Capítulo 40: Inconsolable Jord
Important Announcement: The main character of the next volume will be the Doom Slayer. It will be only 3 chapters long, but I will make them as long and detailed as possible.
Issei's Dragons:
(Ddraig)
|Vritra|
/Midgardsormr/
Other Dragons:
[Albion]
{Bahamut telepathy}
'A character's thoughts/telepathic comm'
Chapter 37: Inconsolable Jord
The FBI went door to door to kill anyone the government orders them to on the basis of them being terrorists, but those smart enough to see what's happening know the truth, that they're murdering anyone they do not like or is even remotely a potential threat to their hidden globalist agenda.
Fortunately, many ex-military so called 'terrorists', about 80% of the military, fought back, taking control of most state governments in the mid-west.
Tony Stark is among the few American refugees lucky enough to successfully flee from tyranny.
His old home in Malibu, Commiefornia was destroyed by an AC-130 on orders of the government there. All his secret inventions were destroyed, so he concluded that the government was not willing to risk him rebelling and that his creations were too dangerous.
For now, he rented an apartment in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Currently, he is flying to Europe in his suit.
"Stark," Came Nick Fury's voice. "We need you to check something out for us."
"What do you got for me? C'mon, spit it out. You know I don't like being left in the dark."
"Ever hear the saying that loose lips sink ships?" Fury attempted to irritate him by not telling him what he's dealing with yet.
"... Maybe, sure, except for the fact that your ship is flying and invisible, both in eyesight and radar detection. It's safe, unlike me, who is out here, you know, the guy doing all the dirty work while you get to sit back and enjoy the fireworks, both on and off the 4th of July? You ever think about that sort of thing? Hey, don't I also work 24/7, 365 days a year? Because I can't remember the last time I got a vacation," He complained.
"Stark..."
"What? Am I wrong? No, of course not! I swear that it's impossible to make the world happy. They get mad when billionaires don't go to war, which I understand, but for them to also get mad when I'm actually fighting is beyond absurd."
He could hear Fury audibly sigh. "You're headed to the Russian border with Ukraine. Since all worldwide military satellites were destroyed that time that the US nearly nuked China, we've had to rely on aerial photographs taken by high altitude drones and bombers. What we saw is alarming. Tens of thousands of tanks are being moved west, and there are too many ground troops to count. The Russians are up to something big."
"Ah. World War 3, then. That's great. Hey, do you mind if I maybe stop at the Kremlin to talk to Putin about this?"
"If you want to get shot and give them an excuse to blame us as the aggressors, then by all means, go for it."
"Yeah, no thanks, but if that happens, make sure that my body is transported home in a 1st class flight."
Fury sighed again, and he could imagine the African American eye patch-wearing director of SHIELD rolling his eye.
Bruce Banner's voice came in. "You guys, just because Russians are invading an American ally doesn't mean they're turning on us. It wasn't too long ago that the Presidents of both countries agreed to an alliance. Besides, it seems quite biblical, don't you think?"
"Yeah? How so?" Tony replied.
"Well, there's an old biblical verse that predicted World War III. It goes something like, 'The Eagle and the Bear will fight the Dragon and the Snake.' Obviously, the Eagle, the Bear, and the Dragon represent the US and Russia teaming up to battle against the Chinese..."
"And the Snake?"
"No idea."
"Great. That's very reassuring."
Not much later, Tony arrived above the Ukraine-Russian border, more so in a town residing in Russian territory.
"Transmitting visual. You seeing this, Nat?"
Natasha Romanoff replied, "Affirmative. I have a live visual on a Russian strike force."
"That is no strike force, it's an invading army!" Steve Rogers exclaimed.
Fury sat back and let out an anxious sigh. "Motherfu-"
"Well, you win some, you lose some. Where to, boss man?" Tony was about to leave when he heard gunshots and screaming. "Wait a sec, these guys are fighting something... Woah! Is that a Dragon?"
. . . . . . .
"Today is the day, comrades!" Commissar Viktor Reznov III shouted as they marched. "Today is when we repay the Germans for what they did to us, to my grandfather all those years ago!"
No one dared to correct him that his grandfather died in a Gulag camp in Vorkuta, Russia, lest they be shot.
It was at this moment that Arisu woke up. The very first thing she saw is a sign for some sort of bar in the native language.
She had no idea how she ended up in Russia, of all places, but then, she remembered.
'Issei was fighting Uranus! Vali, too! I have to get back to them and help.'
Her body, her legs in particular, felt weak from sleepiness. Looking around, she noticed that she is in some sort of alleyway.
That's when she felt it.
The ground was shaking. Engine roars and loud screeching from tank treads could be heard from afar. Rocks bounced loudly, as if an Earthquake is happening, but then she heard multiple footsteps hitting the ground in unison.
Soldiers, and lots of them. Wherever they're headed, Arisu hoped that she, Issei, and the others managed to steer clear.
Unfortunately, lady luck is not smiling upon her in this moment, because the door to the bar burst open, and out came a drunken Private. The Private, upon seeing her, stumbled his way towards her, a lustful look in his eyes.
Arisu, still sitting on her rear-end, crawled backwards. 'Shit! Not good!'
"Private Nikita! Do you mind explaining to me why you are deserting?" Commissar Reznov III found him. The Private's breath reeked. "Ugh. Have you been drinking too much vodka, comrade?"
The Commissar was ignored as Private Nikita stumbled towards Arisu.
Seeing no other way out, Arisu shot a light dagger into the man's head, killing him instantly.
"YOU MURDERING BITCH!" The Commissar pulled out his PPsh and opened fire on Arisu, alerting the entire city to the gunshots as many of his fellow comrades rushed his way.
Arisu hardened her skin into Dragon scales, causing the bullets to bounce off. That doesn't mean that it didn't hurt because it kind of did, but not even close enough to hurt injure her. This only served to annoy her, so she transformed into her Dragon form.
The soldiers began panicking and shouting to one another.
"By Lenin..."
"Oh my Putin!"
"What is that?!"
Now in her Dragon form, everything they threw at her bounced off harmlessly without hurting her, giving her time to think.
'I need to get back to Issei immediately, but what would happen if the people who see me here, soldiers, secret service, and politicians, recognize me later as one of his girlfriends? They would likely surprise attack us to try to kill us. But I can't exactly burn the entire town to the ground now, can I?'
Huffing a puff of fire as a warning, she flapped her wings and flew away.
All of a sudden, Issei's aura hit her. 'What the- Issei's in danger!'
. . . . . . .
Istanbul, Turkey
Vali groaned as he felt someone nudge him.
It was a little boy about the age of 9. "Baba!" He shouted for his grandpa. "The foreigner is waking up!"
His grandfather trudged in wearing traditional Arabic clothing, holding a cane. "You alright, kid?"
Vali nodded as he stumbled towards the front door of the house of the people kind enough to shelter him. "Y-Yeah."
"Where are you going? We found you collapsed on our driveway, so you really shouldn't be up and about. You need rest."
"Thanks, but I gotta go."
Issei's aura hit him. 'What the fuck?! Albion, what is happening to Issei?' Vali began running and found a secluded backyard with little space between two homes.
['...']
'Albion?!'
['S-Sorry, it's just that this aura feels so familiar. Issei's life is in danger right now. Whatever is happening to him, he's in a similar state to when a Heavenly Dragon host enters their Juggernaut Drive by losing control, but this is different. It's somehow far worse than any case of Juggernaut Drive could ever get.']
'Shit.'
He teleported away.
. . . . . . .
Berlin, Germany
"OOOOORRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!" Issei roared in his Requiem Drive state.
Uranus, for the first time in his life, felt fear fill his being. He powered up a massive beam from the Power Stone again and shot it at the Dragon, only for Issei to open his armor-covered mouth, swallow the beam, and spit it back at him.
The deity had no time to react when it hit him. He was shocked to see his limbs disintegrating. Before he died, his last thoughts were, 'To be defeated in this fight and not even by the Red Dragon Emperor himself is a dishonor. Damn you, whoever you are controlling the Sekiryuutei.'
. . . . . . .
Mount Kailash, India
Shiva's eyes shot open when he felt the aura. "It seems like I finally have something interesting to see."
. . . . . . .
Takamagahara, Japan
Izanagi watched as two of his three children, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, sparred. The sweet sound of the steel of their swords clashing never got old. No bokken is needed for practice, as they are gods.
Amaterasu took her distance, panting harder than usual.
Tsukuyomi can tell that something isn't right. "Big sis? What's the matter? You okay?"
"S-Something is..." Amaterasu gasped as she fell onto her knees.
"Big sis!" Tsukuyomi sheathed his sword and ran up to her. "What's wrong?!"
"D-Don't you feel it?!" She looked up at her younger brother with panicked eyes, which served to fuel his fear.
"Feel what?"
"That energy... It's the Sekiryuutei. We need to find him! He's in danger!"
"Okay. We will. Just take it easy and lean on me." Tsukuyomi had her wrap an arm around his shoulder as he supports her weight before teleporting.
. . . . . . .
Mount Olympus, Greece
Athena burst into her the dining chambers as the other ten Greek gods ate.
"Father! Issei's in trouble!"
Gaia, who was depressed, eating very slowly, looked up in worry at the mention of her savior. "Issei? Is Issei alright?!"
"What happened?" Hera said.
"It's similar to the Juggernaut Drive, but I think this is even worse."
Zeus shivered in fear at the mention of the Juggernaut Drive. He stood up. "All of you are to stay here. I will go and see what is happening."
. . . . . . .
Asgard
"You have some explaining to do, father. What is the Eye of Agamotto? Why has mother not been home in ages? Tell me!" Thor demanded.
Odin groaned in pleasure when he sat back onto his throne, happy to rest his old, weary bones. "Ahhhh... Well son, your mother is probably the one who poisoned me."
"What? But why would she... Was she compromised by the Khaos Brigade?" The realization hit Thor.
"Yes and no. It's a little more complicated than that. The first one to be compromised between her and your siblings was Loki followed by Baldur and then her. Freya is trying to have Baldur killed so that his hatred for her would also disappear as well as his pain."
"You mean to tell me that you knew all this and did nothing? Why?"
"Because I trust in our allies to kill her captors and bring her back. If I were to tell anyone of Freya's situation, even you, then I could be putting her life in danger. Now, I have no choice to do so. However, as much as I love Freya, if it came down to it, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my own family if it meant saving the universe."
This one sentence made Thor's hair stand. "And the Eye of Agamotto? What exactly was it?"
Odin stood back up, ignoring Thor's question. "Now then, it seems Issei needs our help," He stated as if there was no rush.
. . . . . . .
Inside the Boosted Gear, Ddraig, Vritra, and Midgardsormr struggled to make sense of what's happening. They couldn't hear or see the outside world. All they know is that Issei's mindscape is in violent turmoil.
('Issei! ISSEI!')
/'What is happening, Ddraig?!'/
('Issei isn't responding to my calls. Something or someone has taken control of his body, and I'm not sure if Issei can even hear me.')
|'This isn't good. We need to do something... but what?!'|
. . . . . . .
Titan
Freya kept looking over her shoulder as she dragged Baldur off to a secluded area from the other Khaos Brigade members.
"What exactly do you think you're doing, mother?" Baldur spat out the word angrily.
"Listen to me. Right now, the Sekiryuutei has reached some sort of stage of power that is very likely going to be temporary. The time that he's in this condition will be your best chance to fulfill your wish of dying."
Baldur sighed. "Even if what you say is true, what makes you think we could get away from here?"
"We can because the leaders of the Khaos Brigade know that what we sell to them is false loyalty. They do not want people who aren't committed to their cause."
. . . . . . .
Issei's House
A knock at the front door broke Raynare and the others out of their thoughts. They sensed friendly deities waiting on the other side, so they opened the door only to be surprised at who's standing there.
Raynare's eyes widened. "Kratos? Atreus? Thor? What may I do for you?"
Atreus scratched his head. "There is something my dad and I need to talk to you about. Thor, too."
"Ah. Please come in, but do keep it brief please. Issei is in danger and needs our help."
The three gods were led to a seat in the living room as Akeno served them tea.
Kratos sighed as he drank the entire cup of tea in one gulp. "... Did any of you know that I am Zeus' son?" They shook their heads with surprised faces. "A long time ago, my father and I had a falling out. Our disagreements turned violent when he sentenced my first wife, who was Human, to death. His son, Ares, the Greek God of War, was responsible for the deaths of my loved ones. In retaliation, I killed some of his people, too."
Ravel nodded sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Hmph. Eventually, I went into hiding in Norway where Odin and I were at odds. Thor discovered my location and fought me. After defeating me, he showed mercy and offered me to join his peerage. Now, I am an honorary Norse god and can cooperate with Zeus just fine, even though I still resent him, but I do not care for his well-being. After all, I am the true God of War.
There exists a long chain of events in which my father and his fathers before him had their sons try to kill them. Thor's brother, Baldur, tried to do something like that to their mother, but eventually, he stopped when she insisted on helping him with his goal of dying."
Mythra tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "Why would she want to kill her own son?"
Kratos shook his head. "She doesn't. At first, she was willing to let her son kill her if it meant that he would live. This is because when Baldur was born, Freya put a curse on Baldur that prevented him from dying or feeling anything. He can see and hear, but he is unable to feel, taste, or smell anything, not even pain. Because of this, he became miserable and suicidal while being unable to take his own life. Freya thought she did what she did to protect her son. Eventually. she realized she was wrong. She was only hurting him."
Kuroka frowned. "You're saying she would actually let her own child kill her?"
"If it meant that her son could live... yes."
Kratos took a moment to send a mostly stoic look mixed with a hint of affection for Atreus, raising a hesitant hand to place it on his shoulder and then lowered it before he looked back up at the others. "After everything I had been through, I grew distant from my own son, but when his mother, my second wife, died, I wanted to grieve with him. However, the fear of getting close to others lingered, fear that bridging the gap between us would result in my loved ones dying, as most that I've grown close to have passed away.
Eventually, Freya realized her mistake, that by making her son numb, she only hurt him deeply. Now, she is helping him to achieve his wish because she wants him to be happy, even if he were to die."
Thor cleared his throat. "We believe Baldur is a member of the Khaos Brigade and will attempt to fight Issei Hyoudou in order to fulfill his wish. My mother is also a possible affiliate of theirs since father says that she is the one that poisoned him."
"HUH?!" They exclaimed.
Thor frowned sadly. "I imagine that mother was only following orders and doing whatever needs to be done in order to help my brother with his goal."
"Ms. Raynare," Atreus spoke. "You know what it's like to be a parent, right? Please don't hurt Freya. She never wanted any of these bad things to happen."
Raynare nodded. "I won't. We'll do our best to get Freya back for you, but firstly, our priority is Issei."
They all stood up as Thor said, "Let's go find him."
. . . . . . .
Cue Song: God of War OST "The Ninth Realm"
Issei ended up in Alsace, a town in France very close to their northeastern German border, floating and roaring mindlessly all the way.
Freya watched from a distance as Baldur shouted for Issei's attention. "Hey! Over here, you wild beast!" However, he was ignored.
Suddenly, other beings began teleporting in.
Zeus.
Odin.
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.
Azazel.
Sairaorg.
Gabriel and the other three Great Seraphs.
Maou and Alucard.
And lastly, the Hyoudou residents, their Norse guests, and Arisu and Vali appearing at the same time.
Arisu opened her mouth and was about to shout Issei's name when Raynare ran up to her and covered her mouth. "Iss-Mm?! MMMMMM!" She attempted to shout, 'What are you doing?!'
Raynare signaled for the others to get down as they crouched and hid behind a bush or a thick tree. "Sh. Be quiet, Arisu. Issei is in a state in which it would be too dangerous to even talk to him."
The Dragon Princess furrowed her eyebrows in frustration and worry. "Then how do we bring him back?!"
"First, we wait for Issei to fight and kill Baldur." She explained everything Freya told her. "After that..." The Queen explained her plan to the others.
Vali nodded. "I see. That is a good plan."
They all turned to the sky and watched the battle.
Issei, having finally shown Baldur the attention he craved for, roared, "REVELATION SMASHER!" He opened his mouth and fired a golden beam.
Baldur smiled and closed his eyes with his arms outspread, thinking his death is imminent, however, the beam merely served to knock him down, not wounding him in the slightest. His anger grew when he saw Issei flying away, dismissing him again.
Baldur jumped hundreds of feet into the air towards the Sekiryuutei and punched him, grappling onto the Red Dragon as he threw multiple attacks. "I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'M BEGGING YOU! KILL ME, DAMN IT!"
"And why would I do that?"
"Because my life is nothing but pain. Can't you see? Misery loves my company!"
A new voice interrupted. "If you want to die so badly, you should've just told me! I'd be happy to kill you!" It was Alucard.
Baldur scowled. "Whoever you are, piss off unless you can actually help me with that."
That was the moment when Baldur sensed the other beings in the area.
"I see. So that's how it is, huh. You brought some friends along to, what, have a little dance? To toy with me? Is that it?!"
Alucard shrugged. "Not really. We're only here for the badass insane kid," He pointed at Issei, who simply quietly stood there, staring at them which only creeped them out.
Raynare clicked her teeth. "Tch. Looks like Issei isn't attacking him back. My plan isn't working."
"Hmmmm?" Baldur thought to himself, 'If I can get the Emperor Dragon to snap by attacking those he cares about, then perhaps...'
Smirking, he shouted, "All of you over there! I know you're there! COME OUT!"
The group exchanged looks as they turned towards their respective leaders, such as Raynare for advice, but before they could decide what to do, Thor stood up and walked out of the clearing.
Thor frowned as he approached Baldur. "Brother..."
The others followed him.
Baldur sneered. "You... You are no brother of mine, Thor. Never were, never will be!"
"We are of the same blood!"
"So?! That doesn't somehow mean that we're close! How dare you bring all these people here just to inflict as much damage on me as possible without the means to end me."
"That's not-"
"Here's how we are going to do this!" Baldur interrupted Thor. "One of you from Dragon Boy's peerage will fight me!" He gestured to Issei. "The rest of you are not allowed to interfere unless you know a guaranteed method to put me down for good! If I win, you people are required to take me in, research my cursed immortality, and figure out a way to kill me."
"In that case, I'll do it." Raynare stepped forward.
Thor protested, "Surely, there has to be some other way, right?"
She shook her head as she made her way to the base of the hill, still in a wide-open area. 'It's risky, but if I intentionally hold back and let Baldur wound me, then maybe Issei will snap out of it.'
"My Queen, no!" Arisu attempted to persuade her otherwise upon hearing her thoughts.
Raynare looked back while walking. "As Baldur said, stay out of this unless you know how to kill him. Don't worry about me. Our main concern should be Issei."
Baldur stared at Raynare with hostility, sizing her up. "You want to be my opponent?" Receiving a nod, he cackled. "Very well."
The two charged at each other, but with only a few feet in distance between them, Baldur suddenly changed course to the right, grabbed a parked car on the side of a road, and used his godly strength to throw it at Raynare.
Seeing the sedan flying towards her, Raynare could have dodged but chose not to. Instead, she brought her arms up to cover her face as she braced for the collision. The car walloped her as she flew 33 yards back, hitting the ground, rolling, and skidding until she came to a stop.
Her friends and allies could only wince and grit their teeth in frustration, especially Arisu, all while Baldur strolled back and forth, admiring the carnage he caused, the damage done to his opponent.
Issei stood off to the side, seemingly observing the fight.
Feeling dizzy as she slowly got up, Raynare felt something wet trickle down the right side of her head mere centimeters from her eye. Reaching up, she looked at her palm. 'My blood. Shit. It hurts like hell, but if it's for Issei, I'll endure anything.'
Slowly, she began trudging forward with a determined look.
Baldur threw his arms up. "Is that all you got?!"
Sprouting her wings, Raynare's speed increased drastically to make it seem like she's trying, at least to Baldur, but those that know her came to the same conclusion by figuring out her plan.
Arisu clenched her fist. "Fuckin' hell. What the fuck are ya doin', Raynare?! This plan of yers is insane! You'll die at this rate!"
Raynare ignored her as she let Baldur lay strike after strike on her using any non-lethal melee weapon he got his hands on. 'Issei... I don't know what led you to change into whatever that form of yours is, but I promise, I will bring you back, even if it kills me!'
She spat out blood. 'You're the best thing to ever happen to me. No one has shown me love like you have. My own mother couldn't be there for me due to Heaven's political affairs. I love you SO much. Please... Please come back to me!'
. . . . . . .
Issei's Mindscape
Issei groaned as he opened his eyes, seeing a pure white void.
A deep distorted voice echoed. "Issei Hyoudou."
"M... Mm?" Issei sat up and looked around. In the sky, he saw a massive floating golden halo, but there is no sign of any person there. "Hello?"
"Issei Hyoudou," The voice spoke again.
"Who are you?"
"I cannot tell you, at least not yet, but I am on your side."
"Hm? Okay? Um... What do you want from me?"
"What do I want? Well... I wish to guide you on your path."
"I don't understand."
"You don't have to. All you need to know is that the future is in your hands, and that the fate of the universe- no, the multiverse, rests on your shoulders as well as your most trusted allies such as the Doom Slayer. My goal is to help you secure that future. I do not give a man a fish, I teach him how to."
Issei had an idea of who this mysterious being is, but he dismissed the thought, thinking it to be too absurd. However, one last question remained. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"I was the one who sent Lelouch vi Britannia to train your minds in military strategy and the Art of War."
"I see. I believe you. Why am I here, though? I don't remember what happened when I blacked out."
"I took control of your body and destroyed Uranus' existence off the face of the world."
"Why?" He couldn't recall what happened other than the fact that he got into a fight with the Greek and Roman progenitor.
"He killed thousands of innocent people in your fight with him, remember? I was angry about that. He needed to be punished. Such a sinful creation..."
The more the mysterious entity spoke, the more uneasy Issei felt as certain words dropped hints that served to confirm his earlier theory that he didn't dare approach until the newcomer is ready.
Ddraig's voice broke him out of his thoughts as his mindscape shifted into the same large green hill he first met the Welsh Dragon on during his dream sequence. ("ISSEI!")
"Ddraig?"
("DON'T 'DDRAIG' ME! I THOUGHT SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED TO YOU!")
Issei covered his ears. "Not so loud!"
/|"ISSEI!|/ Vritra and Mi-chan proceeded to scream in joy much to their host's annoyance as all three Dragons proceeded to fly onto the hill and dogpile him in a group hug.
He sighed. "I'm fine. More importantly, do any of you know what happened?"
Ddraig nodded. ("We were as clueless as you until that voice explained it, and Issei... For a while now, we've been hiding something, including Elsha and Belzhard. That something was the soul of that voice. You finally figured it out.")
"Yeah. Now that things are playing out the way they are, it's not too far-fetched of a theory of mine now, is it? But for now, let's not step in that puddle until that person is comfortable."
|"For a while, we were cut off from the outside world, unable to see or hear anything, but now, our senses are slowly coming back."|
"Oh?"
/"Indeed. Issei, your dearly beloved Raynare is fighting Baldur, but from the sounds of it, she's losing on purpose."/
"WHAT?!" His anger and worry skyrocketed. "Then if your senses are coming back, how come I'm not waking up?!"
("Probably because our unwanted guest wants you to regain control yourself so that in doing so, you would likely become mentally stronger to the point that something like this would be unlikely to happen again.")
At that moment, a vision appeared in the sky showing the fight from his perspective, and Raynare was looking quite tired, bruised, and battered.
Even though his voice didn't reach them, Issei shouted, "RAYNARE! PLEASE STOP! DON'T DO THIS! YOU'RE IN NO SHAPE TO CONTINUE!"
That's when Raynare's thoughts reached Issei. 'Issei... I don't know what led you to change into whatever that form of yours is, but I promise, I will bring you back, even if it kills me!'
She spat out blood. 'You're the best thing to ever happen to me. No one has shown me love like you have. My own mother couldn't be there for me due to Heaven's political affairs. I love you SO much. Please... Please come back to me!'
Tears welled up in Issei's eyes. "Raye..." He began choking up, but he blinked the tears away. His vision filled brighter with the same white void to signify a physical change in his body. "I'm home."
Determination filled Issei. He failed. He failed to protect one of the girls he loves due to circumstances beyond his control, something that frustrated him greatly, but now, he has his chance to do so.
. . . . . . .
Atreus couldn't take it anymore, seeing Raynare, someone he respects and looks up to like an older sister, get beaten up the way she has.
Breaking out of his cover, he ran towards the battlefield.
"BOY! NO!" Kratos roared in worry for his son as he charged after him.
Atreus pulled out a mistletoe arrow from the set Freya once gifted him, pulled out his bow, primed the arrow, hurdled over a bolder, aimed, and fired the weapon, all while his legs never stopped moving, an impressive feat for a 13-year-old kid. The arrow struck true as it hit Baldur right as Baldur threw one last vicious punch that connected with Raynare's cheek.
"DIABOLOS DRAGON GOD!"
Raynare closed her eyes, but she never hit the ground, so she opened them to find herself in a pair of arms, and her eyes widened. "... Issei? Is that really you?"
Issei is no longer in the so-called 'Requiem Drive' state anymore, but rather, he has returned to his Diabolos Dragon God form, currently not wearing his helmet.
He smiled warmly. "Hey... It's rare for me to say this considering how gorgeous you usually are, but you don't look so good." He caressed her cut lip that was leaking a little blood.
The Queen let out a pained cough and gave him a weak smirk. "Shut up, idiot. Saying such things at a time like this is just... so you." She coughed up a little blood, having been hit hard in the solar plexus.
His smile disappeared. "You'll lose your beauty as well as your life, and it will be all because of me."
"Ah! Stop talking already. You're pissing me off." She roughly grabbed him by his collar and smashed her lips onto his for a kiss for all present to see.
When they pulled away, he blushed but he smirked and chose to tease her. "O-Oh wow. Missed me that much?"
She glared at him. "Jerk. I'm about to 2 seconds from slapping you," Raynare threatened, knowing she would very likely never follow through with such a threat towards the man she loves.
Issei winked at her. "Tsun tsun~"
She pouted. "I'm not tsun. I was just worried about you."
Arisu flew over to him. "Issei! You're back?!"
He nodded as he picked Raynare up bridal style as she groaned in pain and handed her to Arisu. "Take Raynare to cover and have Ravel heal her while you guard them. I'll deal with Baldur."
"Okay. S-Stay safe!" Arisu exchanged a quick, shy kiss with Issei. "T-That was only for luck! Don't get cocky about it, ya got that?!" She flew away before a baffled Issei could respond.
Raynare attempted to protest as Arisu flew her away. "But... Issei!"
"He'll be fine," Arisu reassured her. "It's Issei we're talking about. Luck is on his side."
"Y-Yeah, but..." She thought, 'When?! When will that luck run out?!' Her thoughts drifted to the kiss as she blushed. 'Issei, you idiot! You made me worry over you for nothing! Hmph!' She pouted and crossed her arms, much to the six-piece Pawn's amusement. The movement accentuated her huge breasts, pushing them close together.
As they made it back to cover, Gabriel bombarded her daughter with kisses and hugs. "Raye! Don't ever do that again!"
"M-Mom, I can't breathe! Let me go! Let me go, you crazy hag!" Raynare squirmed in the blonde's arms, comedically yelling for help to get away from the overly affectionate Angel like Yukihira Soma trying to get away from a daydreaming Fumio.
"Never! Mama needs to show you love, for a mother's love heals her children~" Gabriel swayed her back and forth like a baby.
"What is wrong with you?!" Raynare pouted as she complained, all while an amused Ravel healed her.
Akeno held a hand to her cheek. "Ara ara, You let yourself get beaten up? I didn't know you're a masochist like me!"
"I'm not!"
Meanwhile, Baldur tossed the charging Atreus away as he fell onto his side and yanked the arrow out, blood pouring from his wound. His body felt weak, but more importantly, he felt something he has never felt before: physical pain. Lots and lots of pain.
But despite it, he cackled. "Oooooh! Kratos, your little brat has fixed me!"
Instead of attacking, Kratos simply stood in front of his son while backing away, holding his son behind his massive frame to guard him, wary of Baldur. "Boy... Never run off like that again."
Freya's eyes widened towards Baldur. "W-What?! Do you mean-"
"Yes. I can now die in peace." Baldur closed his eyes and sighed, looking blissful. "So... Who will be the one to kill me? Any takers?"
Kratos was about to step forward and finish the job, but he never got the chance.
"Allow me," Issei said, "as revenge for hitting my girl!" He grabbed Baldur in a choke hold from behind, squeezed tight, and snapped his neck.
Baldur fell over and collapsed, his head landing in Freya's lap. His last words were, "It's cold, mother..."
Freya cried. That was the first time he ever called her mother and not with hatred but with affection.
Thor and Odin also knelt next to her and grieved. Several minutes later, Thor said, "Mother, let's go home. Let's go home and give brother a proper burial."
Freya nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks, picking up her dead child, comforted by Odin.
Thor turned to Issei. "Thank you, Issei. Kratos was about to end him, but if he did, Freya would have resented him, and since Kratos is my Queen and lives with my peerage in the Asgardian royal castle, things would have been tense there had he killed Baldur. My mother would have resented him. Nobody else could have done it."
Issei nodded as the Asgardians made their exit.
Everyone watching felt terrible sympathy for Freya and her family.
"You good, bro?" Maou came up to Issei.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Also, shouldn't you be working?"
"Nah! Boss gave me a day off. When you went berserk, I made Alucard teleport us here since I'm still out of my demonic powers due to a lack of fear from others." Alucard placed a hand onto Maou's shoulder. "Well, I should be going. Take care." The two left.
Tsukuyomi sighed. "Good grief. We stumbled into a special kind of freak show."
Amaterasu shrugged. "True, but at least Issei is alive."
They teleported home.
Sairaorg came up to Issei. "Issei, are you sure you're okay?"
Issei nodded. "Yeah. I don't know if an episode like this will ever happen to me again. It's very unlikely, but..."
"The possibility exists?"
"Yeah."
"If it does, what should I do?"
"Scream at me to think about the ones I love."
. . . . . . .
Everyone else went home, leaving Issei with the Hyoudou residents. He picked up a sleeping Raynare into his arms as they teleported to his house.
Setting her down in their bed and laying beside her, his mind raced for half an hour, thinking of the future as he ran his fingers through her hair with a somewhat worried expression.
'Ddraig, has something like this ever happened to your past hosts that is non-Juggernaut Drive related?'
('No. Those people lost their sanity. Your case was more like a possession.')
'I see.' Issei felt anxious. Never again did he want anyone he cares about to get hurt, especially because of him.
He looked down at Raynare to see all her wounds and scars had been healed. Kissing her forehead, he fell asleep.
As he slept, Arisu crept into his bed and into his arms, sharing his chest with the Queen.
. . . . . . .
A few days passed.
For Issei, he was quite on edge after that fight, but duty calls, those duties being school (despite a world war going on) and his children.
One day, when he got home, he decided to have some fun with his kids. He sat next to Raynare in the living room as he cradled Yuuma while Raynare held Yume.
The two began competing to see who could get their children to say their first words first, and their kids are barely two months old. Human babies begin saying a few words at about 1 years old.
"Yuuma~" Issei affectionately said his daughter's name.
"Nn?" His daughter tilted her head to look up at him, her honey-brown eyes portraying her curious confusion.
"Say 'dad' for me."
Raynare frowned. "No, Yuuma, don't listen to your father. Say 'mama' for me."
Yuuma cutely sang, "Dada~!"
Issei smirked smugly towards Raynare, whose irritation increased as she gave Issei a small glare, as if to say, 'This is your fault.'
Sighing, she decided to settle for her son. "Now, Yume." Her son squeaked in confusion. "Say 'mama.'"
"Mm?"
"Mm?!" Raynare became excited at the 'm' sound, hoping he would say it...
But her excitement would lead to disappointment at her son's words.
"MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA!" Yume went full Giorno Giovanna. Literally. Even his voice sounds like him despite being an infant.
Issei cackled as she glared at him again, so he grabbed her by the waist and was about to lean in and kiss her...
But in stormed Vali and Tannin, who both shouted, "HORNY POLICE! PUT YOUR COCK DOWN!"
"W-What are you doing here, gramps?!"
"HAHA! Just wanted to hang out with my grandson."
. . . . . . .
Asgard
Kratos and Atreus slowly trailed behind the Asgardians after making it home from the ordeal with Baldur.
"Father, can you tell me a story, please?" Atreus looked up at his massive father, being only as tall as the God of War's waist.
"Hmph. Very well," Kratos stoically grunted. "There once was a B O Y."
"Me?"
"... Not quite." The amused expression in Kratos' eyes told a half-truth.
"Oh? Well then, go on!"
"Born into a warrior tribe, the boy was destined to live and die on the battlefield."
"What was his name?"
"Atreus."
"What?"
"His name was Atreus."
"Hang on..."
"Yes. This is the story of how I convinced your mother to give you your name."
"Continue!"
"Atreus of Sparta was a good friend of mine, a good friend of all Spartan men and women. I was once an ancient Spartan, just like him."
"Then he was a mighty warrior?"
"ALL Spartans are mighty warriors... Spartans were born under grim circumstances; we were raised to die grimly, and we did so quite eagerly, like a tradition of sending children to perish."
"I see. That's sad. What happened to him?"
"Atreus of Sparta was different from the others. When the time came for him to fight in battle, he stayed behind to buy the rest of us time, and it is said that he died with a smile on his face."
"Like Baldur?"
"Hmph. Perhaps. But unlike Baldur, Atreus of Sparta always smiled throughout much of his life, even when times were hard. He gave us hope and courage. His death came as a shock but firmed our resolve to fight."
"Is that why you named me Atreus? To be brave?"
"No. I convinced your mother to give you your name because Atreus of Sparta... He was happy."
"Wow. You actually told a good story for once."
"Hmph. Enough of that. Let us go home and rest."
Baldur may have been wicked, but he wasn't pure evil because he never had a reason to smile. Kratos hopes that Atreus wouldn't turn out that away.
. . . . . . .
Kuoh, Japan
Maou was working his shift as manager of MgRonald's when we received an unexpected customer.
A bell chimed to alert the employees that the front door has opened.
"Hi! Welcome to Mg-" Maou stopped mid-sentence when he saw who his customer was. He craned his head upwards to stare at the 230 lbs of muscles (360 lbs with armor) and standing at 6'8" giant of a man in forest green armor and a black visor for a helmet.
The Doom Slayer casually carried his shotgun in one hand pointed downwards, not bothered in the slightest by the nervous glances he received from other employees and customers.
"H-How may I help you?" Maou asked, but the Doom Slayer looked upwards at the screen, thinking of what to order. "Take your time."
After several seconds, the Doom Slayer pointed at an item.
Maou looked behind to follow the Slayer's finger before he looked back at the mysterious Human. "Number 666?"
The Slayer nodded as Maou punched in his order. Inside his helmet, the Slayer smirked a little. 'Spicy Hot Devil Burger, huh. The Devil is a pussy.'
"What would you like to drink with that?"
The Slayer shook his head, preferring water over carbonated junk.
"No drink? Okay, that's fine. Anything else you want with it?"
The Slayer shook his head but held up two fingers.
"Huh? A number 2?"
The Slayer shook his head again and pointed at the computer.
"Are you saying you want me to put in two of the exact same order?"
A slight nod. He is ordering for both the Chief and himself, even though he doesn't need to eat or drink because he's the motherfucking Doom Slayer.
He handed Maou some counterfeit money that VEGA printed so no one could tell if it's real or not, and he walked out with his order as Maou shouted, "Thank you, have a good day!"
It was also his way of checking in to make sure the Demon King of another realm is behaving.
"Hey! You there!" A young police officer shouted. The Slayer stopped walking as he turned to look at the officer. "Do you have a license for that weapon you're carrying?" He pointed at the Slayer's shotgun.
The Slayer shrugged and walked away, ignoring the law enforcers. 'License? What's that?'
VEGA responded using the internal speakers. "It's a piece of paper as proof of permission for carrying a gun in public."
The Slayer scoffed. 'Not like I need permission when I'm protecting this world.'
"Wait!" The young policeman yelled, but his chief placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't bother. He looks like he could be a member of the American military."
US military personnel had a drastically increased presence in Japan to defend the country due to China's threatened invasion. Even as the Slayer made his way around the streets, there were a few tanks, Humvees, and even Anti Air cannons driving through the city, setting up AA's on top of buildings.
As he left, he never noticed another young man or older teenage boy watching him from across the street right outside the Sentucky Fried Chicken that rivals the local MgRonald's. The boy has blueish-silver hair and purple eyes.
"Heeeeeh? What's with that cosplayer?" He muttered.
Then he saw something even more interesting: across the street, a redheaded girl carrying a two-year-old girl entered the MgRonald's. He recognized the aura of the infant. It was that of a Yesod Fragment.
A smirk made its way onto the boy calling himself Mitsuki Sarue. As the manager of his place of work, Sentucky Fried Chicken, he has a lot more power over other employees, and his boss isn't present at the moment.
So he took the opportunity and crossed the street before entering the MgRonald's.
. . . . . . .
'I'm just checking up to make sure the Demon King is behaving and not showing any signs of commanding his armies or attempting to return to Ente Isla, nothing more,' Emi tried to convince herself as she entered MgRonald's.
"Welcome to MgR- oh hi, Emi! Alas!" Maou was surprised.
"Daddy!" Alas waved cutely.
"What are you doing here?" He questioned the redhead.
"J-Just making sure that everything is alright around here. What have you been up to?" Emi's heart skipped when he smiled at her, and she isn't sure why.
She expected him to tease her for wanting to see him or to show annoyance, but none of that happened.
Instead, Maou's reaction surprised her. "Ohhhhhh?" He looked at her with a dreamy smirk as he rested his body weight onto the counter, a hand on his cheek, his red eyes narrowed a little, occasionally nodding to himself as he checked Emi out, not caring that Alas=Ramus is there, his own adoptive daughter.
His stare alone made Emi blush as she squeaked in embarrassment. "W-What's with you?! Why are you eye-raping me?! Pervert!"
Maou cackled. "What? Am I not allowed to admire the beauty of the girl who is my daughter's mother?"
Just when she thought her face couldn't turn any redder, his infuriating tactics proved her wrong. "W-What?! Stop acting like I'm your w-w-w-w-wife or something! You... You... Demon Lord!"
Other employees, especially the female ones, began asking Maou things like, "What?! You're married?! Since when did you have a daughter?!"
He took the opportunity to further tease the Hero of Ente Isla. "My sweet little Angel," Maou made his way around the counter and placed an arm around Emi's shoulder. "I may be a Demon Lord, but only in bed, that is." He winked at her.
All females present proceeded to squeal as they imagined the supposedly evil-in-bed Demon King Maou, a psychotically lustful smirk on his face, dominating the Angel Emi with his huge-
"Emi?" Maou's voice snapped her out of her stupor.
Emi realized that everything that just happened was a daydream as she had been staring at her male friend for a while now, Alas=Ramus asleep in her arms.
"Are you going to order something or what?" Maou smiled tensely, feeling both creeped out and worried by Emi's lack of responsiveness.
"Huh?! Oh, uh... I-"
"Maou-sama!" Two of his female colleagues came up to him with smiles a little too bright for Emi's liking, clinging onto his arms. "Are you free this weekend?"
"Ah? Well, yes I am, actually. Why do you ask?"
"Do you want to go to the movies with us?"
Emi's eyes widened a little. 'Did they just ask him out?! What would happen if he says yes?! And... Why does the thought of that hurt?'
Shaking her head, she interrupted them before Maou could respond. "Maou can't."
"Eh?" The three turned towards her.
Her hair covered her eyes. "Maou can't go out with you because..." She raised her head as she shouted with a blush. "HE IS MINE!"
Maou gave Emi a shocked look.
The Hero bit her lower lip, cursing herself, 'AHHHHHH! YOU IDIOT! WHY DID I SAY THAT?! IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE WHO HE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH, RIGHT?'
"Maou-sama, is that true?! You're dating this girl?!"
"Please tell us it isn't true, right?!"
The Demon King nodded, not breaking his stare from the redhead. "I-It's true. Emi and I are... Well... Boyfriend and girlfriend." He chose to play along, but he himself isn't sure why.
He thought to himself, 'It's not like I want any relationship with her, right? One day, I will have to return to Ente Isla, and Emi and I are destined to be enemies. We call ourselves friends here, but eventually, things will change because that's just the way it is... Right?'
The disheartened female employees returned to their stations.
Maou scratched his hair as he weakly taunted Emi. "W-Wow. Who would have thought you care so much about me, my hero." His attempts met no response, so he opened his eyes and was surprised to see her blush as she looked to the side and up at him before averting her gaze repeatedly.
She spoke in a hushed tone. "... I-I do care... It's just..."
"Emi..." Maou replied in a surprised and caring voice.
"I-It's just... I don't know what it means to care for you."
"Huh?" Maou was confused. What she said is obvious. She doesn't understand the concept of love for anyone other than her father, nor friendship with anyone other than three of the other four Heroes, and Maou himself is in the same boat.
So why point it out? Unless she was trying to say that she wants to learn as they go along...
His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and in walked a boy with the Sentucky Fried Chicken uniform on. Inwardly, Maou cursed the presence of the rival.
The boy took his hat off and walked towards Maou. "Are you the manager of this place?"
Maou nodded. "I am. Is there something I can do for you?"
The boy was about to respond when Maou's boss came in from the office in the back.
"Maou, what are you standing around for?! Quit slacking off and- oh, hi." His boss is a beautiful woman in her very early 30's. Her name is Mayumi Kisaki, and she has sky blue eyes and dark blue hair tied and draped over her left shoulder, the hairstyle of death.
"Nice to meet you again, Sarue-kun. Is there something you need?" Mayumi said.
"Do you know him?" Maou rose an eyebrow.
"No, we only met once before."
Feeling left out, Emi left with Alas=Ramus, feeling somewhat sad for reasons she didn't understand. Maou saw her trudge towards the exit and wanted reach out, but he let her leave, prioritizing work over the girl. He mentally noted to have a private conversation with her when the two of them found time off from work.
Sarue nodded with a smile that reached his eyes, but one that Maou couldn't help but feel that there was something strange about it, as if there were some other reason for the SFC manager to express happiness.
"Yes, I was hoping if instead of remaining rivals, we could hold a private meeting somewhere soon to discuss a potential business partnership. How would you feel about that possibility?"
Mayumi's eyes widened as she grinned. "Great idea! We could brainstorm all sorts of methods to increase the sales of both stores. With our combined effort, our profits would skyrocket, I'm sure of it!"
But deep inside, her thoughts did not reflect her outward appearance, despite being a usually friendly person: 'I'm going to steal all your ideas and profit off them before I crush you, SFC pig! Muhahahahahaha!'
Maou, having worked with her for quite a while now, sweat dropped knowing what she's thinking.
Sarue grinned. "Good to hear. When and where shall we meet?"
"Maou's apartment this Sunday at 7:00 PM." She wrote down the address and handed it to Sarue, who left.
"What?!" Maou exclaimed.
She turned to glare at him maliciously. "Hoh? Is there a problem, manager-kun?"
'D-Does she ever think about anything other than work, money, and profit?!' "First of all, I know I put my address in the job application process, but why my place?"
"I live in an apartment complex right across yours. What are you, stupid or something?" She taunted with a smug expression, knowing he couldn't say anything back unless he wanted to get punished or even fired.
Maou closed his eyes with a sigh as he hid his annoyance inside. 'She's abusing her power, and she's totally enjoying every second of it!'
"Second of all, if you keep putting all your effort into work, you'll stay single forev- ARRGH!!!" Maou coughed in agony when he got socked in the stomach by his boss.
"Care to repeat that?!" Mayumi taunted angrily before she turned sad and pretended to cry. "I know I'll probably never get married, but... At least let a girl dream! WAAAAAAH!"
He clenched his teeth in frustration. 'Someone, please marry her! If not, I may just have to do it (114)!' In Human appearance, Maou looks 18 years old despite being much older, so the age gap wouldn't matter.
Maou thought to himself, 'I'm not into younger girls, but if it were the other way around with a romantic relationship between a younger girl and a much older guy, society would look at them and say things like, "That guy is such a creep, dating a younger girl!" or something because of their double standards. Society needs Satou Kazuma now more than ever.'
. . . . . . .
Titan
The three leaders of the Khaos Brigade watched the events unfold.
Satan had ordered his General, Asmodeus, to do some digging on these mysterious newcomers, and what he discovered greatly interested the Dark Lord.
Those who fled from Ente Isla in hopes of a peaceful life, such as the being calling himself Sadao Maou, are enemies as their goals, to live peaceful lives, do not match with the Khaos Brigade's, which is to cause, well, chaos.
But there are a select few individuals who quickly became allies of the Khaos Brigade. The SFC manager, for one, calling himself Mitsuki Sarue, is in actuality an Archangel from his universe. His real name is Sariel.
The idea of working alongside Angels and Humans from Ente Isla, even if they're evil, disgusted Satan, but with the Doom Slayer and co lurking, he didn't have much choice. Thus, a shaky alliance was created with Sariel.
And speaking of the Doom Slayer, the Dark Lord had not yet shared his recordings with the other two leaders.
"Drela, Thanos," He spoke, "there's a set of recordings I made that you both need to hear."
"Recordings?" Drela placed a hand on her hip, got off her chair that sat on a platform 15 feet above the ground with a hole in front of her on her platform, got on the pole sticking through the hole, hugged it tightly, and erotically slid down it as if she were a member of the Ghostbusters, her huge tits sandwiched between the pole, before facing her partners.
Satan nodded. "Yes. This is vital information you need to know about the Doom Slayer. I call these recordings, 'Slayer's Testaments.' It is crucial to know thy enemy."
"Okay. Let's hear them," Thanos leaned forward, sitting on the ground since his new female boss stole his chair. "I'm curious why he's considered to be so powerful. How many recordings are there?"
"Seven."
Drela's eyes widened as she playfully nudged Satan with her elbow. "Really? I thought you would make six since you seem to love that number and it's widely associated with you."
"No," He stoically responded, having little to no sense of humor, something he lost long ago. Although, on the rare occasions he does laugh, it's usually over something quite extremely dark.
Producing a blood-red rune stone out of thin air as it floated still, the Dark Lord placed his hands a few inches away from it. A barely audible, high-pitched demonic moan emanated from it before his own voice began speaking.
Slayer's Testament I
"In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. Burned by the embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment. In his ravenous hatred, he found no peace; and with boiling blood, he scoured the Umbral Plains, seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him... the Doom Slayer."
Drela cackled. "Who knew you could sound so edgy when you talk?" Satan sighed. "But seriously Satan, what do you mean when you said, 'In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened'?"
"Exactly what I said. It's referring to the DOOM-verse, the universe the Doom Slayer came from, in which my very first demonic invasion happened. It was the first time my forces of Hell ever announced our presence to another race, that race being the Argenta. The Argenta sent the Night Sentinels to protect themselves, one of which was the Doom Slayer."
Thanos nodded. "I see. So, you did something to piss him off, I take it?"
"I ordered my Demons to kill his pet bunny."
The other two froze.
Drela burst out laughing as she rolled around. "Pfft hahahahahaha! Y-You mean... You mean he is fighting a war against you and became so powerful, so testosterone and adrenaline fueled, over the death of an animal?!" She has no consideration for innocent, precious life.
Having it pointed it out like that, the Dark Lord realized that it seemed small and stupid, and at the time, amusing to him, but it was his greatest, biggest mistake that, thus far, has proven to be nothing but his undoing.
Still, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her reaction. "Y-Yeah... That's why he became a god amongst men. My slave, Sirzechs Gremory, told the Red Dragon Emperor of the Mark of the Beast tale, which most Devils don't know represents the Slayer; he said that the Slayer, unbeknownst to the Devils, is the boogeyman to his people. However, such a statement is not accurate. The Slayer isn't the boogeyman. The fucking boogeyman is afraid of the Slayer."
"You mean YOU'RE scared of him," Drela teased, earning a sigh.
He tapped the rune stone.
Slayer's Testament II
"Tempered by the fires of Hell, his iron will remained steadfast through the passage that preys upon the weak. For he alone was the Hell Walker, the Unchained Predator, who sought retribution in all quarters, dark and light, fire and ice, in the beginning and the end, and he hunted the slaves of Doom with barbarous cruelty. For he passed through the divide, as none but Demon had before."
They shivered a little, not willing to explicitly admit their fear of the Slayer.
"The divide?" Thanos inquired.
"Yes. The boundaries and limitations between Hell and other realms," Satan explained.
Drela raised a hand nervously. "U-Um, Satan-sensei? When you said, 'Tempered by the fires of Hell,' does that mean the Slayer was literally on fire, or something else?"
"Both, kinda. It means he was absurdly angry at my kind and slaughtered so many of us, despite being so badly wounded. He ignored his injuries, his pain, in order to send a message: Don't fuck with the Slayer, for he will have his vengeance, whether it's in this life or the next."
"Ahahahaha..." The Primordial Goddess of Extermination laughed nervously, her coping mechanism for the rare times she's scared or anxious, feeling quite unsettled.
Satan glared at her. "This is a serious matter, so don't laugh."
She straightened her back, her boobs bouncing a little from the movement. "R-Right. Sowwy."
Sighing, the leader of Hell played the next recording.
Slayer's Testament III
"And in his conquest against the blackened souls of the doomed, his prowess was shown. In his crusade, the Seraphim bestowed upon him terrible power and speed, and with his might he crushed the obsidian pillars of the Blood Temples. He set forth without pity upon the beasts of the Nine Circles. Unbreakable, incorruptible, unyielding, the Doom Slayer sought to end the dominion of the dark realm."
"Blood temples? Beasts of the Nine Circles?" Drela titled her head.
"Beasts of the Nine Circles refers to Hell as a whole, but it also implies the many Generals I've had serve under me. The Blood Temples refers to my many hordes of armies, and an obsidian pillar is usually a place of worship. In this case, an obsidian pillar refers to the many Generals of said armies because an obsidian pillar is a place of calm, even among Demons if you ignore any sacrificial rituals, so an obsidian pillar represents each of my Generals, Demons who are calm, cool, and collected in a fight against the Slayer. Despite this trait, I associate them with obsidian because it is a very weak material, and the Slayer killed them quite easily. You will find many of the remains of my Generals scattered throughout Hell and its absorbed layers."
"How many Generals did you have at the very beginning before your war with the Night Sentinels and the Slayer?" Thanos spoke.
"666."
"How many Generals do you have left?"
"Less than 20." They were surprised, aware of only six, but that only meant that he left even more commanders they don't know about in his home to defend in case the Slayer invades.
"Was it worth it?" Thanos said, referring to Slayer's pet bunny, Daisy.
"What do you think? I used to have more Demons than all the stars and galaxies in the multiverse combined. Now, I only have hundreds of trillions, a tiny number for the Slayer."
"... I see."
Slayer's Testament IV
"The age of his reckoning was uncounted. The scribes carved his name deep in the tablets of Hell across eons, and each battle etched terror in the hearts of the Demons. They knew he would come, as he always had, as he always will, to feast on the blood of the wicked. For he alone could draw strength from his fallen foes, and ever his power grew, swift and unrelenting."
Drela raised a hand. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that the Slayer gets more powerful every time he kills Demons?"
"In a certain sense, yes. For every Demon slain, his strength increases as does his speed, and along with it, so does his desire to kill more Demons as his methods grow more brutal and horrifying."
In other words, if the Slayer was the one to reduce the number of Demons that numbered in more than all the stars and galaxies in the multiverse, which he is, then if the world's oceans were made up of nothing but blood, it still wouldn't be enough blood to compare to how much the Slayer has spilt or will spill. Not now, not ever.
Because of that, the Slayer has far surpassed the power of everyone not just in this universe, but in the entire multiverse simply due to his sadistic addiction, his need to make Demons bleed.
And the Dark Lord sitting next to the two Khaos Brigade leaders made him this way.
"... You're kidding, right?" Thanos hoped this was some kind of sick joke, a bad dream.
"I shit you not," Satan simply replied. In other words, no.
Drela and Thanos were now scared shitless.
Slayer's Testament V
"None could stand before the horde but the Doom Slayer. Despair spread before him like a plague, striking fear into the shadow-dwellers, driving them to deeper and darker pits. But from the depths of the abyss rose The Great One, a champion mightier than all who had come before. The Titan, of immeasurable power and ferocity. He strode upon the plain and faced the Doom Slayer, and a mighty battle was fought on the desolate plains. The Titan fought with the fury of the countless that had fallen at the Doom Slayer's hand, but there fell the Titan, and in his defeat, the shadow horde were routed."
"Who?" Thanos, The Mad Titan, was confused as to who the Titan was.
"His best friend's son. I killed him, but when that Night Sentinel begged me to bring his son back in exchange for opening more portals for my demonic invasion, I reanimated him into the Titan as a sick joke. That was my second biggest mistake. The Slayer, seeing the Titan, a beast far taller than anything ever in existence, only got angrier."
A new voice spoke, this one being Hades, who listened to the recordings and conversations on a knee and at the base of their platform. "Your warrior champion was a kid?! Wow, you sure are one giant fuck up-"
Satan, pissed, interrupted the Greek God of the Dead by sending a powerful blast of lightning his way, making the god scream in agony as he electrocuted him for a few minutes straight.
"Shut the fuck up, lowly Primordial wannabe. Be grateful that you are powerful, an important Pawn to us, or else, I would have killed you long ago."
The atmosphere was tense, but the tension resided as he played the next recording.
Slayer's Testament VI
"And in his terrible rancor between worlds and through time, the Hell Walker found the wretch who shall not be named, but in his heresy was loyal to his evil cause. The wretch adorned the Doom Slayer in a mighty armor, wrought in the forges of Hell, impenetrable and unyielding. With sword and shield of adamantine strength, the Doom Slayer set to banishing all that were left unbroken by his savagery to the void."
Thanos' eyes widened. "Who is this wretch? They made the Slayer's armor that he still wears to this very day?"
"Yes to your second question. I cannot speak of the wretch, but they're a Demon that was rather close to the Slayer, one that forged his armor in Hell and gifted it to him a very long time after the Slayer's holy crusade against me began. Keep in mind that his armor only provides protection not to save his life, but against things that can hurt him to make sure he doesn't go berserk out of anger, because there are more times where he's far more dangerous without that damned shielding coat. The sword refers to the Crucible, the Hell sword he used to destroy the Titan, the Icon of Sin, and countless other massive beasts."
Drela shook her head. "I'm confused. How is he more dangerous without his armor?"
"'Rip and tear.'"
"Huh?"
"He goes berserk a lot more frequently without his armor because he was more likely to get suffer wounds that only served to piss him off, using his bare hands to brutally slaughter entire legions of Demons, clouded by his anger, an anger that is dangerous, even to his own allies. That is why his armor was created, to contain his anger a little so that his judgement isn't shrouded by emotion."
"I see."
Slayer's Testament VII
"Yet as the mighty Titan fell and dread engulfed the armies of Doom, the Demon priests of the Blood Temples laid a trap to capture this scourge of Hell. Insatiable, even by the vanquishing of the Great One, the Hell Walker sought prey in the tombs of the Blood Keep. And blinded by his fervor, the lure drew him in. The priests brought down the temple upon the Doom Slayer, and in his defeat entombed him in the cursed sarcophagus. The mark of the Doom Slayer was burned upon his crypt, a warning to all of Hell that the terror within must never be freed. There he lies still, and ever more, in silent suffering."
Thanos rose an eyebrow. "How long was he asleep?"
"Yes."
"... O-Okay." The answer Satan gave him made little sense to him, but so did time in Hell.
"... So..." Drela crossed her arms over her milk jugs, almost making them burst out of her skimpy clothing. "Now what?"
The Dark Lord stood up. "Now, one of my lesser Generals will work alongside the Church of Ente Isla. Our goal is to capture a few of those 'good' Ente Islans to lure the Sekiryuutei to us using hostages."
"For what purpose?"
"To see if we can... convince him to join us." His threat was thinly veiled.
"And what if the Slayer shows up?"
"He very likely won't. This Third World War serves another purpose. As people die in massive droves in densely populated sectors or in huge battles, the Icon of Sin will swoop in and pile their flesh up to create a super gore nest at such locations, which will only serve to create more Demons. Those Demons will die because the Slayer will come, and as always, they will do nothing because they cannot do anything, but this will serve to keep him out of the way for now."
. . . . . . .
A few days later, the time for the meeting came.
Maou didn't get a chance to talk to Emi because both were forced by their bosses to work themselves ragged, only having time to go home, eat dinner, brush their teeth, and go to sleep immediately upon collapsing in their beds.
While afraid of his boss, he couldn't help but feel peeved that the meeting is being held in his own home.
Whenever Maou isn't working and has no orders to give out to his Generals, he allows them to relax a little more.
He took a sip of tea as he rested his worn legs under the kotatsu. "Ashiya, Urushihara, Alucard, we're expecting two guests this evening in a couple hours. Be on your best behavior."
Ashiya gave him a bow. "Yes, my lord."
Urushihara mumbled, "Yeah, whatevs," as he continued playing video games on his computer, his headphones plugged in.
Alucard yawned and as he took a sip of blood from a wine glass.
Seeing this, Ashiya was going to scold the other two Generals, but Maou abruptly stood up.
"I'm going to go shopping. You can stay here, Alucard."
The Vampire nodded as he turned on the 70-inch plasma screen TV.
"B-But... My lord! Let me come with!" Ashiya protested, and after much back and forth, his Overlord gave in.
Ashiya turned off his computer and set his headphones down. "I'm gonna go hang out with Suzuno."
In recent times, he developed an interest of sorts in the assassin. He wasn't certain why, but he had a feeling that developing a closer bond with her would be more beneficial for the future of the Demon King apartment residents rather than letting their relationship stay in a lane that could be swayed back to the status of enemies.
That, and he felt some sort of attraction to her, and he had a feeling she felt the same way. Whenever the kimono-wearing girl came to check up on the Demons to see if they're behaving, she never really did much to say anything to him directly as her words were usually directed towards the other three.
Maou smirked. "What? You got a crush on her or something?"
Urushihara coughed. "S-Shut up. It's not like that. Besides, what about you and Emi? I bet the two of you are secretly off fucking each other."
Ashiya's eyes widened in horror. "Ms. Yusa is the enemy, so our master would NEVER mate with her, right?!" He turned towards Maou.
Maou scratched his head. "R-Right..."
"Besides, the other one is also a Hero of Ente Isla. The only reason to try to get close to one of them would be for the sake of espionage."
The Fallen Angel scoffed. "Like you and that Human girl?" He received a gasp from the blond. "What was her name again? Rika Suzuki? Pretty ironic of you to try to lecture me to not get close to one of them when you're also getting it on with a Human, a race of people we're supposed to hate."
"T-That's got nothing to do with Ente Isla! She's not even from there, she's a local!"
"Suuuuure." Urushihara grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Why you little quick-witted hypocrite." Ashiya growled.
"The pot dares to call the kettle black? How rich."
The two continued bickering until they parted ways outside the apartment door as Urushihara went to the left and to his assassin neighbor's apartment, leaving Alucard by himself.
Alucard smirked. 'Things are about to get interesting, aren't they?'
Ashiya clicked his tongue. "Tch! Such an impertinent freeloader. My lord, he does nothing to contribute to earn the right to live with us. We should just-"
Maou raised a hand, his other one holding Alas as his daughter walked alongside him. "Forget it, Ashiya."
"But-"
"He may not look it, but Urushihara is going through a tough time. He's also one of my finest warrior Generals in terms of both his ability to fight and his intelligence." The Goblin sighed. "You brought up some good points, that he doesn't contribute, but in the event of an emergency, we would need his help."
"... Are you saying if certain unwelcome guests from a certain realm attacked us, he would be paramount to our defense?"
"Yes. You have never seen him get serious during a fight like I have."
"Not even during the Earthquake when he allied with Olba for no apparent reason?"
"No."
. . . . . . .
Emi was bored, so she decided to take a walk and visit the Demon King Apartment. Her parents, Nord and Lailah, decided to tag along.
The three made small talk, trying to get to know each other having spent most of their lives apart from each other.
Eventually, their conversation turned idle as the two parents appeared a little tense, much to Emi's confusion.
Nord fidgeted as they crossed the street. "So, Emi," He coughed, "your mother and I were wondering if you have anyone in your life?"
"W-What do you mean?"
Lailah beamed. "You know, like a love interest!"
The redhead wanted to change the topic, but before she could, a familiar face showed up.
It was Rika. "Hi Emi!" She waved.
"Huh? Rika?"
The outgoing girl approached Emi. "Are these your parents? Nice to meet ya! I'm Rika Suzuki, a friend of Emi's. Sorry if I'm interrupting you. Were you talking about something important?"
Emi shook her head. "No, we weren't-"
"Yes!" Lailah held her hands in front of her with a kind smile. "We were wondering if Emi has ever had a boyfriend or is interested in one."
"Oh! I know! She's totally into a MgRonald's worker named Sadao Maou." Rika exclaimed, surprising the couple, both of whom know the Demon King.
Nord was always a little skeptical of Maou, but upon his wife's insistence that he's a decent person, and after seeing the news of how Maou repaired the bridge from collapsing during the recent Earthquake, he knew that he wanted to meet him as a potential ally. But he never expected this.
The three bantered with Emi, who adamantly denied any romantic connection to Maou, as they were a few blocks away from their destination, now in downtown Kuoh.
Suddenly, multiple figures approached the group and cut off their path in front of them. They wore the white and purple robes of the Church of Ente Isla.
Rika grew confused when she saw how Emi and co became alert. It reminded her a little of the time she saw her friend fight right after the Earthquake, a subtle look that could kill in the redhead's green eyes.
More footsteps approached them as Lailah whipped her head around to find themselves surrounded.
Nord saw them out of the corner of his eye. "... Who are you? What do you want?"
"We need information, things only you know." An arrogant young man's voice resounded. They turned their heads upwards and saw an Angel gracefully descending towards them, a pair of white wings in full display.
The Human spectators not involved began running away, too freaked out to get involved with the supernatural.
The Angel is a black man with a large afro. He smirked. "Hello, Lailah. Long time no see."
"Raguel!" The purplette gave him a glare that said, 'This is bad. Should we run? Should I run?'
Emi briefly looked at her mother. 'Mom knows him? He must be an Archangel.'
"I see that you're doing well, all things considered. However, there is no need to look so alert. We are only here to talk."
"We?"
"Just me. No other Angels are around."
Lailah, using her magical senses as little as possible without giving away her presence, if that even mattered now, sensed that he's telling the truth.
She gave the fellow Archangel a look of distrust. "What do you want from us?"
"Like I said, I just want to talk." Raguel gestured with a hand for the group to follow him, but seeing them unwilling to budge, he sighed. "We won't hurt you."
Nord frowned. "How can we be sure that you're telling the truth? Last time Heaven split my family apart was when they attempted to kill me for having sex with Lailah."
Rika looked panic as she whispered, "E-Emi, what is happening?!"
The Hero didn't bother looking at her. "Just stay calm and stay close to me."
"Who are you?" Raguel pointed at Rika.
"R-Rika Suzuki. I'm Human."
"I see. You'll have to come with us since you're caught up in this."
Raguel pulled out a piece of paper and signed it before he turned it to them. "Here's a magical memorandum stating what would happen if I break my promise of your safety. In this case, I would die."
Knowing how important an Archangel is, Lailah nodded. "Okay. Lead the way."
Raguel teleported them to the rooftop of a skyscraper, only for the Ente Islans to be met with a familiar face.
"Hello, Lailah." Sariel smirked.
Lailah's face turned pale, seeing the only person able to avoid her detection magic, someone she loathes. "W-What are you doing here? Raguel, did you set us up?!"
"N-No!" Raguel denied. Sariel is more powerful than him, someone he fears, so for him to suddenly appear is quite unsettling.
Emi gasped when she saw a familiar figure. "Suzuno!"
The blue-haired ponytailed assassin is asleep and tied to a water tower, duct tape covering her mouth.
Seeing this, Raguel was pissed. "What the actual, Sariel?! What in the actual..."
Sariel gave him a dismissive look as if he were an ant. "Your memorandum is voided by me. You may leave."
Raguel shivered in fear. "F-Fine!" He teleported away.
"Now then..." Sariel turned to them with a dead look in his eyes.
With a snap of his fingers, Rika fell unconscious while Emi panicked.
"Tell me about Yesod."
They all wondered, 'How did it come to this?'
To Be Continued
References:
(114) Oregairu
Issei's Harem by where they are in harem ranking:
Raynare (Main Girl, Queen, ranked 1st of 12)
Arisu Yamauchi (OC, Six Mutated Pawn Pieces, ranked 2nd of 12 )
Mythra=Arcane (2nd OC, ranked 3rd of 12)
Akeno Himejima (Knight, ranked 4th of 12 )
Kuroka Toujou (Bishop, ranked 5th of 12 )
Natsuki Murayama (Two Pawns, ranked 6th of 12 )
Irina Shidou (Rook, ranked 7th of 12 )
Rossweisse (Rook, ranked 8th of 12 )
Ravel Phenex (Bishop, ranked 9th of 12 )
Sona Sitri (ranked 10th of 12)
Mira (ranked 11th of 12)
Tsubasa Yura (Knight, ranked 12th of 12 )
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