"We're too late." Rias spoke with dejection.
Following the address Beth gave them, the neighborhood was in too much of a magical cyclone to teleport to directly. Where they did appear, revealed a barrier covering the entire area, red and black magic fighting for control as if a torrent of chaos. Everyone outside the barrier had cuts and bruises, tears in their clothes from the Stray's brutal last stand. Up until five minutes ago the beasts fought smart and calculated, as if following commands at each move. But they then went into a crazed frenzy, first lashing crazily at the Devils before tearing into each other, ripping themselves apart.
They theorized the Beast Tamer had released control, and in their bloodlust and shattered state they simply broke into the base desire of hunger. It would explain the bloodied mess they left behind, and the wounds the team had developed.
"Can we enter this?" Sona asked, looking to Seekvaria who was starring in shock. The Agares heiress was the best one present at creating barriers, able to read and identify each one at merely a glance. She could see individual weaves, hand gestures, even rules in the barrier if the caster was skilled enough to create such restrictions. But it was the nature of the spell that had her in shock, placing a hand on it facing some resistance.
"It's Time magic… Agares Time magic." She revealed, not answering Sona's original question as she was bewildered by the information. It was not an exact, far looser, as if done naturally to not waste magic. The scope of the barrier was also astonishing, covering nearly two miles across in a radius. The only person she knew who could do this much was her father, no one else had the knowledge to do so, much less Devil Time magic to replicate it.
"Ma'am?" Alivian asked, seeing his master concerned as she pressed her hand forward. There was some resistance, like water holding just before breaking, her arm phasing through normally.
"There's a single restriction." Seekvaria noted, getting past her confusion to measure the information. "Only Devils can move freely; half breeds Reincarnated are the only exemption."
"So they're keeping humans frozen in time." Tsubaki noticed. "Is that a good or bad thing?"
"I don't know, but I detect something past here, something vile."
"We don't have time to discuss the conditions, our servants are fighting and need our help." Rias argued, pushing into the gelatinous barrier followed by Akeno and the others. Upon entering there was a moment of frozen horror, seeing cracks and cleaved scars all across the area. Craters were formed from the remnants of black flames consuming what remained.
"We need to find everyone, now." That was something everyone agreed on, as they summoned their wings and take off, the Time barrier's restriction allowing them to throw caution to the wind. The path of destruction could be followed, showing signs that the destruction was merely throw wild attacks, not representing the distance traveled from combat.
At this overview, the experienced Devils could realize that the cleaves and slashes dug into the ground were another Clan magic. It was similar to the Belphegor Clan's Crack magic, slashing the point of contact perfectly, however not needing the precision given how wild the cuts were at every sight.
"There they are!" Akeno called out, everyone turning to see the wounded Devils. Among them, Saji, Beth and Kiba were sitting upright, makeshift bandaging across them that exposed the blood dripping. Momo was unconscious with Kiba's vest folded under head head as a pillow, the Bishop losing consciousness after the blow to her head. The only one standing was Koneko, the Rook standing in a readied stance, but with their perfect eyesight they saw an uncharacteristic nervous expression.
"Kiba, Koneko!" Rias shared relief with her Queen as they landed first, hugging the smaller girl before going down to Kiba, seeing her injuries and showing concern at the gash across her cheek. "Are you okay? How bad are the injuries?"
"They're… we'll live." Kiba groaned, the rest of the group checking on their injured servants. "We got caught in some of the crossfire, but we… He… avoided throwing anything towards us."
"He?" Sona questioned, looking up from Momo to listen to the Knight.
"Beth, Beth are you okay?" Seekvaria asked, placing her hands gently on her Pawn's shoulders. Beth was looking forward with a blank stare, the events having drained her mentally as she became inert. Alivian knelt beside them, taking his damaged overshirt off to cover Beth, noticing that a part of her sweatshirt was ripped off, doing his best to cover her. There was a lot of blood on her, a terrifying amount, but given she was breathing and not unconscious it could be gathered it wasn't hers.
"Seekvaria?" Beth eventually mumbled out, her vision focusing to see her master look to her, glancing over to also see Alivian. "Are we… is it over?"
"Yes, yes its over." Seekvaria assured her, hugging her gently to comfort her. "You did well to hold out on your own. Let us take over from here." She then took in the surrounding, noting the missing human and making a grim conclusion. The blood on Beth, along with the lack of his presence or even body, on top of the Pawn's shock would be more than enough evidence to signal the human's death. And in a brutal fashion, if consumed he wouldn't be able to be reincarnated, making him a casualty of their incompetence.
"I… I'm sorry…" Beth began to whimper, fresh tears going down her face as Seekvaria held her. "It's all my fault. Kota's gone and now… and now…"
"Beth, don't blame yourself." Seekvaria comforted. "It's my fault, as your master I should have explained the full scope of the severity of our duty. It's my fault this happened, I failed you as a senior and as a master."
"To be fair, unknowing Pawns can't really take the blame for a scheme." A booming yet calm voice spoke up from behind the heiresses, everyone turning in preparation to see the person that spoke up. No one at first recognized him, however Seekvaria soon saw the familiarity and saw the facial structure of Kota Price, his crimson red and obsidian black skin clashing with the grey shorts he had on. The wings were disgustingly composed, feeling so dark as if it absorbed light at contact. And then there were the literal burning eyes, his pupils appearing as if the flames from the deepest layer of Hell were burning in them.
"Who are you?" Rias demanded, summoning her destructive magic to her palms. Rias Gremory's magic, the Power of Destruction, was a hereditary power similar to Seekvaria's Time magic. Something the figure recognized with an entertained hum.
"I'll forgive your ignorance, but I have a last piece to finish before this is complete." He responded, tossing something out of his hand and to his side. The Devils realized the object thrown was a severed head, Juli's slack expression drained of life and blood as the figure placed four sharpened nails to his palm, before ripping the flesh clean off and letting blood flow down.
"How fitting, like my signature in a painting." He chuckled, placing his hand on the road and dragging it across in a small arch, standing back upright as blood hardened and weaved. The tear of flesh was gone, replaced with perfectly preserved skin and meat, not a drop of his own blood left.
Everyone's attention went to where he was standing, seeing a pentagram painted in blood, the circle completed with his last gesture. At each point of the star was one of the human mage's limbs, the final point adorned with Juli's lifeless head. At the center of the star was her torso, stripped bear and ripped open to expose her insides, the gore's scene leaving disgust in the Devils' stomachs before he turned to them.
"I really outdid myself this time, all that time and my creativity still comes out when needed the most." The figure chuckled, stepping away from the sight of horror to approach the Devils. "Now then, I believe you asked who I was? That's quite high attitude from the Bael Clan… or not?"
When the figure paused his speech, everyone was shocked when he was instantly in front of Rias. The proximity made the Devils realize the sickness in their stomach was not from the gore, which they were accustomed to with the Stray Devils they've fought, but of this twisted form of Kota. It was a demonic presence they never felt before, the pressure forcing them to stand still, despite their efforts to regain composure.
"Red hair and blueish-green eyes, but that face is Reliun's. I'm sure of that." He pondered, grabbing Rias' lower face with his fingers, measuring her entire face as he inspected her. "Tell me, are you the result of a Bael and Gremory crossbreeding? You certainly look the part."
"I… am Rias Gremory, of House Gremory. And you will show my family its proper respect." Rias was able to speak out, fighting her own body to keep composure as the figure stepped back, letting out a harrowing laugh.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! How rich!" His grin returned as he looked to each of the girls present, walking next over to Sona that possessed more composure, but couldn't hide the sweat going down her face. "Now that face I recognize, features and all. The new Sitri clan member, a shame you lack the figure of Sephoram. You'd be easier on the eyes with that glare." He then walked to Seekvaria, pausing to look at her closely as he seemed puzzled by the heiress' appearance. "Agares eyes, but I don't recognize the hair at all. Don't tell me the clan I trusted with Time magic to has bred with a lowborn cur?"
"Don't… don't you dare speak ill of my mother."
"How disappointing, the purity of my Clans has been tainted." The figure sighed in disappointment, walking away from the group and flicking his tail in disapproval. "The codes hadn't been upheld in my absence, such a shame. But I suppose it can't be helped, if they were desperate enough to intermingle our people must be in a dire spot."
"You didn't answer the question." Rias spoke up, the Devil slowly adjusting to the vileness of the figure's presence to stand upright, glaring daggers at him. "Who are you?"
"You haven't figured it out yet? I'm offended." He said with a straight face, before rolling his eyes. "Shouldn't it be obvious at this point? This magnificence of a Devil's true form? To where you came from, and where you will return."
"You want us to believe that you're Him? Satan?"
"Ah, there is a brain under there. How nice to know beauty isn't the cost for intelligence." Satan chuckled, turning back to face the Devils.
"That's impossible, Satan died four hundred years ago along with the four Maou." Sona responded, citing the common information.
"Yes, yes I recall that day quite vividly. It was my last memories of consciousness before today." The Devil nodded, closing his eyes to remember it fondly. "What a bloody day that was, to think all three sides fought amidst a battlefield for Dragon Emperors. The slaughter was exquisite, my only shame was I didn't pluck God's heart from his chest before I flipped the coin. I lost out on the best chance I had."
"How could you be here? If you really are Satan, resurrection for Devils is impossible. When we die, we are absorbed into the Underworld's sea." Rias noted. Devil souls weren't like humans, who's mortal lives are determined by their allegiances. Souls that could reform into physical bodies, reincarnated naturally into Devils, Angels or even Demigods based on the fate of their lives. But the supernatural beings themselves, they had no true afterlife. When they died, there was no split consciousness.
"That applies to Devils, not for a King such as myself." Satan said. "My soul cannot be claimed by my domain, only contained. It was a dull time, my essence drifted amidst the winds for centuries, fighting to keep my soul together long enough to make a move. And a hundred years ago, I detected an overwhelming amount of demonic magic being poured into a ritual, an amount I never detected before. I knew I had my way back then."
"Lord Beelzebub's Evil Pieces." Seekvaria concluded, Satan clapping his hands together and grinning in applause.
"Get this one a wench, she's on point now." Satan's chuckle left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, his tongue seen and being pointed from his laugh. "Those strange little chess pieces were the perfect entry. I… joined in the ritual." He explained, unable to find the correct word for what he had done. "Understanding how he was forming the new tools he made, I took my rightful place and took the most important pieces. I poured my soul into sixteen fragments, King Pieces as you call them, and simply bided my time."
"It wasn't easy, even with my soul split I could perceive each one of them all at the same time." Satan continued, enjoying the sound of his voice with the crowd he had. "I had to adjust my plans thousands… no, millions of times. My fragments constantly in flux, trading hands and bodies as fools absorbed me at their whim, some enduring to this day, other's splattering because my power was too much."
"So why now, why this body and not any of the others that absorbed you?" Sona questioned.
"Because I can't take over a Devil's body." He answered simply. "Every Devil possesses a tiny fragment of my soul, my essence. Thus I can't override them, protecting them from my control. But a human? They make for such excellent puppets, such weak souls to exploit. Truly, they have inherited Eve's foolishness, my own personal garden of fools."
"It wasn't easy though, I had to work hard and weaken the seals placed on me." Satan admitted. "The chamber you kept one of my pieces in was quite efficient, I spent eighty years wearing down at it, weakening the barriers enough without being noticeable. And I needed a human that could withstand me." He then gestured to the body, noting its structure. "He possessed no magic, but had above average capabilities, he was perfect to override. And such a childish soul, thinking he could use my power as his own, because he was ashamed he couldn't help."
A low chuckle then formed in Satan's throat, his body twitching as he released an uncontrollable grin. His razor edge teeth freakishly clattered together as the chuckle reverberated across his throat. All of it from remembering the last moment of thought Kota had, and the delicious despair he felt when his soul was crushed under his.
"IT WAS PRICELESS! HIS LAST THOUGHTS WERE HOW SORRY HE WAS GETTING HIS BLOOD ON A PATHETIC FAKE DEVIL!" Satan laughed manically, his jaw wide in mocked mirth at Kota's dying thoughts. "SUCH A WORTHLESS SOUL WITH NO DRIVE, NO DESIRES, NOTHING! WHAT A PERFECT VESSEL TO MAKE MY OWN, HE DIDN'T EVEN PUT UP A FIGHT AS I STOLE EVERYTHING FROM HIM!"
There was no hiding the animosity present among the Devils as they listened to their "King". The old ways of Devils were always a bloody and cursed one, Satan's cruel reign of torment and suffering being the reason behind their endless wars with the Angels and Fallen Angels. His lust and wrath caused their downfall, always going from battle to battle with no further interest than his own satisfaction. And it was clear that four hundred years of being a drifting soul had only deepened his desires. His possession of Kota, an innocent victim in a world he was ignorant of, was only the salt in the wound to know that such a vile being returned to the living.
"Oh, those are quite the stares, don't tell me you have any intention of facing me?" Satan said with a smirk, noting the Devils that could stand all glared with disgust and hatred. "I am your King, and although only a fraction of my soul, none of you could hope to compare to me."
"A fraction of your soul, but how much of your power truly resided in that King Piece?" Sona questioned, keeping a measured stare as she measured their odds. "None of the pieces ever had the same power behind them, and fluctuated relentlessly like your fragments were jumping between them. I doubt you're at 1/16 of your original strength, I'd bet even saying you're at a thousandth is being generous to you."
"Oh, you think that factor is going to put this fight in your odds?" Satan said with an entertained grin. "If that's the case, feel free to attack me, solidify your resistance to my rightful rule and strike at me. You're all promising, and from my limited experience from processing my soul's fragments, our people are on a decline in population. So I'll need concubines to restore us to our original might, your dragon half breed however won't be needed." Satan said with pointed emphasis at his target. "So attack me at your own peril lizard, I don't have a habit of sparring my victims."
"I don't fear you, you're a shadow of a bygone era. A liar and a snake who has no right to exist anymore." Alivian spat back, showing true hostility for the first time as he bore his fangs. "Ma'am, permission to transform?"
"Denied." Seekvaria responded, shocking the dragon. "I will not risk your life for a short-term victory. And in your dragon form you could cause more harm than good. We're still in a human neighborhood." She pointed out. "He created a barrier to freeze every human in time, he hasn't actually put a barrier to protect them. They are as much hostages as Price himself is."
"Hostage? I suppose the mutt would be the most delusional one here." Satan chuckled, before glaring with disgust at her. "The boy is gone, I snuffed out his soul and took his body. What makes you think he's here to be a hostage."
"Well "King of Lies", that's because of you." She responded, having a challenging grin. "Where are your scales, serpent?" The narrowed glare of Satan was the only confirmation she needed. "Kota's still in there, tucked away but present. Otherwise you'd have reverted to your original body, instead of modifying his."
"Kota's… alive?" Beth asked, looking up to her master with begging eyes.
"Yes, Satan may have control but it isn't total. Something's stopping him from suffocating his soul." Seekvaria answered, hoping to keep her Pawn encouraged with the information. "I promise, we'll do what we can, but Satan is too dangerous a threat to let escape."
"Kota's alive."
"Beth, I know you want to help him, but right now I need you on support. You're wounded so don't-"
"GIVE HIM BACK!" Picking up a chunk of concrete, Beth ran past the Devils and avoided Alivian's grasp, the dragon looking in horror as Beth charged right at Satan with reckless abandonment.
"Beth no!"
"Ah, a volunteer." Satan mused, swiping across with two fingers at the offending Devil. Beth recalled the movement, he had done it several times to slice apart Juli. There was no indicator of the magic, nothing but his motion and Crack's immediate effect. But something was off, as she stopped and threw the concrete by instinct, Satan tilting his head in amusement as she caused his magic to slice through the debris, the shockwave forcing her to slide on her feet back.
'I can't believe that worked.' Beth admitted to herself, sweating as she held her hands together in a clapping motion, fire erupting from her hands as she pulled one hand back as if she was readying a bow, a pillar of fire forming like an arrow as she glared at him.
'How did that work?' Satan wondered. His Crack was unlike the one Belphegor inherited from him, as the Clan's was a precise strike that could only hit a specific target they understood. Satan's power, which he named Tear, simply ripped apart what he wanted in a clean cut. He didn't have a limitation; it simply would cut and tear apart if the target was weaker than him. Somehow, the reincarnated Devil rejected the rule, and forced his attack to hit the projectile.
'Don't think about that, think about a way to win, visualize it.' Beth thought, the entire world pausing around her as her fires raged. She had to save Kota, if he was somehow still in there she had to do it. He gave his life for her, she failed him and he died for her. She did nothing but screw up today, she had to save her friend. She wouldn't let the damned monster that laughed at his sacrifice get away with stealing his body.
'Your last thoughts were being sorry for getting blood on me… why can't you just think for yourself for once, you asshole?' She thought, a tear dropping down her face before it evaporated, the fire arrow intensifying and shifting from orange to blazing gold, surprising everyone as an emerald light formed across her forearms.
'What is that?'
'Her Sacred Gear?'
"HAHAHAHA! Now that's the spirit!" Satan bellowed with laughter, recognizing the magic as he clapped his hands together, black flames erupting around him as he copied Beth's posture, replicating the flame arrow with his own Hellfire. "A blazing stand between Creation and Defilement! Come at me like you mean it Eve! I want to see that naivety crumble to bloodlust and rage!"
Both Devils released their fire at the same time, the loss of embers revealing vines starting to spread and wrap around Beth's body, acting as a support system. The girl had no time to notice what was happening across her body as the gold and black flames collided, the impact causing the concrete to scorch for meters across. However, Satan's demonic flames smashed through her own, rocketing towards her with a vile hunger for flesh.
Beth could only blink before the vines across her body shot out and tore into the fire, a burst of golden light dispersing the demonic flames and leaving the scattered remains burning across the area. A proper glance at the flames revealed an ichor texture, as if the Hellfire was Satan's own blood transformed into a weapon.
"How intriguing, God gave Eve's soul a few adjustments to enhance her abilities." Satan noted. "I suppose even with my influence, the Old Bastard had a soft spot for his children."
"Stop with your damn daydreaming and get out of Kota!" Beth screamed, her body moving by instinct as the vines encouraged her movements, summoning several ice spikes and shooting them at the Devil himself. Satan barely responded as he smashed them away, his attention immediately turning behind him and holding a hand out to block a blast of Rias' Power of Destruction.
As he did, a blur went past him and Satan watched as his hand flew off of by his elbow, Tsubaki having flashed past him, narrowly avoiding the resulting explosion as the Power of Destruction hit true. Alivian then released a torrent of fire, roaring as a secondary explosion shook the ground. Before the dust cleared, a tendril of water pierced in and impaled through Satan, wrapping around him and thrashing him around in the air to disorient him.
'How did the Queen surprise me like that?' Satan wondered, looking over to Sona before he saw lightning come to life from above him.
"Roar, Thunder!" Akeno chanted, releasing a fully charged lightning bolt that crashed into Satan, plummeting him down to the ground hard. The water that ensnared him amplified the output, something even the Devil King could feel.
'And that Queen isn't strong enough to release that much power in a second.' Satan knew he was being frozen in time by that point, his eyes snapping to Seekvaria as he lunged out from where he crashed and lashing out with his remaining hand. A moment of being grabbed by vines turned into him being right back in the air, vulnerable to a combined attack of lightning, dragon fire, a torrent whirlpool and the Power of Destruction at once.
'Damn it, I can tell I'm stronger than all of them! How is the Agares bitch trapping me in her Time snare!?' He refused to believe the soul of Kota was holding him back, he couldn't feel it even now, he knew he had him under control without challenge. 'Is his body too weak to use the power at my disposal? Or am I that rusty?' As the combined blast ripped chunks of his body apart, Satan closed his eyes to let the damage immediately heal itself, his blood clotting and spewing out a new arm and leg, ichor dripping from them as he regenerated almost immediately.
"He has regeneration as fast as the Phenex Clan!" Seekvaria announced, attempting to freeze him in place again but was stopped when Satan met her gaze, an invisible force knocking her off her feet and into a streetlamp.
He then swiped his hand and cut apart the vines that held him, twisting his body to stare at the lightning that just managed to miss him. It then erupted into smaller charges, burning across his skin that left no reaction on the Hellspawn.
'Even her small attacks can hurt me… interesting.' Satan thought as he landed on his feet, facing a hand behind him and disrupting a barrage of destruction Rias had shot at him. Alivian was then in front of him, his fist already thrown and knocking Satan off his feet and back into the air. 'They're trying to keep me airborne, while they stay on the ground.' He noted, certain it was to give Seekvaria the widest range to use her magic.
He believed he was safe from that, but as Alivian was releasing a point-blank roar of fire he understood he underestimated Seekvaria. Despite their age, the heiresses clearly were made hardy, as she was back on her feet again, unbothered by the blood dripping from her mouth as she kept the time constraints on the Devil King.
'It seems the children have spunk.' Satan thought with a smile, coming to an accepting reality as a barrage of Destruction, lightning, water, fire and ice shredded into his body. He believed with just his current power he'd be able to play with the Devils. That he was so far above them that trying would give them far too much credit. But he was wrong, the King Piece Kota absorbed was as Sona predicted, not even a fraction of his full power. Perhaps a 100x multiplier for the human's base power. Which while still made him the strongest one present, it didn't allow him to be lenient in his discipling.
"Very well then." Satan smirked, accepting that a firm hand was needed to teach them the pecking order. "Be proud Sitri, you were correct in your assessment. But now I show you what happens when you challenge your betters."
'That's a lot of confidence for a slab of meat.' Rias thought, seeing Satan regenerate his body after losing all but one limb. He was nowhere near the powerhouse expected, a single fragment of his soul clearly unable to support the overwhelming power he used to have. At most he's an upper high-class Devil, luckily not past the threshold of Ultimate-class like originally expected. The current hurdle was his regeneration, it wasn't the same as the Phenex Clan, but it operated at almost the same speed. And she couldn't be certain if his stamina would be hampered with use or if he could heal without drawbacks.
But if they were correct and Kota was actually still in there somewhere, then an endurance battle wouldn't need to be fought. Taking control from the original King of Hell would be a monumental challenge, especially for a single human's soul that was dying. But if they could deal enough damage, if Satan's control could be shaken, then maybe he could regain ownership of his body. It just meant they'd have to keep hitting him with their combined might.
With Seekvaria's support, that'd be an easy goal, as even the originator of the Time manipulation was subjected to its rules with his barrier up. But as Seekvaria forced him to freeze in time again, Rias saw a pure black aura spark across Satan's body, as if building up despite remaining stuck in place. It made her hesitate to use her Power of Destruction, as in the split second the magic of the Devils was about to hit, the aura exploded to life and Rias knew where she had seen it before.
"Everyone get down!" Rias ordered, firing her Power of Destruction as the aura shattered everyone's magic. As if by pure instinct, Rias manipulated her magic to cover a wide berth around Satan, watching as Beth's vines shot out and aided her in attempting to contain the overwhelming magic that blasted out. The effort halted the aura for a moment, but soon the vines were eaten away into nothing and Rias' magic was shot apart, an explosion consuming everyone in blinding darkness.
Blind pain was all that was felt amidst everyone, the blast having knocked them out for a moment before they realized it. Of the suffering, Rias, Alivian and Beth were the ones who were able to regain consciousness. At first glance, the effort to stop the explosion seemed pointless. But a blurred search of the area showed everyone was still alive, if wounded and unable to move.
"Perhaps I misjudged the crossbreeding this generation has done." Satan congratulated the survivors as he landed at the center of the road, a crater having formed as his aura ate away at the concrete before floating harmlessly. "The Gremory Clan's only claim to relevance was their magic pools, but combined with my gift to the Bael Clan then a decent boost to the Power of Destruction can be achieved." He then began to walk forward, moving towards Rias with a casual demeanor. "With time, and discipline, you could make for a good replacement to Lilith. You might even have her beat in potential."
The Gremory heiress fought against her aching body to stand, blood dripping down her face as her already damaged attire was further shredded. It was a sight Satan appreciated, given his smile towards her. He reached towards her, the aura dissipating around his arm as he took her chin between his thumb and index, keeping her gaze leveled with his as he measured her thoroughly.
"How about it? Surely Queen of Hell would be more fitting than heiress to a Clan's who's only achievement is surviving?"
"It… is an honor you couldn't claim."
"Hmm, fair point." Satan admitted. "That name must be quite the source of pride for you, considering how you so easily turned down such a superior position."
"Your time is over, you and your hunger brought us to our lowest. We've suffered enough because of you, you'll never lead us again." Rias spat, getting a chuckle from the King of Devils.
"Perhaps, but I don't need to take all of control again. I just need the faction loyal to me, and the women to make repopulation possible." He pointed out. "It is a shame you chose to defy me, but you still have your uses. For now I'll discipline you by just taking a hand, if you prove yourself cooperative I may return it to you."
"Do your worst."
"That's the spirit." Satan was about to use his Tear, prepared to begin the discipling of the group, when he felt his aura be overwhelmed and he was locked in place. It wasn't Seekvaria's Time magic, he processed his sudden loss of movement. And the cold was actually felt, his internal heat beat by a shell of ice that sealed him.
"Oh my, it looks like things were worse than we thought." Rias blinked as shortly after Satan froze in front of her, she was next to Sona and Seekvaria, the wounded members all rested a safe distance from the ice statue of the Devil King.
"Serafall…" Regaining her consciousness, Sona opened her eyes to the short woman standing in front of her. Serafall was the current Leviathan Maou, a war hero and leader to the Devil race. She wore a bright pink magic girl attire, even with a wand in her hand with a heart crest at the end. Her pink eyes looked down to the wounded party with concern, her usual playfulness unseen as she saw all their injuries.
"It's okay Sona, let your adorable big sister handle this bully." She smiled to Sona, winking as she stood up to turn to Satan, a rare dark stare forming in her eyes as the Devil King's upper body broke free from the ice.
"You get just that hit." He promised, his black aura erupting and shattering the remaining ice that contained him before looking at Serafall Leviathan. Just the sight of her was insulting, to think she had enough power to freeze him with such a ridiculous attire. But there was something he could tell just by looking at her, she possessed incredible magic power.
'As obnoxious as she looks, this woman could rival my old Generals.' It was to his shame, but even Satan knew he couldn't easily deal with this woman. She managed to freeze him when his Power of Annihilation was coating him, whether it was from his low output or she used his exposed arm didn't matter. He had to kill her, threats and promises are of no worth in this fight.
"Woman, you're different from these kids. What are you?"
"Normally, I'd reveal myself as the adorable Levia-tan, but you hurt my precious little sister." Serafall responded, pointing her wand to Satan and forming a lance of ice at the end. "To you, I am Serafall Leviathan, one of the four Great Maou."
"Leviathan, how insulting of you." Satan growled with an insulted snarl. "You dare to take their names and wear them like titles? It seems simply subjugation won't do. A total dismantle of this failed society is in order." He then crossed his arms over his chest, Serafall detecting the same presence as a Crack user as he swung them forward. "Starting with this disgraceful display of weaklings!"
Serafall wasted no time as she released her lance and instead formed a wall of ice, Satan's Tear leaving a deep scar but unable to cleave through it. As she readied her magic, Satan punched through the wall with his Power of Annihilation coating his entire body, easily destroying the barrier and turning it into steam. Serafall appeared initially shocked at the feeling of his power, recognizing it as the same abilities Sirzechs had, at a similar destructive property despite how little magic was present.
The Power of Annihilation was the originator of the Bael Clan's Power of Destruction, a gift bestowed to the Clan by Satan. As was with many of the other hereditary magics, Satan's Annihilation was inherently stronger than Destruction, more comparable to the strongest users than the novices as his current magic power would imply. If struck with such an attack without a proper defense or regeneration, the victim would be reduced to nothing. To a Devil, it operated almost identically to Holy weapons or Spears of Light. And despite his current power, even Serafall would be destroyed had it landed.
However, his blows would never land against the Maou. It first went as she narrowly dodged him each time, Satan striking air and quickly recovering to throw a new blow at the small Devil. Then came counters, Satan being forced to use his Annihilation to shatter ice and evaporate water. Serafall's physical might may not have compared to Satan, but in this state she didn't have to, her magic being more than enough to overwhelm his focus alone. He sent blasts of Annihilation and slashed with his Tear, but even as he seemingly turned into a blender of cuts, a pike of water would pierce into his gut and blast outward, spikes of blood and ice jutting out of him.
"Daugh ight!" Satan growled, his words slurred as a shard of ice was coming out of his mouth, blood flowing down his cheeks and neck before he chomped it apart. The rest of the ice offending him melted as his body increased in temperature, his blood flowing back into him and healed the injuries he suffered.
"Ah, no wonder you could beat my Little Sona and the others." Serafall noted, enthralled at the sign of regeneration. "Much like a weakling, you fall back and rely on cheap gimmicks like regeneration."
"Says the bitch playing with her food." Satan chuckled. Although the woman was infuriating him, he was quite receptive of her cruel treatment. She wasn't playing games, every attack was lethal, and he couldn't deny having water turn to ice from inside was certainly a new form of pain he felt. He respected that she saw him for the threat he was, or was as protective of her little sister as she appeared. "I'm sure you have the magic pool to freeze and shatter me, you could likely even overwhelm my regeneration. You're dodging and countering, you want to make me hurt."
"Surely you could understand, you hurt my little sister and her friends. I don't take kindly to that kind of offence." Serafall said, her eyes dark with malice. The dark side of the Leviathan Maou was a rare sight, but so far it was the only one Satan himself knew.
A part of it made him upset, she'd have made a good general and concubine, but he knew while the rest of his soul was split he couldn't take chances. Although the Evil Pieces were common place now, he had no certainty of if he could replicate a King Piece. He likely could put his soul back into the remaining fifteen, but that would make the candidate pool that could absorb one even smaller, which could eventually result in him being trapped in those pieces for good. He refused to die again, so he had to get creative.
"I must admit "Leviathan", you're a threat I didn't expect to face so soon." Satan admitted, putting venom in reference to her title as he despised having his possession have its name stolen. "It seems this generation hasn't lost the strength of my time. But considering your attack pattern, you're a pure caster with emphasis in ice and water magic. At your core, you're just a Sitri who's been blessed with power."
"Not all of us could climb out of the primordial soup like you." Serafall spat.
"It'd be ironic to say I was blessed, but being damned comes with its own benefits." Satan laughed, his hands pressing together in a strange hand seal. "For instance, a natural attunement for magic, and communicating with the rest of my soul for the knowledge they've gathered." As if the Maou merely blinked, the neighborhood slowly faded away, the sky turning multicolored canvas and both Devils were forced to fly.
'He created a barrier within a barrier?' Serafall thought, looking around to recognize a dimensional construction when she saw one. It made for a difficult challenge too, rules are much easier to make in a new dimension space that could put the fight in his favor. Not only that, but the laws of the material world wouldn't also apply, meaning that while the barrier was likely only a couple meters big, she could fire a blast for miles and hit nothing. 'Who is he? To summon a dimensional barrier requires discipline and control someone like him shouldn't have. Even Sona and Rias can only make normal barriers, and they're magic prodigies.'
"So, what is the rule you implemented?" Serafall questioned, figuring the man was one for boasting given his tall talk earlier.
"Oh, it's quite simple really." Satan said. "I inverted the nature of magic. Let's see how efficient you are without your water and ice, Serafall Sitri." Satan then spread his arms out, an invisible power forming at his fingertips as his Tear fizzled around him.
An inversion rule, Serafall admits it's not an easy one to get used to. But she wasn't some novice that only knew her hereditary magic. When she felt the Tear shoot out, she attempted to pour fire magic to transform into ice or fire, only to see no magic came out at all. Cuts began to form all around her, Satan's Tear cutting into her but unable to go in deep, her magic power protecting her from a lethal hit.
"Oh, did I say I inverted our magic?" Satan chuckled, stopping his barrage of Tears to admire the damage he's done so far. "I've actually made the rule more interesting. "Only those with the soul of Satan may use magic". Rather impressive, isn't it?"
"Satan!?"
"So you've caught on now." Satan laughed, his grin smug as the woman looked in shock. "Perhaps you should have asked questions to your little sister before challenging me. Now you're a bleeding seal in a sea of sharks." As the Devil lowered his arms, a black liquid would form in front of him, Serafall detecting the magic too late as an identical formed in front of her and Satan's hand grabbed her throat, the King of Devils slowly pushing through it as he gripped her throat.
"So you… also have Hole…" Serafall choked out, trying in vain to pry his hand off of her neck.
"Every power of worth my people have came from me. Destruction, Crack, Time, Hole, Hellfire and Regeneration, and those are just a taste of what I'm capable of." He then pulled Serafall to be face to face with him, his wandering eyes looking up and down the Maou's body, settling on the cuts on her face that bled fresh. "I admit, I hate that I've had to use this trick, I personally like opponents to be capable of fighting back. But I don't have the luxury today."
He then leaned forward and stuck his tongue out, licking the blood off a cut on her cheek with twisted glee, Serafall wincing as his tongue felt both sharp and hot. Her blood tasted cold, taking after her magic that gave a small shiver to Satan, enjoying the fresh taste of ichor.
"It's been awhile since I've indulged myself, and I can think of worse toys." Satan mused, grinning at Serafall. "How about it? If you behave, I may spare the others of the discipline they earned. I may even find a place for you as a general, even with your disrespect to my child."
"Didn't take Satan for… the caring type…" Serafall gasped, gripping at Satan's arm as he choked her.
"Of course I am, my children are precious and… and… AHAHAHAHAHA!" Satan's composure broke as he laughed, looking right into Serafall's eyes, blazing fire meeting cool blue. "Not even I can lie that sickly! They were my tools, my assets, my weapons! Of course I'd be insulted that someone took their name and treated it as their own! They were mine! Their bodies, mine! Their loyalty, mine! They were mine and mine alone! The offer I'm giving you is purely because I don't want to waste any more time than needed. The more concubines and generals, the sooner I can get back to business. So pick your answer now "Maou"."
"I… pick… to stop humoring you." Serafall's voice going from gasping to casual caught Satan off guard, slamming her hand over his mouth and completely freezing his head in a block of ice, smashing it and letting blood and gore fly out.
After his head was destroyed, the dimensional barrier faded away and returned them to the neighborhood. Satan's body collapsed in a heap, blood pouring from the stub of his neck, Beth watching in horror as Kota's body twitched from the loss of his head.
"You should have just killed me." Serafall said as she looked down to the corpse. At first she truly believed his ruse, thinking she lost her ability to use magic in that dimension. But no one can truly shut off magic to just a soul. Instead, he made a third barrier, surrounding himself in it to protect him from the magic cancelation. When he got close to her with Hole, he exposed the rule and she exploited it, making sure he thought she fully believed the lie and stopped thinking about using magic. And once he had her in his grasp, his own barrier cut off the effect, giving her full use of her magic to deliver a crippling blow. "For the King of Lies, you fall for them quite easily."
"Ko… ta…" Beth muttered out as she collapsed to her knees, once again forced to see her friend lose his life due to her inability. She knew Satan had to be killed, but she truly wished there was a way to save Kota. But now… there was no chance to save him. Even if he regenerated again, he was facing a Maou. Serafall would kill him again and again until he stayed dead, because that was how big of a threat Satan would be if he came back.
"For your sake, never come back." Serafall said, beginning to freeze the rest of Satan's body to finish the job.
"Lady Leviathan wait!" A voice called out, everyone turning to see Seekvaria protested.
"Seekvaria?" Serafall voiced, her ice stopping at Satan's waist as the fingers continued to twitch for life.
"Do not kill Satan, that body is under his control, but it belongs to a boy named Kota Price." Seekvaria explained, forcing her aching body to bow in prostration. "Please, I beg of you to give us a chance to save that boy."
"Satan is controlling him?" Serafall echoed, looking to the body as the stump began to spit out black ichor. "That would explain his lack of power, he didn't construct his body from scratch. But why spare him? If he's human, wouldn't Kota already be gone?"
"I don't believe so. Sona has theorized that Kota's soul is still present, otherwise Satan would have fully transformed him to his original body. So we believe he is still inside, and that he may be able to reclaim his body." That surprised Beth, Seekvaria was the one who called Satan out about Kota's soul. Was it to avoid linking more burdens, or did she believe Serafall would listen more if Sona was involved?
"Sona said that?" Serafall was surprised at that. The theory had weight, but surely Sona would have recognized the threat and not bring it up. "Tell me Seekvaria, why take this risk? Do you know the boy that well?"
"I hardly know him, outside of a word or two I've never even spoke to him." Seekvaria answered honestly. "He is however a close friend of my Pawn, and I promised her we'd try our best to save him." Seekvaria then placed her head on the concrete, fully bowing to the Maou. "His fate was also due to my gross incompetence. He is an innocent victim, if there's a chance to save him I am willing to sacrifice my claim to the Agares family to take that risk."
"Seekvaria…" Beth looked in shock to see her master prostrating herself to such an extent. Seekvaria had always been proud and seemed unmovable. Even if in a fight she may be overwhelmed, she always held her head high and wouldn't flinch. But right now, she was prostrated, begging for her friend with barely a word between them.
Serafall looked to the heiress, then over to Beth, and then to Sona. A part of her felt anger at Sona's wounds, the blood staining her face as she looked back to her. Another part of her knew that Satan was dangerous, as he was the representative of the Old Satan Faction that would follow him in a heartbeat. It's only been a century since the last Devil civil war, Satan could make it a fight of extermination, and if he could regain more of his power, they may not have as easy a time stopping him. He was this strong with a single fragment of his soul, could an Ultimate-class beat him next time? Could Serafall? Or would Sirzechs be needed? And how long until even Sirzechs would be in danger of him?
But then she saw Beth's pleading eyes, the desperation she was feeling instantly struck to the Leviathan Maou. It was a serious gamble, by all logic she shouldn't take the chance. It was the right choice to destroy him now, prevent him from ever reaching his full power. She didn't know Kota, so it should be that easy, shouldn't it?
'But what if it was Sona?'
That single thought had Serafall raise her head in protest, stomping her foot as she closed her eyes. She couldn't do it, not if everyone had that much faith. And not when everyone was expecting so much from her, she couldn't just crush all of their hopes like that! Levia-tan made people smile, she couldn't make such young and innocent people cry when they had hope!
"Oh, fine!" Serafall relented, allowing Satan's regeneration to complete as his head burst back out from his neck, gasping desperately as he melted the ice on him and retreated back several meters.
Black ichor and blood covered his head as he panted, genuinely desperate for air after the lethal wound he had suffered. He was uncertain he could regenerate his head like that, to his admission the Phenex Clan were the only ones to take his gifts and improve upon it, combining it with their Hellfire to make their bodies weaker, but at the benefit of regenerating with the flames. Now he knew that he could heal that kind of wound, but was only able to because Serafall allowed him to.
'Damn it, she's too powerful to even humor fighting! And she's experienced enough to see through multiple bluffs and kill without hesitation!' Satan had by now accepted he was outclassed, for all his tricks and schemes he simply lacked the power to do anything against her. He had to get away, damn his pride he could always kill her when he got more of his power back.
"You'll regret not killing me then and there." Satan growled, summoning a Hole behind him, the other end going possibly anywhere in the human realm or Underworld. He didn't care, all he needed was to escape. "Serafall Leviathan, I will remember that name, you'll be the first I kill when I return to my full might. And I will bathe in your blood gleefully."
Satan was about to retreat, seeing the Maou prepared to intercept his escape, when suddenly his vision went dark. He was confused, he hadn't used Shroud and was certain it was an ability he kept to himself. His senses were also dimmer, which couldn't happen if he used his abilities by instinct. It was when a sudden flood of colors assaulted his eyes that he realized his body was incorporeal, and he was then face to face with Kota's soul.
"AH HA! Figured it out you bastard!" Kota screamed in gratification, his grin wide as his incorporeal body took shape, appearing blurry at first as his soul fought to regain control.
"Impossible, your soul was buried!" Satan bellowed, wincing as Kota slammed his forehead against his. That only brought more questions, a soul can't strike another soul like that, not without years of experience and a fundamental understanding of what a soul was. No human has ever achieved such an understanding, not to an extent that he'd feel it.
"Yeah, you really had me suffocating down there! But you didn't bother to snuff me out!" Kota responded, glaring into Satan's blazing iris with determination. "There were cracks in your pressure, cracks I could peer in to and watch! I lost track of time trying to squeeze through, and don't even get me started on how slow I had to go to make sure you couldn't notice me! I bet it took me a year just to get into the opening!"
Satan was baffled at the statements made. Before today Kota was an ordinary human, with no magic potential and not even a hint at the composition of a soul. And yet he was able to perceive their current domain, register where he was, and begin to manifest himself in a presence that rivaled Satan's own control. He made sure to be relentless in forcing his soul down, and yet the human is speaking as if he used that pressure to learn!
"Because that's exactly it!" Kota laughed, Satan's soul shivering as Kota pressed him down, slowly removing the shape of the Devil King as he grew more. "I learn well under pressure, and you gave me a lot to work with! However long I've been down here, whether it was the same time you've puppeteer my body or years longer, I've learned some neat tricks about my soul! But even better…"
Satan's soul was then pushed down more, the swirling black and red becoming bound in endlessly changing chains, the colors reflecting that of the Dimensional Gap and the artificial dimensions that could be created. "I learned about your soul! Its composition, and that little party trick of barriers you used!"
"You learned dimensional barriers just by me using it once!?" It was absurd! There have been prodigies throughout history, even humans have made claims to be powerhouses if underestimated. But this was impossible, the boy's soul undermined the world itself, learning techniques far beyond his comprehension.
"Maybe not to anything useful, but in here the concept is all I need!" Kota laughed, Satan feeling his senses pulled away from him as the endless reflection of colors stole his vision away. "A soul is strongest in its body, and this is mine bastard! Even you, despite being far above me, are bound to my rules when I force it! So get lost, I'm tired of your ugly soul cramping my style!"
"DAMN YOU!"
Everyone watched in puzzlement as Satan stopped before he stepped through his Hole, the portal collapsing in on itself and sloshing to the ground as a useless puddle of liquid mold. There was a moment of silence, waiting as Satan remained in place with a surprised stare, his eyes rolling back as he suddenly tensed and puked out bile, blood and ichor. The vile fluids went down the Devil's chest as it poured freely from his mouth, expelling the poison of Satan's corruption.
Slowly, the red and black skin returned to their original hue, along with the wings, horns and tail all melting into sludge and sloshing apart. After nearly a minute of the transformation, the puke had dried up and Kota's body was free of Satan's appearance. The only thing that remained was his pointed ears, a single indicator that Satan's soul was contained, not removed. When the transformation fully reverted, Kota's normal eyes rolled back front, his iris dim as he barely kept himself on his feet, looking at Serafall as she was the only person in his immediate view.
"Sorry… for the trouble…" He apologized before collapsing onto his back, passing out as his body lost all of its remaining strength in that moment.
"Kota!" Beth screamed, fighting against her body as she ran toward the boy. The vines had slowly died off from her body, but the last of them focused and wrapped around her legs. They seemed to be aiding her in her last bit of strength to reach Kota, the last wittling away and causing her to tumble short of him. But she was close enough, crawling over to him and propping him up to place her ear on his chest.
*Bump* *Bump* *Bump* *Bump*
The sound of Kota's heart beating echoed in her mind, and for the first time since this hell started, she cried tears of joy. She held him close, afraid that if she'd let him go he'd shrink away and disappear, or worse return to Satan's form.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" She apologized again and again, unable to think of what other way she could make it up to the boy as he slept in her arms. It took her nearly two minutes to regain her composure, but when she did she realized how slick her hands had become. Looking at them, she saw blood coating it, she then looked and saw fresh blood pouring down his face.
In a panic, she pushed his hair off his forehead and realized the holes that were torn open to accommodate Satan's horns were bleeding, and likely so were his back and waist from the wings and tail. Despite his form reverting to normal, Kota possessed no way to heal himself, meaning the removal of those body parts left him wounded from their departure from his body.
"No, no no no nonononononono not like this." Beth despaired. "You can't die like this, Kota you're not allowed to die like this!"
Kota could barely hear Beth's voice, but the fact that he could gave some comfort in his exhausted state. He had no knowledge he was bleeding, or that he was cradled by her at all, only noting his body was being moved by someone.
'I hope someone knows what they're doing…' Kota thought to himself. He hadn't though far enough ahead, not realizing that Satan's transformation on him was more thorough then expected. He figured he was badly damaged, his fatigue preventing him from recalling what his body had done since he lost control. But there was no point in worrying about what he couldn't control.
So he embraced his exhaustion, and let his mind go blank as he fell asleep for the second time tonight.