Operation Heavensward
And now that all the action is done, it's time for exposition! Everyone's favorite!
The man looked confused until Maria and the others explained how Heaven and Hell had been at each other's throats recently. He got a full recap on Lucifer's fall from above because she wanted to save humanity, how the former leader of the Sins tried to stop her takeover, and how it was only thanks to Maria's sacrifice that the queenly demon was still alive and able to triumph over her rival Michael.
"Oh, there's no need to tell him that…" the schoolgirl blushed, "It was nothing, really…"
"You mustn't sell yourself short, dear," Mammon chided, "We all owe you a debt of gratitude. I'm almost surprised you haven't tried asking for anything from us yet."
"Eh, give her time," Belphegor shrugged, fiddling with her tablet, "My bet's that she wants to play my MMO again."
"She can cash in favors later," Leviathan insisted, "For now, what are we gonna do about the asshole and his bitchy angels who wants to wipe us and all our followers out?"
"What we need is to bolster our ranks," Satan said, "Grow our followings to raise our power and then counterattack the Seven Virtues when they next make a move on us."
"Hm, a viable strategy…" Lucifer idly thought, "It's also doomed to fail. It's become clear that gathering followers isn't enough anymore. If we invaded now, we'd all be dead within minutes."
That didn't sit well with anyone else in the room, especially Satan for being shot down Nevertheless, Lucifer however carried on.
"Followers can only get us so far. We need a better solution, one more permanent and immediate. A significant power upgrade in fact."
Satan was flabbergasted. "'Upgrade?' We're all powerful enough as is as dominions over the circles of Hell. If it took all seven of us and that traitor Belial to take down Michael, how will a simple boost help us against all of Heaven?"
"It's a known fact that the holy power of angels is greater than our infernal magic. It's been proven time and again throughout human history. But… What if I told you there is a way to make that saintly power your own?"
Gasps were heard throughout the room, everyone now eager to hear more. Lucifer looked quite pleased at their piqued interest.
"Remember that I was leader of the Seven Lively Virtues, and that meant I held the keys to their arsenal. And it just so happens that there are seven heavenly artifacts hidden around the world, each with their own power complimenting the virtues they represent… The Flower of Temperantia, the Crown of Caritas, the Heart of Humanitas, the Longbow of Patienta, the Mattock of Diligentia, the Armor of Castitas, and finally the Dove of Humilitas."
Lucifer stifled a chuckle at how the Sins were all gravitating closer like a follower being lured in by their breasts. Maria and Salem were likewise stunned, a question coming to the former's mind.
"If these are heavenly artifacts, won't they harm all of you?"
"Yes, and where are they?" Salem interjected.
"First off, unless the object itself is cursed to cause pain, then they won't harm us. The bigger challenge is corrupting these relics toward our will. They are our polar opposites, after all. We'll need and open mind if we want to claim them. Though, I have confidence that all of us will put our best effort to it. Right, Belphegor?"
The slothful demon, having actually dropped her electronics, looked mildly offended at that. "Hey, I can focus when I want to! Jeez! I'll give it a try, alright?!" Everyone else to chuckled while Belphegor sulked.
"As for where they are, the only thing I know is that all of them have been sent specifically to islands around the world to keep them secluded from large swaths of people in the ancient times. But luckily, we still have Maria."
The young schoolgirl gasped at that before Lucifer continued. "With my heart inside you, you still have the tracking abilities we used to find the Mortal Sins. Now we can use that to locate the artifacts. Although you may not like the process…"
Maria at first didn't know what Lucifer meant before it dawned on her how they found Asmodeus. "You're going to lick my-!"
"No, you'll have to strip down and meditate until you find them." That was a slight improvement, but nudity still embarrassed her. To get the artifacts that could save the world, however, it was worth it. She gave a resolute nod.
"Excellent! First, we must…"
Salem then raised his hand. "Um, hi, sorry to interrupt but there's one thing I think you've glossed over: What am I supposed to do?"
All of the demons and their young assistant threw glances at each other, all of them just as confused as they had no answer for that.
"Well, there's no doubt you're far from a normal mortal man," Satan mused, "And I'm intrigued by these abilities you displayed during that ritual and just now."
"What do you mean just now?"
Everyone waited to hear the punchline, but Salem wasn't kidding.
"Um, the super speed you just now? When you were fanboying over us?" Leviathan asked.
"Hmm, that doesn't ring a bell…"
"Either you're trying to play hard to get," Asmodeus said, unamused, "Or you're a terrible liar. We all saw it happen."
"Hold it, I doubt he's lying," Lucifer cut in, "He'd already be stupid enough pissing off a room filled with women, demonic or not. I think it's something more… innate. And I say we keep him around until we figure it out."
"I mean, sure," Belphegor shrugged, "But is he just gonna be our servant? If he can't fight, what can he do?"
"You said you were an artist, right?" Beelzebub chimed.
"Oh, yes, I am! And as grandiose as this palace is, it does feel like it could do with more… decoration."
"Really?" Lucifer thought before snapping her finger. A wooden easel with a fresh sheet of canvas appeared in front of him along with a palette already loaded with paint and several brushes.
Without even being asked, Salem began to work. His movements were a controlled flurry as his new brush moved across the canvas at breakneck speed, the other Sins all watching in attention while Maria was amazed. Standing behind him, she could see that his painting becoming clearer by the second. She could only barely see him change colors, none of them bleeding together despite never cleaning his brush.
"Done!" he said minutes later, flipping the easel around to reveal his work to the crowd. The demons' all felt their breath taken away as they laid eyes on his art with Lucifer getting a light blush on her regal cheeks.
The painting showed her in a twisted reversal of the typical angel descending from on high. Instead of floating down in rays of light on feathery wings, Lucifer had clearly smashed out of what was once a grassy plain. Green blades were set ablaze and charred as she rose out of the depths, a triumphant smirk on her face as if her very arrival spelled the end of her enemies. Her spear was poised upwards, the head already coated in blood without a drop of it dirtying her body.
And said body was not in her typical blue dress and armor, but in a black bodice that tightly hugged all of her curves. Her already tremendous bust looked even larger thanks to the strict confines and her hourglass figure was accentuated by the leather covering her flat stomach above a pair of knee-high boots with sharp heels primed for stomping on her foes and making her legs look slender. And capping all of this was her not-quite exposed vagina kept covered only by a black thong that left little to the imagination.
"Well, someone has a type, doesn't he?" Asmodeus teased.
"I told you that I saw demons as beautiful," Salem answered, completely unembarrassed, "And now that I know that's how it is in reality, it feels even more right to create this art."
"No complaints from me," Lucifer approved, "In fact, I know just the place to put that. Leviathan!"
Her envious cohort didn't respond. Everyone turned to see she was glued to the painting, her eyes open as wide as possible and a trail of drool slowly trailing down her lips. It took her boss slamming her spear on the floor to get her attention. "Gah! Y-Yes?"
"Go take that painting and put in your quarters. I feel like using that to… decompress every once and a while will help."
While the violet-haired woman flushed bright red, she still snatched painting off its stand and rushed out of the throne room.
Asmodeus tittered with hand over his lips. "Good thinking. That should keep her busy for a bit."
"Indeed. Now maybe I get a quiet moment at night…" Lucifer turned to Salem with a smile of gratitude. "Thank you for making that, I'm very flattered. You clearly have exceptional talent."
"That means a great deal coming from you. And as I've made it clear, demons have been the subject of my artwork for a while now. My entire house is practically a gallery of your kind. A shame you're the first to appreciate it…"
The other demons and Maria were surprised to hear that. How many people ignored his skill just because of his preferences?
"Well, for the time being, we'd be happy to consider you an aid to our cause. These powers of yours have quite the potential…"
The artist could hardly believe it. The worst day of his life turned into the best in less than an hour. Lucifer then turned to Satan, who seemed to already know what she was thinking.
"Satan here will help train you."
Salem turned to the blood-redhead who just nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"HELL YEAH!" The artist suddenly jolted seven feet in the air as he had earlier. Unlike his earlier burst of super speed, he caught sight of the floor now a ways below him. As he landed, he faced an equally started Satan. "Heh, I mean… I'd be honored to accept."
"Excellent," Satan approved, "Now then, Lucifer, which items should we retrieve first?"
"I'm thinking we go in terms of need. The weakest of us in terms of strength…"
Before she could continue, a moan came from behind the group. It was Leviathan with a smile of relief etched on her face from her much-needed alone time.
"Sorry, I had to… Anyway, what did I miss?"
"Oh, it's fine. Your timing is perfect, actually. We'll be going after your artifact first since you need the power boost the most."
"Hey!"
"Yes, yes, tell me I'm wrong. Like it or not, this is a mission to save ourselves and the entire human race. And all of us will have to go through this though Satan and I will go last."
Nobody disagreed, many of them still intrigued by the very concept of these items. All they needed was the exact location for the first item.
"Now then, Maria, we're ready when you are."
The schoolgirl meekly nodded as she proceeded to strip down. She had little trouble with her top and shorts, but her movements slowed to a crawl when she got to her underwear.
"It's for a good cause…" she reminded herself as she slipped off her bra and panties. She was happy to see Salem do the gentlemanly thing and look away although it seems he had already caught enough to blush.
She crouched down into a lotus position as she awaited Lucifer's instructions.
"Alright, clear your mind. Concentrated on happy thoughts as you breathe deeply, in and out."
Maria's brows creased as she tried to picture something suitably joyful and the others waited with bated breath. Soon, the young lady found her peace of mind as her inhales and exhales grew deeper by the minute.
The demons all watched as Maria, her breaths now at a steady rhythm, was quickly engulfed by an ethereal golden light from head to toe. Salem, having been caught off-guard by the sudden light, looked in awe for himself and gasped at her beauty. There wasn't a trace of embarrassment on her face, only adding to her serene presence. Had he been inclined to draw the heavenly over the hellish, he would have been capturing the moment. And while Asmodeus was clearly eating the eye candy, the others were all locked in place as they felt a newfound calm.
Lucifer was confident that Maria was more than ready.
"Now that you're comfortable, start concentrating on this: the Heart of Humanitas."
The brunette gave a simple grunt as she began processing through a flood of new information. It was tense, requiring her absolute focus to sift through an onslaught of images and sounds, until she started noticing the flashes becoming more consistent.
"I think I see something!"
"What is it?"
"An old church parapet made out of stone… Right next to a broken wall? Yes! And there's a volcano in the background!"
Everyone's interest was more than piqued as they waited for more details.
"Yes! I see it! It's... the Cagsawa Ruins!" Maria finally opened her eyes as she let put a sigh of relief, the golden sheen fading instantly.
The mood in the palace was high as Lucifer rushed over to hug Maria, making the devout girl blush as it suddenly reminded her how nude she was.
"There you have it! Everyone, pack what you can, but do it lightly. Levi, prepare yourself. We're going to The Philippines!"
As the Sins all rushed out to follow their orders, the lead blonde walked up to Salem who was still doing his level best to ignore Maria's exposed body and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That goes for you too. You'll need to rest before taking any training Satan has for you."
The artist nodded and found himself warped back to his house in a flash of light. Everything was exactly as he left it and the darkness outside made him wonder if it was still the same night that he ran in to those horrendous cultists.
"Don't worry about the details," Lucifer assured, "I'll be tweaking people's memories so that your 'death' doesn't make headlines. You just get some sleep."
Salem bid her goodbye, slipped into the nearest pajamas, and tried to relax on his mattress but the surreal events of the past several hours made that impossible. His mind was still buzzing. Demons were not only real, but they were the gorgeous bombshells he always imagined! He had been saved from certain death because of these reality-warping powers he seemed to have. And he was going on a quest to save mankind from their supposedly all-loving god.
"How the Hell I just came from am I supposed to sleep?!" he thought frantically, mashing his face into a pillow before a sound of footsteps got his attention.
"Salem, dear? Are you decent?" an accented voice called from down the hall.
"Mammon? Yes, I'm fine."
He watched as the door slowly opened to reveal the motherly blonde. He was about to greet her before he noticed the jiggling of her bountiful breasts… because they were completely exposed.
"Ah, so it's true. You cannot sleep with such a burden on your shoulders. Don't worry, dear, I have just the fix for this."
"G-G-Great…" he stuttered, "U-Um, you really didn't have to come here half-dressed!"
"Oh, but this is the best way to take my sleeping drought!" Mammon sat her down on the edge of Salem's bed, her teats making a big bounce as she rested on the mattress. Salem could feel his eyes being glued to those orbs, one of his hands desperately moving to try and mask the growing erection in his baggy pants.
He could scarcely believe it when she beckoned him forward. "Now, come. You'll need all your strength for Satan, so be a good boy and take your medicine…"
"This is a dream, it has to be…" Nevertheless, he moved closer towards the demoness until they were only inches apart. Bit by bit he lowered his head towards her pink nipples, still standing at attention as he slowly closed his mouth around her left teat.
"Oh, that's it…" Mammon cooed as Salem started sucking out her potion, "Drink, drink!"
The young man needed no other encouragement as the sweet-tasting fluid flowed onto his tongue, the blonde encouraging him as he suddenly switched to the other nipple and getting lost in the sensations herself. For him, he couldn't believe that he was actually getting to second base with a bombshell like Mammon. She was just content with helping their newest ally until she remembered that her old drought was made with demonic constitution in mind…
Mammon looked past her chest to see that Salem was now dead asleep, his head snoring in her lap. She chuckled at the sight before hoisting him up, placing him under the covers and tucking him in with a motherly smile on her face.
This would be the end of the chapter... Except I ended up making this by accident. Special thanks to my cowriter for expanding on this. Enjoy a little bonus!
Omake 1: Hell of a Workplace
With Salem put to bed, the other Sins were all preparing whatever they could before heading out to find Heaven's treasures. Lucifer happened to notice a briefcase sitting among Belphegor's usual pile of trash surrounding her throne and decided, just this once, to be a good sport and help out. She went through the halls of Cocytus to Belphegor's chamber only to find a "Do Not Disturb" sign over her door.
Lucifer thought that odd but knocked anyway.
"Sorry, busy working," a voice said from the other side.
That got the blonde really curious. She was busy? She told them all gathering followers wasn't the plan anymore though the prideful queen knew more subjects was a good thing. Deciding a more direct approach was needed, she used a quick teleportation to appear in Belphegor's room.
And what did she find inside? Belphegor, splayed out on a bed covered in snack wrappers and scattered clothes, watching some anime. A half-read manga book laid at her side as she laughed at what was on TV.
Lucifer stomped once on the ground, snapping her slothful servant to attention.
"What?" Belphegor asked.
"So, this is work?"
"Hey, this isn't as easy as it looks! Sometimes I gotta adjust the screen, or I lose the manga I was reading. And sometimes, my butt itches real bad!" Belphegor complained.
"Oh, you poor, poor thing." Lucifer pouted without an ounce of sympathy, "By the way, you forgot your BRIEFCASE!"
She ripped it open to reveal the "tools" inside were a carton of ice cream complete with a spoon, a bottle of sake and several pocky sticks all bound to inside of the apparatus by leather straps. Lucifer, now red with rage, leaps onto the bed and dumps them all over Belphegor. Now covered in alcohol and sticky dessert, Belphegor goes from stunned to furious in an instant.
"Oh. So, this is the thanks I get for working overtime?"
"OVERTIME?!"
"Yes, overtime, because I'm trying to gain followers! You know, my JOB?! And I'm the Mortal Sin of Sloth, the manifestation of laziness! Have I ever made it a secret that I sit on my ass all day? What, are you gonna make Satan take anger management classes? Should we put Beelzebub on that 80's fad diet where she eats nothing but brown rice and tea? Right as soon as Asmodeus swears to total abstinence, Mammon burns all of her money, Levi becomes whatever the opposite of clingy is and you become a pessimistic sad sack, o glorious leader!"
"Oh..." Lucifer then looked down at the mess she made, ashamed until she thought of something else, "Wait, what does watching TV and reading manga have to do with designing MMORPGs?"
"Trade secret," the tailed demon huffed only to find Lucifer glaring at her until she actually got out her tablet and started working for real.
Notes: The mission is set, the cast is ready, the only question is where will they go first? Find out next time! Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to leave comments or questions below.