NMHA Ch. 71 - The Pull of Fate
A/N - I'll be heading to PAX East the same week I started this chapter. Unfortunately, I won't be able to be there for the full convention, but two full days and most of the third is still a decent time, I think.
Do kind of wish I would be able to make it for the whole trip, but you gotta play with the hand you're dealt. Depending on how this year goes, I may end up planning better ahead of time.
Two weeks later, and I've only gotten the chapter about a third of the way done. PAX was fun, would have been more fun if I'd known how to be a bit more social. First time visiting an expo like PAX, as opposed to a convention like GenCon.
Still, it was cool to see some old friends.
Enough about me. On with the show!
She groaned, the chains holding her arms up digging into her wrists. Worse, however, was the complete absence of light and the absence of the Id she could normally wield so freely.
She shivered. Normally she didn't care too much about the cold, but that wasn't what bothered her.
How long has it been? A day? A week? A month? Years? She couldn't really remember. The fact that she couldn't remember sent a spike of adrenaline through her veins, but even that quickly faded away in another shiver.
How far had he retraced old steps already, if she couldn't even remember how long it had been since she'd been captured?
Footsteps. She could hear them approaching the door, and with them her breath quickened, as did her pulse. Was he back? Already? It had only been... how long had it been, exactly? She couldn't remember.
He'd really done a number on her, she dimly admitted. She thought she'd covered those inroads. Blocked off those paths. Apparently she hadn't blocked them well enough.
She wondered if he was taking his sweet time. She wondered whether or not it was better that he was.
The lock on the door opened and from it came a dim light, a former nun in what could only be called a caricature of a nun's habit stepping into the room, tray in hand.
Relief flooded her veins - relief, and disappointment. She ruthlessly suppressed the latter.
Idly, the prisoner wondered what she'd look like in that garb. Less idly, she wondered if that was her own interest, or if that was something he put in. It was getting harder and harder to tell.
Not like she was wearing anything right now. Even that bit of clothing might help stave off the chill.
She was used to the cold. She could manage.
"I brought food," the former nun said, setting the tray on a nearby table, bending over slightly to stir.
She said nothing, even if the scent of warm porridge made her mouth water, especially given the relative lack of meals. The nun looked back, and tilted her head, but paid no further heed as her attention returned to the food.
Usually food meant him, and he meant... that.
"I brought plenty," she promised, walking up with the bowl and spoon. "After his last visit, it took a while for you to come back around."
She could remember. A meal, warm and welcome, a constant, dull prodding within the confines of her mind. She could also recognize when he found something... interesting, and began drawing it forth.
After that, all she could remember was a burning, all-consuming need. It had always been there, but he just pulled it back to the forefront of her mind. And he had provided exactly that- without so much as laying a finger on her.
Purge it all, she hated that she liked that sort of thing.
"Did I beg?" the words slipped out of her lips as she approached.
"You did," the nun confirmed, lifting the spoon.
"...What about...?" she didn't finish the question.
"You already know the answer."
She did. The gnawing desire that she had since grown used to burned at an intensity she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
She swallowed the food, feeling the way it went down, and hoping - desperately - that the nun was telling the truth.
...But the truth about what? The food? What happened after he pulled that thread in her mind loose? The more she thought about it, the harder it was to decide which was which.
Out of all the Demons that could have been reborn, it had to be that one...
"Thank you," she said instead between spoonfuls, focusing on the food, and the woman feeding her.
"It is not me you should thank," the other Devil said instead.
"He asked you to." It wasn't a question, nor did she pretend it was.
A faint smile crossed the ex-nun's lips. "You know as well as I that when he asks, he does not actually ask."
She did. Questions from him were dangerous. They were worded nicely, but he either expected obedience, or already knew the answer.
"Did he do this to you, too?" She would have gestured to herself, had she not been chained up.
"No," the woman shook her head. "He was... gentler. Kinder. Less... forceful. He had something I wanted. I had something he wanted. It was... nice."
"Then..." Why did she support such a... drastic shift?
"I have nowhere else to go." The answer was as simple as it was painful for the prisoner to hear. "And even if I did... he would ask for me."
And when he asked, he either already knew the answer, or expected obedience. Often both.
"Do you regret it?" she asked instead.
It took a long moment for the former nun to respond, head tilting again as the spoon froze less than an inch from the other woman's mouth.
"I regret that he takes the path he has," she answered. "But do I regret becoming his servant? I do not. He is generous to those beneath him, even if he expects absolute obedience in all things. I may serve under a different God now, but I still worship. Just in a... different way."
Uncertainty bubbled up in the prisoner's gut. "How much of that is your own reasoning?"
Another pause, but this time, the spoon slipped past the prisoner's lips, and then exited.
"It is difficult to tell," the former nun admitted. "But is it really that bad, if I am content under him either way?"
Of course it is, she wanted to yell. The nun sounded like she didn't have a choice in the matter. That he had his threads in her, in her head, and turned her into a... a toy!
Her breath caught as she felt that space between her thighs throb with heat, something wet trickling down one of them.
She shivered, a different kind of wet welling up within fuschia eyes as she began to tremble.
The former nun stepped closer, pulling the prisoner into a brief hug.
"It's alright," she whispered as she pulled away. "One way or another, you will be okay."
That was what Serafall was afraid of.
"What in the Heavens are you saying?"
"Hm?" Her friend turned to her, a fine brow lifted briefly, before letting out a sigh. "...You mean you still don't see it? The rot? The infection?"
"Of course not," she insisted. "How can you even say that there is? It's His world, (#&*$%-"
"And among us, I am closest to Him," the other Angel replied, a hint of frustration leaking through. "The closest since Lucifer himself- but the more and more I follow His commands, the more I'm sent down there- it looks beautiful from afar, but you don't know just how bad it is beneath the surface, Gabby."
"You're pinning the blame on Father when Lucifer was the Original Sinner-"
"And in case you haven't noticed, Cain killed Abel out of jealousy without Lucifer needing to interfere at all!"
"A single act of evil can forever change an individual, and through them, those that come from them. Adam and Eve passed it down to their children, and from their children to their grandchildren."
"Lucifer made them aware of what they are, by tempting Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge." #$&%)l's gaze shifted over to the horizon, then back to the sky. "He made them what they are in the first place- flawed from the start, yet punished for it. Tell me, how can one expect to put a child near a fire, none the wiser to what it can do beyond a vague warning to stay away, and not expect that child to burn themselves? How can they be chastised for disobedience when disobedience was not just an option, but expected? Where is the fairness in that?"
Gabriel said nothing, instead bowing her head. Her friend continued. "And then, even after being ejected, being left alone, they managed to survive. It's admirable, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Guided to independence, perhaps, but to be left to struggle, to be given only the barest instructions and a firm kick out of the place they had called home? That's not right."
Brown locks swayed from side to side. "Then, after Azazel and his cohort begot the Nephilim, Yahweh sent the flood to wipe them all out, human and Nephilim combined, save for Noah and his own. Can you really blame Azazel's grudge when his nieces and nephews were killed?"
"They were murderers and worse," the blonde interjected. The brunette fired back immediately, fiercely.
"They were the product of a broken family pretending to be whole. A family broken because He refuses to accept anything less than perfection, when He Himself has proven Himself fallible!"
Her wings were starting to gray, something that Gabriel noticed instantly - and not without alarm.
"(&$#%$, you're treading the line of heresy," she warned.
"Oh, these?" The other Angel looked at the warning sign from Heaven's System and sneered. "I'm beyond just treading the line. Honestly, I'm amazed that this is only happening now that I'm sharing this with you. Guess He's always watching, even if He doesn't give a damn about getting off His-"
"#&($%^, please calm yourself!"
"After what I've seen? After what I've encountered? Gabby, how can I?" Her voice rose alongside a hand thrown to the side, even as her wings gave physical credence to her quickening Fall. "I've seen the heart of man, and it is rotten! Man is infected with sin, and His will allows for it to do so! Yet when I spoke with Him about it, He said He would do nothing!"
"It is also His will that the children of Adam be able to overcome their sin!"
"Which leads back to my main point," her voice dropped to a soft cadence, looking at her wings once more, before closing her eyes, outstretched arm lowering. "It is not fair for the children of Adam to be forced to bear the burden of His imperfections- to have to deal with His mistake when He is either too callous to fix it or too afraid."
Her hands clenched into fists. "So I'm going to free them, even if Heaven must burn to do so."
Gabriel's eyes widened. "$#$%(l, don't do it."
"I'm sorry, Gabby." A grim, sad, but definitively resolved expression slid over the brunette's face. "But I'm done abetting His injustices."
#($%&l's eyes shot open, glaring defiantly to the Heavens.
"You hear that, you hypocritical sack of shit!?" she bellowed. "I'm through with you! I denounce you, Yahweh, and swear on my being that I will give everything I am to right your wrongs!"
In that moment, what color was left in her wings fled, and darkness flooded in. "I will see justice done, whatever it takes!"
Gabriel's eyes slid back open, staring at her hands as she sat outside another gathering in Zebel. One of many over the past week. While the others were debating what to do with the Dawn Legion had spilled out into the world - she had already said her piece.
Michael had granted her leave afterward- she appreciated it. There was much on her mind, more and more now that old signs continued to align.
It was the same. The world was on fire, but the truth was being revealed in the flames. The facade was peeling, and the cruelty hidden behind the veneers of honor and piety were being brought to light.
She had hoped to avoid such a brutal awakening. It was why she scouted Masaomi: a man of strong morals, who was willing to do good even at great risk to himself. She had hoped to prevent the chaos that was currently unfolding.
...Or perhaps, the blonde would admit to herself, it was because she too was starting to tire of no good deeds going unpunished.
And yet, even the former exorcist had joined the Dawn Legion, struck at the Vatican itself, and crossed blades with Metatron, if only briefly. She had hoped for him to be a voice of reason in the organization, yet he had lockstepped with the Dawn Legion's mission so easily.
She hazarded a glance over at the impassive mask that the former human always wore, and she knew that even if his voice was steady as ever, he was furious. Shaken, too. Enoch always did have a moralistic worldview, so to see organizations he had supported so ardently have such atrocious secrets had certainly taken its toll on the 'younger' Angel. Even so, his faith would not falter; that she knew as well.
Though Gabriel's was perhaps a different story. More and more these days, she was beginning to understand what had gone through # %&l's mind all those years ago. Not to go so far as to defy Father's will, certainly not to betray Him, but it was equally impressive and appalling just how skillfully even the holiest of man could hide their sin, how they could exploit their surroundings to protect themselves. She wondered if that was the same impression her friend had back then.
The blonde caught herself.
Their sin, she realized. She hadn't even considered that they were once sinless. It had been so long since then, and yet...
It was a part of them that corrupted what they could be, turned them into a caricature of their former self.
...Maybe her old friend had the right idea when she called that sin a 'rot'. Metatron certainly agreed, even if he had been one of #$*(#l's most vehement adversaries, second only to their Father Himself.
Then again, %#*&*l had also fallen to it- not just to defy God's will, but to...
Gabriel took the seed of doubt that attempted to take root and readily ejected it though a soft sigh. The fact that the light was fading slowly, day by day, further exacerbated her concerns. Without Father, it was difficult to remain faithful to His Great Plan, as determined by Heaven's System. He was the only one to truly understand the path they were to take.
Did that mean He meant for her to Fall? Did he mean for her to... become that monster?
No, of course not. His fury at the defection was just as severe as when Lucifer attempted to usurp Him. So what had the brunette done to elicit such a response?
Her attention turned to the woman who had broken the Peace Summit- the Devil who reminded Gabriel so fiercely of #$#$&l, and the wings that had triggered her flashbacks. Her powers were multifold, from what she could tell. There was the taint of Trihexa, in those abominable wings, there was her ability to command the elements in such primal form as the suns and stars themselves... and that was all that she'd seen, at least on the power side of things. Her motivations certainly matched, even if the experiences that led to such a belief were different.
But according to Sirzechs, at least in message, Lunarunn had at least two more notable abilities - an aura that drained and stopped magic cold, and the ability to regenerate from all but dead.
It was how she killed Ajuka, apparently.
That final admittance had taken Gabriel aback at first, but she could understand how the Beelzebub Satan might have been felled. As a Super Devil, his specialty was far and away the manipulation of magic and Id, so to fight an enemy who suddenly developed the ability to completely negate that strength must have put him on the back foot.
And when the opportunity presented itself, she supposedly took no chances.
Ruthless. Efficient. Effective. Above all, lethal.
Before she snapped, %#% *l was all those things in a fight.
The less said about what happened after the incident, the better.
Her gaze shifted back up at the Seraphim as Uriel stood, stone-faced as he shook his head at Sandalphon's request. Sandalphon continued to speak, attempting to sway the Angel of Fire's opinion on the matter, but judging by the way he was waved off as Uriel sat back down, it was to no avail.
Yet, that ruthless killer wasn't what Gabriel and Michael had faced. The woman who they squared off against fought back, but she did not crave violence. Not the way that Sirzechs implied she had with Ajuka.
What she had seen wasn't a murderess, but a revolutionary. Lunarunn had said that she wouldn't fight them if they 'got their act together', so to speak. The girl had let them go, though it was equally likely she let them go to conserve her energy for Ajuka. Perhaps it was a bit of both.
Was that an expression of trust that Heaven at least had good intentions, or was it something else?
Then again, she didn't shy away from being called a 'monster', either. Lunarunn embraced it, even.
Perhaps a bit too willingly. It was easy to slide to sin when one let themselves be the victim.
But was she being a victim? Or was she rising from victimhood to become something more?
Gabriel's brow furrowed. That dichotomy between the ruthless killer that Sirzechs claimed Lunarunn was and the force for change that Gabriel herself gleaned off of the brunette reminded her further of the one she had once called 'friend'.
...How much of that accusation was Sirzechs's own opinion for ending his best friend's life?
She shook her head. There was no reason to focus on that. The problem was Lunarunn herself.
What were they going to do about her?
Gabriel stood as the Seraphim inside began walking back out, giving each of them a nod and a smile of affirmation as they left.
Metatron wanted to hunt the Devil down, make her pay for the mockery she made of the Will of Heaven. He took Lunarunn's actions as disturbing the natural order, even if they dug out secrets that should be brought to light, and should be acted on as such.
Judging by the mechanical way he spread his wings and flew off, they weren't going to do that. Not to the degree he sought, anyway.
Sandalphon was curious to see what made Lunrunn tick - as though she hadn't made her stance clear. His opinion was more investigatory, though with little regard for whatever action they took with the Dawn Legion's leader.
He was similarly curt as Metatron as he departed for the Fifth Heaven, but more lost in thought than in grim spirits. Making theories for Lunarunn's existence and abilities, perhaps.
Uriel was on the fence - he agreed that Lunarunn's actions against Heaven deserved some form of repercussion, but he also didn't care much about the Vatican anymore, after what that same Devil had revealed, and was willing to let the matter slide as long as she continued revealing such secrets.
As the flaming pinion of the Blazing Seraph passed by, he paused, turning back to Gabriel briefly.
"I think I am beginning to understand Azazel's penchant for vice," he finally said with a faint grin, getting an amused giggle from the blonde before taking to the air right after.
Raphael was wholly in Lunarunn's camp. The Angel of Healing wasn't fond of her dismantling the summit; none of them were. Even Camael, the most ready to reignite the Great War among them, was disgruntled with what had happened.
Yet after going through the reports, and visiting some of the claimants personally, the normally calm and empathetic Seraph had been shaking with enough indignant fury that Gabriel momentarily feared he may Fall.
He hadn't, but it had been a very long time since she had seen such anger from him. His expression was drawn in a firm frown, but it broke briefly to return Gabriel's smile before he too left.
She suspected he would be meditating in Eden, like she had been in the past week. There was much to think about, after all.
Which left...
Gabriel stepped into the meeting room, where Michael sat, head in his hands, an increasingly common sign of the mounting stress upon the Archangel, his graying wings on full display- a mottled collection of darkened spots amidst the brilliant gold.
In a show of solidarity, she spread her own as she wrapped her arms and wings around him. Sets of once downy white now pockmarked like a leper encased the two of them, a moment of silent commiseration before Michael finally broke the silence.
"I don't know what to do," he admitted, voice quiet. "Our brothers and sisters are growing more and more divided. Metatron wants to go to war; Raphael does too. That alone is cause for concern, but they cannot disagree more on whom to war against. And... and neither can I."
Gabriel withdrew, blonde hair shifting to the side as her head tilted, the Archangel shook his head. "Father help us, is this what Azazel has to deal with all the time? So many differing opinions, yet all of them valid? I think I am beginning to understand why he took up many of man's ignobler habits; he may well have gone mad otherwise. Or more mad, I suppose."
"Uriel said something similar to me on his way out," Gabriel offered, getting a half-hearted smile from her brother.
"Uriel has always played with fire- always toeing the line, but stepping beyond it not even once. Father's favorite element suits him well. Perhaps that is why his wings have deteriorated less than ours." He sighed. Reaching over, he swiftly plucked one of his wings' darkest feathers, one that had become a darker gray than either of them were comfortable looking at. The feather that regrew in its place was not so blighted, but neither was it the gleaming gold it should have been. "Unfortunately, Uriel's opinion is of little more help here. He wants to wait- to see whether Lunarunn's crusade is as just as she makes it out to be, or whether she will succumb to her self-admitted dark urges, like the Outsider before her."
"I was thinking about #&*!$l myself." Michael looked up from the feather askance. "Lunarunn reminds me of her far too much for coincidence."
"You may have been the first to put together the similarities, but you are not alone in your rumination," the Archangel agreed, gaze returning to the feather between his fingers. "She always did seek egalitarianism in all things, regardless of how it would disrupt the world."
"And the powers Lunarunn exhibited?"
"I cannot say- neither of us saw for ourselves what our friend down below supposedly has. But Sirzechs plays a dangerous game, for him to make this claim." He rolled the plucked feather in his fingers. "Though if Ajuka really is dead..."
"Brother," she said. "Are you suggesting that her previous title of Reincarnation Anomaly may be-?"
"Again, I cannot say for certain. But the evidence points that way." Michael lifted an arm up and let the feather float away, carried by a light breeze, expression fraught with worry. "Gabriel, if $!^#&l really has returned, I am not sure there is anything we can do. Only Father was able to stop her. Even then..."
"I know." She was there. She'd seen the fallout. It had become a distant memory, dulled by ages long lost. But with the appearance of the woman who looked so much like her old friend, the sharpness cut anew. "But I've also been thinking. The way she was able to birth a fresh generation of stars, or beckon forth their ravenous corpses... that's not *% ($^l."
"No," he agreed. "It is not. Yet, that gives me hope that this Outsider will not be like the last one. It has been a long time since we've seen one with such an ability."
Gabriel tilted her head again, and Michael nodded to the unspoken question. She sighed, a shaky smile playing on her lips. "Then it is little wonder why you are so uncertain, between that, her similarities, and the 'taint' that she possesses."
"Am I truly so transparent?" he asked, smiling back. "Well then. Should I be concerned, sister?"
She paused. There were more layers to Michael's question than first appeared, and silently, the blonde wondered when it was exactly that he had picked up the talent for doublespeak. It took her several seconds to respond in kind.
"I think... there is a reason to look back on history," she answered. "So that we may avoid mistakes previously made."
The other blond looked ahead into space, his smile falling away. His eyes drifted shut, mind turning to introspection. "Perhaps so."
The two Seraphs sat together in silence for a long time after that. Only when the sun gave way to shining stars did they take their leave.
When Kuroka's teleportation spell completed, the warm exterior of Issei's house faded away in favor of the inside of an empty tent. Outside, Issei could hear the clang of metal on metal, as well as people talking - or shouting - at each other.
"Welcome to Hell, nya!" Kuroka cheered.
"Don't be so enthusiastic, Nee-chan," Koneko said in turn as she walked over to the entryway. "We aren't in 'civilized' territory."
"Civilized my fine ass!" the older of the two harrumphed. "The chi around this place is so much less polluted, and the people are way nicer."
"Only because you've got seniority." Koneko smirked. "Old hag."
"Okay, could I get a bit of clarification?" While Kuroka sank to her knees, mewling piteously at her sister's stinging remark, Issei gave Koneko a look. He crossed his arms. "I was under the impression that we'd be helping the Underworld break out their nobility."
"We are," Koneko confirmed, glancing back through the flap before waving someone over. She pulled back to return Issei's look. "Just not how you expect."
Asia opened her mouth, then closed it, a pensive expression coming over her face, clasping her hands together.
"You're not in contact with the Pillars, are you?" she guessed.
"Not quite, nya!" When did Kuroka get behind him!? Issei turned and leaped backward, the hairs on the back of his neck raised while the cat Youkai looked like she caught the canary. "Koneko's main contact was Rias Gremory, and with her gone - alongside the rest of the idiocrats - her sources of assistance were limited."
And who could gather what appeared to be a coordinated effort to stage a rescue mission?
Two figures slipped past the entryway to the tent at that moment, both of which Issei recognized.
Those visions Issei bore were as much a boon as a bane, it seemed.
That being said, neither of them appeared to be well. The older of the two had bags under his eyes, perhaps from a lack of sleep, while the other was closed off, the normally-expressive girl's face completely blank. Almost like Koneko, back when...
He paused, brow scrunching together. That was another vision, wasn't it?
"You brought him?" Riser Phenex guessed, taking a glance at Issei before looking to the older Nekoshou.
"He chose to come along," Kuroka replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Wouldn't have dragged him here if he said no. Personally, I wouldn't have blamed him, given his history with the girl."
"Quite." Riser walked over to face Issei. Issei broke out of his thoughts to meet the nobleman's stare with one of his own, squaring up his shoulders to match the nobleman's. "Normally, I would demand to know your intentions with Rias Gremory, and why you should be allowed to join us in the glory of aiding the Seventy-Two Pillars."
Issei's mouth opened, but Riser beat him to it, holding up a hand, and inclining his head. He then sighed, shoulders sagging. "But recently, I have partaken in one too many revelations to keep the act up. It has been a trying week following the kidnapping of my brother and Rias, much less the rest of the aristocracy."
"And your parents?" Asia noticed, to which Riser smiled briefly.
"My parents have since retired from the stage of aristocracy and instead have chosen to focus on the family, so to speak." He glanced over at Ravel, smile falling. "That being said..."
"They're not going to help," she said simply, her own brow furrowing as she narrowed her eyes. "They and Ruval - the new Lord Phenex - are no longer on good terms. They said they would let him and his own sort out the mess he got himself in. Our older brother Rexen isn't much help either- though at least in his case, he's putting in overtime doing damage control, so he has a reason to not lend aid."
A beat passed.
"In other words, Mommy and Daddy are being fucking callous twats," Kuroka cheerfully supplied, to which Ravel and Asia twitched, whilst Issei and the older Phenex cracked a smile.
Riser then exhaled roughly, running a hand through his hair. "Crass language aside, she is not wrong. They are more focused with maintaining order than saving their son. We may not agree entirely with what Ruval had set forth to do, but he's our brother. And he was doing good- the numbers Ravel here managed to dig up prove as such."
He coughed lightly into his fist. "Ah. Apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Riser Phenex, third son of the Phenex Pillar's youngest generation. Back to the main topic, though, I wanted to thank you for rendering aid to us."
"We believe that Mother and Father are coordinating with Satan Lucifer, or attempting to rouse him from his grief over Satan Beelzebub's death." Ravel's comment got wide-eyed looks from both Issei and Asia. Sirzechs's right-hand man, dead? How had they not been made aware of that? "Unfortunately, we aren't sure how long that will take- Sirzechs has been stubborn in the best of times, and he is not a man to take Ajuka's loss easily. Especially with his chosen Sin..."
"That was when we made contact," Kuroka explained. "Koneko was somehow able to procure Ravel's phone number, and from there we managed to figure out a plan."
"...And what about Himejima-san?" Issei queried. "Aren't she and Gremory-san close friends?"
"We haven't heard anything about her," The white-haired catgirl replied. "Last we know, she was visiting her father."
She looked away. "I tried reaching Akeno, but she isn't picking up any calls."
Issei frowned. That wasn't like her, from what he knew about Akeno. Wouldn't she be on the front lines to get Rias back? Was she captured too? What was going on? Why wasn't Riser being a prick, or referencing himself in third person?
Too many questions, not enough answers. Though that last one probably had to do with their brother being captured.
And if that alone was enough to drive them to seek help for their brother when even their parents wouldn't...
"You two really look up to Ruval-san?" he found himself asking instead. Ravel seemed to perk up at that.
"Mhm!" she nodded, smiling faintly. "He's incredible. Strong and proud, and really smart too, but gentle and generous, even to commoners within our domain. Even his scars only seem to make him stronger."
Riser sniffed. "A bit too generous, if you ask me. A noble has better things to do than spend time schmoozing with those beneath his rank." Then he pursed his lips to one side. "Though I cannot lie and say he has taken up the role of Lord Phenex without grace. Our lands, invaded though they may have been by brigands, have grown immensely under his wings."
"Even that may have been the prelude of something larger," Ravel reminded him. "It was brigands that struck at the Assembly building,"
"So it is said," he replied noncommittally, shaking his head briefly. "Regardless, I hope you understand more why we wish to recover our brother. Even if the two incidents are unrelated... he does not deserve what may become of him."
Just like how Rias didn't deserve to be wed off to you, you arrogant piece of fried chickenshit?!
Issei caught himself, blinking in confusion as the rage - and dare he say it, hatred - faded from his conscience. Had he and Rias been close before?
Apparently he hadn't hidden it particularly well, if the concerned looks he was getting from all sides was any indication.
"...It's nothing," he said quickly, shaking his head. "Just a bad memory."
Even the brunet knew that his excuse was a bad one; Riser, funnily enough, was the one to break the silence, bowing his head. "I apologize for stirring such." He gestured to the entryway of the tent. "Come, let's reconvene at a better location to discuss further."
As they turned to leave, with Issei and Asia in tow, Kuroka gave her sister a look, questioning without words. Koneko, for her part, didn't notice for multiple seconds as she watched Issei leave, before meeting her sister's eyes.
"...Do you think he's seen... things... like you have?" Kuroka asked quietly after the brief, wordless conversation.
Koneko tilted her head, closing her eyes, poring through the twisted, distorted memories that refused to leave the back of her mind.
Issei shouldn't have known who Riser was, but he seemed to recognize the Phenex immediately.
Then there was that 'blink and you'll miss it' flash of seething rage that had crossed his face. Nobody had been blinking, but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.
Like a fleeting vision. The confusion that had momentarily crossed his face afterward was as just as earnest as he had proven himself to be time and again.
In another time. In another place.
"I think so," the younger sister confirmed after a moment's pause. "Or at the very least, he might know more about... whatever is going on with... everything, really."
"Soooo..." Kuroka trailed off. "What should we do?"
What could they do?
"Our part," Koneko replied, moving to the entryway to join the others. "Same as always."
They felt him before they heard him.
It started small, a buzzing in the back of Ruval's mind. He recognized the oddity quickly, furrowing his brow as he rose from his sitting position.
"Is something wrong, Ruval?" Rias asked, looking up at the blond.
"He's coming."
Venelana blinked. "How can you tell?"
"I can feel it." He glanced at the two. "A buzzing in the back of my mind. Reminiscent of a Mentalist probe. Are either of you able to notice something similar?"
There was a brief pause, then the red-haired Gremory shook her head. "N-no, nothing."
Venelana scowled. "So you can feel him, but we cannot? That is... unsettling."
They heard him before they saw him. A jaunty whistle blew through the empty dungeon hallway, upbeat in tune, but obviously of far less friendly intent. Rias visibly shuddered, drawing in a sharp breath, and Venelana wrapped her arms around herself as though suddenly struck with a chill.
"I..." She bit her lip, shaking her head forcefully, crimson locks swaying from side to side. "What's going on...?"
"By the Morningstar," Venelana swore softly, gritting her teeth. "Falbium was not lying."
They all felt Diodora now. He made no effort to conceal it, a heady aura that weighed on the air around them.
The reaction of the two other Devils was more concerning. For Ruval, it just felt like a weight on his shoulders. For them it seemed to be something more.
"Are you two alright?"
"Nnnn..." Rias's brow scrunched shut, cheeks flushed and hands bunched tightly against her lap, taking stuttered breaths. No, she quite clearly wasn't doing alright, and Ruval accepted the glare he got from Venelana with an apologetic wince.
All things considered, it was a dumb question.
Finally, Diodora strode into view, with a wide grin on his face as he continued his whistle.
Immediately, Ruval was struck by two things. The first was the change to the Astaroth's hair color; where before it was teal, it now was tinged with pink. It almost looked like a change in fashion, were it not for the halo, broken into dozens of pieces, that floated lazily around his head, between two horns that had most certainly not been there before.
The second was the raw presence he emitted. Ruval's gaze fixed firmly on the Devil- no, Demon. He couldn't look away from the threat. Not when he could see the raw Id coiling around Diodora. It wasn't the most outwardly-intense. It wasn't like Diehauser, or some of the other superpowers in their age group. But deadly all the same.
He had it in his sight. If he let it go, he might never see it again, because it would already have entered his veins and strung him like a puppet. He never liked the Purveyor of Knowledge. It was only the Demon's own wanton Lust that kept him from being a Prince. Even so, he was a Duke, of higher standing, and well aware of it.
Ruval didn't need to look behind him to know that Rias and Venelana were not doing well. The older of the two had taken Ria's place in barely maintaining a thread of control in the overwhelming presence of the Demon. Said daughter, conversely, was breathing heavily, whimpering in place, head plastered firmly to the ground as she squirmed with need.
He knew if he looked back, he'd fly into a rage at the sight. His blood already ran hot, threatening to crack his civility.
"Oh?" Diodora's voice, despite his imposing Id, remained cheerful and friendly. His tail, thin and sinuous, waved behind him. "It seems your titles have some weight to them, Lord Phenex. You're one of the only few prisoners who have been able to even stand against me."
"So you have been working over the other nobles," he replied flatly. He rested an arm on the stone, partly to give off an aura of nonchalance and partly to support himself. Diodora was not relenting, but neither would he.
"Here and there. I have another pet project I am working on in the interim. Certainly, my Lord does not seem to care overmuch how long I take."
"And here I thought that was just because the others were putting up a fight."
"Ruval Phenex, I've become more than just a Devil," Diodora spread his arms. "You can see it, you can sense it. Do you really think that if I wanted, I could not have gotten to you three at any point earlier?"
The blond closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, forcing back down the magma that churned at the sounds of the two Gremory women in the throes of Lust.
Taking Ruval's silence as a concession of his point, the young Demon continued. "No, I'm not too keen on spoiling my fun just yet. I've dreamt of what I might do should I gain power over the nobility. Though ever since my fiancee passed, those dreams have certainly been of more... cathartic varieties."
His smile began to show teeth as he tilted his head to get a better view of Rias and Venelana. "Case. In. Point. I've always gotten a kick out of strong women groveling before me. Especially if they are of the holy variety, but I've become... less picky as of late."
"...What are you doing here... Diodora?" Venelana managed to gasp out, working up the willpower to look at him directly.
A moment later, Diodora's eyes opened slightly, the pink irises glowing as they landed upon the widow. As if on command, Venelana curled into herself, twitching in regular intervals as quiet cries escaped her mouth in tempo.
It was becoming very, very difficult for Ruval to not lash out. His pride as a nobleman demanded he defend his cellmates from the slavering thing masquerading as a civilized being before him.
And yet, he was in no place to do so.
Those eyes turned on Ruval, the pressure on him increasing tenfold. He buckled, leaning more against the wall, yet managed to force himself back into a standing position to meet Diodora's gaze.
"Hmm. Very interesting. Very interesting, indeed..." The Demon chuckled, eyes sliding shut. "Why, I am undecided. But there is certainly some fun to be had here before our mutual friends crash the show."
"Fun?" Ruval ground out.
"Fun," Diodora confirmed chirpily. He slid a hand into his pocket. "Truth is a funny thing, you know. Knowledge of truths is power, yet we all seek to sequester it away for our own uses."
The blond's eye twitched at the non-sequitur. "What are you on about?"
"I'm getting there. Patience, Lord Phenex." He wiggled his brows once, teasing the name out to the ever-growing ire of said nobleman. "And here I thought you would be one of the more reasonable Devils in our esteemed custody."
"It's rather hard to be civilized when you are using your presence to torture prisoners."
"Oh, them?" Diodora cast another look Venelana's way, and once more she reacted, the cries returning in force as her back arched. "Personally, I find the idea of pain rather droll. So it's something we seek to escape, big deal. But pleasure, on the other hand..."
He looked back at Ruval and smiled. "Can you say it's torture when I so freely give ecstasy beyond compare?"
"Yes."
"Agree to disagree." He waved his hand. "All creatures seek pleasure. Devils in particular. It's woven into our - your - very beings. As creatures of Id, we are particularly... receptive to the Id of others when it provides what we seek. From one man who lost a loved one to another, I know that you understand that at an instinctive level."
Before Ruval could respond, Diodora's smile turned predatory. "Oh wait, that's right. You never did 'lose' Lunarunn, did you? You're still interested in our mutual friend's hand in matrimony, even after all these years."
How did he know? Had he met her in the overworld? And why just out and say it? Was he trying to set them against each other? The edge to his anger sharpened, directing it now to uncovering the answer to those questions.
"And yet, you put on a play, pretending that someone else could be enough for you," Diodora went on, pacing from one side of the cell's outside to the other, tapping a finger to his arm. "You lead on poor little Rias, and play Venelana's game to boot, stringing them along so you can secure an inroad to the Bael family and a permanent ally in the Gremories. I have to applaud you, really, it's a smart plan. I would have been quite pleased to see that unfold further."
"You seem rather fine with sharing my supposed 'grand plans'," Ruval drolled, getting a snicker out of Diodora.
"They aren't my secrets, but please refrain from attempting to distort the truth around me. Next time, you'll find it does not end well. It's not like you'll have the chance to advance them anyway." He paused in place, lifting up a finger. "Which leads me back to my main point. It's funny; we so often seek truth, yet deny it to others. We seek understanding, but only to place ourselves above whoever we so choose."
"I say, bullshit to all that." He faced the wall and spread his arms, mighty wings spreading outward. "I say let it all out, and let the fields burn for it. Venelana, dear, why don't we start with you?"
"I... Mnfh..." The Devil in question managed to raise her head and scowl, even as her body trembled in protest. "When... my son hears of this-"
She stopped when Diodora did something truly unusual- the threat of Sirzechs should have shut him up.
Instead, he barked out a laugh.
"Really? Him? I'm afraid he'll have far more important things to worry about than how his mother and sister were stimulated, especially when I have not laid a finger upon either of you." Diodora's grin threatened to split his face as he turned back around, tilting his head to the side. "You see, he's got a rather sizable grudge to fulfill with our friend the Dark Moon. You two are still alive. Ajuka, after Lunarunn got to him? Well... not so much."
'What!?'
It was clear he'd broadcasted that thought loud and clear - not that Ruval was even trying to hide his reaction. Ajuka Beelzebub was many things; Sirzechs's right-hand man, a brilliant researcher, arguably the savior of Devilkind, and one of the most dangerous combatants alive.
Or. Was one of them.
Yet Luna killed him? How?
"Oh, you weren't aware of that?" Diodora's eyes cracked open. "How very interesting. So it must have been a spur-of-the-moment decision on her part. With a defeated enemy, she chose to take no chances. How very... ruthless of her. She truly makes her Bael heritage proud."
He spat the name of Bael out like an epithet, a stricken expression crossing Venelana's face as she connected the dots. "You're... out for revenge."
"I certainly had no intention of hiding it," he replied, eyes squinting back shut. "Though don't pretend like you're any better, Venelana. There's a reason your daughter resents you and was hoping to use that Red Dragon Emperor whelp to escape you."
His attention slid over to the unresponsive redhead. "Though you gave up on that awfully quick after he called you out. Even so, you wanted to keep him in your orbit. You just couldn't help yourself. Like mother, like daughter, hmm?"
That got a reaction from Rias, eyes widening as she forced her gaze up, forcing words out in her defense even as her own body continued to squirm and writhe. "N-no! I was... I was trying to... to break the Pact, I'm nothing like- nnnNNMMM!" She was cut off by a strangled groan as Diodora's presence crashed down on her, a faintly sweet and salty smell began to fill the still air of the cell.
Her pupils dilated as realization struck.
Light shone, the weight on Ruval's mind lifted, and his arm shot between the bars, stopping just as his arm reached its full length.
Diodora was leaning to the right as an azure spear brushed by his nose, eyes widened and locked on the weapon that had nearly skewered him then and there. His smile had dropped, something Ruval noted with a grim hint of pleasure.
The blond drew back, hand still firmly on the spear, eyes narrowed.
"You go too far. If you must torment us, then leave them out of this!"
A bold statement, coming from someone whose powers were sealed ('so how was I able to summon my spear?') and behind bars, but given the circumstances, he had to do something.
"You think that is too far?" Diodora whispered, his own pupils dilating as his gaze shifted over to Ruval. "Too far, when the daughter has attempted to seduce a young man to enslave him? When the other already had with her former husband?" He began to shake, his voice began to rise. "When the widow you seek to protect from me, me, is seeking to do the same with you, despite the death of her husband having occurred barely over eight days ago? You would protect these leeches!?"
"If not me, then whom?" He asked back, pushing against Diodora's aura further, eyes narrowing further. "Certainly not you, when you are in bed with worse!"
Diodora paused, eyes flicking back to the spear. His gaze lingered on it, taking the opportunity to collect himself. He breathed in, then out, then began to chuckle.
"Ha ha ha. Is that so? You would say that, even knowing that Venelana is far from innocent? She is a Bael through and through. Either that, or she's doing an excellent job emulating the origin of her married bloodline. Zeoticus isn't the only man Venelana has turned into a puppet for her own whims. He was just the first of many. Would you protect her, even knowing that she sent an agent against said Red Dragon Emperor's family for daring to defy the will of Gremory?"
Ruval's expression darkened.
"Whether or not that is true, it is not your place to render judgment."
"Oh, it is, but that is neither here nor there. So who may render judgment, may I ask?" he asked lightly. "The Underworld, who wouldn't do a thing? Your beloved Lunarunn, who would put them to the sword like she did Ajuka? From what I've heard, she didn't even blink twice before running an old friend through like you almost did with me just now."
Ruval didn't answer, getting a scoff from the Demon.
"Even now you're blinded by your infatuation." Diodora shook his head, sliding a hand in his pocket. "Do you truly believe that if you 'prove yourself', she will let you take her? She will never love you, Phenex. What will it take for you to realize that?"
The blond's shoulders slumped, though his grip refused to weaken. He drew in a breath, then let out a sigh.
"...I know that." He replied. "Yet it changes nothing."
"Then you continue to live in your own world." Once more, Diodora shook his head. "I'm... disappointed, Ruval. Again, I would have expected you to be more reasonable. I would give the Gremory women mercy where the object of your obsession would not, but they must be suitably chastised beforehand. Yet you would get in the way of that."
He raised a hand, the halo above his head glowing ominously as the shattered pieces sped up, his opened eyes glowing the same shade.
"But if you insist, then fine. I'll give you what you want. Consider it respect from one man of the people to another."
Ruval braced himself for a mentalist assault unlike anything he'd experienced before, but it didn't stop the surge of fuschia that surged forth past the bars, slamming into him with an almost physical force. He toppled backward, and the last thing he saw was his spear shattering into motes of light as he hit the ground.
Issei didn't consider himself the smartest person in the room. He knew there were plenty of others who were sharper than him, his girlfriend for starters. But he figured he was at least good at picking up context.
So he felt he was suitably concerned when he found himself in what seemed to be, for all intents and purposes, a war room.
Asia had taken her leave shortly before the talking started- something about going to the medical tent to help aid the wounded.
Issei wished he could have done the same, but considering he was (supposedly) going to be helping directly when the fighting started, he wanted to at least have a say in whatever discussions went on.
Leaned over the map (though to the side so Issei didn't have the best view to ogle - pity), Ravel pointed at multiple figurines. Most of what she discussed went over his head, and while he tried to listen, eventually his attention turned to other things, like the other Devils present.
He hadn't heard of them before. He hadn't even seen them before, despite all his visions. They were complete newcomers, and yet they appeared to hold Ravel and Riser in high regards.
Different Peerage members, perhaps?
"Soldiers of our lands," Riser answered, stepping over to the human as though reading his mind. Issei glanced his way, prompting the youngest Phenex brother to gesture to the man with a grizzled goatee and a scar line across his forehead. "Nikolai Strauss was tapped by my brother to lead the Phenex Territory Security Forces after cleaning up a group of bandits that thought to capitalize on the rapid growth of our lands. Not the biggest group of bandits giving us trouble, but still impressive all the same. He's a Low-Class, but he's been able to keep up with Ravel in terms of military strategy. Considering my sister's prowess, it seemed folly to not include him in our rescue mission."
"Your words, or Ravel's?" Issei asked with a lifted brow, getting a chuckle out of Riser.
"Ravel's," he admitted. "When it comes to actual combat I strongly doubt he will be able to keep up. Still, if the only thing the commoner asks for in turn is further investment in his village, it seems like a reasonable trade to me. Ruval would provide it anyway; we're just moving his hovel up on the list."
Issei frowned, putting a hand to his chin, at which point Riser changed the subject. "Though that does remind me. As far as I can remember, we have not met before. Yet your emotions slipped at one point, everyone in that room could tell that you wanted me dead. Have I done something to you that I am not aware of?"
"I don't know."
The Phenex scowled. "I am attempting to make peace here, Red Dragon Emperor. Please do not make light of my offering."
"I'm serious." Issei frowned. "I mean, I think you're an arrogant asshole, but I'm not the kind of guy to kill a person for something like that."
"Have I ever given off the impression that my 'arrogance', as you put it, wasn't justified?" Riser lifted a brow.
His opinion of commoners came to mind, but Issei held his tongue.
"Again, I don't know. You said something about your brother not deserving whatever awaits him in captivity, and suddenly I was... furious." He shook his head. "I've been... dealing with visions of sorts. But I've never had to deal with emotions bleeding over like that before."
"Visions," the Phenex echoed, glancing over to Ravel, then to Koneko, before refocusing his attention back on the brunet. "Pardon me if I find that somewhat difficult to believe."
"No, it's fine, I wouldn't believe me either." Issei shook his head again. "But whatever I think about you won't be a problem, I promise."
Riser tilted his head, scrutinizing Issei. Behind him, the table broke out into an argument.
"No, no, no!" Nikolai insisted, taking the piece from another Devil and setting it on the table. "If we put our forces here, we're wide open to have the entire force sectioned off and devoured! Our enemies will be expecting us to make the run, as the lowly 'commoner trash' we are."
"So give them what they want," the other Devil replied calmly- if a bit too eagerly. "If they think that's our primary force, they'll focus on them, and we can use the opportunity to circle around and gun them down while their backs are turned!"
"And the fact that the man who stole your childhood sweetheart is in that regiment doesn't have anything to do with it?" Nikolai asked archly, getting a snarl from the other Devil in response.
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Nikolai," Ravel agreed, drawing back with crossed arms and a thoughtful expression. "Easy as it might be, they won't dedicate their full forces to such an action- only enough to make that area a nonissue. Remember, the TSF has no regard for anyone without pure blood. They'll throw their soldiers' lives away like chaff for the lowest possible risk, and their soldiers willingly die for the false promises the TSF gives."
"I will take your word for it," Riser finally said, drawing Issei's attention back to him. "But my Peerage is going to be out there, fighting to rescue the Pillars."
His voice lowered, setting a hand on Issei's shoulder, firmly. "Dislike me how you wish, but if that dislike extends to my girls and they pay the price for it, then I will do everything in my power to make every waking moment of your life that follows a living nightmare. Do I make myself clear?"
Issei blinked. Where did that intensity come from? The glower he was getting now wasn't one of arrogance but rather grim promise.
He wasn't sure he'd seen anything like that from Riser before.
Issei shook off Riser's hand... but then smiled.
"Absolutely." If anything, he was glad to hear it. Maybe without that marriage contract, Riser is taking his own Peerage more seriously?
'Wait.' Issei caught himself. 'What was that about a marriage contract?'
Someone else stepped through the tent, drawing his attention away, as well as everyone else's. Followed by another.
Kuroka perked up, cheerily waving (with a rather distracting bounce).
"Nya, welcome you two!"
The welcome was acknowledged with a short nod, before the newcomer's attention went to the others in the tent. "I see that everyone of import is currently here. Have you worked out the mission plans yet?"
'Issei,' Ddraig warned, but he was already in a ready stance, and the armored arm of the Boosted Gear extended out. He hadn't unleashed anything yet, but his grip on the arm and the Boosts that he had accumulated over time were ironclad.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he snarled.
"Not the same as you apparently, if you're looking for a fight among allies." One finger pushed his glasses back into place.
'Allies!?' Issei almost barked out in disbelief, but kept his quiet at Georg Faust's response- for a moment, at least.
The man in question glanced over to his compatriot. "Vali, what's your take?"
The white-haired Devil tilted his head, scrutinizing Issei, before walking forward. Issei's instincts - and Ddraig's own distaste - prompted him to growl at the other young man. Vali ignored it, giving him a once-over, head tilting as he continued to study the brunet.
"Clearly ready to do battle, if the look he's giving us is any indication.." Finally stating the obvious, Vali looked back over to Georg. "Normally I'd be happy to help him blow off some steam - maybe get Albion to cut out his own incessant whining about resolving his eternal grudge match with Ddraig, too. Now's not the time, though. Pity, that."
'Incessant whining?' Said Dragon of Domination chuckled wryly. 'I think I like this host of Albion already. As much as I would one of that idiot's hosts anyway.'
...Eh? He wasn't interested in a fight? Issei's brow furrowed. Vali wasn't the bad sort, though he was something of a battle maniac. That he was in the same camp as Georg, and by extension Lunarunn, that was the more concerning bit.
But the pieces were falling into place. Ruval was a friend of the Dark Moon. She even admitted as such before, back when she was training him. After Ruval was captured, Riser and Ravel went looking for support to try and rescue their brother. Koneko was doing the same after the same fate befell Rias, and the two groups were able to meet up. Through Koneko's sister, Riser and Ravel were able to enlist the support of the Dawn Legion.
The same people who had all but declared war on the Underworld.
Yet they were planning to help them...?
"So he's at least in a similar tier of strength as you." Georg's green eyes met Issei's. "If what Vali says is true, then I hope you'll perform better than you did against me."
"In case you weren't able to remember, I nearly turned you into paste on the hallway floor," he shot back.
"Only by giving up part of your body for enough Boosts to do so," The magician countered smoothly. "After using your Balance Breaker, to boot. Meanwhile, I only used my Sacred Gear in the most basic fashion possible."
...Just what was going on?
"You two have fought before?" Riser prompted.
"He was trying to get to the foyer to stop the fighting, during our initial appearance." Georg met Issei's gaze. "He and his friend managed to get past me, but I had already done my job in delaying them."
Riser's brow rose. "No small feat, from what I hear."
Then the Phenex turned back to Issei. "What did you pay, exactly?"
"...My arm," he finally admitted. "It's covered by an illusion thanks to one of the Fallen that stuck around Kuoh. After it got blown up by your leader," Issei added with a glare to Georg, as if to drive home a point.
"And we raked her over the coals for that lapse in control," Georg replied evenly. "She was found in court to have done so in self-defense after taking as many steps as reasonably possible to de-escalate the situation."
"So she blew up my home town," Issei pressed.
"I think that would be better discussed by Lunarunn herself." The magician crossed his arms. "But as the main individual behind her prosthetic following that battle, there's a good reason why she reacted the way she did."
Prosthetic...? What was he on about?
"Enough," Riser stepped in. "There are more important things to worry about than the past- like getting my brother back."
"Agreed," Georg's gaze went to Ravel and Nikolai. "The Spear is in position, and Ruval's Peerage is ready to start the hunt. She will divert the majority of the attention away from the rescue team, so you should only have to deal with the numbers."
The Spear? Was that what he was calling Lunarunn?
"Good. With the Demon Children distracted, our job will be significantly less difficult to accomplish," Nikolai grunted, shooting a look over to Issei. "Red Dragon Emperor, we ask that you work with the White Dragon Emperor. If the TSF leaves any of their Persons of Interest behind, you two will have to deal with them while we do our job."
"And what is your job, exactly?" Issei demanded. "Last I checked, the Dawn Legion is not on good terms with the Underworld. Especially if the Dark Moon killed one of the Satans."
Riser flinched at the reminder, as did his sister, but he recovered quickly.
"Getting them out, obviously," Riser replied haughtily. "As if we'd do anything else."
"The Dawn Legion may not bear any love for the Seventy-Two Pillars," Vali added. "But we dislike the original government just as much. I have a rather vested interest in seeing the TSF get its just desserts, myself. We may not get another chance before they claim the Underworld proper, then things get especially dicey."
Issei was sure he knew why, but he just couldn't put words to it. Either way, he knew that Vali's dedication, at least, was valid.
"...Fine, I'll help," he sullenly conceded. He hated the idea of working with the Dawn Legion, but innocent people were in danger. If they were going to help the other Devils, and went to him for aid, he'd be an idiot to not help. "If this is some sort of trick..."
"Then I'd be right beside you in tearing everyone involved apart," Vali tacked on, getting a look from Issei. "But I have not been disappointed yet."
Issei's brow furrowed, but he nodded once. "And Asia?"
"As a noncombatant, she'll be well-protected," Kuroka supplied, walking over. "As Luna-sama's Bishop and a Senjutsu expert, I'm well-suited for maintaining a position. She's in good hands, nya!"
"She'll be safe with us," Koneko added, giving Issei a flat-looked thumbs-up.
The brunet still didn't like it. Especially since the Dawn Legion was apparently spearheading the charge. He wouldn't be able to do anything if they turned on his girlfriend.
...Then again, they could have taken her back when they first showed up. Yet, according to Asia herself, she had been peacefully escorted out of the Bounded Space.
Issei pursed his lips, knowing he looked like he'd sucked on a lemon, but nodded once more all the same.
He just wished that it could have been someone else.
Rizevim Livan Lucifer couldn't keep the grin off his face.
Over the past week, he'd seen Lunarunn's actions reverberate across the globe. The chaos that unfolded in her wake was nothing short of glorious, but what filled him with more glee, even now, was that third set of wings.
Oh, how long had it been?
How long had he waited?
He'd forgotten what genuine joy felt like, yet he had felt giddy as a child on Christmas day for over a week. That alone deserved revelry, but he knew it wasn't time for fireworks.
Not just yet.
Then, somewhere in the distance, he felt a surge of Id, powerful beyond a simple Devil's flash of anger.
"...Oh?"
Rizevim's gaze shifted.
The chaos continued to spread.
He expected many things. Knew them, even.
But he hadn't expected that.
It should have been impossible, and yet...
His grin widened further, and began to chuckle gaily.
"You always did have a penchant for making things fun, didn't you?"
Sirzechs's eyes snapped open, staring into the distance, from the mementos he had gathered of Ajuka - of his first and closest friend. His wife noticed immediately, turning to him in concern. "Sirzechs...?"
"She's here." He almost laughed at the audacity. She killed his blood-brother, and not even a week later she was in his land, pre-empting whatever rescue mission the Phenexes were trying to convince him to put together?
He almost wanted to congratulate her on an act as brazen as Lucifer's own defection from God. Before he reduced the girl to atoms, anyway.
"Lunarunn?" Grayfia's eyes narrowed as she turned her head in the direction of the Id beacon. "I'll gather the Peerage-"
"No. You go to the former Lord and Lady Phenex and tell them to gather their resources. Direct the Peerage to join that operation." The Crimson Satan's eyes glowed with baleful promise. "I'll deal with Lunarunn myself."
"I..." Grayfia seemed reluctant, but a sharp look from Sirzechs cowed her, and she bowed instead. "I will do as you ask, milord. Please exercise the utmost caution. Millicas already lost his uncle. He must not lose his father, too."
Sirzechs stilled, then let out a low breath, chuckling faintly. "That is a low blow, Grayfia dear."
"We are in this together. Whatever plan you have in store, I want to ensure you are still alive to enjoy the outcome." Grayfia smiled back - a rarity these days, and all the more precious for it. "So please, be careful."
With that, she turned and hurried out. Sirzechs rose to his feet, staring in the direction of the beacon that the exiled Bael had become.
He would be careful. He'd make sure to end Luna's little grudge match with him before it spilled over to anyone else he loved.
A/N:
And so it begins...
About twice as long as I had hoped it would take, at least.
Tempura Wizard, out.
