Chapter 41: Diabolo and Enigma
Diabolo is a pitch black-skinned, muscular armored humanoid of above-average height, with red orbs for eyes, sharp yellow teeth, an upper mouth ending with a crude beak with no visible snout, massive leathery wings emerging from his back, clawed hands, hippo-hoofed feet, clubbed tail and red embers in otherwise featureless eye-sockets. He wore a biomechanical set of long black bio-mechanical pants.
He is boisterous, voracious, carefree, competitive, and free-spirited. He has a habit of being a gambling addict but is somehow restrained enough to quit while he's ahead when he's won enough to be satisfied. He doesn't hold grudges and is very affable to his enemies, never cheating, but being very good at bluffing and manipulating the enemy. Out of the future Royal Guard of Malice, he along with Sora are the ones potentially loyal to Malum due to his own charismatic character rather than being the savior of the Black Faction like the others, thus is allowed to be more informal with him. He believes that an Akujin should fear nothing, not even death for one's self. He values his subordinates like valuable comrades and becomes shell-shocked when he sees one dying. He's also shrewd and calculated, making precise moves in order to keep several steps ahead of his enemies. Like Aome, he prefers to find those who have crossed the line into despair rather than those actively seeking power in order to get them to throw away their humanity in order to become Akujin. If they refuse and regain their resolve to fight him, he commends them for their belief in humanity- he still kills them for being threats but does appreciate their valor. For those who do turn, he's equally as gleeful as it means that they're indebted to the Hell Kingdom no matter how much they regret their actions no matter what. Due to being a Treasurer, he's able to pinpoint the amount of energy he uses before it becomes a danger to himself as well as realizing when something's missing- going to great lengths to retrieve it.
He was born 1060 years ago to the son of Daemon, the current Black Hellspawn Akujin King. Compared to most of Malice's future royal guard, Diabolo had a pleasant childhood of being allowed to play games, eat, and hang out with others. His playful nature remained even after he became one of the 14 Royal Guard, but he never forgot his true purpose as an Akujin. His fierce loyalty to the Akujin and his fearlessness in battle earned him the title of "The Mad Gambler."
While he can be seen as creepy by the other members, they still see him as a valuable asset. He is seen as a public hero to the Black Faction and a villain in the eyes of the treacherous White Faction. He tends to be very successful in his missions and tends to be goofing off on his days off.
Diabolo Mission No. 616,000,000
Diabolo was encountering a gambling house that the Kaiser wanted to go out of business due to their embezzling being exposed. So Daemon was sent to deal with them. To give them a fair chance, he challenged them to Casino War, a popular game of casinos.
The game is normally played with six standard 52-card decks. The cards are ranked in the same way that cards in poker games are ranked, with aces being the highest cards. One card each is dealt to a dealer and a player. If the player's card is higher, they win the wager they bet. However, if the dealer's card is higher, the player loses their bet. A tie occurs when the dealer and the player each have cards of the same rank. In a tie situation, the player has two options:
The player can surrender, in which case the player loses half the bet. The player can go to war, in which case the player must double their stake.
If the player continues to play because of a tie, the dealer burns (discards) three cards before giving each of them an additional card. If the player's card is ranked higher than the dealer's, then the player wins the amount of their original wager only. If the dealer's card is ranked higher than the player's, the player loses their (doubled) wager. If the ranks are equal, then the player wins the amount of their doubled wager. A side bet is offered by which a player can bet on ties. If the player bets on the tie, and their card matches the dealer's, then the player wins 10 to 1 to their original wager on the tie bet.
Surrendering has a slightly higher advantage for the house in the case that a bonus payout is offered, so based on the expected value probabilities a player should never surrender. The dealer and the player each have a 46.3% chance of winning on the first card (in a standard game with 6 decks), so this seems like an even money game. The house advantage, however, comes from what happens in the case of a tie. The house advantage increases with the number of decks in play and decreases in casinos that offer a bonus payout. The house advantage for this game is usually over 2%.
"Y-you're actually giving us a chance when you're sent to kill us? You're insane!" shouted the casino owner, a pudgy man with a large forehead and puffy lips wearing a maroon business suit surrounded by his black suit guards.
Diabolo chuckled, his eyes burning brighter than the embers in his sockets. "Call it a courtesy from tHell. After all, even scum like you deserve a sporting chance to keep your blood money."
The casino owner's guards exchanged glances, their grips tightening on their weapons. They hadn't expected the Akujin to be so... jovial. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, the air heavy with the scent of fear and desperation. Diabolo sat at the table, his leathery wings folded neatly behind him, and gestured for the owner to take a seat. The owner hesitantly complied, his guards shuffling closer to protect him.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Diabolo said, his grin widening to show off his sharp teeth. He dealt the cards with a flourish, one to the owner and one to himself. The owner's hand shook as he revealed his card - a seven of clubs. Diabolo chuckled again, turning over his own card to reveal a ten of spades. The room collectively gasped. The owner's eyes widened, realizing the gravity of his situation.
"Looks like Lady Luck isn't with you today," Diabolo said, his voice filled with amusement. "But fear not, the game isn't over yet. You can still choose to go to war with me."
The casino owner swallowed hard, his sweaty palms sliding over the felt of the table. "I-I'll double down," he stammered, the desperation in his voice clear.
Diabolo's grin grew wider, his beak-like mouth stretching into a toothy smile. "Very well," he said, as he burned three cards and dealt them both another. The owner's new card was a five of hearts, and Diabolo revealed a jack of diamonds. The room erupted into a murmur of surprise. The owner's hand trembled as he placed his card face down, the tension palpable.
The Akujin leaned back in his chair, his tail thumping the floor in anticipation. "You see, this is what makes the game so thrilling," he said, his eyes never leaving the owner's sweat-drenched face. "The thrill of the unknown, the dance with fate."
The casino owner swiped his cards off the table, his hands shaking violently. "I-I've had enough," he stuttered, pushing his chair away from the table. "Take the damn money, just leave us alone!"
"Wait, you're not going to continue the game?," asked the demon with a scowl as the round orbs narrowed in annoyance. "But where's the fun in that?"
The casino owner took a step back, his fear turning into anger. "I know what you are. You're one of those monsters from the Black Faction. You're not here to play games, you're here to eliminate us!"
The casino owner was then burnt alive by Limbo flames summoned by Diabolo's will.
The flames grew from the floor, enveloping the owner and his guards. Their screams filled the room, echoing off the walls and mixing with the crackling of burning flesh. The patrons of the casino fled in terror, their lives spared for now. The owner's guards tried to fight back, their weapons clattering uselessly against Diabolo's fiery cage. He watched the spectacle with a mix of amusement and irritation. "Well, that was unfortunate," he murmured to himself, as the last scream faded into silence.
Once the flames had died down, leaving only ashes and a scorched table, Diabolo stood up and brushed the soot from his pants. He had enjoyed the game, but the owner's lack of sportsmanship had ruined the fun. He decided to claim the casino as part of the Black Faction's assets, a suitable punishment for their greed. He turned to leave, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of struggle. That's when he noticed something peculiar.
Plans for a giant robot, which seemed to have the signature of the White Plant Akujin King, Solar-Flor.
"I've got you, you weed.," he said to himself as he warped away. He then went to each nation and sabotaged each of the robots that Solar-Flor was planning to use before returning to base.
Enigma
Enigma is an eldritch humanoid wearing a bio-mechanical black robe that resembles those of high priests that completely obscures their body. Its bare, skull-like head had two devilish horns emerging from its sides that showed only its upward-curved eyes that possessed black sclera with purple irises. The rest of the face was obscured by a high collar that its mouth.
Her true form was that of a tall light-purple-skinned young woman with dark magenta hair reaching to her back and yellow sclera eyes with red irises. She wore a black bio-mechanical bra with a long black bio-mechanical long skirt.
Enigma is a philosophical individual more formal and dated than the other members of Malice's Royal Guard, being one of the most senior members of the group outside of Monstrosity and Necron- born to a prominent Black Akujin Divine family 1250 years ago.
Enigma is a strong believer in causality and inevitability. Always remains calm and collected, never showing emotion even when things do not go according to their plans or defy the "will of causality". They are also among the most polite members of the group, explaining the true intent of actions without sounding mocking or contemptuous. Enigma comes across as imposing and mysterious during missions, coming across as incomprehensible to even their subordinates.
Outside of missions, Aether prefers a feminine form that is not as nightmarish as their combat form, normally being not very sociable, since she keeps to herself most of the time and does not engage in conversation. She has a side job as a mercenary, and mostly takes on contracts that pertain to hunting/destroying/exorcising humans that their superiors want gone but will take on any job as long as they are allowed a good fight, being extremely serious, aloof, and straightforward, which at times can make the, seem cold-hearted and quite frightening, but has a sense of honor to a degree. Like the majority of her peers, she is bisexual with an orientation towards eloping with women as a female.
She overall spends her time studying different philosophies when not on the job. The Black Faction respects her and the White Faction dislikes how unorthodox she takes the divine theming.
Enigma Mission No. 13,600,400,000
Enigma was on her mercenary solo work, having spotted a hunter who illegally hunted down Akujin in his mansion in the middle part of the country, isolated near the meadows of Reich.
Enigma was confident in her victory due to her powers- she is capable of altering their body due to it being amorphous, her presence contaminates others into madness, intense fear, fanatical submission or death from exposure, causes hallucinogenic illusions from their presence alone, assimilates life forms to continuously evolve, generate appendages, duplicate vital organs endlessly, grow in power via consumption, reshape organic aspects of themselves into weaponry, reading souls/essences of others, telekinesis, telepathy, advanced cosmic awareness, resurrection, exist outside of reality, etc. In her more subdued form, they are a master martial artist with the ability to perceive the flow of combat, a tactical analyst, hyper clairvoyant, accelerated perception, numerical perception, advanced muscle memory, body language analysis, adaptive to different types of combat, able to instantly detect weaknesses, enter into a tranquil state of calmness to automatically deflect attacks, and counter any attack. Their Trump Card is Cosmic manipulation, being able to control stars, black holes, planets, nebulas, etc. Enigma can unsurprisingly utilize aether energy that can manipulate the life forces of others, increase/decrease gravity, create objects, heal, etc- though being a creature of darkness- using it takes a toll if used for too long.
The mansion was vast, surrounded by the serene beauty of the meadow. However, the tranquility was a stark contrast to the horrors that Enigma knew lurked within. She approached the iron gates, her eyes scanning the perimeter for any signs of a trap or an ambush. The hinges creaked softly as she pushed the gates open, the sound echoing through the quiet night. The path to the mansion was lined with torches, casting flickering shadows across the well-maintained lawn. The air was thick with the scent of fresh blood and fear, and she knew she was getting closer to her target.
Her heartbeat remained steady as she reached the mansion's entrance. The door was unlocked, which she found suspiciously convenient. With a gentle push, the heavy wooden door swung open, revealing a grand foyer with a marble staircase leading to the upper floors. Enigma stepped inside, her heels clicking against the cold stone floor. The opulence of the place was a stark reminder of the hunter's wealth, likely gained from the suffering of her kin. She took a deep breath and centered herself, her mind focusing on the task at hand.
The first floor was a labyrinth of corridors lined with trophy heads of various Akujin, their eyes glazed over in a silent testament to their pain. The sight filled her with a cold rage, but she knew better than to let her emotions cloud her judgment. Each step she took was deliberate, her senses heightened as she searched for the hunter. The smell of blood grew stronger, leading her to a room at the end of a hallway. The door was ajar, and she could hear the sound of someone moving around inside.
Without making a sound, she pushed the door open. The room was a macabre display of the hunter's cruelty. Body parts were strewn across the floor, and the walls were covered in ancient symbols that reeked of dark magic. The hunter himself was hunched over a table, surrounded by candles, muttering incantations as he worked on a new weapon. He was a middle-aged man with a wild beard and eyes that glinted with madness. Upon noticing her, he jolted upright, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.
"Who dares to interrupt my sacred hunt?" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber.
Taking no time she warped her arms into sickles and sliced the man into ribbons before he could even react. She stepped over his crumpled body, the candles casting eerie shadows across her serene expression. Her mission was clear: eliminate the threat to her kind and retrieve any stolen artifacts that could be used against them.
She then grabbed all of the remains of her kin and buried them with proper respect in the meadow outside, praying for their souls to find peace. Enigma knew that she couldn't let such atrocities go unpunished. As she finished her grim task, she burnt the mansion to the ground, ensuring that the hunter's legacy of fear and pain would be erased from existence.
She then warped back to the base.
Next Chapter: Sora
Author Notes: Diabolo and Enigma have the least amount of emotional baggage compared to the other members of Malice's court and have mostly figured out who they are as people.
The next chapter for Sora is going to be a doozy.
