Micaela sighed as she looked down sternly at the two figure prostrated in front of her. "No. Denied."

As if to highlight her answer, several of Heaven's white spires that could be seen behind her started shining more strongly. The intensifying light illuminated the huge golden and marble white room that made for her office, and was only slightly weakened by the numerous stained glass windows that represented Ilias and her victory over monsters. Even the chorus that praised Ilias all day long had apparently fallen silent for a moment.

She had been surprised earlier that day to be pulled out of her training in the Temple of War by one of her elite valkyrie. The messenger had informed her that Zion and Eden required an audience for a reason of utmost importance. A doubt seized the mind of the leader of the Archangels for a single moment before she could feel Gnosis was still doing fine, and had that she had been left behind to guard the gate leading to Tartarus. Still, she wondered what the possibly grave matter that required her attention was…

…And was completely dumbfounded when Zion, with the support of Eden, asked her to be allowed to go on the hunt in the other world for the upcoming Purple Sabbath to slay succubi. A part of her wanted to encourage them for taking the initiative, and she herself wanted nothing more than join them and kill a few of those sex fiends that dared to mock Ilias with their obscene party, but she knew that the consequences of doing so would be catastrophic.

"My lord, I invite you to reconsider my proposition. We would only bring justice on those that want nothing more than to defile Her creations. We would only be cleaning the filth that lurks in the darkness."

The chorus resumed its singing."As right as you are, we unfortunately just cannot afford to step in directly and get rid of those pests at our will. I appreciate your initiative, but recklessly going in this world to kill its parasites will only further increase chaosization, and as I said before, the Goddess will not tolerate anything less than saving every single soul loyal to her."

"My lord, those filthy succubi will desecrate our loyal followers and may even murder them for their own pleasure. In both cases, we will lose some of our more loyal lambs, but only if we remain passive then those succubi will survive. You should let us go help them right now!"

"And you should remember your place, second generation seraph Zion." Micaela didn't speak any louder, but even then, Zion could feel the power and the wrath in her words. "The Goddess has decreed that we were not to intervene directly and minimize contact with its inhabitants, and as such we shall do so."

Upon feeling the distress of her partner, Eden decided to step in. "And what about an indirect intervention? If we stir up the angels on the Snow Continent, we could get them to act against the succubi. Of course, this could attract attention to us, but even then it would be the best, and maybe even the only way to guarantee the safety of the loyal followers of Ilias for that damned night."

Micaela pondered the first seraph's words for a moment. "As much as it saddens me, my decision is final." She pointed at Zion. "You are to focus on defending the pathway established through Tartarus with Gnosis. Apoptosis activity increased lately, and escorting a new group would be extremely dangerous right now."

"As She wishes."

"And you." She pointed at Eden. "You are to gather support and help Uriela ensure that no monsters in the Noah region give in to their instinct. You are free to search every house as needed."

"I'm already on my way."

"And before you leave, I invite both of you to take a moment to thank Ilias for her vigilance over us. While your eager initiative is understandable, it looks like you are losing sight of the Goddess's great plan and questioning her wisdom. Dismissed."

In the blink of an eye, both seraphim disappeared, teleporting themselves to Heaven's temple to spend the remainder of the day to reaffirm their belief in the Goddess of Light. Micaela knew that they would never dare actually question Ilias, but reminding them that She was everything in their life couldn't hurt.

Unfortunately, none of this made the matter disappear. This damnable Purple Sabbath would happen anyway, a taunt from beyond the grave coming from a shameless harlot who parodied life itself. Simply knowing she was alive and well in another world enraged Micaela to no end.

There would be nothing better than murdering the children of that whore in front of her during the night she loved so much, before beheading her as soon as the sun rises. It was impossible this time, but maybe the next one… Even if it was in a hundred years…

She shook her head. Zion's burning hatred for succubi had touched her a little. The seraph had all the rights to be angry, but Micaela remembered that those were creatures exploiting passion and sexuality. The best way to stand up to them was to remain calm and to neither fall for their honeyed promises nor a bottomless rage, no matter how righteous.

Micaela stood up and got to the balcony. She took a moment to appreciate the pure streets of the cities, only filled with angels and humans dutifully going to their work of serving the Goddess in the way she saw, not losing time indulging themselves in petty leisures. From where she was, only the palace of Ilias herself prevented her from being able to see every white street and every golden tower. But of course, it was natural for the Goddess of Light to always be at the top of everything, at the sight of everyone. She was their reason to live, to be, to do and to die.

"Mmh."

Upon hearing someone scoffing, Micaela turned and instantly kneeled. Her Goddess had granted her the chance to see Her light by herself.

"My lord…"

"I authorize you to get up." Ilias's expression was covered by a haughty smirk. "Do you really think, even if they're far away in another world, those pests should be allowed to live?"

"Of course not." Micaela still looked down by respect for her superior. "But as it stands, we do not have any way to intervene to slay them without endangering Your Great Plans."

"And what about Eden's idea? I'm pretty sure those angels living on that Snow Continent would eagerly join our fold."

"I have no doubt either my lord. But getting their support will require sending a powerful envoy, and she will be bound to attract an unwelcomed attention likely to result in a fight. No matter the outcome, the increase in chaosization will threaten your Great Salvation Plan to an unacceptable level. We do not let those parasites be because we want to. We only let them live because we have another duty to attend to. They will die as soon as we demand it."

Ilias emitted a pretend sigh, smiling at her lieutenant. "As usual, you figured out everything yourself, didn't you? Maybe one day, you will take my place."

"I would never consider it."

"Of course you didn't…" The goddess turned back and started walking away. "The moon will be stronger that night. You know what to do, right?"

Micaela frowned. "Yes."

"Of course you do, not a word to anyone."

"Of course."

Saja was currently slithering through the unusually empty streets of San Ilia. Since Minagi had gained the control of the city, the place was usually filled with moans and wet lewd squishing noises from succubi enjoying their favorite activity. At this instant, however, the town was unusually calm, almost eerily silent.

If the rumors were right, her sister had declared the day before the Purple Sabbath a period of abstinence. Its goal was twofold: the first was to make a mockery of Ilias, who always despised the intercourses between humans and monsters, and hated succubi in particular as they were created for that purpose. The second, more pragmatic, was to get sure the men would be well rested and more filled with energy for a night of the most extreme debauchery. Even if the succubi could now enjoy themselves freely, they wanted this special day to be remembered.

When she reached the central plaza, Saja smirked as she saw three succubi dressed in lewd parodies of the dress the dead hag used to wear. They were preaching about frustrating oneself and refusing the supreme pleasures succubi could offer simply because their virgin goddess demanded it. They were walking around a nude statue of Ilias, and were saying that people should try to taste her flesh instead while groping her.

The succubi bowed as the ancestor made her way through the gate leading to her sister's palace. The floor was covered by a thick carpet and a large numbers of sheets and pillow were laying around, currently unoccupied. The snakelike ancestor could see several men supernaturally asleep lying in the corners, while succubi were silently meditating in the dark, or training in martial and magical arts. She could feel their hardly contained lust burn through their body.

Soon enough, she was crossing the always open gate leading to her sister's bedchambers. The message was clear. All were welcome to enter the Whore of Babylon's inner sanctum. Minagi herself was alone, sitting on her large bed in a meditating posture, her legs crossed and her eyes closed.

Saja could also see several men and fallen angels sleeping in the dark corners, shaking from time to time from what looked like erotic dreams. Some of the angels were bound by a slimy, dark material. She also noticed three empty beds, and wondered for a second how its usual occupants were doing in this other world. The traveling ancestor had to admit that even after so much time, the sexual magnetism emitted by her sister attracted her. Even she, as a fellow ancestor, could not deny that the succubus's body and aura were designed to appeal to anyone's reproductive instinct.

"To what do I how the pleasure of your visit, dear sister?"

"Nothing more than courtesy. I wanted to see by myself what were you planning for the Purple Sabbath."

"As you can see…" Minagi got up and gestured at the men and angels around her. "I'll start with something classic, then I'll switch partner depending on how I feel. Is mother organizing something as well?"

Saja shrugged. "She made a few invitations and will likely involve herself with a few men, but it's only to mark the occasion. For starter there are not as much men in the whole of Hellgondo as there is in San Ilia alone."

"Too bad. She would have been welcome here."

"And them?" Saja pointed at the three empty beds. "Won't you miss your little daughters? It's the first Purple Sabbath without the Lilith Sisters, after all."

The ancestor of succubi shrugged. "It will be different, but they have a job to do and the party shouldn't stop because they're missing. They certainly wouldn't want it, they'd consider it a victory for the old hag. Any news from the others?"

"Well, Hiruko is still doing her best to catch Eden, Kanon is tending to her garden, Tamamo is creating new mechanical toys, Kanade is actually going to rest, and as far as I'm concerned… Truth be told, I would be interested in joining your party this night."

Minagi smiled. "But you are as welcome as anyone, dear sister! I simply didn't consider you were interested since you were involved with someone!"

Saja looked down, silent.

"Ooh, I'm sorry." Minagi placed her hand sympathetically on her sister's shoulder. "What happened?"

"He died from cardiac failure. I didn't think he would die, we were only doing it for the thirtieth time that day, nothing exceptional. But when I freed him to eat a small snack, I felt his vitals decline and stop in spite of my best effort." She sniffled. "We had been together for more than thirty years. At the time I found him near the ruins of Remina, I only wanted to give him some love after the Great Disaster… But he selfishly died and left me alone."

"That's so tragic… I sincerely wish that you will find your destined partner tonight… Or, barring that, that you will at least get a satisfying fill."

Saja smiled, a single tear shed running down. "I hope for the best, but I intend to enjoy this night to its fullest."

"I am glad you're taking it in stride!" "Would you prefer a private room, or do you want to proudly show your skills in front of everyone?"

"I will take a place on the plaza… Unless you have something in mind? I saw the little setup you did there and I wouldn't want to break it."

Minagi made a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. It's just a play where we violate one of the captured angels to show her the delight her goddess attempted to deny everyone. In fact, I'm sure your presence can make it even more enjoyable." She gestured at the pillows scattered in the room. "Please, help yourself. May this night bring you all the pleasure you could wish for."

"Thank you. May you enjoy it just as much as well."

Saja's snakes seized a few pillows which the lamia proceeded to carry outside, leaving Minagi mostly alone in her room.

She didn't tell her sister, but the succubus ancestor indeed felt a twinge of concern for her daughters. She knew they were safe and that they more than likely planning their own little party for the Purple Sabbath, but she indeed missed their presence. The cacophony of lewd noises that were going to escape that room was just going to be a bit quieter. She also had hoped that they would have brought one or two of those seraph or archangels with them. New toys to celebrate this night would have been appreciated… Maybe they could even do something with the other world version of herself? She was likely feeling alone, sealed without even a male to sate her.

In any case there was no point thinking about anything else but pleasure for this dangerous night. The purple moon was slowly showing its color, bathing the city in a supernatural purple-ish aura.

One of the men got up. He silently made his way to Minagi's bed and laid on his back in an offering posture. The succubus positioned herself on all four just above him, and licked her lips.

Let the feast begin.