NMHA Ch. 63 - The Pebble Rolls


A/N:

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy reading? It's something of an issue. Ba-dum-tss

No but really pun aside I may have stayed up all night reading going into the last days of August and it messed up my productivity for the day. Simply put; it sucked. At least it was only one day; and I got plenty of sleep afterwards.

In other news, I've been reading Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin here on FFnet. Holy hell, this story shows me just how much more I have to learn in terms of story beats, long-form suspense, and environmental description. Seriously; the start might be a little rough, but 50k words in it starts getting good, and at 100k I was hooked. Give it a read, if it tickles your fancy.

Work has been... rough. I haven't really had an opportunity to write - I've either been too busy during work, or too fried afterward. Thankfully, the US has Labor Day off, and me the majority of the following day as well. I'm looking forward to having the long weekend as of the time I wrote this note.


Issei had no clue how over a month - thirty four days - could pass so quickly. Granted, most of it was spent acting as a middleman between the big names of each faction, so in retrospect he supposed that he fell into a daily routine between negotiating, training, and trying to set time aside for friends and family that he'd very nearly lost. Not that he minded being busy, not really. It was his home, so it was his duty to look after it, especially with as many guests as had come as a result of Luna's actions.

Considering that Matsuda, someone he once called a friend, was among the fatalities, the fragility of the people around Issei became all the clearer.

He had never really thought about law enforcement as a career choice before. It wasn't the exact same, but that and the one he found himself in now both were the role of the protector - and considering the tacit approval of all four heads it was all but accepted that he carried a significant amount of weight behind his word.

Which meant that in this rare gathering of all four leaders - five, if one counted Sona's sister - his word also had notable sway.

Never mind the fact that his repaired and remodeled home was acting as the meeting grounds for all five supernatural powerhouses, or that they were all eating over trays of kaiseki-ryori produced by Issei's mother, alongside cups of shincha green tea.

How was Miki Hyoudou able to pull a multi-course meal together in such a short time frame, much less serve it as well as dignitaries might expect from a hastily-gathered meeting, in the middle of a town that's still recovering from the devastation of the fight between Lunarunn and Kokabiel? That eluded Issei, not that he could ask her right off the bat, especially not with said dignitaries in the room.

Said mother was currently upstairs - at Issei's request - tending to his father, whose legs had been restored after Asia finished up her brief but intense tenure at the hospital. Still, the phantom pains and bouts of weakness suggested that even if Goro Hyoudou's spine was healed, scars still remained. Psychologically, at least.

Issei wouldn't let it happen again... thus his current frustration with the Abrahamic factions.

"Are you serious?!" the Red Dragon Emperor exclaimed, dropping a fist on the table, though not hard enough to disturb their meals. After working what seemed like magic in the kitchen, he wouldn't disrespect his mother's work like that. "You all want to use the rebuilt Kuoh Academy as the grounds for a peace summit? It's only been a month since the town got wrecked, and we're just getting back on our feet!"

"Yet in that time, we have had no less than four - four - supernatural factions not just living in the same space, but working in tandem for the betterment of the city," Azazel commented lightly before taking a quick and noisy sip of his tea. "Sluuuurp- Even if Kuoh was destroyed, we have heard neither hide nor hair of the Dark Moon recently, which suggests she has gone back into hiding."

"Or that she's waiting for the next time to strike." Issei's eyes shifted over to the Devils. Serafall Leviathan - the only Devil allowed to speak with the Youkai - closed one eye and stuck her tongue out, waving a hand in front of said tongue as she ate a particularly hot spoonful of mushimono soup. Sirzechs, on the other hand, was expressionless, his own food untouched. "You two would know her best; what are the odds that Lunarunn No-name would be preparing to use this 'peace summit' of yours to kick off the next Abrahamic War - or worse, the next War Between The Heavens?"

"Based on her previous psychological profile, it's not out of the realm of possibility." Serafall hummed thoughtfully as she stared down at her meal like it was challenging her. "Ever since she was introduced to the Assembly, Lunarunn held a grudge against Sirzechs and I, all the way to the Dark Moon Incident."

"To be fair, you two did leave her hanging in what should have been a mere introduction to the aristocracy of your world," Gabriel said with a chilly smile, having already finished all but the dessert. She'd done so both remarkably quickly and quietly, yet seemed quite sated despite what had appeared a fierce appetite.

Sirzechs sighed. "Yes, and I have regretted cutting her loose ever since."

Yasaka lifted a thin brow, clearly skeptical. The Grigori Governor-General was much the same, even commenting on it. "Sluuuuuuuuurp- So you say, and yet you all asked me to do the same with the brothers and sisters who Kokabiel convinced to follow him here."

"Noted, Azazel," Issei rapped the table with a knuckle, pointedly steering his mind away from the fact that said Fallen could destroy the town just as easily as Lunarunn had. "But that doesn't get us anywhere."

"Well said, Issei-san," the Kitsune agreed, taking a refined, tiny bite of her own meal and setting her chopsticks down before continuing. "The matter is, you are concerned about Kuoh's continued safety should a peace summit be held here. We happen to stand in agreement with this notion; the town is still vulnerable should more supernatural conflict erupt. The fact that the peace has been maintained for a month, despite the close proximity and density of our respective numbers, has already been something of a minor miracle, especially with Azazel's decree to exile thousands of his own."

"Then do you have a recommendation, Yasaka-san?" Gabriel queried. "We have been working toward this summit for decades now. After a continued, collaborative effort like the reconstruction of Kuoh, the time is as ripe for reconciliation as it may ever be. It must be held in neutral territory, one way or another."

The nine-tailed fox Youkai smiled thinly. "We of the Youkai Faction would be willing to host the Peace Summit in a remote location. It may not have the same amenities that Kuoh Academy would have upon its completion, but the experience in construction we have obtained in the past month means that building a forum to do so would be a simple task."

Issei nodded once, before his brow furrowed. "But there's a catch, isn't there?"

"Indeed." To that, Yasaka's smile became even more thinned. "The Devils foot the entire bill for the forum, including... collateral. Something the Devils would be very inclined to get back. Just in case something goes awry again, I'm sure you understand."

The Devils were silent, even as the other four pairs of eyes turned on them.

"I'm not sure I can agree with that," the redhead finally admitted, grimacing. "The Pillars want any such conference, even if it's in a DMZ, to be on Devil territory, so once it goes through they can say that the Devils led the peace treaty. Kuoh is the place to do so. And they would never agree to sending one of our own as collateral."

"Is it?" the youkai asked archly. "We thought that such things as lives and borders held little value to you; after all, you certainly had no problem exploiting our people."

Then the vulpine smirk returned, and with it more than a hint of venom. "Or is it because the lives and borders in question are Devil ones, now? Perhaps even your sister?"

Issei was sure the air got heavier with that last comment as everyone - himself included - stiffened with tension. Even Azazel had stopped eating, though he was still hunched over his shiizakana, ready to devour the next bite. That didn't stop his eyes from flicking up and across the rest of the table.

Sirzechs didn't immediately reply, instead shifting his gaze over to Gabriel and Azazel as he slowly, finally, took a piece of otsukuri sashimi with his own chopsticks and slid it into his mouth. His brow was furrowed as he chewed, as though asking them for their thoughts.

Thoughts that Azazel almost cheerily gave, setting his own bowl down and leaning back. "As it so happens, we recently had to lay off about forty-thousand of our own men and women due to outside political pressure. We just don't have the sort of manpower required to cause an incident during the summit, thanks to Kokabiel. Thus, we must ask that the Devils step up where we cannot."

"Heaven's duty is to humanity first, and there have been concerns stirring in our charge," Gabriel added on. "We seek peace, but we cannot do so if it would jeopardize our duty toward God's children. Thus we cannot assign any more of our own to this endeavor either beyond the delegates and their escorts."

"Our people have already been taken advantage of enough by your kind," Yasaka finished. "If you want your peace, We can assist in creating a bounded space in the event that another incident does occur within Kuoh. But We are already going above and beyond what is reasonable for a faction such as yours: We have every right to reclaim Kuoh from the Devils, yet for the sake of long-term benefit We grant you one last chance to not disappoint us. After staking much capital on the good tidings of your precious summit, I suggest you take it."

Issei blinked slowly, recognizing the change in Yasaka's use of pronouns immediately. Had the Devils just been ganged up on? He stared nonplussed at the others, before he glanced back at the Underworld beings in question. Both of them were completely closed off, preventing him from getting an idea of how they were processing this sudden position of responsibility.

That itself was fairly telling, though.

"I will... relay this, to the Pillars," Sirzechs finally responded, bowing. "We will not forget your generosity, Lady Yasaka."

"I would much rather put this whole matter into bed," she replied dryly. "Generosity has nothing to do with it - your kind have proven themselves not worthy of such."

"There's still the matter of Kuoh itself," Issei insisted. "What would this Bounded Field do, and how would it make a summit here be safe?"

"It'll superimpose another Kuoh over the original, as an alternate dimension - that way, if a fight breaks out, nobody else gets hurt," Serafall explained, remarkably sober for the usually-bubbly Maou. "But clearly, the fact that Kuoh Academy was keyed to alarm the Underworld if one did come up was... ill-advised."

'Ill-advised, being that they didn't make one for fear of having the Satans come storming into Kuoh in force?'

"Uh-huh. And if the field gets broken?" he asked, lips thinning in skepticism. "I know all of you are powerful enough to destroy Kuoh in your own right - probably even more than Kuoh in a single burst of power. So what happens then? Am I supposed to just... accept that my home might go through another destruction event?"

Azazel brought his hand to his chin, leaning back as a thoughtful expression slid onto his face. "You could help maintain the Bounded Space. I wasn't here to see it for myself, but from the sounds of it you were able to amplify a barrier to the point of deflecting the worst of Lunarunn's explosion. With a stronger base to work off of, perhaps a Maou who specializes in defense or one who specializes in magic, I theorize you could amplify them to the point of keeping an all-out brawl from spilling into the overworld."

Again, Azazel looked at Sirzechs, who gave a single nod, seemingly more satisfied with this course of action. "I can speak with Ajuka and Falbium. Falbium would be ideal for his defensive specialization, but Ajuka both has more reserves and greater efficiency with those reserves. Either would work."

The Lucifer Maou stared at Issei. "I can assure you that should either of them be manning the Bounded Field, there is next to no chance that any incidents would cause a disaster like what happened a month ago. Is that acceptable to you?"

"We will ask our own barrier specialists to ensure that the Devils do their work properly," Yasaka added with a brief nod. "However, beyond that We are willing to accept such a compromise."

Issei looked over to Azazel, who had lifted a hand and nodded in agreement, and then to Gabriel who seemed, if not happy, then at least satisfied with the idea.

"...Fine. But if something happens, I know exactly who to blame."

"I'm afraid there's already quite a line for that," Sirzechs demurred, with a faint smirk, lifting his bowl again as though making a brief toast. "But I will take your words into account all the same, Issei."


"I have other arrangements that day," Falbium Asmodeus flatly refused, crossing his arms and breathing out a sigh as they walked the steps of the lonely but well-maintained Asmodeus estate's nature trail. In the distance, a mighty waterfall rumbled, even as the sounds of wildlife resounded around them. "You should already know that; you ordered me to look after the elements in our world who may try to undermine your efforts."

"Circumstances have... changed. Ajuka has been busy trying to determine the base of the Evil Essence Mephisto Pheles sent him ages ago, and he says he's on the verge of a breakthrough as to the truth behind Lunarunn's powers. I need one of you to help supply the Bounded Space for the summit, and you know how Ajuka gets when he's pulled away right before his eureka moment."

"Not everyone wants peace, Sirzechs. You should know that. Unsurprisingly, many of my own soldiers are among them. Ajuka's project can wait; it isn't liable to cause trouble like the soldiers of the old war. Yet you want me to... what, leave them be so your friend can continue undisturbed?"

"Of course not. I want you to deal with them, Falbium."

There was a long pause as Sirzechs continued walking, even as his fellow Satan slowed to a stop. Sirzechs realized something at that moment: the birds had fallen silent.

"...You want me to kill them, you mean."

Blue eyes locked with black, Sirzechs and Falbium meeting gazes, both surprisingly fiery despite the amicability of the first and the usual apathy of the second.

Neither were to be found at that moment.

"If you have to," the redhead said softly.

Falbium's eyes narrowed, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. "How many more must we sacrifice, Sirzechs? How many more must die for the sake of this peace treaty?"

"As many as it takes. So that all their deaths are worth it." The Devil in question turned back around to set a hand on the bald man's shoulder, only for it to be shaken off the moment it was.

"So that their blood greases the gears of Zekram's eternal kingdom, you mean." Falbium's voice was neutral as he closed his eyes. "For someone who was so eager to change this place for the better, you've become complacent, Sirzechs. I wonder. Is that because you're at the top of the world now, compared to before where you were just... high up?"

"I have a family now. A wife, a son-"

Falbium's eyes flashed open, narrowed and accusatory. "A family that you only found because you were such an earthshaker back in the old days."

"I'm still the most powerful Devil to ever live," Sirzechs quietly said. "If I wanted to shake the earth, I could. I could do far worse, as well."

"I know. Yet, all I see is someone who has sated his Sin, and decided to move on from Avaritia to Gula." The Asmodeus Satan gave him a small, almost crooked smile. "Fitting, is it not? Now that you've achieved your heart's desire, you sit and engorge yourself on the fruits of your conquest."

Sirzechs crossed his arms. "What are you insinuating, Falbium?"

Falbium just let out a brief huff of laughter as he walked past Sirzechs, pausing as they were back-to-back. "Do you want to know why I supported Lunarunn from the shadows and eventually put her in a seat within the Assembly after you, Ajuka, and Serafall left her to rot?"

"I asked you to."

"That you did." He tilted his head back, turning it just enough so he could see Sirzechs's back. "For the crucible, as you put it. But there is a large difference between doing something because someone I had once considered a friend asked me to, and doing something because of what few principles I have calling for me to do something to right a terrible wrong."

"So this is you saying that you're cutting ties with me," Sirzechs said, all too calmly. "Is that it?"

"I already had," he replied back, also far too calmly. "Ever since you left a young Devil - and one with such potential - in her 20's to be disappeared by some exploitative noble and most likely raped for a bloodline nobody expected her to have. This is just making it official. And if you have any respect for me, then you will accept with all the nobility of the title you hold."

The redhead turned back to see Asmodeus step forward, pressing something into the other Satan's hands.

"Consider this a parting gift," the bald Devil said, bowing his head briefly. "You are not the Devil I once followed, Sirzechs. But I dearly hope that you might be again, one day."

He stepped away, slipping his hands back into the pockets of his vestments. "I wish you luck with the summit, Lord Lucifer. I will not attend, but I will be keeping an eye on aggressive elements homeside, as you asked of me prior."

And with that, Falbium Asmodeus walked away, Sirzechs turning to stare after him long and hard, with a face cut out of stone.

One hand went to his side, squeezed in a faintly trembling fist as he lifted the book to his face with the other, opening it briefly to read the contents that laid at the bookmark.

A laugh escaped him, breaking the stony visage with a self-deprecating mirth. "Ah, you truly are a cruel Devil aren't you, old friend?"

He slipped the copy of Animal Farm into his cloak pocket, having taken the bookmark out of the very last page. He didn't need to read more than a few words for the rest to come back to him.

The mirth fell away once again, staring dolefully in the direction that the other Satan had gone, now out of sight. 'Be careful Falbium; your true colors are starting to show. Just be glad I was the one to see them this time.'

("The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.")


Georg walked the halls of the Dawn Legion, hands behind his back as he turned the corner, noting the people who bowed their heads toward him, and those who passed along without paying him heed.

There were increasingly few. Not all those people gave the silent treatment for no reason, either.

A month was a long time for the jury to debate over the case of a single individual after proceedings. The courts moved along all the same, but for the peculiar case of Lunarunn nee Bael, they seemed rather intent on dragging their feet.

Georg wasn't going to blame Inanna for convincing the courts to let her keep charge for a little while, but he wasn't going to exonerate her, either. The Gods tended to desire positions of power. After all, they were Gods.

And his leader, like the moralistic idiot she was, had given them the golden ticket to take just that.

All they needed to do was... keep the decision-making process going for a few centuries or millennia- or at least until she ran out of patience and left the compound.

"Honestly..." he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "For someone so eager to hold everyone to the same standard, she has an awfully... altruistic view of herself."

The hooded man who joined Georg by his side gave a single tilt of the head, before the two stepped into an empty corridor- a swipe of the magician's hand enabled them both to vanish to another, quieter location through the gift of Dimension Lost.

"I would say more 'self-denying'," said the hooded individual muttered once they were away. "She's been seen around the cafeteria, from what I hear, but at public events or anywhere else? Nowhere to be found."

"Fraternizing with the troops, perhaps?"

Even if the hood was enchanted to shroud the face of the individual behind it, Georg could practically feel the eyes of the other individual piercing like daggers.

"Not even close. She was wearing pajama bottoms, a jacket, and it seemed like she hadn't slept at all. She took her food and fled back to her room."

The magician pinched his nose and breathed out slowly, counting from one to ten.

"Bollocks." He was tempted to get to the bottom of what seemed to be up with the leader of the Dawn Legion, but reined himself back in. "Look, I can't exactly speak with her, not while she's stuck in deliberations. Jaspal and Kuroka are similarly tied up. Do you think you could get a message across?"

The hooded individual sniffed. "And why should I care what happens to her?"

"You already know why." Georg met the hooded individual's shaded gaze evenly, despite being slightly shorter. "So are you willing to work with me, or not?"

There was a long pause, prompting the magician to raise an arm and lean against a boulder, gaze not breaking away from the other individual.

"Fine."


Lunarunn sat on her bed, leaning back on her sole arm, staring at the god in front of her with a mild expression of consternation.

"It's been a month, and they're still working on it?" she groaned. "Unbelievable."

"Yet here we are," Set shrugged, an unrepentant grin on his face. "Though to be fair, as long as Georgie stays out of the process - which he has to, lest he's accused of 'favoritism' or 'unfairness' - the Sumerians are in charge. And you do know how us gods like our power."

"And here I was hoping they'd follow the laws I created for the Dawn Legion - they are, after all, subordinate to me, as well as gods of order."

"Didn't they break the supposed 'rules of diplomacy' when you first tried allying with them? Their 'order' lies in the supremacy of their king - and you certainly aren't supreme right now." The Egyptian King of Sand pointed out, much to Luna's chagrin.

She grimaced, cricking her neck. "If push comes to shove, I can put 'em in their place, but... well. I don't exactly wanna stoop to their level. We're supposed to work together for a common cause."

"Then you really should have put more thought into giving yourself protections against power plays like this."

"I don't want anyone to be outside the law - especially not me. I just want it to be fair."

"And what's 'fair' about being held up for a month when really you should have been reinstated three weeks ago?"

Set's grin widened as Luna glanced down in thought. "Oh dear, has it never occurred to you that this might just be a quiet coup attempt?"

"I mean, it has. Again though, I don't plan to be a rule-breaker, especially when I was the one to make the rules!"

"If this keeps up, you're going to have to." At this point, the grin turned into a leer as he leaned in. "And I, for one, am not going to wait for your little court to put you back in power."

She tensed up, eyes narrowing. "What do you plan to do, Set?"

The Egyptian god hummed. "Oh, what am I going to do? I usurped one throne before. What's another, when it's as easily passed around as some cheap whore?"

"The way you put it, that just means it's not worth your effort."

"I take what I can get." He stood straight again, waggling his fingers in a one-handed wave. "So you better think fast on what to do girl; otherwise, your little dream is gonna go up in flames once I take charge."

"And you think that the Dawn Legion will follow your command?" Luna drolled.

"Nope! But it'll be fun to see just how it all comes apart, and ultimately, that's why I even agreed to lend my power to your cause." Set turned around, glancing back at the brunette with a malicious grin. "So stop sitting around and start entertaining me again."

"Do you really think that you could cause the Dawn Legion to fall to pieces so quickly?"

"Do I look like I care?"

As he vanished into grains of sand which dispersed, Luna looked back down before flopping back onto the bed with a grunt. No, Set didn't care. At least, he didn't seem to. He might not be able to claim the leadership of the Dawn Legion, but he could certainly make a right mess of it all the same.

And Luna was already running the margins close enough as it was.

"Damn it." The brunette grit her teeth. She wanted to play nice, but the facts of the matter stood. Georg was a co-leader with Inanna, and Georg had to stay out of judicial affairs due to his proximity within the organization to Luna herself. Thus, that left Inanna in charge of the legal process.

The goddess of sex, war, and politics.

'I figured she'd be the best delegated ruler in my absence given her status as chief of state, but this...!'

"Fucking hell!" Luna snarled, running a hand through her hair. How did that little nugget of information slip out of her mind?! "Am I really going to have to be that guy?"

"And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Another unexpected visitor.

"I really need a guest room or something," the brunette muttered, rising back into a sitting position before freezing in place.

"Do elaborate," Kokabiel, Watcher of the Stars, seemed almost amused if the raised brow was any indication. "It sounds like someone is having troubles in paradise."

"Can it, birdbrain," she said emphatically. "I'm currently plotting my righteous crusade against the sexy bitch who's working to kick me out of my own supernatural union."

He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms. "Ironic that you of all people should say that, considering how you mean to flip the table for the supernatural world as a whole."

"Maybe it needs flipping; plenty enough people are getting abused on the daily, after all. You're here for that reason, right?"

"Only provisionally." the Fallen former cadre lifted a hand to the badge on the lapel of his robes. "I am an Enforcer, after all."

"Right. Which means that only I get to order you around because you wouldn't accept anything else."

"I'll give you a matching stump if you do," Kokabiel promised, though his tone was less hostile and more dry.

"Only if you ask nicely!"

The black-haired Fallen just grunted, shaking his head at Luna's sarcastic whimsicality. "I overheard your conversation. May I ask just why you have the Egyptian god of chaos and war as a part of your retinue if he's not even going to respect your authority?"

"Chaos is more Apophis's doman, but Set's in it for the shits and giggles," Luna replied. "I figured it'd be more worthwhile to at least aim him in a good direction than give him a reason to resent us."

She frowned, staring at the doorway. "As for the respect bit? I think there's a bit more there than Set lets on. He gave me fair warning, after all, about his plans to stir up trouble."

"Whereas with most he'd just do it anyway." Kokabiel's usual scowl deepened. "Great, he's one of those. Also an Enforcer, I presume?"

"Yep. And without me at the top to keep him in line..." Realization crossed her face, and she proceeded to put her hand on it. "Oh god damn it-"

"Language," the Fallen drawled.

"Up yours," Luna fired right back in a similar drawl. "He's basically following his prior path - where he stole the throne from Osiris when Ra decided to go into an early retirement."

She blinked. "Does he seriously see me as the equivalent of the sun god?"

"Considering you're the one to make the Dawn Legion..."

Luna paused. "...In hindsight, I probably should have seen that one coming."

"Right." Kokabiel's dry tone brought a smile to Luna's lips, even as he pushed off the wall and walked over to the door. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Well... considering the circumstances, I'll just have to wing it. Like I usually do." The brunette's smile sharpened. "Like I did last time with 'em."

"I will take your word for it." He paused at the doorknob, before sliding the hood back onto his head, shrouding it. "Oh. I also have a message for you. Every piece is in place - all that is left is to light the fuse."

Luna's eyes widened then narrowed as she gave a single nod back. "Message received. Once this whole trial thing's done with, I'll be ready."

"...Then get some actual sleep beforehand."

Her brow furrowed as Kokabiel left the room with that parting comment, before letting out a rough sigh to stare at the ceiling.

"Actual sleep...? Damn it, man." A brief summoning of a mirror, bringing it up to her face, confirmed what Kokabiel saw for the brunette. An exhausted-looking Luna stared back, fatigue practically written on her expression.

Tear through armies? She possessed powers practically built for that. Challenge the status quo? After spending so long dedicating herself to that mission, every day a step closer to her goals, that was practically a habit.

Getting some sleep when she had nothing to do but wait?

"Easier said than done," the Worldweaver whispered, grimacing as the fragment of Trihexa hissed from the back of her mind.

'You need to do something. Something, anything, anything more than just sitting around- otherwise, why are you even here?'


Luna loved to sleep. At the best of times, it was a blissful escape from reality, a chance to unwind, if only for what would be personally-perceived as a little while.

She dearly missed those times. Even now, with the lights dim, she could feel the scratching in the back of her mind - both the fragment trying to mess with her head, and the urge to just get up and do... do something. Watch videos, play games, do some reading, do something with her time, because it was the only time she would have-

Her hand rose to her head, and she grimaced. The brunette wasn't sure how much of that was her, and how much of that was It trying to wear her down. She would admit, she was used to full days, so the thought that she hadn't been the least bit productive while she was awake was galling ('When did I become a workaholic?'). Never mind the fact that she had uncovered that if she didn't do something, Set would act as a poison pill, and Zero-Day would pass by without her being able to do anything about it. If that happened, 'problematic' would be a vast understatement.

'Then why aren't you doing anything?!' the back of her mind - was it the shard, or was it her? - decried in outrage. 'Where did all that confidence about moving forward go? Oh- that's right, it was all just hot air, wasn't it?'

Luna rolled back over in her bed, staring at her desk bed and the small journal on it - written in half-legible scrawl over the past month over a recurring nightmare, one whose images always slipped from her mind before long. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that somehow, she would be able to slip past both the condemning whispers of the fragment and her own thoughts to slip into peaceful rest. Yet she also knew that even if she did, what awaited her wouldn't be pleasant dreams, or even the internal world she could use to commune with the fragment directly in.

Over the past month, all that had awaited her were nightmarish scenes.

The minutes ticked by all too slowly, stretching into hours as she laid in bed, planning her steps for the next day and keeping the thoughts from overwhelming her sensibilities, all the while seeking a sleep that refused to claim her until what felt like the very last minute, when her eyes finally drifted shut...


Screams. Flashes of light. Angry faces and broken eyes. Luna watched as the world around her spiraled into chaos, each creature passing her vision by striking out in some way.

Superbia, Ira, Invidia, Gula, Avaritia, Luxuria, Acedia - as well as Vaingloria - they all comprised the sins that led to Angels Falling, as well as the Sins that defined both Devils and their forefathers.

Even from her place in the middle of the carnage, the brunette could see each clash playing out, clear as day. A blond streaked past, blazing wings a ghastly shade of what they once were, locking talons with one he once called brother over something as petty as a woman, someone - the only one - he desired but could not have. The green-eyed one stood still, surrounded by women, all broken beyond repair, as he directed brother against brother, sister against sister, eyes alight with a feverish intensity. The great serpent that once represented healing and rejuvenation was now a basilisk, full of deadly poisons and petrifying glares, the ice comprising her power green and venomous. Any who touched it invariably withered away, a perk from devouring Samael that she had taken with gusto. The warmaster was every bit the machine that he made himself out to be, the raw efficiency with which he dispatched Angels, Principalities, and even the Powers only giving way to a faint grin. The nihilist just yawned as pillars of light from the finest of Heaven met his barrier, rendered inert in the face of absolute void, even as the red-haired woman - as if she could be anything else - by his side returned with an even greater salvo of elemental magics, the result of hoarded knowledge and hidden experimentalism over the span of countless millennia.

The only one not in the conflict representing one of the Sins was Lucifer himself, her favored general watching from afar as she'd asked him to, to record this moment in history, while Bael was off dealing with the fact that the Trimurti were rallying support against the cause.

And through it all, Luna could feel her lips pulling to the sides in a sardonic smirk that felt all too comfortable on her face as she strode forward, untouched by the bloodshed. Even as her commanders - dare she say friends? - spilled life both holy and fell, she walked without so much as sparing them a second glance, instead staring up at the mighty ring in the sky.

It wasn't often that ****** would come down to his creation like this. He'd once claimed that the only time he'd do so were the end times.

The smirk split into a wide grin.

But he would descend for the likes of her. She was flattered that he still held her in such high regard. Indeed, she called up to him, mocking him for the cruel irony that he 'loved' his children, yet would take a complete deviation from his vaunted script to so much as make him take a glance at what was by all rights his child!

Hot, dry air blasted past her face as His Throne erupted in a prominence of light, fire, and fury, the Creator God bellowing her name even as she screamed his and shot into the air on noble wings of violet and prisma streaming white, slamming aside Angels and Fallen alike in her lunge for the heartless bastard's throat-


Luna's eyes snapped open as she bolted into a sitting position, covered in a cold sweat as her eyes refocused, awareness returning to reality as she scrambled over to the notebook on her bedside, placed there for exactly this moment.

'...That... that's the one...!'

As the memories of what she just saw began emptying out of her mind as dreams are wont to do, she started writing down all the pieces she could grasp onto long enough to maintain even a semi-cohesive understanding of.

Allied w/ Demons?

End times? Where TH?

BG + me = related? Grudge?

As the last of the memories faded as she fully came back to the land of the living, she stared at her notes and grimaced, rubbing one eye. She felt like she hadn't slept at all.

Several seconds later, her pen dropped to the paper once more as she filled out a final note:

Ulan hasn't given me anywhere near the full story.


"So when you say 'become a Demon'..." Diodora started slowly, glancing around the ritual hall with more than a bit of trepidation. While the open room adorned with a ritualistic circle in the center was well-kept, he could tell from the very feel of the runes etched into the room around him that this was an ancient place. "What does that entail, exactly?"

Ancient, and equally fell - his skin crawled just focusing on the all-too-quiet room, the only source of light a pale glow emanating from the ceiling in the center of the room, the moon of Hell gleaming balefully back down through the ancient glass.

Him - a Devil, shivering from the dark feel of the room he was standing in. Preposterous, yet...

"Aw, don't tell me you're chickening out from a little atmosphere," the Devil being questioned replied mockingly. "We do a little ritual to turn you into the Demon dust equivalent of a black hole, that's all!"

"And it has nothing to do with destroying myself as I am now?" He'd much rather see Zekram's split-open head at his feet personally, after all.

"Dio, buddy." Rizevim groaned, fake-swooning. "You're killin' me, here. Have I lied to you yet?"

"You haven't answered the question," Diodora said, walking over to the circle and kneeling in front of it, running a finger over the engraved line. It would make a strong foundation for whatever magic Rizevim meant to cast, even if nothing else had been constructed yet.

The teal-haired Devil could practically hear his patron roll his eyes. "Because I like leading you along. I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid - ninety-nine out of a hundred times you work with souls, it ends badly. Believe me, I know from experience."

"So if this isn't soul magic, then..."

"I never said this wasn't soul magic!" Rizevim corrected Diodora. "But this is one of the rituals that I know for a fact works. Well, insofar as you've reached a specific tier of power and have enough pull on a demon's essence already. It's just turning the magnet effect to full power, so to speak."

"How many times have you done this before?"

"How many cheeseburgers have you eaten in your life?"

"Wha-"

"Nothing, nothing." The white-haired Devil snickered as he walked back with what looked to be red chalk - Diodora's senses immediately recognized that it was infused with blood - and powerful blood, at that. "Point is, I've done it enough times to know exactly the minimum requirements to make this work, and you're a good deal past 'em now."

He knelt down in the center of the circle and started tracing red lines. "Better yet, considering how the Demons got axed, even if Dantalion does manifest as more than just the schizo hallucination you've got now? He won't have any memories of his past. The soul's there, but nothing else. Push comes to shove, you'll be able to consume him and add his power to your own, but you two are alike enough that it won't be necessary."

"And how would you know that, exactly?"

Rizevim blinked, then looked up from where he was making eerily flawless ritual lines, pointing at himself with his free hand. "Uh. Son of Danny's commanding officer, remember? Good ol' pops had him over more than once for a family dinner."

That... made sense, oddly enough. Even if the Demons had become monstrous creatures, there was undoubtedly a point where they, perhaps, weren't so vile.

Admittedly, it piqued the teal-haired Devil's curiosity, as he leaned on one of the pillars, watching the white-haired Devil do his work. "So what was he like? Before he went all..."

"Mind-rapey?" Rizevim finished for Diodora, cracking a grin at him while he continued the setup. "You'd be surprised. He was a lot like you, actually - devoted to a fault. You could say that's what drew me to you back when you found your fiancee."

The white-haired Devil looked up and closed his eyes, breathing out a slow sigh. "It was almost like the past had returned to the present, if just for that moment."

...He hadn't looked down for a little bit now, the younger Devil recognized. Rizevim seemed to recognize that as well, before glancing down. "I have a lot of experience with this."

Diodora's mind lingered briefly on the idea that Rizevim had been nostalgic when he helped the younger Devil onto the path he was walking now. "Then you've... tried to recreate Demons before?"

"Yep. Usually the ritual blows up in my face!" Rizevim chuckled. "Last time was a bit of a weird case, but after some antics involving the Sephiroth Graal, we managed to... stabilize the recipient. Even then, their compatibility with the Demon I tried regathering wasn't quite good enough for the process to go smoothly."

That got Diodora's attention, his eyes widening out of their squinted state. "You actually managed to revive a Demon before?!"

"Sorta? There's some soul magic bullshit going on there, so I can't exactly call the end result a 'Demon', but it's fair to say that they're a demon in at least one respect. Anyway, I'm finished up here; stand in the middle and we'll get started with the good stuff."

"You're not exactly selling me on this particular bit," the teal-haired Devil drawled, eyes squinting shut once more.

"Okay, fine, I'll swear on my dead dad that this ritual isn't gonna kill, cripple, or permanently disfigure you, or anything else of the sort." Rizevim rolled his eyes. "Shit, I hate swearing on that arrogant fuck, but there you go. Happy?"

"Satisfied, at least." Diodora slowly stepped into the center of the ritual circle, suppressing a shiver as he felt the curves of the framework of the ritual. It felt... alien. Where had Rizevim learned this again?

"Does it really matter?" The green-eyed hallucination shrugged as he stepped into view, standing directly opposite to Diodora in the circle. "He clearly knows what he's doing."

"He's tried enough times to perfect the process, but only succeeded once before, and even that's only a partial success." The teal-haired Devil crossed his arms. "Frankly, this seems like madness to me; how can you be so sure this will work?"

"...I don't know," the other Devil admitted. "But I just know."

"I can't say I know what your friend just said Dio, but I'm gonna hazard a guess and say that he's got a good feeling about this or something." Rizevim pulled out a vial of blood, holding it up to a light before nodding in satisfaction. "I haven't let you down yet, have I?"

The teal-haired Devil took in a deep breath. "If you had, I wouldn't even be entertaining the idea."

"Heh. I knew you'd say that." The white-haired Devil turned back around and walked back to Diodora, swirling the vial of blood in one hand. "Now hold still; it's gonna get delicate here. Want a towel?"

A towel? What was he on about? "I'll be fine."

"Eh." Rizevim shrugged as he swirled the vial around once more and uncorked the blood. "Alright, suit yourself. Here goes."

He tilted over the vial, letting the blood flow into the crevice of the magical circle's foundation, the blood filling the foundation before it started racing along the lines of red that Rizevim had drawn into the ritual circle.

"This is the blood of the current Sephiroth Graal wielder," the white-haired Devil explained. "It's as perfect a catalyst for soul magic as they come, though much like with any ritual there will need to be a sacrifice to achieve its effects. In this case, it will be two things; the first is a sizable chunk of Id to power the ritual - I'll provide that."

Diodora glanced back at Rizevim. "And the other?"

The son of Lucifer grinned.

"I offered you a towel for a reason."

He set a hand against the outside of the circle, then another, and the air started to fracture from the force of the energy the Super Devil poured into the ritual circle, the blood igniting a brilliant crimson as the circle continued inching toward completion.

Yet Diodora was unaffected, shielded within the ritual array as he turned to the green-eyed 'companion' and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever was to come.

At least, until the last of the lines connected, the framework completing the very same instant Rizevim's power finished traveling across the circuit, sending the blood spiking into the air around the younger Devil like lightning.

A moment of utter stillness passed, the ritual blood converged inward, and the reason why the seal felt alien to Diodora's magical senses became all too clear.

He should have accepted Rizevim's offer of a towel to bite into.

Had the walls not been sealed to the outside, the Underworld would have heard the screams of the willingly-damned once more.


Elsewhere, one by one, a small group of former nuns collapsed, gasping and grasping at their hearts as the Evil Pieces within began to transform, the change bringing with it a deep-seeded realization that something had changed.


In that moment, a Nekoshou paused, eyes wide as she turned to stare off into the distance, one hand rising to her chest as she felt something.

No, not 'something'. She recognized what it was- was that...?!

"Koneko?" Rias asked quietly, nudging her Rook with a furrowed brow. "Is something the matter?"

It took multiple seconds before she shook her head, forcing herself from the sensation to actually answer her King. "I... I think I felt an echo of some sort. I'm not sure, but... I think someone else was..." the Nekoshou trailed off as she struggled to find the word.

"Do you think someone else just went through the same thing you did years ago?"

The white-haired Devil shook her head. "No... No, whatever it was, it wasn't that. But something similar."

That's right. It was a feeling of wrongness, but it wasn't the same sort of filth that had sent her into a frenzy and a coma years ago.

The redhead furrowed her brow. "Do we have reason to be concerned?"

"...Not at the moment, Buchou."

"Then we can come back to that later." Rias smiled as Koneko turned back to her and nodded, glancing down at the table where a Pact stood. More importantly, it was the very same pact that held both Issei and Rias's signatures.

Simply put, the expedited way they had been returned to the Underworld meant that there was no real opportunity to dissolve the Pact that Issei and Rias had jointly signed near the start of the school year. Neither party had fallen onto the terms of breach, but the fact that they were still bound rankled the redhead, and Koneko knew that Rias was not fond of being stuck in a contract with no clear or easy way out.

Which led to them sitting together in the Gremory estate, brainstorming ideas on how to circumvent the issue without incurring the ire of an overprotective mother. They hadn't come up with anything particularly fitting for the time, but admittedly the redhead hadn't thought too hard on it. After all, there was always the chance he might come around, and why waste a perfectly good Pact?

Koneko was quite aware of her dragging her feet in the matter based on the dry look the Nekoshou gave her King, but chose not to say anything.

Plus the half-hearted brainstorm helped keep Rias from focusing on the Phenex issue.

That is to say, the 'Marchosias' problem. Rias had gone pale when Koneko explained who exactly Ruval had her help track down, then stormy after the surprise wore off. Then, surprise when Koneko mentioned that he'd remained in place to ensure she remained safe, even when his own Peerage had been ambushed and badly injured.

Yet, that itself caused something of a predicament. Ruval was expecting the raids to evolve into a full-blown rebel incursion, so naturally Rias and Koneko would be best to stay away, but considering that the Young Devils' Gathering was a long way off, Venelana wanted to keep Rias within the Assembly for the time being, and...

Rias stood sharply after a dozen minutes of running circles with her thoughts, breathing out through her nose.

"Buchou?"

"I need some fresh air," she declared, closing her eyes and kneading her lower lip in thought. "There's too little going on that we can currently be part of, yet too much ground to cover with just brainstorming."

She hated it. She hated just sitting around, waiting for something to happen that required her to act. Never mind the fact that one part of her life was currently being rebuilt after someone dropped a nuke on it, and the other was at extreme risk of armed conflict, Rias was restless.

Why couldn't something happen that she could take a part of already!?

"Rias!"

The redhead in question looked up at the magical circle that had appeared to her side, as well as the tone of... ('what is that emotion?') that seemed to lace the recipient's voice.

'...Perhaps I spoke too soon.'

"What is the matter, mother?" she asked, allowing herself the luxury of pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You are needed in the family lounge. A matter of utmost priority has arisen, so I must speak with you immediately!"

Was something wrong?

"Can it wait? I am currently in the middle of deliberations with my Peerage over-"

"The Dantalion Pillar was crushed," Venelana coldly interrupted. " As of this morning, it has been labeled as extinct."

The five words were met with utter, complete silence, as Rias's eyes widened and she turned to the circle. One part of her mind was overjoyed at the thought of such a dirty house being wiped clean from the Assembly, but on the other...

"How?!" she exclaimed.

"That is what we must discuss. Come swiftly, and bring your Peerage with you. This may only be the beginning, and we must plan for the possibility that our family is next."

The circle winked out right after, cutting off any response or complaint Rias might have had about her mother's demands.

However, in this case, the daughter had none. Even as she whirled around and ran back into the study to gather her Rook, the worries of her prior problems fell to the wayside.

This was serious.

Rias recognized what had laced her mother's voice, though she never expected Venelana Gremory, the Flaxen-haired Ruin Princess, to express it.

Fear.


"Hey! Boss! There's news, and it's a big one!"

One of the mercenaries ran up to Aesle Marchosias, freezing in place as the mercenary commander shot him a look, before lifting a single brow and holding out a hand for the paper in their subordinates' hand. The Devil did so, standing stiffly at attention as the copper-haired Devil slowly unrolled the newspaper in question- then relaxing as Aesle barked out a laugh.

"Breaking News: Dantalion Pillar Mysteriously Massacred Overnight!"

"So that's the signal, is it?" Aesle set the paper down and lifted a knuckle to the side of their temple, rolling that knuckle along that temple. "Well, Ruval- I suppose a month is all you get. Time to see what sort of mettle you're made of."

The copper-haired warrior let the paper fall to the table, forgotten as they stood and turned to the subordinate that delivered the message, swiping a hand out. "Rally the men; it is time to set forth and do our mission as the men and women of our lieges! It is time the world knew the strength of the True Devils once more!"

That got a salute from the soldier in question; stormy grey eyes meeting Aesle's without flinching.

"Yes sir." Cleria Belial responded, releasing the salute and turning around before walking off to fulfill Aesle's command.

She did quite enjoy being a newsmonger, even if she wasn't exactly what one would call a reporter...


Ruval let out a roar, a cacophony of ghostly Phenex flames raging from his fingertips, parting them to the side to let the fire explode outward. One hand spun a beam of light - the spear he'd received so many years ago - crashing against the arm of a charging Diehauser Belial, the gray-haired Devil sliding in, a jab rushing for the blond's face. It brushed skin, the air between them detonating with white and dark, Worthless clashing against Phenex flame all the way to nothingness.

Ruval slid back, flourishing his spear again, slamming it to the ground, rays of pale light extending from the broken ground followed by fire, led by wind and charged with electricity as the innumerable drills bore down upon Diehauser - the Devil in question spreading his wings and shooting into the air, tendrils of flame now following as a single geyser. He bobbed, weaved, danced around the serpentine construct, eyes narrowing faintly before shattering it with a haymaker... only to be met with the tip of the spear as Ruval surged out from within the flames, his weapon pressing at Diehauser's neck.

"Yield," he whispered, eyes alight with the tension of their fight, chest rising and falling heavily, just like the Emperor of Ratings Games did.

"Heh. I cannot defy such a command with a spear to my neck." Diehauser lifted his hands, closing his eyes in concession. "Though I have to admit, that is a new one. When did you learn to transfer your essence across fire? I wasn't expecting you to be able to teleport like that - a mistake I won't make twice, of course."

The Lord of the Phenex frowned thoughtfully, withdrawing his spear and letting it dissipate as he looked at Diehauser, though chose to not say anything.

"Recently," he finally decided. "While I am powerful, I am only one Devil - I cannot be everywhere at once. However, what I can do is extend my reach as far as I can. Being able to transpose myself through my fire is a result of that."

"...Are you still beating yourself up over what happened to Xi Fan and Boris?" he guessed, getting a wince from Lord Phenex. He'd hit the nail on the head.

"That bandit who claims to be a Marchosias - Aesle - is still out there. And considering just how much they look like Eospa, I... have to be stronger." Ruval clenched his hand into a fist. "Strong enough to challenge them. Fast enough to catch them, before they catch me off-guard again."

"Well, that explains why you've been training like there's no tomorrow for the past month." Diehauser crossed his arms, even as he slid back, staring at the ground beneath them. "So, you're trying to match the Vorpal Warchief."

"No." The blond shook his head, quickly jotting down a magical circle to summon a moist towel to cover his bare neck and shoulders. "I'm trying to surpass him - like any student should. And like any student, I mean to have Aesle's head for making a mockery of my mentor's memory!"

"Easy there." The Rating Games Emperor waved his hands in front of his face placatingly. "I understand. Believe me; I'm not a fan of someone running around with the face of a deceased Satan-level fighter, especially one as deadly as Eospa was."

"...Right."

Grey eyes stared at Ruval for several seconds before he spoke again, speaking slowly, carefully. "...Are you alright? Your temper has been... shorter, these days. You're more irritable - even if you caught me today, you've been slipping up in other ways."

The Phenex Flame of Sinai shrugged, and gave the other Devil a small smile. "I have a lot on my plate, so naturally I'm rather... bogged-down, at the moment. Especially with the threat of Aesle's supposed 'war games' just around the corner. I have much on my mind."

Diehauser's gaze flicked to the hand that once held that... curious spear. Even after clashing against it for years, it still eluded his comprehension - a peculiarity that would have kept him coming back for more duels, even if they themselves weren't as deeply satisfying as a good spar against an equal could be.

"You still haven't told me what exactly that spear was."

"I still don't entirely know myself," Ruval admitted. "My first impression was that it had something to do with Lunarunn's power and the way she'd gone mad, but I'm not as sure these days."

"Speaking of, did you hear? She's back in the overworld, and apparently she destroyed an entire town."

...Technically he had, from the very culprit herself, but he allowed himself the rightly-timed widening of eyes. "Lunarunn is still out there?"

"Shhh." Diehauser held up a finger to his lips, expression surprisingly serious as his eyes flicked from side to side. "Not everyone knows- seems like the Assembly wants to keep it hush-hush, even from the rest of the Assembly. Even if her name's been run through the mud for killing that idiot Naberius, there's still plenty of folks who don't quite follow the official narrative. Yourself included."

That... made sense. There hadn't been as much uproar as he'd expected, which meant that someone was pulling the strings. Even Rexen was remarkably tight-lipped about it, but who had the influence to keep all this in the dark to the point of keeping family from telling family?

He didn't need to think about that question very long. "...Zekram?"

"Zekram," the Ratings Games Emperor confirmed with a wry smile. "The only reason I know is because... well. We Belials keep our ears to the ground. Just because Cleria was replaced by your newest flame in Kuoh doesn't mean we don't still have people willing to share some secrets."

"Har har," Ruval rolled his eyes. "I will overlook the insinuation that I am grooming a young Devil for marriage in light of the fact that I know you were aiming for a pun." The grin on Diehauser's face only proved his point. "Still, I appreciate your trust. I know that it is not particularly palatable to be supportive of the Phenexes in the political sphere at the moment."

"You did say you'd make things better for the Devils in the Outlands. You've stuck to that despite the struggle, so in my eyes, that makes you a friend." Diehauser flew up to clap Ruval on the back before descending. "All I ask is that you return the favor when the time comes."

'...When the time comes?'

Ruval blinked, before descending back to the ground as well. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

Diehauser paused, tilting his head as his hands went to his sides, before he crossed them and sighed.

"...I've also been getting reports that there's some concerning buildup," he started. "Not just in the Phenex outskirts, but in various other parts of the Underworld. Infosec is getting antsy- these groups aren't giving off much information as to their motives. I'm getting worried that Aesle's only going to be one facet of something much larger."

"Wait, you mean...?"

"Yeah." Diehauser glanced back. "Another war. I have been preparing my family for stormy weather ahead, but I need to know; can we count on the aid of the Phenexes, should the Belials become threatened?"

"Absolutely." Ruval said it without hesitation. The Belials had been nothing but cordial, even in the face of spite within the Assembly over their continued friendship. Their votes weren't lockstep, but even so the families enjoyed a healthy trade relationship, thanks in no small part due to the Emperor's and Phenex Lord's mutual respect. "As long as the Belials are prepared to return the same gesture."

"I'm glad to hear that." The gray-haired Devil breathed out a sigh, before turning around fully.

"Then I can share this with you now- Aesle Marchosias is on the move. Rally your troops, Ruval... because the war's already begun."


Later, the ominous shadow of the Dantalion Pillar's extinction took on a much, much darker light. It wasn't an isolated event, after all... but rather a first strike.

All the while, Rizevim Livan Lucifer would wait with a surprisingly serious expression on his normally-jovial face.

Then finally, after hours upon hours, the recipient of his ritual collapsed, and so the white-haired Super Devil set to work.


"Diodora. Diodoraaaa~!"

"Rngh..."

"Oh, good, you're still alive. Enough pussying around; I already healed the wounds you took while taking up Dantalion's mantle. Phenex Tears are seriously busted, not that I'm complaining."

"Wha... how-"

"Thirty-seven broken bones, fourteen torn ligaments, severe brain hemorrhaging, and a tongue bitten clean off. Honestly, that went pretty well I'd say!"

"That... was well?"

"Well, you're still alive, for starters, and you seem more or less as sane as you were when we started it."

"...Fuck you."

"Don't swing that way buddy. Now lemme see; open 'em eyes and spread those wings."

Diodora climbed to a sitting position, holding a hand to his head and wondering just why he felt so sore.

Oh, right. Torture in the guise of a ritual. That would explain it.

Yet when he lowered his hand, he recognized that something was different. Namely, his hair. Instead of the teal that he was so used to, it was now the same shade of green as his cousin Ajuka. At the same time, however, it appeared to have gained... highlights? His hair was tipped with pink at the points, and as his eyes shifted to a mirror on the other side of the room...

Glowing, emerald green eyes rimmed with fuschia gazed back, upon a background of mighty, leather-skinned wings... a Demon's wings, as opposed to the almost vestigial-looking ones that most Devils possessed.

As if the dull, fractured halo above his head weren't telling enough, he also had horns growing three inches from his forehead curling upward where there once were none.

"Heh... heh heh heh... ahahahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"

Rizevim's cackling snapped Diodora out of his fugue, eyes snapping over to the Super Devil, who seemed to be wiping away a tear that leaked from his eye due to the expression of mirth.

"As a Pillar falls... by right of conquest does a Demon worthy of its namesake rise again." His eyes glimmered with glee. "So allow me to welcome you to the next phase of your vengeance... Diodora Dantalion-Astaroth."


A/N -

So I ended up belting out the last part of the chapter while jamming out to the Ultrakill soundtrack. I really don't know why, but music can kick my muse into high gear even when it's sputtering. I'm definitely glad for it here, though!

Now, with that being said... good lord this was way harder than it should have been to get out. That being said, Splatoon 3 is out, and I have been playing it off and on. Game's fun! Needs much finer tuning for aim controls though.

Tempura Wizard out.