Author's note: Ten ten ten :)

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What would you do when you woke up one morning, only to find out that your whole world has been shattered? How would you react to that discovery? Perhaps saying the whole world was an overstatement but to our young demon lord, Morrigan’s death was no short than the destruction of the world he knew.

The news of the assassination of the Valhalla Empress has spread across all around the world. As the people gathered outside the palace to offer their prayers in tears for their loving leader, a question still remained in everyone’s mind: who killed the Empress?

The top officials of Valhalla, including the royal knight Catrina and minister Sinclair, as well the twin priestesses and the Duchess of Ragna Martel, have joined together to investigate this horrific crime. Needless to say, the prince was supposed to be included as a member. However, because of his unstable emotion state after learning of the dreadful news, it was decided that his participation was unadvised.

Within the first few hours of the investigation, it was concluded that the security was too lax on that night, allowing the perpetrator to infiltrate the palace so easily without being spotted. Further inquiries showed that the guards have been pulled out after the request of a certain person asking for more guards despite knowing that it would mean fewer guards inside the palace itself. This person has been detained immediately and their identity has been covered up quickly for a specific reason.

But that was not the main concern as it was what they found next that troubled everyone. The corpses of multiples men in cloak have been found at the scene; all seemed to be killed by the late Empress herself. Signs of struggles and the result of an intense fight could be easily observed in her chamber. In addition, wounds found on the Empress’ body matched the weapons left behind by these strangers, strengthening further that these men were indeed the assassins who have infiltrated the palace.

At the end of the day, everyone agreed that while Empress Morrigan has fought bravely against the intruders, she eventually succumbed to her wounds and was killed by the remaining assassins. The investigation remained opened but no further inquiries were submitted as the theory seemed plausible.

Meanwhile as the entire world was in mourning over the death of the Empress, leaders from all countries have offered their condolences, appealed to the public and asked them to remain calm using words of peace and such. They also claimed that this was a vile attempt plotted by extremists in order to interfere with the peace talk and have confirmed that the convention would still stand unhindered. They shall not submit to violence nor would they tolerate this kind of atrocity in the world and would declare war against anyone who shared the same idea as these terrorists. Or so they said.

…..

At the moment, Martel has just returned from Eiseinheim to bring the summary of her report about the investigation back to Alastor. Walking through the stairs of the entrance, the lamia could be seen to be trembling, sweating in nervousness. And she was right to be scared, especially after she heard what Alastor did when he was informed about the news. One look at the demon lord’s castle and you would know.

It was only now when she saw the giant hole on the castle wall, along with the barren land just outside that wall where a once beautiful forest lied, to truly understand the fearful expression her servant had when they informed her about Alastor’s ‘current state’. She knew that fear too well. For Martel has seen it, the beast laying dormant in that boy. Now, that beast has been awakened and it was not happy, not at all.

“I have returned, milord!” Martel spoke as she bent her head in front of the figure sitting on the throne of Ragna. Reluctant to look him in the eye because of the pressure coming from him, Martel took her chance and raised her head….She regretted it immediately.

That dark aura she saw when she first met him…it was even darker than before. He might have a small stature but his presence was more immense than a mountain, one that was the embodiment of terror. His eyes, so distant and cold, reflected the cruelty of the world that has rained down torments upon him. Holding three small stones in his hand as he unconsciously played with them, rubbing them constantly and moving them from one side to another, perhaps it was a distraction to contain his anger.

“….What did you find? Who killed her?” Alastor spoke in an expressionless voice. It was probably the best attitude he could have right now and everyone wished he would remain that way. By his side, stood the celestial Ikarus on the right and the supposed demon king Kaiser on the left. Down the short stairs leading up the throne, the four royal guards were standing solemnly, nervous about what the report would say. Because depending on what Martel has found so far, the beast behind them could break out of its shackles.

“Based on what we have found at the scene, we have concluded that someone has deliberately removed the guards from their positions.” Martel reported. “This allowed the perpetrators to….execute their plan and assassinate Empress Morrigan.”

*CRACK*

In an instant, the three small pebbles were crushed to pieces with the rubbles falling from the boy’ hand. “And this person is?” asked Alastor in a dreadful voice.

“We have not figured out the person in charge yet but we have captured one of their spies who has hid among our ranks as an ambassador. It was this person who has asked the Empress for more guards even though there was no need for that at all. That’s the basis we rely on before deciding to capture him.”

“Bring me the spy!” Alastor commanded.

“Sir, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Maybe you can just leave the investigation to us. I am sure that we will get him talking in no time….” But she was interrupted before she could even finish.

“Martel, I am giving two options: either you bring him to him right now or bring your own head instead. Either way I will have that spy in front of me. So which one do you choose?” Alastor gave a frightening proposal.

“Alastor, maybe we should listen to her….” The celestial Ikarus tried to calm her beloved down by touching his hand.

However, her contact was refused as he quickly moved his hand to the sides, avoiding hers.

“Father, I also share the same opinion. We can’t let our emotions running wild at crucial moments like this. You must calm down!” Kaiser advised in a worried voice.

“I am perfectly calm. Trust me, Kaiser when I say I am calm! Else things would have been very….different.” Alastor threatened before turning to Martel. “So Martel, your choice?”

“…I will bring him immediately. Please excuse me!” the lamia knew that would not work so she has brought the spy along with her upon her return, even though many of the members of the investigation team has advised against that decision. But they didn’t have a choice. Either giving Alastor the spy or probably having their entire prison blown up and still lose the prisoner….

After a short moment of perfect silence as no one dared to utter a word, the Duchess of Ragna came back with a chained man. To their surprises, he had bat wings and small claws on his hand. The spy was a demon and a devil at that. This was the reason why the officials have decided to hide his identity. Imagined what would happen if it was discovered that a demon was behind this assassination! Surely, the peace talk would be a thing of the past if such information spread out. Thankfully to the Luna priestess’ quick wit in stopping the information from getting out of their circle, no one except for the top officials and the other leaders was aware of this fact.

“Here he is, milord!” Martel presented the captured man before quickly taking a few steps back away from him. Who knew what Alastor would do in this situation?

Standing up and walking down from his throne, the lord of this castle approached the trembling figure who just realized what kind of situation he was in. But unlike Martel’s expectation, Alastor did not just lash out at the guy, just simply slowly taking step by step toward him, which was even more eerie.

“So you are the one that is responsible for mother’s death….” Uttered Alastor.

“Please! I only did what I was ordered to. It’s not my fault.” The devil pled while crying like a baby.

“It’s alright. That’s what they all said.” Alastor spoke strangely in the gentlest voice he had. Reaching his hand on the devil’s head, he put off a smile while holding it firmly.

“I will tell you everything. Please just let me go!”

“Shhhhh! No need to say anything! I will find out myself. Don’t ruin this moment!” said Alastor.

“Please I have a family!”

“Perfect! I will let them join you in just a little bit!” Alastor affirmed his grip. “….Maximum output!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” the devil screamed in pain as his eyes turned white while his body shook heavily. His mind, his past, everything about him was being read, ravaged by the powerful thing by his side.

The agonizing outcries of the devil sent shiver to everyone in the room. They were shocked, left frozen by the display of savagery and wickedness in front of them. Not only because of the horrifying sounds the victim was making but also the diabolic grin Alastor had on his face as he fried the man’s brain to mush till smoke came out of his head.

“So it’s that son of bitch behind this…..” Alastor switched to an angry expression as he clenched his fist. “I should have never let him alive…Mother died because of me…just like Morgan…Lakyus….They all died because of me…”

“Alastor...” Ikarus tried to approach the boy but was pushed back by the shockwave released from his body. “ALASTOR!” she called out to him.

“They will all pay for their sins!” the boy muttered. “THEY WILL PAY!” and he vanished from the spot, leaving the others behind to their own imagination of what was going to happen next.

* * *

“Dear, why do you have that face?” Diablo asked joyfully his wife who did not seem to be that happy after learning the news of Morrigan’s death.

“Are you an idiot or a very stupid person?” Milim blurted out.

“What? Why are you saying this? Shouldn’t we rejoice from this incredible news? With Morrigan’s death, the links between all nations will surely break and…”

“I am not talking about that. None of our assassins came back and we lost contact with our spies. If he is captured then they could trace back to us. How could you not see that?” fumed Milim.

“But….”

*BOOM*

All of the sudden, a loud noise crushed into the room they were in, along with the collapse of the outer wall.

“What happened?” Diablo tried to swipe away the dust clouding his vision as a small figure manifested themselves among the smoke. “You! You are…”

“I warned you Diablo. I warned you to not do anything that will anger me. And you just had to push it didn’t you?” Alastor spoke creepily as he appeared in his beast form, a dark smoky creature with one red eye and a blue eye that paralyzed anyone who dared lay their sight upon him.

“Wait a minute! We can talk about this!” Milim tried to use her ruse to calm down the beast.

Without warning, the creature pierced the demoness with his sharp claws right in her chest, making a large hole before pulling out a beating heart.

“A…A…A…” was the last sound Milim made with her mouth drown in the crimson liquid leaking out before dropping down to the ground.

“MILIM! You monster!” Diablo shouted in anger. But that fury was nothing compared to the ire the boy had when his mother was stolen away from him. Nothing but a flimsy worm in front of a titan!

Showing the bloody heart of his own wife to him, the beast grinned. “I told you what would happen if you defy me right? Your entire family, from the unborn to the old, will pay for your transgression!”

All of a sudden, a young boy walked into the room.

“Mom? Dad? I heard screaming….!!!!!” The boy was stunned when he saw the beast inside his parents’ room, his mother covered in blood lying on the ground with his father horrified by it. “Mo…Mom?”

“Run away!” Diablo yelled at his son.

“But…” the boy uttered.

“RUN!”

As the boy fearfully turned back and tried to escape, his feet was caught by a ghastly long hand coming from the beast, tripping him as it dragged the boy back to inside the room. Even when the boy did his hardest to resist the pulling, using his own nails to grab onto the floor, it was no use for such a weak boy to defy the force of the beast.

But the beast did not kill the two, to their own surprises. Instead, it dragged them out to the entrance of the keep belonging to the devil’s clan. The soldiers along with everyone else inside were shocked to see their lord being walked upon while his son was being detained by a weird looking beast. Unknown to them, it was the last thing they ever saw.

“Watch as your people burn for your sins!” the beast spoke. “”

In an instant, a black beam descended from the sky, purging the entire area and turning everything to nothingness. The people along with their castle were burned to ashes in matter of seconds. It was so quick that perhaps they did not even know what hit them or if they even felt anything.

“No no no!” uttered Diablo as he witnessed the end of his clan being massacred like insects by the overwhelming power. But that was only the start of his hell.

“You will join them soon enough, Diablo. But not before I have my satisfaction. Your suffering, your agonizing scream, you pain…I will savour every last bit of it.” Grinned the beast. “And you kid, let me show you how cruel the world can be!”

…..

The celestial Ikarus was flying as fast as she could to the castle of the devils. After Alastor’s disappearance, she knew that he would go there. The spy was clearly a devil himself and everyone was aware about the feud between Alastor and Diablo after their first meeting. Fearing that he might do something that could not be undone, she did her best to get to the scene.

She was too late. The entire keep along with the surrounding area has completely vanished. The only thing that remained was the ashes and embers still burning, drifting away by the wind. Among those ruins, a dark figure stood solemnly together with a crying boy in his hands. But more terrifying was the bloody mess that has been tied up to a stick vertically like a cross. Whatever that was, the thing has been disfigured to such extent that it was unsure what it was originally. Its skins have been peeled off, showing even the white bones underneath. The stomach has been gutted, letting the inside organs falling on and dangling freely. And the smell, it was so repulsive that Ikarus could not stand near it. But she had to.

“Alastor..what have you done?” the celestial questioned the beast.

“I…bestowed justice upon the wicked.” The beast muttered in a chilling voice.

“Justice? This is not justice. This is madness. You have to stop!” Ikarus shouted.

“I will…only one sinner remains…I only need to finish this one.” The beast turned to the boy who tried to crawl away but was grasped firmly by the beast’s hand.

“STOP!” Shouted Ikarus as she ran to him.

“”

The celestial crushed down to the ground, unable to move or even stand up because of the pressure.

“…St…op…please!” the woman muttered, reaching her hand to him as she tried to get closer.

“You evil! I will never forgive you!” the boy found his last ounce of courage and shouted back at the beast who killed his parents. Just like Alastor, he has experienced the pain and suffering that the world…no…that Alastor has brought upon him. In his young mind, he vowed to kill this monster.

“…..” the beast remained silent as he grabbed the boy’s head. Still despite being so scared, the kid still struggled violently to escape the grasp, all while cursing him.

“I swear I will kill you for what you did to my parents!” he said. His determination reminded the beast of its own feelings. In a way, they were similar. But there was one difference between these two boys.

“…Unfortunately, that won’t happen!” muttered Alastor.

“Wh..at? NO ALASTOR! STOP!” Ikarus called out to her beloved. But it was too late.

In a single second, the beast strengthened his grip and crushed the head of the small boy, turning it into a puddle of flesh and blood as it splattered all around him.

“…No…Alastor…no!” the celestial cried out.

“Justice…has been served…but why…why don’t I feel satisfied?”

* * *

Demon lord’s castle of Ragna, one day before the peace talk

Followed by a certain request, Morrigan’s body has been transferred to the castle of Ragna to be buried alongside her sister Lakyus after the official funeral. Despite some protests, no one, at least not the leaders, dared to speak out. Either they agreed with that reasoning or they were too afraid of the person who sent the request in the first place, especially after they heard what happened to the devil’s clan. And yet, King Charles and Celdora have insisted on keeping the peace talk, saying that only through a proper conversation could they truly establish the peace between all kingdoms and reassure their people.

As for the destruction of the devil’s clan which has received much less attention than it should, Mephisto has had some concerns, doubts about the boy. While he held no affection for the rest of his clan and has only ruled them through force, it still bothered him that they were slaughtered like that, even the children were not spared. And he was not the only one in the castle that shared the same opinion. A few has argued that what he did was unforgivable while some thought it was justifiable considering the actions of Diablo. But all agreed that what Alastor did was too excessive. Still, none has put him on trial or accuse him openly, simply out of fear. They were right to do so since who would stop him now? Or rather who could?

While the confidence everyone had in Alastor began to fade, a new direction was being ascertained in the mind of the demons. Hopefully, the new lord Kaiser would be different from the last demon lord.

As for the boy in question, he has remained in the tomb chamber by himself, looking at the open coffin of his mother. Following the old burial customs of the Magnolia family, her body has been placed on a bed of magnolia flowers in the coffin. Wearing her usual cloth, blue dress adorned with armour plates while holding the handle of her sword, it looked as if Morrigan was only sleeping.

Entering the tomb, Ikarus approached the solemn boy from behind. Unlike any time before, he didn’t even react to her presence and only sat there, staring at the late Empress.

“Alastor, please talk to me!” the celestial pled on her knees as she lied her head in his motionless arms.

“…Do you think she will wake up?” he said.

“What?”

“If I stay like this for days…for years, do you think she will wake up?”

“Alastor…Morrigan is already….”

“Dead. I know!”

“….She won’t wake up anymore. You have to let her go!” the celestial appealed.

“I know she won’t come back to me…Just like everyone else. They all leave my side sooner or later.”

“It’s not their fault that….”

“No! It’s not their fault. It’s mine. I did this to time. It’s all because of me.” Tears dropped from the boy’s cheeks.

“Please, don’t say that! None of this is your fault.” The woman hugged him to her chest, letting him leaning against her soft bosom. But the boy refused. He pushed her away.

“Please…just leave me alone for a moment! I know you mean well but please…I need some time for myself.” He said in a sad tone.

“But…”

“PLEASE!” the boy cried out. “Just leave!”

“….*hic hic hic* “ Unable to reach him, the celestial had no choice but to slowly walk out to the door, sobering in tears. No..she was not sad because of his rejection. She was sad because she was unable to help him when he needed someone the most. Her call could not reach his heart and that saddened her greatly. She felt disappointed in herself, for being so useless.

Walking out of the chamber, Ikarus met a figure in white standing outside as if waiting for her.

“Stella? What are you doing here?” the celestial asked she wiped away her tears.

“Alastor is currently very…unstable. I want to keep an eye on him until he recovers from this tragedy. So I decide to stay here in case he may need me.” The doll replied.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“But he doesn’t want to speak to anyone, not even me. How can I ease his pain?” Ikarus sobbed.

“As a woman, the only thing we can do for him at the moment is to wait. I realize this can be painful for you considering your relationship but you have to be strong, miss Ikarus. Not just for him but for yourself too! Tomorrow, you will be among the key members of the peace talk and you cannot afford to be like this.

As for Alastor, let him have some time for himself! I am sure everything will be fine after his mind calms down a bit.” The doll spoke.

“…You are so strong…How can I be like you?” Ikarus conveyed.

“We are all different from each other, miss Ikarus. You have your own role and I have mine. It’s up to us to uphold our duties. Be patient and everything will be okay again.”

“….I see. Thank you…for cheering me up!”

“It’s nothing. I only did what is the best for Alastor!” uttered Stella. “Anyway, you should take your rest. I will watch him for you.”

“Thanks..I would not know what to do in this situation without you…”

“We have to look out for each other, right?”

“I guess so. See you later, Stella!” Ikarus said before retreating back to her chamber with her thoughts still about Alastor.

“Good night, miss Ikarus! You will need it!” But as Ikarus’ silhouette vanished from the scene, the doll still muttered something unheard by anyone. “Tomorrow is going to be marvellous.”

All by herself, the doll entered the tomb where Alastor sat. At first, the boy thought it was Ikarus but did not expect her to come back right away.

“Ikarus, I told you..please leave me alone!” the boy continued to groan.

In an instant, he felt the stiff hands of someone grabbing his shoulders. For some reasons, he could not move at all or even turn his head back to see who the person was. Suddenly, he could hear the sound of a woman hymning behind him. A soothing song that felt so familiar….he has heard this once in his life…but from where? Or when? But those questions didn’t matter. His mind was becoming blank as everything became blurry.

“Listen to my voice!”

“…Who…are..you?” Alastor tried to resist the female voice, to no avail. It was impossible to think that him with all his demon lord’s power could be overpassed by another source. He should be immune or at least able to resist mind controlling at this level. So how was it possible? Was it because of the song? Or something else?

“They took everything from you. Are you just going to let them do it?”

“I…I…”

“What do you wish for, Alastor?”

“Peace…I want peace…”

“Yes! Then peace it is. But you know how people are. Demons or primes, they are all the same. Their vile scourge will never let you have your peace. Only a special kind of peace can cure them of their stupidity.”

“Yes…I will bring eternal peace to the world…”

* * *

Dark Realm of the Abyss

A forsaken knight was standing firmly in front of a decrepit gate in the middle of a barren valley. Normally, he would not stand here but stayed behind the door itself. However, this time, it was different. His presence was needed outside, for calamity was coming.

From above the cliff, nine figures landed down in front of the knight. The parade of the demon lords has begun and nothing shall stand in their way.

“Abyssal Knight, we are giving you one final chance. Leave this place or be purged!” Beelzebub stepped forward and proclaimed.

“….” The threat did not work as intended as the lonely knight took on his battle stance, showing sign of defiance to not just one but nine supreme powers of their time.

“You think you can win, oh brave knight?” A loud voice from the sky echoed sarcastically. It came from the dark sun which was the manifestation of the Soul Forger Magnus. “The time has finally come to execute the final stage of our plan. And you stand in our way. In fairy tales, a hero would win through power of friendship and love. But this is not a fairy tale nor are you a hero. What you are doing to simply delaying the inevitable.”

“….” The knight remained in silence.

“But just so you know, we are not your opponents. They are.” The dragon Xenes spoke.

Suddenly, hundreds of presences shot down from the sky before crashing into the valley like a rain of water. But instead of water, each drop was actually one of the shadows, a demon lord whom Alastor has not yet made a pact with. And now, they have all gathered here.

“Please put on a good show for us!” the dragon grinned.

The swarm of shadows began to charge at the knight all together. Barrages of spells and projectiles were launched at the figure who was doing his best to evade everything thrown at him.

“Why do you resist? Won’t it be better to just abandon your post to live another day?”

“…I will protect the flame.” The knight muttered while holding his ground against the onslaught of the demon lords.

“Hahahahahahaha! But you are wrong. What if I tell you that it was Alastor who asked us to do this? What you are doing goes against his will. He wants this!” Magnus spoke out loud.

“…No. You are lying! Alastor can’t be…” A surge of power came from the knight, pushing back the shadows surrounding him.

It was only now that the knight showed the true extent of his power. These shadows were all once demon lords. While they having been weakened greatly compared to their old selves, it was still an unfeasible task to take on all of them at the same time. And here, the knight was able to do just that, only proving his own power. But the knight was not invincible. While it might look like he could take them all on, how long could he actually maintain that status quo? Eventually, he would run out of steam and that moment would signify his defeat.

However, the actual nine demon lords who have awakened, meaning they made a pact with Alastor, have not yet joined the battle. Since these particular demons have been restored to their former glory, the result of the battle would be very different if the Abyssal Knight had to fight not just one but all of them at the same time.

“This is getting boring…” Xenes uttered as he turned to the demoness by his side. “Asmodeus, if you please!”

“Are you giving me orders now?” Asmodeus stared back at the dragon menacingly.

“No no! Of course not! Who can even give you orders anyway? I merely want to end this quickly so we can proceed onto the next phase. And I know you are anxious about it as well as I am….” The dragon explained.

“Don’t even think about jabbering in front of me! We are doing this as according to Alastor’s will and not for yours, Xenes. You better remember that!” Asmodeus threatened.

“Yes we are! So can you please?”

“…Fine!”

As soon as Asmodeus took her first step after landing on this valley, she released the shackles she has put on herself to limit her own power. The ground shook with every step from her and her aura engulfed the entire area. Fearing for their own safety, the shadows began to flee not from their supposed foe but from the elf woman coming their way. Everyone, including the knight, knew who Asmodeus was, what kind of person she was and most importantly her power.

“Asmodeus….” The knight muttered as he strengthened his grip, preparing for what was coming at him.

“You should know that I cannot control my power very well….Holding back is not really my style so take this advice from me: you don’t want to be my opponent!” the demoness raised her fist. Her delicate form suggested she was some kind of mage, maybe wielding very powerful spells but vulnerable to fast physical attacks that could stop her casting. But what about the truth?

“….You….” before the knight could even finish, something has hit him from below his chin and launched him up to the sky with what seemed to be an uppercut. A simple fist that shocked the entire dimension of the Abyss, creating powerful wind storms with each strike.

With his body being thrown like a rag doll, before he could even react, Asmodeus has appeared right above him and smashed him down with both her hands clenching together. That attack was enough to create a large crater, blowing up a part of the cliff with the knight being smitten into the bed of rock.

“….I am getting rusty…Didn’t land that hit very well….”Asmodeus muttered softly as she wiped away the dust from her cloth. Turning to the demon lords standing in awe by her pure physical power, the woman called them loudly. “Let’s go! We don’t have time to stay here all day.”

With the guardian lying under the crumbling piles of rock, the nine gathered in front of the large gate. Being of short temper, Lucifer quickly rushed to the door and tried to push it. It didn’t even budge.

“Damn! This thing is heavy.” The six-winged celestial uttered tiredly. “How are we going to open this?”

“This door is the Soul Gate. One does not simply open such a door without the proper permission.” Nyx commented before turning to his peers. “Did Alastor give any of you permission to enter?”

“Not really!” said Sullivan. “Alastor only had time to speak to Magnus since he was a bit busy with something I think, not that I blame him after what happened.”

“That doesn’t matter. We have no way to open this door.” Lucifer fumed. “What the hell is all this for then?”

“….Leave it to me!” Asmodeus volunteered. “But I need you to watch my back for a bit.” The demoness took her stance and readied for something.

“From who? It’s not like anyone is going to…..” uttered Lucifer.

Suddenly, from the piles of rocks, a gauntlet reached up to the sky and a figure crawled out. He seemed heavily wounded with a dislocated arm. However, as he stood up, the knight twisted his own arm, putting his bones back to its correct position before able to move the arm normally again. Still, even if most of his wounds were already healing, that immortal body was not invincible. There was a limit to how much he could heal. Walking vigorously toward the gate he was supposed to protect, the knight mumbled.

“The gate must not…I must…protect….Fate has entrusted me…to this task….I cannot fail….”

“Persistent bastard! No choice! Asmodeus, just focus on the door! We will take him on!” shouted Beelzebub as he charged together with Lucifer and the slime Devas.

“Go on, Asmodeus!” Beatrix smiled at the elf woman. “We are right beside you!”

“Alright then…”

Asmodeus’ body started to illuminate with veins of fire appearing underneath her skin like molten lava. Her eyes turned into two flames burning lively as she raised her hands and punched the door, making it along with the entire surrounding area tremble.

*BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG*

The once seemingly indestructible door has now begun to crack with each blow. Fissures appeared from where Asmodeus punched the door and started to expand to the rest. Through the gap, the other side could already be seen.

“That’s it! Destroy it! Bring down the Gate!” the dragon Xenes shouted.

“NO! You must not!” shouted the knight desperately while being pushed back by the other demon lords. Among all the people here, it looked like Asmodeus was the only one capable of breaking the gate. He must target her.

Forsaking his own safety, the knight enlarged his sword and threw it at the demoness who was too busy on the gate to look at her back. However, just before the sword could reach her, a frail arm has caught the sword by its tips: a woman who only wore a cloak for clothing while the rest of her body was covered by chains. It was the witch Beatrix.

“”

In an instant, the seemingly holy sword of the Abyssal Knight was covered in black tendrils that appeared from the hands of the witch before turning it into dust.

“What?” the knight uttered in shock.

*BOOM*

“HAHAHAHAAHAHA! The gate is down! It’S DOWN!” the dragon laughed out loud when he saw that the Soul Gate of Alastor has been shattered to pieces, revealing the thing hidden behind it. A bright, giant flame was burning lively just as before. Only, there was something different about it that the knight was not even aware of it until now.

“No…how can this be? How did it turn into this?” Instead of a majestic crimson flame, what lied beyond the door was now a black flame emitting an aura of absolute darkness.

“Don’t ever let the enemy leave your sight!” a voice spoke from behind the knight as a sword slashed across his whole back. Blood splattered on the white wings of the attacker as the celestial grinned devilishly.

“You ask for this!” a tentacle made of a black liquid slashed out from the slime Devas and cut off the right arm of the knight.

“…..My apologies!” A dark orb formed on the hand of Beelzebub before shooting itself at the remaining arm of the knight, consuming it in a black hole.

“ *heavy breathing* “ the knight panted in pain after having lost both his arms with a hole on his chest. But that was not the end for him yet. He could not give up now…However the wounds could not heal in time, not when he was confronted to the endless assault of the demon lords. Falling on his knees, he tried to get up. Suddenly, he could see someone with veins of fire on their dress and body approaching from the low vision he had.

“Still not give up? I am impressed.” Asmodeus muttered while waiting for the knight to stand up, slowly and painfully. Putting a finger on the bleeding knight’s chest without him being able to resist, she said. “But this is farewell!

”

A tiny flame sparked on the tip of the woman’s finger before bursting into an intense conflagration that consumed the knight instantly. And before he could do anything, the lonely soul received another blow.

“”

A powerful explosion blew the knight away without hurting even a hair of the demoness, throwing whatever that was left of the knight and pinning him making a crater on the cliff wall.

“It’s done! Let us proceed!” Asmodeus spoke calmly without a care for the fate of the knight. To her, he was as well as dead.

“Hehehehe! Finally!” Lucifer grinned as he walked toward the flame.

With all the obstacles removed, the demon lords crossed the broken gate and approached the flame. Xenes was the first to walk into the burning pyre before being consumed by the flame itself. One by one, the others followed and seemingly walked into their death as they were burned by the fire to ashes.

Yet, there was one who did not cross the gate at all. Unlike the others, he has remained silent the whole time and was not that excited about all this.

“Belphegor? What are you doing?” Sullivan asked when he noticed his recent friend slacking behind.

“….I am staying….” The demon lord muttered.

“What?” Sullivan shouted in shock.

“….Is this your choice, Belphegor?” Asmodeus asked from the other side of the gate.

“Yeah…I am just too lazy for what lies beyond that door…I didn’t die for this. Sorry to disappoint you all!” Belphegor answered.

“Belphegor…..” Sullivan muttered.

“It’s your choice and I will respect that. Just don’t regret it later!” Asmodeus spoke coldly.

“I won’t. Goodbye Sullivan! This is probably our last time seeing each other.”

“…Goodbye, mate! Take care!” Sullivan uttered sadly as he walked into the flame with a doubtful expression. He was soon followed by Asmodeus as all the others were already gone.

“It’s me who should say it. Take care, Sullivan! You will need it!”

* * *

Meanwhile, a commotion was taking place in the deepest underground of a futuristic giant facility lying underneath the demon continent. Loud explosions along with the clacking noises of metal were echoing throughout the underground city from the only entrance all the way to the command centre.

“Warning! Facility has been breached!” A mechanical voice spoke along with the red alarms.

“Alastor, stop! You don’t know what you are doing!” Zwei voiced from a speaker to the small figure who was rampaging his way to the control centre. The intelligence was trying to reason with the boy after his revelation about his intention of coming here. “You cannot release Tartarus! It will be the end of everything! STOP!”

“…..” the boy remained silent.

With a loud explosion, he finally arrived at where he wanted: the control centre.

“Alastor, listen to me…”

But before Zwei could continue, Alastor has destroyed the speakers, shutting her from communicating any further to him. His goal was now right in this very room. As he slowly walked toward the red thing at the end of this corridor, Alastor uttered the words that would end the world.

“Pay for the sins you committed! Demon or primes, you are all the same. Your very presences are a stain of this world. But fear not! For I am here, to bestow salvation, to grant you mercy and to bequeath to you what you deserve: the eternal peace we have always aspired!”

Putting his hand on the red lever, Alastor grabbed it firmly. “Now, know pain!” And he pulled it.

…..

“zzzzzz……WARMING REACTOR’S CORE…zzzzz….RELEASING LOCKS…..zzzzz……SYSTEM DAMOCLES ONLINE…zzzzzz……REMOVING LIMITERS……”

……

“CONTAMINATION LEVEL: 0.00%

…….

CONTAMINATION LEVEL: 0.01%

…….

CONTAMINATION LEVEL: 0.05%”

……

“AWAKENING TARTARUS……..ACTIVATING PROTOCOLE ARMAGEDDON”

 ##################################################################################################

Author's note: So things get a bit out of hand there... Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And be patient! Things just start getting more interesting ^^