An unnamed world in the Adventure Universe…
The battle was winding down as countless demons lay dead on the ground. All around, humans lay siege to a dark castle, gaining ground against the horde of inhuman soldiers. The path of dead demons trailed from the battlefield, through the halls of the demonic castle, ending at the steps of a black throne, with a towering demon lord slumped onto it, bleeding profusely. Facing them were twelve crusaders, each with their own weapons. The one in the front held a broadsword as he approached the demon lord.
First Crusader
Peter
"Loathsome humans…" the demon lord snarled through their injuries. "You dare raise your hands against a superior creature?"
"You are not superior." The crusader replied. "You are a beast who rejected the light of God. Now your life is forfeit."
"Who are you to judge me? I am Bakin, S-Rank Demon Lord of Xuenus, and I- '' the demon lord attempted to declare, before one of the crusaders pointed a pistol at one of their horns and fired, shooting it off.
Second Crusader
John
"That's enough out of you, demon scum." the offending crusader said. "Peter, go ahead and finish it."
The crusader named Peter nodded as he stood in front of the demon lord, lifting his broadsword. "When your damned soul returns to Hell…let them know this: The Prideful Crusade lives." he told the demon before he swung his blade.
The demon lord's head fell to the ground, the body collapsing at the foot of the throne, black blood pooling from the stump of his neck.
"Did he have any extra lives?" Peter asked.
"No. He spent the one he had to survive our first battle in Owhya." A third crusader, this one wielding a scythe, spoke. "That scum is gone for good."
Third Crusader
James
With a nod of acknowledgement, Peter turned around, flicking the blood off his sword. "Call it in, then. We have the victory."
Later, in a ship orbiting the planet, the twelve crusaders gathered around a table.
"Well, that's the first S-Rank Demon Lord we've killed." Peter remarked as he looked over a pad displaying information. "What's more, with the recruits we've gained from Xuenus, we now have 1,000,000 troops in total, all across 10,000 ships to make up the new Vainglorious Armada. Add the 100,000 heavy assault vehicles, and I'd say we're doing the best we've done since the end of the last crusade."
"Well, congratulations to us." a crusader with two knives sheathed at his sides clapped. "We've managed to get back…to one percent of our original numbers."
Twelfth Disciple
Judas
"Judas, please. I know it's not much, but-"
"But nothing. It would take us decades to get back to a point where we could restart the crusade, and that's being optimistic." Judas pointed out. "We have to face the facts; without the Vice Angels, we're never going to complete our mission of total demon extermination."
"Judas has a point." a crusader who had a bow resting on the table agreed. "There's only so much we can do. Even with the armies and fleets we've amassed, we've only been doing mercenary work. That's nowhere near the level of what the Crusade was before Superbia's death."
Fourth Disciple
Andrew
"And Superbia was to blame for it and a lot of problems. Cause of his leadership, the Crusade has released Phobia Devils from their confined world into the entire Demon Universe, unleashed the Chainsaw Devil, and got the whole group nearly eliminated by the Phantom Thieves and Alliance." a crusader holding a holy bible said.
Fifth Disciple
James Junior
"And yet, we wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as we did were it not for him." Judas pointed out. "If I may be so bold, it's only a matter of time before someone decides we're getting too big and wipes us out completely."
"Well then, what do you suggest we do?" a crusader with a regular sword and shield asked.
Sixth Disciple
Philip
Before Judas could answer, the door opened and a knight raced into the room.
"Disciples! There is news!" the knight said, clearly shocked. "Lord Superbia…he's returned!"
"What? That's impossible." a knight with a staff leaning on his chair said. "Superbia is gone for good."
Seventh Disciple
Simon the Zealot
"Well, according to our sources, he was seen a mere few hours ago, escaping from the UGF." the knight said, as he set a holorecording on the table and played it, showing the Vice-Angel of Pride flying through the Lanes Between. "Disciples, should we retrieve him?"
"...No, not yet." Peter spoke, surprising the other knights. "We still have two missions in our backburner."
"The Time Looped world and the Lost God?" J.J. asked.
"Correct. I propose we split into two teams. I will take James, Andrew, Levi, Thomas, and Simon to the Warhammer world to hunt the Shadow Lord. John, you and the others will go to the time looping world to liberate it. Several of our allies will assist you." Peter said.
"And what of Lord Superbia?" Andrew asked.
"If God wills it…then he will come." Peter said as the knights got up from their seats. "May the Lord watch over you, my brothers."
"And you as well, Peter." John nodded as the knights left to begin their assignments.