Bab 128: Chapter 128: Stare at it
An army marched in an ocean of blood and oily-black ink, their ethereal and corporeal bodies drained of souls yet flowing with stolen vigor.
The army stopped in front of a stone arch in unison that only undead monstrosities could archive.
"...Hm…" Hades reached to rub his chin with his bony hand. "Persephone was not happy with my… decisions."
"Do you let your wife dictate your fate?" Overlord General noted idly.
"No, but it is quite upsetting that she can't see the bigger picture." Hades sighed as the two undead stood side-by-side. "...I must admit, I am a bit jealous."
"Hm?"
"Your wife has been everything but disapproving of our crusade against the Olympus, and against the living." Hades seemed minutely frustrated as he waved his bony hand towards the distance where Katarina Leviathan was trying to un-stuck the [Necroswarm Giant] with a plunger after the undead slime-like corpse-monstrosity had gotten part of it stuck in River of Styx.
Katarina had a determined expression on her face albeit it was lined with expressions of frustration and anger, but none of judgment nor hesitation.
"Hm…" The Overlord General rubbed his chin a bit while thinking. '...The Supreme Being's orders were to use the [Scroll of Control Amnesia] instead of that cat… However, he did not give me orders as to whether that Katarina-insect was supposed to be my 'wife' or not… However, however, the Supreme Being would not overlook even such a small detail, so there must be some sort of grander ploy in place that I am not yet destined to know… In other words… The correct answer is to be vague.' "Perhaps."
"...A tsundere attracts a tsundere. I can only hope and pray for your safety. And sanity." Hades seemed to sigh while rubbing his 'eyebrows', or rather the spot on his skull where such fleshy things might have been if he still had skin and flesh.
"What do you mean?" The Overlord General was quite puzzled by Hades's statement, but it seemed that Hades wasn't planning on elaborating.
"...Regardless, our forces have joined." Hades moved on. "...Your undead shall be the spearhead while I approach Olympus as one of the Gods of the Mountain. I shall lower its 'gates' and guards from within. If you fail to act I'll turn on you, and blame it all on you. Suspect I may be, but my brother would always trust me over you. Do not even consider double-crossing me, much less when you are in my realm…."
"...That matters little. Mount Olympus shall fall today." The Overlord General handwaved Hades's concerns. "I was given my orders by my master, and he reaffirmed it mere hours ago with a message."
"Hmm…" Hades clearly had doubts still, but likely felt confident in his back being secure on both flanks to not make it an issue.
The God of Greek Underworld walked forth, and walked under the stone arch in front of which the hundreds of millions-strong undead army had stopped.
The five Overlord Wisemen that the Overlord General had made nodded slightly to the undead god on its passing… Before the black-and-gold clad undead deity disappeared upon crossing the arch.
'Now then… The Supreme Being's orders were to 'lay it low'… In other words- Hades and the army are not to 'take' Mount Olympus, but rather 'ruin it'- To lay the mountain low.' The Overlord General nodded to himself as Hades went to initiate his plan, and the Overlord General went to commit to his own.
Katarina managed to finally pull the stuck part of the [Necroswarm Giant] out of the River Styx, fell lock-step with the Overlord General, and opened her mouth. "My fellow servant to darkness… Has the operation started?"
"It has." The Overlord General nodded its bony head lightly. "Now then… You shall lead the army to Olympus."
"And you?"
"I have my own task to fulfill."
"...I see. In that case, we shall meet in the Supreme Being's Kingdom Come, if we prove ourselves worthy." Katarina's face gained an odd expression. It was akin to a combination of relief, revulsion… And a tiny bit of sadness. "Fight and die well, fellow soldier of the Supreme Being."
"Likewise." The Overlord General reached to shake Katarina's hand. "For what it's worth, you have been of much greater use to the Supreme Being's plan than your predecessor."
"I'll take great… Joy… In knowing that."
The two walked apart.
The undead horde followed Katarina, and the five Overlord Wisemen followed the Overlord General.
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Momonga sighed as he considered the day's events.
He had gone to see Yasaka and talked about forming a joint task force, as well as played a bit with Kunou, and had managed to form a group of 'elite' (or at least Yasaka claimed them to be elite) kitsune maids (or rather, geisha) to guard and assist Momonga.
The group of fox-women would also serve as an information-link between him and Yasaka's forces if they were needed. Otherwise the Youkai were, at least from Yasaka's statement, not ready for battle yet.
'I feel as if Yasaka is trying to skim on her part of the bargain until she sees which side is winning in battle… I can understand that from a strategic point of view, but sheesh… I can see why her earlier husband made a runner…' Momonga felt a bit resigned. But he had pat Kunou a couple of times which had cured his 'human' side's depression while his 'Overlord' side was busy scheming an appropriate 'answer' to Yasaka's vague committance to the coming battle in the Underworld. '...I feel really slimy for thinking this but I really need to try to do to Yasaka what I accidentally did to Lady Phenix… Having someone who thinks for themselves is refreshing, but at the same time, if that self-thinking goes against my interests then it could prove to be a fatal weakness if it causes my allies to forsake their oaths…'
"...Spoken like a true dictator."
'...Quiet, Ddraig, I am thinking.'
"...Come on now, you're asking the impossible. Cut people some slack." Ddraig had rolled on his back on top of his gold-pile in Momonga's head, and was filing and trimming his talons with a file that it had pulled from somewhere. "Surely you realize that if you make your followers a group of mind-dead zombies then you'll only have yourself to rely on, and if you screw up once then everything's over? At the same time, just because someone doesn't jump at your every whim doesn't mean they don't want to, or that your whim wasn't butt-stupid in the first place, in which case it'd be better if they objected before you made an ass out of yourself."
'...You seem to be in a cheerful mood?' Momonga remembered Ddraig being a lot more nervous of late, but it seemed almost as if the dragon had found a semblance of the courage he had in the past.
"And you're changing the subject. My point is, think what you're asking of Yasaka's folk- They're a group of barely organized loners and small clans that have flown a symbolic banner of unity, and have just had to pick up their belongings and ditch the lives they've built so far in the Human World." Ddraig recounted while counting with his talons. "They need time to adjust and reorganize themselves into a proper nation, much less one with a capable fighting force. You're basically asking a pile of refugees from hundreds of small nations to pick up arms and start acting as a unified, trained army, you know? I'm no strategist, but at least I picked up some stuff from my previous wielders about logistics and whatnot."
'...Hm.' Momonga sighed. 'Yasaka told as much… Albeit…'
"...She was a bit more… Eloquent and technical with her words." Ddraig seemed amused. "So that went over your head, then?"
'...'
"...I won't judge. Partner."
'Quiet.'
"Alrighty… Just call me if you need 'internal exposition' from your 'internal monologue dragon'"
'...Right. I suppose I shouldn't begrudge Yasaka's reluctance… Too hard.' Momonga sighed heavily while leaning against the balcony rail. "[Message]- Azazel. Report."
"Situation's under control, pops, five-by-five, only had to flee for my life once, currently flying at mach-two away from a swarm of angry devils- Contact upfront! Fox-two, fox-two!"
"..."
"Okay, maybe not fox-two but-"
"..."
"Fine, gah, be that way. The talk's going somewhat smoothly. Most of the noble families were really hard to persuade, and some just flat out refused to have anything to do with anything involving Angels. But some agreed to at least hear your 'offer'- Although, they agreed mostly under coercion and the rightful assumption that if they pick the wrong horse to support, they'll get eliminated. The show your friend among devils did with the old Pillars really screwed with most of the new family head's… well, heads." Azazel seemed to sigh while holding the bridge of his nose. "If we play our cards right we'll only have to face a couple of Noble Houses in addition to Bub's existing army and the Maous themselves. Ideally if we get our numbers of troops and the number of powerful individuals high enough then the still-resisting Noble Houses and New Old Maou's would just give up and surrender without a fight. The Noble Houses are proud of their traditions and power, but they are still rational enough to not engage in a completely unwinnable fight- After that it's just a case of not providing them with an opening to rebel, which was the start of the devil civil war some two hundred years ago."
"I see…"
"However, outside of that… I got reports from some of my scouting birds that Asmodeus and Beelzebub have made a camp in the open around the Devil Piece System's central relic. And the birds have reported sightings of Olympean Gods, and their troops, within the camp. Namely Helios- Who looked to be on death's door, by the way." Azazel sounded quite grave. "Asmodeus might have managed to convince the Olympus to support the Maous through whatever lies the devils have stuffed for them to eat- With the Human World the way it is, it isn't impossible that Olympus found themselves stuck in a dying world, and their barrier of disbelief towards Devils had lowered. And by Beelzebub allowing the Olympeans to build temples, they might find a refuge in the Underworld should the Human World die. We may be facing an invasion by the Olympeans after the battle against the Maous."
"I see… That is concerning. What do you assume is their fighting strength? Olympeans, specifically."
"Here? Not all that much right now. But that can change if the Olympeans get a chance to root themselves in and start setting up temples and whatnot to draw power from Mount Olympus directly. Beelzebub being in the mental space that he likely is in, I doubt he'll consider the long-term implications of that. Anyway, if the Olympeans get to root their power to the Underworld as well… Well, we're not entirely screwed when you're around, considering that the Underworld should still provide a sizable boost to your power as while it's not quite 'friendly' to your previous teachings, it still is part of our combined mythos. But even so, the fight will be much more even than what I'd prefer." Azazel sighed. "Moreover, the Olympeans sent some death-bird or something that keeps eating my scout-birds…"
'Oh.' Momonga blushed a bit internally and made a mental note to tell the crow he had made with [Lead of Yatagarasu] to stop eating Azazel's birds. '...Well, it looks like that crow found Beelzebub but hasn't reported back yet. Then again, it can't speak so it's not like it can just send a [Message] back…'
"Good work, Azazel. I'm glad that my trust in you has not been misplaced." Momonga decided to go with compliments as Azazel seemed to be quite effective. "When is the new peace meeting?"
"I told them that you'll contact them directly about it a couple of hours before the meeting actually begins. I didn't want to lock a date in case something happens- There's no way that Beelzebub won't try to meddle with it and would know of the meeting's existence through the uncooperating Noble Houses, so we need to have the meeting on short notice." Azazel noted, making Momonga's opinion of the Fallen Angel Governor rise even more. "Anyway, if that's all then I'd like to RTB and get some shut-eye."
"I see… Thank you. That will be all- Return for now. But if I see you wielding that 'Shotagun'..."
"Ha! Sorry pops, don't take it too personally. Besides, if I caught that devil dame's expression correctly on my way out, I bet you didn't have too bad a time in that mini-shape." Azazel sounded quite amused. "I see that you have a thing for big mommy milkers. Glad that you stopped being a prude asshole, if you don't mind me saying. As a lifelong appreciator of the female form, I'm glad that we have come to share some of our hobbies for once."
"...Right." Momonga felt a vein tick in his fleshy temple and closed the Message.
"He's got a point, you know. Even if you play the 'reluctant clueless shounen hero', you know."
'Haa… The weight of my sins…'
"Pfft. Hypocrite."
'I referred to my decision to let you read the 'Magical Girl' manga.'
"Wha-"
'Quiet now. Hm. That gives me an idea- you remember that the [Boosted Gear] can absorb items? What would happen if I fed it manga?'
"It'd… reinforce the [Boosted Gear], although not really, and- er, I'd be able to get my hands on it? Do you mean you'll feed bunch of manga to it so I can-"
'Keep your snark up and I'm not going to feed it manga.'
"Yes, sir."
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"Haaaaah." Venelana Gremory slumped down to sit on a couch, and then flopped to her side on it like a doll with its strings cut. "I… Rias… Please…"
Rias was already lying on a couch opposite to the one where Venelana was lying, with a coffee table between the two.
'Seriously… How many of these rooms does Phenix mansion have? Or are they just massive fans of baroque furniture and needed rooms to fill with them?' Venelana let her thoughts trail a bit as she collected strength for another clash of wills. 'Rias was always a bit hard-headed when it came to things, but seriously it can't be that hard to realize what sort of monster Momon is!'
Venelana had a clue that Rias might already know, at least to some extent, what Momon was up to. However, it was clear that he had gotten his fangs into Rias as she was parrotting Momon's talking points with little opinions of her own mixed in.
A finger poked Venelana's cheek and she sprang up from the couch in panic, half-expecting Momon to have come to claim Venelana's body in front of Rias, like Lady Phenix had threatened- Or worse, he had come with the expectation that she'd throw herself at him 'from her own will' to judge whether or not Rias had been successful in coercing her, with a appropriate punishment reserved for Rias if she had failed.
However, instead of seeing Momon towering over the couch… There was a relatively short woman with quite a nice figure, black hair tied to twin-tails and an outfit that looked positively outrageously pink.
Venelana suppressed a shudder as she noticed that Serafall had black frills in her clothes instead of white, marking a clear difference between the 'Magical Girl' show-and-dance that Serafall Leviathan liked to perform for the children of the Underworld to drum up future support for the Underworld's ruling elite, and cope with the Maou's mental stress from the sheer amount of war crimes the Maou had committed during the Civil War.
"G-greetings, Serafall-sama." Venelana curtsied towards the Maou with as much dignity as she could. 'That Momon could enthrall even a Maou, I shudder to think what he has done to her… But that could be a sign, a precedent that my Sirzechs could be resurrected… But from what I learned from Caitlin, I should take every boon Momon offers with the expectation that every bottle of wine is sweet and fragrant, yet poisoned with the most horrendous substance that surfaces only after the initial taste wanes… Looking at how glad I was that Rias got a 'good' husband, I have no reason to doubt Caitlin's words…'
"Hm… you're pretty scared, right? Venelana-san?" Serafall pat her cheek with her forefinger while in deep thought. "So, what's happening?"
"I was, ahem, preparing my response for Momon-sama's inquiry over the allegiance of Gremory house… As it stands, I am the lady of the house, until I forfeit the title to one of my children."
"In other words, Ri-tan!" Serafall clapped a bit. "Although, since Ri-tan is now a 'Phenix' on paper, that'd be Mil-kun! But since Mil-kun is technically Lucifuge, as Sir-tan wouldn't have inherited the title of the house due to his status as a Maou, house ownership wouldn't transfer over the break in house lineage! In other words…"
"If I die, then the House of Gremory becomes extinct." Venelana felt a bit wary over Serafall's implications while Rias got up from her couch.
"S-Serafall-sama, what are you saying?" Rias asked a bit shakily. "Um, that…"
"No, nooo… Nothing like what you're thinking, perv Rias-chan. I'm not going to hold hands with Mo-kun, that'd be super indecent. At least, in public. I'm just thinking, what if Venelana-chan got turbo-pregnant, like with triple triplets or something?" Serafall thought aloud while striking a 'thinker' pose. "Food for thought. Anyway, as to why I'm here- Mo-kun asked me to convince Ve-tan to support him. So, I'd like to ask Venelana-chan to support Mo-kun's world conquest- Or else!"
'She's… Well, at least she's as normal as she can be these days.' Venelana felt quite resigned while she had her hands on her lap, as she had sat down on the couch due to her legs losing strength. 'He's not even being coy anymore… I suppose he is in a position where he can proudly state Underworld's conquest. I'm guessing she's implying he means 'Underworld' as conquering Human World might be a bit of a stretch due to the multiple other pantheons around, but I wouldn't be surprised at this point if his insanity reached as far as to encompass all… I need to get away and grab Rias, Milicas and Grayfia with me…'
"Nope!" Serafall flicked her fingers against Venelana's temple. "Denied. You were thinking about hoofing it, right? That's like a hundred percent bad idea."
Venelana collected herself after falling on her back on the couch from the impact. "I… I had no such thoughts, Serafall-sama. Please, I-"
"Ve-tan! I've known you for so long I have a good idea on how you think- You're thinking about grabbing Rias-chan, Milicas-kun, and Grayfia-chan and then holing up in your territory, right? But the thing is, you can't fool my Magical Eye!"
Serafall struck a cutesy pose while making a heart-symbol with her fingers over her eye. And then over her breasts, for some reason.
A pink fairy fluttered from between Serafall's breasts, made a quick lap around her head, and then dove back between her breasts after Serafall made a grabbing attempt.
Venelana's head spun a bit. '...Even at times like this… Serafall's insanity is still ever-present. Momon's presence must have only fed it… Being monsters behind cute or gallant masks, perhaps they found a common language in their foulness?'
"Serafall-sama, um, I was…" Rias creeped between the 'magical girl maou' and Venelana. "With respect, I was already talking to mom about the allegiances of Gremory house and all…"
"Yeah! And Mo-kun told me to step to it as well! So let's go! Tag team mindbreak!" Serafall clapped her hands together with Rias to form some sort of stance. "Fuusion!"
Rias blinked as she was facing to the side with Serafall while holding hands. "U-um, Serafall-sama, this pose…"
"Uwuuh… I swear it worked on Human World's television…" Serafall looked depressed as she had teleported to a corner of the room and was sitting while facing the corner and hugging her knees to her chest.
Venelana crept her hand closer to Rias's, took it, and slowly slid herself between Rias and Serafall. "Serafall-sama, I'm… I must confess I am quite exhausted. Could this conversation be delayed until tomorrow?"
"No way!" Serafall appeared in front of Venelana in a blink with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. "Listen, I have to convince you in order to get turbo-nailed by Mo-kun alongside Sona-tan, again, so you better give up now! Or I'll have to get super-serial! And by serial I mean serial-killing."
Venelana gulped. '...Serafall's insanity-'
"...Serial-killing this show!" Serafall stuck another cutesy pose while a small cloud of pink hearts floated around her and she was biting her tongue and winking at Venelana. "Seriously this is going to escalate superbad, like Mo-kun walks through the door and goes 'This isn't a swimming pool' and then Venelana-chan goes 'ahegao' and-"
"...Ah, you were here." Momon walked through the door as if in que.
Venelana realized she had been led to a trap, and Serafall was just a ploy within ploy to coerce her- Rias would coerce her emotionally, Serafall would remind Venelana that Momon had the Underworld in all but last battle, and then Momon would arrive to hear either Venelana's surrender or would come to execute her and break her mind like he had done to Seekvaira Agares, in front of multiple witnesses all of whom did nothing about it.
Lady Phenix had already explained to Venelana how Momon worked- How the Supreme Being worked.
In other words… Venelana was backed to a corner, with no way out, and she had been driven out of time to consider her options properly- Not that she had many to pick from in the first place. Either a 'bad end', or a 'worse end'..
Her only option was to humiliate herself and prostrate to the monster.
So she did as Serafall instructed.
.
.
Momonga paused as he opened the door which led to a comfortable-looking lounge.
He had planned on asking how Venelana was adjusting and if Rias had already convinced Venelana to see the rationality of supporting Momonga's war effort.
He had not planned on walking in, seeing Serafall striking a 'magical girl pose', and in response Venelana looked at Momonga with a pale face… And she gained a 'ahegao' expression before flopping to the floor and twitching a bit.
"Umu, I'll leave you to it." Momonga closed the door and walked off with tranquil steps.
'What the hell was thaaaaat?! Did [Lover] somehow level up even further?! Hguaaaaaa!?'
.
.
'I… survived, somehow…' Venelana collected herself off the floor after the monster gave her permission to continue existing. '...That was too close… Zeoticus… My family… My house… Forgive me… I've committed us to the service of a monster…'
"M-mom?" Rias was quite mortified as she had been behind Venelana during her 'play'. "W-what?"
"Hohooo?! Venelana-san! I didn't know you had acting talent?! A few more acting lessons and you'll be able to take part in my next show! The 'Corruption of Magical Girl Levi-Tan and Birth of Dark Lady Levi-Tan!' You can play the role of an unwilling pawn! Ravel-tan can play the role of a chuuni dark knightess! So-tan can play the role of a dark manipulator- Oooh! A Lady of Webs! Rias-tan can play the role of a cumdump! Mo-kun can play the role of a dark mastermind behind it all! All I need now is a gallant hero who gets absolutely cucked…" Serafall stuck a couple of poses in the middle of speech, each causing equal amounts of terror to Venelana. "Hm… Aha! Sairaorg-kun! Of course! It all makes sense! Now then… I'm off!"
"Eh?" Rias opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water as she stared at the spot where the Maou had been mere seconds ago. "Um… Mom… I think Serafall has become even more insane than before…"
"...She serves the Supreme Being." Venelana finally blurted out in her own shock.
"Wha-?" Rias blinked.
"Momon is the Supreme Being. He has been that thing all along…" Venelana crumbled into the couch, feeling as if her admittance was crushing her spirit- Both the possibility that by revealing the fact to Rias she'd be placing her dear daughter in danger… And the possibility that Rias knew all along and was fine with it.
A light slap landed on Venelana's cheek.
"Mom- Get a hold of yourself. Why are you saying all these horrible things? First about Momon being a monster, then about how we need to flee… It's like you never listened to me, at all!" Rias sat next to Venelana and hugged her head to his chest after slapping her lightly. "Now Serafall too… And what was that just now?! Mom- I… I get that dad died, and Sirzechs-niisama died… but… Momon can bring them back! We just need to have faith in him!"
'...I was wrong. Rias knows, but doesn't want to acknowledge it. She still lives in the delusion that Momon is a 'god'... Her god. Serafall… She knows it and embraces it. Fitting that a monster would be drawn to another.' Venelana thought bitterly as the constant whiplashes from switching from terror to kindness to pain to warmth was starting to crack her sanity as well. 'Is this what Caitlin had to go through as well? What Caitlin told me that Momon had forced her to endure… Will that be my fate as well, if I choose to resist him still? I'm at his mercy… Is this moment, this innocent, calming moment with Rias my reward for submitting to his 'act', dishonoring myself and acting like a common slut in front of him? Or a prelude to further suffering? For Rias's suffering?'
Venelana sobbed while Rias stroked her hair after lowering the brunette woman's head to her daughter's lap.
"Mom… It's alright to cry… It's alright to be sad and lash out… Momon will understand. I understand… I… Let's cry together. For dad… But don't fall to despair, mom, everything will be alright!" Rias whispered to Venelana's ear, causing tears of despair to run down her face. "Mom…"
"Rias… My dear, innocent Rias…" Venelana sobbed while letting her body relax almost against her will.
And then the tears came.
.
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"Muuuh…" Rossweisse puffed her cheeks in annoyance while she was in Phenix mansion's underground catacombs that doubled as jail cells. "Brynhildr-san. Please listen to reason- There's no way you can 'take down' Momon-sama. Er, maybe with the 'bedroom method', but that's not what you're intending… I hope…"
"His foulness must come to an end, and-" The tied-up valkyrie with long bluish-white hair growled at Rossweisse while having an angry blush on her cheeks. Although that was about the extent of what she could do, as she was tied to an energy-draining rack alongside thirty or so other Valkyries who had 'survived' the battle in the Human World. Or rather, had been resurrected by Momonga.
"Momon's not really a intentionally bad guy, you know? I… er, know some things about him, and I can confidently say that he is a bad guy, but… erm… He's trying to get better, I think?" Rossweisse stammered a bit as she was a bit conflicted over the whole thing. 'I mean… It's not like Suzuki-kun, er, Momonga-kun had any choice in coming here… And the stuff he did before that, erm… Well… It's not exactly… good… but then again, it's the way of the world that power defines what is 'just' and what is not… And, erm… I think he wants to be more open and 'good', I guess, but it's not like he can just do that in a straightforward manner when he's surrounded by bad influences like Devils and so on… Besides, he's been under so much stress lately with everything happening without his input while he's stuck doing damage-control…'
"Rossweisse- Snap out of it!" Brynhildr hissed from her shackles, causing Rossweisse to blink as she realized she had started to daydream about a strong, compassionate and successful businessman and leader of a nation resting his head to Rossweisse's chest, while she hugged him, patted his head, and told him that everything would be okay, and he would love her forever in turn.
"Ahe- Ahem! Regardless- Please come to your senses, Brynhildr-san! Lord Odin was all kinds of wrong when he came in and did what he did- Surely you must know that? Right?" Rossweisse tried again to convince Brynhildr to let go of her hate. 'A lot of the Valkyries died during that battle… I think most of us… er, them… I'm technically a devil now, so… '
"Grhh… Fine words from a manipulated puppet masquerading as one of us! Go back to your den, foul spawn! You may be parading Rossweisse's face, but I know what you are underneath that- A foul abomination! That is the fate of all those who join hands with the Outer Beings!" Brynhildr's entire body shook in rage while her face was utterly red. "I bet you enjoyed when their tentacles crept all over your body, and fondled your breasts, and then stuffed you full… A-and the teeth, there were so many teeth… And the bleating, the munching- Everyone screamed and…"
"E-erm, Brynhildr-san…" Rossweisse felt a bit freaked out over the Valkyrie's words, specifically considering that they were part dreamy and part utterly terrified, specifically at the end. "Momon-sama, er, he does know about those things and I think I remember that he used them a couple of times… But erm, it's… I don't think that…" '...I remember him talking to some bony creature, 'General' something that he wanted to commit a terrorist attack against the Three Factions… But with the goal of uniting them into one peaceful faction by giving them a shared enemy, the 'Supreme Being', so… I get why Momonga-kun used that thing… If only Odin-sama hadn't interfered…'
"Ahem- Sorry. My mind wandered. But surely you know Momon-sama can bring everyone back, right? Dying only hurts briefly, you know? I died too, and Momon-sama brought me back…" Rossweisse sweated a bit as the memory of Loki's betrayal, sacrifice of Rossweisse, and the painful crushing and tearing she had to undergo in the dark creature's maw came back to her mind. "I-it was for a lasting peace… And Momon-sama wants to offer that to the Norse as well! Lord Odin was out of his mind when he attacked us, but we can bring them all back! Except Lord Odin and Lord Loki, I guess…"
"...You're a fool to believe in the Devils and the Outer Beings. As am I, for humoring your babbling. Be gone." Brynhildr tossed her neck at Rossweisse, making her a bit depressed.
"Um… Okay… I brought some bread and wine, so… Would you like to eat a bit?" Rossweisse lifted a bag she had in her hand.
There were a lot of valkyries who were tied to the racks like Brynhildr who looked like they wanted to take Rossweisse's offers, but were cowed to submission by Brynhildr's glare.
"We won't be accepting anything from you devils. Go and die!" Brynhildr growled at Rossweisse… Although instead of her mouth, her stomach did the growling.
Brynhildr blushed. "I'm not hungry!"
"..." Rossweisse felt sympathetic towards the woman who had been her tutor and superior officer in the past. "It's not poisoned, you know? Here- Munch."
Rossweisse took the bread out of the bag and nibbled it a bit, before offering it towards Brynhildr.
Brynhildr glared at the food so Rossweisse moved the piece of bread to a valkyrie in a rack beside her.
The valkyrie looked quite bruised and her massive bust was partially visible through her grossly undersized prisoner-rags.
Rossweisse moved the freshly-baked bread in front of her face… And the woman practically wolfed it down in a few bites, followed by a glug of the wine that Rossweisse offered. "Well then… I guess it's not too bad to take alms from a 'filthy devil', neh, Brynhildr-san?"
She glanced at the valkyrie who was growling from her stomach at the food while Rossweisse went through the captured Valkyries and fed each of them.
"...Fine. I'll take it. But I… My pride as a Valkyrie- Grrr… Filthy devils, murderers, Rossweisse, you'll…" Brynhildr muttered something incomprehensible as Rossweisse moved past her after feeding the rest of the Valkyries.
Rossweisse moved past her without feeding her.
"Hm?" Rossweisse paused at the door as Brynhild let a small sound. "What was that?"
"Please…" Brynhildr's stomach growling had intensified to a rumble. "I… want food as well… I'm sorry…"
Rossweisse felt a bit vindictive over Brynhildr's insults… But she let it flow away from her mind like water from a swan's back. "Of course. My sister."
She moved to feed Brynhildr as well.
'Small steps… I'm a bit sad that Momonga-sama decided to turn me into a devil in a vindictive fury… But at the same time, he acted in passion when my deception came to light. I can hardly blame him for his rage when I had been the one to deceive him… I can only blame myself… And I suppose that being a 'devil' gives me a new look on 'Valkyries', my sisters…' Rossweisse thought while she fed bread to Brynhildr. '...I hope they'll see the error of their ways soon… Momonga-sama… I know he'll forgive them if they ask for forgiveness and show it with their actions. Erm, as long as Brynhildr doesn't open her fat mouth and get them into trouble…'
Brynhildr, meanwhile, was choking on red wine as Rossweisse was pouring roughly half a bottle down her throat in one go.
"Oh- erm, whoops… Sorry." Rossweisse realized that the woman was letting choking sounds and pulled the bottle back. "Are you alright?"
"Phwah! Phaa… W-whush yoush thinkingsh?! Are yoush tryyying to dwown me in boooze?" Brynhildr babbled. "Eeeh… Isn't a bad way to diesh, I shuppose… Bether than gettiinng tentacle-whacked and meat-walled… Youuush better not…. Waish… Don'th tell me Momon-shama orderesh you to fatten ush up… Noooo! We'sh gonna get cannibalized by outher goatses… butt vored…"
"Erm, that's not why I fed you…" Rossweisse sweatdropped at Brynhildr's theory and words. 'Don't tell me that she overdosed on frustrated prudeness after getting dumped multiple times in a row and developed some disturbing fetishes?'
"Theeen agaihns… Momoooooonsh ish prwetty hot…. Like a big hunk o meeat… I bet he can fuuuuuck right goood… Hee…." Brynhildr's babbling gained a different outlook, making Rossweisse sweat even more.
Until Rossweisse got an idea.
"Listen, I know Momon-sama really well. Do you want to be free? He's got this church that takes all races, and…"
.
.
The Peerages of Maou-aligned Nobles waited in uneasy silence after they finished their preparations to hold their ground- As much as they could, anyway.
Many of them had heard rumors of 'True God's exploits in the Human World, and held skepticism and fear that their fortifications would only support them emotionally- Their enemy had devastated land and sea, and destroyed Outer Gods with a wave of a hand, if the mad ramblings of the few survivors of the 'peace conference' were believed. What could some stone fortifications, even if made with [Power of Imagination], do against such power?
At least until Beelzebub and his close loyalists had plucked the survivors of the Peace Conference from the ranks of those who had stayed behind to safeguard the Underworld for the duration of the Peace Conference.
And now the army of the Underworld stood against the coming storm. Waiting. Holding their position… Yet, nothing came to them, and they in turn were forbidden from attacking, from sallying forth to defend their own.
The knowledge that some of the Noble Families had fallen to the True God had already begun to spread. Someone had released the 'message' of the fallen family's heads- A clear message that True God seeked to subjugate the devils entirely while turning the heads of Noble Houses into little more than breeding sows for him.
The message had enraged many of the 'New Pillar Heads'... Although some had wavered, deciding that humiliation was better fate than death after the army had decided to hang back and not counter-attack to push the 'faction of strays' from their land- A sign of weakness that was not missed by the new Heads.
Beelzebub's loyalists had been quick to silence those who circulated the rumors.
The presence of a few Olympeans among the ranks of the Army had come to a shock to the Peerages and Kings who held traditional values, and vocal objections had risen from the outrage of allowing such foreign deities walk the Underworld unopposed… But Asmodeus had convinced many by simply asking whether they preferred to fight alone against the True God's united Three Factions, or fight them alongside the Olympeans.
The fact Asmodeus was starting to waver in the wisdom of the conflict had not been missed by the more observative of the Kings, and in the end…
"...Is this really a good idea?"
That question had started to spread among the ranks.
And then Diehauser Belial and his Peerage, the Strongest Champion of Rating Games, had disappeared.
Beelzebub had announced that he had left for a 'counter-operation against the Supreme Being'- But many devils had doubts.
And one by one… The Peerages started to flee back to their Noble Houses.
.
.
"...This isn't good." Asmodeus noted to Beelzebub inside his camp next to the Central Piece of the Devil Piece System. "We'll be facing a serious risk of mass desertion if this continues… I managed to keep it down to a steady trickle, but even if we declared runners as 'Strays', we'll struggle to keep our ranks steady. Not to mention, the 'True God's faction has declared to forgive 'Strays' and-"
"No names, please." Beelzebub sounded unusually serene as he spoke. "It's alright. The Peerages would not be much use against Them. But they performed their role in keeping the scouts sent by Him from interfering with my work."
"...Speaking of which, you still haven't told me what you did to Sirz- ahem, our leader's body? And the ashes you had the Peerages recover from the House of Pillars?" Asmodeus asked while eyeing a summoning circle in the middle of which Beelzebub stood.
"...Simply put, He controls the dead, so I cannot let the dead lie lest they come to strike us in the back. I'm certain Sirzechs would agree- We cannot afford a head-on conflict with Them right now, nor ever." Beelzebub noted.
"Then why did you ask our base to be moved in the open? We cannot hide our presence here- It's too open, and our supply lines…"
"...To draw him out. If we combine our powers, if we use the Central Piece's accumulated power… If our allies can weaken Him… We can expel Him to the Interdimensional Gap." Beelzebub explained. "I needed the ashes for that reason as well- They bear the echoes of their souls, and use that to forge a cage for Him. Naturally, we'll need to enter as well- Time will become meaningless in that state, but if there is nothing to distract Him then He'll break out in mere days as opposed to hundreds of millenia. Our destruction as a species is already set in motion, our deaths already certain- The only thing we can do is push back the hour of our demise as far back as we can."
"...And hope that someone else finds a way to destroy Him in the meanwhile."
"That would be optimal. But we cannot expect miracles." Beelzebub sighed. "Still, even a plan like this… It all depends on His arrogance, that he'll attack this place and that we can spring the trap. So far He's holed up in his fortress of nightmares in Phenix territory, at least if my devices are correct, so it's possible He's caught onto me…"
"Hm… What if he's just massing troops for one last attack?" Asmodeus theorized. "Our logistics are dependent on the Noble Houses, which he'll rob us of if his 'peace meeting' with the Noble Houses gains traction, and our troop's morale is crumbling by the day. That would escalate even further if the supplies are cut off."
Beelzebub nodded while his eyes were closed, so Asmodeus continued.
"As it is… If he does nothing, we'll lose. So thus our current 'holding position' is not a strategy I'd advocate for. Then there's those kidnapping attacks a few days back- One against Ag- ahem, against one of the new Heads of Pillars who now made a statement regarding the loyalty of her house and her own loyalty. The fact one of ours could be so easily captured and forced into… that kind of deal… both enraged part of our Kings and cowed quite few of the less powerful Peerages." Asmodeus's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Being told to sit still after that, unable to counter-attack against the enemy's blatant insult… I fear we'll face a problem of splintered sub-leadership. Some of the more headstrong Peerages might try their luck in independent counter-attacks, and would likely cause more harm than good. Specifically if they turn their ire towards the 'traitorous' Noble Houses instead of Phen- Ahem, the main staging ground of our enemy."
"Indeed. But the legends tell of That Thing's methods and arrogance. It plays with its victims before revealing their end- That our troops are abandoning us, or rather, 'we are losing', is part of its play. It strives to make us see our kingdom crumble around us, until it is time to take the masks off, administer the coup de grace… And that's when we'll strike." Beelzebub commented idly. "So… The losing move is to wait. But at the same our victory lies in our loss. Thus we need to wait, wait for our time to come… Our time to strike."
"And our… ahem, allies?" Asmodeus got a creeping feeling from Beelzebub's words.
"...One of them has been measuring our base in plain view. The birds are spying for Him- Our old 'friend's handiwork is unquestionable, even if he's pretending to not do so. Having a three-legged crow eat the spies is a curious message, but it signals to us that He knows where we are, and what we are doing." Beelzebub was quite tranquil. "In other words, He knows of our little alliance, which means He'll be moving against them as well… And that will be enough of a casus belli for our allies to mobilize properly in order to enter the seal with us, to hold the final line. After all- Once He is gone, his thralls will cease to be. Their home will be safe."
"...I doubt they'd approve of this plan." Asmodeus noted a bit warily. "Ze-ahem, their leader has been quite paranoid of late, and I hear rumors that he has holed up in the locus of his power. Drawing him out here to fight… I doubt that'd happen unless his home was razed."
"...And that is likely something He'll attempt to do, as it would be our allies's leader's greatest fear- To lose everything. His own methods will work against him. Either way, it divides His forces, and at the same time forces our allies to either support us or die from our enemies." Beelzebub didn't seem to worry about the situation that was brewing.
Asmodeus sighed as he was keenly aware that if Zeus and other Olympeans knew they were being used as distraction and cannon-fodder, then they'd likely jump ship instantly. 'So… Beelzebub's goal is to get us all stuck with the enemy within the Interdimensional Gap, fighting to keep him trapped for the rest of our lives… I have to admit, I've heard better plans… But I suppose I have never fought Outer Beings before, and my expertise has always been limited to things that one can fight or manage with conventional means- Armies, economy, or logistics…'
'I just have to have faith in Beelzebub's plan…'
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone