“Seriously?” Victor stood up in mixtures of shock and indignation as Seraph, visible through a call via the System, met him eyes-for-eyes. As stalwart as their commander was, you could see glimmers of conflict in them. That their Angel was human too. “So when all this is said and over with, we’re gonna give Devoy a freakin’ splitter?”
“Trillions will be killed with this decision,” Chunhua said, and even her serene demeanor was cracked at this revelation. The truth behind the deal between Damien and Devoy.
Damien glanced down at the Void God who remained in his staff form, saying not a word. Probably because it didn’t need to. Probably because a single breath would send the Baptists into a frenzy. This was the expected reaction to them. To him? Frankly the multiverse was beyond human comprehension and thus, whatever damage Devoy could do would realistically be minimal.
Trillions of lives will be lost, yes, out of a large nonsensical number.
But what did the man of the hour think? Alexander Shen, Conqueror? It’d been a long time since Damien had seen his friend physically and he was as intimidating as ever. You wouldn't think he was a low-ranking Pseudo with that physique and [Combat Bodysuit]. He had a way of carrying himself that naturally drew attention, not because he was charismatic but rather he saw the world much differently than everyone else. Might be mystery, might be intrigue, but a frightful man nonetheless. A devastating scowl was given to their commander, a scowl that'd cause any normal man to shrink into a mouse.
Funny thing, too. Alexander was often ignorant to his effects on people.
Other Baptists clamored with their own thoughts but he cut through the noise with his overpowering voice: “You understand the consequences of this, right? I’m pretty dumb on the laws but even I know that you do not make contracts with a Nemesis. And I’m not saying this because I disagree with your decision—in fact, it’s the opposite; it's the right decision made in those circumstances—but we’re talking about the GG. Once they find out, you’ll be put under investigation. You, Monarch, the higher-ups in the government and military, and Damien.
“They’re not stupid enough to slap you with an Apocalyptic designation but that might give them the excuse to seize Angels and Royals or put you in chains like Duskfire. Maybe Kosmos too.”
Always thinking several steps ahead, aren't you?
“They won’t do anything against ‘em,” Althea said, gesturing to their commander. “The Guards are a lot of things but they’re not gonna raise a hand—”
“They’ll try,” he corrected. “Since Kosmos and Seraph are the king and queen of the Slayers.” They will try, whether or not they're successful is up to us.
Professor Hei-ran nodded. “Alex is right. The outbreak is awful for humanity but this is the perfect opportunity for the Guards. They’d already be investigating the Big Four for any wrongdoing after the Disaster, but this? We gave them everything they needed to deal a major political blow to Ordo.”
Which means, they’ll be restricted from helping Alexander achieve his potential as an EX-Rank Slayer, Damien thought. Defeating Sirius Aethfell was the unspoken end-goal for the Baptists, and to achieve that, they needed Alexander to grow as much as he could. But that’d be impossible with the Guards sniffing around.
Don't be fooled by the Guards's statements about worldly security and unity, where the global community was greater than the individual sword. Their words did not reflect their actions. Sudden disappearances of journalists, endless departments and councils to launder and embezzle money through, injustice committed by the eight-fourteens, probably human experimentation too if the rumors were to be believed. They sought power like how Slayers wanted to level up. And the Slayers were a threat. That was why Duskfire was in the position he was in.
Politics wasn’t something that Slayers enjoyed but it was required knowledge to navigate this hell.
“You’re correct, all of you,” Seraph finally said once she had the floor. “This decision will potentially cost the lives of trillions, maybe more. And we’ll be subjected to countless investigations and courts too. But what we’ve done in Scorcher can’t be repeated. We’ve thrown overwhelming strength and numbers at them and Archknell died because of it. This is why we need Devoy. He’ll be a weapon against the Sungrazers as you’ve seen with Pereyra’s demesne.
“Don’t worry about what happens after the outbreak. We’ll handle the problems as they come. And I understand that some of you disagree with my decision, but it’s the decision we’ve already made and we will accept the consequences. You don’t have to.”
“Except for me,” Damien added. “But I’m prepared too. I’m afraid this is one sacrifice we have to make in order to survive.”
“It’s unfortunately the best outcome we could’ve mustered,” Problem told them at the end.
The truth of their statements was undeniable. The Void God was a necessity to their operations going forward. While they could theoretically defeat the remaining Sungrazers using the same strategy found in Scorcher, there wouldn’t be any high-rankers left in Ordo. And it wasn’t like they could betray the Void God after the outbreak was over.
It would mean waging war against the same entity who’d consumed a continent.
They had to abide to the terms of the contract no matter what. A good thing in Ordo’s hands. The Guards, however, would be stupid enough to betray the God and delete a good chunk of the Earth as a result.
Regardless though, while Victor and Chunhua—among several others like Votary and Leona—were apprehensive about this decision, they couldn’t do anything about it. They respected Seraph and didn’t argue any further. This was simply out of their hands and they had to make do with what was given.
A bitter lesson about trust and survival.
“Thank you,” Seraph said, smiling yet pale in the face. “If there aren’t any questions, I need to take care of other obligations. As usual, tell Sage if you need anything. And before I forget, we will investigate the mysterious individual who came into contact with Damien and Votary. We’ll take his warning seriously and put additional manpower on the Four Pillars.”
No one had any questions, so Seraph left the call.
Firebrand rubbed his face, making odd sounds as he did. “So that happened. Y’know I thought this contract-thing would be a little more, I dunno, ‘In exchange for my power, give me your firstborn child’, that sorta deal, no? Is it just me?” Is that supposed to be a way to lighten the mood?
“...Exactly what would I do with your firstborn?” Devoy glowed. “I am not the typical Void Demon. I am a Void God.”
His comment earned the resentment of pretty much everyone in the room.
“With all due respect,” Damien said to his staff, “you’re not exactly popular amongst the Baptists so I’d refrain from speaking.”
“Noted.” And Devoy went quiet.
“Okay!” Hei-ran clapped her hands as though to expel all the negativity out. “Let’s talk about something else. It’s no good dwelling on this, so erm, Votary!”
A strange squeak escaped her and she immediately sat up. “Yes, what is it?”
“Why did you decide to join us, since Damien and Problem didn’t mention it.”
Votary nodded a few times as a pink blush gathered in her cheeks. “Well, there's no spectacular reason, really. White Herald was concerned about Damien and the Void Demon—pardon me, the Void God. So he asked me to accompany the Baptists. Seraph approved the transfer. As far as I know, we’ll be working together until the end.”
Hei hummed. “I see. Why don’t you start telling us something about yourself? Like for example…”
And that was how the poor killer nun was roped into conversation by an irresponsible professor. While she spent thousands of hours honing her combat prowess, clearly she needed to spend more time socializing and meeting new people.
Damien sighed and relaxed, drinking some water to help soothe his throat after speaking for a long time. Someone approached him.
Vernon. “Hey Damien, mind if I ask you something?”
He knew what it was about. “I didn’t talk to your brother much, if you’re asking about that.”
“Ah.” Vernon looked away apprehensively, embarrassed that his intentions were caught so easily. “Y-Yeah, I just wanted to know how he was doing after the operation you guys took together.”
“As usual. He still disapproves of your decision…” Damien’s eyes wandered to Alexander, who was speaking to Leona and Kaiya. But he was eavesdropping on their conversation. “But that’s as far as Mark Hugo goes. As Fusil, what can I say? He did his job, relieved when we came out successfully, and that’s it. I probably would’ve spoken to him more if Problem and I weren’t immediately called over to help you with Carn.”
Stolen novel; please report.
“Really? Is that everything?”
“It’s not like we were there for a picnic.”
“You’re right. Yeah, you’re definitely right. Thanks.” Vernon rubbed the back of his neck as he returned to his cot, lost in thought for a few seconds before opening a screen, occupying himself with that.
Having some time to himself despite the exciting crowd, he decided to observe the conversations taking place. Hei-ran was still chatting up Votary, though the latter was making quick glances at Damien for help. He denied her the pleasure. She scowled. Firebrand, Victor, and Chunhua were speaking to Sage plastered on blue screen.
And Problem was occupied reading a dusty journal or a diary.
Let’s bother Problem.
Damien turned to Devoy. “Scream if you need me.”
“I will not.”
Ignoring what he said, Damien hopped from his cot and trotted to Problem’s side of the tent. Almost immediately, the child recognized his coming and pulled back, preventing him from seeing the contents of the old tome.
“What do you want?” he asked, irritated, in the middle of private business in a very public space.
“I’m checking up on my Team Leader.” Had Damien possessed two arms, he’d cross them right there. “We did it, you know. We’ve contracted a Nemesis, found and captured Carn, and we’re hours away from knowing our next objective. Except for one thing: that old man." Damien posed and spoke as if this was a detective noir. "Who is he, how does he know the Sungrazers’ plans, and what are his objectives? for himself and his superiors? We need to uncover his mysteries fast, else this Disaster will put the kibosh on our lids."
"A what?"
"Never mind. What do you think about my questions?" asked Damien, returning to his regular voice.
Problem shut the journal, which puffed up dust, "Valid questions, no answers. Whoever that man is, we have to assume he’s an ally. We don’t have the time or power to investigate every lead, and I’m afraid he’s low on our priority list. Our main objective has always been the Sungrazers, Damien. Unless he gives us a reason to care about him, we will focus on our enemies.”
“Eloquently put, Problem. But I was hoping you would offer us some theories like you’d normally do. He’s clearly from our world—well, either our world or a world identical to ours.”
“What makes you think that?”
“It’s the calligraphy stitched into his robes and shawl. I can’t exactly point my finger on its origins but I know it’s from this world.”
“Arabic,” answered Problem. “It’s Arabic calligraphy.”
“...How do you figure? You didn't see him personally.”
“Call it a hunch, demon. Here.” From his [Inventory], Problem pulled out another book, flipped to a random page, and showed it to Damien. “Does this look anything like the calligraphy on that man’s robes?”
Damien wasn’t well-versed in Arabic culture but he recognized the patterns. While he couldn’t properly describe the gracefulness of the calligraphy, it was almost a perfect match.
“It does,” he answered, “so what does this mean?”
“Nothing.” Problem tucked the book away into his [Inventory] again. “It means nothing unless we gather more information, which we can’t. Unless you wish to investigate every Arabic Slayer who has strange technological powers, or with its mysteriousness, you might find more luck turning the Society's Keters upside down."
"Alright alright, I understand your sarcasm.” So now thrusted into this ever-increasingly complex situation, we have a mysterious Arabic man who knows more than he should. This is getting so convoluted that I need a guide at this point.
“Anyway, if that’s everything, go away. I want to continue my reading in peace.” The child physically shooed him away with a wave of his hand, and Damien had to obey his Team Leader.
Before he could walk back to his cot, Alexander approached him and patted his shoulder, gesturing outside. Damien nodded and was taken outside in the fresh organized chaos of Grendel Arsenal, where a few buildings had been devastated from the OBDs.
Alexander cracked his neck, sighing loudly. He’d seen better days. His dark hair was tangled in thick clumps, caked in blood and dirt. Exhaustion was getting to him. He moved slower, less reactive. But despite his physical state, his silver eyes were as sharp as ever. Piercing.
“What did you need me for?” Damien asked.
His friend shrugged, mumbling something. “Hell if I know. I just wanted to check up on you. This is the first time since Scorcher, you know. That we’re together again. All of us.”
“Plus Votary and Devoy.”
“Yeah, them too. You holding up alright? Considering you were used as a scapegoat.”
“Oh, you figured? I didn’t mention that part.”
“Of course, dumbass.” Alexander gritted his teeth. “Why else would they call you to Kabuki-Ordo? In order to contract with a Void Demon—Void God—it’d mean putting themselves in jeopardy. Physically and politically. So why not use a suspicious half-demon instead? If you fail, their hands are clean.”
“But now I’ve succeeded…”
“Now that you’ve succeeded, everyone has to take responsibility for the consequences following that. Contracting with a Nemesis, and I’m not even sure if there’s a crime for jeopardizing trillions of lives in the multiverse. But at minimum, they can offset some of their burdens to you: the one who physically made the deal.
“So you need to make sure we get the best outcome, yeah? But let’s worry about that later. Do you hold any grudges?”
Damien chuckled, scratching his cheek. “Against who? Monarch and Seraph?”
Alexander put a hand on his hip. “Who else? They made the plan in the first place. They knew they’d be putting you in a lot of risk doing this.”
“I know you’re asking that because I’m a Scion. I might be more of a tool than a human in their eyes. But I don’t care, honestly. I would’ve done exactly the same thing in their place. And most of all…” Damien stared at the false night, “...I appreciate this world, Alex. That’s reason enough for me to sacrifice a little, no? Being a pawn isn’t so bad sometimes.”
“Heh.” Alexander joined him in the admiration of the stars. “Yeah, I understand. You think you’ll be okay, though?”
“I think so, yeah. Once Dad—Duskfire—knows about this, he’ll do anything to protect me. So I’m not worried at all, actually. It’s just a matter of the high-rankers. And speaking of…” Damien smirked at the future EX-Rank Slayer. “Conqueror, isn’t it? I would’ve imagined a different name for you. I have suggestions—“
Alexander laughed, cutting him off. “Yeah, I'm not interested in your ideas. My otherself picked out a good name. ‘Conqueror’ is, erm, it’s the nickname that my dad used whenever we trained. He’d say that to push me, to encourage me to take that extra step even if it’s painful as hell. It has more meaning to me than a cheesy callback to Alexander the Great.”
“Then, I think I’ll pick my name now, then,” Damien told him. “Of the four, I wasn’t present in the Previous Earth—“
“You don’t know that—“
“Alex, let’s think about this. My father is an outworlder. Damien Fayer exists because two worlds effectively collided, something that would never happen normally. The multiversal similitude theory only holds true in broad strokes.”
Effectively, Damien was stating that his birth was an incredibly unique event due to his father’s specific circumstances that led him here—an union of intertwined worlds caused by outside parties. You’d have a better chance at winning Russian Roulette with a fully-loaded revolver than having this event occur twice, thus explaining his absence from Bastion Guild’s roster. Or that was the working theory he constructed.
Alexander seemingly understood and sighed, rubbing his mouth. “Alright, fine. What’s your codename, jackass?”
To complete the original set: Conqueror, Celestial War Empress, Operator, Spirit Beast Queen, Damien Fayer christened himself as…
“Evenfall. I want to be known as ‘Evenfall’. A good match for the Baptists, right?”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. The other three haven’t settled into their Slayer names yet but they’re getting there. After all, this is our life now.”
And Alexander did not look the slightest bit resentful saying that. Damien was shocked. A week ago his reaction would be the exact opposite. It seemed the Disaster had changed him for the better, made him accept who he really was.
Like Damien, who had finally returned to his roots as a Scion, ready to regain his lost power. For comparison’s sake, he was a cup. Originally, the cup was full before Dad had siphoned the contents and locked the cup away in a vault—but the cup itself was unharmed. Now freed, it’d been mostly drained.
So slowly, he needed to refill it via Essence obtained by monsters. He had to do it in stages as the cup was fragile. It’d take some time but it was possible.
“Conqueror,” Damien began, admiring his good friend’s expression, “this is the first time I’ve seen you so sure of yourself.”
“Ha, let’s just say I had an awakening,” he answered, confident despite the hell they were in.
“Clearly. People are calling you the [Silver-Eyed Demon]. It’s pretty offensive since I’m an actual biological demon here.”
“Go and complain to the System. It gave me the title in the first place. All I did was take down ten Apocs.”
I find it hard to believe and believable at the same time. “There’s nothing like a personal awakening after brutally slaughtering Apocalyptics.”
Alexander’s expression dropped. “You’re making me sound like a psychopath.”
“You need to be crazy to survive in this world,” said Damien. “Like Vice Guild Master Jin—“
Interrupting him, a blue screen appeared in front of Alexander. “Hold on, Sage’s calling me.”
He answered and everyone’s favorite artisan appeared. Strikingly, her appearance had only gotten worse: her swirled black-and-green hair had tinges of gray and odd stains caked her shirt. In the background, her workshop had more trash and things than a hoarder’s home.
For a recluse like her, even this was too much. But she didn’t have time to clean it.
“Hey Snowglobe, sorry to bother ya,” Sage said, tired, sipping an unhealthy dose of coffee. “It wouldn’t be for a few hours ‘til Catalyst comes back with results, and we gotta do something productive, right?
“So you’ll be comin’ to Sage! She wants you and everyone else at the Encampment.”
“The Encampment…?” muttered Alexander. “Any specific reason why?”
Damien recalled the location.
Ordo initially began as camps for refugees, and at the centerpoint was a large cluster of tents and other structures. This would be known as the Encampment, today known as the heart of Ordo’s politics. It served as the headquarters for lots of executive departments, the military, and thus was seriously guarded. And fortunately, not a target of any OBDs due to its location in Vesper. Sage was there acting on the behalf of Seraph, leading the research effort against the Sungrazers.
Because it was also the location of Primordial Zero, buried deep underground as secure bunkers for political figures and close family members of high-ranking Slayers.
Like Vernon’s parents and his sister-in-law. Like the daughter of Kosmos and Seraph.
Sage answered his question, “‘Cuz Sage wants to do what she shoulda done from the beginning: finding a way to induce a Second Emergence into you.”