Half an hour later, we were finally summoned to the throne room.
I sat down at my assigned seat and looked around to see if I could spot Kia or Azazel anywhere.
Like the rest of the Diablo residence, the room was redecorated to mark today's special occasion.
The interior had been thoroughly cleaned, the benches had been refurbished, the pillars had been ornamented with all sorts of fancy decorations, and the carpet had been replaced with a more vibrant one.
Not long after I sat down, a ruckus started forming behind me.
When I turned around to look at what was going on, I noticed that Azazel and Kia had entered the room.
My jaw almost hit the floor when my eyes were locked on Kia.
She wore a beautiful red dress, revealing parts of her cleavage and legs.
Her lips were a bright glossy red and the eyeshadow above her eyes was a deep red as well.
The thing that surprised me the most however, was her shortened hair.
Although it looked somewhat odd at first glance, I kind of liked the look of it.
It also perfectly matched the rest of her bold appearance.
In short, Kia looked absolutely breathtaking, and I wasn't alone in that mindset.
Meanwhile, Azazel wore a completely white uniform with some golden accents sprinkled in here and there.
He also wore a purple velvet mantle carrying the insignia of the Diablo family – three interlocking triangles inside a circle.
Upon reaching their thrones Kia sat down, whereas her father remained standing, turned around and greeted all the guests.
"Dear brethren, may I humbly express my gratitude to everyone for being with me here today."
His greeting got answered with loud applause. Seeing the people's overall excitement genuinely surprised me.
I already knew how fond the Gehennian people were of Kia.
After all, she spends a large portion of her time meeting people and helping citizens in need.
Combine that caring personality of hers with her gorgeous looks, and it's almost impossible not to like her.
On the other hand, I could never tell what the people's opinions were about Azazel.
The palace was the only place I'd seen him at, and whenever I did see him, he was always in a bad mood.
Perhaps that's why I was taken aback by how excited everyone was.
"Today marks one of Elysium's finest days. The day our first king, Salomon I, set foot on this very soil and planted the seeds of what later would become a realm of prosperity. One of riches and stature Fira had never seen before. For that, I have summoned you here, to celebrate that glorious moment alongside me."
His words were answered with a second wave of applause.
Azazel then went on about his plans for the upcoming year.
He shared his ideas of tightening diplomatic relationships with the other realms, his plans to construct more trading routes, the erection of more towns - the usual political stuff.
I've never been the biggest fan of politics, so my attention span dropped massively during this period.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one, as even Kia appeared to have a tough time staying awake.
She told me before that politics never interested her either.
Still, you would think she'd show at least some interest during such an important event - you know, being the heir to the throne and all.
Luckily for her, the people didn't really seem to care.
Finally, Azazel had one last thing to share.
"As everyone is aware, the Kingdom of Tartarus has maintained a 'damning' status after their loss during The Battle of the Elders. Ever since, contact with its people has been scarce, as the Kingdom of Roberos prevents anyone from entering or exiting Tartarus. Despite this, I have received some promising news that I wish to share with you all. Last week, Aphoresia II – daughter of His Majesty Eduramass IV – was crowned queen of Tartarus, after His Majesty tragically passed away. She wrote to me her aspiration to restore the bonds between her realm and the rest of Fira. Now, I understand not everyone is amused hearing this. In spite of this, as your king, I must ask you to be patient. I have asked my fellow sovereigns, as well as Her Majesty Aphoresia II, to further discuss this matter at a special summit, which is to be held next month. Perhaps it is still too early to repair these torn bonds, but hopefully one day we will share the same understanding and view one another not as enemies, but as allies."
It is said that the Kingdom of Tartarus was the instigator of what is known as the Battle of the Elders - a war between the gods of each realm.
While the war itself lasted only a few years, many lives were claimed during it - including those of the gods.
In the end, Tartarus lost and ended up having to pay massive damage fees.
They were also stripped of most of their natural resources, and pieces of their land were taken away as 'compensation'.
After that, they were practically ostracized from the rest of Fira.
Why does this sound so familiar?
Many still view Tartarus as a malevolent force, and blame them for everything wrong with this world even now.
Some even go as far as to say that Fira would be better off without them.
So with that, it wasn't all that surprising to see no one cheering at hearing the news.
Everyone, except for one person.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
When I turned around, one of the cloaked people I had seen outside before stood at the back of the main aisle.
He was slowly clapping his hands - almost making it seem sarcastic.
After a few seconds, he stopped and took off his mask and lowered his hood.
It was at that moment that my worst fear became reality.
"May I humbly congratulate you on the good news, oh Majesty."
I looked back at Azazel, whose skin had turned pale.
He clearly was mortified to see him.
Kia on the other hand was seething with rage, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists.
Her eyes were spitting fire as she looked abhorrently at him.
Taking the time to recollect himself, Azazel eventually asked:
"What business do you have here, Lucifer?"
The people let out a collective gasp upon hearing his name.
"Why so hostile, Sire? I believe today to be a day of celebration and goodwill, no? Besides, must one always have a good reason to attend such a fine ceremony?"
"You dare speak about goodwill, after what you did to me and my people?!"
"A tragedy it was indeed, I do confess. And thus, I have come here to share my deepest regret with you. May you please forgive me?"
Lucifer was clearly mocking Azazel.
He was trying to provoke him, yet Azazel did not budge.
The two stared at one another.
At this point, it felt inevitable that a battle between the two would break out.
"State your business or else leave, 'lest you want me to make an example out of you?"
Lucifer burst out laughing.
"Oh, how gracious of you, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, my part here is simply that of a spectator. I would not dare to take the spotlight away from you. Oh, how rude it would be of me. But if you so humbly insist, allow me to get straight to the point. It has come to my attention that you are in possession of certain 'powerful artifacts'."
Azazel's eyes grew in size as he looked alarmed at Lucifer.
"How do you know about the Relics?"
"I am not obliged to tell you, dear Azazel. Now, here is my proposal: you give me those artifacts, and everyone here remains alive. Do we have an accord?"
Everyone started mumbling about what they'd just heard.
What artifacts was he talking about?
And how important could they be that he was willing to crash this important event for it?
"SILENCE!"
As ordered, everyone turned silent.
Azazel looked agitated towards everyone and then aimed his attention back to Lucifer.
"You take me for a fool?I would rather sacrifice my life than hand those artifacts to someone like you."
Lucifer grinned at hearing Azazel's response.
"I see. What a shame. And here I was, thinking that we could come to an agreement. Alas, maybe this will persuade you. PYRA!"
Without warning, several people inside the room began to glow brightly yellow, before spontaneously combusting.
Bricks and wood flew through the air and even people were sent flying.
The people that weren't harmed started screaming and ran towards the exit, when also that exploded.
In just a few seconds, we were trapped inside the room, alongside the maniac who had caused it.
"Do you regret your decision, m'lord?"
Azazel looked like he was about to pop a vein, such was the anger on his face.
"Shabaan, grant me thine strength to fell this wretched soul. KINDLED ARMS!"
He held his hand forward and manifested a giant, blazing sword.
[Flamewielder Skill: Kindled Arms| Description: The user conjures a blazing weapon into being. Absorbing nearby flames will increase its power and size| Tier: Level 5]
"You shall rue the day you set foot in this castle once more, Lucifer!"
Lucifer only scoffed at Azazel's remark.
"Repeating baseless threats, are we? Perhaps if you had killed me last time, your people would have been spared this fate."
In a flash, Azazel jumped towards Lucifer and struck his neck.
Were it not for his quick reflexes, Lucifer would've been decapitated right then and there.
Instead, he ducked underneath Azazel's blade and launched a counter-attack with a blade of his own.
He aimed for Azazel's hip, but Azazel jumped over it without any trouble.
As he did, he launched a barrage of attacks on Lucifer.
Although it looked like Lucifer blocked every attack, across his entire body small cuts and burn marks began to appear.
Once Azazel landed back on his feet, he threw a surprise attack at Lucifer.
Lucifer was just able to block it, but slid back a few meters.
"This is certainly troublesome. Even knowing all the ins and outs of your Gift, it still is giving me such a hard time."
"You hurt my people not once, but twice. And for that, I shall make sure you experience a death befitting of such a sin."
Azazel changed his sword into a spear and spun it around.
He then repeatedly thrusted it at Lucifer, cutting him up even more.
The way this battle was going, Azazel would win without much effort.
In fact, it almost seemed to be going too well for him.
He hadn't been hurt even once, compared to Lucifer, whose body was already covered in cuts and blood.
And then, it happened.
With one swift motion, Azazel changed his weapon back into a sword and cut off Lucifer's right arm.
A horrible, spine-chilling scream left his mouth as he fell to the floor in agony.
"Many a year I have been left regretting not taking care of you sooner, but that ends today. Still, whilst I am inexorable, I am also merciful. So I will inquire: any final words?"
This was it.
Azazel had beaten Lucifer and was one action away from sealing his fate.
Despite this, something didn't sit right with me.
Why would Lucifer have come here, if he knew his chances of beating Azazel were this low?
Did he overestimate his own capabilities perhaps?
No, while he is certainly mad, Lucifer doesn't strike me as a person who would do such a thing.
And I doubt he came here without some kind of plan.
Otherwise, it would be the same as suicide.
Someone as wretched as he would probably - wait!
"YOUR MAJESTY, WATCH OUT! IT'S A TRAP!"
Lucifer's crying suddenly stopped and made way for hysterical laughter.
He then looked Azazel straight in the eyes and replied:
"I win."
Both Kia and I saw a slim, short figure run up towards Azazel.
"DAD! BEHIND YOU!"
But it was already too late.
Once the person tagged Azazel and jumped away, a massive explosion followed.
A cloud of dark smoke engulfed the entire room, blinding everyone inside.
After the smoke cleared, we were confronted with a horrible sight.
Azazel's back was completely burned.
Underneath the black patches of skin, parts of muscle and bones were completely visible.
But even more worrisome than that, was the dagger sticking out his chest.
From its blade, a dark purple liquid slowly dripped down onto the floor.
Azazel's sword vanished as he fell to his knees, unable to draw any more power.
Lucifer moved closer to him and whispered something in his ear.
Whatever it was, it clearly shook Azazel.
He then stood up and triumphantly announced his victory to everyone present.
"This dagger is coated in King Basilisk venom. In just five minutes, your king will be no more. If only he had given me the Relics, he would not have to suffer such a horrific fate. May his demise serve as an example to those who dare to defy me."
"LUCIFER!"
I turned around to see Kia, who had stood up from her throne.
Her face was filled with so much malice and anger that I got scared of her.
The aura she was emanating was petrifying and harrowing.
It was so intense, it made me lose my ability to speak.
Never had I seen someone so angry as she at this exact moment.
"What is it, Kia, my dear?"
Before I was even able to blink, Kia had already moved to Lucifer and punched him square in the face.
He flew through the air and landed straight on his back, knocking the wind right out of him.
Kia then grabbed Lucifer's blade from the floor and rushed towards him.
He was still recovering, but did so right in time before Kia could decapitate him.
Her entire body began to glow a bright red when suddenly she disappeared and Lucifer's entire body got lacerated from all possible angles.
Even so, he was still kicking and didn't seem all that worried what would happen to him.
"What a marvelous display of swordsmanship. I wonder who you got that from? If only she were here to see you right now, she could see that brilliant hostility in your eyes, accompanied by such clear murderous intent. Like a crow looking down on a measly worm. Tell me, princess, how does it feel?"
Kia reappeared in front of him and answered:
"Shut your trap already! I cannot stand to hear you any longer."
To that, Lucifer had this to say:
"Say, did your mother not teach you any manners?"
In a fit of uncontrollable rage, Kia jumped towards him once more.
However, the moment her sword would slice Lucifer in half, the girl who ambushed Azazel before appeared in front of her, tagged the floor and blew it up.
Because of her current forward momentum, Kia was unable to dodge it in time and was sent flying backwards.
She tumbled across the floor and dropped her weapon.
At that moment, I was finally able to move again and ran as fast I could towards her.
Her dress was in tatters and her limbs were all covered in bruises and burn marks.
Fortunately, she was still alive and conscious.
As I checked up on Kia, the little girl turned around and addressed Lucifer.
"Oi, geezer! I know you're havin' fun an' all, but now ain't the time for that. They're sendin' an entire armada our way, and I doubt we can snag those artifact thingamajigs before they've arrived."
Lucifer grunted at hearing her say that, likely because he was coming to the same conclusion as she.
"It seems our battle ends here, Princess Kia. Though, mark my words: one day, The Covenant will seize this world. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."
And with that, the two made their leave.
Kia, still wounded, stood up and skipped towards Azazel, who lay motionless on the ground.
"Father?! Can you hear me, father?"
He didn't say anything, but he was still breathing.
I knelt down beside her, took off my uniform and pressed it against his wound to stop the bleeding.
"Someone, please help us!"
I shouted in desperation.
Why did this seem so familiar to me?
Oh yeah, because Rai did the exact same thing when I killed myself.
How cruel can fate be?
I knew my efforts were in vain.
Even so, I kept on pressing my shirt on his wound and screamed for help, hoping a miracle might arrive sooner or later.
Astress, who was standing in the doorway - which had been cleared up already - heard my cry for help and immediately rushed towards us.
"What happened here?"
"Lucifer showed up, and…"
Kia wasn't able to tell her more.
Tears were rolling down her face as she looked around the room, the scent of burning wood and flesh filling up her nostrils.
What was supposed to be a day of joy instead turned into a day of horror.
"Azazel needs immediate treatment." I explained to Astress.
She looked at him, more so the state he was in, and for a second stayed completely frozen.
She placed her hands on Azazel's chest, after which she began to heal him.
"It is no use. Admittedly, his wounds have healed, however his health continues to deteriorate."
Then, through the spit and blood filling his mouth, Azazel spoke.
"Spare your efforts, dear. It is…too late for me."
Everyone stared devastated at him, but the one who was most distraught was Kia.
"Father, what are you saying? Surely we can-"
"I am afraid…my time has come."
At a loss for words, tears filled her eyes once more.
She shook her head and wailed, not wanting to accept his words as truth.
"Please, you cannot do this to me. Do not leave me as well."
Azazel, with all his leftover might, moved his hand towards her and patted Kia on the head.
"Kia, my beautiful daughter, I want to apologize… for being such a terrible father. After losing your mother, I did not…want the same to happen to you. Still, I had no right…treating you the way I did."
Through the tears, Kia answered:
"Nonsense! You have been the best father I could have ever asked for. So please, do not die on me now."
"I am sorry, dear. Still, I know…you will become a… great queen."
With the last bit of his energy left, Azazel looked at me and said:
"Shako, the first time we met…I said some awful things to you. Back then, I believed…all Wanderers to be nothing but evil. However, since then I have come to see that…that was an error on my part. Please, forgive me."
"Your Majesty, you do not need to apologize for that. I understand why you did it, so…all's forgiven."
A light chuckle escaped his lips.
"You are too kind…my boy."
He then turned to Astress and asked her:
"Astress. If I may make…one final, selfish request, could you please…look after Kia for me? She will need you…more than ever before."
Without a moment's notice, she answered:
"But of course, Your Majesty!"
Azazel closed his eyes and uttered:
"Then I suppose…I can finally rest now."
The hand resting on Kia's head slowly fell towards the ground, followed by a loud thud, and his breathing stopped.
"Father? FATHER?!"
Once she realized her father had passed away, a terrible scream left her mouth as she started crying again.
Instinctively, I grabbed her by the shoulders and tried consoling her, even though my face was covered in tears as well.
Astress was the only one who didn't cry, but her face had lost any sign of emotion.
With an open mouth, she stared at Azazel's dead body, as if the concept of death was totally foreign to her.
Silently, without moving a single muscle, she sat there looking.
And when she finally realized what had happened, she, too, began to shed tears.