second, faster way to rise in the Devil hierarchy would be to express one or both of political acumen and military prowess. Devils recognize power, and they recognize the strength necessary to perform great deeds in times of crisis.

Needless to say, 'great acts' in the midst of a cold war would either end in a lasting peace, something Luna knew that the heads of each faction were still ironing out at this point in time, or erupt into another Great War. This time, it would be a War of Extinction.

While she was more than happy to rock the boat, Luna wasn't insane enough to try and start a war. So that option was flat out until she hit the years right before and during canon.

Finally, the way she knew best, the third option Lunarunn Bael had to progress to the High Class status was the Rating Game.


"I was thinking about Rating Games myself, actually," the brunette admitted. "The thing there is that I can't exactly screw up. One loss and I'll need to win at least five tougher battles to make up for the loss of reputation. Pity can be worse than derision when it comes to competition."

At the lifted brow as to how she was aware of that, Luna explained. "If I'm mocked, I can at least show the hecklers up. If I'm pitied, it's real difficult to get someone to stop seeing me that way."

The green-haired Satan's nod prompted her to continue. "There's also the matter of... well. I'm Middle-Class. I don't exactly have the Evil Pieces to make a Peerage."

"And that's the whole reason you want to become High-Class," Ajuka finished, causing Luna to chuckle.

"Guilty as charged. Well, that and so my big reveal has accomplishments behind it aside from just being a Natural Reincarnated Devil."

"You do realize it would be incredibly difficult to perform in a Rating Game without allies, correct?"

"Yep."

"And you haven't put out feelers to join a Peerage yourself?"

"Hell no. I'm not joining a Peerage if I have any choice."

Ajuka crossed his arms, stepping in front of the seated brunette with a dry expression. "Really, now? Seems like a rather stubborn decision, if you ask me."

Lunarunn scowled back, chewing her lip briefly before continuing. "I've done the research. Like I said, all the prominent High-Class Devils who I was able to get a lot of information on are either complacent in their status, have already gathered a full Peerage, or are the kind of people who'd have me tearing either my hair or theirs out. Sometimes multiple of those three disqualifiers."

There was another reason, and judging by the way Ajuka stared at her, he'd figured there was something else too.

Finally, he lifted a brow. "So what you're implying is, if someone were to offer you Peerage, who intends on making waves like you, who you get along with, you would be more amenable to the idea?"

"...I'll only bend knee to someone who I truly believe will bring out the best in me, someone who I can trust closely," Luna cautiously replied. "I don't want to find myself in a position where I place my trust in someone who proceeds to throw me away at the first sign of difficulty. Or worse."

"Someone you can get along with, someone who is ambitious, someone who will reward loyalty with loyalty, and someone who will bring out the best in you. That's not high-standard at all." The Maou's soft chuckling gave away the sarcasm.

She grinned and shrugged, touched with a tinge of melancholy. "What can I say? I'm a picky person. I can still be on good terms with someone who's happy where they are, or someone who won't help me grow, but that doesn't mean I'll swear fealty to them."

The brunette's aquamarine eyes shifted back to her ethereal wings, the melancholy more thoroughly suffusing her voice and posture. "I've seen too many people hurt because they trusted the wrong person. So I won't be one of those people. I refuse."

"Sometimes your trust being betrayed happens anyway, even if it's not intentional."

Her eyes darted back to the Satan's.

"I know. Which is why I'll take it as it comes, and understand that nobody's perfect."

Luna breathed in slowly, tilting her head up toward the ceiling and closing her eyes, and then breathed out after several seconds, opening her eyes once more before giving a nod to Ajuka. "But until then, I'll cherish my freedom dearly. If that means I'll have to walk the Path of Kings alone, so be it."

The Beelzebub stared at her again, once again inquisitively, before a smile broke across his face. "I can see that fire in your eyes when you say that. You're committed."

"I know that until I get to High-Class at the least my life's going to be a mess. If it means that I'll be able to achieve my goals though, then like I said. So be it."

"And what are your goals, if you don't mind me asking?"

Lunarunn Bael, bearer of an unknown power, soul-traveler from outside the universe, met the gaze of Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies, chief lieutenant and ally of Lucifer himself, a being so beyond her that Lunarunn knew that in every test of strength and intellect he was her better.

She beheld a King of Darkness, and she smiled.


"You have been busy in the six months since we last spoke." The mirror image remarked, crossing its arms in time with Luna's as the two once again faced each other in the infinite black. "Surprisingly active, at that. I imagined you would be far more docile in your approach to this world."

"You can blame Serafall for that. For someone as ditzy as she can be, she can be a surprisingly effective motivator."

"Does that have anything to do with the fact that she found out you're effectively a lesbian within the first two weeks of you two meeting?"

A fierce blush rose to Luna's face. "That magical girl outfit does nothing to hide her features. How was I supposed to look away when that woman bounces!"

"The same way any person with a reasonable modicum of self-control would; politely."

Now she pouted. "You say that only because you're an entity beyond sexuality, Ulan."

Serafall was stunning, both in personality and in looks. Overwhelming fit the description too, and as such she could understand how the Leviathan had struck up a rivalry with Gabriel.

Ulan did an eye equivalent of a shrug, conceding the point.

"No, but really. No wonder Sona wants - er, will want - to become a teacher and open a school; her sister is a natural at it, and she picks it up well too." Which went so completely at odds with Serafall's demeanor that Luna was still struggling to wrap her head around it.

Maybe Serafall's mother was a Dantalion? Luna thought she remembered the demon Dantalion being a purveyor of knowledge.

"I can't help but imagine that part of Serafall is aided by the fact that the disconnect leaves those around her off-guard enough to be more open to her words."

The brunette's expression went flat. "A PR specialist Devil delving into psychological pseudoscience. Go figure."

"Considering that the supernatural is so much more than mere fantasy compared to your world, is it really difficult to believe that perhaps said studies were simply missing an element indefinable without supernatural means?"

"...When you put it that way... shit, I'll have to ask Ajuka next time he comes in to study my progress."

"Which circles back to why you've entered a communion with me; you seek greater understanding. Have you figured out the riddle I've tasked you with?"

"No, though not for lack of trying. Everything circles back to 'mirror'." Luna lifted a hand to rub one side of her face. "But you said it yourself; the rabbit hole goes deeper than that. Now that I finally figured out how to bring myself here though, I figured I'd try and plumb you for clues."

"A rather crude way of saying that you seek advice. Very well, though. Ask away."

The brunette and her mirror image both took a seat, legs and arms crossed as the former human spoke. "Well, for one, I was wondering about the show of force I displayed back when I started training. Since then, I've been able to reproduce it, but only when I channel my Id into the desire to push my target away. Yet, when I try performing simpler acts, such as levitating a cup, I can't exactly get it to work."

"And what happens, exactly?"

"Well, same as before. The cup gets shot into the air like it was fired from a gun. Which is strange, because I do change my mindset. Instead of 'push', I try to act on the will to do things like make it hover, or to hold it in position. When I focus on making it hover, the cup flies all over the place, and when I hold it in position..."

Luna trailed off, pursing her lips. "Well, it flew in a direction completely unintended."

As in, she knocked herself out when the thankfully plastic cup beaned her on the head at mach speeds.

"Oh yes, that was most entertaining to watch."

"Oh fuck you, Ulan."

"Not a sexual being, remember."

"Makes it all the more potent a thing to say."

"Touche."

"Point being, since 'push away' seems to work and anything else in the same vein doesn't, I've sort of come to a wall regarding that branch of power."

"Have you considered that when you focus your instinct to direct a force upon an object, you require a frame of reference from which that force is applied?"

"I'd considered it, but eventually discarded the notion. Considering that Devils are creatures based on Id, I have to channel that instinct, rather than focus on the physics of the action."

"I believe I mentioned that the original Lunarunn Bael sacrificed both her soul and her demonic power to me. So the rules regarding how Devils control their power is not quite the same as the rules regarding how you must channel mine."

Luna stilled, then slumped, hands dropping into her lap with a groan. "...You did say that, didn't you? Fuck, so I was working under a wrong assumption?"

"You do know what the general 'they' quote about making assumptions, yes?"

"I know, I know. Didn't even realize, though."

The human-turned-Devil pursed her lips. "So basically, what you're saying is that I'm not so much directing my power to cause the desired event, but rather directing my power to create the conditions that cause the event?"

"That is correct. As I said before, I am the steward of worlds. As such, while I cannot directly impose my will upon said worlds I can cultivate the conditions that can emulate such an effect."

"...We're getting into metaphysics now, aren't we?"

Ulan smiled and said nothing.

Lunarunn sighed, before marking the realization up as something that simply is and moving on. "Okay, so... going by the textbook definition of metaphysics, it's the study of the concepts beyond physical representation. Does that mean my power - er, your power, that you granted me - ply with things like time and space?"

"Yes, albeit not directly. It is more accurate to say that you induce a localized phenomena through your will that as previously mentioned creates the effect that you desire."

"So, if I were to focus on, say, causing the air within a certain path to catch fire, then it might so occur that the nitrogen in the air is... juxtaposed with oxygen? How is that different than just using my power as fuel to create an explosive outpouring of heat to ignite what is already there?"

"Because your strength lies beyond the physical. This power lies in your mind, rather than the body."

"...I'm an esper then?" Luna's eyes started to shine, and the glee in her voice could not be denied. "That is so, fucking, awesome~"

"Focus, Lunarunn. This is important, and our communion has near run its course." The serious tone snapped the brunette back to reality before she started squeeing, directing her attention to the copy across from her. "Before you get ahead of yourself, let me explain what I mean. The ability to handle my power comes from your perception of the world around you. How you view the world will affect how you can manipulate it. In time you may be able to make your surroundings dance to a song only you can see, but to progress any further your goal must be to become capable of truly seeing in the first place."

Luna's gaze shifted down to her lap, gazing at her hands intently as she mulled over the words Ulan has bequeathed unto her. "Power from perception, huh? Or is it... power of perception?"

A brow lifted. "Or could it be both? ...It probably is both, isn't it?"

"You are not mistaken," the mirror image replied simply. "You begin to understand, though I can perceive that you still do not quite grasp my true nature. This has been a worthwhile visit though, you already have progressed magnificently over this past period of time."

"Thanks." The bodyjumper smiled sheepishly. "Though to say that I have a long way to go would just be insultingly insufficient."

Then inspiration struck, and an idea appeared within her mind. "...Is that why you're appearing to me as a mirror image? Because in order to see the world around me I need to understand myself first?"

"Hah. Ha ha ha... I knew I chose my avatar wisely."

The sheepish smile turned wry. "I'll take that as a 'yes', then. Though judging from the fact that you still maintain my doppelganger implies I still have some self-reflection to undertake, am I wrong?"

Once more, Ulan smiled, even as the world around them turned white once more, and the doppelganger vanished, leaving Luna on her bed, sitting the same way she had been doing with Ulan.

'Or perhaps it's the other way around.'

The brunette's hand lifted up to her face and wiped away the streaks of red that had run down her face during her visitation to her patron. While she hadn't technically gotten what she'd meditated for, Luna had a feeling of satisfaction welling up inside her.

Power of perception. Power from perception. The way she sees the world sees the way she shapes the world.

So if she were to change the way she saw something, if Luna's perspective were to change, to become more, then so too would that thing?

"Then... it's all the more important that I master my self before I master anything else. A house with an imperfect foundation may crumble before the storm."

Her hand, splayed palm toward her face, clenched shut, the blood from her face leaking out from between the fingers.

'And I intend to survive in it.'

Lunarunn inhaled, and shut her eyes.

'No. That's not quite right.'

She exhaled, opened her eyes, and clenched her fist tighter.

'I intend to *thrive* in it.'

The blood crackled, wavered... and then dissipated, evaporating into mist on the wind. A blink, and it was gone, as though it were a mirage.

That which existed only in the eyes of the one beholding it.


'Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more.'

As her back hit the dirt once again, Luna lifted her head to see her mother floating in the air above her, cracking her knuckles. After realizing more of her power, the bodyjumper had approached her father for suggestions on who to spar with, and much to her surprise Thelastia was his first suggestion, citing that between the two of them she was actually the more combat-capable.

"Are you alright, Luna?" said woman called from above. "You look like you landed pretty hard there."

Thankfully, now that she had unlocked her powers and showed that she had the drive to improve, Thelastia was far less... obsessive about unlocking Luna's potential.

The fighting itself was a whole lot tougher though, especially once Demonic power and magic got involved. For a Devil that was supposedly Middle-Class and not part of a peerage, Luna's mother was rather well-versed in the arts of the Bishop Piece, even if Thelastia's own physical abilities weren't lacking.

The daughter could certainly feel both in the way her back complained when she rolled back to her feet. Despite the pain, Luna's gaze was sharp, and steady.

'I've handled worse. I can handle this too. This is nothing.'

"I'm fine. We're not done until Dad finishes dinner, and I don't smell anything yet. So stop talking and come at me!"

'Come at me. Approach. Get closer. Get dragged closer, get grabbed by the riptide, get pulled into my awaiting arms.'

The air is simply an ocean of gas, containing many of the very same elements that comprise the sea. Overlay the force of an ocean current on the air, remind the gaseous ocean the uncompromising flow of its liquid cousin, and...

Luna's hands were cloaked in a prismatic haze as she drew an arm back, grinning as she saw the way that her mother's legs were snagged by an invisible force in doing so, yanked forward as the ocean of gas realized what 'should' happen and pulled Thelastia toward her.

Her fist flew free, and the feeling as it slammed into her mother's side drained away the aches of the bruises Luna herself had accrued.


"I think... I think I've helped you learn as much as I reasonably can," her mother breathed out as Lunarunn helped her back inside from their latest sparring session, chest rising and falling rapidly as Thelastia struggled to speak. "You've grown... so much. So much, so fast."

The daughter smiled, breathing heavily herself, but in markedly better condition than her sparring partner for the better part of a year. Between the occasional chat with Ulan and the consistent combat practice with Thelastia, Luna certainly felt as though she'd found her stride regarding how to fight with her powers, though she did still struggle with figuring out just what the mirror image of her was.

"I think you can thank Serafall for that. She figured out how to help me stoke my inner fire pretty quickly."

"Hah hah... Pride is certainly... not your Sin."

Not as far as giving credit where Luna thought credit was due went, anyhow.

"Perhaps not," the bodyjumper demurred. "But if you're suggesting I find more people to train with, then who am I to disagree?"


"You were right."

A joyful voice of that magnitude could only mean one thing, particularly considering the one speaking it.

That, and the fact that he'd barreled into the guest room - where Luna had found herself at the prompting of her mother - like a man possessed.

"I had a feeling I would be." Luna smiled enigmatically, lifting up a cup of juice to her mouth and taking a drink before continuing. "So, boy or girl?"

"A girl, with hair like mine and the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen!" Sirzechs crooned, clasping his hands together and tilting his whole body to the side, almost wiggling in place. "I can already tell that she's going to grow up to be a fine young woman~!"

"Heh. Congratulations. I know you're not technically supposed to have attachments to the Gremory family as a Satan, but I think we both know you're going to be a brother to her and damn the consequences."

"The best brother I can be," he agreed as though the brunette in the room hadn't just pointed out that Sirzechs would be committing blatant favoritism, nodding once before calming down, giving Luna a beaming smile. "Thank you, Luna. For both proving your words from earlier true, and for the well-wishes."

'Damn. If Serafall's got the overwhelming force of personality down, then Sirzech's got an impeccable charm to match. Can't say I'm surprised given his occupation though.'

"I also hear that Lady Sitri had a child too,"

"Did Serafall say something?"

"Considering she strung a banner with sequins spelling out 'I have a new sister' around a pole and paraded it around on live television, you could say she told the whole world." Lunarunn giggled. "Something I'm sure you'd have done as well had you not been talked out of doing so by your wife."

"You know, I should feel offended by that, but considering how right you are I can't be." The Satan crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks, acting almost like a petulant child. "I love Grayfia like nothing else but by the Morningstar she can be a spoilsport. This is a momentous day!"

The brunette lifted a hand to her chin and stroked it gently, a sly smirk rising to her face. "Hmm. I dunno, it almost sounds like she's jealous, if you ask me."

"Is that so...?" He peered at her with a small smirk of his own. "So are you implying I should try to appease her in that way?"

"Whatever do you mean? I'm not implying anything, Lord Lucifer."

The Crimson Satan laughed at that. "Perhaps not then, but it is an idea nonetheless."

As they shared a moment of levity, eventually the good atmosphere turned to something more businesslike, Sirzechs and Lunarunn sitting down at the table to discuss related matters.

"The birth of Rias and Sona are both a much-needed morale boost for the upper echelons of Devilkind," the Maou started, steepling his fingers and resting them on the table. "Our kind has never been adept at procreation like humans, so two Devils - and Pillar heirs at that - being birthed not even fifteen minutes apart has morale running high. Even in the pureblood faction, though I wouldn't be surprised if they have something in the works to try and continue that trend."

Luna picked up on the implication immediately, partly due to her already knowing what would come of said 'something'. "Arranged marriages?"

A single nod, as Sirzechs's expression grew dark. "A horribly outdated practice, in my opinion, but the Old Satan faction is certainly nothing if not socially-conservative."

"It does fit with their M.O. from what I know of them," she admitted, leaving the half-truth standing as she pushed onward. "So I suppose your coming here's also got something to do with that?"

"Yes." He drew himself back up, shoulders squared, as he looked Luna in the eye. "Which is why I want to reveal your own resurrection, to distract them from forcing Rias or Sona to marry."

Luna let her eyes slide shut, as she took a breath. The limelight has come calling again, it appeared. Well, her relative peace was nice while it lasted.

"I'm glad that you didn't just go ahead without letting me know," she spoke after a few more seconds to gather her words. Eyes reopened and she smiled wryly at the Satan. "Though I have no doubt the temptation to head them off before they even got the chance to conceive the idea was a powerful one."

A nod. "I would be lying if I said it wasn't. But, you've proven your words true, and I can tell that we have much to gain from each other working together going forward. You at least deserve enough respect for a warning before I go ahead."

So he already had something in the works, then? "If I may, I have a suggestion when to reveal my circumstances."

Sirzechs's head tilted to the side. "...Go on."

"The Young Devil's Rating Game Tournament is soon, right? I've been training my pretty little butt off with these powers, it might be a good time to reveal me then."

"Without a Peerage?" The Crimson Satan's lips started curling up slowly. "I realize you don't wish to join another, but fighting without one, as a Middle-Class Devil, would certainly get you your fair share of hecklers."

"Then I'll just have to prove them wrong, won't I?" Luna replied tartly, running a hand through a lock of hair. "I don't even have to win. I just have to show that I have enough prowess to give a full Peerage a run for their money without help, and that alone should get me enough respect to warrant elevation to High-Class."

Sirzechs stared Luna down, who started to get a little fidgety under his weighing gaze. It also prompted her to continue further. "Er, right. Plus, if a single Natural Reincarnated Devil is able to put on a showing, then it just goes to show to the fence-sitters and Old Satan faction that the Evil Pieces are able to go even further. That there's a potential point where the only difference between pure-blooded Devils and Reincarnated ones are their formative years rather than any physiological or psychological differences. Add that in with any sorts of breakthroughs my work with Ajuka's made, and you have a recipe for a political field day right there."

"Good explanation, but even that small amount of hesitation could cost you," the redhead warned, to which Luna shrugged and rubbed the back of her head. "Your explanation is valid, but it fails to take into account something that the Old Satans hold quite dear."

"And that is...?" The brunette paused, then groaned, lifting a hand to her face. "Oh, for the love of... It comes back to power, blood, and influence, doesn't it?"

"When does it not?" Sirzechs asked back, though it was with a small nod of approval. "A major roadblock in getting the Old Satan faction to the table is that they react quite poorly to any perceived attempts to intrude on their supposed superiority, or reduce their influence. Many there would rather that Reincarnated Devils as a whole be relegated to the status of a second-class citizen. Some would rather they not exist at all, and see them as an abomination."

"I can imagine that's something they didn't take too kindly to, when you've undoubtedly pointed out that the Exorcists in the Church likely share that exact same opinion of the race as a whole."

He chuckled, though it was a self-deprecating one. "It felt pretty good, but the years-long deadlock that followed was certainly more trouble than slapping them with the truth was worth. Grayfia still doesn't let me live it down."

"Can't say I'm surprised," she admitted, before frowning thoughtfully. "Guess that means that I'm going to have to put on a better show than just 'putting up a hell of a fight', huh?"

"Ideally, you'd top the competition," Sirzechs agreed. "Though you've only been a Devil for... what, Three years now?"

"Three years, one month, and eighteen days." Luna recited it off the specific time with the certainty of someone who'd been counting. "I've been training for about... I'd say about thirty months?"

"Right. For most Devil's, that really is just a blink of an eye," the Crimson Satan continued. "For you to challenge entire Peerages on your own after such a relatively short time since your 'revival', many will see that as the height of ignorance. Even if you do well considering the circumstances, you'll be seen primarily as someone to adopt into a Peerage due to your supposed ignorance."

"Which means that unless I do solo the entire gathering, I'm going to be pressured into joining one before becoming High-Class," Luna finished, breathing out a heavy sigh as Sirzechs nodded in confirmation. "...Probably even if I do, though not to the same degree."

"If you beat the entire Gathering, I'm sure that you'll be given High-Class without much issue, though I imagine you'll not make many friends in doing so. That you will have done so without joining a Peerage or even forming one of your own would mean another avenue to challenge you into joining theirs."

"I'm starting to like my own idea less and less..."

"I'm simply laying out the consequences that will occur in doing so, and the risk you take on if you do decide to follow through on this scheme of yours," Sirzechs's tone softened. "...I know you've been pushing yourself a lot over the past three years to improve. But you're taking a big step here, and you still aren't in a good place to have a stumble. We can look at other options for your reveal, if you aren't ready."

For someone who was the Prince of Lies, his words were shockingly genuine. Luna wasn't sure why, but she knew that for an absolute fact.

It was actually kind of touching. Somehow she'd managed to secure her place as a friend to Sirzechs, someone worth looking out for, and Luna was rather short on people who saw her like that.

Outside the three she'd been working with and her parents, Luna had actually become something of a recluse.

'I'd forgotten how nice it is to have someone looking out for me, outside of familial obligation.'

And Sirzechs was looking out for her. He really was concerned of the consequences to Luna if she'd failed. At least, her own plans were being taken into account for his.

Her eyes closed, her head dipped down, and Luna took a deep breath.

There was a part of her that wasn't pleased with the insinuation that the Crimson Satan was implying, that she just wasn't good enough.

But Luna also knew that there was a good reason for that. Even if Sirzechs was still quite young in Devil terms, he'd been alive since the Great War, which meant even for him three years was incredibly short.

She didn't exactly have a Sacred Gear to explain her rapid progress either, so in Sirzech's eye she probably was someone who was acting hastily.

In a way, Luna was wondering if she was being so, herself.

For a human though, three years is enough to change them, particularly in times of upheaval. And while Luna still thought of herself as the same person as she was when she woke up in the hospital, neither could she deny that she had grown in some fashion.

Inhale. "Thank you, Sirzechs, for your concern. It makes me glad to learn that you've come to include me in your thoughts beyond just that of another citizen or asset."

But she couldn't back down. Not now. Not after all the training she's done for this chance.

An exhale. "Let's take this to the training grounds, so I can show you how I've grown. If you have the time to humor a young human-turned-Devil."


A/N:

100 followers already. That's... pretty impressive, actually. I'm glad my writing's strong enough to convince you all to come back for more, so thank you for that!

Anyway, the first couple parts came out pretty easily, but after that the flow wasn't quite as there. I'm not sure if anyone can tell, but that was the case. Regardless, this is more of a montage chapter to represent Luna's progression, since I know that you all are probably interested in seeing her muck around with Ishibumi's canon as I am, but I can't exactly leave out everything in a timeskip and come back to it later; chances are more likely than not that a lot of things would feel shoehorned in, and I don't want that.

And for those who feel as though Luna's been having it easy, I completely agree. She hasn't really seen conflict yet, not really, not of the violent kind, and it's going to show in her first real encounter. She's gonna see her 'plans' meet some turbulence soon, mark my words.

I was deciding whether or not to have Luna's spar with Sirzechs, but decided to postpone it to next chapter. I've already gotten a good bit done here after all, 6000-plus words is good for a chapter in my opinion, so I'll push things further along later before I get schooled by my last semester of college.

P.S. - While my initial plan for the story was a mix of crack and realism, there's definitely more focus on the storybuilding at the moment, so I changed the description to be a bit more accurate. Apologies for any undue notifications!

Tempura Wizard out!