I, Necromancer Chapter 27 (Patreon)

"Another Beast Tide, huh?"

I nod as Hades mused, his skeletal fingers twirling the large staff in his grasp, burning blue flames of his eyes focused upon the crystal where his wife was resting, awaiting the tithes required to help her heal.

"Within the next two months, more or less." I turn my gaze back towards the horizon despite the walls in the way, "Though, at the rate I see them growing, I'd say we have just a month to prepare."

The amount of Gates popping up is startling. In the past few hours, seventeen Gates appeared in the vicinity of New Haven, and many more around the area Sirzechs and the others control.

Tens of thousands of Souls keep popping up over the horizon each minute, and while just as many snuff out due to territorial disputes between the feral Gate Beasts, it'll reach a point where they have nowhere else to go but here.

And it might not be one that lasts a few hours. We might genuinely get besieged for days, weeks or even months. That's how bad it is.

Not that I see anything wrong with it. Yes, many lives will be lost, but this will actively raise everyone's strength by enormous levels, and that is exactly what we need right now. More strength to fight against what is to come.

Though, the Beast Tide is also an opportunity from others to sabotage us. Other members of the Khaos Brigade, groups associated with them, so on and so forth. I doubt the scare of God being back will be enough to make those idiots grow a brain and think twice about it.

"Then I best prepare properly." Hades drawls out, bony fingers stroking the bone of his chin, "Handling it is easy, but I cannot have their Souls and corpses go to waste when they are needed to bring my wife back."

He was speaking of the Beast Tide as a chore that posed no danger and was just a waste of time. Mostly because he wanted to do it properly and not waste corpses, each one precious for obvious reasons.

Which is natural for those who play with Death like us. Our enemies become our puppets, and any large scale battle is just a chore that requires energy. A battle of attrition where each side tries to whittle down the other first.

But while the Beast Tide's numbers go down, ours go up. Our armies grow vaster, stronger. As long as a Necromancer has Mana, then they will always be the winner in a battle of attrition.

"Zeus will help." Hestia speaks up, voice soft and warm, sun-like eyes staring at Hades with a gentle look. Honestly, Zeus really is a little shit for sending the most beloved Olympian to talk to Hades. Dude really was afraid of the ass-whooping, huh?

Hades stares down at his older sister, then looks at me. Finally, his gaze drifts towards the glowing Divine Spark of his wife.

His knuckles creak, hand clenching around the staff of his scepter, "I will think about it." Hestia's smile is blinding, and Hades clicks his tongue – does he even have one? – and turns away while grumbling something about Zeus being a cunt beneath his breath. In Greek, of course.

His flaming eyes then turn towards me, "You came here for my Blessing, right?" He turns, and his free skeletal hand falls on my shoulder, "I already know what to give you, young man."

My body locks up as some unknown, yet heavy energy drifts inside me. It latches onto the sliver of my Soul that inhabits the Lich Body, and is devoured.

And then my Soul blooms.

[You have been Blessed by a God of Death!]

[You have obtained – Soul Manipulation]

Souls, the source of everything. Their presence means Life, their absence mean Death. They are in everything and everywhere, dictate one's life, one's memories, one's skills and one's powers.

They are powerful, yet fragile things, and now you have the knowledge on how to perfectly handle them.

It was as if I opened my eyes for the first time. It was… Amazing. Souls were beautiful, even those of the feral monsters- And just staring at them in the distance helped me see something I couldn't before.

Microscopic fractures in their Souls, as if they were… Squeezed too hard. Perhaps being forced into another Universe causes this, which is the source of their madness. I had already theorized this, but the sight before me pretty much answers that.

Hades' hand left my shoulder, "You rely on that tool to create Souls, but they are bland. Horrible." His voice was chiding, but not insulting, "Proper Souls can grow. Yours can only learn, and grow by cannibalizing other Souls. Grim Reapers are my masterpieces, so I grant you my knowledge on Souls. Impress me, young man."

He was right. So damn right. I was basically a drooling kid trying to shove a square block through a triangle shape, yet still managed to get it into the box by bypassing the shape.

I didn't meet the requirements, yet I was still thriving. A glance at Hunter's Soul shows me so many ways I can improve her further. Improve Mugen and Lu Bu. My army.

Now they can grow from training, and that… That is an incredible boon. World-changing, even, for me.

"This is how you see Souls…?" I ask, breathless, unable to tear my gaze away from the distant horde of Souls. From the Divine Spark shining with a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors that was near hypnotic.

Hades chuckles softly and stops besides me, "You might be the first Necromancer I've ever liked." His hand taps my shoulder again, "You hold the proper respect for Life and Death. Never let that go, boy."

I gulp and nod, yet I turn my focus on something else. On the other notifications his blessing brought.

[You have gained Two additional Undead Minion Spots!]

[Your Spells and Skills have grown much stronger!]

[Class Advancement Requirements are now available!]

I knew it. The System knew I cheated my way through the previous Class Advancement and held back the majority of the boons, and gave them to me now.

I don't mind, but it does annoy me that I didn't do this sooner. Hades' blessing is just that good.

Without a second thought, I focus on the Class Advancement Requirements… And instantly blanch.

[Have (3/5) Undead Minions serving under you!]

[Gather (0/1'000'000'000) tithes!]

[Gather (0/1'000'000'000) prayers from your Undead servants!]

…

Oh… Fuck.

That's one billion, isn't it?

The damn Beast Horde can't come soon enough…

Still… This is my opportunity. My opportunity to achieve Apotheosis, or at least, the first step towards it.

"Say…" I speak up, turning towards the two Gods in the chamber, "What exactly is Faith? What does it do?"

Hades pauses, while Hestia perks up. Her smile blooms and she is the one to speak up first, "I'll explain that!" Her cheerful voice is adorable to listen to, and I give her my full attention, "As you might already know, there are a lot of different powers in the World. From Senjutsu, to Touki, to Mana, to Spiritual Energy, Qi, so on and so forth."

"Among them, three stand at the top." She raises three fingers, then lowers one, "The one that stands at the top are Concepts, or Principles. They have absolute dominion over a certain area, and it is absolute. If the Principles of Death declare something as Dead, then it will be dead across the Universe."

I blanch at that. The Principles really have such a wide reach? Enough to affect the whole Universe? Jeez…

"The third strongest is Divine Magic, but it is limited." Another finger goes down, and she uses it to point between herself and Hades, "Hades has his own Domains, and I have my own. My Divine Magic is absolute when it comes to my Domains, but I pretty much suck at everything else that is outside of it. Same goes for Hades and all the other Gods."

Her final finger goes down, "Finally, Faith. Mana comes from Earth, our planet. It is its lifeblood, thus Mana is absorbed that way. Faith instead comes from prayers, from tithes, from legends. Only mortals can generate it, their Belief and Devotion turning into Faith for their Gods to use as they see fit."

Then, finally, she comes to the crux of the matter, "As for what it does… It does Miracles. It rewrites Reality for a short or long moment, depending on how much power is used."

"You can turn left into right and viceversa."

"Bring someone back to life even if your Domain isn't Life or Death."

"Or bring prosperity to a nation for centuries. You name it, it can do it."

I bite my lower lip and narrow my eyes, "What's the catch, though?" Hestia's smile widens, a tinge of pride at me catching the clear downside in an otherwise nigh-almighty power.

She lifted a lone finger in front of her face, "You may only use it once." My eyes widened. "Faith takes decades- Centuries even, to gather. Once you reach the threshold that allows you to use create a Miracle, you will use all of your Faith. Even if you gather three times, or ten times the amount needed- It will always use all of your accumulated Faith to make that Miracle a Reality."

That's it…

Yeah, that's it.

That's my winning Trump Card.

I now have the last piece to kill Bahamut, and make it my corpse.

Hades grumbles softly, "It can also be used to massively enhance your strength. Back in our prime, all of the main Olympians used to be far, far stronger than those two rowdy Dragons thanks to Faith."

Jeez, the power increase is that massive? But I guess that's fair, with how Faith gathers so slowly… Well, for them, maybe.

I can freely invade No Man's Land. Millions of corpses can be offered as tithes to me by my army, and said army can be turned sentient enough to pray to me.

My army will just keep growing and growing, so… Yeah, maybe I can cheat my way into getting a massive amount of Faith easily by simply growing my army, or even using a great deal of biomass to raise small, useless Undead that just pray and worship me twenty-four seven.

As for the two new Undead Minion spots, I've had ideas while creating Hunter.

Mugen, unparalleled magical might.

Lu Bu, pure, devastating physical might.

Hunter, a shape-shifting murderous machine capable to adapt to the battlefield as she sees fit.

What do I need? I have ideas, but just two spots open, and I'd rather make specialized units focused on one thing than giving them way too many powers.

I don't need to rush. Ajuka is gathering the corpses of old Devils that have useful Clan Traits that can assist us, so I'll wait to see what abilities they have before making a choice.

"I believe my work here is done." I shake away any thoughts and smile towards the two Gods, "I have much to do, so I'll be taking my leave." I turn and gaze at the bright Divine Spark within the crystal, then at Hades, "I sincerely hope you and your wife can reunite soon, Lord Hades."

I bow my head, then turn to leave up the stairs we descended from.

Behind me, I hear Hades' scoff softly, "Damn bats always stealin' the good ones…"

"Hades…" Came Hestia's chiding voice.

"What? Let me hate 'em now before my wife comes back. Hate is healthy."

Right, I forgot that Hades hates Devils.

I snort to myself, then with a flicker of magic, I teleport back home to repair the Souls of my minions and make my army even greater.

The work of a Necromancer never ends.

~XXX~

Days flew by as I immersed myself in my work, before I was called away to join an important meeting.

When I stepped into the room in our Peerage's mansion, I paused half-way through the doorway when my gaze landed on Sirzechs.

His right arm was in a cast, and he looked quite… Beat up. The Incarnation of Destruction looked like he just walked out of a bar brawl and not as the winner. "What happened to you?"

His lips twitch, same as Ajuka's, who sat to his left. Serafall was here too, gaze downcast and seemingly unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

"He fought one of the creatures from the Gate in the Dimensional Gap." Ajuka informs me, making my eyes widen in alarm.

"Seriously?!" Sirzechs nods, winching slightly as he leans back in his seat.

"Yeah, it was… A close call. If my power wasn't the Power of Destruction, then I would have struggled even more." So those things can fight evenly against Sirzechs at full power?

They are far, far stronger than I thought, then. But I guess they have to be, to make the Machine Gods fear them so much.

I step fully into the room and join Fleurdelys and Zani, the only two members of our Peerage besides me taking part in the meeting.

God was here too, Michael and Gabriel on her left and right. Another seat was occupied by someone I don't recognize instantly, but his sheer presence is comparable to God herself.

A young man with deep blue hair and purple eyes, a relaxed and kind smile on his face. I bow my head towards him in realization, "Lord Shiva."

The God of Destruction's smile grows a tiny bit, "Please, just Shiva is fine." He reassures me, looking and sounding like just a young man who is here to watch the show.

Man, thank God he is the one here and not Indra. I'd rather not have to deal with that massive ego and stupid sunglasses indoors.

God snorts softly to the side, and my expression twitch. Did she just read my thoughts?

"I believe everyone is here now?" Yah asks, ignoring the narrowed eye look I throw her way with a twitch of her lips. "I will be sharing the information we speak about here with the other Pantheons, so please, hold nothing back."

Fleur glanced at me, leaning against my side and taking one of my hands in hers. With that, I decided to speak up first.

"I encountered one of the beasts from the Core Area of No Man's Land." The room instantly went quiet, and all eyes turned towards me. Wide, shocked, and even horrified. "It atomized the horizon with the same ease one has when taking out the trash… And killed both Ddraig and Albion within two seconds, with that same ease."

Zani leans back with a low hiss, "Fuck." Yeah, took the words right out of my mouth.

Shiva and Michael lean forward as I keep going, "Another thing I noticed is that the area in the general vicinity of the Core is void of Gates and monsters, likely due to these powerful beings having immense territories and slaughtering anything that appears within."

Ajuka speaks up right after, "I had theorized such a thing." He flicks his wrist, creating a large hologram map before all of us. With a raise of his hand, several areas were highlighted in different colors, "The blue area is all of our territories combined."

It was… Microscopic, which is fair, as the Underworld is as massive as Earth itself, just without oceans. It is pure landmass, thus a lot of space.

Ajuka then waves his finger, "The one in red is the Outer Edge of No Man's Land." That one took up roughly seventy-percent of the whole underworld, while the lived area was roughly five percent, give or take. "Yellow is the Inner Area." And that was twenty more percent.

"Finally, the orange area should be the Core." Ajuka leans back at that. "The Inner and Core area sizes are a theory for now, with only the Outer Edge being confirmed thanks to Scaith's efforts." He nods in thanks towards me before he keeps going, "Any scrying method loses effect due to the intense Magical waves across the Inner Area."

Shiva nods right after to confirm his words, "Even my Clairvoyance struggles with those specific areas, though I believe we don't really have to worry about them." He points at the enormous red taking up the majority of the Underworld, "The Outer Edge is the main problem. The Gate in the Dimensional Gap is causing a surge of Gates across the Underworld. When the Beast Tide commences, it'll likely be a constant wave until the situation in the Dimensional Gap stabilizes."

Which means either the Machine Gods win, or the Void Beings overwhelm them, or they reach a sort-off stalemate. I don't see either happening unless the Machine Gods higher ups, like the one that killed Great Red, come at the front.

"It'll be a challenge, but also a good opportunity to grow stronger. Much, much stronger." Fleurdelys points out, "Struggling even when incredibly tired… Us Devils thrive on that, as we are weapons of war first and foremost."

"Embracing this side, but for good instead of evil, will help us a lot." I watched as Ajuka threw a look that screamed 'Told you so, dumbass.' towards Sirzechs, who rolled his eyes and pouted.

Serafall caught it too and snorted softly, the sad air around her vanishing quite a bit. Then she turned and started whistling innocently when Sirzechs threw a glare her way.

"There's one more thing." I speak up and lean forward, resting my elbows on my legs, "I want some of us to split off and cover other distant areas during the Beast Tide." The first answer to my words and request is confusion, then Yah's eyes widen.

"Bait." She points out, and I nod.

"The remnants of the Khaos Brigade are still out there, same with Rizevim. I doubt they grew a brain and decided not to attack us. Evil Dragons and Evil Gods both, looking to disrupt us during an important, dangerous battle."

Sirzechs leans forward, "But would they fall for it?"

I give him a look, and he snorts. "They'll know clear as day that it is a trap, and that we are baiting them. Will they resist the allure? Of course not. Even if it is to disrupt us for a few moments so to let stronger monsters through."

Ajuka cups his chin in thought, "Since you are offering this, I believe you already have a trap to make them regret attacking us?" I nod with a vicious smile on my face.

Straightening myself, I pull back my sleeve to reveal snake-like beings wrapped around my wrist, "These are specially made Undead for this. Single use only." I explain, commanding one to release my wrist and slither towards Sirzechs.

The crimson-haired Satan blinks, then perks up when a wave of power envelops him. The busted Buffs from Dragon Quest, stolen from Rapthorne.

"Whoa…" Sirzechs whispers, eyes wide, waves of power rolling off of him in massive waves before he manages to restrain them with great effort. "This is as strong as when I go all out with my Incarnation of Destruction…" He muses in awe, light grin spreading across his face.

"It's not all!" I chuckle, much to their surprise, "These snakes have enough Magic in them to cast these buffs on you, but also cast very, very powerful curses on a target of your choice. They'll become weaker to physical and magical attacks, their magic and bodies will become much weaker, so on and so forth."

I lean back and cross my arms, "Unfortunately, I couldn't manage to find a way to cast my Nihil Curse remotely, so I had to make do with these Power Snakes." Took inspiration from Ophis, and she ain't around to hit me with copyright issues and demands for silence and cookies.

Everyone just… Stares at me. Until Ajuka turns towards Sirzechs, "Told you he'd be an amazing ally." The Satan Lucifer throws his head back with an exasperated yet amused groan while I chuckle to myself.

"Baiting them to their doom…" Shiva muses, before letting out a soft huff, "Truly vicious. I approve it."

I nod and restrain my smile, "Of course, unforeseen circumstances may arise." I point out, "Rizevim is still allied with the machines. I do not know if they can give him the manpower needed to support such an attack due to their situation in the Dimensional Gap, so it is best we remain prepared for other unwanted guests."

Speaking of Rizevim, he might show up too, likely to heal his wounded pride after Fleurdelys made a mockery of him despite the disparity in strength between them.

Of course, that disparity is much, much smaller. As the daughter of two of the most powerful Devils and over five centuries old, Fleur is an incredibly powerful Devil that has mastered the immense strength she gained through the centuries of sleep.

Plus the fact that she regularly trains with Zani and Tio, two other powerhouses, she has grown a lot over the course of these months. In fact, by a simple look at her Soul, I can tell that now she is Serafall's equal, if not a bit stronger.

Zani is at that level too, but her lethality is comparable to Sirzechs due to how busted her Clan Trait is. Draining anyone within range of their Lifespan and using the gathered Time to empower herself? Yeah, that's something else.

"What about the Clan Traits?" Michael speaks up, earning everyone's attention, "Are there any that can assist us? I remember a great many were… Troublesome during the Great War."

Ajuka nods, "I managed to recover a great deal. Luckily, us Devils do not decompose on death, so Scaith will be able to recover the Clan Traits." He waves his hand, removing the map hologram between us, "First, the Clan Traits I was able to recover from the Six Houses of Lucifer."

"Through Grayfia's father, I was able to recover the Lucifuge Clan Trait. According to records, it grants one unparalleled control over Devil Magic, which can be an enormous boon."

"Next, thanks to Serafall turning the then Heir Satanachia into an ice sculpture-" Said Satan blinks, then mutters 'Ah, that asshole..' beneath her breath, "-I was also able to recover the Satanachia Clan Trait. It is incredibly deadly, as it allows one to ignore distance when attacking."

Gabriel muses softly with a gentle frown on her beautiful face, "They were dangerous assassins. Always hiding and striking from the horizon thanks to their Clan Trait."

Ajuka keeps going after nodding towards Gabriel, "The Algaliarept and Fleurety Ancestors are still alive, sealed away in prison, thus we have access to the Algaliarept Hellblaze Clan Trait and Fleurety Dimension Create Clan Trait. One is powerful, the other is a very useful too."

They shared more Clan Traits available, some not so useful, while the majority was basically meant for war. Lucifer hadn't meant for the Devils to become a self-sustaining civilization, thus he saw no reason to create Clan Traits that would help with farming and other tasks.

He made only Clan Traits that helped with war. Weapon making, healing, assassins, information gatherers, so on and so forth.

"There is something I'd like to ask about." It was only when we were nearly done that Yah speaks up once more, "Back when I had my final battle with Lucifer and the other Satans, they were wielding… Four extremely powerful, yet evil weapons they couldn't fully handle." I frown at that. Why does that sound familiar?

Ajuka perks up at that, a faint frown on his face. "I don't think we've ever heard of such weapons before…" He turns to Sirzechs, who shakes his head with an equally confused frown.

It is Fleurdelys that perks up, "The Malebraches!" She exclaims, making my own eyes widen at that. I had forgotten about those incredibly powerful weapons! "Wait, none of you have heard of them?" She asks, confusion in her eyes as she gazed at the Satans.

Serafall perks up, eyes narrowed, "Wait wait- What exactly are these 'Malebraches'?"

Yah is the one to answer, "Sacred Gear replicas created by Lucifer." The eyes of the Satans blow wide open, "But Evil, and far too powerful. Even during our final battle, they could barely control those weapons."

Fleur bites her lower lip, "Months before I fell asleep, Aunty Lilith told me they were still working on them, but were coming out far too powerful already. Many members of the Naberius House died just by being near them."

Shiva leans forward, cupping his chin in thought, "But how did he come around to making them?" He questions, glancing at Yah as he does so, "You used tools and Souls from beings of other Pantheons to make them. And while Lucifer stole a great many things back then, I cannot think of anything that would end up being as powerful as you all say."

That's when my eyes widen, as I remember what tool Lucifer had stolen and had at his disposal back then, "The Sephiroth Graal…" I lean back with that whisper leaving my lips, and the whole room went silent.

"Oh…"

He used the Great War to forge them. Gathering the Souls and just… Mashing them together. It is likely that they are pure resentment and hate and evil, hence their immense power.

I shake away those thoughts and bring up the fading memories of my old life. I remember them being mentioned, sealed away in statues beneath some ruins, "They might be in the ruins of the old capital." I point out, and watch the Satans share a look.

My face falls, "A Gate appeared there, didn't it?" Their faces twitch. "Nevermind, we can plan for that later. If I can fix them, they'll be a massive boon for your side." The Four Satans, Rias, and the other strongest of their Race wielding such weapons?

Yeah, it'll certainly be worth it.

But I do also want to put my hands on the strongest Malebrache. I still have the Staff and Book from that Lich, and I'll know what they do once I fully devour the broken Soul of the Lich.

Yet, I doubt both together will be as powerful as the strongest Malebrache. If not, I can just fuse them together. After all, I still need a proper weapon and armor for myself.

"Either way, let us find a way to perfectly divide our manpower so to cover all possible bases, while also giving our enemies the bait they'd want to choke on." I lean forward, then pause.

Blinking at the daring thought, I turn towards the other God in the room, "Say, Lord Shiva… Would you like to join and make someone's life utterly miserable?"

Yah started laughing softly to herself while the blue-haired God stares at me in surprise, lips slightly parted.

Then, he shrugs.

"It has been a while since I exercised, so… I wouldn't mind, no."

Welp, I pity the fuckers that will end up falling for this trap.

...No, I don't. I actually find this hilarious.

"You're evil, Scaith."

The accusation just makes me cackle.

~XXX~

Serafall stepped into the bedroom with slow steps. Her eyes clung to the floor, her breathing heavy, the hammering of her heart loud in her ears.

It was the same routine as ever. Check on her sister, bring food, and then just… Sit there, as her sister blankly stared at the ceiling while laying on the bed.

Not eating, not speaking, barely blinking. Just… There. Existing, not living.

Serafall plastered a smile on her face and took a seat by the bed, "Hey there, So-tan." No response. Her smile cracked. "Your incredible big sis, Levi-tan, brought you your favorite food!" No response again. Serafall's voice cracked, her eyes reddened.

Did her sister still love smoked cod? She used to adore it years ago, during the last family dinner she had where she had to sit through her parents annoying prattling.

It was that very family dinner that had Serafall become aware of the experiments going on with the Branch Family, but not how horrid they truly were.

And looking back, she had noted how empty the halls of the manor were.

When before she'd run into plenty members of the Branch Families, back then, during that last family dinner… She had ran into none. And she'd usually take the long way to the dining hall, so to encounter them and have a chat.

She should have noticed… But then again, why doubt her own family? Why question them? Why think that they are committing atrocious acts within the halls of their own home?

She, the Satan of Foreign Affair, trained to spot bullshit from a mile away from the faces and tongues of countless Gods over the course of nearly six centuries, couldn't even spot the horrors her family was committing.

The horrors they were showing to her little sister. The horrors they had her take a part in, and make her believe they were for the future of the Sitri House.

Could Serafall blame Cantarella for poisoning the whole household?

Before, she did. Until Scaith showed her the vile actions of her family when bringing Sona back. Serafall hadn't slept for a week afterward, wondering where she went wrong… Until she came to her answer.

She was the problem. Serafall Leviathan was the problem. The cause. The issue.

Cantarella was supposed to be a second Serafall. A second Sitri wielding pure, immense might and a mutated Clan Trait.

But instead of being tossed into the grinder that was the horrendous Civil War, where Serafall had to butcher countless Devils, countless brothers and sisters, and turn entire lands into frozen wastelands… They instead tortured Cantarella.

They'd poison her, weaken her, same with all the other kids, and made them fight each other to the death. Kids and teens who grew up together, played together, forced to kill each other while tortured and ravaged by poisons in order to survive.

Cantarella always prevailed, crying tears of blood and pushing forth through just hate.

The hateful, murderous glares within Sona's memories were many… But so were the chances given. So many times, after the experiments were brought to an end under her order, did Cantarella try and give Sona chances, talk reason with her, give the tortured Sitri the answer she wanted.

The answer she needed to stop herself from unleashing that massacre.

It was never given to her.

The door to the room creaks open, and Sona's previous Queen steps in and falters at the sight of Serafall, "L-Lady Serafall!" The Leviathan gives Tsubaki a broken, tired smile. Eyes red, but out of tears to spill.

"Hey, Tsu-chan…" With a sniffle and sigh, Serafall stands and moves closer to the bed. Her fingers brush through Sona's hair, the same way she did when she was a child, and the same way Sona liked. No response. "I want to ask a favor from you, Tsu-chan."

Sona's Peerage was no longer a thing. With Sona's death, their Evil Pieces were still there, but no longer tied to her even though she was resurrected.

Tsubaki steps deeper into the room, gaze gentle, "Anything, milady."

Serafall smiles softly, and her magic surges down her arm. On the bed, Sona stills, then slowly falls asleep, her blank eyes closing into a restful sleep.

"I'm going to erase her memories." Her head turns, and Serafall stares at Tsubaki, wondering what kind of face she was making. "About being a Devil. A Sitri… About being my younger sister."

For everything was her fault. For her simply existing and being so strong caused this. For her might cast a shadow so deep that no amount of love and adoration towards her younger sister could ward away.

Altering memories was dangerous, but Serafall had centuries of experience with this horrid branch of magic, much as she'd have preferred otherwise.

She watched as every memory, every smile, every hug, every kiss on the forehead… She watched as they all became undone, memories only she would ever remember.

Serafall kept the memories of being a schoolgirl, of being a normal girl in Japan, then easily filled in the blanks.

When she pulled back, a piece of her heart was torn and left behind as she watched her little sister sleep away.

Turning, Serafall faces Tsubaki once more, "Take her to the Human World for me, Tsu-chan." She whispers, voice broken. Tired. "Live a normal life, be with each other. Be normal girls." Tsubaki's own eyes redden, but the glasses wearing teen nods and forces down her tears.

"Leave it to me, Lady Serafall." The Leviathan laughs softly and hugs the young woman tightly.

"I'll make sure nothing ever comes to bother you, okay?"

Because she'd be damned if she failed her family one more damn time.

Before, she focused on making sure Devils kept stable relations with the other Pantheons, while Sirzechs made sure Devils played 'nice' with each other.

But Fleurdelys was right. They were a powder keg ready to blow with a single damn spark, and now they were facing an Extinction Level event.

The strength she achieved through the war was meaningless. The strength Sirzechs was born with and achieved was also meaningless, seen through his battle with that weird Void creature.

They were surrounded by enemies, old and new, feral and not. If the Underworld fell, then the Human World was next, and Sona was going to live there from now on.

Serafall spared one last look back, drinking in the sight of her only family sleeping soundly on the bed, before walking out of the door and teleporting away.

She didn't know how long she spent walking around, just… Thinking.

New Haven was thriving and expanding rapidly, Low Class Devils and civilians finding their dream jobs. Some trained and joined Fleurdely's army, while others… Others came to them, the Satans, and offered their lives to fight for them.

Even after they failed them so horribly, they still came to fight on their side, shoulder to shoulder with the very nobles that once looked down on them, and treated them as servants.

The Noble Devils had none of their previous arrogance now. The constant battle against the Gates, with them at the front and not at the back, had been the perfect grindstone to turn that arrogance into powder, and bring out the potential beneath.

Many had their eyes opened, finally realizing the horrors they had put their servants through for so long.

Under Sirzechs urging, Serafall had started grooming a successor, a future Leviathan to replace her when the time was right.

Thus, the Emperor and Empress became the talk of the Devil Race among the Satans ranks. Diehauser Belial and Roygun Belphegor, the number one and two of the Rating Games.

Sirzechs was raising Diehauser, a powerhouse in his own right and nearly on par with Serafall herself, as his successor. Using the Gates and him as the leading commander of the main armies, Diehauser was reaching levels of fame like nothing before.

Roygun had accepted Serafall's offer, despite the Devil just wanting to mess around and enjoy Rating Games. At least she was still loyal to the Devil Race, and willing to do what was right to help them thrive.

Everyone was growing. Everything was changing.

Serafall was the only one that felt stagnant. That felt like she'd soon become useless.

Thus, she found herself in front of the only place that can offer the growth she desperately needed, and the distraction she wanted.

Fleurdelys greeted her at the door, and behind her was the woman she should hate, but could never bring herself to.

"Train with me." Serafall all but demands, "Both of you." Her eyes were hard, and her hands were balled up into trembling fists, "I'm done lagging behind everyone else."

Serafall stares into the eyes of the real Leviathan, who stares back at her unflinching… Before smiling.

"Very well." Fleurdelys floats forward, her smile turning into a wide, eager grin, "It just so happens that I have something to train with."

Despite herself, Serafall grins too.

When the fools come knocking, she was going to show them a real good surprise.

~XXX~

"That ends my report, Lord Fierce God."

Regalzeva nodded, five eyes glowing a brilliant gold, his towering mechanical form gazing at the war before him.

Machines against the Void-Eaters, a battle as ancient as time.

The Machine Gods, which strip entire universes down to nothing, leaving not an ore or useful material behind.

And the Void-Eaters, beings that mindlessly feast on Reality itself. Stars and Black Holes were their favorites snacks, turned into mass for their mighty bodies.

The Fierce God Regalzeva nodded to himself, glad he had forsaken his previous duty to come to this new Universe. It was an immense battle royale of tens of thousands of universes all converging and invading a single one… And they were being fought back.

"Is there anything I should be made ware of?" He questions the Machine behind him. A simple Commander whose mission to strip this universe down seems to have become incredibly more difficult with all these variables constantly popping up.

At its hesitation, Regalzeva turns, five eyes shining brightly, "Speak." The machine commander startles, then lowers its blinking mechanical eye.

"I have discovered eleven beings on your level of power, Lord Fierce God."

Regalzeva pauses at that. "Eleven? Truly?" His voice came out enthusiastic, eager for battle, making his title proud.

"Yes." The machine commander nods, "They seem to be locked in a stalemate in an isolated area of this 'Underworld'. Nine of them have claimed a territory, while two of them wander around for prey."

"Hoh?" Regalzeva squared his shoulders, black and purple mechanical body creaking and filled with immense power, voice eager and bloodthirsty, "Then… What about the one staring at us right now?"

The machine commander freezes. "...Lord Fierce God?"

The towering humanoid machine turns its five glowing golden eyes to stare at the eerie darkness around them, just beyond the Dimensional Gap, before fully stepping into the Universe currently under invasion.

He could feel it. A presence at the edge of his awareness, looking at them from nowhere, but also everywhere. It was a strange feeling for Regalzeva, having his sharp and powerful senses fail him like so.

"Show yourself, creature-!"

Reality split open. A colossal Draconic eye peered down at Regalzeva from the Void, making him appear like an ant in comparison.

The Fierce God's arms uncross before him, ready for battle, "So, you are the protector of this Universe?! I hope you are stronger than all the previous ones-"

"Be quiet."

Regalzeva forgot how to speak. His sensors failed. His mechanical body sputtered. Words formed in his mechanical mind, but couldn't be given voice.

His glowing golden eyes flickered.

"I am The Dream, and this is my Home."

The slit of the colossal eye narrowed in on Regalzeva, who found his body unable to move, started shaking. For once in his life, pure terror appeared within those mechanical glowing eyes.

Before him was no God, or mortal life-form.

But a Concept.

"Begone, Interloper. Before The Infinite One awakes. She is a cranky lady, you see."

With a thought, Reality squeezed inward, wailing as its very fabric was twisted and compressed, squeezing down Regalzeva's mighty and towering form with ease.

The Fierce God twitched, metal creaking and cracking, trying desperately to resist the might of the Concept before him.

But his existence had already become part of a Dream… And The Dreamer was now awake.

"I deny your Existence."

Pop!

The machine commander shivered in place, the gargantuan eye fading away, completely ignoring its meager existence.

Thus leaving its mechanical form there, dripping with terror…

And staring at the compressed piece of scrap metal that was the Fierce God in muted horror.

Perhaps invading this Universe was not their brightest idea…

A.N. Apologies for the wait, irl has been busy and I've been getting sick back to back with no proper rest in-between.

I'll try to get another chapter out before the end of the month, so believe in me!

The Beast Tide will start next chapter, maybe, and it should last quite a bit. I want to bring in some old enemies from DxD, making them relevant and making other characters shine, so yeah!

Plenty of stuff to write and read for y'all!

Hope y'all enjoyed the chappy!

Toodles!