Edited by: Marethyu, Priapus, Cularus, Bluwuh

– Mizuki –

"I'm home!" She chirped, going through the door and raising the bag in her hand. "And I brought McDonald's!"

"Welcome back!" Asia responded with a smile, approaching her after getting up from the couch.

"Mhm…" Akane, who was sitting next to the blond, acknowledged her mother's presence tiredly.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally awake!" Mizuki closed the front door as Asia took the bag from her and put it on the table. "Do you know what time it is?"

Her daughter blinked.

"What time is it?"

"It's nearly seven." She crossed her arms.

"I see."

"You missed school and training."

"Is that so?"

Mizuki paused and raised a brow, taking off her jacket. She thought Akane would be a little annoyed that she missed her chance to learn more cool moves, at least for the day. Mizuki ended up training Ichiban and Issei on the basics of ki control, and Touki in her place. After the former was done with his training with Saejima.

And surprisingly, they didn't have as much trouble with meditation as her daughter. Well, Ichiban didn't, but that was because he apparently had prior experience. Issei still had some practice to do. Admittedly, though, he wasn't that far behind.

Still, Touki was pretty hard to maintain, so even Icchan couldn't use it for very long, especially not in tandem with his Boosted Gear, which was actually far easier on his body than Touki. Sacred Gear users' bodies slowly change to fit the power, regardless of what they do. Training only speeds up that process massively.

Touki wasn't as easy. It was still a real surprise to Mizuki that Akane had gotten it down quickly, even through her unique way of meditation. Her daughter had terrible stamina, though, as she was barely able to hold it for a few seconds before getting completely exhausted.

However, unlike Ichiban, who was far more resilient than she was, Akane recovered extremely quickly. Where it would take the other kids hours to a day to fully recover, her daughter only needed twenty minutes max.

That was incredible. Mizuki had never seen anything like it before, certainly not from a human. She was aware of warriors that could fight for days on end, but to recover so quickly was very much new.

"Okay, what's up with you?"

"She just woke up a minute ago," Asia answered for her. "She said she didn't sleep well."

Of course, she didn't. When Mizuki had woken up, her daughter was still awake, doing god knows what in her room. Honestly, she was a bit scared when she heard the giggles from Akane's room. What the hell was she scheming now? Whatever it was, she seemed very proud of it, and the fact that it had caused her to pull an all-nighter made Mizuki pretty concerned.

Then Akane had conveniently decided it was time to sleep ten minutes before her first class, and when her daughter slept, she didn't wake up until she'd had at least eight hours of rest. During that time, not even earthquakes could disturb her. She had previously slept through several.

Admittedly, it was a bit scary at times. Mizuki would sometimes think her daughter had randomly died in her sleep. Pouring an entire bucket of ice-cold water did nothing once. Though, in hindsight, maybe lukewarm would've done the trick. Didn't matter how cold it was; All Yuki-Onna loved lower temperatures, regardless of how weak the blood was.

The funny thing about this was how Akane never noticed that bit about her. She was aware that she was a 'heavy sleeper,' but every time Mizuki told her some of the things she slept through, she was accused of lying. 'Ain't no way that's possible. Make up better lies.' she'd say.

"Oh? You mean staying up hours even after the sun rises is actually bad for your sleep schedule?" Mizuki said sarcastically, then scoffed. "Who could've known?"

Surprisingly, her daughter snorted in amusement. Mizuki was ready for a scathing comment or at least a quip. She seemed to be in a good mood, weirdly enough, obvious exhaustion notwithstanding.

"I just had a shitty dream." Akane shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"You slept for almost twelve hours." Mizuki deadpanned. "And by the way, I tried waking you up, so you don't get to act all pissy at me for not bothering."

"It's fine, I'll train on my own. Or with the girls later tonight." Her daughter waved it off. "It's really not an issue. Don't worry."

She was in a good mood. What brought this on? Weird.

"I'm more worried about you ruining your sleep schedule again." She crossed her arms. "What were you doing staying so late?"

"Skyrim." She answered. "Felt like I haven't played any video game in ages."

…That sounded a lot tamer than Mizuki thought. Yeah, she could see why her daughter was giggling like a goblin then—she was probably torturing some NPCs in the most creative ways imaginable. Though, honestly, some of them deserved it.

This random thought brought a soft smile to her face.

"What?" Akane asked. "Look, I know you're more of an Oblivion fan, but Skyrim is still really fun."

"No, not that. Just remembering old times." She said. "Where we used to play and beat every game that came out that year, and our biggest worries were about you beating up kids your age and sending them to the hospital."

What wouldn't she do to go back to those good old days? Those were simpler, more fun times. Sure, Akane used to drive her absolutely crazy with how many times she picked fights—the many times she'd had to get her from police stations for her stupid antics—so often that the cops had started recognizing her.

Compared to now, where there were big possibilities that utter psychopaths could very well kill her daughter in cold blood… Well, Mizuki regretted taking those times for granted. She should've enjoyed them to the fullest.

"Yeah, you're right," Akane agreed. "But I know what you're thinking, Kaa-san, and you know? I like it better this way."

"You do?" Mizuki blinked, feeling a little surprised.

"I cherish those memories with you. I really do." Her daughter said, making her heart flutter. "But compared to now, they feel boring. Boring and aimless. Don't take it the wrong way, but it's like… they were kind of monotonous. Were we supposed to do that our whole lives? That always felt wrong to me."

"Well…"

In some ways, Mizuki would have liked that. However, she did understand where her daughter was coming from. Akane was a smart and hardworking person; there was no doubt that whatever she put her mind to, she'd achieve and thrive with relative ease.

Whether she opened a business or took her silly, idle childhood dream seriously, it had always felt like she was destined to do something great. And even if that wasn't the case, they still had way more money than they could spend in several lifetimes.

But perhaps that was why she felt that way. The lack of real risks might've made everything feel like a chore. If she had never gotten involved, then it would have been highly doubtful that Akane would've lived a fulfilling life.

"The point is that this supernatural stuff makes me feel like I'm part of something great," Akane agreed with her thoughts. "I can do amazing things for everyone, not just us, especially with everything you've taught me. Change the world for the better."

There it is. Mizuki thought. I dunno where it even came from…

Her daughter was far too ambitious compared to her and Tatsu. A normal life would never have been enough for her. Akane wanted to do more. She wanted to be more. And Mizuki understood that. She knew that there was no problem with that way of thinking.

"You're right." The mother nodded. "There's no point regretting it now."

But with a past stained with so much blood, all Mizuki could ever want from life was peace and quiet.

"Besides, had we never come to Kuoh–" Akane grinned at the blond. "We would've never met Asia."

"Eh?" Asia, standing nervously before the dinner table, blinked in confusion.

"True!" Mizuki lunged at the blonde and hugged her tightly. "I'd never trade this beautiful angel for anything!"

"Yes, because then it'd be you who would be cleaning the house." Her daughter teased. "Admit it, you're using the poor girl for menial labor."

"Baseless accusations! You have no evidence!" Mizuki defended herself, tightening her hold on the blonde. "I love Asia like she's my daughter!"

The girl in question found this interaction very embarrassing, if her adorable reactions were anything to go by. She blushed deeply and broke eye contact, even if she very obviously enjoyed the embrace. So cute.

"I'm sure you do." Akane snorted, getting off the couch and stretching her limbs. "I'm going to go change. I wasted too much time sleeping, so I gotta train extra to make up for it. Will probably be back in a few hours."

"Aren't you going to eat first?" Mizuki asked.

"I like to eat after my workout."

"Should I save it for later, then?"

"No need. I'm probably eating with the girls tonight. You can have whatever you ordered for me." She responds, going up the stairs. "Enjoy your food."

Oh well. Mizuki thought to herself, taking a seat. Ain't gonna say 'no' to more food.

"She's so diligent," Asia murmured.

"Always has been. To an extent." The mother shrugged. "She can also be very lazy, y'know. I think she just likes playing with magic."

Asia said nothing, only looking at the stairs with a strange expression.

"Come on now. Sit." Mizuki patted her on the shoulder. "I brought so many chicken nuggets. They're your favorite, right?"

"...Mizuki-san."

"Yes?" The older woman blinked.

"Can you teach me how to fight?" Asia requested.

Mizuki was surprised.

"Um, sure." She scratched her cheek in confusion. "Where did that come from?"

"I just… don't want to be a burden." The blond said with a sad look. "Everyone around me is working so hard to make sure no bad person would ever do what those Fallen Angels did. Akane, Ichi, and Issei train every single day, and all I do is heal their wounds so they can train more."

"Don't say that," Mizuki replied. "What you're doing is incredible work. Without your Twilight Healing, lots of terrible things could've happened."

And it, like she'd just said, had sped up the kids' training significantly. Months worth of progress condensed into a few weeks at most. The pace at which they were growing was astonishing, to say the least.

"I know, but I want to do more." Asia insisted. "I want to stay by everyone's side on the frontlines. I don't want to hide behind others anymore…"

Ah…I see. Mizuki thought, now understanding where this was coming from.

Seeing her brother putting bullets in the brains of those Fallen Angels right in front of Asia must've done it. That scene would obviously be horrific for anyone, much less someone as nice and pure as her. She must've felt utterly ashamed that he'd intimidated her so much that he'd had her cowering in fear.

It was also a testament to her strength that it didn't outright traumatize the poor girl for life. If anything, her request was evidence of her determination to be better. Being so thoroughly horrified and disgusted at such a terrible act and, at the same time, encouraged by the work ethic of those around her must've lit up her fighting spirit.

"I understand." The older woman nodded. "Then we'll start tomorrow morning with everyone else. Sounds good?"

"Really?!" Asia's eyes sparkled.

"This is your choice, Asia. I can't prevent you from doing what you want." Mizuki said with a smile. "I'll pair you up with Akane and those other Christian girls. I'm sure they'll be happy to teach you the basics."

"Thank you so much, Mizuki-san!" The blond embraced her tightly. "I'll never forget this, I promise!"

It'll also probably be a nice exercise for her daughter to be tutoring someone for the first time. She had a history of very quickly losing patience and getting frustrated whenever she tried teaching Mizuki how to do certain things or play certain games.

To be fair to Akane, Mizuki intentionally acted like an idiot.

But how could she not when her daughter's reactions were always so worth it?

– Sona –

She didn't know what it was that had made Akane grow astronomically faster than any of them, but at this point, Sona was beginning to think it wasn't just talent. Was it something in the water? Some kind of experiment by the yakuza to make their precious princess unreasonably strong?

Because it hadn't been that long since their big battle, and Akane was already twice as strong as she was. One would think Akane had merely held back, but that couldn't be true. She had been struggling as much as they were. Plus, why would she?

And now, she was handling Sona and Rias at the same time. Both had been under the impression that they were around the same level, only a bit weaker regarding attack power and speed. This was eye-opening… to an extent. Sona still thought it was bullshit and was now convinced that there were experiments.

Being thrown through a hill or two, Sona flipped over and landed on her feet, wiping the blood off her mouth before barely redirecting an ice hammer with her water magic, avoiding a nasty hit to her head.

The hammer then suddenly shattered, turning into several blunted splinters that all struck her from behind, breaking her balance and giving her sparring partner an opportunity to punch her in the chest, sending her tumbling backward.

She coughed and hacked violently, holding her chest in genuine pain. This one hurt a lot more than Sona anticipated. What the hell was that? It felt like an attack that directly targeted her organs.

"Come on, I know you can do better than that." Akane encouraged. "Put your back into it."

"Easy for you to say…" Sona grumbled, wincing at the pain in her chest.

Rias ambushed the human girl from behind, releasing her demonic energy in many blasts. In response, Akane twirled and created a thick ice barrier that blocked all of it. They served their purpose, however, distracting her long enough for the Redhead to slip under the barrier and throw a hook at her stomach.

Knowing that she was much faster than either of them, Sona got back on her feet and charged back into the fray. As Akane caught Rias' arm, fist only an inch away from landing a hit, the Sitri Devil swiped her leg at her from behind.

Akane ducked and evaded the attack, but in doing so, she left herself wide open to an uppercut from Rias that sent her flying upward. Both devils extended their arms and unleashed a volley of demonic power, using their heritage to its full extent.

Bullets of destruction and sharp blades of water bombarded the yakuza princess, but she wasn't going to take it lying down, creating her wings and gracefully weaving through the magic. Akane narrowed her eyes as a white aura suddenly enveloped her, vastly increasing her speed faster than they could reasonably react to in this instance.

In an instant, Rias was struck in the face as Akane appeared before her, grabbing her leg before she flew away and slammed her against the ground. All of this happened in the span of a single second, so Sona couldn't react very well until a big platform smashed into her.

She was fully aware that had she been a lesser being, she would've turned into red paste.

Sona quickly broke through the platform but stopped dead in her tracks as multiple icy and sharp objects pointed at her. The same was said for Rias, who Akane had an ice sword directly on her throat.

"I win." She said smugly.

"This is bullshit," Rias complained. "Your Touki crap is cheating."

"It's my newest, shiniest toy." Akane nodded, dispelling her magic. "Of course, I'd want to show it off."

That was fair, she thought. Honestly, their complaints aside, Sona still appreciated her help. She was dreading the tournament, but she felt much better with her support, from regular training to helpful equipment to even words of encouragement.

Seriously, Sona wished she had as much confidence as her. Akane seemed convinced they would crush the competition for whatever reason. And to be fair to her, she wasn't as knowledgeable about the current devil generation as they were.

Though, when told that, Akane would respond with something like, 'You don't seem aware of how fucking powerful you are compared to when we first met'. Which was also fair, but neither Sona nor Rias were very convinced. They weren't the only devils preparing for this tournament, after all.

Regardless, her surprise visit was very much appreciated. Usually, Akane would train directly after school with her own group while they did so at midnight, as devils inherently enjoyed the night more.

When asked why Akane was there, she shrugged and said she'd only woken up recently. Sona made sure to scold her about ruining her sleep schedule for no reason, but Akane took it in stride. The girl seemed to be in a great mood. Better than usual.

So, after some time of standard training, Akane challenged both her and Rias simultaneously. Initially, Sona thought she was just a tad too cocky and needed to be knocked down a peg or two, but had quickly realized why she was arrogant a few seconds later.

She still thought that the yakuza princess needed some humbling, though. Pride came before the fall and all that. And she liked Akane too much to wish her a fall she couldn't come back from.

As the blades around her vanished, Sona sighed. Losing a two-on-one was honestly humiliating. How were they supposed to do well in the tournament if they couldn't take on a single human? Granted, a very powerful human, but still.

"Though, not going to lie." Akane bent her knees forward and breathed as her aura vanished, sweat dripping down her face. "It takes a lot out of me. Probably won't be so useful in real fights."

"Then why use it now? Against us?" Rias argued. "Seriously, I don't think you need it."

"Well, I mean, you two are still really powerful. If I didn't have Touki, then I would've lost. Assuming this wasn't a fight to the death." Akane muttered that last part quietly as she straightened her back, but both devils heard it. She could never admit these things without throwing one comment propping herself up. "But you're right. Instead, you need it."

"We?" Sona blinked.

"Yup. Now, obviously, I can't really teach you Touki since, you know, technically still enemies." She explained. "But I can help you get used to fighting people who are much stronger than you."

"I guess that makes sense." The redhead said. "We don't know how strong the other tournament participants will be."

"And with what we have, it'd certainly be smarter to prepare for the worst," Sona added. "Either that or we try to recruit more."

"Good luck finding someone worthwhile." Rias snorted. "I barely have four."

"Three." Akane corrected. "Your gay twink vampire doesn't count."

"I was counting myself." She said, exasperated. "And could you stop being so mean to him? He's already having a bad time."

"Nothing's wrong with what I said." The yakuza princess shrugged.

"He's not gay."

"He's not?!"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"He's cross-dressing. What did you expect me to think?"

"That stereotypes are bullshit."

"Well, they exist for a reason."

"Can we focus? Goodness, why is his sexuality so important to either of you." Sona got in between their stupid argument, rubbing her forehead. "Look, finding or recruiting new peerage members on such short notice might not be possible. However, there's a decent chance that you'd be able to participate."

"Me?" Akane blinked. "How do you figure?"

"The treaty is taking place a few days before the tournament," Sona said. "Not after. Meaning that afterward, there wouldn't be any technicalities preventing you from temporarily joining my or Rias' peerage."

"Now that you mention it…" Rias hummed, then smiled. "Yes, that could work. In fact, it would even be encouraged as an act of trust between the devils and the yakuza.

"Oh." She frowned in thought. "That's true. Probably to celebrate the peace treaty going through."

"Indeed." Sona nodded. "And with you around, I doubt anyone else would pose much of a threat."

"Especially if we include Ichiban and Issei." The redhead's smile widened. "Imagine that! One of us might even win the tournament!"

"I have one question," Akane said, glancing at Sona. "Now, I'd love to join, but if we were to win or at least get far into the tournament, aren't you a little worried that people might think I carried? I'd get most of the credit."

"Not necessarily." She shook her head. "True, some will say that we wouldn't have gotten far without you, but more often than not, devils would assume I have powerful and worthy connections."

"So this is more of a show of political power rather than personal power." Her human friend muttered. "That makes sense. And considering my political position…"

"Your help would be invaluable," Sona confirmed.

"Though, let's be honest, Akane would rather join me," Rias said proudly.

"She would not." She scoffed. "I told you; she's better off with me. Our powers synergize too well for her to join up with a brute like you."

"Too bad. I have way more unused pieces than you." Her childhood friend argued. "Probably enough for someone as powerful as her."

"Quality over quantity, dear Rias," Sona said. "I'm better and stronger than you. Therefore, my unused pieces are worth more."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Ladies, please." Akane, who seemed to enjoy the scene, got in between them. "We can be civil about this."

Winking at her convinced Sona that she wasenjoying the attention for all the wrong reasons. She swallowed a snarky response in fear of Akane's pettiness making her choose the redhead instead. Both Rias and Akane loved her embarrassment, though, which was clear enough to her.

"We still have a lot of time to decide how we're gonna do this." She added. "So let's just enjoy our time for now. How about some sushi? My treat."

"Oooh, that sounds nice~" Rias giggled. "I bet Ichiban would be so mad if he heard about this~"

"You better tell him." Akane snickered. "I want him to be mad."

"You're such a terrible friend!" The redhead laughed.

Sona had expected many things when she first came to Kuoh. Troublesome homework, troublesome and perverted students- and troublesome political complications since Akane had come here.

But a troublesome crush on the most law-breaking delinquent she'd ever seen was not one of them.

– Akane –

Sitting on my bed, I look at the time on my phone's screen, the anxiety of what I'm about to do finally setting in after hours of excitement: 2:55 AM, just five more minutes, and I'm off to do what I've been planning since I first got the skill.

I spent most of last night preparing for this, adding the finishing touches to the gauntlet, painting it, and working out exactly where and who I'm striking. It took longer than I thought, but out of all the regions of Japan, I chose the ones with the least yakuza and supernatural presence.

Now, obviously, Kansai and Kanto are the most dangerous. Kansai has the Omi Alliance and the Yokai running around, and Kanto is where the Tojo Clan HQ is. Their influence extends beyond their main regions, of course, but that's where most of them reside.

A big problem is that both Kansai and Kanto are in the middle of Japan, so they can strategically put their hands on every region with ease. Kansai is close to Shikoku and Chugoku, Tohoku is next to Kanto, and Chubu is between the two regions.

This leaves me with only Hokkaido and Okinawa. And between those two, I chose the former. Why? Because Hokkaido is much bigger and easier to hide in in case shit hits the fan.

One might argue that I might as well go to South Korea or China to avoid the yakuza completely, and I did consider that, but I thought against it because it could be riskier, ironically enough. First, I'm not very sure who rules that region or how they work. I'd be completely out of my element.

On the contrary, I know how the yakuza operates, and I can get more information about them whenever I want because of my position. With the tech I made, avoiding them for the time being wouldn't be that hard.

I don't want to hurt the faction I'm a part of; of course not. But at the moment, they and the Yokai are the only factions I can reliably take from, so I'll do that until leaving and reentering Japan becomes an easy task. This could be the first real test run for my gauntlet against other tech.

Because even if I'm seen or spotted, they won't know it's actually me, so I can just pause my plan, upgrade my tech, and then do it after a few months once I'm 1000% sure I won't be noticed again. I won't be leaving a trail, after all. I made sure of it.

I'll still inevitably be going against the yakuza before I am done, so I'll try to avoid the big shots and instead target the small fry. Besides the former being too risky, I don't want to cripple the Tojo or Omi. I'd rather target other factions, but it is what it is.

I won't go outside Japan, like Russia, China, and Korea, because of the distance and lack of information. I'll consider it once I'm better prepared and can leave the country more efficiently. It's difficult, but I think I'll be able to do it after I get myself used to using Devour and assassination. However, if I were to take my soul-stealing spree outside of Japan, I'd go to Europe since I'm very familiar with the church.

I'll also need to upgrade the gauntlet's cloaking function some more. For example, it can already mask my heat signature but doesn't make me physically invisible. I can do that with illusion, sure, but that'd be too reliant on my magic. I need to be able to fall back on my gadgets when my own power fails me.

Plus, I should find a way to teleport since that would be a massive help with this funny little operation. Beyond getting around the world easily, I'd be able to easily get out of any shitty situation that could end up with me either dead or caught.

That Abaddon Portal power from that blond chick sounds wasted on someone unwilling to use it to its full potential.

God, I'm still so nervous yet excited. The first round of devouring might not yield much power since I'm killing normal humans, but humans are still better than trees. And there will be no coming back from this. From a moral perspective, anyway.

As the clock hits exactly 3 AM, I get up from my bed, take a deep breath, and enter the dungeon. Within the pocket universe, I leave the house and head north until I find the dungeon's barrier, ten kilometers from my home.

"I assume it's time?" Lucifer says, materializing next to me. "...And I see you're leaving rather prepared."

He gestures at my choice of clothing. Cloak, baggy shirt, leggings, boots, my prized gauntlet, a glove, and a blank mask. All in black, except the cloaking device's complimentary edgy red lining. My body is covered from head to toe because if I can avoid being recognized, I will.

"What do you think?" I respond, activating the gauntlet's cloaking tech. "I can't afford to act recklessly when doing that."

"Good." He approves. "I hope it stays that way for the foreseeable future."

I pause as I digest his words. What the hell does that mean?

I give it no mind and ignore his strange smirk. As soon as I leave the dungeon, I cast an invisibility spell for good measure and sprint forward to Hokkaido, ensuring I stay on the ground. I know how good my tech is, but I won't risk the increased visibility of flying if I don't have to.

I would do the dungeon method, but I can't spam it. It has a few minutes of cooldown after every use, and I'd rather not stay in one place for too long. Besides, I'm fast enough on the ground anyway. Might as well.

I silence the sonic boom with an illusion muffling spell, moving faster than the fastest military jets in the world, and arrive at my destination in mere minutes. I've done my research before coming here, obviously, so I know where to find what I'm looking for.

Normal human gangs are usually ignored by the yakuza because, overall, they're kind of harmless. Of course, sometimes they get a tad too annoying, so someone gets sent to handle them and make an example to other gangs.

But right now, there are new up-and-coming gangs. Blood Eye, Blue Z, and White Edge, and all of them hate each other. I'm fairly certain I heard those names at some point when I was in Kamurocho a few years back, but I think they were the guys that got the crap beaten out of them by a yakuza legend fifteen years ago. So bad they fucking migrated to Hokkaido.

…Was it my dad? He was alive at the time.

If it was, then I might as well finish the job.

"This one's for you, Tou-san." I snort.

As I find the building the blue idiots operate in, south of Chitose, I look through the windows from a distance, smiling as I see about a little under one hundred people. Not much, but it'll do.

And, as the polite person that I am, I walk through the front door.

The guy standing guard there looks at me, a bit confused at my wear and shocked that I'd simply be so casual as to walk in like that. A few seconds pass before he gets up in front of me in an attempt to intimidate me.

"Oi, fuck you think you're doing here?" He questions. "This ain't no place for—"

I silence him by thrusting my blackened arm through his chest, effortlessly pulling his soul out of his body. He quickly falls limp with a thump. No cries of pain, no nothing. Like a doll with its strings cut off.

I look at the flickering ball of white flame in my hand. It was tiny, half the size of a table tennis ball, and after a massive wave of anticipation, I crush it easily. I gasp as I feel the very essence of that soul used to power mine—inexplicable emotions of pure euphoria making me shudder as every hair on my body stands on edge.

Without a doubt, even though I don't understand or comprehend it, this… tingling sensation is by far the best thing I've EVER experienced. Something completely out of this world that words like 'good' or 'pleasurable' don't even begin to explain it.

Unfortunately, as soon as I felt it, it disappeared, barely lasting a single second, leaving me in a mixture of shock, pleasure, disappointment, and the immense urge to feel it again.

"H-holy shit…" I whisper in awe.

Who the fuck did I devour? What did he give me?

+1 STR +1 END +1 DEX

That's it?! I felt THAT good for a collective of THREE fucking stats?! That's nothing compared to a single goddamn level-up! You mean to tell me that this overwhelming emotion of utter ecstasy can be infinitely better?

Just… how good would it feel if I devoured someone at my level? What would've happened had I successfully stolen Kokabiel's soul?

"Incredible, isn't it?" Lucifer says, looking at me with a knowing grin. "Oh, I know it well. To add directly to your collective essence is a feeling that is simply dangerous. Addicting."

"Why…?" I ask, genuinely confused. "Why does it feel that way?"

"I do not know." He shakes his head. "For as long as I lived, that was undoubtedly a question I could never answer. After all, we get more powerful the more we practice, yet it never feels as wonderful and empowering."

I look down at the corpse, still in shock.

"If I were to put it into words…" Lucifer puts a hand on his chin. "I'd say it's akin to eating for the first time after centuries and centuries of starving without you realizing it. And perhaps, in a way, that's exactly it."

"I'm devouring souls," I say, catching on. "Feeding my own."

"Precisely." He smirks. "So go on. Eat to your heart's content. After all, who would care about such insignificant lives?"

I mirror his bloodthirsty smirk as I walk over the corpse, activating Devour on both arms. Oh, I'm eating alright. This is the first true meal I've had since I was born.

And I'm about to enjoy every second of it.