—3rd Person POV, Yasaka’s Village—
Racing through her village, a young Miko searched for her leader to relay critical information to her. A short time ago, a few Elven Scouts reported the appearance of three Devils heading to the Head Village. Unsure if another attack was imminent, she wanted to let Yasaka know immediately so she could contact Lord Cole. Finding Lady Yasaka reviewing plans with two Dwarves and Lord Cole, she was immediately filled with relief that Cole was already here.
“Lord Cole and Lady Yasaka, three Devils have been spotted flying in our direction.”, the Miko proclaimed as she tried to catch her breath, “Do we need to evacuate to the Storage House again?”
“Those blasted wankers are back already!?”, Bolton howled in anger, “If they think they can destroy our hard work, they have another thing coming to ‘em!! I will shove my fuckin’ boot up their arse and chisel it back out before lettin' em ruin this work of art!! Cole, I thought ye took care of them already!”
“I am fairly certain I know why they are here.”, Cole replied looking at his phone, “It is right about when I figured they would show up here, that is why I made sure to be here today. You three keep working on the plans, I will be back later after I deal with their issue.”
Looking at Cole with a confused look, Yasaka asked why he would help them. In her eyes, the Devils were undeserving of Cole’s kindness and deserved only to suffer for their sins. Placing a hand on her shoulder with a smile, Cole told her to trust him on this.
“They have a delicate situation that needs my assistance to resolve. The alternative is potentially sparking another war, this time with Hades, and that would be very bad for some of your new residents. Currently, the Succubi have not all relocated so a war would effectively trap them down there.”, I reminded her.
“Lord Hades is involved with this..?”, Yasaka asked with a shiver, “I understand now, a war like that would be detrimental to many people. Please come back safely.”
“Haha, have ya kissed him yet lassy?”, Bolton teased her, “I know ya both are testin' the waters at the moment, but ya have to be bold to win him over! Maybe have him fluff your tails a bit or somethin’ like that, ya Kitsune women are weird.”
“Please do not say that so loudly!!”, Yasaka protested with a flushed expression, “Only my husband can touch my tails! We are not at that stage yet!”
Leaving before Bolton got himself into trouble, Cole teleported to the edge of the village and waited for the three Devils to arrive. Watching them come into view a few minutes later, the three stopped several yards from him and raised their hands showing they meant no harm. Waving his hand at them dismissively, Cole told them that he knew they were not here to cause trouble this time.
“What do you mean this time?”, Serafall inquired, “We have not messed with you before, we are not stupid like Rizevim was.”
“Haha…you say that now, but in a few centuries, you will be prancing around dressed like a Magical Girl.”, Cole commented with a snicker.
“What’s a Magical Girl?”, Serafall remarked with a confused look.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with for a while, let us get down to the matter at hand. Since you three knuckleheads are here, I supposed that means that Lilith has either been injured or captured yes?”, Cole asked with a sigh, “This is why I tried to warn you before it happened, but you still did not heed my warning.”
Looking at one another, Sirzechs and Ajuka admitted they had been too lax at Rizevim’s lab. Had they been more attentive and thoroughly searched the lab there was a good chance Lilith would not be in critical condition. Apologizing to Cole for their lack of judgment, he nodded his head and accepted the apology. Telling them that what was done is done now, all they could do was continue forward and make sure it did not happen again.
“All that said, we still do not know who attacked us at the lab.”, Ajuka stated, “They were invisible to us both visually and magically, I am not sure how they managed to do that. If you can help us figure that out, I can develop countermeasures for it next time.”
“Do not bother, only a few mythical items are on par with what they likely used.”, Cole told him knowing it had to be the Helm of Hades, “For mythical items of that caliber, you need to look for places where there is an absence of something. Think back to when you cast your Magic Detection, did you notice any anomalies?”
Taking a moment to think back, Ajuka could not recall anything that stood out. Telling him to think carefully about it, Cole specifically told him to recall if he sensed a place that was devoid of magical energy. Knowing that magical particles were all over the place, the Super Devil was about to tell him that was impossible until he recalled that there was a void that he detected initially. Chalking it up to a potential mishap with an experiment that Rizevim did, Ajuka smacked himself across the face for such a foolish error.
“There was a void there…”, Ajuka groaned, “I knew they were there, but did not consider the anomaly to be a person. This is my fault, I should have recognized it sooner!”
“Calm down, what is important now is that you understand what to look for. Since you are likely the only one among the Devils that has that level of Magic Detection, thanks to your hobbies, we need to head to Lilith immediately. With you gone, no one around her is going to notice them till she vanishes.”, Cole said as he opened a portal, “I assume you have her in Lord Sitri’s territory yes? If memory serves they have the best medical facilities in the Underworld.”
“Oh he is good, he knows more about us than I thought!”, Serafell said with a smile, “Come on, I will lead the way!”
—Underworld—
Arriving outside the Sitri Castle, Serafell informed Cole that they were keeping Lilith there to hide her from the public. Going on to tell him that a very caustic poison had been used on the weapon that cut her, Lilith was currently slowly being dissolved by the poison and was still hanging on by a thread only because of the Pheonix Tears they were using on her.
“We are back!”, Serafell proclaimed as the four walked into the entryway, “Cole came to help us out!”
Hearing several people starting walking toward them, Cole saw several Noble Devils and their families approach from what was likely the study. Seeing several figures he recognized, including the more beautiful looking ones, Cole kept his composure and focused on his surroundings. Shaking hands with Lords Bael and Phenex, the two of them thanked Cole for accepting their request to help Lilith.
“Please follow me, I will take you to her room.”, Lord Sitri stated as he lead the group upstairs.
Sensing several entities appear outside the residence, all of them were using Illusion Magic to hide their presence. Glancing around at the Devils he was with, none of them had noticed their appearance showing how lax they really were on their home turf. Since it was none of his business at the moment, as he did not care if they killed some guards, Cole kept track of where all thirteen were in regard to his location.
“Something the matter?”, Venelana asked Cole noticing that his attention was elsewhere.
“I just expected to see tighter security around Lilith is all.”, Cole stated as they walked past a handful of guards, “She is a high-profile guest, and it seems like there is only minimal security here. If they managed to slip past Ajuka and your son once before, I doubt this number of guards will be sufficient.”
“My guards are some of the most highly trained fighters among our race.”, Sitri boasted as four of them were killed by the Reapers outside the home, “Besides which, we have several prominent fighters with us here at the moment. There are few who would try and attack us at this time, especially with the recently signed Ceasefire Agreement. I can assure you that Lilith is as safe as can be here.”
“I see…I am sure Lilith is resting easy knowing she is so secure.”, Cole sarcastically remarked.
Understanding that Cole was hinting that something was amiss, Zekram looked back at Ajuka and Sirzechs. Motioning for them to check the perimeter of the mansion, the two broke off and went to do a sweep of the building. Turning his head back to face forward, he noticed that Cole was giving him a nod of approval. Confirming that Cole was signaling that they had intruders on the premises, Zekram told Lord Sitri to hurry back to Lilith’s room immediately.
—Outside—
Stepping outside the mansion, both men ran into the Grim Reapers as they made their approach to the home. Sensing traces of their Illusion Magic, Ajuka cast Dispell to undo their cover exposing them to the Devils. Realizing that Cole had been signaling them just moments ago, Sirzechs was grateful that his grandfather had picked up on the warning he had given them.
“It was a mistake to come here…”, Sirzechs said as his Destruction Aura began to crackle loudly, “Which one of you is responsible for harming Lady Lilith? I owe you a particularly gruesome death for that embarrassment!”
“Guards, we are under attack!!”, Ajuka shouted out sounding the alarm, “The enemy is using Illusion Magic, keep a close eye on the surroundings!!”
Knowing that it would be only a matter of moments before they were overwhelmed by the Devils, the Grim Reapers rushed forward ready to die.
—Inside—
“Is something the matter?”, Lord Sitri inquired as they picked up the pace.
“I have an uneasy feeling about her safety.”, Zekram stated as the door came into view.
Seeing the guards still at their posts outside the room, Zekram ordered them to open the door immediately. Doing as they were told, everyone rushed into the room to check on her. Finding Lilith still asleep in her bed, Lord Sitri demanded to know what was going on when the castle shook violently. Hearing the sound of fighting outside the home, the Devils realized that they were under attack.
“What in the heck!?”, Lord Sitri shouted as all the Devils ran to the window to see what was happening, “Who would dare attack us here?!”
Sensing the thirteenth member of the assault group making their way to Lilith’s Room, Cole stood behind the open door and leaned against the wall. Calmly walking down the hallway past all the guards, Pluto was pressed for time. Knowing that his assistants would only be able to distract them for so long, he wanted to secure Lilith and evacuate as quickly as possible. Stepping into the room, without noticing Cole, Pluto cautiously made his way to her bedside to grab her.
“Excuse me sir, I do not believe you are on the guest list.”, Cole said as he slammed the door shut, “You are the one responsible for cutting her open, right?”
Locking eyes with Cole, Pluto froze in place realizing that Cole could see him plain as day.
‘No…there is no way he should be able to see me!!’, Pluto thought, ‘Lord Hades assured me that no Divine Being should be able to see me, but this man is staring me right in the eyes.’
“Is someone here?”, Zekram questioned looking back at Cole.
“Yes, a rat slipped into the room.”, he replied with a smirk as he continued to stare at Pluto.
Realizing that his cover was blown, Pluto turned to grab Lilith but was promptly seized by Cole’s Amp. Notching it around his neck, Cole flipped over him and threw Pluto into the opposite wall. Following the motion with his eyes, Lord Bael saw the impact appear on the wall and knew someone had gotten past security. Infuriated that they had been made fools of twice now, Zekram was done standing on the sidelines now.
“How dare you come here to take Lady Lilith from us!!”, Zekram roared as his Destructive Power radiated from his body, “Are you the one that harmed my mother?!”
“Seeing as he is Hades’ right hand man, I would say yes.”, Cole said revealing Rizevim’s backer, “Stand down Pluto, you are not leaving here today and I am sure you would rather not experience what Lucifer did.”
Having heard what Cole and Zekram had said, the other Devils immediately readied themselves for a fight. Looking around the room for Pluto, the Grim Reaper remembered that the Devils still could not see him. Deciding to take as many of them down as he could, he launched himself forward with Scythe in hand to cut them down. Sliding in front of the group, Cole pulled out Excaliber and began exchanging blows with him.
Watching sparks begin to fly from the exchange, several gashes began to form around the room as Cole deflected each of Pluto’s attacks. After a few exchanges, he noticed that Cole was toying with him like a child which infuriated the Grim Reaper. Throwing all of his strength into the next blow, Cole cracked a smile as he took a step back.
“Full Counter!”, Cole shouted as he activate the skill.
Instead of a gash appearing on Cole, one twice the size opened up on Pluto’s chest. Screaming out in pain, the Grim Reaper stumbled backward as he gripped his chest tightly. Glaring in anger at Cole, he saw him smiling back at him without any fear.
“You bastard, you ruined everything!”, Pluto wheezed as he staggered to his feet, “Why did you have to come here, are the Devils not your enemy?! You massacred them just a few weeks ago, and now you are here protecting them!”
“It is called extending an olive branch, my goal is to have lasting peace with the Devils into the future. That can only happen if I help people move forward toward a brighter future, and you are standing in the way of that.”, Cole told him pointing the Excaliber at him, “Now I suggest you surrender peacefully before I send your ass down the River Styx.”
“You do not have that power, only my Lord Hades does.”, Pluto confidently stated.
“Hold that thought…”, Cole remarked stowing Excaliber back in storage and pulling out another Grim Reaper’s Scythe, “Want to fuck around and find out?”
Having fought many Grim Reapers during his time as Demon King, Cole was well aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Humanity had performed countless forbidden rituals to send all manner of monsters after him, and a few happened to be Grim Reapers. On one occasion, Cole fought a rather powerful one and almost ended up dead because of its Scythe. Like the Grim Reaper’s Scythe in Dante’s Inferno, it had the ability to Damn or Save anyone it killed which was an anomaly in and of itself.
“Where did you get that!?”, Pluto panicked feeling its unnatural aura, “Stay back!”
“You are not the first nor likely the last Grim Reaper I will ever meet. I took this from a Grim Reaper that tried to take my head during my days as a Demon King.”, Cole told him as he pulled the Helm off with magnetism, “Now then, are you going to be a reasonable person or am I going to have to Damn you to my Hell?”
—3rd Person POV, Yasaka’s Village—
Racing through her village, a young Miko searched for her leader to relay critical information to her. A short time ago, a few Elven Scouts reported the appearance of three Devils heading to the Head Village. Unsure if another attack was imminent, she wanted to let Yasaka know immediately so she could contact Lord Cole. Finding Lady Yasaka reviewing plans with two Dwarves and Lord Cole, she was immediately filled with relief that Cole was already here.
“Lord Cole and Lady Yasaka, three Devils have been spotted flying in our direction.”, the Miko proclaimed as she tried to catch her breath, “Do we need to evacuate to the Storage House again?”
“Those blasted wankers are back already!?”, Bolton howled in anger, “If they think they can destroy our hard work, they have another thing coming to ‘em!! I will shove my fuckin’ boot up their arse and chisel it back out before lettin' em ruin this work of art!! Cole, I thought ye took care of them already!”
“I am fairly certain I know why they are here.”, Cole replied looking at his phone, “It is right about when I figured they would show up here, that is why I made sure to be here today. You three keep working on the plans, I will be back later after I deal with their issue.”
Looking at Cole with a confused look, Yasaka asked why he would help them. In her eyes, the Devils were undeserving of Cole’s kindness and deserved only to suffer for their sins. Placing a hand on her shoulder with a smile, Cole told her to trust him on this.
“They have a delicate situation that needs my assistance to resolve. The alternative is potentially sparking another war, this time with Hades, and that would be very bad for some of your new residents. Currently, the Succubi have not all relocated so a war would effectively trap them down there.”, I reminded her.
“Lord Hades is involved with this..?”, Yasaka asked with a shiver, “I understand now, a war like that would be detrimental to many people. Please come back safely.”
“Haha, have ya kissed him yet lassy?”, Bolton teased her, “I know ya both are testin' the waters at the moment, but ya have to be bold to win him over! Maybe have him fluff your tails a bit or somethin’ like that, ya Kitsune women are weird.”
“Please do not say that so loudly!!”, Yasaka protested with a flushed expression, “Only my husband can touch my tails! We are not at that stage yet!”
Leaving before Bolton got himself into trouble, Cole teleported to the edge of the village and waited for the three Devils to arrive. Watching them come into view a few minutes later, the three stopped several yards from him and raised their hands showing they meant no harm. Waving his hand at them dismissively, Cole told them that he knew they were not here to cause trouble this time.
“What do you mean this time?”, Serafall inquired, “We have not messed with you before, we are not stupid like Rizevim was.”
“Haha…you say that now, but in a few centuries, you will be prancing around dressed like a Magical Girl.”, Cole commented with a snicker.
“What’s a Magical Girl?”, Serafall remarked with a confused look.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with for a while, let us get down to the matter at hand. Since you three knuckleheads are here, I supposed that means that Lilith has either been injured or captured yes?”, Cole asked with a sigh, “This is why I tried to warn you before it happened, but you still did not heed my warning.”
Looking at one another, Sirzechs and Ajuka admitted they had been too lax at Rizevim’s lab. Had they been more attentive and thoroughly searched the lab there was a good chance Lilith would not be in critical condition. Apologizing to Cole for their lack of judgment, he nodded his head and accepted the apology. Telling them that what was done is done now, all they could do was continue forward and make sure it did not happen again.
“All that said, we still do not know who attacked us at the lab.”, Ajuka stated, “They were invisible to us both visually and magically, I am not sure how they managed to do that. If you can help us figure that out, I can develop countermeasures for it next time.”
“Do not bother, only a few mythical items are on par with what they likely used.”, Cole told him knowing it had to be the Helm of Hades, “For mythical items of that caliber, you need to look for places where there is an absence of something. Think back to when you cast your Magic Detection, did you notice any anomalies?”
Taking a moment to think back, Ajuka could not recall anything that stood out. Telling him to think carefully about it, Cole specifically told him to recall if he sensed a place that was devoid of magical energy. Knowing that magical particles were all over the place, the Super Devil was about to tell him that was impossible until he recalled that there was a void that he detected initially. Chalking it up to a potential mishap with an experiment that Rizevim did, Ajuka smacked himself across the face for such a foolish error.
“There was a void there…”, Ajuka groaned, “I knew they were there, but did not consider the anomaly to be a person. This is my fault, I should have recognized it sooner!”
“Calm down, what is important now is that you understand what to look for. Since you are likely the only one among the Devils that has that level of Magic Detection, thanks to your hobbies, we need to head to Lilith immediately. With you gone, no one around her is going to notice them till she vanishes.”, Cole said as he opened a portal, “I assume you have her in Lord Sitri’s territory yes? If memory serves they have the best medical facilities in the Underworld.”
“Oh he is good, he knows more about us than I thought!”, Serafell said with a smile, “Come on, I will lead the way!”
—Underworld—
Arriving outside the Sitri Castle, Serafell informed Cole that they were keeping Lilith there to hide her from the public. Going on to tell him that a very caustic poison had been used on the weapon that cut her, Lilith was currently slowly being dissolved by the poison and was still hanging on by a thread only because of the Pheonix Tears they were using on her.
“We are back!”, Serafell proclaimed as the four walked into the entryway, “Cole came to help us out!”
Hearing several people starting walking toward them, Cole saw several Noble Devils and their families approach from what was likely the study. Seeing several figures he recognized, including the more beautiful looking ones, Cole kept his composure and focused on his surroundings. Shaking hands with Lords Bael and Phenex, the two of them thanked Cole for accepting their request to help Lilith.
“Please follow me, I will take you to her room.”, Lord Sitri stated as he lead the group upstairs.
Sensing several entities appear outside the residence, all of them were using Illusion Magic to hide their presence. Glancing around at the Devils he was with, none of them had noticed their appearance showing how lax they really were on their home turf. Since it was none of his business at the moment, as he did not care if they killed some guards, Cole kept track of where all thirteen were in regard to his location.
“Something the matter?”, Venelana asked Cole noticing that his attention was elsewhere.
“I just expected to see tighter security around Lilith is all.”, Cole stated as they walked past a handful of guards, “She is a high-profile guest, and it seems like there is only minimal security here. If they managed to slip past Ajuka and your son once before, I doubt this number of guards will be sufficient.”
“My guards are some of the most highly trained fighters among our race.”, Sitri boasted as four of them were killed by the Reapers outside the home, “Besides which, we have several prominent fighters with us here at the moment. There are few who would try and attack us at this time, especially with the recently signed Ceasefire Agreement. I can assure you that Lilith is as safe as can be here.”
“I see…I am sure Lilith is resting easy knowing she is so secure.”, Cole sarcastically remarked.
Understanding that Cole was hinting that something was amiss, Zekram looked back at Ajuka and Sirzechs. Motioning for them to check the perimeter of the mansion, the two broke off and went to do a sweep of the building. Turning his head back to face forward, he noticed that Cole was giving him a nod of approval. Confirming that Cole was signaling that they had intruders on the premises, Zekram told Lord Sitri to hurry back to Lilith’s room immediately.
—Outside—
Stepping outside the mansion, both men ran into the Grim Reapers as they made their approach to the home. Sensing traces of their Illusion Magic, Ajuka cast Dispell to undo their cover exposing them to the Devils. Realizing that Cole had been signaling them just moments ago, Sirzechs was grateful that his grandfather had picked up on the warning he had given them.
“It was a mistake to come here…”, Sirzechs said as his Destruction Aura began to crackle loudly, “Which one of you is responsible for harming Lady Lilith? I owe you a particularly gruesome death for that embarrassment!”
“Guards, we are under attack!!”, Ajuka shouted out sounding the alarm, “The enemy is using Illusion Magic, keep a close eye on the surroundings!!”
Knowing that it would be only a matter of moments before they were overwhelmed by the Devils, the Grim Reapers rushed forward ready to die.
—Inside—
“Is something the matter?”, Lord Sitri inquired as they picked up the pace.
“I have an uneasy feeling about her safety.”, Zekram stated as the door came into view.
Seeing the guards still at their posts outside the room, Zekram ordered them to open the door immediately. Doing as they were told, everyone rushed into the room to check on her. Finding Lilith still asleep in her bed, Lord Sitri demanded to know what was going on when the castle shook violently. Hearing the sound of fighting outside the home, the Devils realized that they were under attack.
“What in the heck!?”, Lord Sitri shouted as all the Devils ran to the window to see what was happening, “Who would dare attack us here?!”
Sensing the thirteenth member of the assault group making their way to Lilith’s Room, Cole stood behind the open door and leaned against the wall. Calmly walking down the hallway past all the guards, Pluto was pressed for time. Knowing that his assistants would only be able to distract them for so long, he wanted to secure Lilith and evacuate as quickly as possible. Stepping into the room, without noticing Cole, Pluto cautiously made his way to her bedside to grab her.
“Excuse me sir, I do not believe you are on the guest list.”, Cole said as he slammed the door shut, “You are the one responsible for cutting her open, right?”
Locking eyes with Cole, Pluto froze in place realizing that Cole could see him plain as day.
‘No…there is no way he should be able to see me!!’, Pluto thought, ‘Lord Hades assured me that no Divine Being should be able to see me, but this man is staring me right in the eyes.’
“Is someone here?”, Zekram questioned looking back at Cole.
“Yes, a rat slipped into the room.”, he replied with a smirk as he continued to stare at Pluto.
Realizing that his cover was blown, Pluto turned to grab Lilith but was promptly seized by Cole’s Amp. Notching it around his neck, Cole flipped over him and threw Pluto into the opposite wall. Following the motion with his eyes, Lord Bael saw the impact appear on the wall and knew someone had gotten past security. Infuriated that they had been made fools of twice now, Zekram was done standing on the sidelines now.
“How dare you come here to take Lady Lilith from us!!”, Zekram roared as his Destructive Power radiated from his body, “Are you the one that harmed my mother?!”
“Seeing as he is Hades’ right hand man, I would say yes.”, Cole said revealing Rizevim’s backer, “Stand down Pluto, you are not leaving here today and I am sure you would rather not experience what Lucifer did.”
Having heard what Cole and Zekram had said, the other Devils immediately readied themselves for a fight. Looking around the room for Pluto, the Grim Reaper remembered that the Devils still could not see him. Deciding to take as many of them down as he could, he launched himself forward with Scythe in hand to cut them down. Sliding in front of the group, Cole pulled out Excaliber and began exchanging blows with him.
Watching sparks begin to fly from the exchange, several gashes began to form around the room as Cole deflected each of Pluto’s attacks. After a few exchanges, he noticed that Cole was toying with him like a child which infuriated the Grim Reaper. Throwing all of his strength into the next blow, Cole cracked a smile as he took a step back.
“Full Counter!”, Cole shouted as he activate the skill.
Instead of a gash appearing on Cole, one twice the size opened up on Pluto’s chest. Screaming out in pain, the Grim Reaper stumbled backward as he gripped his chest tightly. Glaring in anger at Cole, he saw him smiling back at him without any fear.
“You bastard, you ruined everything!”, Pluto wheezed as he staggered to his feet, “Why did you have to come here, are the Devils not your enemy?! You massacred them just a few weeks ago, and now you are here protecting them!”
“It is called extending an olive branch, my goal is to have lasting peace with the Devils into the future. That can only happen if I help people move forward toward a brighter future, and you are standing in the way of that.”, Cole told him pointing the Excaliber at him, “Now I suggest you surrender peacefully before I send your ass down the River Styx.”
“You do not have that power, only my Lord Hades does.”, Pluto confidently stated.
“Hold that thought…”, Cole remarked stowing Excaliber back in storage and pulling out another Grim Reaper’s Scythe, “Want to fuck around and find out?”
Having fought many Grim Reapers during his time as Demon King, Cole was well aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Humanity had performed countless forbidden rituals to send all manner of monsters after him, and a few happened to be Grim Reapers. On one occasion, Cole fought a rather powerful one and almost ended up dead because of its Scythe. Like the Grim Reaper’s Scythe in Dante’s Inferno, it had the ability to Damn or Save anyone it killed which was an anomaly in and of itself.
“Where did you get that!?”, Pluto panicked feeling its unnatural aura, “Stay back!”
“You are not the first nor likely the last Grim Reaper I will ever meet. I took this from a Grim Reaper that tried to take my head during my days as a Demon King.”, Cole told him as he pulled the Helm off with magnetism, “Now then, are you going to be a reasonable person or am I going to have to Damn you to my Hell?”
