NMHA Ch. 62 - Account


A/N - Finally, the next arc begins. Hoo boy, we've got a ride ahead of us. Not much to report this time, other than that I might be looking into getting my first piece of property soon. So that's pretty cool. Lord knows the ability to actually own a house is becoming more and more difficult these days.

Enough about me, though. The show must go on!


In the office of the Great King, a wineglass rose to its sole occupant's lips. He drank deeply, indulging in a minor vice even as violet eyes crawled over the fine food shelves filled to the brim with tomes older than most of his realm's denizens, more than a few written in languages beyond even his formidable life.

As he set the wineglass down, he allowed himself another indulgence - a simple, frustrated sigh.

The past few days had been a bother for Zekram Bael.

Even as he finished signing his latest message to a supporter of the most recent motion passed in the Assembly, it was only millennia of experience that kept the son of the Demon from venting more than that mere exhale he'd just let out.

Lunarunn Bael - his wayward blood - was alive. He had figured as such, but it was only recently that conjecture became fact. More than that, she had re-entered the eye of the Underworld with quite the splash. Destroying Kuoh? Threatening the lives of the sisters of the Satans? She certainly didn't do her image in the Underworld any good with that sort of activity, regardless of the reason Kuoh was destroyed.

There was little wonder Venelana had come asking him to support the recall effort. He'd been planning on pulling two of the brightest Devils from the ruined town as well.

Even so, it required pulling more strings than he was happy with.

Equality of beginnings? Giving chaff the same resources as the best and brightest? What a joke. What mattered was capability - the strong would rise, and the weak would fall to the wayside. It was as simple as that, regardless of the circumstances.

Lunarunn was the shining example of such. Despite the roadblocks in place for her - a commoner, an anomalous existence, a woman, among others - she'd somehow wound up one of the biggest thorns in his side in decades.

Truly, it was a pity that she seemed so strongly opposed to doing her duty as a Devil bearing a powerful bloodline, to say nothing of what she represented to the carefully-crafted balance that he had maintained over the years.

He should have handed that commoner over to the Dantalions the instant she showed potential. It was only because Sirzechs assured him he had her well under control that Zekram stayed his hand.

Nevertheless, the past was the past. What mattered now was the present - what to do about his rogue kin, and what to do about the fact that she drew the attention of Kokabiel of all people.

To say nothing about the Phenexes. The former Lord and Lady Phenex were still quite friendly with him, but Ruval Phenex himself proved remarkably evasive when it came to meeting face-to-face.

It almost seemed like Ruval blamed him for that blasted girl's fall from grace. He certainly seemed intent on picking up where she left off.

What a headache.

At least the Peace Summit seemed to be moving along somewhat rapidly. As tense as having each Faction's best and brightest in the same town split along faction lines was, it seemed as though talks were starting to open back up. At least between the Devils, the Fallen, and the Angels.

It still seemed as though the Youkai were not interested in furthering relations with the Underworld. Pity.

No matter. As long as peace was secured within the Biblical Three, Zekram would be able to turn his attention back inward and do some... spring cleaning, so to speak. Starting with-

BANG!

The door slammed open as an aide stumbled in, face pale and sweating profusely. He landed on the ground, on hands and knees, panting and gasping as Zekram immediately rose, face stony.

"You are intruding," he stated, sparing the aide no quarter in either his presence or his magnanimity. "What is it? Speak."

"S-sir..." The aide swallowed. "The-the Dantalions, they...!"

The gray-haired Devil raised a brow. "What are they up to now?"

"The Dantalion family, they've... they've been attacked! C-completely wiped out!"

Zekram's eyes widened. He immediately swiped his arm to the side to bring up a communication circle, attempting to contact them.

"This better not be a joke...!" he growled, but as the circle winked out of existence, something started to roil in his chest.

Completely wiped out? How had this not come to his attention sooner? How would the alarm not have gotten out?

'...Unless...' Did one of their own go rogue?

But the only sort of mentalist that could get away with that level of control over an entire estate was-

Zekram felt a chill run down his spine, one that he had not experienced for millennia.

"I am leaving. I will be back shortly." Without another word, a teleportation array sprung into existence where the communication circle once was, and made for the Dantalion estate.

What the elder Devil found was a burning estate, the skies blocked out by the smoke, and yet there was no alarm. No noise, nothing beyond the distant crackling of flame.

He spread his wings and moved, faster than he had felt the need to move for a long time.

Along the way, he saw bodies; commoners, those of Dantalion blood; they were utterly still, mere ambiance to go alongside the increasingly burning fields of the Dantalions' most central seat of power.

Nobody stopped him. Nobody was there to do so.

Zekram rushed through the shattered remains of the Dantalion Estate gate for the main branch of the family, and landed with disgust written on his features as he landed in front of the slowly collapsing manor, tongues of flame licking the sky. Bodies of guards and both noblemen and women in despoiled garb littered the ground above pools of blood... their weapons coated in it. The smell of sanguine and urine assailed the Great King's senses, strong enough to mix with the heady smoke of burning wood instead of being overwhelmed by it.

It didn't take long for the Great King to determine that the blood on those weapons was that of their allies and masters - or their own. If it was the latter, then some may have even been conscious enough to realize what was happening.

That would explain the acrid smell of ammonia. Many would panic at the sight of so many dead Devils, especially by their own weaponry.

However, Zekram was not one of them. Instead, he put the mind that helped end the threat of the Demons to use, once again vanishing with a flash of light to return home, mere seconds spent to survey the damage before coming to a conclusion.

Yes, he very much needed to clean house and he needed to get started immediately.

Someone was threatening his creation, his garden, his kingdom. They would find their choice to be a grave mistake... even if it was the Demon of Mentalism himself returning from it.


"Are you insane?!"

Rizevim Livan Lucifer took a moment to look up, putting a finger and thumb on his chin as he leaned against the wall.

"Technically yes, but I'm quite sure I'm being realistic here."

"How is calling me Dantalion realistic?!" Diodora hissed, slamming a fist on that same wall as an all-too-carefree Rizevim watched the teal-haired Devil vent his frustrations. He'd been called to speak with the Super Devil the instant he'd returned, and he was not in the mood to deal with a half-mad Devil's ramblings - especially about long-dead monsters! "This is madness - and I for one am not going to be party to such rambling."

"Of course you aren't," the other Devil in the room soothed, patting Diodora on the back. "He's just looking in the past for parallels. Poor fool must be lonely."

"You sure about that?" The 'poor fool' in question asked as he looked back down, closing one eye, peering right through the space next to Diodora's shoulder with his other one. "You wanna run that by me again?"

Both Diodora and his companion froze. "...How does he see me?" the jade-eyed Devil asked slowly, he and the golden-eyed one exchanging wide looks before they simultaneously met Rizevim's.

"You can see him?" the Astaroth asked, his previous frustration forgotten at the realization.

"See who?" the white-haired Devil asked, flippantly throwing an arm up as he addressed Diodora. "Your little schizo buddy? What're they called these days? Alters? Tulpas? Reasons to put you in a straightjacket?"

And just like that, his frustration came back. "I'm not crazy," Diodora hissed.

"Your reaction proves that someone is there." Rizevim said it with far too much mirth. "So which is it, a figment of your imagination or something else entirely?"

He couldn't stand his white-haired patron sometimes. "...Your point?"

"Well, you did go and murder the entirety of a Pillar's main branch with only a single girl to accompany you." Never mind the fact that said girl had a Sacred Gear literally designed to reflect attacks of any sort.

Mirror Alice didn't discriminate between physical attacks and mental ones - and with mentalism all about getting unrestricted access inside someone's head, the feedback from breaking into your own is... devastating, to say the least.

Surprisingly messy, too.

Diodora Astaroth may have had the body count, but Tsubaki Shinra had been key in executing the strongest of the Dantalions, including the head of the Pillar himself.

"He would have done it by himself. I wasn't alone."

"Of course not!" Once again, Rizevim just waved away the point with a flick of his hand, not even looking at the teal-haired Devil. "But if you weren't a mentalist with that sort of potential... well, how would you have been able to keep the whole purging process under control? I haven't heard a lick about them being wiped out, after all. By all accounts, the place became a ghost manor overnight!"

"This and that are not the same," Diodora protested.

"Plus, how would you even be Dantalion?" His... partner(?) concurred. "Last I checked, their essences were shredded and scattered to the winds by the Seraphim themselves."

"Yeah, about that..." The white-haired Devil trailed off, before pointing a fingergun at Diodora with a smirk. "Wanna hear a little secret?"

"...Are you going to say something asinine like the Demons being shredded to dust by the Angels was a lie?"

"Nope," Rizevim popped the 'p'. "That bit's completely true. The Demons are vamoose. Gone-zo. Turned into parmesan by the divine cheese grater."

"So where are you going with this?"

"Well, the Demons were part of the Angelic Host once, weren't they?" The white-haired Devil leaned in with a smirk. "They might be dusted, but they aren't gone. God may be dead, but his remnants remain, and they can be remarkably sturdy. Angels cannot destroy angels, not the same way they can Devils. Demons are, after all, just Angels that fell much further than the typical Fallen. They can die, but they can never be gone. So if Demons can't be destroyed - merely dispersed - that dust has to settle somewhere, doesn't it?"

Diodora furrowed his brow. "...Elaborate."

"So you know how each Demon has their specific... ah, let's call it kink. Marchosias was a bit too keen on bloodshed, Belial was a nihilistic smartass, Gremory was absolutely shameless, so on and so forth. Well, that Dantalion didn't get his rocks off the normal way. He craved control. And he wanted it at the basest levels possible. He quite enjoyed turning people into puppets, wiping them clean of everything they once were."

"Things I am already well aware of."

"Just because a Demon is dusted doesn't mean its remains aren't... drawn to certain activities. For instance, a particularly powerful mentalist might find that they aren't quite satisfied with how far they can go. You can call this something along the lines of them having become something of a magnet for that 'Demon Essence'. Especially if they get into some dark stuff."

"So then why would I be 'Dantalion' instead of the literal Lord Dantalion that Tsubaki rendered braindead?" Diodora drawled.

"There's a second component I haven't mentioned yet." Rizevim raised a finger. "Emotion. Desire. Id. Just like each Demon had their specific preferences, so too did they have their own reasons, their own goals, their own ambitions for completely abandoning good ol' Yahweh. These reasons aren't widespread knowledge; the upper echelon would rather avoid humanizing monsters, after all."

The teal-haired Devil removed his hand from his head from the brief mention of the Biblical God's true name. "Ngh- Okay, so what was Dantalion's?"

Rizevim's eyes lit up, a wide grin spreading across his face, a manic expression that prompted Diodora to take a step back as the Super Devil clapped a hand down on his shoulder - the same one that Diodora's companion did - and leaned into the much younger Devil's ear.

"Revenge. Just the kind that convinced you to murder an entire Pillar~"

Diodora froze, taking another step back as the white-haired Devil lifted his hand from the teal-haired one's body.

He started to tremble, eyes squinting back shut. "So... you're using me as a catalyst to bring Dantalion back - is that it?"

"Nope. I told you already, the last one's dead. He's gone, ain't coming back. Especially now that the main branch of the Dantalions is extinct. Good job on that, by the way. By right of conquest, you now hold the title of Dantalion."

He clapped three times, almost mockingly. Funnily enough, the mocking motion put the other Devil more at ease than Rizevim's supposed denial.

"Point is, I don't plan on bringing the Demon of Mentalism back. But that doesn't mean I can't make another, and you'll need all the power you can get to avenge your fiancee."

'Make another Demon!?'

Silence, as Diodora's mind whirled. Was Rizevim serious? Was this just insane rambling? No- he was too in control for that. Rizevim didn't have the madness of someone who lacked control over their own thoughts and actions; rather, he was someone who had far too much control over them.

The light in the Super Devil's eyes was feverish, but what alarmed Diodora most wasn't the madness that laid in them, bared for the younger hellspawn to see.

What scared him most was how difficult it was to tell that such a light was madness. It could just as easily be conviction. Maybe that's because it was.

Rizevim... he legitimately believed that Diodora could become a Demon. Moreover, he was invested in it.

"Becoming the next Demon..." What was worse was that his imaginary companion - or was it so imaginary at all? - seemed receptive to the idea.

"Before I agree to continue being your little... pet project," the teal-haired young Devil started, golden eyes opening. "I have one question for you."

The worst part of all was that Diodora realized he was interested too.

"Shoot."

If he became a Demon, that certainly would be the Baels' worst nightmare, wouldn't it? They were the ones to orchestrate the Devil separation from their prior leaders, after all.

"A coup in all but name," the voice in his ear, the Devil - that Diodora wondered wasn't a Devil at all - whispered. "Why not give them a similar treatment?"

"I don't want to rule. I just want Zekram to pay," he muttered, hands clenching into fists.

"Say that to all those nuns you supposedly rescued, whose entire worlds you shattered just so you could build them back up." The green-eyed Devil(?) chuckled and patted Diodora's shoulder before walking out of sight. "Just like you did with your fiancee."

"Shut up," the teal-haired hellspawn spat under his breath. He never exploited-

"So? What's the question, kiddo?"

That snapped him out of his own internal argument, clenching his jaw as he forced himself to take a step forward.

Zekram would pay. All of them would. He would have his vengeance, one way or another.

Diodora met the Super Devil's gaze, one golden eye slowly lighting up with green as he grasped his power - his power - no, his power. Diodora's.

"If I become a Demon... will I lose myself like he did?"

Rizevim smiled, kindly and terribly in equal measure.

"That is dependent on you. Everything Dantalion did, he did of his own volition. Especially when he followed God's Adversary into Hell."


"Michael. We need to talk."

Those four words never boded well, but the fact that they came from the heavily-armored Voice of God turned them from a foreboding statement to a dire warning.

"Of course." Michael turned his gaze away from the papers before him, documents discussing the situation in Kuoh, to meet the unflinching gaze of Metatron. He let out a slow exhale, before rising to his feet. "Speak then, brother. What concerns you? Perhaps I may be able to help alleviate it?"

"That is exactly the problem. You." Metatron tilted his head. "You seem to have taken a laissez-faire approach to Gabriel's... pet project."

"You mean Masaomi?" Michael chuckled. "I find it rather unsettling that you would go so far as to call him a 'pet'."

"And I find it disturbing that you would immediately guess who I meant as the human she has been interacting with over the past several years."

He paused. "Yet you are the one to bring it up with me. Which suggests your patience is wearing thin."

"Is yours not?"

"No more so than it has been each day." Michael's brow drew together as he gestured around Zebel. "Between maintaining God's System, figuring out what that occurrence within it was that put me in a coma for days, and the stress of it all, I find that I simply don't have the time to be short with my colleagues."

"She is allowing Masaomi Yaegeki to bend knee to another organization."

"Is that so?" The Archangel hummed thoughtfully. "That is... interesting. Have you already questioned her as to why?"

"She suggests it's to help him influence the direction of a fledgling faction. I worry it may be the other way around."

"That she's using him as a way to get closer to that faction herself?"

"You realize that she has an extended interest in that particular Devil Lunarunn nee Bael, correct?"

"Said Devil has a particularly troubled history - most not of her own doing. Gabriel likes underdogs."

"I do not believe that she is an underdog. Moreover, I worry about the degree of interest that our sister has been expressing."

"Are you worried that Gabriel would Fall?" The question was innocent, but the glint in Michael's eye was warning.

"I know not Gabriel's intentions," Metatron replied unabashedly. "But her focus has been on the micro scale long enough that I am certain there is more than she is letting on."

"Have faith, brother. Father's light hasn't faded yet. We all yet follow His will."

"Yet the shadows are creeping in. We must be vigilant, lest we lose the best of us to petty contrivances."

"I would know better than most."

"Would you?' There was a faint note of disapproval in Metatron's voice. "I would hardly call this a time for cracking humor about your discussions with Azazel, brother."

Michael just smiled sadly. "I wish I was."

He spread one wing, slowly, and the other Seraph took a step back.

"I knew it. By Father's light..."

"It's fading, brother. As we've always known. I just have a better grasp of it." The beautiful golden wing was marred by spots of grey, as though infected by a spreading disease. "Heaven is weakening, day by day. I do what I can, because I must. Thus, I allow her this."

"Then Gabriel-"

"Is free to aid Heaven in the way she best sees fit," Michael interjected smoothly. "She is a Seraphim, just like you or I, thus her voice and ideas are equally valid. Her side project is based on one, maybe two people. If Gabriel achieves her goal, whatever that may be, then I am of every belief that it will be to the good of everyone involved."

"And what of its failure? Or worse yet, what of those who aren't?"

Michael sighed and turned away. "That is a bridge we shall cross once we reach it. I am but one of many; so it is in the many that I must place my trust."

"I see." Now Metatron sounded... thoughtful. "Speaking of the many, the Church has been requesting a show of strength; that God is still with them."

The blond angel raised a brow. "What is it that they require Heaven's strength for?"

"There have been reports of unusual individuals in Rome, but any attempts to identify or remove them have been met with little success." Metatron crossed his arms behind his back. "The Vatican wishes to perform a joint mission with Heaven to flush out these unknown agents."

"That is not something we have the capacity to agree with out-of-hand."

"Yet it is crucial to our continued collaboration." Metatron tilted his head. "The Archbishops are starting to whisper doubts amongst themselves if we ourselves aren't at fault for these agents - it is known that we have been negotiating with our brothers and sisters in the Grigori, after all."

"What-!" The Archangel whirled around, face cold and harsh. "That could not be further from the truth! Even if we do seek peace within our family, that doesn't mean we are going to turn our backs on God's children to do so!"

"Yet those are the rumors disseminating," Metatron cooly stated back. "You know as well as I do the danger behind rumors. We need not discuss the Outsider's betrayal, do we?"

"No." Michael sagged, shoulders slumping in concession. "No we do not. There is a battalion of angels patrolling the pagan sites in the United Kingdom that could be reassigned to this joint mission. The people may need to lean on local authorities - and local supernatural allies - until we're able to move them back."

The armored angel nodded once. "Then I shall inform the Pope that Heaven has heard his request and will provide. For what it is worth, I apologize for this unexpected demand from our ally. Were it not important to address, I would handle it myself."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Michael sat back down. "You are doing your due diligence. I cannot resent you for your duty. May the Lord smile upon your work."

The other Seraphim bowed his head. "And may He grant you succor in these trying times."

Metatron turned and walked out, leaving Michael to stare at his dulling pinion with a pinched expression on his face at the silver angel's farewell.

Another spot had formed, slight but darkening, right on the most central feather on that wing.

"I am afraid that I may need more than just that," the Archangel whispered, before grimacing as that spot darkened further. He forced his mind away from the topic, returning to what laid before him with a brief moment of prayer and meditation.

The angels to be moved weren't just there to guard against a fae incursion - though a major one had not happened for several decades. Ever since he'd received those... visions, from Heaven's System, he'd been deeply worried over what he had seen.

Bloodshed. Violence. Death.

Thus, those angels had a secondary objective, as did many currently on Earth - train, and prepare for heavy conflict.

Perhaps them being drawn away to the Vatican was a sign. As were the unusual individuals within Rome.

Has it already started? Or was it about to begin? Michael wasn't sure, and unlike with his Father... or even the Outsider, he didn't know much of the one he believed would be in charge of kicking off the next war.


Lunarunn really hated waking up in hospitals. Her back always aches when she wakes up from whatever injuries had resulted in her hospitalization.

As she tried getting up, however, she found herself incapable of moving, save her head, which after a brief moment of panic she used to scan her surroundings.

Magical binds held her to the bed, and Georg was sitting in the seat to the side, drinking a canned beer before his eyes flicked to her's. He lowered the can, apparently emptied, and let it vanish into Dimension Lost, never to be seen again.

"You do realize what you've done, right?" he asked plainly.

The brunette's mind went back to the last moments of consciousness, hazy though they were, and frowned.

"I've done a lot of stuff Georg," she said quietly. "But do you mean the Kokabiel thing, or the Kuoh bit?"

He pulled his glasses off and summoned a cloth to clean them. "The Kuoh bit. You caused a lot of destruction, you know that?"

She did. Luna swallowed hard. "How badly did I fuck up?"

"Thankfully, it's nothing that can't be... atoned for." His eyes flicked back up to the bound Devil. "But thousands are still dead because of you. The entirety of the Shinto faction is outraged; Amaterasu is especially furious. Even after Jaspal spoke with Amaterasu's vessel and offered reparations for the damage done they're clamoring for more."

"How much more?"

Georg didn't immediately answer, so Luna just smiled thinly.

"They want my head on a pike, huh?"

"That was the initial response, yes." He put his glasses back on. "But after your Pawn's swift aid, their language has cooled from an outright death warrant to a trial."

"Then this is the prelude to the trial?"

"You're hooked up to a truth serum - I'm not going to say what kind, I'm not going to abet you purging it from your system - in addition to the painkillers for your stroke. It should hold for three hours past removal of the IV. Now that you're awake, it will be approximately ninety minutes before the trial starts. You'll be hooked up until then."

"That explains why I don't really hurt, even if I do feel like my head's stuffed with cotton." She grimaced. "Still, a stroke? Must've overtaxed the hell out of my brain."

"The cotton would be barbed wire, if Yasaka had a say in it."

"So harsh of her. Can't really blame 'em, though." Luna tried shrugging, only got a slight shifting of her arms, then pouted at Georg. "Man, you really didn't give me much space to work with, did you?"

"It was either binding you physically, or binding you mentally, and I know you have had a bad experience with mentalism," the magician remarked.

"Please don't remind me," she said dryly. "Look, I'll come quietly to the trial. I screwed up, and I trust that you guys will be as fair as possible. Could I at least get enough room to move around a little bit?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Georg smiled apologetically. "One of the conditions of the Shinto was that one of theirs ensured you were secure and unable to escape. The binds were cross-checked by both Nannar, and Okuni-Nushi, then Okuni-Nushi again after Nannar double-checked them."

Magic-users, both of them. Luna took it as an effort to maintain trust between the Dawn Legion and the Shinto Faction by having their respective magic-specializing gods work together to ensure she remained in place.

But these days, magics that bound her to one place were increasingly ineffective. Spatial manipulation tended to have that effect, Luna found.

"You do realize that now that I'm back to at least being able to think straight that I could break out of here if I chose to, right?"

"I do," he allowed. "But they don't."

Luna paused, before breaking into a grin. "You sly bastard."

That got her a smirk from the master magician, who pushed his glasses up with a finger. "I assumed you would want to prove both your trustworthiness and your strength, so I elected to operate only as a guard in this case."

"That's gonna reflect on you pretty badly."

"I'm just the head of R&D. I'm allowed to have biases, am I not?"

The Worldweaver paused, before her face fell. "I almost wish you hadn't here, to be honest."

"Yet I did." He shrugged. "Just like you turned Kuoh into the third Japanese establishment hit by a nuclear explosion. It's practically a miracle that the Red Dragon Emperor was strong enough to block most of the damage - and deflect the radiation like the atmosphere would a solar flare, for that matter. What hit Kuoh was just the shockwave. Compared to your error, mine is hardly worth noting."

"...Issei managed to keep Kuoh from becoming a wasteland?" She blinked, before turning her head away with a sigh. "I'm glad. I didn't... no, I did, but I wasn't thinking straight."

"So why did you do it?"

That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it?

"Because..." she swallowed, a cold clamminess overtaking her. "I... got my arm cut off."

"You've survived worse," Georg shot back. "You could have healed from that injury. So that's not the entire story."

"It was a blade of pure holy energy. I'm a Devil. So when it was cut off, it..." Luna swallowed again, eyes flicking rapidly before landing on the stump. Was it getting harder to breathe? "It disintegrated. It was... it- it's..."

Gone. It was gone, gone like her old life, gone like her efforts all those years ago, gone like her trust in what she'd known about the world, gone like her- her parents, gone like all those people, gone like the feeling of both hands against her head, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone gone gone-

"-una... Luna!"

She blinked, raising a shaky hand - her only hand - to her head to wipe off the sweat beading her brow, before pausing to take note of three things.

One was the fact that she was upright, legs against her chest and panting heavily, covered in a cold sweat. The next, that Cataclysm Eclipse had wrapped around her almost protectively, completing the lock to her legs that a single arm could not provide, and the third was that Georg was in front of her, his hand pulling away as their gazes met.

Had she instinctively bypassed the binds that had kept her in place? Or did she erase them with Cataclysm Eclipse? She wasn't sure.

Immediately, Luna looked down, burying her face between her knees. "Fuck. Fuck, I thought I was past these."

"They're called relapses for a reason." Georg gestured to the emptiness where Luna's arm should be. "Being disarmed must have caused one, back in Kuoh."

That got a brief huff of laughter, not at all because of mirth, from the brunette.

"I knew I lost it straightaway," she admitted, lifting her head from the makeshift cradle slightly. "Kinda hard to miss a sword going through your limb. I... I think I was able to push it off after that first... outburst, but... well..."

"Push it off. The shockwave?"

Luna shook her head. "I don't know. It just.. happened. Like what happened just now."

The magician's gaze shifted slightly downward. "It looks like your 'Tainted Gear' responded to your panic."

"So it did." She lifted her head and glanced stared at the monstrous wings. "I mean, the wings are technically a part of me, so..."

"You should put them away before the actual trial." He stood and met Luna's eyes with a hard expression. "You're already on thin ice with the majority of the Dawn Legion. You don't need any more reasons for people to be angry with you."

"I'll make it right."

"You're going to resurrect thousands of people?" Georg asked lightly, prompting Luna to glance away before correcting herself.

"I'll do everything in my power to make it right."

"Better. And I know." He patted one of the wings, giving a single nod as his expression softened. "That's why we're all here. Still, take some time to think about how to explain yourself to the others. They won't be as understanding of your reasons, or even sympathetic to your injuries."

She was supposed to be a symbol for them, after all. There was no way she'd be seen as 'pure' after this, but she could still be the spearhead for their cause.

That was fine. Luna could do that.


"Lunarunn nee Bael. You are hereby charged with gross negligence which directly led to the deaths of thousands and hundreds of billions of yen in damages. What do you say to these charges?"

She stared at the face of Utu, the Sumerian god of justice and overseer of the same court she had put together. Jaspal and Kuroka had recused themselves due to their status as part of her Peerage, but still several more sat, watching her, judging her every action and word.

It wasn't much different than the Assembly, back in the Underworld. At least here, it was with the goal of seeing her rightly reprimanded for her misdeeds.

If there was any court that she trusted after what happened, it would only be one that she had a major part in building.

That was the only reason she was able to walk calmly into the seat of the defendant with dignity and grace, and decidedly not bound by any form of magic.

Her gaze shifted to several not-so-familiar figures, noting them to be from the Shinto faction, overseeing the hearing. She could see Susano'o watching with a wary gaze, dressed in a business suit with the tip of some sort of tattoo - something serpentine - sticking up just past the collar, as well as Okuni-Nushi with a stormy one, similarly dressed. The Japanese representatives were less than pleased seeing how she'd apparently been released from the magical restraints that their resident god of magic had placed on her.

Yet still she came to the hearing. Luna hoped the symbolism would resonate.

Her eyes returned to Utu, and so she stated, clearly:

"I will not deny my actions. I am the cause of the explosion that ravaged Kuoh. However, what I did, I did out of self-defense." Her good arm rose slightly, to gesture to the stump. "It was only when I was mutilated that my control slipped."

The remaining eye on the Sumerian sun god narrowed, and the trial began in earnest.

Already, she knew that she was in for a harsh questioning. She knew full well that Utu would not hold back for her sake, and indeed he proved an effective conductor of the proceedings - Luna found herself lost for words more than once about the circumstances in which she found herself.

Could she have used a pocket dimension? No - she was directly above the academy, which she knew was filled with Devils, and that would have set off every alarm conceivable. She wasn't sure if she could have done it in other locations, either. If the alarm had been raised the results would have caused the next Abrahamic War.

Did she underestimate Kokabiel? That is a difficult question to answer; one can be ready for the strength one brings to bear, but even the strongest warrior can be caught off-guard. It was for but a moment, a fraction of a moment, but for one of his caliber even the slightest disruption in concentration was all Kokabiel needed to nearly kill her then and there.

Did she take every reasonable action possible to prevent the situation from devolving to the point where civilians got involved? Absolutely, and the brunette perhaps got a bit passionate in describing the steps she took to de-escalate the situation. Taking the fight away from a populated area to one with barriers already in place to prevent supernatural damage, incrementing her means of self-defense over time rather than going all-out from the onset of her and Kokabiel's fight, and taking the fight even further out, high into the air, as it intensified despite her efforts. What more could she have done while defending herself from a Fallen Angel dead-set on claiming her life?

USED ME.

Luna had to bite her tongue at the fragment of Trihexa's unhelpful comment. That... was true. But she'd made a promise to beat Kokabiel without Cataclysm Eclipse, and she held to that promise.

Did she consider that promise worth more than the lives of so many people, though? Or was she just not thinking?

...Maybe she didn't take every action possible to stop the fight. Just every reasonable one. There were two more: one would cost her vow, and the other would cost her life.

Luna wasn't that selfless. The fact that she was proficient enough in legalese to steer around that question - despite the supposed truth serum that she'd been hooked up to - even before she recognized the flaw in her reasoning was telling of such.

"We understand, Miss Luna. Take your seat."

She cleared her throat, cheeks pink as she obliged, letting her gaze drift down to the podium as the present members of the court mulled over her words.

"Honored guests from the Shinto Faction, you may now ask your questions."

Their strongest warrior god, Susano'o, pounced immediately, and asked a question that Luna dearly wished hadn't been brought up.

"Why did Kokabiel pursue you to such lengths? From your questioning, he is liable for inciting you to your... disgraceful action, but context is still necessary."

Then Okuni-Nushi did much the same, if from a different angle.

"How were you able to escape my restraints? I used the strongest seals I had to ensure you were unable to move!"

To that, Lunarunn swallowed.

"I bear a power that he deemed a threat to the safety of this world. Even beyond what I have publicly shown, I have another." She bowed her head. "It is that power that allowed me to bypass Okuni-Nushi-sama's seals - though even that was an act made in a brief... lapse of judgment."

The war god nodded slowly, though he got an odd look in his eye at the momentary hesitation before the 'lapse', before asking another question. "What is this power?"

"The taint of an ancient evil." She lifted her gaze to meet the two gods questioning her. "In my darkest moments, that evil sought to consume me. It failed, but I did not escape unscathed. It's ironic; both light and darkness have pursued me, yet neither has wholly succeeded in their task, and it is the latter that prompted the former to do the same."

"You evade the question. What is the name of this purported evil you speak of?" That was the third delegate of the Shinto faction, an elderly-looking man with a gourd-shaped head. The leader of the eastern branch of the Shinto's Youkai Faction hadn't spoken until that moment, but he voiced perhaps the most damning question he could have asked.

Instead of answering directly, Luna stared firmly at him. "I will answer, but only on the guarantee of all those here that the name in question is sealed on a 'top-secret' basis."

"Preposterous," Okuni-Nushi spat. "You are in no place to make demands of us, not after the crimes you have committed against our children!"

"Yet she does all the same. Curious, considering the circumstances."

"Susanoo-sama?" Nuyarihyon turned to look at the war god in question.

"Tempted as I am to raise my blade and strike her down now," he rumbled, face stormy, "She has at least earned herself the benefit of the doubt. Lunarunn has evaded the question, yes, but I am willing to abide by her terms to dig to the heart of the matter."

Considering they could just as easily turn around and break them, yes. It was a promise, not a contract. Still, as long as they were amenable to the idea...

"Fine. We'll agree as well," Okuni-Nushi grumbled, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. Nurarihyon did the same quietly, looking inordinately amused.

"Very well. All the delegates who do not wish to be consigned to this knowledge may leave; everyone else please remain seated." Utu looked around; not a single person moved from their seats. "Then speak, Lunarunn. What beast contacted you and gave you the fell power you speak of?"

"Well... time to let the cat out of the bag," she mumbled, before clearing her throat and raising her voice to address the room, as well as summon Cataclysm Eclipse, the aberrant wings flared wide so that they could all see it. Most already had.

But the three that were not in the know, however, all bolted to their feet, summoning their magics and weapons, leveling them at the brunette.

Lunarunn stared back and clenched her jaw, standing tall as she declared the name to the court. "The being who tainted me was none other than Trihexa - the Scourge of the Abrahamic God."

It took longer than anticipated to calm down the three delegates from the Shinto Faction and its Youkai subordinates, and even the members of the court already at least tangentially-aware - Utu included - were put off by the fell aura the wings of Cataclysm Eclipse exuded, despite her lack of action otherwise. Shameless, some would say. A cursed woman, Nurarihyon - the gourd-headed Youkai - accused her of being.

Well. He wasn't entirely wrong.

Not one of them accused her of lying, however. None could, when her proof was clear as day.

So instead, a wary and glowering Susano'o spoke a single word. "How?"

"My original power, Worldweave, is the manipulation of the fabric of reality." Luna answered. "It is not out of the question that in the moment I began to crack under all the revelations I had received the day I was dragged into the abyss, that fabric may have... loosened, around me, letting Its influence through."

"And as the epicenter of said loosening, you would be directly caught by it," Okuni-Nushi finished, though his expression was as though he'd bitten into a lemon. "How can we be sure that you are not merely a puppet, or even serving the Beast of the Apocalypse?

"Trihexa's a creature of destruction for the sake of destruction." Luna gestured around her with her good hand. "I didn't spend decades bringing this all together just to tear it down."

"Yet you are here, preparing for war!" Nurarihyon hissed.

"War for the sake of war is nothing more than carnage," Luna cooly retorted. "I seek not bloodshed but change; my actions facing Kokabiel - loss of limb notwithstanding - should be indicative of such. If I had used Cataclysm Eclipse-" she shifted her wings, folding them across her back, "-we wouldn't be here now."

"And why did you refrain from doing so when you were pressured by the Watcher of the Stars?" Susano'o queried.

'...Gh.'

"I made a vow to prove myself more than the Beast, by beating Kokabiel without touching Its curse." The Worldweaver lifted her stump. "This was the price I paid for my hubris. This, and the lives of those that were lost as the result. "

"Have you no shame for what you've done?" Okuni-Nushi ground out.

"If you're asking me if I regret the actions I took?" She closed her eyes. "Had I known that I would cause so much suffering, I never would have made that promise. But I did, so I made sure that word was fulfilled. If I do not uphold my vows, how could I ever expect others to trust me?"

"So you claim your word is worth more than the lives and livelihoods of thousands."

"No. What I'm saying is, my word is worth more than my arm. The lives of those I killed, however..." Luna's hand rose to the remaining part of her severed limb, and her firm expression began to crack, lips trembling faintly. "That was an accident that occurred because I placed honor over expedience, and I sorely wish I had been strong enough to prevent it from happening."

There was a beat of silence, before the brunette took a deep breath and continued. "But in that regard, I failed. So the only thing I can do is admit to the mistakes I did make, do what I can to atone, and keep moving forward."

There was a period of silence before Nurarihyon spoke. "The East Youkai Faction is done with questioning. This has been... informative. That being said, I now feel the need to take a hot bath."

That prompted a twitch from the brunette, biting back the urge to snap at the old Youkai for his disrespect. But she held it in; Luna wouldn't stoop to his level.

"The Shinto Divinity Faction similarly is finished with questioning," Susano'o concurred, stepping behind his seat and adjusting his tie. "However, I have a brother and sister to report back to. Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and I will discuss what the Shinto delegation has seen, and decide on whether or not to continue supporting the Dawn Legion - as well as offer our recommendation as to Lunarunn's fate. Come, Okuni-Nushi. We are done here."

The other god stood, staring at Lunarunn long and hard before giving the God of Storms a short nod, lifting a hand and teleporting all three away in a flash of light.

Lunarunn released a soft sigh. At least they weren't gunning for her head like their initial response had been, according to Georg.

Her gaze shifted back to Utu, but chose to say nothing.

So, he took the initiative instead. "Now that the delegates from the Shinto Factions have departed, are there any more questions before we discuss the verdict for Lunarunn nee Bael?"

Silence, which the sun god also took to continue. "Very well. Then by Dawn Legion code, the jury will be remitted to the discussion room and come to a conclusion of the accused's guilt with all available knowledge. Until that point, the accused will be placed under constant guard - with a tracking charm instead of binding seals as she has proven herself able to escape the latter. Barring extreme circumstances; if the accused leaves the Dawn Legion compound, contacts the jurors or the jurors' contacts outside of this room, or enters any confidential area, that will be taken as an admission of guilt to all charges to the maximum possible degree and be punished as such. If the accused is found to have committed perjury, the same will apply. Omissions will be handled on a case-by-case basis. The court is now adjourned."

There was no bang of the gavel, but the message was received loud and clear. As Luna rose, the Sumerian god's lunar counterpart strode up to her, expression carefully neutral.

"That could have gone far worse for you," he commented, even as he weaved a spell right there, the tracking charm that Utu had ordered placed on Luna's person.

"Still not great, but at least I was able to tell my story and have people process it with all due impartiality." Cataclysm Eclipse vanished into black wisps, the tenseness in Nannar's shoulders easing noticeably as a result.

"So you were." He glanced at the jurors as the tracking spell settled over Luna's shoulders like a shawl. "Many here respect you for bringing the Legion together, but it is difficult to overlook destroying a city - even if it was an accident."

"If Jasp has been doing her part, she's probably already gone and made sure that reparations are in place." Luna glanced over at where the Shinto faction had sat. "That's probably why Susano'o was the most lenient of the Shinto delegation during the hearing; my Pawn's nothing if not diligent."

"So it would seem." After a brief test to ensure the longevity of the tracking charm, Nannar stepped back. "You are all set to leave. Until the court deems you innocent or you have performed any assigned penance, however, you are no longer leader of the Dawn Legion. That role will fall to Inanna and Georg, as Jaspal is your Pawn and thus liable to undue bias."

"I know. I helped make the rules here, y'know." The brunette tried cracking a smile, but Nannar remained carefully neutral.

"You will also be barred from speaking with them outside of proceedings - or any leading role within the Dawn Legion - until proceedings are completed."

That, she also knew. Though it stung, she recognized the order as a way to minimize favoritism.

Still, Luna would admit, she had gotten used to being able to basically do whatever the hell she wanted. Maybe having some constraints could do her some good...?

A shudder ran down her spine.

'...Fuuuuuuuck.'


Azazel fancied himself a kind man. He was usually thoughtful of others, he delighted in enlightening others to the freedom of life that all should indulge in, and he legitimately wanted what was best for his people.

Was he a good man, though? Absolutely not. A good man wouldn't even consider the proposal on his desk - a proposal he had set forth. It would leave thousands upon thousands of his brothers and sisters to rot on the spears of the outside world for their actions in Kuoh, as well as dissolve the Protectionist faction outright, keeping a close eye on them to ensure they didn't try to stir up unrest or otherwise support the now-criminal Protectionist leader.

It was censorship, plain and simple, and a pittance of what the Youkai and Devils wanted to ensure peace was maintained. Even Gabriel wanted to make sure that the message was clear; such unilateral actions could not and would not be tolerated.

"Damn you Kokabiel..." he hissed, running a hand through his hair as he glared balefully down at the paper. He knew full well it was a very similar treatment to what Lunarunn received, back during the Dark Moon Incident. There was a cruel irony in it, the two-tone-haired man mused, even as he looked down the signatures of the cadres who signed on.

Shemhazai. Baraqiel. Armaros. Tamiel. Sahariel. Even Penemue, who had previously been Kokabiel's strongest supporter among the top echelons of the Grigori. The decision had been unanimous.

The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.

"The more things change, the more they remain the same." Azazel pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out an exhale. "Luna, whatever it is you're gonna do, I hope you've at least accounted for all the people I have to cut loose."

No response. It would have been alarming if there was.

He couldn't help these brothers and sisters anymore. They made their choice.

Azazel fancied himself a kind man, but he wasn't a good man. That was why, with a heavy heart, he was able to add his name to the rest of the cadres, throwing thousands to the wind to save face.

All for the sake of peace.


A/N -

Okay, sooo... The Dantalion main branch got snuffed by Tsubaki (oh, there's Sona's original Queen!) and Diodora, Diodora may be taking the path of the Demon (whatever that means), Heaven's seeing some more cracks in the foundation (mikey the leper, anyone?), and there's something going on in Rome that is spooking the Vatican. Plus, we see a little more of what's going on Grigori-side too. Perfectly normal things happening across the factions, while Luna's grounded during her own court's decision on whether or not to punish her for her turning Kuoh into a wreck.

So she's gonna have to slow down for a chapter or two while everything's whirling into action around the rest of the world. What fun!

Hope this is a good prologue for the next phase of the story!

Tempura Wizard out.