NMHA Ch. 34 - Shock Value
A/N:
Not quite linear with timeline; this delves more into a couple of the scenes of the chapter prior, since there was teaser after teaser that I left hanging. If the last arc was the groundwork arc, then this is the buildup arc, to build up the foundation of a character's position going forward.
This should be the last time I have the chapters in this format for the foreseeable future. It's more the execution of the setup from the chapter prior. As such, the time frame for each scene remains the same as it was the chapter prior: 1 month, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, and 6 years respectively.
The frigid water that splashed against his face did little to stem the alarm bubbling up inside him.
Diodora Astaroth tried again, to little avail.
Any thought that this might be some mad dream had long since vanished, but he tried splashing cold water on his face anyway on the off chance that it really was.
True Satans.
Somehow, he'd found himself in bed with the True Satans.
And somehow, he'd found himself the pupil of Rizevim Livan fucking Lucifer.
He swallowed hard, thinking back when the Prince of Devils finally introduced himself in full, as opposed to just playing the helpful 'mysterious stranger'.
Diodora was someone who prided himself on his ability to choose his own actions, even in the face of pressure.
Yet not only had Rizevim shattered his self-control like a fragile wineglass during his weakest moment, but then proceeded to bowl over that same regathered discipline as though it wasn't even there by virtue of raw presence.
It only emphasized just how easily he'd fallen into Rizevim's web.
If he'd told them all to kill themselves then and there, Diodora had no doubt that they'd all have snapped their own necks.
How horrifying, and yet...
'That's the sort of power I will need - and need to be comfortable with - to make Zekram pay.'
Yet that same horrifying realization filled him with a deep thrill.
'What would it be like, to have that sort of power myself?'
The thought of having someone down on their knees before him, that same adulation in their eyes like it had with Katerea back there, was a deeply exciting prospect.
Even the idea of that adulation being induced just made the thought all the more appealing...
He swallowed hard, clenching his hands hard on the sink surface to prevent his blood from going someplace else.
Dangerous.
That sort of power was dangerous.
Then again, that was exactly what he was looking for, wasn't it?
Something to destroy the world that had taken her from him.
Diodora's mind went to someone else, someone who'd vanished a short time before his world came crashing down on him.
Was this how Luna felt about trying to become High Class?
Uncomfortable with what needed to be done, or obtained in his case, but willing to go the distance all the same?
...He'd have to make himself comfortable, then, especially with what Rizevim had said about his 'talent'.
On one hand, it would be... educational, to say the very least, to learn mentalism from the individual who had led Dantalion himself.
On the other, the moral implications of learning such arts from that same person...
The running water shut off suddenly, one hand tight on the faucet as Diodora lifted his head to meet his own opened eyes in the mirror.
'That doesn't matter.'
What mattered was enacting rightly-deserved payback. Anything else was secondary.
"There you went. You left in something of a hurry."
Diodora's gaze squinted again as his head shifted to his left, where Katerea was leaning against the doorframe to the restroom, arms crossed and bespectacled gaze neutral.
He turned back to the mirror. "It's not every day that you realize you've fallen in with the First Devil."
"If Lord Lucifer hadn't revealed his name to you before, then it was most likely for a reason, however inane it might appear," Katerea pushed herself off of the doorframe to step into the washroom, glancing at one of the mirrors with a faint lift of her head. Her gait was casual, yet sinuous all the same, perhaps a testament to her Leviathan heritage. "Are you regretting your decision already?"
He shook his head. "Not at all. Simply... coming to terms, with what that decision may entail. I am not overfond of the True Satan Faction, nor what it represents."
"Talent. Birthright. Loyalty to one's roots. The unfettered pursuit of one's desires." Katerea hummed, lips quirking upwards. "But... I doubt that is what even a young noble like you learned from your parents, am I mistaken?"
"The weak are trampled underfoot. The unblooded are given no opportunity. A loyalty that surpasses death, inviting extinction to our species. A mad rush for one's goals, heedless of who gets hurt along the way." Diodora lifted his head toward the ceiling. "You speak as someone who stands at the very top of your old regime, Katerea. But I've read the stories in the Astaroth library; I know the brutality that was hardly even hidden behind the scenes."
"Of course there was darkness. Did you really think that I would be blind to it?" The teal-haired Devil noted the Leviathan had lifted a hand, wrist turned inward, gesturing to her breast. "At least we did not act like we were above and act like it never existed, like the Great King Faction and the pretenders that usurped our thrones do. Was our rule tyrannical? Of course; we were and still are Devils, and we who rule refuse to let the opinion of others get in our way."
Funny, she didn't mention how that was any better than the government now.
'But would she be alive if there had been different rulers?'
He couldn't discount the thought.
"I'm sensing a 'but' in there." the teal-haired Devil's gaze turned back to the child of Leviathan.
Katerea smirked, hand now gesturing to Diodora instead. "You catch on. As I mentioned, the Great King Faction simply pretends. It pretends to be the rightful government, it pretends to be 'better', it pretends to be 'above' the old ways. Yet, it ripped its 'right' from the hands of its true rulers, it turns a blind eye to - outright permits, even - the same forms of repression behind closed doors, and is ruled by that treacherous bastard of a Bael from the shadows."
Bael.
Bael.
Bael.
It always came back to Zekram, didn't it? His ambitions, then him, then his family, in that order.
Still.
"Why did you seek me out?" he tried, preferring to step away from that topic.
"Because as much as Creuserey might argue otherwise, at the risk of sounding cliche, we aren't so different you and I." Katerea stepped forward again, tilting her head as she slid behind him, staring at her own reflection behind the inscrutable eyes of the Astaroth heir. "I am not so arrogant as to not recognize a kindred spirit. We both want the same things; the destruction of the current regime, a change to the status quo..."
The Child of Leviathan turned her head away. "...and our vengeance for the death of someone we cared for deeply."
'Huh?'
That got Diodora's attention, as he glanced back at Katerea. "You lost someone, too?"
"Mh." She nodded, slowly, an expression Diodora had become far too familiar with forming on that bespectacled face. "A lover, a fiance. Perhaps even a husband, had he not met his end during the civil war."
Diodora's grip tightened on the sink again as he returned his face to the mirror.
That look in her eye, he recognized it. The slump of Katerea's shoulders, he had felt it himself before. The way her arms, almost unconsciously, wrapped around herself as though to provide some degree of comfort to the body they belonged to. He'd done the same, the night after her death.
Either she was able to put on an act to fool him, or...
"I... I didn't know." She wouldn't want consolation. He certainly didn't.
"That is because you weren't taught the truth; who would want to support a trio of heartless monsters, after all?" Katerea scoffed, though her voice was soft, sibilant even. "No, history is written by the victors, and as such our names and reputations have been utterly tarnished. Simply for defending what was ours."
He wanted to say something about them doing it to themselves, but yet...
She was silent for a moment, keen eyes half-shut scrutinizing Diodora's body language and a small, knowing smile rising to her face before she spoke in low, secretive tones. "I know that look. You want to deny it, but you can't. You know my words are true. After all... it happened to you too, didn't it?"
He stiffened, something that the Leviathan noted all too easily.
Though it might have also had something to do with the hand, smooth and supple, that pressed itself gently into the small of his back, all but sending a tingling across his body.
"That's why I say we're not so different," that bespectacled gaze was practically pouring sympathy, empathy even, an understanding of exactly what the Astaroth heir was going through, and her voice near musical in how soothing it was to just listen to. "Because even from different eras, even from different houses, different stories, different experiences, we share the same tragedy - a loss of a loved one, by the same bastard who stole our world away."
He knew exactly what she was doing.
He found he didn't care.
"We should embrace that tragedy, together." Katerea gently pressed her hand more firmly up against his back, dangerously close, leaning in to whisper honey directly into Diodora's ear. "So that we can never be hurt like that again. Come to understand us and our way of life, Diodora. Work with us, so that you can. Stay with us, if you think there is a chance we're the same. And if you so choose, after coming to understand us... perhaps even join us."
The image of what he had lost flashed through his mind, the memory of a smiling face that haunted him to this moment.
If she were still alive, he wouldn't even be here. He wouldn't even entertain the thought of working with the True Satan Faction.
But now?
"I..." He swallowed, before that same burning desire for vengeance erupted once more. His voice was steady. "I swore that I'd avenge her. I don't care who I have to go through to see it done. I suppose that means I'll work with you three as well, as long as our goals align."
Even if he felt a bit of bile rise at the back of his throat at saying it.
The teal-haired heir felt a faint huff brush by his ear before Katerea pulled away, a small smile on her face and satisfaction lacing her tone.
"I'm happy to hear that." She turned around to step away, stopping by the doorframe again as a thought seemingly occurred. Her gaze met him once more. "If you ever want to stop by, exchange stories, or perhaps make a toast to the ones we lost, be sure to let me know in advance so I can clear some time for you. As the saying goes; 'misery loves company'."
Then she was gone, leaving Diodora alone with whirling thoughts once more.
If perhaps a little more settled, thanks to her... interruption.
Though she'd left him with a few more as well.
'What else should I know that I don't?'
'When will I finally be able to put her ghost to rest?'
'What will happen next?'
He didn't know.
Until he had his revenge, he didn't care.
As the Bounded Field that was to be their battlefield entered Ruval's field of vision, he let out a swallow.
For the strong front he put up, Ruval would admit he was nervous.
Not necessarily for what he was facing here, but rather about the impact of what he was about to do.
The Phenex planned to win, of course.
But that wasn't the main intention of challenging the Emperor before his retirement.
No, what he meant to do was wake them up. Wake them up to the world beyond them, like she had awakened him.
"Xi Fan, be sure to inform us if Diehauser attempts anything to end the match early."
His first Bishop nodded her head, turning around and stepping forward and lifting her tattooed arm; the dragon glowed, though she unleashed no attack, instead turning her senses to the surroundings at large.
The match hadn't started yet, after all.
That, and the battlefield was an abandoned city. Tokyo, the blond recognized.
'I wonder if that is intentional.'
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages!" Ah, there was the announcer. "Thank you for tuning into the final Rating Game of one Ruval Phenex! I'm your host, Naud Gamigin, and oh sweet Morningstar we have one amazing match ahead for you today! Why don't you explain, Roygun?"
"But of course." That voice was most definitely the Third King, the wielder of Crack. She sounded pleased to be able to assist in commentating. "This here, folks, is the culmination of a year of challenges issued by the Blue Phenex. He's been on a tear, dethroning higher-ranked Kings left and right, myself included!"
"You seem rather unfazed by your own defeat. Such magnanimity in the face of defeat," the self-proclaimed host commented.
"Can you blame me? He didn't leave the ground once and still won handily." Roygun let out a huff of laughter, partly exasperated, partly amused. "Ruval even beat Bedeze the same way. Whatever happened, the Blue Phenex has absolutely stepped up his game over the course of a year. I doubt he'll do the same for Diehauser though as he did for Bedeze and I; out of all of us, he's stood as the uncontested Emperor among Kings, and not for lack of those seeking his title."
Ruval could hear the anticipation brimming in Roygun's voice. "I can't wait to see what he's been holding back all this time. What they'll both show us all."
Naud Gamigin took the reins of the conversation back at that point. "Well there you have it! Even the Third King has expressed excitement for this Rating Game! If even someone as powerful as she is excited, then clearly there is even more at play here than meets the eye!"
"But enough of the small talk. Let's get to the brass tacks, shall we?" Roygun interjected. "This Rating Game is to take place in a supercity from the Overworld, the capital of the island nation Japan. This will be a standard match, with no additional rules for either King to keep in mind as they prepare. Each team has been assigned a building to represent their headquarters, with a five-kilometer radius in which Pawns from the opposing team may promote. Additionally, both teams will receive one vial of Phenex Tears to use at their own discretion. Use them wisely, you two."
As the small vial containing his Peerage's Tear appeared in the air at Roygun's teasing tone by the end of her listing off the rules, Ruval extended a hand to catch it, fingers closing around the 'gift'.
"Wow! Pulling out all the stops for this match, it seems! A fitting finale for the flight of the Phenex! The match will begin in one minute, everyone! Stay where you are, it will be a battle for the ages!"
He didn't need the Tear; nor did his team.
It'd just be another weight to the message he meant to deliver.
Ruval watched the numbers that formed in the sky begin counting down to showtime.
What a show he meant to unveil as well.
A smile crossed his face, not one of the masks he so often put on, but a genuine one.
His eyes practically glowed with cerulean anticipation.
He was nervous, that was true.
But he was excited, too.
Perhaps for the first time, he was going to enjoy himself in a Rating Game.
Not for the fight itself, nor for the victory.
But for the ideals he meant to champion in this final Game.
As the timer started counting down from ten, he could practically hear the crowd back in the Underworld count down with the numbers.
"Ten!"
His Peerage all spread their wings, ready to take flight.
"Nine!"
Ruval's smile widened, deigning not to spread his just yet.
"Eight!"
It would be far more impactful when he froze the Underworld whole.
"Seven!"
Instead, he let a circle of white surround him, a tightly-condensed magical circle in preparation for turning this city into a burning hellscape.
"Six!"
The Peerage of a Phenex wouldn't be as badly affected by such conditions; his power granted them some small level of heat resistance just by being part of his Peerage. Diehauser would be unaffected too due to Worthless, but the rest of Belial's Peerage was potentially vulnerable, thus either forcing them into the air or forcing them to struggle in hostile territory.
"Five!"
Either scenario would do.
He closed his eyes.
"Four!"
"This one's for you," he whispered, knowing full well that she would be watching, wherever she was now.
"Three!"
Ruval inhaled.
"Two!"
Ruval exhaled.
"One!"
He pulled off the top half of his clothing with a single, smooth motion.
Zero.
The Underworld fell silent, those watching taken aback even as the timer disappeared and the false Tokyo erupted into a great conflagration.
After all, when they saw the black, vile char across the chiseled back of a Phenex, how many would fall silent for if but a moment?
Something that should have been impossible was laid bare in front of their eyes, and he had no doubt it took the breath of millions away.
The invincible Phenex, not just burned, but scarred. One might even say disfigured.
The one in question idly took the Phenex tear and uncorked the vial, pouring it over his back almost lazily before tossing the vial away, completely forgotten.
It was his scar, his memory, to bear.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
The Tears sank in, yet the only thing that changed was the pair of feathered wings, burning a ghostly ivory that now spread wide as he took to the air, ascending to join the rest of his Peerage in the sky. He couldn't hear them, but he could imagine some of the older Devils, those who had fought in the Great War, would panic upon seeing feathered wings of white.
After all, that meant angels, didn't it?
"Oh my goodness!" Naud bellowed in agreement, cutting through the void left by Ruval's sudden reveal with all the force of a master announcer. "It seems as though Ruval has decided to go for scorched earth off the bat! What a start to the match! White blazes! White pinions! A scorched back! Why, he almost looks like a fallen flame of Sinai taken flight!"
Ruval had been somewhat alarmed himself, at least at first.
He rose in the path of a large magical blast and sliced it in two with a spear that shone brightly in his hand, clearly not the same as the flames on his back. The force of his swing caused each half of the Belial's opening volley to split to each side of his Peerage, crashing into the boundary of the field before dissipating.
The Phenex smirked, and lifted his spear.
"Prepare yourselves!" he bellowed, an aura of the same white flames that comprised his wings erupting into existence around him, a temperature he had only been able to produce in small quantities before. Now, however, was a separate matter entirely, as a testament to how the false Tokyo was now ablaze with silvered tongues.
The Blue Phenex?
'No longer.'
The blond released another roar, and where the city burned before, this time the sky itself ignited, streams of pale hellfire curling through the air before crashing into the ground and buildings in a scene worthy of doomsday, garlands of red electricity from the massive disturbances to the air appearing at random intervals across the entire battlefield, whose temperatures had entered the hundreds in a matter of seconds.
Yet even now, he could pick out locations where the temperature in the air wasn't the same, having already extended his magical sense across the city through his flames.
"It seems one of Diehauser's Pawns has already retired, not having expected to be overwhelmed by flames of white." Roygun added, though her own voice was much more languid than Naud's, a stabilizing influence to the manic energy in the Gamigin's own tone. "Hahahah. My, it seems that Ruval's been hiding quite a bit, both of power and changes to himself. Color me very impressed~!"
It seemed as though he'd also already struck down one of Diehauser's Pieces too. How convenient.
Was it wrong for him to nearly break into cackles from the delight he was experiencing at finally letting loose?
Either way, he'd have to be forgiven for grinning from ear to ear.
"John, sweep the city," he ordered, pointing in one direction, then another. "There are three packs currently traveling using the buildings as cover; one to the West, two to the South. Eliminate the Bishops among them, then return to Pierre. Inform him of any individuals who appear to possess some sort of innate heat resistance, and he'll direct you to your next target."
"Got it chief. It's gonna be fun going all-out!" With a two-fingered salute, the abnormally-plain-looking Knight dove into the burning city to complete his mission.
"Xi Fan, you will be providing Senjutsu support to Maki and Soatulla," he gestured to two of his pawns, a pigtailed brunette and a long-haired Polynesian man before spinning around to slice in half another energy blast. "You three, go hunt down any pawns before they get too close to our 'home base'; let's try preventing a single promotion in this match."
"You ask much, King," Soatulla muttered, before a rumble of laughter escaped him. "But we shall see it finished to our utmost!"
With that, three more of Ruval's Peerage flew into the fray.
Ruval continued like that, delivering orders to his Peerage before sending them their separate ways until the only one remaining was Pierre.
"Are you sure you wish to engage with Lord Belial so soon, milord?"
He was. "Lord Belial is an individual who becomes more dangerous as a battle continues, due to his analytical genius; the sooner we end it the better. He will have prepared for such an eventuality as well."
Ruval's eyes sharpened, becoming hawklike as he noticed someone rising from the flames miles off. 'Speak of the Devil… so soon?' "Besides. A Peerage is not just its king; it would be remiss of me to have you all do the fighting while I sit on the sidelines. If a King does not lead, then how can he expect his soldiers, much less allies and friends, to follow in his tracks? We are in this together; as such, I will leave tactics and role delegation to you."
Pierre smiled and bowed. "Then I wish you the best of luck."
"Luck will have nothing to do with this battle, were it my choice to decide." Ruval's eyes softened, and he turned to his Queen, his Overseer, to smile. "But I appreciate your kind words."
As the last of the Phenex's Peerage dove into the flames, white wings gave a mighty flex, surging forth to collide with the figure who had started approaching him, spear against sword.
Gray hair floated back down from where it had flared up from the force of its owner's sudden stop, and calculating eyes scrutinized Ruval's spear.
"That's new," Diehauser Belial commented offhandedly, eyes flicking over to the wings, and the white fire burning across the sky and city. Unlike most of the Underworld, he took Ruval's condition and actions quite well. "As is... much of this. Have you been hiding your true strength ever since you declared your retirement?"
Ruval gave him a single nod. "Against the likes of you, I know better than to play it slow and give you time to learn all my tricks. It's all or nothing."
Diehauser chuckled. "I'd imagine it's a matter of stamina, too. Considering that you've effectively taken control of the entire battlefield with your flames, I'm amazed you haven't already keeled over from exhaustion."
He wasn't wrong, in a sense.
"Perhaps I would have a year ago." The Phenex shoved him back and readied his spear for a charge. "But when you've had the sort of revelation I did, a year can dwarf even decades."
"I never expected to hear that from someone like you before." The frankness with which Diehauser spoke emphasized how much Ruval had redesigned himself. "Now that I see your new flames, and that new spark in your eye, up close? Now it's different. What was the catalyst, I wonder...?"
A crackle of red thunder passed, and in its place remained white aftertrails from which fire spewed downward toward the Emperor of Kings.
"I'll tell you after the fight's over."
"Heh." Diehauser smiled, spreading his stance and readying the null aura that was Worthless, negating the impact of the fire that bore down him. "I've already got an idea what the catalyst was, but it was worth a shot to ask."
Then Ruval charged, the Emperor of Kings meeting the scarred Phenex's advance in a shockwave that shattered the standing glass in the nearby buildings.
"Why?"
Masaomi's head was spinning. First he was freed from a court-martial by the intervention of Archangel Gabriel, who then proceeded to have a frank discussion with him before accepting his resignation from the Corps... and now she was offering him a new job?
That didn't quite stack up to what he'd expected.
For one, that sort of turnaround was almost duplicitous, something he'd never have expected from a white-winged angel, much less one of the leaders of Heaven.
"Why?" Gabriel echoed, holding a hand to her cheek in thought. "Because I agree with you, to an extent."
He'd voiced multiple opinions, so Masaomi felt the need to press. "About...?"
"About the Church and Heaven not aligning on as many issues as we once did." She sighed, blonde locks swaying from one side to another. "The Church is a solely human organization, one that is allied with Heaven, but a human one all the same. As such it's prone to many of the same failings that human organizations do."
The archangel knelt down, trailing one finger through the grass they were standing on. "Corruption. Splinter cells. Interest groups. Lobbyists. Money. In short... human self-interest, of the destructive sort specifically."
"Then why not call them out on it? Why not come down, and set the Church straight from the top-down?"
Gabriel's head tilted further down, a finger and thumb now pinching a blade of grass. "...I am unsure how to go about this, so I will ask you plainly: do you know the true extent of the casualties from the Great War?"
"I know that all three sides were greatly weakened, and agreed to an uneasy ceasefire both to prevent outside groups from intervening and to recover from the losses received." Masaomi furrowed his brow, a creeping chill entering his chest as he took note of the way Gabriel stared at the ground. "...It's far worse than the Church lets on, isn't it?"
"It would not be remiss to suggest that between the Church and Heaven... the Church is now the stronger faction."
That chill turned to ice, and the black-haired man knelt down to her level. "What? How? Isn't God able to create more angels if he needs to? Or was he so badly injured that he still hasn't fully recovered?"
Gabriel didn't answer, prompting a memory from years ago to come to mind, when he spoke with a young woman being slowly crushed by the obligations placed upon her.
The black-haired man's eyes widened.
("What if... what if Nietzsche was right?")
Masaomi shivered, his own voice trembling as he voiced that same question, if reworded slightly.
"...Nietzsche was right, wasn't he?"
The blade of grass snapped in half, before the half-blade still in hand was released to the wind.
Her breath hitched, and the exorcist felt the world itself freeze.
"Out of the three Factions," Gabriel spoke, quietly, with just a hint of a tremor, at odds with the grace and serenity that usually surrounded the Archangel of Strength. "Heaven has arguably lost the most from the war. Even now, we bleed terribly. We see more and more of our host Fall from Heaven, yet none rise to replace them. We hide it from the Church and hide behind them, because we know what would happen if the Church or any faction - aside from the Grigori, Devils, or… certain others - find out what exactly we lost. Our creator. Our king."
The blond's throat worked, before she added the last words she wanted to say. "...Our Father."
Masaomi's mouth was dry, and a wave of vertigo hit him.
God was dead.
Luna had been right.
God was dead.
He'd said that it didn't matter whether or not he was dead, but...
God was dead.
It was one thing to say it, and another to have it confirmed by Gabriel herself.
He tried to swallow, failed the first time, then succeeded the second.
"Then why come to me?" he managed to croak out. "Why not go to someone higher up who has similar views, someone stronger like... Vasco Strada, or Dulio Gesualdo?"
"That is the very reason; they are higher up in the Church's echelons," she replied, climbing back to her feet as she schooled her expression. Up close though, Masaomi could see that the sides of her eyes were crinkled, as if having to put in too much effort to keep a straight face. "Someone like you, you can slip through the cracks; Nineveh Division hemorrhages exorcists all the time, so what is one more? But if someone like the Strongest Human or the wielder of Zenith Tempest up and leaves the Church proper for some undisclosed reason?"
Gabriel looked away, that scrunching at the corner of her eyes increasing to a slight narrowing of the whole. "I... can't do that. I can't put my remaining family at risk like that."
Did she mean that in putting Heaven at risk in a vulnerable state, or did she mean that in him being an Exorcist he was expendable?
Those words didn't sit right with Masaomi, and a moment later he had an epiphany as to why.
"...This isn't a request from Heaven itself then, is it?" he asked, quietly, as he rose back to his feet. "It's a request from you."
The archangel stilled, then nodded.
"Michael... he's doing everything he can to keep Heaven safe and secure. Every Seraphim is." She turned her head back in Masaomi's direction, but to look down at the hand that broke the blade of grass before she continued. "But every day brings more bad news. More reason to despair. More confusion, and more doubt. Our Father died at the end of the Great War, and His children are still picking up the pieces. But we're not sure how to put them back together, and as time goes on it becomes more and more clear that we don't.
"We need help," the archangel admitted, "and I'm worried that the other Archangels are too busy trying to run damage control to realize we ourselves are being worn thin. Or worse... that they don't think that they are at all. I have fewer duties than most, and I want to help shoulder some of their burden as much as I can. Until we archangels Fall we're all in this together, but once one of us does I fear it may become a domino effect."
That painted a pretty bleak picture to the black-haired man. "That's… that's difficult to believe. You make it sound like even the archangels are at increasing risk of Falling."
Gabriel said nothing, instead deigning to let her hand fall, head remaining in the same position.
The ex-exorcist felt his head start getting lighter. "You're… not joking. Are you?"
The silence said it all, and Masaomi chose that moment to stand back up.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe evenly. It was a lot to chew on, that she'd be divulging this information explaining just how things were tearing at the seams.
She was asking for a lot, especially without explaining what exactly she needed of him.
But from the sounds of it, she really did need his aid. Though, he still wasn't sure how.
If even the Strongest Woman in Heaven was admitting to such struggles, then the task before them had to be monumental.
Yet. He'd pledged himself to Heaven in full after he'd finally laid the spirit of his parents to rest, rather than just in spoken vow.
In the face of certain death itself, he'd… hesitated.
But he hadn't run. He'd stood his ground.
This wasn't certain death, but it was perhaps a scarier task ahead, all the same.
"What do you need me to do?"
Masaomi's words slipped from his lips, all the same.
She looked back up at him askance, until the graceful smile from before returned with gratitude in tow. The archangel then rose back up from her kneeling position. "Come with me."
So Gabriel continued along the gardens, Masaomi following a few steps behind, stepping around other members of the church who came to visit the gardens, most of them priests and exorcists, each and every one failing to notice the two through the privacy ward that she had erected earlier.
It was peaceful, he thought, then realized that he might no longer be able to see these gardens depending on what the archangel's request was.
The thought filled him with melancholy, even as he realized that they were approaching someone at one side of the garden, a small secluded spot that Masaomi often knew was reserved for moments of reflection and prayer.
A young girl, perhaps not even the age of ten, sat there at this time, the habit she was wearing indicated her role as a nun.
Exorcists still started younger than that, but even looking at her now, hands clasped and eyes slid shut, the black-haired man felt a surge of disgust bubble up inside of him.
Child soldiers. Children raised on a false premise. Too young to realize what they themselves wanted, and all but forced into a life of servitude. The worst part was, it worked.
For the most part.
Yet when they got closer, when the young girl opened her eyes and beamed warmly at the former exorcist and archangel, he was taken aback at just how collected she looked.
At such a young age, too.
"Hello, Lady Gabriel." Her eyes flicked to the black-haired man, and she nodded her head in his direction. "As well as you too, Mr. Exorcist. Are you here to take me away?"
Take her away?
Masaomi turned to Gabriel askance, brow lifted in a perplexed manner, as the archangel bowed her head in greeting, the previous slight signs of discomfort all but gone.
"Masaomi, meet Asia Argento, holy maiden of the Church. Asia, meet Masaomi Yaegeki, former exorcist of the Exorcist Corps' Nineveh Division."
'Holy maiden? At her age?'
Asia lifted a hand to her mouth briefly in recognition of the term, before lowering it. "Did he quit?"
"I did," the Japanese man confirmed, albeit tentatively as his gaze slid back over to Gabriel. "Though I'm still not quite sure what Gabriel wants from me just yet. Take her away? What does Asia mean by that?"
"Away from the Church, of course." The blonde angel smiled. "That's the assistance I would like from you."
'Okay, what!? Did I miss something?'
"I... forgive me, but are you serious? You want me to bring a pre-adolescent girl outside the Church where there's no telling what would happen to her?"
"Yes." The smile remained, even as she gestured to said pre-adolescent girl. "Young Asia has a unique trait to her that the Church has deemed worthy of bestowing the title 'holy maiden' for. While allowing them to keep it would not be problematic, Asia herself has expressed a desire to see the world."
"It's boring being stuck inside these walls," Asia agreed, her face twisting into a cute pout as she poked the ground. "But whenever I step a foot outside of the Vatican, I'm pulled back inside and scolded for wanting to see more."
"And why is that...?" he aired the question aloud, but in a sense it was directed to both Asia and Gabriel.
"I think it would be most prudent to demonstrate." With that said, the archangel lifted up a hand, a small sphere of light pooling in it before solidifying in the shape of a knife. She lifted up her other hand, and in a single smooth motion took the short blade of holy energy and drew it across her palm.
Masaomi noticed the way the corner of Gabriel's eyes crinkled once again as she sliced into her hand, and how that palm now had an angry red line contrasting harshly against unmarred, fair skin.
Apparently, so did Asia, who scrambled to her feet with a combination of panic and... exasperation(?) in her gaze.
"Ah! Lady Gabriel! Why would you do that!?"
She hurried up to the archangel and stood on her tiptoes to reach up to Gabriel's cut hand.
"My apologies for alarming you, Asia," said archangel replied gently, letting the light construct fade into motes as she let the holy maiden pull her hand down so that Asia could scrutinize it closely. "I figured it would be simpler to show than to tell."
She got a glare from the young girl that Masaomi could only call adorable. "You didn't have to cut yourself, you know!"
"Perhaps not," Gabriel agreed, beaming down at Asia in turn as the holy maiden stepped back, fingertips of each hand on each side of the archangel's self-inflicted slice, as golden rings manifested around Asia's hands
Before Masaomi's awed gaze, the cut began sealing itself up, broken skin reconnecting as Gabriel's hand was infused with a gentle glow from those rings.
Then, the glow and rings both vanished, and Gabriel's hand appeared as though she'd never summoned that knife of light at all.
There was one thing that immediately came to Masaomi's mind. "...Is that a Sacred Gear?"
"Mh! I was told it's called Twilight Healing, and that it's a gift from God!" Asia confirmed, putting her hands on her hips and pouting back up at the archangel. "But next time, we'll find someone else who's hurt if you want me to show off, instead of you hurting yourself!"
"Very well," Gabriel laughed lightly, agreeing to Asia's terms before turning back to the black-haired man. "Now you see why the Church would want to keep her close; such an ability would be invaluable should she train it extensively. She already has for the past five years, but now she also wants to explore the world."
"I don't see why I'm being kept here, though. I'm told it's because the world is full of temptation and that I need to learn how to resist them, and there's a big part of me that wants to just agree..."
Asia trailed off, looking to the side almost guiltily.
Then, she looked back and nodded, face firming up. "But if it's a world made by God, then wouldn't I learn more about God by learning about the world firsthand, both the good bits and bad? I can't make something better if I don't know what's wrong, so wouldn't the same be true about the world itself?"
Masaomi blinked, surprised that a child like her would have a very similar opinion on faith as he, then turned from Asia back to the other blonde. "...Is she really only ten years old?"
"Nine," Asia corrected him, putting her hands behind her back with a wide, beaming smile.
"I was rather shocked myself when I first heard her reason why she'd ask an angel for help escaping a church. She called it a pilgrimage even," Gabriel admitted, an amused giggle bubbling out of her that was covered with a single hand. "An unsanctioned one, perhaps, but it makes more sense why I would want you to help her leave the Vatican now, yes?"
Very much so.
He stared at Asia, tilting his head faintly as he thought about the potential ramifications.
"...Where would you go? Do you have a family to return to?"
The smile on the girl's face died as she stared back down at the ground.
"I..." she trailed off, before shaking her head. "All I've ever had were the Mothers who watch over me. I was found at the doorstep of the church, according to them."
Abandoned, then.
Masaomi glanced back at Gabriel, who watched on with an expression of understanding.
He was starting to understand why Gabriel had sought him out in particular.
No loyalty to the Church outside what it supplied.
Similar missing parentage to both her and Asia.
Similar ideals too.
Something did stand out, though.
"Am I to become her guardian?" He hadn't any previous experience with kids, so the thought was unnerving.
"If she wishes to return to the Vatican at some point, I do not doubt she will be welcomed back with open arms." That didn't exactly answer his question, but he had a feeling he knew the answer all the same based on that knowing little smile.
He decided to try another avenue. "And how does this help Heaven, exactly? How does this lift weight off the shoulders of your brothers and sisters?"
Gabriel's gaze turned to the sky.
"You two are... different, than most of those already here. You ask questions instead of just answering those above you. You both want to know more, and find your own faith, rather than accept the one placed before you without fault. I do not begrudge those who do; often they were raised to do just that. Still, faith without thoughtfulness is… dangerous. Sinai Division is empirical proof."
That got a brief wince from the once-exorcist, and a confused look from Asia, before the older blonde finished. "But the way you two approach your faith... I want to cultivate that, in whatever way I can."
Masaomi set a hand on his side, cocking one head in the other direction. "Is there some difference?"
"We worked with the Church, so that they might be Heaven's hands on Earth." The archangel smiled. "But everybody who sees the Biblical God sees Him differently, and those differences have sunk into the foundation of organized religion as time marches on. One only needs to look at the split in the Judeo-Abrahamic religions to see for themselves. Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Coptics, Gnostics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists... to list only some of the most well-known sects."
Asia tilted her head. "So... which of them is the right one, Lady Gabriel?"
A rather loaded question, Masaomi realized, and one that he wasn't sure he wanted to hear himself.
Yet the archangel merely shook her head.
"That isn't a question for me to answer. That would be His."
'And He's dead.'
No wonder Gabriel and the other Archangels were struggling. Without the Biblical God to provide them guidance, they had to guess the best they could with what they knew about Him and about His vision of the world.
For a host created to serve Him, it must be torturous to have to find their own way in a world without.
Heaven was still bleeding? Masaomi could almost hazard a guess that Gabriel was still understating the gravity of Heaven's situation.
At seeing the face Asia was starting to pull, the archangel elaborated. "But... I can at least answer you in a way that I believe He would. I think that what is most important is that one finds God in the world He created by themselves. That one sees the world for themselves, in as much its entirety as possible, and comes to their own decision after learning about both the good and the bad."
Gabriel's eyes turned to Masaomi, all but gesturing to him as an example. "That they would stand by that faith in the face of any opposition or persecution they are subjected to. That they do what they believe is right. Even if it means rejecting Him in the eyes of others who claim to follow Him as well."
That...
"That sounds... a lot like what a Fallen Angel might say."
The archangel turned away again, this time with a small smile.
"It does, doesn't it?" she agreed quietly. "Yet, as disappointed as I am in my Grigori siblings for Falling away from His light, there is wisdom to be found in their experiences as well. As I learn more after all these years, I come to understand their perspective more too."
Masaomi's brow furrowed. "Does that mean you agree with them?"
The smile turned a little more wry as a brief glint of amusement shone in those brilliant eyes, before falling away in favor of a thoughtful frown. "No. I still believe that most Fallen deserve their wings for giving into self-centeredness, but I no longer hate them for many of their choices. It was largely one borne of ignorance, I realize now. They have their reasons, and even if I may not approve, even if I still believe those reasons are worth coming to blows over, I must at least recognize that."
"It sounds like a hard balance to strike," the nun finally commented.
That simple sentence elicited a short, melodic laugh from the Archangel of Strength. "It is. But that is why I want you two to leave this place. So that you might be able to spread God's love through the actions you undertake on your journeys, rather than remaining chained to the Church and its interests. Knowing that there are even two more people who believe the same thing I do, bringing His kindness to the world, would truly lift my heart."
It was a pretty ideal, and one that Masaomi could agree with, but he still wondered how Heaven itself would benefit from this.
"So what would that mean for the long-term, once Asia and I are away?" the black-haired man asked.
"Ideally, we would remain in contact, so that I might be able to help guide you both, and so I am kept more abreast of global events on a micro scale. That way, I can send you to intervene in crises that would otherwise have the archangels having to deal with yet another stressor. It is not much, but even one extra pair of hands could mean all the difference."
'That answers my big question easily enough. I'm not sure what one Exorcist can do, but if I can help like she says I might be able to...'
Masaomi lifted a hand to his chin, a grin forming across his face. "Well, at the very least, it sounds like my skills won't go to waste. Do you have someplace already in mind?"
"I do, actually." Gabriel pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over to the once-exorcist. "Our contacts have mentioned that a small town in Japan has recently come under the stewardship of a Pillar heir as part of a deal between the Shinto Faction and the Underworld. I'd like you two to go and restore the church as well, though remain as unobtrusive as possible. You were elevated to functional priesthood as part of your Exorcist training, Masaomi, so you should have the credentials required to have it recognized as a place of worship once more."
"Japan?" Asia blinked. "But... how would I make any sense of what anyone says over there?"
"I'm Japanese. I'll help you learn the language." the black-haired man offered, though his gaze remained on the archangel.
It was also surprisingly convenient, considering the origins of both his sensei and himself.
It added up a bit too cleanly.
"There's something else going on over there as well, isn't there?"
Gabriel tilted her head, meeting Masaomi's gaze evenly before giving a brief nod. "There is also word of activity from the Grigori in the area, so I want to have people who I have contact with there to ensure that Heaven has some small influence as well, especially since the last exorcists in the area moved away two years ago. I will not lie; it is a risky venture, but I will provide a reasonable living stipend, and there will also be plenty of traveling to satisfy Asia's desire to see the world."
Masaomi glanced down at the paper, tilting his head as he read the name of the town aloud.
He could hardly believe it.
The last exorcists in the area moved away two years ago?
That had been him and Touji, hadn't it?
After all, the town's name was...
"...Kuoh."
After spending time in the capital of the Underworld, it was interesting, seeing what a human city was like in comparison.
London was... old. Luna could feel the age in the brick as she walked along the sidewalk bordering the Thames with Kuroka and Jaspal side by side.
Even if Lucifaad, the original capital of the Underworld, was technically older, there were more coats of paint over it. It didn't feel quite as... authentic, in its age.
She'd since learned that Lilith had been constructed much, much later.
London, on the other hand, had a much more varied history in its shorter time, and Luna could feel the impact those events had caused on the city in its architecture.
The brunette wondered if it was a microcosm of what it was like, between Devils and humans in general.
She was also surprised; she didn't realize the River Thames was as large as it was before her now.
Much bigger, in fact.
"Hey." Luna turned back to give the Nekoshou a sly grin. "Wanna go for a swim?"
Kuroka's ears and tails flattened and stiffened simultaneously, able to get away with it beneath the privacy ward they were under. "In that nasty place? Count me out, nya!"
"Oh come on, what's wrong with a little skinny-dipping in a river between Peerage members?"
"For one, the river's so unclean and polluted, it'll take forever to get all the gunk out of my fur, to say nothing of how nasty it feels to my Senjutsu senses! You're a dead woman if you make me swim in there!" She practically hissed at a backward-looking Luna, practically teasing Kuroka with the smugly gleeful expression on her face.
"Luna, please stop provoking your pet Bishop," the Valac drolled, looking away with an expression that was absolutely not the hints of a smile.
"Okay, okay, alright." She held up her hands in defeat, though there was still a grin on her face. "...Even if I helped clean you up afterward?"
"Not. Happening." A pause. "Nya."
That got a snort out of the Worldweaver, before she turned back to face ahead, noting a faint magical signature as they came up on the underside of a bridge. Westminster, if she recalled correctly.
She could even see Big Ben in the distance.
She also wondered if that was where the Golden Dawn's administration was situated.
"Looks like we're on the right track." Luna commented aloud, before walking up to where the signature was situated. As she got closer, she recognized it as an active magical circle, and after spending a few more seconds looking it over realized it as a communication array.
"I am going to take an educated guess and presume this is the front door," Jaspal commented as she joined Luna in her inspection of the magical circle.
"No, this is the intercom for the front door, which is probably hidden even now."
She got a flat stare in return.
The brunette pouted back. Teasing like that wasn't fun when Jaspal knew to just deadpan away any more interesting reactions. "Okay, I'll knock it off."
Luna tapped the array, injecting it with a small bit of magic before speaking. "Hello, hello? Anyone there?"
There was no response, causing her to turn to Jaspal, who merely lifted her hands in a show of helplessness.
"I guess that means we've got to figure something else out?"
"Perhaps we just go on in," the Valac offered. "The question is, if this is not the door, then where would it be?"
As if on cue, Kuroka tapped the nearest concrete support for the Westminster Bridge, causing a door framed by sparkling golden lights to appear in the support structure.
"Found it, nya~!" the Nekoshou in question chimed, prompting the communication array to spring to life with a voice.
"Oh god damn it-" there was frustration there, and a rising mania that could only come from a long period of stress. "What do you want!? If this is another solicitor I swear to Merlin that I'm gonna-!"
Luna cut in before the mage on the other end could finish, though she couldn't help the laugh in her voice even as she lowered the privacy barrier. "No, no, no, we're not solicitors. Sorry, forgot about the privacy ward. We're visitors who got directions to the Golden Dawn from Grauzauberer, confirmation phrase 'Three Stooges'. Did Chairman Pheles send a missive indicating we were on our way?"
From the array Luna could catch the shifting of papers, then a rough exhale followed by a far more amiable tone.
"Huh. So he did." Then, an impressed whistle. "Must've done something pretty big to get a personal letter of recommendation. Please hold for a minute, I'll unlock the entryway."
The communication array winked out, and Luna looked back at Jaspal with a furrowed brow.
"He must have been quite impressed with you," the ruby-eyed Devil commented, turning back to where Kuroka was cheekily waving, an exasperated expression coming over her face at the Nekoshou's impulsiveness.
"I guess so. I didn't think that taking on those favors was such a big deal to him."
"Being able to create liquid 'Evil Essence' is not exactly something most individuals can do as easily as you appeared to, even at the upper echelons of the world's powers."
She did have a point. "...I wonder if I could try selling that stuff off for a profit until our investments start generating returns?"
"You could purchase a small country and all its land after a month or two of 'selling that stuff'," Jaspal deadpanned. "Even in the Underworld, and I am not talking about Outlands territory either. If, you are fine with painting a massive target on our back."
"Shoot. We're trying to remain relatively inconspicuous, soooo maybe not." Luna pouted again, closing her eyes and pursing her lips while crossing her arms beneath her breasts in mild vexation. "Shame too, because it's also good control practice for me."
"You mean practice for Worldweave, or Cataclysm Eclipse?" The ravenette's tone grew a little more suspicious.
"Both, though admittedly it is pretty… unstable, whenever I combine the two like I did for the stuff I gave Mephisto. Which is why I'm not against practicing it some more."
To say nothing of the earful she'd gotten from Ulan for doing so.
She hadn't thought that a conceptual entity like her would get heated over anything Luna did, but apparently Ulan did not like the two mixing again like they supposedly had six years ago.
Though to be fair, having the experience of being the sole host of such an uncontrolled reaction, Luna couldn't blame her.
'But from the sounds of it, there's good money to be made...'
"Money you do not need," the aforementioned conceptual entity interjected sharply, near causing Luna to jump with how quickly the communication aspect of their bond activated in response to her thought. "I understand the necessity with Mephisto, but if there is one thing that I will put my foot down on, it's combining Worldweave and Cataclysm Eclipse frivolously. Unless it is a matter of grave importance, I believe I made myself clear when I said to not do it again."
'I know. I'm just thinking, is all.'
"Hmph." Ulan definitely didn't approve all the same, and Luna got the feeling that she'd be irritated for at least a couple days.
"I still do not like that 'Tainted Gear' as you call it." Jaspal seemed to be on a similar wavelength as the being Luna shared headspace with, judging by the scowl and crossed arms.
Luna's arms fell, though one lifted to scratch her ear, glad that the communication array was no longer there.
"I don't think anyone here does." She didn't, especially given what it was.
Yet, as much as she didn't like Cataclysm Eclipse it had originated from her erupting grief and rage that night.
Like it or not, it was a part of her, just as her original wings were.
She wasn't quite sure how to say it to Kuroka or Jaspal though.
So instead, she went with another line of reasoning.
"But you can't deny it's been useful, and if I'm stuck with it I may as well use it, right?"
The logic was sound, and Jaspal clearly knew it given the scowl and the pointed glance away.
"It's fucked up, is what it is, nya!" Kuroka added in her two cents from the doorway, ears flattened again to express her displeasure.
Ouch. That... was a bit more painful than Luna had expected it to be, even if she agreed wholeheartedly.
"As uncouth as she voiced it, I'm in agreement. But... I will not deny your point, either."
'At least Jaspal is willing to see the silver lining.'
Luna smiled. "Thank you for tolerating the damned collar foisted onto me, if nothing else."
Finally, the framed door solidified into an actual door, and from it a harried-looking wizard in a wide-brimmed blue hat and robes stepped out.
He seemed at a loss for words at first, seeing as all three of them were attractive females, but recovered remarkably well. "Ah, S-Sorry about that anger over the array. My apprentice has been running me ragged with mad theory after mad theory all week, and I was also assigned guard duty when I was supposed to have my day off from research. And to top it all off, somehow we managed to get solicitors! Bloody! Solicitors! I thought they was strictly a non-supernatural nuisance!"
"Were they Devils?"
"..." He peered at her, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How'd you know?"
"Lucky guess," Luna shook her head in amused exasperation and stepped forward. "Seriously though, that sucks. Enjoy your drink tonight if you're going to a bar afterward, it sounds like you deserve the opportunity to get completely and utterly sloshed."
"Bloody hell am I," he agreed, waving them all in with a shake of his head. "Now in with you, before they realize that there actually is someone at the other end of that communication array."
As the door closed behind them, Luna got the distinct feeling that this would be an eventful trip somehow.
Golden Dawn did sound rather familiar, after all...
As ward specialists worked at placing seals across the room in which Shirone was kept, Serafall watched on with a slightly furrowed expression beneath a privacy ward, nearly chewing at the inside of her cheek. Rias's idea had been confirmed as viable by the head of the Underworld Warding Department, but now that it came to the moment of truth there was still some level of trepidation that wormed through her gut.
Shirone wasn't her sister, but it could have just as easily been Sona in that bed.
Both had sisters that wanted to see them grow up happy, after all.
"You appear to have a lot on your mind."
Her eyes shifted over to the green-haired man at her side, who in turn was staring at the bedridden Nekoshou. Ajuka's eyes had bags under them, indicative of the long sleepless days the Maou Shoujo knew he'd been having.
"You look like you're under some duress yourself," Serafall finally replied, returning her gaze to the array of magical circles intended to enclose and isolate. "Has Sirzechs been asking a lot of you lately?"
"No more than usual, though I've also had... other things to worry about."
"What other things?"
"The kind that our mutual... friend, is the cause of."
The twintailed maou's expression pinched up a little. "I'm not sure you have the right to call yourself her 'friend'."
"I don't," he agreed. "But you do, so you are aware of who I am talking about."
"Are you still freaking out over what she did to the Devil that kidnapped her, tortured her, then killed her family? Because it was warranted regardless of heritage. I'd have done the same."
He noted the hint of shortness to Serafall's voice before flicking a gaze her way. "So it was. And so I was. It's still highly concerning that she lost control, but it's been over half a decade since then, and we have not heard of any rampages across Earth. I've tabled that matter. No, what I'm worried about is the stuff Mephisto sent me a sample of."
"Pheles?" the maou shoujo blinked, placing a finger on her cheek as she looked up in thought. "It must have been important then, if he got into contact with us."
"Quite. Though after seeing what he'd delivered and running tests on it myself, it is clear he had good reason to."
Serafall's gaze shifted to Shirone, and how she was still so small. "Sounds dangerous."
"Not on its own. But with some form of catalyst? I've made sure to keep it in the strongest binds and most remote location possible to ensure it never receives one."
She shivered. Ajuka wasn't one to skimp on security to begin with, so the fact that he'd put the sample of whatever Mephisto sent him in deep storage was telling of just what it was potentially capable of.
"Did he say where it came from?"
"He didn't need to, but he confirmed my suspicions when I first brought them up."
Serafall didn't like the sound of that. "And you say Lunarunn is the one that caused it."
"That's who Mephisto confirmed created the liquid black essence he sent me when I guessed."
The magical maou had to fight off the urge to lift a hand to her face.
'Luna, no. That's not how you stay inconspicuous. I really hope you have a good reason for it...'
She sighed, instead. "So what do you plan to do?"
"Nothing. For now. I have..." an flicker of guilt crossed Ajuka's expression. "I've already done enough. The erasure event from six years ago hasn't repeated itself, so it's clear Luna's in control of her faculties and has no intention of going on a murder spree like some Devils are wont to do. I'll just glean what I can from the sample Mephisto sent and confer with the rest of you."
"Even Sirzechs?"
Her words came out under her breath, but the Beelzebub maou's lips curled downward.
"Of course. He's our leader, and my brother in everything but blood. I can't leave him out of this."
Serafall scowled, now voicing her thoughts aloud. "And what if he greenlights a hunt?"
"Then she'll be hunted down like any other high-priority Stray." Ajuka took a deep breath at the expression of disgust that made its way onto the twintailed Devil's face. "Serafall-"
"No. We made her that way, Ajuka," she interrupted him, placing a hand on her chest to emphasize the point. "We were the ones who caused Luna to go berserk, we were the ones to turn her into a monster. Sirzechs was the one to order us to abandon her after throwing her to the wind, but we were the ones to pull the trigger."
The Leviathan maou could see her Beelzebub counterpart's hands clench into fists. "I know that."
The fact that he knew that only incensed Serafall further. "Then why are you not acting like it? This is on our hands, we should take responsibility for what we've done!"
"How?!" Finally, Ajuka snapped back, cold and sharp. "What are we supposed to do? She's gone, she's on the run, she's loathed by the populace at large, and she won't have anything to do with Sirzechs or I. No matter what we do, none of that is going to change any time soon, so regardless of what I might think, I have to sit on my thumbs and come to terms with the idea that I can't take back abandoning someone who deserved none of what we did to her!"
Just as she was about to open her mouth and fire back, Ajuka slumped over, lifting a hand to the bridge of his nose to rub it, eyes squeezed shut. "There's nothing I can do."
"You could have talked to her about it like I did."
He let out a rough grunt as his hand lowered and eyes reopened. "Unlike you, I'm not a socialite."
"It's not about being someone who can talk with others easily, so don't you dare use that excuse!" By this point, Serafall was spitting venom like the great snake whose name she adopted upon becoming a Satan. "Do you think I want to be trapped between two people I consider friends? Especially since I helped one of them stab the other in the back!? No! I've talked to Sirzechs again and again about this, and he keeps telling me to just trust him! Normally I would, but how am I supposed to pretend like what we did was better than what our predecessors would regularly do when I don't even know why!?"
Ajuka glared at her, emitting pressure to try and stop Serafall in her tracks before she gathered more steam. "I understand that you want to know the why, but have you ever thought that maybe he never told you for a reason?"
So he knew as well, and refused to tell her?
'...Why?'
Why weren't they letting her in?
"That's not enough anymore, not after he's stonewalled me for years," she hissed back, even as she met his pressure with her own and then some. "I still remember the wings we gave her clear as day. They're twisted, and it's our fault that they're a part of her now! You see what we've done, right? What we're becoming, if we haven't already!? At least I'm trying to do something about it!"
It was clear that the argument would have gone on had a ward specialist not stumbled to the ground beside them, prompting both Beelzebub and Leviathan to shut off their respective auras of power, the privacy ward falling away as well.
"What is it?" Ajuka's words were clipped, hardened with repressed frustration, if not at the one he was speaking to.
"The... the ward... it's ready," the specialist breathed out, clearly having had his breath driven out of him by the rapidly heating argument between the two Satans as he slowly got back to his feet.
As Serafall had another moment to recollect herself before Ajuka, her voice was warmer, if still somewhat strained. "Then please activate it. Hopefully, Shirone will wake back up before much longer."
A quick nod as the poor Devil scrambled to get away from two of the strongest Devils in the Underworld, who were currently glaring at each other again.
"If you think I'm going to let matters lie, you're sadly mistaken," the twintailed maou promised, voice low and dark. "This isn't over."
Ajuka didn't say another word, instead deigning to turn sharply to the side and walk away, fists clenching and unclenching rapidly as a hazy green aura flickered in and out of existence.
Clearly something about their... discussion, unsettled the green-haired Maou.
As he rounded the corner and disappeared, Serafall let the anger and frustration seep out of her, exhaling long and loudly.
She liked Ajuka. She really did, he was a smart guy, and usually had his head screwed on straight.
But she had to wonder what was keeping him from stepping up to the plate like he needed to, instead of just accepting the absolute bare minimum of accountability.
It frustrated her to no end to see that he was so unwilling to break the mold, especially given he was a scientist. Isn't making sense of the world and thinking up new ways to affect it their job?
'What is Sirzechs planning?'
And why was she not part of that planning?
She needed to think about something else though, lest her mind start going in circles.
Right, the rune array that Rias had theorized would help Shirone.
As the runes in the patient room lit up with a low hum, Serafall noted the grimace that had appeared on the Nekoshou's face in response. Over the past six years, she'd managed to catch those ever-so-slight shifts, so the fact that the white-haired girl's reaction was pronounced enough to be picked up by one of the specialists, whose gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before opting to turn back away, meant progress.
At least something seemed to be turning for the better, though, and that brought a faint smile to the twintailed maou's face.
If that more notable reaction was just right off the bat, then perhaps she might have to get Rias those new anime DVDs sooner than she'd expected.
But she wasn't going to complain about someone's sister waking up faster than initially thought.
A/N:
This chapter took some time to refine. To be quite honest, I'm still just a little iffy on it, but it's mostly just an unfolding of events in the prior chapter. It feels a little extra to me, but at the same time the content's good to have for worldbuilding purposes. The next chapter will be linear, though, from the latest point in time that has been manifested. This means that canon will be starting in roughly eight years at the beginning of the next chapter.
We're getting a good bit closer folks, and we're starting to see how things may begin to come to fruition.
Tempura Wizard out.
