Chapter 185: Hate the Ruler, Not the Ruled (2)
- Lucifer, Izanami, Peter, Shiri, Yvere -
Lucifer coughed and wiped blood from his chin. The group was currently riding a large slab of ice that Shiri was controlling as Izanami gave directions to the secret path that Izanagi and Death were currently on.
"Your hand is impressively steady," Izanami complimented Peter.
Peter didn't respond.
"How did you convince Ryujin to lockdown the skies?" Lucifer asked.
"Offered him a mountain's worth of orohydra meat," Izanami responded.
Yvere was currently talking with Xiao to relay everything that had happened.
- Xiao, Lina, Sig, Lao, Sabu -
"Feel free to eat one of the corpses," Sig said as she cleaned different colored bloods from her dagger.
Lina's invisibility ended, revealing just how blood-soaked her slender hands and arms were. An exceptionally loud whistle alerted Sig and Lina. Xiao approached, taking note of the numerous yokai corpses.
Lina pointed at the unconscious Susano'o. "What do we do with him?"
Xiao resisted the urge to pull out a smoke. He looked around at the corpses littering the snow, dyeing the white battlefield in patches. He sighed as he walked over to Susano'o.
"Did you disable him?"
"Yes," Lina pointed to the holes made in Susano'o's back and wrists.
"How?" Sabu thought out loud as he looked around.
Xiao sighed, "Lucifer's group won against Izanami. Non-lethal, if possible, from here on."
"Why?" Sig asked respectfully.
"Because," Xiao said through his teeth, "Lucifer's side hasn't killed Izanami yet. So-"
"WHAT?!" Lina and Sig both shouted.
Xiao motioned for the two to calm down while maintaining anger in his tone. "As I said, non-lethal, IF possible. If there's going to be negotiations after this it would be best to reduce further casualties."
"It was probably Shiri's idea," Lao chimed in. "Shiri has great respect for the Izas. It's most likely the reason he spared Susano'o."
"Fucking hate yukis," Xiao grumbled as he waved the group to move with him.
- Kazuya, Izanami, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi -
Kazuya hastily pulled out his echo as he felt a call coming in. "Yes?"
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi looked at each other with worry.
"Stand down," Izanami ordered over the echo. "Lucifer won, but has decided to spare my life."
"Code?" Kazuya's hazy white eyes narrowed.
Izanami repeated a long code, confirming that it was her.
"What about Lord Izanagi?" Kazuya asked.
"Not...not sure yet," Izanami answered. "Regardless, relay the stand-down order to all other forces."
Kazuya lowered his head into his hand. "Yes, Lord Izanami."
The call ended and Kazuya put his echo away. Kazuya stared up at the ceiling of the room briefly before standing up.
"So," Amaterasu said, "our bet-"
Kazuya flipped up his middle finger at Amaterasu before disappearing into the ground.
- Lucifer, Devil, Izanami, Shiri, Peter, Yvere -
Lucifer was being held up by Yvere as the five traveled. Yvere was trying not to look at Lucifer's chest cavity. Lucifer was desperately trying to stay conscious as his vision blurred.
"Keep me awake," Lucifer whispered to Yvere. "W-whatever...you can do, k-keep me awake. If I pass out be-before...D-death, they'll die."
Izanami couldn't help but stare at Lucifer. The pain and fatigue on Lucifer's face were occasionally replaced with severe anger as he glared back at Izanami.
'Pathetic,' Devil said as he floated along the group. 'Both of you. To think this is your world's version of her. I can only imagine how weak "our" father must have been.'
'Keep talking,' Lucifer responded as he slowly shifted his vision to Devil. 'The grate of your voice helps keep me awake.'
- Lucifer, Death, Izanagi, Izanami, Peter, Yvere, Shiri -
Lucifer's group was traveling through a forest with trees that had been covered in massive tarps of purple and white.
"Orohydra skins," Yvere said.
"They won't attack," Izanami assured. "Not with me here. Izanagi and Death should be approaching from the orochis section of the forests. The less purple you see on the shed skins, the closer we are."
The group didn't travel much longer after Izanami's comment before seeing Death and Izanagi in the distance.
"Let me go," Lucifer said to Yvere. "There needs to be," he coughed a few splatters of blood, "...distance"
"Can you even fly?" Yvere doubted.
"No," Lucifer said. "Shiri, stop."
Shiri stopped the slab of ice. Lucifer jumped off, stumbling to his feet as he landed. Lucifer hit his fists into the dirt as he desperately tried to stand.
"All this," Lucifer gritted his teeth, "so I can stop two traitors from being executed."
Yvere hopped off the ice slab and picked Lucifer up onto his feet. Yvere broke off a chunk of a small piece of the ice slab and handed it to Lucifer.
"Chew on it," Yvere said. "Just focus on the ice as you walk over. I don't know if it'll help an archangel but-"
Lucifer put the ice into his mouth and thanked Yvere as he shambled towards Death and Izanagi.
Death saw Lucifer waving and rapidly blinked over to him. "What happened?"
Lucifer spat the ice out. "Don't kill them."
Death was confused at first. As Death looked at Lucifer's chest, and then looked down the forest path where he could see Izanami on her knees, everything became clear. Death breathed out slowly as he entered his hunter form.
Lucifer grabbed Death's arm. "Don't...kill them, yet."
["You can't be serious?"] Death responded.
Death wanted to pull his arm away from Lucifer, but hesitated due to Lucifer's damage. Lucifer's grip wasn't particularly tight around Death's arm.
"Please," Lucifer pleaded. "Let me explain late...late-r."
Lucifer slumped down, his hand still barely gripping Death's arm.
"What-" Izanagi jumped off and ran toward Death and Lucifer.
Death conjured his scythe and pointed it at Izanagi. ["Heal him."]
Shiri, Izanami, Peter, and Yvere approached on top of the ice slab. Yvere jumped off and ran to Lucifer.
["Did you not hear me?"] Death handed Lucifer over to Yvere and turned to Izanagi. ["I said, heal him."]
Izanagi's eyes rapidly bounced from Death to Izanami. The fear of Death's slow approach terrified Izanagi to the point of muteness.
"HE CAN'T!" Izanami yelled over.
Izanami winced as she felt Peter shift the blade slightly.
"Why is that?" Peter threatened.
Izanami's voice gave Izanagi enough confidence to explain, "When I fully activate the spear's powers, I can't use its abilities for at least a day after once it deactivates."
"Yvere?" Death asked.
"Blood drowning syndrome," Yvere answered. "Lucifer wouldn't be like this if I could."
Death pointed his scythe at Izanagi's hands, ["Hands, now."]
Izanagi immediately put his hands out. He flinched as Death severed both hands in a quick swipe.
Everyone got on top of Shiri's ice slab. A rustling in the distance grew louder as the ground began to shake.
"Thought ya said they wouldn't attack?!" Peter questioned Izanami.
"It might be Lucifer's blood," Yvere said.
"I didn't know," Izanami swore.
["Kill them if they try anything,"] Death said as he jumped off of the ice slab.
Izanami's eyes went wide as she watched Death fight. The fighting didn't last long before the orohydras retreated in fear. Death jumped back onto the ice slab, dripping blood as he stood with his scythe's blade pointed at Izanagi's chest.
["Go,"] Death ordered Shiri. ["If they're anything like the orochi, they won't be back."]
Shiri started moving the ice slab without responding.
- Death and Xiao -
Kazuya had swiftly relayed the order to stand down to the rest of Susano'o's forces. The main group arrived back in the capital of Han'ei where Death immediately started to demand any nearby healers come and help Lucifer. The yokai that were around started to believe that Death had just conquered the territory. While Lucifer, still unconscious, was being healed, Death and Xiao were having a conversation.
The two were right beside Lucifer and three yokai healers. Despite wanting to have the conversation somewhere private, both agreed that it wasn't safe to leave Lucifer unattended. Lucifer was being healed out in the open on a bed while Izanagi and Izanami remained in line of sight. The yokai that were healing Lucifer were desperately trying to ignore Xiao and Death's conversation.
"Justify it to me," Xiao took a long drag off his smoke. "Go on then, "sir", please justify this decision."
Death folded his arms. "According to Shiri, if we kill Izanagi and Izanami, then there will be war among the yokai over who gets to rule the territory. The resulting civil war would collapse this place in on itself."
"So?" Xiao sneered. "This place WAS our responsibility at first, but that responsibility disappears when the two traitorous pieces of shit that rule the territory point blades at us."
One of the yokai healing Lucifer glanced over at Xiao.
"What?" Xiao noticed the glance. "You have a problem with me insulting the false gods that did this?" he pointed at Lucifer.
The yokais' eyes went wide at the insult "false gods".
"Xiao," Death spoke calmly. "Lucifer tried killing Izanami. He didn't spare her out of kindness."
A gasp from Lucifer alerted the healers.
- Lucifer, Death, Xiao -
"Are they dead?" Lucifer asked in a delirious tone.
"No," Death answered.
"Even though they should be," Xiao added.
Lucifer sat himself up on the table. His body was far from fully healed, surprising the yokai. He told the healers to continue.
"I didn't spare Izanami," Lucifer corrected. "I was unable to kill her with my attack. Izanami didn't even beg for her life--Shiri gets the credit for that."
"Didn't have to listen," Xiao argued.
Lucifer sighed, "Shiri and Yvere made good points. Izanagi and Izanami will have far more use to us alive."
"Oh?" Xiao finished his smoke and flicked it onto the ground. "You trust them now, do you?"
"We'll see," Lucifer said. "There's a long conversation I need to have with them first. If after that I determine them not to be threats anymore-"
Xiao stomped forward, getting in Lucifer's face. "You think this is just your choice? Maybe you don't care about the lives of those you work with, but I happen to think of my squad like they're my family," He tilted his head back. "I know caring about one's family is bizarre to you-"
"Xiao," Death interrupted.
"Go on," Lucifer said calmly. "Go on the same insulting rant I've heard thousands of times already," he took a breath in, "but before you do, let me remind you that if it was just my choice I would have killed Izanami. If I was strong enough, Izanami would be dead. Izanagi could have been killed in the "duel" with Death. If you, Lina, or Sig had been killed, Death would have just killed them."
Xiao looked to Death for confirmation. Death's face told Xiao that what Lucifer said was the truth.
"They got lucky," Lucifer continued. "I'm sorry that my presence got you and your squad involved in something they should have never been a part of," He hopped off the bed, still injured, and bowed deeply. "You deserve better than this."
Xiao was surprised. The anger he had felt was fading to something more manageable. He pulled out a smoke and held it out to Lucifer to light. Lucifer stood straight and lit the smoke. As Xiao brought the smoke to his mouth he said something that surprised Death and Lucifer.
"Once your interrogation with the Izas is over, regardless of your choice moving forward, I want a Hóu rules match with Izanami."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Gama_Ser
Gama_Ser Chapter Fact #121
While there are no official war crime laws, among the unwritten rules there is a belief that corpses should not be consumed once a battle is over.
"It's part of the reason the wendigos have won far more battles than they've lost. Watching your fellow soldier die is mental poison enough as is, but watching them being eaten..."
- Satan
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