"Beelzebub!" the soft, feminine voice echoed through the decrepit room.
He didn't know who or what it was, but his entire body reacted instinctively. Sweat dripping down his forehead, his hands tightened a little around Lilith's body, still in his arms.
Gulp!
Lifting his face, he fixed his gaze on a cracked mirror in front of him. It had many fractures, but was still usable.
Then he saw her. A beautiful woman with black hair and shimmering red eyes. Somehow, she was a version of himself—just of the opposite gender.
Clenching his fists, his voice came out as a whisper… "Satan!" rage clouding his thoughts.
Without thinking twice, he summoned a staff with a red handle and a silver skull at the tip—the staff of Apomyius.
When it comes to combat, both physical and mental, Beelzebub is a true war machine. With his divine intellect and abilities, he could easily be considered the Batman of Shuumatsu, feared even by other gods.
Even in the face of Beelzebub's hostility, the woman remained still, waiting… But that only fueled his anger even more.
"Devil's Wing Strike!" Holding Apomyius with his right hand, he touched the staff to the ground and unleashed his innate ability.
From the point of impact, a crack began to form, slowly crawling toward the woman.
Trash!
Despite destroying everything in its path, Satan remained still as if Beelzebub's ability were simply passing through her.
This seems complicated… Some kind of Kamui? But he quickly discarded that hypothesis. Beelzebub's powers consisted of something simple:
Vibration manipulation… Exactly that. It may sound simple, but he took this ability to a truly terrifying level—his right hand creating and amplifying vibrations for attacks, and the left generating vibration shields.
Even with his mind in a whirlwind of possibilities, he quickly ruled out powers like intangibility. He continued analyzing, trying to understand what was really happening.
"Have you figured it out?" Satan asked, amused by his way of thinking. Since her arrival, she hadn't made a single move.
"You're not real!" his eyes widened as he realized.
"Bingo," Satan joked. Currently, she was in an astral form—able to use some powers, but nothing truly physical.
Even though the real Satan wasn't there, Beelzebub still felt the immense pressure that only her astral presence could cause.
"What do you want?" he growled. His staff now in his left hand, prepared for any attack.
Satan noticed that even if she pretended to be friendly, he wouldn't lower his guard around her. Even so, I don't regret killing those worms… Beel-chan belongs only to me~ hehehe~
If Beelzebub knew what was running through the mind of this primordial-level Yandere, he'd be even more worried.
Sigh~
In a slightly dramatic way, Satan placed one hand on her forehead, brushing aside a lock of hair that covered her eye. "Don't be like that, Beel-chan—"
"Be direct, I don't want to talk with someone like you!" Beelzebub interrupted. He really wasn't in a good mood. With his sharp mind, he realized that this being wasn't here to cause more damage… For now.
Despite Beelzebub's disrespect, Satan remained unfazed. She couldn't care less about what her "chosen one" did… She might even enjoy being mistreated…
"Ugh… Okay, okay, you win… I'll get straight to the point." She moved closer to Beelzebub and crouched so their faces were inches apart. "Do you want to revive her?"
That single question made Beelzebub's expression change quickly, but he soon returned to his poker face… Nothing in this world is free… With that thought, he looked at Lilith's body in his arms. But any price is worth it to have my Lilith back…
This quick reaction didn't go unnoticed by Satan… But she needed to do this if she finally wanted to earn the attention of her obsession.
---
Across the centuries, I, as the very embodiment of darkness, grew stronger with each passing day of my existence.
Existing even before creation itself, I had no ambitions or concerns… Unfortunately, peaceful days are never eternal. With the emergence of other primordials came the age of creation.
Fauna, flora, gods… Before I realized it, they had named me Satan, the demon emperor.
I wanted my peace back—my silence… So gathering all my power, I faced every primordial in a great war. Unfortunately, my goal was not achieved; quality is not always superior to quantity.
In the end, the primordial gods sealed me. But that wasn't too bad— for a time, I returned to the silence I longed for… Or so I thought, until I met him, who on an ordinary day found the place where I was imprisoned.
Beelzebub… I tried everything I could to get his attention, but my methods were limited. With the seal still active, my powers—my greatest trump card—had regressed considerably.
Any method I used, if detected by the other primordials, would lead to a new seal, which would complicate my plans even further.
This was my only chance to escape the seal, so to attract Beelzebub's attention, I created a curse and named it "Love is Hate." It was simple: every time Beelzebub formed a strong bond with any being, I would have the chance to take over his body.
But over time, that solitary Beelzebub started causing strange little sensations in my chest. Seeing him every day made me feel warm somehow.
But at the same time, seeing him interact with other beings, smiling at them… Laughing while I was trapped… That made me furious.
Not at him—I would never hurt my Beelzebub… The blame is on them, those who take my Beelzebub's attention…
"Anyone who gets close to him will die!"
---
Inside an old house—or what remained of it after the battle—stood Beelzebub and Satan, face to face.
"Let me see if I got this right…" Looking at Satan, Beelzebub tried to find any flaw in her expression. Seeing nothing unusual, he continued: "You want me to help you break a seal…"
"Exactly!"
"And then you'll revive Lilith afterward?" Despite being tempted, he was still cautious with Satan.
"You don't need to think too hard!" With a deliberate motion, she slowly bent her leg, exposing her thighs—something Beel ignored completely. "I truly regret everything I did in the past!"
She smiled at him, though her thoughts completely contradicted her words. Hmph, even if she's revived, once I have my body back, I can win Beelzebub over with my charm… And if she becomes a problem, I'll simply destroy her…