Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
Author's note: Took a lot longer than I thought, my bad guys. I have class in... 30 minutes lmao, literally didn't sleep but that's fine, I'll drop unconscious once I return. And let me know what you think!
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 67: The Unbelievable Truth.
Dante Andromalius.
"Saji! You're our ace; keep an eye on her and if she gets within five feet of you, grab her! Don't even try to outpunch the light if you haven't drained some of her power first!" Sona yelled from the sidelines, her usual composed demeanor completely absent.
She knew what would happen even if she didn't want to admit it aloud.
"Tandy, burn them to a crisp as soon as they get close," my lips twitched in amusement.
Sona huffed in annoyance as she began relaying orders to her peerage. She really did treat life like a chess game.
I didn't need to do that. The girls knew what they needed to do.
I just focused on ensuring that things didn't go sideways. Cosmic power was… maybe the most worthwhile deal I had made in my very long life. And something that I was thankful didn't warp me like the rest of the users, even if it still left a mark on my essence.
There were very few users of it, but all of them, with me as an exception, lost their souls to house the energy.
Yes. Shocking for those who knew how it worked.
Galactus, his daughter, all his heralds, and beings that wielded Cosmic Power didn't have a soul. It was a dammed miracle I managed to go through my deal with Gali.
That's why Rogue's ability to use it without losing hers was so damn shocking to me. And why I couldn't allow Sona's newest pawn to absorb the slight coating I covered everyone in the training yard with.
'To avoid injuries,' Tandy had said.
They wouldn't truly be hurt, and the energy would shatter when they received sufficient damage before alerting me to take them out.
But my Light couldn't manipulate me as much as she thought she could, and it would totally feel as if they died if they received sufficient damage. There was literally no point in training if you didn't have an incentive to get better.
And pain was the second-best incentive I knew, just below desperation.
Tandy finally let go of Rogue's hand, nodding seriously at my words. She knew better than most how dangerous it would be if Saji managed to drain even a bit of the energy.
But my Light wasn't wrong; I also approved of the idea. Jean and Rogue were still humans. Special humans, sure, but just as squishy as the rest of them. And as much as Jean had improved, I couldn't have her imploding all of Sona's peerage if she lost control.
That's why my coating was sufficiently thick with her. And she wouldn't feel as much pain as the rest of them.
Was it cheating? Meh… I didn't care. They could whine all they wanted; it was for their own good.
Tandy, my squishy, backline spellcaster, took the very frontline thanks to her insane regeneration. She was currently taking the role of the tank even when it wasn't what she was good at. She was just the best of all the bad options, rushing against Tsubaki with a manic grin and dual light daggers while tens more followed the wake of her sprint.
Meanwhile, Rogue, the gothic belle who had been siphoning Tandy's Light Force for hours before the match, created Light Force wings behind her back and she floated safely in the back, chucking spears like a cannon with every single wave of her hands.
It was amusing seeing the janky movements of her wings because she did depend on the force to stay afloat, unlike us devils, at least until Jean realized that she couldn't be trusted with that and took control of Rogue's body with telekinesis to move her around the battlefield.
"That's fucking absurd," Sona gaped at me from the side. "You got another angel?!"
"Not exactly," I smirked proudly. "You'll cry even harder later."
Everyone could see the hesitation on Tsubaki's face as she decided not to shield Tomoe from Rogue's attacks with her sacred gear, trusting the petite swordswoman to block them.
Only for the sword to shatter as a gut-wrenching scream came out of her throat when the spear broke through her flimsy sword like it wasn't even there.
I teleported her away from the battlefield with the Dark Force, and she soon appeared next to us, where Sona checked on her friend with just a tiny bit of worry.
I liked that about her. She trusted me a lot even when she didn't understand everything.
"Remind me to get you better weapons, my dear," I said dryly. "Someone like you shouldn't depend on mere steel."
Tsubaki's eyes widened in disbelief as she fended Tandy with her Naginata, crossing blades with the much stronger, much faster Bishop. Tendrils of light came out of her back as they connected with the flying daggers behind her and started attacking even faster.
Her weapon was of a much better quality than Tomoe's. But she was still barely a high-class devil, and my light was merely playing with her.
It was a beautiful showing, even if I couldn't claim Tandy learned hand-to-hand fighting from me.
That was mostly Wong and the other sorcerers doing.
I smiled proudly as I saw through the girls' plan. Using the destruction caused by Rogue's almost all-out attacks, Jean brought her hand to her head and focused, controlling the debris to attack Sona's peerage from their blind spots.
Sona's peerage had no idea how to deal with their strange way of fighting.
There was a very fucking big difference between a real telekinetic and someone who imitated it via magic or demonic power.
Watching the increasingly chaotic battle, my mind wandered back to the conversation I'd had with Ajuka and Sirzechs two nights ago, right after my mother had practically made her fierceness known to three of the Satans who didn't know how to deal with me.
I wondered for a moment if they would think of using her to control me. It would be hilarious, if nothing else.
Flashback start.
"Right, let's go finish our conversation, Lord Beelzebub," I patted my admittedly bloated stomach and ignored the shocked glances thrown my way by every male in the room who looked kind of green from the amount we all ate. "I think you already have some ideas of what you want."
The women all cooed excitedly, talking about how good of a son I was as Celestine preened proudly.
... Adorable.
Ajuka nodded, and I could feel his excitement and curiosity. As well as a surprising amount of eagerness.
"Wanna come, Lord Lucifer, Lady Leviathan?"
Serafall was in the process of nodding when Myrcella's hand fell onto her head and clamped down with a lot more force than was necessary.
I swear I could hear Sera's skull groaning in protest over her yelps.
"My daughter has a lot to talk with us about, Lord Andromalius. She won't be able to join you this time."
"It's Dante to you, my Lady." I smiled and nodded politely. "And it was a pleasure meeting you both. You are, obviously, invited to visit whenever you want. I'm sure Mother would love getting to know other ladies from the underworld."
She smiled sweetly, contrasting a lot with the way her fingers had gone white around Sera's head.
"Is it not private, Dante?" Sirzechs asked confusedly after sharing a glance with his wife.
"Have I given you an idea that I care about that?" I deadpanned. "Maybe you'll keep Lord Beelzebub centered instead of him going on a tangent like the previous four times."
No one even reacted now at the very flippant way I spoke to him. I managed to train everyone well over the course of the dinner.
He snorted at that before looking at Grayfia once more.
"Milicas is already asleep, Lord Lucifer," she said calmly.
"Fine," Sirzechs sighed, and snorted when Ajuka's face filled with the unwillingness of having a minder. "I suppose I can give you that favor. It's not like a good walk wouldn't help me right now."
He sent a charming smile Celestine's way, and my mother blushed, rushing to apologize for getting overly excited with the food.
He waved her off with a gentle smile.
"It was good, Lady Andromalius. Better than good, in fact."
That left my mother even more flustered as I pulled the Dark Force and teleported us outside of the hall.
I knew my mother well enough to know that if we didn't escape right then, it would have taken another hour at the bare minimum to leave.
"That felt as bad as the first time," Sirzechs said seriously. "A cold I can feel in my very soul. And I noticed that you kept it under control, Dante."
"Heh," I grinned. "As expected of the Lucifer."
I didn't explain more as the two overpowered devils followed behind me.
They were still far away from where I currently was. As strong as I had grown, I couldn't match the pair with just my devil heritage. Not by a long shot. Sera couldn't compare with them.
"I was curious about our laws, Lord Lucifer," I said after a moment of silence. "Can I do what I want with the spies inside my territory? I was thinking of teleporting them into the sealed Gusion Castle so that the demonic beasts have something to eat."
"I would very much prefer if you didn't," Sirzechs deadpanned before sighing. "But Lords are allowed to deal with spies as they see fit as long as they provide concrete proof they are really working against their territories."
I hummed, "That should work. As good as Misla and Nyra are, they couldn't spend their whole days vetting every new devil that joined any of my towns. Not with the insane amount that came all at once."
There was a companionable silence as Sirzechs looked around the castle curiously, sending mocking glances Ajuka's way when he noticed details that could have only come from him.
"And call me Sirzechs," the redhead said after a while, his lips twitching in amusement just a bit. "I can see how it rankles you having to use our titles in front of the Sitris and Vapulas."
"Oh, thank God," I dragged my hand down my face to cover my smirk as the two Satans paused before Ajuka snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I respect you two for what you are, but I'm not one for titles. Even less after spending some time with Ajuka and Serafall."
Then Sirzechs laughed loudly at that.
"I can understand that," he laughed, continuing our walk. "We've known each other since we were kids; I know how irritating they can be."
"Curious," I said slowly, locking eyes with him as my grin widened. "They said the very same thing about you."
Soon enough, we reached my solar, and I waved them to sit as I prepared some tea by hand.
"Before I make my demand, I want to know exactly what you want, Dante," Ajuka said calmly. "Your control over demonic energy is second to none, and for you to ask for help… well, I'm curious exactly what has you stumped."
I put the cups of tea in front of them. "Go on, drink. It will help you digest the food better."
It was amusing watching how eager they were.
I stayed silent while I sipped calmly, but once I finished, I smiled at Ajuka. "I fear you are overestimating me, Ajuka. My control is good, and I could probably whip something useful out, but I need the very best in this case. And that's you."
He waved me off.
"Could you create a spell matrix capable of connecting the wielder with a being inside of them? At a one-to-one scale. Everything they feel, everything they taste, everything they hear. Every sense connected in a way that the being inside feels exactly as if it is living what the wielder has."
"Is this because of Rias's new friend?" He raised his eyebrows. "I didn't expect to see the Red Dragon Empress sitting in front of me while I ate dinner."
"Ria-tan has the Boosted Gear?!" Sirzechs gaped at us in disbelief. "Since when?!"
... why did he use Japanese honorifics? He was as bad as Serafall.
"Similar, but no," I shook my head at Ajuka before looking at Sirzechs. "And a couple of months back. I helped her reincarnate Isane and had a small talk with Ddraig. Let's say that he will help the little bundle of lust become the best wielder he ever had for reasons I am not discussing at this moment."
"But… why didn't she say anything?" He asked sadly almost to himself.
Ajuka and I looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Because of your father," Ajuka deadpanned. "While having that Sacred Gear being part of any family in the underworld is a point of pride, you know that Zeoticus would only think about how it could affect the marriage contract with the Phenex. He would have called her back home faster or leaked the information to his friend who would tell Riser."
Sirzechs lowered his head. "Damn it, Dad."
"Not that it will take long to explode," I waved him off. "I have a plan already in motion; I just need another public gathering to send the Phenex over the edge so that Rias can challenge the idiot without losing her standing. They know she has been training under Sai, but not how strong she has gotten. Until then, I plan to train her myself so that she's ready when the time comes."
"And I have a feeling it won't take long," Ajuka murmured. "Latia's birthday is coming soon, and after your showing today, my brother won't hesitate to invite you when you made it clear that you intend to start making moves."
I hummed before nodding in thanks. "A dance here and there in front of her fiancé and the proud brat won't be able to control himself from making a scene. I'll wait for the invitation if that's the case."
"But why?" Sirzechs asked seriously. "Why do this? Why help Rias? What do you want from her?"
"Sirzechs," I deadpanned, "I'm her friend. She's attracted to me, and I am attracted to her. She's bright, fun, beautiful, and Tandy likes her enough to help her seduce me behind my back. There's literally no hidden agenda. I don't care about your bloodline, her connection with you, or anything your family could offer me."
His eye started twitching.
"If it's not for the Red Dragon Empress, then exactly why do you need something like that? I didn't sense any other interesting Sacred Gear. A spell like that would be dangerous if the feedback loop isn't filtered, and that's not mentioning what the being inside might think of such a close connection. We devils are barely a step beyond mortality, while beings sealed inside are usually something more."
"It is for someone else. And you don't have to worry about the entity itself; I've already spoken with her and came to an agreement."
"One of the two mortals at the table, then. Did you find another anomaly for your peerage? Someone as much of a headache as your Light-wielding Bishop?"
I thought of what the Phoenix Force was.
And I couldn't help it. I tipped my head back and cackled madly.
Ajuka and Sirzechs exchanged a wary look as Ajuka opened his mouth.
"Will this take us to war?"
"If they ever learn about it? Probably," I snorted before waving him off, wiping a tear from my eye. "Don't worry about that. I genuinely doubt anyone will discover the full scope of what she can do. So, what's your price?"
He shared another look with Sirzechs, but after shaking his head in a way that had the redhead sighing, Ajuka didn't even hesitate.
"I want a sample of the energy you use. The strange one you use to create those little trinkets around your territory."
That made the smile on my face vanish.
"No," I said flatly.
Ajuka frowned in irritation. "Dante, if you want me to design a custom…"
I raised my hand. "Ajuka. You have no idea what you are asking for."
My voice lost the usual amusement it was known for. "That energy isn't a toy. I know your kind, and believe me, I am doing you a favor."
He looked at me in confusion.
"If you were less bright than you are, I wouldn't hesitate as much to give it to you. But you are one, if not the brightest mind the underworld, maybe even the whole world has to offer, and that makes you too curious for your own good. This energy, though? It could… would change you. And I don't want to lose my tea buddy anytime soon. There are very few devils that I like enough to go losing one of the few I do."
Hehe. Ajuka was embarrassed behind his blank expression. And I made sure to show I knew with my eyes as Sirzechs broke down laughing in disbelief.
I looked at Sirzechs.
"Care to help me make him understand? It's obvious he's unwilling to believe me," I sighed.
"What do you need?" He asked curiously.
"Your destruction," I said plainly. "Can you gather an orb in your hand? Not at full power; this is just a test."
He looked at me curiously but nodded a moment later.
I looked at the pure concept of death given form in his hand.
It was beautiful.
"You truly are a monster, Sirzechs," I whistled. "I can see why Rias has an inferiority complex the size of this territory after being compared to you her whole life."
He winced at that.
"Have you studied this, Ajuka? Explain what you know of the Power of Destruction," I looked at his unwilling eyes. "Humor me."
Sirzechs nodded after a moment.
And so he did. About the unnatural, unexplainable mutation of Sirzechs' clan trait and how it was more apt to compare it to godly counterparts in potency instead of normal devils of his line. How he was capable of becoming the embodiment of his power when he let go.
A power capable of severing even conceptual things such as consciousness or even the souls themselves of living beings. A lot similar to my hellfire, in truth. A bit more potent, destructively speaking, but really, really constrained to that path alone.
"Hm. I can see why people from other pantheons leave us alone," my lips twitched. "You'd need to have an insane degree of durability to be able to resist it. What about scattering?"
"Doable, but not many can stop my attacks," Sirzechs replied calmly.
I nodded in understanding.
"Throw it my way."
The two of them looked at me like I was an idiot.
I sighed and motioned to him to go on.
He closed his eyes for a moment before the orb left his hand and headed my way at a literal snail pace.
I dragged my hand down my face and glared at him. I was almost offended, then remembered they didn't know my exact strength.
Before I could grow more irritated, I focused and enveloped the orb in Cosmic Power before transmuting it into butterflies under their disbelieving glances.
The small but numerous creations flapped their wings momentarily before disappearing through the open window. It wasn't something I could do if Sirzechs were going all out, obviously. Not yet. But he had absurd control, and the orb felt around to Rias's level, maybe even weaker.
"The answer is no, Ajuka. Not yet. But I have something else you might be interested in." I sent a placating smile his way.
It took a long time for him to close his mouth. Much more than Sirzechs, because Ajuka understood what I had truly done.
Manipulated death into life.
If only his eyes hadn't brightened even more as he looked at me like I was a prime piece of meat.
Flashback end.
I ended up giving Ajuka two orbs, each filled with a different energy. The first one filled with the Dark Force so that he would have fun trying to stop me teleporting wherever I wanted to. I did that mostly to keep his mind preoccupied with something else instead of Cosmic Power.
And secondly, mostly because I was curious what he would do with such a thing, I pulled demonic power from the underworld until it solidified into a rock the size of my fist. Something I could only do thanks to Kamar-Taj's Dimensional Magic.
I needed to find interesting things to keep him busy instead of focusing on what I didn't want to give him.
He loved them both and promised to work on Jean's spell as soon as possible. He hadn't finished it yet, but that spoke well of the finished product.
I fixed Jean's connection with the Phoenix, but the firebird and her avatar didn't usually have a connection that deep, at least when we spoke of the linked senses. It was much more muted, and that didn't help with the isolation she was currently feeling. There was a very big difference between feeling it through her mind and sensing it directly, as if she herself were doing it.
"Ouch," I muttered as Tandy's dagger 'cut' through Tsubasa's heel without a care. The girl winced in pain, but Tsubaki was too busy fending off Tandy's tendrils to focus on her injury.
The next shocking moment came when Tandy had Tsubaki in a chokehold minutes later after burning Saji's tendrils with her Light and sending the poor boy flying into Momo.
"Why is she not taking her out?" Sona asked suspiciously after glaring at Tandy.
Then she glared at me.
"Why is you so heavy-handed with Saji? Are you perhaps jealous, Dante?" Her lips quirked, and she pushed her small bust outward.
I laughed, deciding to play her game.
"I don't blame the kid for liking you, Sona," I made a show of glaring at the blond, "but you're mine. You heard Myrcella."
She blushed up a storm and sputtered an answer before hitting me on the shoulder with a huff.
"Cute," I kissed her lips.
Jean froze the fighting Queen in place before sending Rogue to her, while Tandy kept the other kids busy.
Then she put her hand on the struggling Queen's head and apologized softly.
Sona got over her embarrassment and looked suspiciously at the weakened struggles from Tsubaki, only to gasp in disbelief as a magical spell, courtesy of Reya, was absorbed by Rogue and returned her way at double the power.
"Was that?!" she gaped in disbelief.
I cackled in amusement. "That's my goth."
Tandy Bowen.
Later.
I bounced on my heels as we walked through the castle into Dante's solar to finally see the visitors we had been waiting for.
Well, Jean and Rogue were curious about this world's angels.
Training with Sona's peerage had been a blast, and it had been hilarious seeing them all stop in place in disbelief after what Rogue had done. It hadn't taken me much longer to defeat the rest of their team while they were busy gaping at the uncomfortable goth.
I hadn't expected her to be able to use Sacred Gears if she drained their bearers, but it made sense. I couldn't wait for her to join the peerage to see how much better she got!
I trusted that Dante knew what he was doing, even if it was somewhat bizarre how he was totally ignoring that conversation, as if he had genuinely forgotten about it. But he had spent a very long time doing these kinds of things, so… hope and pray? It's not like I could push them for it. I knew enough that doing so would be counterproductive.
Sai arrived not that long after Jean knocked down the last member of Sona's peerage alongside a panting, almost nodding-off Rias. She was caked in dirt and sweat and looked adorably flushed as the rest of her peerage followed suit, looking almost as bad as her. He explained that Misla had taken Serafall and two fallen angels into the office while we freshened up.
It wouldn't do to meet someone like him smelling of sweat!
… Even if I hadn't broken a sweat. But Jean and Rogue had, so the point stood!
"Wait, I just remembered something," Jean said, jogging slightly to keep up with Dante's strides. "This Azazel guy… is he the one Kurt's dad took the name from back home? The demon? But here he is a fallen angel?"
Dante snorted with a small smirk. "Something like that. Things back home aren't as… simple? As they are here. It's not exactly a one-to-one similarity. But yes, remember when I spoke about the asshole taking Satan's identity for power? Well, Kurt's dad did something similar after he was humiliated for even trying."
"But he isn't a real demon, right? You said he was a mutant who simply looked like one," Jean pressed confusedly.
"Faith is a dangerous thing, dear. So is fear. It's the same mechanism that would allow Ororo to earn divinity. His… physical similarities to how demons are usually imagined make it even easier. But the one we're meeting? He's the real deal, the strongest fallen angel in the world and direct son of the God of the Abrahamic religion."
Rogue whistled to hide her nervousness. "God's kid… Kurt would be panicking right now even if he fell from His grace. Should we ask for a picture as a gift?"
Jean snorted.
"He wouldn't mind," Dante chuckled. "From what I heard, he is really laid back. But I think you should wait until we meet a real angel; it would be hilarious seeing Kurt drop onto the floor from the shock."
Through our bond, Dante felt super fucking nice. I always enjoyed our connection much more than what a human therapist would consider healthy, but it was a part of me I never wanted to lose. That was why I was so stressed after he disappeared after Jean's soul dive.
A small smile grew on my face as I hugged him closer. He sent a small grin my way that still had my stomach fluttering. I loved how confident he was everywhere he walked, even if he was meeting the Satans, the Lords of the Underworld, the strongest beings in this world, or even back home.
It felt… safe.
We turned the final corner and finally reached his solar. Misla was waiting patiently by the door and offered Dante an amused bow.
"They are inside, my Lord," she smiled proudly.
"Thank you, Misla," Dante nodded, reaching out and pushing the doors open.
I stepped in right behind him, already flashing a polite smile at our guests.
Only for me to freeze as our connection stuttered.
The moment Dante laid eyes on the blond-haired man who didn't look past thirty years old, his feelings turned chaotic to the extreme.
Through our bond, I didn't feel shock or fear right away. I felt delirium. Like whatever he saw, his mind had tried to process it and failed spectacularly.
I almost toppled over as my knees buckled from the extreme feelings coming out of our connection. I grabbed the doorframe, gasping as Jean and Rogue moved to help me.
Dante hadn't moved at all.
Then the delirium turned into deep confusion, then horror before the panic hit, before the dread made itself known.
My head hurt from the jumps he was making, only to settle on dread as everyone watched him with bated breath as his eyes glared at the confused Fallen and Satans.
Only for me to flinch as he closed our connection once more, almost making me act out before he sighed apologetically.
He approached me slowly, very carefully, as he helped me to my feet.
I was about to say something, but his eyes… those shaken blues, stopped me as he kissed my forehead.
Then the connection returned.
"I won't hide from you anymore," he mumbled, his lips still pressing against my head.
"Kalawarna, long time no see," he said plainly, earning a small smile from the blue-haired buxom Fallen.
Then he looked at me. "Tandy, I believe I'll have to touch on sensitive topics that might be uncomfortable to some. Could you please take Misla and Kalawarna away for a while? I'll fill you in later."
I locked eyes with him, and something in them asked for understanding.
I sighed, looking at the Fallen before motioning to her to follow me as I grabbed Jean's and Rogue's hands.
They were as confused as the rest of them, having never seen Dante act this way.
But a small smile formed on my face as the group followed me.
I had feared this would be worse than the Phoenix situation because his feelings were much stronger than they were that time.
But he hadn't walled me off.
I was making progress thawing his ancient heart.
Dante Andromalius.
"You good, kid?" Azazel asked in confusion as I took my seat in front of him and Serafall, and waved him off.
I stayed silent, pouring a drink of the best alcohol Nyra had stocked my solar with and looked at the pair. "Want some?"
Serafall looked serious as she shook her head while a still somewhat confused Azazel snorted before nodding.
I couldn't help but look at him once more. I hadn't needed to look deep into him to learn something I still couldn't wrap my mind around. It was one of the biggest 'scars' on his soul. Knowledge that had changed him even more than the very woman that caused his fall back when humanity was in its first steps. The woman he loved, and who caused his downfall.
And yet, his Father's death was at the forefront of his essence.
I looked at Serafall after passing a glass to Azazel before sighing.
"What happened to [יהוה]? What could possibly have killed Him?" The words warbled when I used His true name.
Azazel's eyes widened in disbelief as Serafall shrieked, wincing in pain as she covered her ears to no avail.
I looked dispassionately at the twitching Satan before locking eyes with the now serious Governor.
"How could you do that?" he hissed, standing up as his twelve wings appeared behind his back.
Spears of light formed behind him as he looked at me warily.
My soul almost materialized in the underworld thanks to my chaotic feelings, but I managed to reign it in.
"Sit, Azazel."
He sat. A small part of me almost called him boy. I had traded blows with my own version of his creator. I had been defeated by the very being that created the whole cosmos. He had spared me for a reason I didn't understand.
He looked at me uncomprehendingly as genuine fear passed through his face when he realized what he had done.
"How did your Father die?" I asked it this way for Serafall's sake more than anything else. She finally came out of her funk, looking at me as if she didn't know what I was, as she finally realized she was dealing with something she couldn't name.
I couldn't care at the moment.
"How did you know?" he asked after a moment before looking at Serafall. "Did you or any of the other Satans tell him?"
I responded before she could open her mouth, "I can see how much that moment shaped you, Azazel. More than…" I stopped myself before sighing. "How?"
"The previous Lucifer killed him, Dante," Serafall said seriously. "You can't tell anyone. Not even Tandy. This knowledge is too dangerous to get out."
I burst out laughing in disbelief.
"You have to be fucking kidding me." I wiped the tears out of my eyes from how hard I laughed. "Those pathetic gnats would never be able to kill something like Him."
Azazel glared at Serafall for responding after looking at me like he wanted to impale me. I hadn't said her name, but he was old and knowledgeable enough to understand what I was about to say with all the hints I had thrown out into the open.
"It is true," he sighed. "My insane asshole of a brother managed to kill my Father. It was mutual destruction and the end of the Great War."
I looked at him in disbelief.
Obviously, at this point I realized I had been wrong when comparing my Yahweh with this version of him. Nothing that was a version of the creator would die under normal circumstances. But the fact remained that he had been the strongest being, someone that Red himself talked about with begrudging respect.
Someone like him wouldn't fucking lose to someone weaker than Sirzechs. Or even multiple Sirzechs and Ajukas at the same fucking time.
It didn't make any sense, and I didn't believe that for a second.
But Azazel and Serafall were genuine. That's what they knew. But I knew better, [יהוה] wouldn't die that pathetically.
"And that's why you two intend to make peace between the Abrahamic Factions," I murmured, looking at the pair.
Serafall didn't look at me the same way as before, while Azazel just nodded, not surprised that I knew that.
"The angels aren't able to create new ones without him at the lead. Michael must be suffering as he tries to fill the void because he wasn't created for that. Fallen can breed with humans, but even while having better fertility than us devils, it's slow." I looked at them. "No, that can't be the only reason."
My eyes narrowed. "The Sacred Gears. The system your father left behind is failing. That's why the curse of his popular name is so weak that a devil can grow strong enough to ignore it."
That was why Ddraig's chains broke as easily as they did.
Fucking hell. What could have caused his death? The Satans might… very fucking might, have dealt the finishing blow, but something else must have caused it. He would have allowed it, because everyone in this world knew that fucker had one of the best versions of future sight in the damn world.
But… why? How?
"You came for preparations about your civil war. How are things in the Grigori?" I asked curiously, feeling a lot more in control as I finally puzzled some things out.
I still had a shit ton of questions, but these two wouldn't be able to help me in that regard.
"You didn't say he was such a scary motherfucker, Serafall." Azazel glared at the petite Satan.
"I didn't know," she said quietly.
I served her a drink and passed it without asking, and she gulped it at once, her eyes never leaving my face.
"I have my suspicions about who the Cadre is, but they have hidden their moves too well for me to accuse them. There are two possible idiots, and at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they were working together."
"And they have backing, yes? So, a Civil War is imminent if you accuse them publicly, something that wouldn't exactly help your low numbers. Every pure-blooded fallen is important for your faction, so I don't think you're eager to kill your brothers and sisters," I sighed.
"You hit the nail on the head." He nodded seriously.
"And do they know you're on their tails?" I asked curiously.
He shrugged with a wry smirk that didn't hide the sadness in his soul. "Let's say I had to clean house to avoid that, kid. At this point we're preparing for the worst. The problem is, I don't think we're their target."
"Then why not use that?" I opened my arms. "Make it too costly for them to decide to make a preemptive strike against your forces while making them panic thinking you're into them. You'll get my healing supplies; you can contact Misla for the numbers. Make a show of preparing for eventualities. If you're not their original target, attacking you when you are at your strongest would be too costly. Let's use their panic attack for pushing the peace you want between our factions. They'll decide to throw their all into their original plan before they were ready for it."
Azazel whistled as a smirk grew on his face. "Have you been told you're one scary fucker?"
I smiled innocently.
"Maybe they'll attack the source of your new supplies," I said eagerly before a laugh came out without meaning to. "Can't say I'm not curious about studying your kind."
I looked at Serafall, who had remained silent almost the whole meeting. "What do you think, Sera? Do you approve of this plan?"
"Don't act as if you wouldn't do it even if I said no." She glared at me before pouting and growing serious, tapping her lip in thought.
"It's Cockybiel, right?" She looked at Azazel, who sighed before nodding.
"Hm. He always wanted to plunge us once more into a Great War. He wouldn't leave the angels scot-free, and we could use that if we minimize the damage to the point Michael couldn't whine. If we follow his moves, we could ensure that none of us would suffer many losses."
"I wonder where you could find someone absurdly good at looking as if he isn't even there," I smirked with a shit-eating grin as I activated my clan trait along with my pendant and walked behind the pair, putting my hands on their shoulders before dropping the effect.
I sighed amusedly as the two leaders of their factions yelped in fright.
Their excited laughs and matching grins made me feel a bit better for putting them on the spot. I could only hope that my relationship with Sera wouldn't get even more complicated than it already was.
Still… who could fucking blame me? God was dead.
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