Chapter 9 - Legacy and Reconquista (Patreon)

"Let the gold flow; there is nothing better than the feeling of the gold."

***

Codex: The Innate Magic

The Forgotten Realms are a realm filled with potent Magics, also termed as: Magiks, Magicks, Wizardry and Sorcery. Since the dawn of time, these forces have influenced the Cosmos, setting the stars in motion and the destiny of countless worlds and mortal civilizations.

Magical Energies are most apparent beneath the earth as well as in special locations - centers of elemental forces, otherworldly powers, and mystical energies. The nature and uses of the forms of Magic are vigorously debated in the Forgotten Realms, but the magnitude of what Magic can accomplish cannot be doubted.

The Innate Magic is different from the Racial Magic, Elemental Winds, High Magic, Racial Magic and various Unique Magics. 

The Winds of Magic were the fundamental aspects of the Elemental Chaos, one of the three grand parts of the World Axis Cosmology, and together upon their merger they created the High Magic... 

Or rather, one type of High Magic. Raicla Magic was another special branch of Magic that was directly tied to the species, because some species that possessed very high Magic Affinity, like Devils, Dragons, Demons, High Elves, and so on... possessed their very own Racial Magic.

The Innate Magic is strongly tied to the individual's Spirit, Talent, Soul, and very own predispositions toward certain aspects. Not every Mage could awaken the Innate Magic, and inhabitants of the Forgotten Realms had relatively low chances of awakening Innate Magic, even with a specific method devised by generations of Archmages.

Contrary to the General Magic, the Innate Magic depends far more on Talent and Spirit; one's Magical Powers are also tied to one's life force, and one's strength of feelings plays an important part in one's ability to properly use Innate Magic.

With the Draconic Deus Segment, there are multiple examples of the Innate Magic. 

The most prime example of the Innate Magic within the Draconic Deus Segment is the Clan Traits of the Devil Aristocracy of the Netherworld, which can be considered as the Innate Magic. Another famous Innate Magic example is the Magics developed by the Dragons, a more powerful sort of Dragons after they crossed the Elder Dragon stage.

The Innate Magics are highly unpredictable, because some of them are weak. In the most literal meaning, and their development potential is pretty weak, yet there are some of the Innate Magics that are extremely strong, and their potential for development is immense.

Though it's also important to say that a lot of around Innate Magic is related to the strength of the person using the Innate Magic, their talent and their usage of the Magic Rules. There were many examples of the Innate Magic across the Draconic Deus Segment.

Many of the Archmages across the entirety of the Forgotten Realms are striving to develop their own Innate Magic, though mostly it was for naught, because creation and development of the Innate Magic was tied to luck and talent.

That much was confirmed by many.

Some of the powerful Archmages of Abeir-Toril were able to create their own Innate Magic based on the observation of the Clan Traits of the Devil Artistocratic Houses, though the number of Archmages that were able to achieve that feat wasn't that high.

- Excerpts from the Book: Distinction between the 'General Magic' and Innate Magic in the Forgotten Realms by Archmage Elmister Aumar

***

2nd Floor of the Underground Catacombs of the Royal Palace of House Lucifer

Tchzen of the Sliver Claw was one of the few Champion-level Greater Daemons of Tzeentch and he was the sole one that was stationed in the Draconic Deus Segment while most of his kin were either in the Abyss or operating within the Abeir-Toril.

One could say that he was pretty fortunate, because even though the Draconic Deus was a relatively powerful world, it could be worse, and there were far worse places where he could be sent.

He was an unusually martial Lord of Change who was most combat-oriented Greater Daemons of his Lord and often led charges against the other enemies of his master. 

Be it the other factions of the Abyss or the other Gods of Ruination. The enviroment of the Abyss was never peaceful, and even within the factions themselves, they were fighting and killing each other.

The Abyssal Daemons were constantly fighting for supremacy and ruling over the Abyss itself. For the Abyss, the Netherworld was a perfect plane for them to conquer and assimilate directly into the Abyss, and many powerful entities of the Abyss already took notice of it.

Gods of Ruination, mighty Abyssal Lords, Evil Deities and other ancient entities that called the Abyss home. Tzchen spent most of his time either hibernating or plotting some scheme against the Devils of the Devil Domain.

Or maintaining the stability between the forces of Blood God and Imprisoned One, which was proving to be a greater hassle than he had initially predicted. He scoffed at the Demogorgon, because the Imprisoned One was growing too powerful, and if he managed to add a few Abyssal Layers to his turf...

He would become a minor problem even in the plan of the Architect of Fate.

Even right now, the Imprisoned One was one of the most powerful Aspects in the entire Abyss and was one of the big players. Even though the Ruination Faction wasn't that united, in front of the external factions, they were somehow united in the force known as Ruin Undivided.

The Ruin Undivided also had another meaning.

Followers of Ruin Undivided venerate the force of Ruin itself, seeing the Four Major Ruin Gods as a single Pantheon to be worshipped equally as different emanations of the same universal force.

Of all the worshippers of Ruin, they serve Ruination in its purest form. They can interpret the meaning of Ruin in a variety of ways, including as a single god or force, worship the four major Ruination Gods equally, or favour one slightly over the others.

The Ruination Lords and Daemon Princes of Ruin Undivided are at an advantage in their ability to unite any of the forces of Ruin under their leadership, even if they would normally worship opposing gods like Khorne and Slaanesh, so the warbands of Ruin Undivided are always the most diverse.

The Ruin Undivided was a pretty loose faction, truth to be told, and they worked together when only something that endangered the greatest interests of the Powers of Ruination appeared... 

Champions of the creed are branded with the Ruination Star, the Mark of Ruin Undivided, somewhere upon their bodies. A follower of Ruin Undivided may also honour the lesser Daemonic entities of the Abyss if they are likely to aid them.

Other devotees of Ruination view Ruin Undivided as a unified whole, with the various Ruinous Powers serving as the different aspects of a single God of Ruination. They may give their service to one Ruination God but are likely to never gain much favour with an individual power because of their veneration of Ruination as a whole.

Finally, others seek to use the power offered by Ruin as a means to their own selfish ends. This was an often risky path, and only two outcomes existed: the attainment of Daemonhood or ultimate damnation as a Ruination Spawn or Abyssal Spawn, and the devouring of one's soul by the Ruinous Powers.

Tzchen of the Sliver Claw suddenly perked up because he sensed the death of every single Lesser Daemon in the 1st underground floor of the catacombs. He sensed the disgusting stench of the Annihilation of the Lucifuges, and subsequently, he also sensed the Power of Destruction of those dammed Baels.

It was highly problematic.

Tzchen took his trusted spear, which was a Ruiantion Artifact created by the best Daemonsmiths in the depths of the Abyss, in the personal kingdom of the Tzeentch. It was a very powerful weapon, on the level of the stronger Divine Tools.

As he prepared to step forward and take matters into his own hands, suddenly an enormous burst of the Power of Destruction struck him. Only at the last second, Tzchen of the Sliver Claw raised his spear and created a barrier of the Ruination that protected him from the Power of Destruction. 

Tzchen of the Sliver Claw was the sole martial-oriented Greater Daemon of Tzeentch among the Lords of Change. The Lord of Change roared in annoyance because the Power of Destruction that the accursed Bael was using was seen in the Magic Rule of Destruction.

Which was the antithesis of the powerful Greater Daemon like himself.

In a split second, the Lord of Change flapped his bird-like wings as he shot toward his target when he saw a crimson-haired young devil who attacked him. He noticed that the man was wielding a long sword that was radiating a pure aura of Destruction and Divinity, which was a dangerous combination.

For the Lord of Change, this wasn't anything hard to discern because of his superior intelligence and observation capabilities. The Power of Destruction of his opponent was one of the strongest that he had ever encountered, which was problematic.

Smart Greater Daemons like him were avoiding the Clan Traits like the Power of Destruction or Annihilation. Normally, there were not many ways of killing Daemons outside of the Abyss, and it was pretty unfortunate that the Clan Traits like Power of Destruction were most dangerous for the Daemons.

In a split second, sword and spear clashed, which resulted in a huge shockwave that tore down the entire area of the underground catacombs beneath the Royal Palace of the House Lucifer. 

Sirzechs, who held the Asura Sword and slashed toward the Greater Daemon in front of him, grimaced because the creature was more powerful than he had anticipated. Perhaps, he had underestimated it a bit, much to his dismay, because of the Champion-level Greater Daemon of Tzeentch.

Nevertheless, he was actually pleased by the challenge because even though the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw possessed strength comparable to the Overlord-Class being, Sirzechs was able to match him in power.

Mainly thanks to the Power of Destruction with the Magic Rule of Destruction, and surprisingly enough, his newfound Divine status was allowing him to fight indefinitely. Even though he was a demigod, his Divinities of combat and War were something that gave him unparalleled stamina and capabilities when he was fighting.

Sirzechs didn't waste any time and unleashed his strongest form straight away as he entered his True Release Form of the human-shaped Aura of Destruction, as he literally became the embodiment of the Power of Destruction and merged with the Asura Sword.

In a split second, his power skyrocketed exponentially to the heavens and attacked the Lord of Change with newfound brutality and power. Sirzechs knew that the Lord of Chnage that was here was called Tzchen of the Sliver Claw, because that much the Lucifdguge Clan was able to gather.

There was a rather limited amount of intelligence on this Greater Daemon, aside from the fact that he was more martially oriented and his combat style was closer to that of the Greater Daemons of Khorne, if anything else.

Sirzechs knew how to fight opponents like this, and he was grateful for opponents like this, because he knew that the Lords of Changes were the most problematic Greater Daemons in the entire Abyss.

They were scheming bastards, mostly using unpredictable and troublesome Spells that were very hard to defend against.

Now, Sirzechs considered himself rather lucky that he encountered a Greater Daemon, a Lord of Change who was oddball among his kind. In his state, in the True Release Form, Sirzechs's power was staggering, and he reached the level of Overlord-Class almost effortlessly.

As he clashed more and more gauntly with the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw, the Champion-level Greater Daemon of Tzeentch was pushed back ever further. Which was certainly pretty disturbing for the Greater Daemon whose power reached the geniue Overlord-Class.

Unfortunately, this was the result of ill-matched powers.

The Power of Destruction was destroying the foul Magics of the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw, as the Lord of Change looked more grim with each passing clash. Sirzechs's enormous figure that was made from the pure Power of Destruction, strengthened by the Magic Rule of Destruction, was something that the Champion-level Greater Daemon couldn't counter.

At the same time, under normal circumstances, when pressed into a position like this, the Greater Demon would have long ago escaped because it was the easiest thing to do, but that wasn't possible right now.

Tzchen of the Sliver Claw received a clear instruction from ghis God that he was to obtain the Melabranche, Book of Lucifer, and some other things that were located in the ruins of the Lucifaad.

Unfortunately, it has been proven that Lucifer, who was among the strongest Supreme Overlords in the Draconc Deus, wasn't stupid and created such powerful protection that it was night impossible even for a Greater Daemon like him to breach the defenses that Lucifer left behind.

Tzchen of the Sliver Claw spent decades studying the Bounded Fields and Wards in the place, and there was only a single conclusion. It was Sacrificial Magic that created those defenses... achieved by Lucifer himself, sacrificing his very own Life.

The young Heir Apparent of the House Gremory, used his favourite technique, Ruin the Extinct, as several spheres of the Destruction crashed into the Greater Daemon, as the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw screamed in pain as several parts of his body were disintegrated by the sheer might of the Power of Destruction.

Under normal circumstances, even if some spell or attack managed to destroy parts of the body of the Daemon... it would be internally regenerated as long as the Daemon had access to the Abyss.

Yet...

Now that the Power of Destruction has destroyed parts of its body, it isn't regenerating.

Sirzechs would grin, but it wasn't really possible in the current situation, while the huge human-shaped Aura of Destruction. He knew that there was one particular thing about the combat prowess of the Greater Daemmons.

Even though, for example, the power of the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw could be comparable to that of the Overlord-Class devil, there were many variables in their combat prowess. It was mainly tied to the fact that Daemons were weaker outside of the Abyss.

This was a confirmed fact, and the reason why many species, factions, or words were able to deal with the Abyssal Incursions was that the Daemons were weaker in the other world than they were in the Abyss.

Only in the Abyss or corrupted worlds, Daemons were able to show their full potential and power. Furthermore, enoguzb, this was Netherworld... a plane of existence that was heavily opposed to Daemons and hated them to the core.

Sirzechs knew this... every single Devil and Demon in the Netherworld knew of this, and they were taught from a young age how to utilize this weakness against the Daemons and kill them as soon as possible.

This weakness was a troublesome aspect.

When Sirzechs saw the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw charging at him with that Ruination Artifact in his hands. The Artifacts of the Ruination were very dangerous even to someone like Sirzechs, who possessed the Clan Trait that negated the powers of Ruination. 

Most of them were created by their very own Gods, and they were exceedingly powerful, often designed to enchant and corrupt people and turn them into the slaves of the Ruination Gods.

Or they were created to be enormously powerful weapons that were only for the hands of the powerful Greater Daemons. Owning such an Artifact was considered a privilege and an unparalleled favour of the Ruination God to the Greater Daemon.

Even among the Champion-level Greater Daemons, not every single one of them owned the Ruination Artifact awarded by their respective God of Ruin. And the number of such Greater Daemons could be counted on one hand.

Sirzechs dodged the strike of the spear, as he struck the left side of Tzchen of the Sliver Claw with his right hand, which was fused with the Asura Sword in this form. The Champion-level Greater Daemon was immediately knocked back as he crashed into one of the walls that were behind him.

The injuries on the body of the Greater Daemon were becoming more and more numerous, but much to Sirzechs's surprise, the Greater Daemon was attacking more and more, not withstanding its injuries or anything else on its being.

As the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw was fighting the Power of Destruction, which was disintegrating his very own body, suddenly the Champion of the Greater Daemons gathered a huge amount of the Ruination Energies that he drew from the spear that he was holding and threw the spear at Sirzechs.

The Heir of the House Gremory dodged to the side in a split second as he used all of the Infernity that he had in his power, while also overusing his Divine Spark to give him as much bonus as possible.

The Divinities of War and Combat were giving him the stamina which he desperately needed when he was exchanging blows with the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw, because the Champion-level Greater Daemon was now using all of its power without caring about his own being.

When Sirzechs noticed that the Greater Daemon started using the Ruiantion Artifact to the limits, because he saw some cracks forming on the spear's blade and body, he knew that the opponent had decided to finish him at all costs.

For that, he was attempting to channel the powers of the Architect of Fate, which could be rather fatal. Even though to the outsider it may seem that Sirzechs was winning the fight, he was actually fighting with everything that he had, and he was also having problems with the amount of Infernity. 

He was spending far more energy than he was regenerating, and even though his regeneration capabilities were superb, he was still struggling very much. Fortunately, in his True Release Form, Sirzechs was far more durable and was able to recover faster than usual...

The Power of Destruction surged around Sirzechs like a volcano as it started concentrating into one final move, the one final sphere of the most potent and strongest Destruction that he could muster and release as he struck with his sword arm directly at the Greater Daemon of the Architect of Fate.

Tzchen of the Sliver Claw didn't wait for his opponent to hit him and counterattacked with his own strike, Ruination Artifact that was brimming with the power of the Architect of Fate and just as he was about to attack Sirzechs, suddenly out of nowhere, several tens of Magic Circles bearing the Clan Crest of the House Lucifer. 

Faster than Tzchen of the Sliver Claw could react, the Ruination Energies that were all surrounding suddenly started disappearing. Sirzechs, seeing this, grinned internally, because it seemed that his plan had worked well...

With the tweaks that he had done to the Warding Network, Grayfia managed to take over the remaining Wards in this entire place and activated the Anti-Ruination and Anti-Abyssal Wards.

And as they were activated, they suppressed the rising energies of the Ruination that the Architrect of Fate was channeling to his Greater Daemon through the Artifact that he gave him.

It barely took a moment, as the entire monument of the Champion-level Greater Daemon disappeared like it was never there in the first place. Lucifer was most wary of the eventuality that the Daemons of the Abyss or Ruinous Powers would get their hands on the Melancholy or Book of Lucifer.

Thus, he apparently created several methods and the most powerful defenses that he could before his ultimate demise to prevent that. It was rather fortunate that Grayfia was recognized as the Lucifer through her familiar lineage to the Lucifer Clan, or else Sirzechs feared that their situation would be much worse.

The power that the Greater Daemon was summoning to the Netherworld from the Abyss through the Ruination Artifact was enough to obliterate even the peak Overlord-Class being from the face of reality.

In one hit.

Yet now, the Greater Daemon looked panicked as hell when he noticed that the energies of Runation were dissipating or being suppressed and couldn't unleash their true might.

Sirzehcs didn't waste any moment, because he knew that the Greater Daemon would now escape... it was a pretty logical conclusion now that the Ruination Artifact was technically speaking useless.

The Heir of the Gremory drained the last bit of Divine Force and Infernity in his being, pushing the Power of Destruction as much as he could, as he himself started feeling the strain of overusing the Magic Rule of Destruction.

The Six Eyes were his sole saving grace that he was able to use them this way.

He appeared in front of the Tzchen of the Sliver Claw, and his sword arm was bursting with the pure Power of Destruction that was more or less a sheer concentration of the Magic Rule of Destruction, penetrated through the head of the Greater Daemon.

Everything happened so fast that the Greater Daemon couldn't react because he was attempting to cast a banishing spell on himself, to send himself back to the Abyss. 

This was a rather ingenious method used by very powerful and cunning Greater Daemons when they were on the brink of being destroyed, killed, or sealed.

Self-banishement.

Normally, the banishment spells were the most common method of dealing with the singular Daemons that were wandering here and there. It was the least cost-effective way and barely cost Magic, in fact, if the banishment spell was properly cast.

Ideally, through ritual.

But the self-banishment?

Not many knew that one could cast the banishment spell on oneself.

Including the Daemons who could cast the banishment spell on themselves.

Upon killing Daemon outside of the Abyss, Daemon would return to the Abyss if the process of killing didn't include something that permanently erased their existence or destroyed their very own souls.

After returning to the Abyss, they would just absorb raw Chaos Magic, essentially the Winds of Magic in their purest form and reconstruct their bodies from scratch.

The more powerful Daemon was banished, the longer the process would take, as the amount of Magic that they needed for the reconstruction of their bodies was staggering.

For example, an average Greater Daemon would need around a few decades to reconstruct its body under normal circumstances. Titled Greater Daemons, whose power was on the High Ultimate-Class, would need at least three hundred years at a minimum.

While the Champion-level Greater Daemons would need, in some cases, even several millenias. Though this rarely happened, because smarter Greater Daemons had done their preparations, this process would be hastened by a more powerful Daemon, Deity, or Ruination God if they were in that faction.

And the smartest Daemons would use self-banishment back to the Abyss to avoid these scnearious entierley. If one were a servant of some naicnet Evil Deity or RuinatioN God, then having already mentioned God bring the Greater Daemon back was...

Not really advisable.

As the punishment tended to be rather brutal.

Sirzechs noticed that the Greater Daemon was preparing to instant-cast the self-banishment spell, because the Greater Daemon actually had some Runic Charms on him, which would cast the banishment spell.

When he was activating the mechanism in the runes, the Heir of the Gremory attacked and managed to kill the Daemon in one hit.

It was a fluke of luck.

From a perspective.

Or a good plan.

From another perspective.

As he looked at the corpse of a dissipating Champion-level Greater Daemon and the Hex Crystals that began appearing due to the enormous amount of Magic released upon the Daemon's death, Sirzechs reversed from his True Release Form.

He dropped on his right knee and coughed a huge amount of blood, because he was really seriously injured from all of this. His Infernity was almost drained up, and his Divine Force was depleted.

The next thing he did was to reach into his Dimensional Storage and take out a bottle that was full of the Phenex Tears as he drank several dosages at the same time, because he needed to kick his regeneration in as soon as possible.

Immediately afterward, he took another vial, which was holding almost like crystallized liquid. It was shining blue in color and of pretty weird consistency, like a mixture between liquid and crystal, as he drank it in one go.

It was Hex Potion...

Essentially refined potion by grinding up Hex Crystal into powder or crystalline form, mixing it with several types of Mana-rich herbs and liquids, and making something that could be termed as "Mana Potion" in the most crude sense.

"Well... this is getting better... I need to get to the 3rd Floor..."

He muttered as he gathered his things, especially his Asura Sword, which wasn't in the best condition due to overusing his power and clashing with the Ruination Artifact head-on.

Then he went to the 3rd Floor while Grayfia was still on the 2nd one, hunting down the remaining Greater Daemons of Tzeentch. If even a single one of them survived, then it would jeopardize the entire mission, which was a big no-no.

***

3rd Floor of the Underground Catacombs of the Royal Palace of House Lucifer

It took around half an hour for Sirzechs to reach the 3rd Floor of the underground catacombs beneath the Royal Palace of the House Lucifer, where the Melabranche were sealed.

He needed to disable an entire bunch of defenses and Bounded Fields manually to even be able to go into the 3rd Floor, which was holding the Melabranche. 

After he had unlocked the entrance to the 3rd Floor, he walked for half an hour until he reached the end of the tunnel, which led to a small room, which was a teleportation array to the 3rd Floor. 

It seemed that there was no physical connection between the 2nd Floor and the 3rd Floor of the place. This was most probably in the case that the Melabranche broke out, then they would need to carve through the several tens of kilometers of the hardest rock just to reach the 2nd Floor of the underground catacombs.

His Six Eyes were working nonstop on scanning the entire area for any signal of a potential trap or mishap in case something went wrong. He didn't believe that someone as cunning as Lucifer would leave this place without protection, but even his Six Eyes couldn't discover anything.

With the help of the Six Eyes, he poured several drops of Grayfia's blood on the Teleportation Circle and even controlled some of her Demonic Energy through the entire Warding System in the room, as he managed to trick the Warding System in the place.

Right now, the Wards recognized Grayfia as a full-fledged member of the House Lucifer, which wouldn't normally be possible, but through his Clan Traits and Six Eyes, he was able to achieve such a feat.

Thus, he activated the Teleportation Circle, as he was teleporting directly to the 3rd Floor of the underground catacombs to the sealing chamber of the Melabranche.

The sealing chamber of the Melabranche was an enormous ritual chamber suspended over a sea of molten lava. The architecture was gothic and ancient, with intricate carvings and towering pillars reinforcing the sense of power and mystery.

This was done on purpose, because this wasn't just an ordinary molten lava, but the one that seeped in Mana, powerful enough to kill even beings like High Ultimate-Class beings like it was nothing.

It was lava directly from Muspelheim, one of the Nine Realms of the Yggdrasil, and it was lava from the heart of that realm, capable of melting down even the hardest metals in existence, like Uru or Adamantium.

When Sirzechs looked around, he noticed that whoever designed this entire chamber must have some big ego... which was rather fitting for Lucifer.

Though it was also true that everything that was within the chamber was created in this place, it was created to either kill or weaken the Melabranche in case they went berserk.

At the center of the scene, an elevated platform made of dark metal jutted out, accessible only via a narrow, fortified bridge that extends from the cavern's edge. The bridge was lined with short, sturdy stone railings, giving it the appearance of a heavily defended passage.

The platform itself was an octagonal structure adorned with glowing runes and elaborate engravings, possibly symbolizing arcane power. At its heart was an ominous emblem, etched into the stone floor, reinforcing the idea of powerful entity beings sealed in this place.

Fiery braziers burned atop ornate pillars, casting an orange glow that contrasts with the cold blue light emanating from the massive altar at the far end.

The altar, set against a towering crystalline structure, glows with an ethereal blue light, giving it a mystical and otherworldly presence. On the altar, a mixture of Arcane symbols was inscribed, exuding an aura of deeper mysteries.

The background consisted of cavernous rock walls, partially illuminated by the molten lava below, with dark recesses hinting at unknown depths. Chains appeared to support the platform, reinforcing its suspended, precarious nature.

The combination of fire and ice-like elements, along with the gothic and infernal architecture, was a testament to the dark power of the Melabranche, which was both revered and feared among the Devils of the 1st Generation or Ancient Demons, as the Melabranche were always some sort of mystery to the Devil Race.

They were far older than the Devil Race, as they existed a long time before Helel fell from grace and became Lucifer. This wasn't just the place where the Melabranche were sealed, but it was also the place where they were found in the depths of the underground area beneath the Lucifaad.

Only after that did Lucifer rework the entire area to act as the sealing vault for the Melabranche.

Sirzechs looked around as he felt the thick air penetrated by sulfur, as the heat was distorting his vision like a mirage.

In the center of the octagonal platform, there were the stone statues.

Upon this elevated platform stand twelve towering statues of demons, each hewn from blackened stone, their forms twisted in grotesque, otherworldly perfection. Some possess multiple arms grasping long-forgotten weapons, others have bat-like wings unfurled as if frozen in flight, and a few bear horns that spiral toward the cavernous ceiling like infernal spires.

Their hollow eyes seem to burn with an unseen fire, and their expressions are a mix of wrath, despair, and eternal vigilance.

These were the Melabranche.

Alichino. Arbariccia. Cagnazzo. Calcabrina. Ciriatto. Draghgnazzo. Farfarello. Grafficacane. Libicocco. Rubicante. Scarmiglione. Malacoda.

The statues of the Melabranche were scarred with ancient runes, pulsing faintly with crimson light, as if whispering secrets to those who dare to tread upon it. He didn't understand these runes that much, as he never really studied this kind of runes, but he could recognize them as Primordial Runes of some sort.

In the Ancient Enochian Language, which he could vaguely understand.

The lava below churned violently, casting flickering shadows that made the statues seem to shift, their ominous silhouettes stretching and twisting against the cavern walls.

When Sirzechs looked at the Melabranche, he noticed something peculiar... because each statue had something sealed in it. It would be something that he would miss if he didn't possess the Six Eyes, which were able to see through it clearly as day.

It were fragments of Grimoire... 

One that was giving out a very reminiscent Aura that he sensed from Grayfia, just it was many times stronger and far more potent than one would have thought.

"It's the book of Lucifer... that was the reason why nobody was able to find it... for the whole time it was here... broken apart and sealed into the Melabranche itself, which is serving as the ultimate protector for the final guardians of our foundation."

Devil Race was not a natural race... they were technically an artificial species that was created by Lucifer through the forgotten arts of the Bio-Gene Alchemy many millenias ago.

And everything that was known about it, every single piece of information that was telling something about the birth of the Devil Race, was recorded within the Book of Lucifer...

Just there and nowhere else.

Yet the Book of Lucifer was rumored to be lost after the Fall of Lucifaad, even though many actually believed that the book must be somewhere in the Lucifaad itself.

"Well... the good news is that, the Seals are still working as they should."

Sirzechs stated that he checked the Ancient Enochian inscription, as the Ancient Enochian was a very rare dialect of the Angels, and it was rarely spoken. At the same time, it was Power Language, meaning even the simplest words had power in Ancient Enochian, so it was a very powerful ritualistic language for the Angels.

He wasn't really surprised that Helel used the Ancient Enochain as the ritualistic luneagne when he was sealing up the Melabranche.

At the same time, what surprised him was that Helel was able to use the Primordial Runes like Odin, though compared to the God-King of the Nordic Pantheon, the Lightbringer's usage of the Primordial Runes was rather crude, but that was from inexperience, not from not understanding the Primordial Runes.

Yet, what Sirzechs noticed was that the Sealing Incriptions and Runes were already weakened a bit...

This was rather problematic, and in some cases, they were already cracked, which could pose minor problems if he wanted to bring them out through teleportation. It was rather fortuitous that they were not tainted by the Abyss or Ruination, because if they were, then it would doom them all.

He didn't even want to imagine how fucked up it would get if some forces of Ruination or Abyss managed to possess something as fearsome as Melabranche.

"Transporting them out could be dangerous... if they break from the seals, it would be a really fucked up situation. At the same time, I don't have really that many different solutions for this situation."

Sirzechs muttered as he pondered over how to solve the things. 

Preferably, he would be happiest if the Melabranche were not awakened at all, until they were able to wipe out their consciousness and reforge them into one singular weapon that would become his Divine Tool and Symbol of Power.

Grayfia was dealing with the aftermath of his fight in the upper floors, because parts of the catacombs were collapsing after he had slain the Champion-level Greater Daemon of Architect of Fate.

And ironically, as he predicted, it didn't last even ten minutes, until the other two Champions of Khorne and Demogorgon sensed the death of their fellow Greater Daemon and started clashing in the ruined streets of Lucifaad.

One can say that far above their heads, the entire ruins were turned into a new warzone as the Daemons started clashing against each other in a brutal clash. 

Within the Abyss, the three main factions hated each other to the core, and they were fighting each other nonstop.

"Well then, let's get to the work."

Suddenly, several Magic Circles appeared in front of his eyes as they started scanning the Sealing Runes around the Melabranche. His Six Eyes could also analyze anything that they see and process the information, which allowed Sirzhechs to have almost unparalleled speed at learning.

It was an extremely handy ability, especially when it came to learning Magic.

If not for that, then he wouldn't be Master Mage at such a young age in several branches of Magic.

In something around ten minutes, the analysis of the Runic Inscription on the Melabranche has been completed.

There was approximately an 87% chance that the Runic Inscriptions that are sealing the Melabranche would withstand the teleportation process. 10% that the Runic Inscription would be severely damaged from the process and fall apart shortly after the teleportation is completed, and 3% that they would fall apart the moment the teleportation is initiated, and the Melabranche would be unsleaded the moment they are teleported to another side.

The numbers were actually better than he had expected because he needed to teleport the Melabranche directly to the underground vault beneath the Bael Castle, as that was one of the safest places in the entire Netherworld right now.

There they would wait for the time until they would be reforged into a brand new Ultra Divine Tool.

He initially thought of the possibility of recharging the Runic Inscriptions on the Melabranche, but he could see that the Runic Matrix was damaged in several places, and he didn't have the necessary knowledge or power to repair the Runic Matrixes, not to mention repairing the entire Runic Inscription on each statute.

In the end, he started preparing a huge teleportation circle after he sent a message to his grandfather, his parents, and Mephisto to gather at the Bael Castle, as he would be teleporting Melabranche over. 

If something went wrong, some of the strongest devils would be there to subdue the Melabranche and contain them safely so they wouldn't create any problems.

If the Melabranche started wreaking havoc, it would be a grave problem.

Especially if all of them got unsealed, including their Malacoda, who was rumored to have reached the level of the stronger Primordial Gods and could give a run for their money even against some of the strongest beings in the Draonic Deus in his full form.

Even though they were just rumors, he wasn't keen on testing the authenticity of those rumors. With the help of the Six Eyes, he started constructing a Teleportation Magic Circle around the statues of the Melabranche, as he was extra careful when constructing the Teleportation Magic Circles.

Even a single mistake could lead to the collapse of the Seals on the Melanbranche, which was something that he needed to avoid at all costs. Fortunately enough, with the Six Eyes, constructing such Magic Circles was extremely easy.

Extreme Mana Perception, 360-degree Field of Vision and Atomic Perception made tasks like this extremely easy. When one included their Clan Trait of the Gremory Clan, Extreme Demonic Energy Control and High-Speed Divine Rune Cast, the creation of Magic Circles was very easy for Sirzechs.

It took him around twenty minutes to create a perfect Teleportation Magic Circle around all statues of the Melabranche as he proceeded to activate the Teleportation Magic Circle and transported the statues out of the Lucifaad.

Once the Melabranche was outside the Lucifaad, Sirzechs could finally be at ease, because not only did he obtain the Melabranche, but within the Melabranche itself... 

There was the greatest and most important treasure and legacy of the entire Devil Species.

The Book of Lucifer.

And it was in his hands.

The ultimate answer to the creation and birth of the Devil Species, how the Devils could break their racial shackles, become Super Devils, and even how they can naturally evolve to the Archdevils.

Everything was hidden in the Book of Lucifer.

***

Lucifaad, Several Days Later, Encampment of the Legions of Ars Goetia

For the past several days, the entire city of Lucifaad has been turned into one enormous battlefield, between the Daemons of the Abyss... countless Daemons that were pledged to the Blood God and the Imprisoned One were clashing against each other in brutal fights.

This massacre lasted since the death of the Champion-level Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, who was acting as a neutral third party between the two more warlike factions that would otherwise tear each other apart.

Ars Goetia dispatched several Legions of the Daemons to the Lucifaad; most of them were dispatched from the Mazeel Line and the surrounding regions. Even some high-ranking members of the Ars Goetia seriously underestimated the hatred between various Abyssal Factions.

Sirzechs was already patched up in a pristine condition, as he would be leading the Devil Legion in the Reconquista of Lucifaad. Grayfia Lucifuge was also present, as was her father, Gehrman Lucifuge, one of the few remaining Overlord-Class devils.

But her father won't be participating in the military operation per se, but only in the attack on the Greater Daemon of the Demogorgon and Khorne, as they would deal with them. All of them were on the Overlord-Class, so they needed someone on the same level to deal with them.

Meanwhile, all contributions and everything would be going to the Sirzechs to increase their prestige.

Their plan of turning the Daemons against each other worked splendidly and now, according to the estimates, only the Daemons of the Imprisoned One and Blood God remained in the Lucifaad.

And both of them lost around 35% to 41% of their forces. And surprisingly or not, all Dimensional Pathways that were opened in some form within the area of the Lucifaad suddenly collapsed after Grayfia activated the Wards in the catacombs.

This was an excellent state of things, because the Legions of Ars Goetia would need to wait a day or two, until they could march into the Lucifaad and its metropolitan area after the numbers of the Daemons got lower even more.

Sirzechs was preparing himself for the march onto the Lucifaad and extermination of every single Daemon in the entire city. He was tasked with this through the Council Decree of the Ars Goetia because his grandfather wanted him to gain more prestige.

And what was bigger prestige than reconquering the entire Lucifaad?

Such was the greatest honor that the military commander among the Devil Legions could achieve. Sirzechs was managing the last bits of the Gremory Legions, and even parts of the Burning Legion of the House Bael arrived several hours earlier.

Everyone was preparing for the battle for the Lucifaad, and Sirzechs specifically required the participation of the Stray Devil Hunting Squad, which had returned from the Gehena not long ago.

Sirzechs didn't want to risk anything in the Lucifaad because the mission must progress without any problems. There was no room for failures or unforeseen circumstances during the siege of the Lucifaad.

Now that the two remaining Champion-level Greater Daemons have started fighting against each other, and according to reconnaissance, they have already clashed several times.

Yet there was no clear winner, aside from tons of killed Lesser Daemons and many Daemon Heralds, but that was it. Still, the lower the number of the Daemons were in the Lucifaad, the better for them. Right now, almost all independent Daemons that did not belong to any factions either escaped the city or were killed.

Well... the escapees were a problem on their own, because they would need to hunt them down.

Letting Daemons freely roam across the Netherworld never led to anything good.

Nevertheless, the reconquest of the Lucifaad was of paramount importance... notwithstanding its cultural and traditional importance to the Devil Race, the location of the Lucifaad was actually strategic within the 2nd Layer of the Netherworld.

"Everything prepared?"

As the time passed, Sirzechs was preparing to march onto the Lucifaad, when he was interrupted by Grayfia, who entered his tent in full combat gear. Today was the day that they would be marching into the ruins of the Lucifaad to end with the Daemons that were occupying the entire city.

"Yes... We can go soon enough."

The Heir of the Gremory said as he took his sword and prepared himself for the battle that was to come. He was going to give a speech in front of the troops, which wasn't his strong suit, because he would rather go into combat than speak to the troops.

At the same time, though, he understood that morale was one of the most important aspects of warfare, and from a certain point of view, this was a historic moment for the Devilkind.

Grayfia and Sirzechs exited his tent as they went to the high platform where the he would start speaking.

"You know... I told Roygun that after we return home to the Devil Domain, we will speak about some things."

Sirzechs said, as her expression didn't change a bit, but a small smile formed at the corner of her mouth when she heard that. Another thing about that was that she was rather eager to see Serafall's expression.

It would be rather hilarious.

Grayfia knew that Sirzechs, as someone who was a natural-born Super Devil, would for sure have more than one wife. It was like it was given, due to how strong his genes were, and they needed to be passed down in larger numbers.

For the Pure-Blooded Devils, especially the Higher Devils of the Devil Aristocracy, fertility was always a huge issue. It was never big in the first place, because the Genetic Factor of the Higher Devils was much stronger than average Pure-Blooded Devils.

And the Genetic Factor was the deciding factor when it came to fertility.

So the natural-born Super Devils were prime targets for marriages and many Aristocratic Clans were eying them. It was a shame for many that Ajuka was far more interested in his research than in leaving behind the next generation of little devils.

But obviously, due to Ajuka's strength, it wasn't really possible that someone could force him to marry or anything. 

When they arrived, Sirzechs for the first time saw the Devil Legions in the orderly manner... tens of thousands of them, all lined up in perfect lines and unshakable discipline as they awaited their next orders.

All of these Legions were armed with the best enchanted weapons, runic weapons, and runic armors, forged by the best Devil Smiths in the depths of the Devil Domain. All of them were battle veterans of the Mazeel Line or the most powerful Legions chosen among the more powerful Devil Houses.

Even the House Bael sent a considerable portion of the Burning Legion to participate in the Reconquista of the Lucifaad. To be enlisted in the Legions, one needed to reach at least the Mid-Class, while the Non-Commissioned Officers were at the elite among the Mid-Class, and the Commissioned Officers were all High-Class Devils.

The Commanders of the Legions and their direct subordinates were usually Ultimate-Class vereters and top-notch combatants and battlemages. Since the Dusk of Gods and 1st Blood Wars, the Devil Society grew more militarized than anyone would have ever predicted.

"..."

Sirzechs stood there, on a high platform, as tens of thousands of Legionaries looked at him, watching his every single move and awaiting the next words from their leader.

"Since the Dusk of the Gods and 1st Blood War, the Devil Domain is fighting for our very own survival against the Fiends of the Abyss. Blood of countless devils was spilled over the siege of Lucifaad that devastated the old order of our race and resulted in the death of entire Lineages and the foundation of our species."

The Devils beanth the platforms were listening as many looked anguished, sad, or angry.

For the long-lived species like theirs, where even an average member of their race had a lifespan measured in millenias, a few centuries was really nothing. Many of the troops below the platform remembered the day, and many participated in the 1st Blood War when the Abyssal Incursion appeared in the Devil Domain.

Especially for the veterans of the 1st Blood War, which was considered as one of the bloodiest conflicts and wars in the entire Draconic Deus.

"Many thought that we were broken. Many... thought that we would never rise again with our leader's death and the Supreme Overlord Lucifer dead. Many predicted our fall and even more were eager to see that fall so they could profit from our destruction."

His words were especially true because Netehrworld was actually a huge target for the Pantheons and other factions across the Draconic Deus. The first four layers of the Netherworld were huge troves of resources and many resources that were rare across the Draconic Deus or extinct could be found only in the Netherworld.

Primarily, when it came to the Hex Crystals, Agreas Crystals, and other things... many Pantheons would wage wars to get those things. 

"Yet we rose even stronger. We remained unbroken, and we became stronger due to the constant strife. We are a battle race... we are a race that was born and bred to fight. And our rise cannot be stopped by the petty schemes of Gods or the constant incursions of the Daemons from Abyss."

The atmosphere in the entire area was growing tenser because his words were stirring up the emotions of all Legionaries present. Sirzechs knew that, in its own twisted way, the Abyssal Incursion and this state of constant conflict and war saved the devil race.

From themselves, because otherwise they would fall into indulgence and a degenerate lifestyle.

This was specifically true for the Aristocratic Devils, who would be doing nothing, just enjoying the luxury of their wealth and lazing all day.

Rotting through their entire existence.

Now the cards have reversed.

"And now, we stand here. On the crossroads of our history. The history that decided that our species was brought to its lowest and wanted to make us part of it. We defied the fate and are now standing on the cusp of the reconquest. So, I say... let's today be marked as the day of the Reconquista of the Lucifaad! We shall take what is rightfully ours as it's our mantle of destiny! Long Live the Fighters!"

The devil Legionaries started hitting the ground with their spears and halberds as they were chanting and hitting their chest. It was in the more ancient dialect of the Chakobsa, the Elder Devil Speech, one that was used only among the Nobiltiy or in formal affairs.

"Dimala shu-ti e-liz-nid!"

"Ru e-liz-nid, e-liz-nid!"

"Dimala shu-ti e-liz-nid!"

"Ru e-liz-nid, e-liz-nid!"

"Dimala shu-ti e-liz-nid!"

"Ru e-liz-nid, e-liz-nid!"

***

Lucifaad

Thousands of Daemons were clashing in the ruins of the Lucifaad or across the surrounding areas of the city. One side of the Daemons had countless species of the Daemons, of all kinds and shapes, as they were the followers of the Imprisoned One.

While the other side was entirely monolithic. Daemons with deep crimson-red skin that gave them a hellish and infernal aura. Their bodies were covered in sinewy muscle, emphasizing their strength and ferocity. Their heads were adorned with massive, curved horns that jut outward and upward in an almost crown-like formation, adding to their daemonic majesty.

Their faces were twisted and monstrous, featuring glowing yellow eyes and a gaping maw full of sharp teeth. There's also a chaos-like symbol or rune on its forehead, suggesting a dark allegiance or power source.

They wielded enormous, jagged swords engulfed in fiery energy. The blades appeared to be both molten and shadowy, radiating a chaotic and destructive essence. The hilts were adorned with menacing, claw-like designs. Parts of their bodies glowed with intense fire, possibly indicating magical or infernal energy ready to be unleashed.

In a split second, in one part of the Lucifaad, crimson-black destructive energy appeared and destroyed an entire segment of the ruins, as Sirzechs appeared on the battlefield and exterminated hundreds of Lesser Daemons in a split second.

He didn't really care about the small fryies, as he flew toward the target... the central arena of the Lucifaad, where the Greater Daemons of Khorne and the Imprisoned One were clashing against each other.

Soon enough, he saw two monstrous Daemons clashing against each other.

Both of them were monstrous figures exuding raw Magic and Ruination, with enormous tattered bat-like wings, one of which glows with fiery embers. It wields a massive, flaming axe adorned with skulls, and its muscular frame is clad in brutal, bone-decorated armor and chains. Its face, partly shadowed, features glowing eyes and twisted horns crowned with a jagged bone ornament, radiating malevolent intelligence. 

The only difference between them was their armor, as both had different colors.

'Bloodthirster of Khorne and another is a rogue Bloodthirster who joined Demogorgon.'

Greater Daemons rarely betrayed their masters, in fact... it was pretty rare occasions, but it still happened from time to time. The most famous case was Skarbrand, Exalted Daemon of Khorne, who betrayed his master and became Abyssal Lord on his own and one hella powerful one according to the rumors that were whispered in the dark.

Sirzechs soon overcame his curiosity as he waited for a bit, because he noticed that both Champion-level Greater Daemons were severely injured and weakened. Which was rather surprising... 

But good for them.

Due to his Six Eyes, he saw that the Greater Daemon of Khorne was actually losing the fight because the Greater Daemon of Imprisoned One managed to seal the connection between his opponent and the Abyss.

Sirzechs observed the fight for a moment, and Gehrman Lucifuge was doing the very same thing from the shadows in the other part of the battlefield as they both waited for their opportunity.

Just as the two were about to clash once more, he got the signal from the older Lucifuge as both of them prepared their strongest attacks and unleashed their Magic Rules on their respective targets.

Everything happened so fast, and because both of them were under heavy usage of concealment magic, in the split second, both Greater Daemons were hit by their strongest attacks, consisting of Magic Rule of Anti-Life and Magic Rule of Destruction.

It didn't take a lot for the Greater Daemons to be gravely injured, as they were knocked down on the ground as Sirzechs and Gehrman then attacked the injured and confused Daemons once more, as they ended their lives. 

For good, as their very own souls were destroyed along with their physical forms with the Magic Rule Anti-Life and Magic Rule of Destruction, which was the antithesis to the existence of Daemons.

In the entire central area of the Lucifaad, there was no single Daemon, as all others were long ago killed by the aftershock of battle. A clash between two Champion-level Greater Daemons wasn't something that Lesser Daemons could withstand even remotely.

After killing the two Champion-level Greater Daemons, Sirzechs returned to the fight against the other Daemons that remained in the Lucifaad. There were still many thousands of Lesser Daemons, all fighting against the Devil Legions, who were also fighting against each other at the same time.

It was a mess.

Gehrman Lucifuge went to scour through the area of the Lucifaad as he was killing any surviving Daemon or anything that remained in there. He was also keeping watch, mostly because of the impending attack of another Daemon Host.

In the end, they were in the area that was called Wastelands and Wasteladns was a very dangerous place. Counltess Daemons or Demonic Beasts were roaming the entire area, so it was possible that their fight would lure some powerful beings to the Lucifaad.

Sirzechs, meanwhile, personally oversaw the process of battle as the fights subsided over time. When he had joined the battle, he started systematically targeting large groups of Daemons or Daemon Heralds and destroying them with the Power of Destruction.

None of them stood any chance against Sirzechs, who was only one step away from reaching the Overlord-Class. Not to mention, the Heir of the Gremory was already stronger than many beings on that level due to his Magic Rule of Destruction and Power of Destruction.

The cleanup of the battlefield would take some time, because the entire area was filled with newly formed Hex Crystals that had formed after the destruction of many thousands of Daemons.

Especially the Greater Daemons that left behind enormous Hex Crystals, because their amount of Magic was staggering. Sirzechs knew that they would need to call specialized cleaning squads for this, because this was too big a number of Hex Crystals that they needed to recover.

At the same time, many of the Hex Crystals were in the ruins, among the ruined buildings and structures, which made their removal more problematic. Despite the fact that the Hex Crystals were widespread among the Devil Domain, it didn't change the fact that the Hex Crystals were extremely volatile.

When amateurs attempted to move them from Location A to Location B without enough preparation and finesse, they could combust and create a rather huge explosion. Depending on the amount of Mana that was in the Hex Crystals.

The ones that were created after the death of Champion-level Greater Daemons could create explosions so strong that they would obliterate large parts of the Lucifaad. Many companies in the Devil Domain were specializing in the safe removal and harvesting of Hex Crystals.

Till that time, they would need to guard this place and prevent any accidental usage of Magic or widespread destructive spells, or else it would ignite the Hex Crystals, and the entire place would turn into a messy affair.

Soon enough, the news will spread that the Legions stationed at the Mazeel Line, together with the support from the House Bael, House Lucifuge, and House Gremory, reconquered the ancestral seat of the devil species.

Sirzechs doubted that Lucifaad would become the capital city of the devil race once more, but the city had critical importance for them nevertheless. The amount of work and resources that would be needed to make this place usable and functional once again would be astronomical.

And at the same time, it is inevitable because of its strategic location for the Ars Goetia.

"So, how are things on your end?"

Sirzechs asked Grayfia, who landed not far from him, as his tail was lazily wagging behind him. Her armor was stained with the blood of Daemons, and she seemed to be mildly injured, judging by her disheveled appearance and everything.

It seemed that she was fighting one of the more powerful Greater Daemons that remained in the Lucifaad. There were still some Greater Daemons, mostly the ones that were on the Ultimate-Cass in the services of their respective Champions.

"We managed to clean the last nest... Bloodletters created a really nice little kingdom for themselves in the former military headquarters of Lucifaad... that place was really a literal nightmare to reach."

Daemon Nests could be particularly nasty to clean, because Daemons knew how to build rather strong fortifications and nests. They were usually constructed against the Dimensional Pathways to the Abyss, and Daemons defended them with everything they had.

Grayfia was chosen to lead an entire battalion of the Burning Legion to clean up one of the Daemon Nests in the Lucifaad. The battle was brutal, but in the end, the entire Daemon Nests was purged, and the Dimensional Pathway to the Abyss was closed.

"Those are the Daemon Nests for you... Come, sit down."

Sirzechs said, motioning with his tail to the spot next to him. Grayfia sat down quietly, because she was also pretty tired and needed some well-deserved rest.

"Soon enough, the entire Devil Domain will know that we managed to reclaim our ancestral seat of power."

Grayfia said softly as Sirzechs just nodded. 

He could imagine that it would be a huge thing... especially for the traditionalists and the old guard among the Aristocratic Devil Houses, who would be elated that Lucifaad had returned to their hands.

"This will gather a lot of political support from the more traditional houses and the army. And with the Lucifaad in our hands again, we can start slowly expanding into the Wastelands and start conquering them from Daemons and Demon Beasts."

Sirzechs knew that the reconquest of the Lucifaad opened countless new possibilities for the Ars Goetia.

"Well, I guess... that's the point of the entire operation."

He just nodded at the statement as he observed the aftermath of the battle.

There were some losses on their end, but fortunately, they were not really high.

"We shall see where this will go... There are dark times ahead."