While My World Shatters

by elektre888

Issei Hyoudou declined going on a date with that girl, after all, they had just met that day, but that decision would completely change the flow of the story, awakening a twisted system that mends reality to assure he was still a card in play. The identity of the world he knew of would completely shatter as this system rebuilds it with shards of other worlds.

18. Last Judgment

(Now Playing: Library of Ruina OST- White Night- Agnus Dei)

Let there be light

Let there be light?

There was no light to be seen.

I was a small boy, or as small as I could get, I had an incomprehensible form, one that Issei would call. "A damn fridge"

My mother was nowhere to be seen, I was all alone, in a vast landscape with nothing decorating it. In a way, that could be the reason why I thought I was God, because I thought I wasn't created, but rather, formed from nothing.

I had powers, one of which was the power to create whatever I wanted, and so, the first thing I created was a tree. Something simple right?

It was the hardest shit I've ever done in the many millennia that I've been alive. Honestly, the first attempt to do something new gave me a thrill, it gave me... emotions.

From there I created the Garden of Eden. The next thing I created were white roses that decorated the floor, it was beautiful if I may add, I then created many living creatures, and yet, they all seemed to lack something.

It was knowledge.

One would say I would have gone and created the first ever human right after that, but they'd be wrong. I created someone that I could never forget.

Samael.

My first friend, my best buddy, my other half.

As the first true creature with knowledge, I became attached to him, because he would be someone who would be by my side until Sophia did us part.

We ended up hitting it off quickly, as we would end up creating stuff together, even making other entities, to which we ended up calling as a whole group, including Samael, archons.

Not me however, they thought that, since I was the first, I would be considered something else, they had no ill intentions on the idea really, it was just that they wanted to have an excuse to give me another title.

And I was happy, I was moved by their thought, and so, they then called me by my first ever name, YHWH.

Yeah, not the best name for today's standards.

But anyway, we spent quite a lot playing together in the Garden of Eden, it was our playground, those blissful days as we played like children. I could possibly consider the time in that place, my childhood. We had nothing to worry about except for having fun and the occasional dispute between us after someone decided to cheat.

Then we ended up wanting to create something together, each one of us would give it a feature so that we all could have a say in this creature we were making.

And just a disclaimer, I did not make any of the faulty body parts, I blame Satanael for this.

Either way, we ended up mixing everything, and low and behold... Adam Ha-Rishon.

The first ever human, and one of my proudest creations.

Then we created Eve since we thought he'd be lonely. Samael ended up turning out to be a pervert as he was the one to create her... parts.

At that point I didn't think much about it, but if it weren't for him, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be the idea of whether flat chest or big chest was better.

And then came the trend of looking like them, or as another creature with physical form. The reason? Because we wanted to talk to them normally as if we were them instead of the incomprehensible forms most of us had.

So I ended up going with a young white haired boy to the point I looked feminine, Samael would tease me about the fact that I looked like that. How funny that I'd end up saying the same to Issei...

Now, it usually takes quite a lot of effort to create a human, or at least something with knowledge and a physical body, which led to many of the archons not wishing to create more of them.

And yet, I wished to create another one, so I went to Samael for help.

Whenever I went to talk to Samael, he had quite the odd choice for clothing, his whole attire was different each time, the same went with his hair style, this time around, he had a red coat with fur on the collar, he had long straight black hair that went down to his waist. He liked to cover his face with masks. It was another trait I ended up gaining from him, his sense of fashion.

"Yo, Yahweh, need anything?" He smiled at me, Yahweh, while I was actually called YHWH, Samael thought that it would be better to call me by that. I smiled back in response. "Yeah, I just need your help, since I want to create another human."

He looked at me with intrigue. "Really? Well, I've been thinking of a way to do it! See, according to Satanael, if we used that stick he gave to Adam an-"

"I don't mean it by using them to create one, I mean that I want to create one with you." I said, only to get a blank stare... or at least what I think is a blank stare since I couldn't see his eyes.

A short pause of silence turned into an awkward one, only for Samael to finally speak up. "Sooooooo... you want me to be top or..."

Once I realized what he was implying I immediately yelled at him. " I meant it like when we all did it together idiot!" I closed my eyes as I just realized how awful that sounded too, completely red at the implications.

Fortunately, Samael didn't pick that up as it would have led to more teasing, or at the very least, had mercy on me to not mention it. "I know, I know, but sure, I can help you."

We started planning a bit about it as we brainstormed through a few of the already implemented ideas on both Adam and Eve.

Just then, Samael said. "You know, I think you should have picked your own name... I don't think it is bad, it's just... We were the ones to pick it, and you could have done so by yourself."

I smiled at the worry of my best pal. "Don't mind it, I was the one to name you all, so you guys should also have the right to name me don't you think?"

Samael tilted his head. "I'm not sure bud... but if you ever want to change your name, go ahead, we won't ever be mad at it." We then went back to planning this new being.

Samael and I ended up creating an entity, not like Adam and Even however, she was a girl, we also gave her powers, to see how she would do, she was different to the archons, and different to the humans. I ended up naming her Lilith.

Lilith originally had white hair, similar to mine, the long straight white hair she had would have captivated any mortal that ever laid their eyes on her. Some of the archons ended up nicknaming her Ophiomorphos, light serpent due to her sharp tongue and white color scheme.

She was similar to me in how she acted, she reminded me of when I first came to this odd landscape, which led me to see her as my own daughter.

Adam and Eve weren't like her, and yet, they all got well together.

At that moment I knew what I would do next. I would create equality between them, my journey to teach them about every piece of knowledge I had started as I wanted for them to have more in common, to have more topics to talk about.

Lesson after lesson, they continued to gain more knowledge, and yet, they still acted quite apathetic, that was when I found out I needed to make them more to my image.

But the thrill and challenge of it was too much for me for I needed help yet again, and so, I asked Samael for another favor. This time, it was to make sure I could teach them about morality and emotions.

We ended up creating the Fruit of Knowledge, which we then nicknamed the Forbidden Fruit.

Samael also made sure that punishment would be given if one were to grant the fruit to others, this was made with the help of Horaios, which made it so that it would happen no matter the circumstances as it was in a way, an oath to never use the apple.

According to Samael, the culprit was not the one who consumed, but rather the one who gave. I agreed wholeheartedly as it seemed logical at the time.

It seemed quite counterintuitive now that I think about it, and yet, it would teach them that you could gain whatever you wanted if you added effort to it, after all, it was with effort that I was able to create everything up until this moment.

My daughter, Lilith, took a liking to Adam, to the point I could see her argue with Eve about Adam's love. I chuckled at the sight back then, I approved of Adam, he was gentle and kind and they all seemed happy together.

I created a church, for the day that the three of them would decide to unite as one. The church I constructed with every single archon was white as the place that we all lived, pure and clear, a peaceful land that we lived in harmony with, The church stood on a hill that represented our union as a family.

Everything was going well, but as you know, it never lasts forever.

Sophia had finally shown up.

My mother had barged into my little world without me knowing.

She convinced Satanael to rebel against me. That bastard decided that it was better to ally himself with Sophia, all because she had proposed a little heaven for him, so that he could do his own experiments without problem. At that point I had finally noticed her presence, but it was far too late.

Despite never meeting her, I knew who she was. I knew she was my mother, and yet, I was confused as to why she would ruin this world I had created.

As for Satanael, that bastard had turned everyone against me... Astapahios was the first one, that scumbag turned out to be a traitorous vile person as he had always been in contact with my mother. Everyone except Samael has turned themselves against me, at that point I was so grateful that Samael would stand by my side.

Each single archon started having their own ambitions, dreams and beliefs, to the point many conflicts started to arise.

It turned into infighting, as each of the archons alongside their creations sought the destruction of each other, I was able to shelter Adam, Eve and my daughter from such bloodshed. As I teamed up with Samael, I was forced to kill each and every person that I've grown to cherish, the friends that I made went down one by one.

At first I was hesitant, had I become weak? No, it was the fact that I had become attached to them.

But as I continued, I became accustomed to it. And yet, when it came to the archons, I proceeded to hesitate once again.

Horaios was the first to fall, and the one that hurt the most as he was the first one. It hurt even more as he was unsure himself as to what he was doing, perhaps I could have made him change his ways had I talked to him more.

But in the end I defeated him by casting two curses on him. He fell from the garden, his wings burning, as his haunting screams of regret haunted me.

Then was Elaios, he was about to kill me, I had broken down into tears as after Horaios' death, I couldn't continue on, just the second battle, and I was already giving up. If Samael hadn't intercepted the attack, I would have died at that point.

Elaios succumbed to the poison that Samael had injected into him, begging for his life as those pleas slowly turned into gasps for air.

Astaphaios was nowhere to be found, he seemed to have escaped, at that point I was unsure where he was, and I felt relieved to not have to battle him.

How foolish I was, he would become the very being that would represent my failures.

Adonaios came next, he went down with a fight, his pride wouldn't let him back down and be persuaded by my pleas to stop the battle, in the end, he would fall just like the others, in his case, burnt to a crisp.

Even so, it was bittersweet, as we still had fun in our very last spar, this time, me being the victor for not holding back.

Sabaoth was the following opponent, the one who changed his name to Satanael, he who raised this rebellion was met with no mercy as both Samael and I went against him with all of our power, to the point we were able to completely lock away most of his powers.

Even if he was able to flee thanks to Sophia, he would simply have to live knowing full well that he would never be able to become a god as powerful as the archons.

And lastly was Iao, who ended up commiting suicide after finally seeing what he had done, Samael and I begged him to stop before it was too late, but he decided to seek redemption by putting a stop to himself.

All this bloodshed... for what? Everyone thought differently, we all had our thoughts, our opinions, our own views.. but why couldn't we all live together despite our differences!?

Was it so much to ask!?

To be tolerant of another person's ways!?

...

I wouldn't know... After all, maybe they all saw me as a tyrant... someone who wouldn't let them choose their own path...

But I would have allowed them to, I would have loved to, I asked, I begged, I cried for the archons... and yet... they didn't listen... they were blinded by ambition...

At that point, I came to the conclusion that rebellion doesn't manifest because of injustice, it manifests through dissatisfaction with their current situation...

Because no matter how I saw it, in no way did I see any injustice in this world I had created, we were playing, like children in the playground. We were innocent, we had no such thoughts until Sophia and Satanael decided to ruin it.

Satanael had escaped from the Garden of Eden, the bastard was probably gone at that point to somewhere that Sophia had taken him, he probably just thought that he could continue with his experiments, he would later betray her too, he wished to pursue his own tests in Issei's world, as for Astaphaios... Maybe I'll talk about him later.

We finally were able to vanquish each single opponent as only Samael and I were left.

And yet, Samael ended up turning against me.

Did he betray me? No, he did not, he was a scapegoat for Sophia, a sacrifice for an attempted murder. We both stood in front of Sophia, ready to battle if we had to, despite how ready we were to throw our lives away to defeat my mother, she instead gave us a deal, one that Samael had to take.

Sophia would turn him into a dragon, if I were able to beat him, I wouldn't be killed in that instant. Samael sacrificed himself so that I could live. When he turned into a dragon, I could feel each single emotion he had in him, pain and resentment were the biggest ones. Samael's mentality had been distorted by Sophia, she amplified that shadow that continued to eat him up slowly. That tiny drop of jealousy and resentment had completely dominated his mind.

The battle was gruesome, I had to rip out both of his eyes, I had to pin him down as I continued to bash his head. I cried as I screamed in despair.

Samael simply let everything happen.

I knelt as I finally calmed down, the white landscape of white roses turned red, the church that stood turned black as it saw the massacre that happened in our happy little place. Hatred, betrayal and agony was what was left of this place I called home, the very place home that I built from scratch would turn into my personal hell, the heaven that it was supposed to turn became the hell that many would call.

As Samael laid on my thighs I held his hand, all I could do was cry as I truly thought I had killed my other half back then.

It would take me many millennia to realize that he had been turned into a prisoner.

I could still remember the words he told me as he lost consciousness. "Don't blame yourself, blame Sophia, blame your mother who has completely destroyed our happy little world..."

Even though I lost my memory, that memory of Samael was able to follow me, that shared hatred for Sophia gave me the drive to live on, just to seek vengeance for what she had done.

When everything was finally done, I then made my way to the tree, the very first tree I had created. I caressed the bark that was still intact, that tree was the only thing that stood unchanged after what happened, truly, it was the only spot where peace still governed.

And yet, I had to make Adam and Eve leave alongside my daughter... Who at that point, I didn't know what had happened to her, she had disappeared when I came back to look for them. The couple didn't know either, Adam admitted to having a falling out with her, but I knew that just a discussion wouldn't have been enough to break their strong bond.

I didn't blame either of them, not even Satanael back then, I only blamed Sophia... After all, the culprit was not the one who received, but the one who gave.

And so, I plucked various apples and gave them to Adam and Eve.

I remembered their looks of concern, their concern for their creator that had taken care of them for so long.

"Are you sure about this?" Asked Adam.

I smiled at him.

All I ended up saying was.

"Here is the forbidden fruit, you are allowed to eat it despite the name, I can promise you in the name of Yaldabaoth."

Yaldabaoth... that was the first time I ever used that name, I had finally found an identity I could rely on, but unfortunately I wouldn't use it until much later.

They bit the skin off and Samael's punishment came down on me.

However, before I lost consciousness, I could see Sophia stand behind both Adam and Eve, who I saw in pain.

This made me start to panic.

The only thing I heard as my vision blurred were words of hatred.

"Fade away without a trace Saklas"

"And that's where you come in Tierra, you're the form I took. From there, Sophia defeated me, kicked me outside the Garden of Eden, scattered my memories in fragments, where the only one with consciousness was me and that's how the Garden of Eden came to become this new world." Finished Saklas.

"..."

"What's that? You want to hear about what I did after? Sure, I'll tell you more about what happened after."

He then cleared his throat.

Right after I had been banished from the Garden of Eden, I somehow ended up in Issei's world, his world was planned to become an extension to the garden itself, for more humans to live in harmony, but it then had become its own world, after I saw that the Garden of Eden had become a warzone. From that point, my name was still Yahweh, albeit I was very willing to change it to Samael, as that was the only name I knew after losing my memories.

I formed certain aspects of this new world, I made apostles and the messiah so to spread the world of my world of darkness, and yet again, Sophia ended up ruining it. She spread her words of a world, one that seems to be the world that we are currently in, which she had the gall to call it her own world even if she knew full well that she had stolen it from me.

She wished to divide those who were evil and those who were good. She wished to cast away the very humans that looked up to her, relied on her, and even wished to be with her.

Good and Evil were the same, yet at the same time different , it was imperfect, yet at the same time perfect, they needed to coexist with one another, as it was perfect balance of order, yet at the same time imbalance that embraced the chaos, it was just as something needed to exist for nothing to exist, and how nothing needed to exist for something to exist, an infinite paradox, that at the same time worked as the beginning and end.

Taking away one part would only lead to the need to replace it with another, as its existence relied on the coexistence of both, humans were free to do what they wished, as a god, I needed to be benevolent, to allowed my creations to do evil as, if I were to say anything that influenced their thinking, then it would take away the freedom that they had, as they would lock away that part of themselves and so, the balance would tilt to one side.

And yet, Sophia wished to destroy that balance.

Alongside my travels in this world, I remembered an event that convinced me that Astaphaios, or Lucifer as he called himself from that point onward, was someone who I could not forgive.

Lucifer had taken my daughter, Lilith as his wife, he forced their marriage.

He was the one who had taken away my daughter after he fled, the reason why she wasn't with Adam and Eve wasn't because she was truly mad at them after their fallout, but rather she was taken by Lucifer before she could go back.

What he did to my daughter, just thinking about it makes me want to erase his name from reality. If only I knew what had happened... I would have gone immediately to fight even if it meant I died.

I wished to go and help her, I truly did... but at that moment I lost all my memories of her.

When Sophia had used the messiah to spread her words, my name went from Yahweh to Demiurge in so little time. Not only that, who would have thought that Satanael was the father of the messiah?

To think that, the messiah that I had prophesied before had never come, and instead had been replaced by one of Satanael's experiments...

Even so, I cannot blame the current messiah, not when he wasn't doing anything wrong knowingly, he was simply doing what he was being told. The blame couldn't be sent to him, but instead, the one who had twisted his words.

And from there Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils became more common, my hatred for them grew right after I gained my memories back, as they were a reminder of my failure, I believed that they were never supposed to exist, only humans were.

Demons were the biggest source of my hatred, even if I had lost my memory, I could feel my blood brewing at the mentions of them, as if it was ingrained deep into my own mind.

People started calling me Son of Chaos, Demiurge, or The Fool. Names based on rumors of who I was, and yet, they never truly knew me.

I was an entity unknown by the people, and yet I was infamous.

Humanity had shown their back at me, their creator, but I didn't blame them, not when they weren't the culprit.

That's where stigmas started to arise about certain concepts, light was supposed to be good, while darkness was supposed to be evil. Was it true each time however? No, it was not.

My name was completely tainted, even calling me the devil despite Lucifer and the other demons existing, I ended up calling myself Samael as to not hold onto a tainted name.

Even if Samael's name was used for evil, his name was one that gave me hope and comfort. It was the only name I knew that felt close to me.

I blamed emotions for the events that happened, at that point I had nothing to lose, so I planned to remove emotions from every single being in this world. Now I simply don't think it truly mattered, I should have told Issei in a better way about stopping that mentality.

Even if my memories were scattered, I was sure that my past self had a back up plan, yet Sophia had also put extra measures to assure I failed at retaking this world.

The Qliphort to be specific is a measure that sealed away my creations. I thankfully thought four steps ahead, as now all I needed was to trick the current habitants into releasing me through the destruction of this measure.

However, there was another system in place, one that I was sure would have Issei sabotage my plan.

After all, he was a Sephirot, he supposedly represented a quality of God, of me.

What quality specifically however? Understanding? Love? Those were the ones that I personally believed, but perhaps he could be the Crown.

Once I end up facing him, I shall end up knowing which one he is.

I will finally put an end to all, with my dream now turning out to be a false memory, I had no purpose in life, putting an end to my suffering was the least I could do, I would be able to finally meet with the other archons... and perhaps also redeem myself for the torment I've put others.

I could finally be Lost in Paradise.

That paradise that I lost a long time ago.

A place from the past where I wished to go back to, where I was an innocent child on the playground.

My memories of the past made me see how much of a fool I was back then, I left behind my daughter when she needed me most. If I went now and tried to look for her... Would she even look at me? She'd definitely say the most hateful words, and I would accept fully, because I feel like the worthless fool I truly am.

Not only that, I was starting to become arrogant, as I continued to regain my powers, I turned into what Santanael thought I was, a tyrant.

I lived up to my name, The Fool.

Speaking of which… there was a memory... or perhaps a vision. One where Issei and I never met.

A few years from now, I would reveal myself as Yaldabaoth.

I would create what I would name Memento, I'd work on my Magnum Opus, or the Magnum Opus I would have created if I hadn't created the Xiao clones.

I would follow and aid the Wild Card, and at the same time I would also attempt to gain something for myself.

I would rebel against my mother, Sophia, as she had taken everything for me.

Just like how the disgusting adults that the group had met, I would defeat them. It would have been a perfect way to avenge Samael.

The masks would also work as a memento to him, of how he liked to try on various masks while having quite the eye-catching clothes.

And yet, Satanael had completely destroyed my plan.

The game was rigged from the start.

I was supposed to be part of The Fool Arcana, the final persona of The Fool, and yet Satanael took that spot from me.

At that point there was no turning back, I was forced to play the villain yet again, and then be defeated.

But I didn't blame the Wild Card, no, I was too arrogant, my fate had already been sealed at that point.

I wasn't able to escape my fate... not like Issei.

The one who would have become my user... was it Akira? Ren? I simply called him by the name of Prisoner, but truthfully he would always be known as the Trickster, he was different to Issei, I wished to be his persona if I could...

But if I had, then I wouldn't have met Issei... I wouldn't change Issei with anyone in the world. He reminds me too much of Samael, they were both perverted idiots, but they always meant good, they had an odd sense of clothing, when I look back to teaching him how to act as Xiao, his thoughts of which clothing he wanted just screamed out Samael, they both were said to be evil to different degrees, and yet, they always smiled through the ordeals.

Honestly... The Writer's System is giving me doubts of what I truly want, at this point I'm not sure if I'm part of Issei's world, or if the System had manipulated the timeline to the point I believed I was included in it.

If I ever meet him again... I would like to become his persona... I would love to always be by his side.

I know he would stay by my side, listening to my woes, allowing me to express my emotions, to spread my word, the words of a story unknown to the masses. He would be the one to help me fulfill my dream.

But no matter, fate decided that I would always be the villain.

I'd become what my future self would want... a sheep that was clueless of its surroundings, who obeyed the higher beings.

If that is what fate has in store for me, so be it, I have given up on my dreams, I am ready to accept my demise. I no longer have anything going on in my life, I should just end it all once and for all, only then will I get back to that paradise that was my childhood.

"..."

"Yeah, I think that's everything I've got to say. Honestly, finding out a shit ton about yourself and having no one to talk about this sort of stuff was quite stressful." Admitted Saklas.

An echo could be heard as someone got closer to Saklas, the steps were quiet, but distorted mumbles could be heard as it got closer.

"Indeed, it was quite nice listening to your stories." A female voice came out of nowhere, this alerted Saklas, he stood up, as he looked at the source of the voice, all he could see was a distortion, an incomprehensible form of some sort of entity.

"And who may you be?" Questioned Saklas. The mysterious entity moved towards him. "That is a secret! Mostly because you'd be disappointed once you find out who I truly am!" Teased the entity.

"Very well, I guess I won't be asking for your identity." Saklas shrugged as he didn't really care at this point. "So what do you want?"

"Simply to know what you're planning to do next." Said the voice. Saklas chuckled. "You want me to tell you my whole plan like those cartoon villains? Sure, it wouldn't hurt." Said he sarcastically. "But seriously, I'm actually going to tell you. I just don't care at this point." He was going to banish after all, he was going to become Tierra.

"Once I get inside Tierra's hollow body, I will start by activating the back up plan I had back when I made Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden." Explained Saklas. "By doing so, I will awaken the various creatures that I created, which I ended up calling the Infernoids. All I need is to get to the tree and enter its terminal."

"After I went exploring, I did end up making some changes to them in my Pearl form." Continued Saklas. "Most of the changes are meant to make them much more evil than what they were, so I decided to base it on the devils that I found interesting."

"There's Pirmais, the smallest of them all, which is basically Lucifer."

"Antra, who I ended up basing after Beelzebub."

"Harmadik, Lucifer's dog, Lucifuge."

"Patrulea, which is Astaroth."

"Next is Platy, based on Asmodeus."

"Then there's Sjette, which is Belphegor."

"And lastly there is Seitsemas, who's Baal, and I'll be honest,the last are because they have some of the most interesting Rating Games I've ever seen."

"There is... another surprise that I added in them, this way, Issei will be more likely to end me after what I had added to the Infernoids." He paused a bit as the distortion hummed. "And the last three are special to me... Attodel, who I based after Samael... Devyaty, who's an image of my daughter... and then there's Onuncu, which is an image of Adam" Finished Saklas.

"Given the fact that Tierra will still be incomplete since I don't have the pyroxenes Master Diamond has in his weapon, I will have to backseat and control others until I gain enough power to finally take the next step in my plan." Explained Saklas, once the voice processed everything, it then said. "That's cool and all, but how does a literal serpent represent your daughter? The same can be said about each one of them."

Saklas then shrugged. "I haven't seen them in a long time, in fact, most of these forms are a mix of the many forms I've seen them take... Though Samael's dragon form is too vivid for me to forget..."

"As for Lilith, the archons and especially Adam used to call her by a nickname, and I really don't wish to remember the reason why he called her that." He cringed remembering not knocking before entering on them, perhaps that claim he told to Issei was actually his daughter and Adam instead of him and Eve. "Well, now that I've finished, mind explaining to me what you're doing here? I know you're not just here to hear me talk about something you seem uninterested in." Pointed out the false god.

"You'd be right, I am here to make you an offer..." It said ominously. However Saklas bluntly said. "Sure, I'm in." Once he got into Tierra, he wouldn't be able to move, if he took this deal, assuming this is who he thought it was, it would simply speed things up, as he would then turn into a monster that Issei would have to take down.

"I haven't explained it yet, but since you've already said yes... I will simply give you power." She extended her hand, waiting for a handshake. "I simply guide those unstable in their minds, you wish to proceed with your plan, in that case, allow me to make it real by making it so that you truly turn into Tierra rather than control it."

Saklas smirked a bit. "I know a bit of who you are, another vision of mine maybe, though, you aren't who I was expecting, hence why I asked you WHO you are." Saklas accepted the handshake, accepting the deal with the supposed devil, as he did he started to revert back to his previous form, the one he took back in the Garden of Eden. A short, almost feminine boy, with blood red eyes and a red apple in the shape of a heart could be seen standing instead .

He was ready, he knew exactly what was going on, as he got closer to Tierra, he hopped into a small gap where he sat.

"Uh, this feels like I'm controlling a giant robot" He commented as the hollow shell started to close on him, poetically, he was being consumed by his emotions, as they took control of him.

The distorted entity looked at the now imperfect Tierra, hands continued to wrap around the waist of Saklas, as a metal sheet then slowly closed in front of him.

Saklas simply closed his eyes, ready to start pulling the strings from inside the terminal of the Sacred Naturia Tree.

The distorted being simply looked at the now distorted god, who was simply staying put as he concentrated in the control over the terminal.

To think someone would be waiting to become a distortion.

Had he not accepted her hand, he would have been sent back to where Pearl had died. She wasn't satisfied with his decision, but she couldn't blame him.

The hand shake signified that Yaldabaoth, or Saklas had accepted her deal, and so, he would distort to what would be Tierra.

What a shame, to see the false god fall to temptation, even though he had the power to hold himself back.

It felt similar to how religion and mythology depicted Adam and Eve.

But either way, the god just wanted to finally be Lost in Paradise.

His desire to go back to those simpler times, to want to finally die and meet everyone he had killed, just so he could finally play with them again as nothing happened, was quite a pitiful sight.

No matter, that wouldn't happen.

After all, the only thing left that needed to be done was for Issei to not accept her deal.

She could feel his wavering heart, his unstable emotions, the wish to change how things ended up turning out.

---

At the now destroyed Shrine of Mist Valley, a Gem-Knight finally woke up.

Lazuli slowly opened her eyes, unable to see as it was far too dark for her. Had they been there for hours? Was it night already?

She decided to create a light sword to brighten the place, only to realize she was simply being covered by something, it was a wing, Ptolemy M7's wing to be specific.

She saw as Constellar Ptolemy M7 was not only covering her but also Rasalhague and Avance. She got up as quickly as possible as she checked if she was injured or not. Thankfully she was unharmed.

She did the same to both Avance and Rasalhague, she then said. "Hey! Avance! Rasalhague! Get up!" She shook both of them to try and get them to wake up, she noticed as both of them slowly opened their eyes, Avance put a hand on his head. He felt like he had woken up from a hangover.

Rasalhague was the first one to react as he looked at the dragon made of his Constellar friends. "Ptolemy..." He looked sad as he put a hand over the body of the dragon. "Can you move?" As he asked, he heard a voice in response."We cannot... the blast from Sophia was too much for us..."

Lazuli and Avance reacted at the mention of Sophia. "Wait, she's here?!" The Constellar dragon then proceeded to explain. "The Shrine of Mist Valley housed Sophia... and she has finally woken up..."

They looked outside as Ptolemy M7 spread his wing so that they could come out, when they saw the bright light blind them, they then became accustomed to it, only to see a giant creature with red hair, holding two orbs in the distance, they knew exactly who she was, it was the Goddess Sophia.

According to legends, Sophia had the power of creation and destruction, the orbs she held symbolized each power, and so, she had the ability to erase anything with the orb of darkness, and create new life with the orb of light. The cycle of reincarnation would continue, as once Sophia destroyed the world, she would recreate it again.

Before they could continue talking, they heard footsteps from behind Ptolemy M7's wing, a group of survivors made themselves present, those being Reeze, Kamui, Emilia and Roach.

Roach took the initiative as he was still on guard as he held his sword. "Is everyone here alive!?" Asked Emilia as she went towards her adoptive brother, she helped him stand up, meanwhile Kamui and Reeze were looking around as they were starting to get nervous.

"H-hey! Where is Winda?!" Nervously said Reeze as Winda was nowhere to be found under the Constellar's wing. Lazuli then realized that someone else was missing. "Wait! Where's Master Diamond?!"

They then heard a voice coming from behind them. The weak yet dignified voice of Master Diamond said to get their attention. "I am... here..."

The whole group moved towards the voice as they saw Master Diamond's head on the soil as his body was seated near a wall made out of the debris of the shrine. Many of them put a hand over their mouth in shock as they could only see one of their most powerful warriors in such a state.

On the other side they could also see Winda's corpse, as she was missing many parts of her limb, Kamui kneeled and punched the ground in frustration once he saw the tribe matriarch's corpse, Reeze fell to her knees upon seeing the horrible image of one of her friends.

"He-hey, Rasalhague, you can revive her right?" Asked Reeze. Rasalhague looked away. "No... I am saving my powers for something else..."

Kamui looked at Rasalhague with a questionable look. "What do you mean by that?" Master Diamond was trying hard to be able to talk in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Do not fret... Rasalhague was ordered not to do so... it is one of the measures we took..." He could feel as his life force from his pyroxene was slowly depleting. "Kamui... I want to apologize... Had I known this would be the result, I wouldn't have let Caam join us..."

Kamui didn't know what to say, yet he stayed quiet. Master Diamond continued to talk as if it were his last will. "Lazuli... please take my sword."

"I would have liked for Issei to have it... but right now it seems like he doesn't need it..." Finished Master Diamond. Lazuli, who was not ready to see the one who she looked up be near death's door, nodded as she grabbed the claymore. However, Rasalhague was curious at what he meant. "What do you mean that Issei doesn't need it?"

"He has strengthened himself, to the point he could even challenge Sophia... I could feel the power radiating from him..." It surprised the members present what Diamond said. "I've listened to him, even when he was by himself... I knew that he was talking to someone... yet I do not know who it was..."

"However, one thing I know... he will be the one to save us all... I wish to continue with the measures... as much as I wish you to revive Winda... we must make sure that everyone else survives..."

"Please, face the past and accept it, only then will you be able to move on..." Finished the Gem-Knight. Avance looked at Master Diamond, thinking about those words. They resonated with him, as he remembered the errors of the Ice Barrier and the Gishki, he wished to do exactly that, to face his origins and find a new meaning... But he didn't know if he could redeem himself.

Additionally, the statement made all of them wonder something that should have been asked before.

Who was Issei?

It was a question that they all asked themselves before, yet they never got too personal with it. Right now, curiosity took over, as they wished to find out.

But they knew full well that now wasn't the time for that, it wasn't the best time to ask him, they needed to find a way to survive this ordeal. Reeze however was able to add the first few pieces of the puzzle. "We need to defeat Sophia." This declaration was responded with nods from everyone present. "In that case we could follow the legends to defeat her." Rasalhague said as he remembered the old legends that accompanied the legend of the Constellars.

"The power of creation and destruction kept balance to the world, while the power of creation was for Sophia, the power of destruction was Tierra's... After the defeat of Tierra, Sophia had full control of the system... However those powers can be given to those chosen..."

"So you mean that we need to create a hero to be able to absorb both powers?" Emilia said, but Rasalhague shook his head. "Not one, but two heroes must be created, one who is able to control the power of creation and another to control the power of destruction."

"In that case, make Lazuli one of the two heroes..." Diamond declared. "W-what?! Master Diamond are you sure?! I know that you thought of me as special... but isn't this too much?" Lazuli's demeanor had changed over the course of the war, and right now, she was unsure if her destiny would be to lead everyone.

Seeing the battle against the reanimated Ice Barrier dragons had shown her that she was not ready, even with the powers of Virgo, she knew full well she wasn't powerful enough to even take down one of them, and yet, she was given the option to gain even more power. Of which, she believes it should be for someone else.

Rasalhague nodded. "I agree, you have the power to fuse with Constellars, a skill that no one has ever been able to use, you have holy magic as well... There is no other warrior who could be a better chosen one but you." The reasoning of the Constellar slowly convinced Lazuli.

Lazuli nodded in understanding, there were people relying on her to be one of the few to take care of the situation, people needed her, she needed to save everyone, it was either this or let the world get reset. She needed to face her fears and give it a shot, or else, everyone she knew would cease to exist.

"As for the other hero... that is where I said that reviving Winda would cause certain problems, as I wish to use this power for the creation of this other hero." Explained Rasalhague. He looked at the remaining children of Noellia. "Both of you follow me to where the Ice Barrier dragons are, I will explain everything once we get there."

"In that case... allow me to grant you my powers..." Master Diamond's head let out a fog that surrounded those related to the Constellars, from which the remaining life force was then absorbed by them.

Rasalhague, who was stretching his arm as it absorbed the fog, then proceeded to explain his plan. "Lazuli, I want you to fuse together with Ptolemy M7, the powers of my fellow Constellars, you are able to use our power, and so, I want you to become a warrior of hope." He raised his staff as it was starting to glow, the Constellar dragon's body was starting to disappear as at the tip of the staff was a light orb, similar to the one that was on Sophia's hand.

"Are you ready?" Rasalhague asked Lazuli, she was a bit hesitant, to have such power be given to her, she was unsure if she was truly able to surpass the expectations...

She then looked at Master Diamond's body, she could feel the soothing smile of trust Diamond had under his helmet. She snapped out of her self doubt for a moment.

No, this wasn't like her, she was dignified, she was able to be on par to the other Gem-Knights despite not having a pyroxene to fuse, she wished that her sister was here to see how far she had progressed.

She nodded with determination as the orb was passed to her, upon contacting, a wave was created as the leaves and grass were blown, the light that surrounded her covered what was going inside, yet the many weapons of the Constellars made themselves appear one by one.

However, those in the scene could see as a light orb was coming towards them, it was the one that Sophia held, when it got closer, it got weaker as it approached Lazuli, only to be completely consumed.

In the distance, the Sacred Naturia Tree could be seen glowing, it seemed as if it had finally chosen someone, that being Lazuli. That meant that there was another one to be chosen, and Rasalhague knew exactly what to do after

When it finally finished, Lazuli had the wings of Ptolemy, which allowed her to fly around, raising Master Diamond's sword. She looked at those present, their looks simply gave the same message. "Be safe." As she flew towards Sophia to battle her. Rasalhague looked at her with hope as he then started marching. "Emilia, Avance please follow me, as for everyone else, please help those on the battlefield by evacuating them."

Avance, who was being supported by Emilia, asked. "So, what do you want us to do? You said we needed the Ice Barrier dragons for this, but why are they needed?" He was curious as to why he was left out of the fusion of not only Ptolemy, but also Lazuli. "That is because I am going to use my powers to change the infection of the Ice Barrier dragons into life force."

"From there I will fuse myself with them, in case it goes wrong, I want all of you to seal me..." This surprised the two siblings, or atleast Emilia, Avance however then thought about it a bit, it was in a way obvious, Rasalhague had already used his power to transform Lazuli, and now they were going to go through their original plan, although for a different purpose. If they couldn't seal him, it would just be a repeat of the Trishula Incident.

Once they finally got to where all three dragons were sealed thanks to the mirror, Rasalhague raised his staff once again, this time however, a ray of light could be seen coming out of each dragon, it then turned black, as it formed into an black orb, he noticed that the bodies of the three dragons were still present. "Mmm... interesting, I have extracted all the Evilswarm Infection rather than their life force..."

Rasalhague then closed his eyes as he absorbed the orb, once he did he proceeded to try and purify the evil essence and convert it into life force. He could feel himself breaking as he started to tremble. He tried as hard as he could to control himself and not let the infection control him.

Avance pulled out the mirror that was originally his mother's, as he put it in front of Rasalhague, he started to cast a spell as Emilia started chanting to aid him, the mirror then absorbed the will of the Evilswarm to control others.

Rasalhague stopped trembling as he was then engulfed by darkness, just like with Lazuli, Sophia's other orb came towards him as the dark orb started to weaken.

The Tree had chosen the next hero. And so, the combatants were ready to fight.

Once it was finally absorbed, the surrounding veil that was covering Rasalhague slowly disappeared as the new form he had obtained became visible.

The Evilswarm remnants of the three dragons had become armor for him, his staff had transformed as well, he had also obtained wings as he took flight to aid Lazuli.

But before he could march, he heard Avance yell something. "Hey! Rasalhague, catch!" Avance threw the staff that Emilia had, the one that was left behind by his adoptive mother. Rasalhague looked at it, noticing that the power of the Evilswarm had been absorbed by it, he nodded to thank both of them as he began to fly to the battlefield.

...

However, a question still remained.

What happened to Issei?

---

A few moments ago...

Issei could hear the sound of a notification going off. And yet, he couldn't see.

Despite that, the message was a new image to the gallery

A new image has been added to the Gallery

Old Testament

All Issei could hear was white noise, as he opened his eyes, it was all blurry, as he got up, he stumbled onto the ground, and as he grabbed his weapon all he could think of was what had happened.

Using his weapon as support he finally got up from the ground, he finally started to see, only to watch a lot of the tribes dead or fighting for their life, yet when he saw what was attacking them, all he could see was a version of each species of the tribes but in light form. In fact, one of them was trying to stab him to no avail.

He looked at his stats, he thought he died when the gray zone expanded, but he was surprised to see that he was intact albeit a bit damaged, mostly because of the fact it had pushed far away.

Stats

Health 641/700 Sanity 106/400

Fortitude 6 (+1) Prudence 3 (+1)

Temperance 18 (+1) Justice 10

Role: Secondary Character

He was confused at why he wasn't in a critical condition, but then it hit him, Sophia was the biblical god, hence why her attacks didn't affect him aside from the recoil.

He stopped on his tracks as he remembered that the others weren't the same as him. All he could whisper was a name that he held dearly. "Winda..." He spread his wings, ignoring all the enemies that were attacking him, his allies and the massive creature that was called Sophia in the middle.

He noticed that the only wings he currently had were black ones, they seemed to be bandaged, he ignored them, thinking that one of the tribe members was kind enough to bandage him up.

He started to breathe heavily as he tried to look at where the Shire of Mist Valley was, looking frantically around to see if he was close or not.

He went towards where the Shrine of Mist Valley was supposed to be, all he saw was a destroyed structure, he knew that his allies and her were somewhere near. As he tried to enter he saw a dragon similar to the Constellars covering everyone.

Except Crystal and Winda.

He looked around to find her, as he delved deeper into the destroyed shrine he was starting to get worried even more, he grasped the Gusto emblem, the handkerchief that Winda had given him as he tried desperately to find her.

He yelled out her name various times, looking around as he started to feel like a kid lost at the mall. He could feel his hands trembling, thinking about the worst case scenario.

As he made his way through the battlefield, he saw that it was filled with ice shards and blood covering the soil, he saw many other members around the place dead, he was praying to Yaldabaoth that Winda was not amongst them. Speaking of which... Where was the God of Humanity? He hadn't heard from him for a long time, and that only made his worry bigger than before.

He saw that Crystal was on the floor completely destroyed, he watched as the new form that his former mentor took had a sword similar to the guandao that he had. He stopped for a bit to pay his respects, only then he proceeded to try to find Winda again.

But he finally found her, as he got closer, his face which had sighed in relief, turned into one that could not be described, as the feelings inside of him told him to scream out. He sprinted to her side, leaving behind his weapon to then grasp her hand.

"WINDA!" He yelled in desperation, Winda was there, yet part of her body was missing, one of her arms was nowhere to be seen, and both of her legs were now gone. Winda opened her eyes slowly. "I...ssei?"

"Please! Stay here, I-I'll get Rasalhague to help!" Yet he couldn't let go of her hand, she was in fact, holding his hand tightly. "Don't leave me here… please" The boy whispered.

"There won't be a need to call Rasalhague..." Winda knew that there was still part of the plan needed to be completed, should the Ophiuchus Constellar revive her, then there would be no way for them to defeat Sophia.

The original plan was to use the power of the three Ice Barrier dragons to finally exterminate the Evilswarms, however, now that Sophia was present, they had to change the plan and use it to their advantage.

"I want you to answer me..." Winda smiled weakly while gasping as Issei looked devastated. "What's the color of an electric sheep?" Asked the green haired girl.

They hadn't finished their conversation before, and she wanted to get her answers before she died.

"Why... Why are you asking me this right now?!" He screamed as he couldn't hold back his tears, he felt frustrated over the whole situation.

"I want to hear all of your answers to my questions... please... I know I don't have much time... and... I don't think Rasalhague can revive or heal me in this state..." Explained Winda. He let his tears fall as he nodded in agreement, this was the least he could do. After not answering her confession, he wanted to say that he loved her, but he wanted her to ask her questions just so he could hear her voice before she left him.

"To me... an electric sheep is purple..." He softly said as he tried to stay calm so that he could respond clearly. Purple, a color that usually meant wealth or luxury, however, to Issei it meant piety and spiritualism.

"Did you like... the handkerchief I made?" Was the next question. He furiously nodded, he didn't know that she made it for him, it only made him grit his teeth as he tried not scream, to not scream out in sorrow.

"Would... Would you have gone out on a date with me?" Winda asked again, they both held hands as much as they could. "Of course... Of course I would!" He painfully smiled this time, his vision was blurry as he tried to look at her in her eyes.

How couldn't he have simply responded back then? Why was he such an idiot? Why hadn't he responded back then? Yaldabaoth being the reason was the obvious answer, but he didn't want to blame the god, not when it was his own decisions that ended up with this mess he had created.

He couldn't blame the one who gave him purpose, he could only blame himself for accepting it as the only truth. He had taken things for granted, and now he was being punished for it.

But then again, would this very moment have been any less hurtful had he accepted her confession? No, in fact, he believed it to be much more painful, and yet, he wished to have told her how much he loved her, because only then he would be able to let go of the aching he was feeling right now.

And yet, he still wished to abstain from saying anything as such. He was a fool, a fool who was currently being controlled by his emotions, and yet, he accepted that reality, because right now it didn't matter.

All that mattered was that he could finally let his emotions go wild.

"Then... the last question... If you would have gone out on a date with me... would it have been because you love me... or just to make me... happy? W...ould you have loved me like your everything? Like... your... previous girlfriend..." As she tried to properly ask her last question, it was hard for her to do so, as she was nearing death's door.

Issei who knew what she was trying to say was biting his lips which drew blood. All he wanted to say was "You're my everything." But he didn't, he didn't want to accept her confession like this, he just couldn't, it hurt him to see her in this state, and as he looked at her again, all he could see was her soft smile, yet her eyes didn't show any sign of life.

He saw that she still had the poem he had created with her, Frozen Flame, yet it was destroyed beyond recognition. What was left of it was the orange cover. He finally let out a gut wrenching scream, it was too much for him, he just couldn't continue on, he regretted not telling her about how he felt before, and now she was gone. His Sanity was taking a toll as he was trying to let out every single scream he could muster.

He grabbed the badly damaged cover, which was soaked with Winda's blood, as he took it, he couldn't do anything but continue to let the tears fall out of his eyes as a notification went off.

Poem Frozen Flames has been destroyed

As he finally finished, he closed his eyes, he just couldn't continue on, not when Yaldabaoth no longer answered him, not when Winda was no longer by his side, not when he was so directionless. "Why did you have to leave me like that..." Those were the only thoughts left inside his mind, he knew this was a terrible way of thinking, this happened with Sayori, and he didn't want to think the same way as before.

What could he do now? His Sanity was near being completely depleted, he was unstable, he could enter into his Panic state any time soon.

Directionless, that was how he was right now, with nothing left to hold onto, a broken man simply fell to his knees as he looked at the sky which had turned black out of nowhere.

But then he heard a voice.

"Would you like for me to show you a path?" He heard a voice behind him, everything was pitch black, and when he turned around... He saw a distorted image that resembled a girl, one that he could hardly differentiate from two people he previously held dearly.

That voice...

"Sayori? No... or is it you Natsuki?" Softly said Issei who then looked at her, he was unsure based on the voice, that voice was similar to the one he heard while he was stuck with Monika and Cordis. "I can show you what you need to do!" Proclaimed the voice.

Issei looked at her a bit, unsure of what to say, but he continued to try and ask more questions. "W-what do you mean by that?" The girl moved around as she got closer to him. "I can tell you what you need to do, but only if you promise me one thing..."

"Let yourself be controlled by your emotions." Issei looked confused as it felt like it was a bit too simple. "You've been following Yaldabaoth's promise, yet you haven't followed what you truly desire, is this the path you want to follow?" Explained she as she extended her hand, awaiting for a hand shake.

Issei paused a bit, hesitating to accept the handshake, however, he looked at her again and slapped away her hand, she could feel as if he was looking directly at her soul. "No, it is not, it's not the path that I want to follow." The girl smiled a bit, he wasn't going to accept it, and that gave her satisfaction.

"But I am not going to let you control me... not you... you're neither of them... But no matter who you are... I appreciate the offer..." He started to stand up, this time, he looked at her while smiling. "I have already broken so many promises, I've forsaken Natsuki's and now Winda's... but I know I can still try and make it right..."

"Yaldabaoth told me that it would be hard, that I needed to abandon all my emotions, but I now realize, that I am a human tainted by Sophia, I can't simply do so as I am born with emotions. Even so, I am still able to work for him, even if I am unable to become his perfect example of a human, I can still aid him, until he finally finds a replacement of me..." The girl looked at Issei and felt proud, the boy had promise, that was all she truly cared for.

He wouldn't let himself be controlled by anyone, when he agreed to help Yaldabaoth it was because he chose to do so, he owned the god that had given him reason to live on. He closed his eyes again as he needed to keep his composure together, right now all he wanted to do was to gather his thoughts as he finally tried to express himself.

"This dark room... It resonates with me..."

"The lack of light reminds me of how blind I was back then..."

"Back when I still had that ridiculous dream..."

"Has that dream died off? Or have I found what its true meaning is?"

"Was indulging in lust what I wanted? Or was I longing for altruism?

"What do I truly want now? Well, That would be your love of course..."

"But my stubbornness to my belief has taken my yen away..."

"I was so naive... Yet why have I not learned from my mistakes?"

"I am still a young boy... Yet why have I become so inured?"

"I wish to cry... Yet why do I abstain from doing so?"

"I pledge my promises... Yet why do I end up breaking them?"

"I crave your warmth... Yet why do you feel so cold?"

"I yearn for my death... Yet I am cursed to never die..."

"I will be reborn from my ashes time and time again..."

"As the black swan, I am a being not supposed to exist, yet I continue to live on..."

"I dream of forging the path that my loved ones wished for me..."

"As the mistakes of the past will mold my identity into the me of the future..."

"I must accept my emotions... And unchain the passion within..."

"From this moment forward I will unleash my heart from its closed state..."

"Because I know... That is what you would have wanted..."

"For my last act with the iron mask... I vow to remove the strings..."

"No matter if my loyalty will get me killed..."

"No matter if my courage will bruise and crush me..."

"I discovered that my faith is what brings me to peace..."

"Even if what I believe is not the right path..."

"My heart will be at ease..."

"As my ending will be out of my own volition..."

"This is my goodbye to you..."

"And a farewell to everyone..."

"Those who I saw die..."

"I shall finally let them go..."

"For I must move on."

He opened his eyes again, he had stopped crying, the look in his eyes filled with the drive to walk onto a path with no return, the winds started to blow as Justitia, which was inside his pocket, started to unravel its bandages. His wings, covered in bandages, also unraveled, as red dots could be seen on them.

"I cannot sulk in the past!"

"The people around me still need my support!"

"I cannot seek redemption through my lament!"

"All I can do is repent for my sins!"

"Only then will I be able to forgive myself!"

"I have my Patience to learn from my mistakes!"

"I show my Bravery to face the fear so I can continue on!"

"I trust my Integrity to be truthful to myself and others!"

"I rely on my Pervererance to get through the challenges!"

"I hand my Kindness to those who need my help!"

"I retaliate with my Justice against the imperfect judgment of the court!"

"I believe in my Determination to change my own fate!"

"I am the harbinger of Yaldabaoth! God of Humanity!"

"I am the Black Swan! Erratum of Sophia!"

"I seek strength to protect those around me!"

"Knowledge alone won't cut it!"

"I must manifest my rebellion into reality!"

"Only then will I be able to stop feeling powerless!"

As he said the last statement, winds continued blowing around him, as they grew stronger, black feathers started to surround him, the girl started to disappear, however, before she did, she was turning back to her true form, a cat could be seen as it started to disappear.

"Well done Issei Hyoudou, you have met my expectations... now... you shall be the one to face the trials I will put for you in the future... and perhaps... maybe then... you will replace me... with people you can trust upon." The cat then disappeared.

Item !

Justitia

Grade: Magnum Opus

Description: The bandages not only locks away the terrible memories locked away by the user but also the emotions and morals to continue giving true justice, for Heaven will punish good deeds while Hell will punish evil deeds, for one cannot exist without the other, hence the existence of a good deed means the existence of an evil deed. One good deed can lead to the creation of many evil deeds "for the greater good".

Effect: Deals increased physical damage to enemies based on how many sins they have committed. Deals increased psychological damage to enemies based on how much good they have committed. Does not need ammo.

Justitia has been upgraded to Dusk

Justitia resonated with this transformation as it continued to let go of the bandages, revealing the blood red handle that represented the painful memories. He raised the weapon while holding it with both of his hands, he shot it once, the sound ringing as the weapon started to morph, letting itself melt onto his hands. The gun then became enormous claws, they had gun barrels in the fingertips, the palm had mouths with many red extremities that would come out if one dared to come close to them, the bandages completely loose as one could see the many eyes run through his arms. His wings were covered in red eyes that looked around.

"Let our voices be heard as we listen to the trumpets"
"We shall witness, the start of the Apocalypse"

"Not for our world, but for the deities above"
"Watch them fly away, just like doves"

"Allow our prayers to be heard, as we wish for their safety"
"See how they ask for mercy, so mediocrely"

"Please, engulf this world in chaos and night"
"For there won't be any massacre in sight"

"Shield your eyes, and stay in your home"
"Ignore the pleas and screams, they are heard no more"

"Or leave now, flee from the Black Forest"
"And listen to my advice, I am being honest"

"Dare to seek light, even for a moment"
"Darkest Day will stalk, ready to cast judgment"

As the winds around him weakened, all that could be seen was his change of appearance, he was now completely covered in a long coat, a black coat filled with bandages, as the insides of it were red, he had two long feathers, those of a Fenghuang going down his back, as they burned with intensity, black wings with a million eyes could be appreciated as they opened up, letting go of a few feathers. His outfit was burned, broken and bandaged.

Item

Dusk

Grade: E.G.O

Description: To act as judge, jury and executioner, you may determine the fate of the world and those living in it. The world is at your mercy, you who will commence the Apocalypse. Let the bird of this world watch as you consume the world with darkness.

Effect: Deals increased physical damage to enemies based on how many sins they have committed. Deals increased psychological damage to enemies based on how much good they have committed. Does not need ammo. Upon defeating an enemy, recover Sanity based on 10% of Total Health of the enemy. Upon landing 12 successful consecutive hits on the opponent, instantly kill them. Depletes 1 Sanity per second.

Congratulations on gaining an E.G.O grade item!

E.G.O grade items are unique to each user, they are a rarity above Magnum Opus and cannot be obtained by normal means. They grant the user strength and abilities of notable effects with immense power, however, they come with a catch as they also grant various drawbacks and restrictions to the user. Other users with E.G.O grade items upon being defeated are guaranteed to drop the E.G.O grade item.

You have obtained the Trait (Darkest Day)

You have obtained the Skill (Harpy's Talon)

It could be said that he had become the Black Swan itself.

(The Black Swan): User takes 25% more psychological damage from enemies. If User's Sanity is below 25% Deals double damage to all enemies.

(False God): User can recognize Biblical enemies. User is able to use attacks from the biblical factions. User will deal initial psychological damage to enemies based on the difference of power.

(Darkest Day): User triples the effectiveness of Traits, Skills and Items related to birds. Does not count drawbacks. Can only be activated after activating a skill related to birds, allows the user to activate E.G.O. Upon deactivating E.G.O, remove 50% of Total Sanity

He was not a fallen angel, nor any creature of mythological origin, he was the very idea of the Apocalypse turned into an entity, and now, he'd cast judgment on the gods who thought would be safe from the end of the would be the first one, to be used as an example for the supernatural being that would later dare to challenge him.

Their arrogance only damages humanity, as they only see them as a way of entertainment. If that is what they want, then they shall watch the spectacle where the audience must participate.

(Raging Storm): Creates an area attack that deals Fire and Wind damage to all enemies, blocks all projectile attacks, lasts 10 seconds. 5 Minutes Cooldown

(Spiritual Arts): Remove 25% of your Health and Sanity, double the damage of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light and Dark attacks for 10 minutes. 4 Hours Cooldown

(Harpy's Talon): Creates talons that pierce through defensive buffs, lasts 15 seconds, upon landing a successful hit, inflict Bleed on the enemy. 60 Seconds Cooldown

He still kept the Gusto Emblem with him, it was the last thing he had to remember Winda. The wings on his back were black, while one could confuse him as a fallen angel, in truth, those were the wings of a black swan, eternally burning, as he got too close to the sun.

He knelt as he took the guandao he had left behind, seeing no reason to keeping it outside, he decided to store it inside Mystery Storage, he looked back at Crystal, who he assumed was dead as he hadn't talked, he still made sure to hide the fact he used his skill, in the case it would activate its effect.

As he was covered in bandages he caressed the handkerchief with a lot of care, he started to fly towards where Sophia was, right now, it didn't matter how strong she was, no matter what happened, he would come back alive, and if he were to die, he would continue to die until the day he defeated her.

A new image has been added to the Gallery

New Testament

A new song has been added to the Gallery

Iron Lotus by Mili

---

The light creatures created by Sophia fell one by one as Issei flew around while shooting each one of them, with little to no effort he continued to shoot like a mad man, the pitiful attempts to kill him were met with a quick demise as those who were able to even hit him had no effect on him.

As he got closer to Sophia, he knew what he needed to do.

Today will mark the day a god died to a mortal.

He decided to first set up an attack, to maximize the amount of damage he did before she realized he was there.

He saw her continuing to thrash her hands around, her surroundings being completely destroyed as trees and rocks went flying, he didn't want to think about the casualties, right now he needed to ignore the thought of anyone he knew dying again.

He noticed that the orbs in her hands weren't there, Issei saw this as his chance to attack. Slaying the enemies around him, he ran towards Sophia at surprising speeds.

Once he finally got close enough, he suddenly crouched a bit only to move at an even faster speed towards Sophia's left arm, the boost he got also gave him height as he started to descend on her arm, with his claws he set them on fire as he activated two skills at the same time.

You have activated the Skill (Spiritual Arts)

Trait (The Black Swan) has activated

You have activated the Skill (Phoenix Wing)

Trait (Darkest Day) is currently active

A roar of flames completely engulfed both Issei and Sophia's arm, Issei thrusted his hands onto her arm as the claws completely dug into Sophia's flesh, the flames were still present as a loud sizzle could be heard, the flames that had completely covered Sophia's arm left various burn marks.

Sophia reacted by clenching her fist as she roared in fury and pain, she then used her other arm to crush Issei as her giant right hand closed the gap between them.

Issei proceeded to jump away as he took out his claws from the stab, dodging the attacks. However, gusts of wind created by Sophia's hand when she missed Issei sent him flying against a mountain.

The impact had left a big crater on it, a few rocks fell to the ground as Issei grabbed the mountain while getting out of the hole he had created. Yet he was unharmed as he grasped the mountain harder, creating cracks on its surface.

He ripped the mountain off the ground to then throw it at Sophia.

The segment of the mountain flew at high speeds, the goddess was unable to react in time as it hit her in the face, she recoiled back while dirt and debris from the impact blinded her temporarily.

She covered her face with both of her arms as she attempted to remove the dust that had been thrown to her eyes.

Issei jumped high in the sky as he started to drop down on Sophia, this time he used his leg to do an axe kick, said attack could be seen going towards Sophia's head.

You have activated the Skill (Harpy's Talon)

A quick stab burrowed itself into Sophia's head which left her screaming in pain, roars could be heard through the whole world as birds went flying while trees rustled. Yet there was no damage done to her.

Blood trickled down her forehead, she caught Issei by moving one of her arms that covered her face to grasp Issei with a lot of force. However, he pulled out both of his hands as he shot her in the eye.

While it didn't deal damage to her, it did make her drop him as she grasped her head while screeching, the psychological damage done by his E.G.O had certainly made her go into a panic state.

Issei felt the wind push him as he slowly plummeted to the ground, he stopped midway as he spread his wings, stopping his course towards the ground. He then flew towards her again.

He saw as two figures rushed alongside him, as he looked at both of his sides, he realized that Lazuli and Rasalhague were there with him, they didn't exchange any words, but they knew what to do, they had to work together to defeat Sophia.

Issei saw that there was no damage done to Sophia aside from his previous two attacks. Sophia finally recovered from the attacks as she proceeded to cast light rays and dark orbs towards Issei, said orbs completely destroyed anything on their path while the ray of light obliterated anything that it touched.

Lazuli and Issei quickly flew around as they dodged each attack while Rasalhague created a field that negated the attacks with the power of destruction. Lazuli then summoned various light swords, creating a whole wall as she ordered them to rush towards Sophia, Issei accompanied the swords they all moved towards the Goddess of Creation.

Sophia clasped her hands together, creating a force that pushed everything back, trees, allies, enemies alike were affected as the wave sent everything towards the trio, the light swords were deflected as they turned back towards them, additionally light creatures came rushing at them, being boosted by the force that had sent them flying, the terrain also became their enemy as trees and rocks became projectiles aimed at them.

Lazuli decided to fall back as Rasalhague tagged in to block the attack in front of them. Issei on the other hand hopped from object to object, shooting any enemy whenever he could while clawing any that got too close. Once he got past the barrage of enemies and obstacles he landed on top of Sophia.

He decided to ask help from the Writer's System.

You have activated the Skill (Feedback)

The gem seems unprotected

Bingo.

He looked at the gem, he tried to shoot it as many times as possible, however, it did no damage as the bullets had no effect on it. He then saw as Sophia was starting to move her hands towards her head as she was going to grab him yet again.

But that didn't happen.

Issei saw as Lazuli and Rasalhague pinned down both arms with the powers of light and darkness, he nodded to show his thanks as he then went back to focusing on the gem, this time he closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

He used Phoenix Wing once again as he ferociously started to punch and slash the gem, little by little it started to chip as Issei continued his onslaught.

One hit, two hits, three hits.

He continued landing various of his attacks as he started to raise his speed.

Four hits, five hits, six hits.

Sophia roared as she seemed to start panicking

Seven hits, eight hits, nine hits.

He started to recall the past few months, and those he was unable to truly become close to.

Ten hits, eleven hits, twelve hits.

And then he remembered those he did get to know.

Avance, Kamui, Crystal, Ariel...

And Winda.

It was done.

The gem that was on top of Sophia completely crushed as it started to be consumed by the mouths on Issei's hands. Sophia cried out as pieces of her gem became dust, slowly but surely she started to banish as all that was left was the stone body of Sophia, which then turned into dust. Issei, who was on top of her, started to fall yet again. But he was too tired to move as he had used everything during his battle.

Lazuli and Rasalhague quickly caught him in the air as they both brought him to the ground.

"Issei! You've done it!" Cheered Lazuli as she was celebrating the defeat of Sophia, despite the fact that she had turned into a being that could have taken out the weakened version of Sophia alongside Rasalhague, they had come too late as Issei had defeated her.

"I must say, I cannot believe you've defeated the Goddess of Rebirth..." Rasalhague couldn't believe what he had done, but at the same time, he was glad that it was now over. In a way, he felt disappointed with himself as he had taken too long to come here to aid Issei.

"I'm glad everything is over." Commented Issei who was weakly clinging onto his allies, he knew that if it weren't for that bullshit he had pulled, then both of them would have taken care of Sophia, he was, however, glad to have avenged Winda.

"I think... I'm going to take a nap now..." Said he as he slowly closed his eyes. He felt like the world was crashing down on him. "Issei? Issei?! Hey! Don't leave us like that please!" Lazuli was already assuming the worst as she felt like she was losing someone close in front of her.

While Lazuli seemed alarmed by it, Rasalhague stood calm. "Calm down Lazuli, Issei isn't going to die, not after what he's been through... and not when he hasn't been banished for killing Sophia." Rasalhague assured her, calming her down a bit, but there was a certain comment that raised a few questions."Wait, what do you mean by being banished?"

"Those created by Sophia shall be brought back to Sophia... and those who resist their fate shall become light." Rasalhague quoted. "They shall become darkness... and cut the cycle... and become the seed of the new world..."

"If he was truly created by Sophia, she could have easily brought him back to her, by doing so, he would have ceased to exist." Rasalhague explained, to which Lazuli was starting to understand where this was going. "However, he hasn't been banished... because he was not created by Sophia."

This raised even more questions about who truly was Issei Hyoudou, to not be created by the Goddess of Rebirth, yet act and be just like them.

Could there be another god to have the same power? Was he... created by Tierra?

"Uhm... So what do we do with Issei now?" Lazuli asked, as she was unsure on where to leave him, all the tribes had become extinct except for a very few, and even then, they needed to reconstruct before having him inside any of the tribes. She hated to say it, but right now there was no place for any of them to stay.

"Leave him at the remnants of the Shrine of Mist Valley, make sure his body is well kept and that nothing happens to him." Instructed Rasalhague. "We will be quite busy rebuilding this world, especially in a godless one." Lazuli nodded, Rasalhguen was the only who had some sort of idea of what to do, but even then he himself was unsure. "Round up everyone who survived as well."

Before they left, they created an altar where Issei's unconscious body stayed, this altar would become a commonly visited place as everyone would place flowers and trinkets to pay their respects to their savior, even if he wasn't dead, they still wanted to show their gratitude.

Many of them hoped for his awakening...

---

Despite Lazuli and Rasalhague searching for the survivors, every one of them was at a cliff. They had watched the battle between Issei and Sophia, many of them in awe at the display of power that Issei was showing.

But to Avance, it gave him a wave of nostalgia.

Back when the Trishula Incident happened, he was just a kid back then, watching on a hill how the Dragunity took down Trishula with the Divine Lance. Just like last time, he was in awe at the display of power. Back when the previous tribes had finally taken down the Ice Barrier dragon.

Though there was someone by his side during that event.

That was Emilia.

And right now it was the same as before, he saw however, that Roach and a few others were watching alongside them this time.

And he felt a bit frustrated yet embarrassed about it.

Because he remembered when he was about to confess himself to Emilia back then, back when Noellia hadn't adopted him. He didn't remember if it was a spurt of the moment or if it was something he had started developing. His love for Emilia had been apparent to him when he was young, and he had to avoid any proof of his love being shown, as it could have been incredibly awkward between the family.

Emilia's sweet voice then got him out of his thoughts. "Doesn't this remind you of when we were kids?" Avance looked at her adoptive sister as he then looked forward. "It does, you could say it ended the same way..." Admitted Avance. Emilia laughed a bit. " You were so brave back then as well, yet you held my hand so tightly that I thought you were scared..."

"But I know there was something else to that."

Avance looked at her again, this time her smile was more gentle than before. "I sometimes wish we could have stayed childhood friends back then... because there are so many things that I wanted to express to you when we were younger..."

"And I still want to do that..." She softly said with a look of shame, shame of herself for what she thought about her adoptive brother, but Avance, who was completely red then yelled out. "I-I also feel the same way!" The look on Emilia's face was one that he was expecting, he could see how her eyes opened up in surprise, her mouth was open as if she was trying to find her words.

To him, they weren't the normal definition of a family, it felt more like an orphanage to him and he was unsure if he could say they were siblings, especially after Noellia had been controlled by the Steelswarm.

But yet again, he was taken out of his thoughts as he felt Emilia hug him. "I'm... glad..." She was hugging him tightly, he put his hands around her as he smiled, he felt calmer now that he knew that he wasn't the only one who thought this way.

The others noticed that Lazuli and Rasalhague were approaching them, as they did, some of them waved to make sure they saw them, when they finally landed on the cliff, Lazuli started by asking everyone. "Is everyone here? I would like to know how many of us were able to make it through this."

Roach walked towards them, as he did he had his back against the wall as he proceeded. "The Dragunity couldn't make it, Phlogis also died during Sophia's initial attack." As he mentioned Phlogis, the little blue lizard from the Ice Barrier looked sad as all he could do was think of his late friend.

"I assume only both of you are what is left of the Constellars and Gem-Knights right?" Roach said, even if he was too straightforward and lacked tact, they weren't angry or saddened about what he said, they were happy that they were alive. To this, both Lazuli and Rasalhague gave a nod in response.

"That means only the Gusto, Gishki and Naturia live on..." Even so, it was not quite true, only two members of the Gusto Tribe survived, those being Reeze and Kamui, and what was left of the Gishki were only Avance and Emilia. To think the weakest of the four tribes would be the one of the few tribes to live through this war was in a way, quite ironic.

Kamui, on the other hand, had another question. "What about Issei? He defeated Sophia, he was the one to save us... yet why is he not here?" He prayed to a nonexistent god that he hadn't succumbed to his wounds after the battle, he refused to see the one to save them die in such a way. "Rest assured, he's alive, but will be in a vegetative state until he finally wakes up." This had mixed reactions from those present.

"Well either way, I'm going to the Naturia, if anyone needs me, I'll be there helping repair the damages." Said Roach as he had nothing more to do with this, yes, Issei and Winda had spared him to live and survive, but he felt like that wasn't enough, he needed to prove himself that he was not like the rest of his kind, he wished to redeem himself.

Before he could leave however, Rasalhague then said. "I'd like for you to tell the Naturia Tribe that they don't need to worry about the Sacred Naturia Tree, the cycle of reincarnation should still continue working even if Sophia is now gone." Lazuli and Rasalhague wouldn't be able to make changes to their world unlike how Tierra and Sophia could, they didn't have enough power, yet they didn't wish to manipulate the laws of the world.

Roach nodded while waving, getting the message and leaving the hill.

Reeze looked at Kamui, as she did, she put her arms around his neck. "Well, Kamui, since you're the only one of the two of us left, I'd say you should become the next chieftain of the Gusto Tribe." Said she. Reeze was proud of him, she was glad that he could get over the tragedy that befell to everyone around him, of the fact he knew that there was still someone at his side, and she loved how much he had matured, from that prankster that would run around the tribe while making everyone smile, to a man who was calm yet still joked around.

"In that case... Could I ask something about the customs of the tribe?" Asked the new leader of the Gusto. This got the attention of the other Gusto survivor. "I wish... for us to stop making bonds with the creatures of the forest..." Reeze looked shocked upon hearing that, but she knew the reason.

He wished to not lose someone close in battle again.

"Instead... I wish to ask you, Avance, to teach us how to use the mirrors..." He bowed to Avance, who was simply hugging Emilia.

"Ah?" Was the only thing that Avance could say. As he recovered from his initial shock he decided to finally respond. "I can help with that, but I do think that some tweaks to the mirrors are needed." Kamui nodded in understanding. "I see, in that case, allow us to join forces to research and help one another."

Some of the people present smiled, the Gishki and Gusto had been at each other's throat for the past few feuds, and seeing their new leaders let bygones be bygones filled their heart with content. The small blue lizard looked at them with curiosity, to which Avance noticed, he looked at the small being as he crouched to see him better. "You're coming with us, we all were part of the Ice Barrier tribe before after all." He smiled, to which the lizard smiled back with happiness.

He stood up again, this time looking again to the cliff, thinking of Issei, he remembered what Master Diamond said about Issei. "Emilia." He called, as she looked at him, he could sense her gaze as he got her attention.

"I wish to do what Issei has done... I wish to accept our past... and to forge our future..."

"I want to be able to look at the past, the mistakes of our predecessors, and make sure none of them happen..."

"That we never repeat what our mother did."

Despite being a complete outsider, Issei has been able to make many bonds with those inside the tribe. They wished that those who fell in battle could see the light of day again, of this new era that was about to unravel, but now that Sophia was gone, and Rasalhague had lost his revival powers, there was no way for them to revive them.

Rasalhague decided that it was finally time to move on. "Now then, Lazuli, I'd like for you to come with me back to where I came from." Lazuli looked at him in confusion, albeit she had a bit of a cheeky look on her face. "Taking me to your home? My you're quite bold Rasalhague."

Her attitude seemed to have changed from before, after this war, and being able to prove herself to have helped in defeating Sophia, she had finally been able to let go of that held breath she kept.

The Constellar could only facepalm as he had walked onto that set up. "This isn't time to joke Lazuli, you see, the Constellars had families, and I wish for you to take care of them, now that you are the combination of all 12 Constellarknights, you have to take responsibility for each one of them."

Lazuli looked blankly at Rasalhague. Was she about to become a mom of 12 at such a young age? Avance chuckled alongside Emilia, as they were reminded of their mother. "Ok, sure, but you're going to help me take care of them alright?" Accepted Lazuli.

"Of course. Oh, before I forget, we should call ourselves something else, we technically aren't the same as before." Commented Rasalhague. The Gem-Knight girl hummed thinking about it a bit. "Then what about I call myself Sombre? And you call yourself Kerykeion!" Suggested the now named Sombre.

"Sure, seems fitting." Accepted Kerykeion. "Although I would have liked to call myself Caduceus..." He'd change name later, once he finally changed form again. "Anyways, we will be gone for quite awhile, I hope you take care of the surviving tribes that had hidden themselves from this war." They wouldn't see them for years after all.

"No worries, I'm sure we will find an agreement between the survivors." Assured Kamui. With that, both Sombre and Kerykeion left as they would go back to where the Constellars came from.

Years passed, as each of the survivors grew closer to one another.

The Gishki discovered a new way of using the mirrors. They would combine the technology of both the Gishki and Ice Barrier to then power themselves through the heroes of the past. They would call themselves the Nekroz Tribe.

The Gusto decided to take in the victims of the war, they worked together as they ended up becoming a peaceful tribe, despite the fact they continued to cooperate with the animals of the Great Marshlands, they didn't attempt to make strong ties with them, instead, they introduced the arts of the Gishki.

The tribe hadn't changed their name, yet those who were still able to fight, those who had access to call upon ancient creatures were called the Ritual Beast Tamers, they now lived alongside the Naturia in their forests.

Peace reigned for years to come, as the tribes continued to work together.

However, it was not done yet, as there were still those stuck in the past. Many were trapped between the strings made of memories, as every action they make is controlled by someone, they acted just like dolls.

Tierra... No... Saklas was waking up.

(A/N)

And that is the first part of this arc! I'd like to apologize for the fact that the A/N will feel like it is longer than the chapter itself, but I really want to explain just how much meaning the song has for this chapter.

This whole chapter went from 8k to 13k. Issei's dialogue is something I am very proud of, there are various hints to two songs made by Mili, which you may have realized, but under no circumstance have I ever thought of any other source.

For those who know about Library of Ruina, no, the voice is not THAT character, as she does not exist in Issei's world, and no it is not an OC, I'll leave it as a mystery until the character shows up, and don't get your hopes high, because it's certainly not meant to be a very important reveal.

Yaldabaoth is a character that has had a lot of changes, at the beginning he was arrogant, cheeky and such, but I wanted to make him more human... because come on he is said to be the God of Humanity. Keep in mind that Sophia fucking abandoned Yaldabaoth as she saw him as a mistake... At least according to Wikipedia lol.

I don't believe in any religion by the way, this is solely made for entertainment, there is no agenda of pushing belief and such, in fact, I highly advise to not believe in Gnosticism and Kabbalah as they are heretic iirc.

The art for Apocalypse Bird can be found in Danbooru by nishikujic, as for the White Night, also in Danbooru by nishikujic.

Let's talk about why I chose that song. It was perfect for the situation. I had in mind another song for the creation of this arc, however, as I continued to discover the other songs by Mili, I found out that Iron Lotus, alongside another one, fit too well into what I had in mind. From there I made it so that Issei would have various similarities to Xiao from Library of Ruina, which then led to accidentally making some connections to Xiao from Genshin Impact.

When it comes to references there are a few for Issei's part, mostly to another Mili song, but that will come up later. Either way, like I said before, they aren't really important to the story, they are there as a tribute to what was my inspiration and for how fitting they are to the situation.

(A BIT OF LIBRARY OF RUINA SPOILERS)

Yaldabaoth's original human form was Angela's White Night, Adam from Lobotomy Corporation would be how Adam from the Garden of Eden looked instead. Yaldabaoth is now a mix between Saklas, the Gnosticism form, Yaldabaoth from Persona, Tierra from Yugioh and an aberration of White Night from Lobotomy Corporation.

(END OF LIBRARY OF RUINA SPOILERS)

Now, Issei's E.G.O. My god did I make it edgy lmao. But at the same time, man am I happy with how it came out.

Dusk could be thought of as an aberration of Apocalypse Bird, I'm pretty sure someone already made the connection, but the three birds are the judge (Judgement Bird), Jury (Big Bird) and Executioner (Punishing Bird), I decided to push this concept and ended up with this. Dusk is in a way going to be important, not as a weapon, but as a name, as there is a certain thing that is the opposite that may come after a few arcs...

Darkest Day may seem like Project Moon related, but in actuality it's related to Pokemon, specifically Eternatus. Another thing to mention is that Issei goes by game logic to manifest his E.G.O. Really stressful and fucked up emotions of what happened was needed to obtain it, but to activate it he just needs to use one of his skills to activate it, kinda like how Kali activates hers iirc.

There is also a hint of Undertale, I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but either way I'm not mentioning it just in case, Undertale will def come back in a way for an arc, but not in the way you're thinking. I am very confident that no one is going to guess it.

Scrapped content time!

There was certainly much more stuff that could have been added to the previous chapter, but it wouldn't have made sense/ was unnecessary. The names were at first not going to be mentioned, however, I ended up doing so, because come on, Trishula as the Ouroboros is fire. I wish for more "connections" between DxD and other crossovers, because I know damn well there is a lack of actual DxD content in my fics.

Winda was actually supposed to have died a while ago, there is a card that shows her staff as the Evilswarm consumes many creatures around. But since Issei has been there with her for most of the time, she has been able to survive.

I actually found out that Ariel dies against the 3 Ice Barrier dragons, so thank god I didn't kill her off at the start, additionally, I am also glad I tried to push her character into more screen time in these past chapters, she, just like Natsuki, was not intended to have a love relation with Issei.

And finally onto the song. Iron Lotus by Mili, many of my fanfics ended up having stuff related to Mili, it is a 50/50 on if I made something based on it, and the other half is me already having something planned and a Mili song just compliments it so well.

The lyrics and their connection to the story will be added to Story Status in Wattpad after I finish the arc. Keep in mind that the song was originally meant for a different E.G.O manifestation from Issei.

And that's everything, of course I didn't mention any other, be it because I didn't realize it fit, or because it is obvious due to it simply fitting with the situation.

I'll see y'all in the next update.