Warning: The start of this chapter gets pretty brutal.

Chapter 21: Consequences Delivered

I clenched my fists. The energy within me was barely contained, a storm waiting to break out. Rather ironically, having a target to focus my frustrations on felt good. At the same time though, the anger and hatred coursing through me was very, very real.

I was containing it for now, glaring at my future victim. I knew, logically, that the smart thing to do in this situation was to surprise him and end it instantly with Ice Magic. That way, my future enemies would still be unsure about what exactly I could do with Gravity. A larger part of me, much louder, wanted to drag this out, impress on Diodora exactly how badly he fucked up.

But I had decided, as soon as I challenged him, exactly what I would do. He will die, but I'll do it in the way I best knew how.

With my own two hands.

He tried to take CC from me. Just for that, he would have had to die. I had already planned to kill him sometime after this Reveal. Now though, after handing me this opportunity on a silver platter, the plan had changed. Diodora didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, sure he pissed me off, but the real thing that was making me so angry was the Satans backing him.

They wanted to take my Peerage from me? Diodora a would be a fine example, for both them and any other Devil who gets such a bright idea into their heads. His death will not be pretty. The fact that he was actually related to them and a convenient target I could use to vent my frustrations? A bonus.

"As is tradition, we will have the participants have a final word before the battle. Heir Astaroth?"

"Hmmph, This Duel is a farce. I will forgive the Sagan if he surrenders here, after some recompense is paid of course." Diodora smirked at me, seeming to have deluded himself back into confidence.

"Strong words from the Astaroth, Lord Sagan, do you have a response?"

My eyes were locked on Diodora, "Start the damn thing already."

Serafall seemed worried about how I was acting, but honestly at this point I was long past giving a shit. She faded from view as she started the count down, the screens that were projected into the arena dissipating.

The start was called, and Diodora started to act in the common ways for Devils to act in Duels in the present, "So eager to rush to your doom, but I suppose..."

He was interrupted by a burst of movement from me. The ground behind my feet crated as I accelerated towards him, charging him wordlessly. He fumbled a bit in surprise, expecting me to grandstand and brag like he had been doing. Still, he recovered quickly and conjured a physical green shield in front of himself, before forming another one with a sharpened edge directly in my path towards him.

"Lock."

My Geass allowed me to target a specific part of his spell. It was one I already analyzed and taught to my bishops, so I knew it's makeup. His was as lot more refined and obviously had some improvements, but the principle was the same.

"Disappointing." Was all he said as he poured Demonic Power into the flickering shields, countering my Power of Binding.

He was older than this body of mine, meaning that even as untrained as he was, he still had larger Demonic Power reserves than me. The way the Power of Binding worked was common knowledge, so my greatest weapon against him was countered simply by our difference in age.

At least, that's what he thought.

The shields flared, strengthening even as my binding was reinforced by my own Demonic Power. The ovals of the spells effects expanded under the extra power, all except a specific part of the spell circle, that was remaining Locked and deforming the spell. Like a needle pushed into a balloon, the spells popped and failed as the section of the spell that allowed them to take physical form was prevented from acting properly and destabilized the carefully constructed Magic Circles.

Most Devils barely even know how their spells work, just letting their imagination form the effects and their nature form the spell circles automatically. A weakness I will ruthlessly exploit.

"What th..." Was as far as Diodora got before a magically enhanced right hook buried itself into his stomach.

The punch was delivered with experience, my form crafted through years of boxing practice. But I was not just a boxer. Street fights had no rules. As he leaned forward into the hit, I delivered a brutal upper cut to his chin, forcing his head to snap back and his teeth to smash together. Taking the target presented to me, I drew back my hands and reinforced the muscles with Demonic Power, even as I used gravity magic to enhance the mass behind the next blow.

Slamming the heels of my palms to either side of his jaw, it proved too much for even Devil durability to endure. The bone of his lower jaw shattered and distended, braking the skin in some places and disfiguring him. He screamed, a sound that was cut off as soon as I realised what he could do if he could still make that sound.

"Lock."

His voice cut off, panic and fear filling his eyes as he reacted instinctively and through a sloppy right jab at me, attempting to fend me off. I felt the reflexive use of magic, but crushed it with my binding. He could fight it, as using Lock on multiple things meant it was easier to fight it off, but focusing through the pain is a skill that had to be learned. Seeing as he was a sadist coward, I did not expect it to be something he felt necessary to pick up.

Catching the limb, I suddenly remembered. This is the arm he used to grope my Queen, wasn't it? Sweeping his legs, I brought the arm into a lock and wrenched my hands, using it as a fulcrum to bring him to the ground. Placing my knee on his shoulder, controlling him and stopping him fro squirming out of the grab, I twisted and pressed with the knee for leverage.

A crack and a pop sounded out, as his forearm broke before the forces dislocated the arm. Using the now floppy limb, I flipped him onto his back, face up. The panic in his eyes was clear to see on his bloodied face. Dropping on to his stomach, a wad of blood was forced up from his ruined mouth from the weight as he struck with his left fist.

Swatting away the panicked blow, I pinned the arm under my leg and stated to vent my frustrations on to my now disabled opponent.

Starting with the right fist, I slammed into his nose, breaking it.

Following with the left, I slammed it into his left eye.

The pattern repeated like that, making sure I moderated my force to not kill him just yet. For the first time, I could cut loose, just work through my anger. It felt truly freeing. The Wrath within me pulsed and flowed from me into the helpless sack beneath me, allowing my to reach an almost meditative state. His struggles to try and force me off were easily suppressed, my Lock not letting him even reinforce his body to help

Right. Left.

They went too far. I was annoyed by the other things they pulled, but this?

Right. Left.

Trying to give CC to this rapist piece of shit?

Right. Left.

This pathetic cretin. More than that, I was certain they knew what he got up to with his little group of fuck-toys.

Right. Left.

My friendship with Rias was not enough of a shield apparently. If this was the way they wanted to play, I'll play alright.

Right. Left.

As I wound up my next punch, Diodora's face completely unrecognizable under the broken bones, flesh and blood, I notice him swelling his Demonic Power, attempting to fight off my Lock.

Absolutely not.

A blade of ice encased my right hand and I slammed it into his chest. A gurgle of escaped him, but before he could even react to that I was already forming my signature spell.

A sword in a sheath, the blade parting the water, ripples on the surface.

The piece of magic that I had created, the purple gravitational blade that was the culmination of my understanding of magic even before my Geass formed at my will, manifesting from my hand.

Inside Diodora's body.

The forces rippling from the distortion of space acted like a blender, shredding the area around them and turning his organs into a thick slurry. Such a thing would be fatal, eventually, as a Devil's durability allowed them to survive even this for a time.

In excruciating agony.

But then I noticed something.

The Recall wards, the ones that were supposed be deactivated, shimmered and rippled around Diodora. I snarled, anger spiking and forcing my blade to expand, shredding his chest cavity open and killing him instantly. I was tempted to lock the wards, but there was no way I could combat the power that was supplying them.

Too late.

The Recall Wards had activated. Pulling him from my hands just as I dealt the fatal blow. It would not have mattered I would have realised if I was thinking logically, the time dilation meant he would have survived no matter what I did.

I was not thinking logically at that moment. I thought I was angry before. I thought I knew fury.

As the beast within me roars, it's cage rattling and breaking, I discovered that I had vastly underestimated the depths of emotions Devils could feel.

As the ground around me cratered, the space rippling and distorting even as ice formed in the very air, I threw head back and laughed.

I don't know what was so funny, but the crazed, maddened laughter escaping me at the moment felt right.

"So allowing my King to be disrespected in his own home, at his own Reveal, was not enough? You had to step into an official duel an show you have no respect for any kind of honour or tradition?"

"Lady CC, I want to assure you, that we had nothing to do with the Recall Wards being active during the duel. Ajuka is investigating as we speak and should have a report soon. The wards being active in an officially recognized duel is not something that should happen."

The green haired Queen sniffed, staring down Sirzechs and stalling for time. She had sent Shiro ahead to greet Damocles and calm him down after the duel. She was worried about what he would do if he interacted with any of the Satans in the state of mind the end of the fight left him in.

"It happened regardless." She raised an eyebrow, "The only explanations are that you are responsible, or you are not. Meaning you are either malicious or incompetent."

"She's got you there, Lucy." A blue haired devil laughed.

"Lord Paimon." Sirzechs spoke through gritted teeth, "No one without authorization should be allowed to activate the wards used for Rating Games. The wards were designed exactingly, and approved by all the Pillars. We will get to the bottom of this, but I swear that this was not authorized by any off us."

"I fail to..." CC was interrupted, by a young voice coming from the staircase of the hall.

"Words... without action are not compelling."

Damocles Sagan, covered in blood, dripped viscera from his right arm as he descended the staircase. The Sagan Lord seemed calm and collected as he moved, and if he was not covered in the pieces of another Devil one could mistake his demeanor for one who was taking a leisurely stroll.

But CC knew better. He was focused, sharp as a razor. His movements were careful, tight. His shoulders were tensed. But looking into his eyes gave all the answers she needed, they shined blue without his Geass and within them she saw a deep, cold fury.

"Lord Sagan, I want to assure you that..."

"You killed my family." Sirzechs' sentence was interrupted by the calm, low statement, but it brought the entire room to standstill. All eyes were locked onto the Sagan as he continued, a mockery of a smile on his face, "I have no room to complain. It was War, the Sagan was on the losing side. I understand that. So instead, I built myself a new family."

"Damocles..." Serafall tried to avert the coming crash, but it was far too late.

"It makes me wonder!" He raised his voice, speaking over the Satan, "Would such mercy, such grace, be shown to Diodora should he have attempted the same thing against a different Queen? It makes you think how this would have played out if went after, for a random example, Akeno."

Sirzechs tensed, a dangerous look entering his eyes, "What are you implying, Lord Sagan?"

"Nothing." Was the response, as Damocles seemed hardly phased at the strongest being in the Underworld's ire, "Hypocrisy is the privilege of the strong. If you are strong enough to protect your family, there is no shame in doing so. This is why I will inform every, single, one of you gathered here."

The young Lord, solemn, spoke words that all present believed, especially after his latest performance, "I will protect my family, from anyone."

The Satan held the gaze of Damocles, the air between them fraught with hostility. That was undermined as Damocles smiled.

"I must thank you, Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafal Leviathan, for all the effort you put into organizing this Reveal. Watching your work was very instructing. Allow me to pay you back for the generosity, let it not be said that the Sagan do not recognize their debts."

He threw out his right arm, teleporting coins into it, which he then threw at the feet of the red haired Satan. Lying there, covered in the blood of the Astaroth heir, tinkled thirty small silver coins.

"An appropriate payment for your actions I believe." Sirzechs face twisted, but Damocles continued, "I hereby declare, as Lord Sagan, Head of the House of Sagan. The Satans Lucifer, Leviathan, Beezelbub and Asmodeus are hereby barred from all Sagan properties and businesses, as are their Kin."

Shocked gasps echoed throughout the hall as Damocles finished, " I will still attend any official meetings, but they will not take place in my manor. This Reveal is finished, I expect you all to leave promptly."

He grinned viciously, "I hope all you esteemed Lords and Ladies will excuse me for the lack of courtesy. Good Night."

He turned around, but was stopped by Sirzechs speaking, "This is a mistake, Damocles. Making enemies when you don't have all the facts is not wise."

The Sagan lord slowly turned back to the Lucifer, staring him down as he spoke, "Some enemies are decided for us. I am not hostile to the Satans, I will not interfere in your affairs. I just don't want to deal with any of you any more."

All semblance of courtesy was stripped from the young boy, but the Satan asked, "Even if you say that, with this show now how can I trust you?"

"If you can't trust me, kill me." To the panic of everyone, Damocles spread his arms, leaving himself wide open to the Satan, "End a Pillar house with your own hands, just like you did before. You should be used to it right?"

The stand off continued, dragging on between the man and the boy as the Satan considered taking him up on his offer. Only to be stopped as a young girl squirmed out of the crowd and threw herself between them.

"Please stop fighting! Please!" Rias Gremory desperately looked between her friend and her brother, tears running down her face.

"We'll leave Damocles, please stop picking a fight! Nii-chan, don't hurt my friend. I beg you!"

The Satan sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"Damnit." He sighed.

"Sorry worrying you, Rias." The white haired Devil spoke, bringing his arms down.

The two locked eyes over the head of the small girl. An unspoken understanding passed between them.

"The Reveal of Damocles Sagan is over. Could I request that all the esteemed guests start making their ways home?" The Satan's tone made it clear that it was not actually a request at all.

The matter between the two was shelved as the Satan started to tend to his crying sister as Damocles was swarmed by his peerage, his own little sister running up and latching on to him with a hug.

Shelved.

For now.

He swirled the brandy in his hand. Bringing it to his lips, he took a sip of the contents of the bottle he kept for special occasions. He only cracked this one out as a reward, when a scheme went particularly well or he had a phenomenally successful day.

Today was the latter, as he had just attended the most interesting function. He didn't know what the tensions between the resurrected Sagan and the fake Satans was about, but the reasons behind such things rarely matters. Sparks were there, and that's all he needed to fan them into a fire.

When the one claiming Lucifer's title backed up his suggestion for a Rating game between the Astaroth Heir and the new Sagan Lord, that was all the information he needed. The chance to exploit that information came exceptionally quickly, but he was able to capitalize on it rather well, he liked to think.

For one in Zekram's position, ensuring that the Wards were reactivated and no traces of tampering were found was all to easy. After all, he was keyed into the Wards. That would paint him as a suspect of course, but he was present the entire time it occurred, so it can't be him. Or so they would think. He had left soon after, but he had just received the news of how his little bit of mischief had panned out.

He took a sip, smiling. A Pillar Heir survived, able to pass on his blood, as inferior as it was. Maybe his descendants would be more impressive, but he doubted it. An old House was back, with a strong, now respected Lord. That same House was now estranged from the Satans, prime for integration into the Great King faction. The same House that had trade with the Yokai. That was surprise.

The question remained, however, about where exactly Damocles got his peerage. Seeing as three of the four members were Japanese and considering this news of the Yokai, perhaps he had some old ties with the Shinto? He could not remember anything like that from the previous Sagans, but hidden alliances were not uncommon.

He looked forwards to eventually finding out. He was old, patience was something that he knew well.

Just like his chess game with the young Sagan, the skill of the players mattered little if you set up the board correctly. That was refreshing, even against someone in his position the Sagan had the guts to continue to blatantly cheat and defeat him in front of the whole hall. That fire, that steel was something that was sadly lacking in the current generation.

Smiling, he thought that he had set up a very nice board for himself tonight indeed.

Truly, in all games played in the underworld, the Bael would eventually win.