Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the OCs I create.
Kyoto – Yasaka's Office
- Souta -
After placing the final mystic fruit on the desk, we now had 30 zoan mystic fruits in front of us, each more unique in appearance than the other.
"These should power up a good portion of our people for the battle to come. Thank you again for this, Souta."
"Don't worry about it; this is my home as well now. If it were destroyed and the people killed, I'd feel guilty about doing nothing when I have the power to help out. Plus, once it's all over, I'm going to be getting more zoan mystic fruits out of it."
This batch of mystic fruits was easy to acquire; all the animals used were from the local zoos, and a few were from a farm.
The reason it was so easy was because one of our factions yokai that ran the zoo was a shojo called Korin with the ability to keep the animals calm, so the day I was extracting from the zoo animals, they just let me go with no fuss and didn't even try to eat me.
It was like I was at my own personal zoo for the day with petting included.
So yeah, I'd be working with Korin again in the future to extract from more zoo animals. We had to inform Korin of what I was doing since the animals were his responsibility, but he agreed to sign a magical NDA regarding my ability to extract. I honestly don't think he cared; true to a shojo's nature, he was calm and preferred peaceful solutions above all else.
We had a unique selection from leopards, jaguars, elephants and even pandas for the 30 mystic fruits that would all be going into our own Zoan army; it made me feel a bit like Kaido when I imagined it.
"We have already selected trusted guards to eat the fruits; I'll have 2 of my personal guards training them daily. The guards already know what they are signing up for and are happy at the idea of more strength, so they are looking forward to the training no matter how difficult it is." Yasaka said while signing off on some more paperwork.
"I'm guessing Sumio and Suiko will be training them?" I asked.
"That's right, they're the best for it."
It made sense Suiko had the mole zoan fruit, so he already had experience using it, and Sumio was physically the strongest despite having a paramecia; that guy trained religiously, and it showed as he began tapping into armament haki already. He is only able to coat a couple of fingers at the moment, but as he gets used to it, he'll have no problems with it in the future.
"Has there been any news on Hagaromo's movements yet?" I asked hoping there was so it could be dealt with quickly; dragging the whole of Kyoto into that madwoman's objective felt wrong.
From what I already know and have been told, each incarnation she attempts to give birth to her dead son, Abe no Seimei, a legendary onmyoji from the Heian era, to be reunited with him, and each time she has murdered hundreds for their organs and blood with the end goal of making her half yokai son the leader of the yokai, not caring what happens to humans in the process.
"Nothing so far; a few reports I've been sent said we managed to capture a few scouts, but they just laugh before bursting into a puddle of black blood, so we haven't been able to interrogate them." She said, frowning as she remembers the reports.
My mouth sets into a grim line at the news.
"Hopefully we're not too late before we find her. What about Magari? Any news from her?"
"No, just the same thing that's happened to the people captured on our end happened on hers, though she did mention the devil and fallen faction mobilising their armies against a tide occurring from the demon pits, with some of the weaker ones appearing on earth; the exorcists from the church have already started sending out their own teams to deal with them."
"It's unbelievable how so much is going on all at once." I said in a disbelieving tone.
Not to mention, none of this happened in the original story, so anything I did know was out the window other than a few major names.
"Welcome to the supernatural, where a crack in the floor can turn into a rift in moments." She said with a hollow laugh.
Sighing at the thought of the supernatural world being such a ticking time bomb, I stand up ready to leave.
"Well, I best get going; I've got a shop to run after all. I'll be over later for tea as promised." I said, stretching before being pulled in for a quick kiss.
"Before you leave, I've been asked for a meeting with Azazel, leader and cadre of the fallen faction; he was interested in the powers he's been hearing about here and probably thinks they are related to sacred gears. I've also gotten one from Mephisto Pheles, but he specified your name for the meeting; I didn't deny them since I wanted to see if you wanted to speak with them at all, seeing as they are your products in the end."
"Deny Azazel for now; when he figures out it's me that's selling the mystic fruits, then I'll have a meeting with him. As for Mephisto Pheles, I'm surprised you'd set up a meeting with a devil in the first place."
"Normally I wouldn't, but Mephisto is different from the rest of the devils; he's distanced himself from them after they plotted the death of his favourite human at the time and blamed it on the church. He's on slight speaking terms with the new rulers and was gifted his own set of evil pieces from Ajuka, though he's only ever used the one, and that was for his queen, Tannin. Mephisto is also known for making peaceful ties between his faction and others to share knowledge and is known for his love of humanity, so personally I think it's a good opportunity to meet with him." She said, going over what she knew about Mephisto.
"Also expect Azazel to snoop around after I deny him; if he shows up without going through the proper channels, call me or one of my guards. As for Mephisto, I'll get a meeting set up for us."
"Will do and thank you as always." I said, giving her one last peck on the lips and leaving.
[Split]
Kyoto – Hidden Dimension
Inside a large, cavernous room supported by multiple pillars, each carved with intricate designs that gave off a pale blue glow, sat Hagoromo Gitsune; she had finally made the move to Kyoto and was currently syphoning energy from the leyline for the great birthing of her son.
She was naked as she lounged lazily against the edge of a pool in the centre of the room that was filled with the fresh blood of virgin women slowly and lovingly stroking her stomach; no noticeable bump was there, but she knew it would appear at some point.
"Soon, my child, we shall be reunited once again." She all but whispered in a tone that reeked of mad devotion.
An echoing knock rang throughout the room as she turned to face the door.
"Come in."
As the large double doors swung open, 2 of her most loyal subjects stepped into the room, 1 she had been anticipating the arrival of for some time.
"My lady, we have returned." Kidomaru said, kneeling alongside Ibaraki-Doji.
"I assume everything went as planned?" She said, eyes focused on Ibaraki-Doji.
"It did, my lady; I managed to retrieve the heart from one of the demon lords who had claimed it for himself. He was allowing it to grow in power, as I assume he wanted to consume it himself at some point." Ibaraki-Doji said as he pulled out a wooden box, presenting it to her.
She waded forward through the blood as she stepped out of the pool of blood and grabbed the box from his waiting hands.
"You've done well, Ibaraki-Doji," she said as she opened the box, revealing the hollow infant heart. It was the colour of fresh blood with black veins running through it, and it had a steady beat despite no blood flowing through it.
"It's perfect, a heart of corrupted divinity for my son." She said, grabbing the heart in her right hand as her nails sharpened to pointed claws before pushing her hand a heart through her stomach, her nails easily puncturing through her stomach with barely any effort as it healed around her hand with no blood spilling, causing the glowing pillars to flare slightly in the room.
"MY LADY." They both shouted.
"Do not worry, I am just giving a gift to my son." She said, eventually pulling her arm free without the heart from her stomach as it sealed itself back up.
Her flesh rippled as 3 loud echoing beats sounded throughout the room; the black bangs of her hair turned pure white.
"I believe he is pleased with his gift." She said as she rubbed her stomach with a crazed glint in her eyes.
"Kidomaru, what news do you bring of our potential allies?"
"The oni have agreed to join us in our fight for Kyoto after I proved myself in a trial by combat; they are looking forward to going to war, though some, while small in number, seemed to disagree with the decision and thought that upsetting the current balance between yokai would wipe out the oni should they join us in the war to come, but they have since been beaten and cast out by the current leader of the oni for going against his words."
"Good, the oni may be brutes, but they will be useful in battle. Good work, both of you; I am very pleased with what you have done so far."
"It is my duty." Kidomaru said, bowing.
"It was my pleasure I enjoyed slaughtering such rabble in their very home." Ibaraki-Doji said, half of his manic grin showing as the other half was covered by his wooden mask.
"Kyokotsu has also sent word that her seals have been triggered by some of our people; the other factions have begun increasing their search for you."
"I see. Keep them guessing; I do not want any interruption while feeding my child the energy he requires, and when he has finished, we shall take Kyoto back in full force as a gift for his birth."
"It shall be done, my lady."
[split]
Underworld – Demon Pit Entrance
- Sirzechs Lucifer -
"How many have escaped so far, Falbium?"
"Too many Sirzechs, a few thousand at least; something has one of the demon lords furious, and in his rampage, he's started a battle with the other lords. Now the weaker demons are using the opportunity to escape; we're looking at the biggest demon tide we've had in hundreds of years; some are already spilling into the human world." Falbium said with a grimace.
"I know, Serafall has been speaking nonstop with the other factions. The church has already begun moving to combat the situation up there; she even mentioned Michael sending a few angels down to assist them."
"I've spoken with Azazel as well; he said he would have one of his generals coordinate with you in pushing back the tide since none of us want to deal with demons overrunning any of our areas." I said to him, getting a nod in return.
"Good, their holy light will help more in culling their numbers than our own methods, at least. I'll have the men be on their best behaviour in front of the fallen."
"Thanks, the last thing we need is an incident between our own factions while we are dealing with this."
"What about Ajuka? Has he found a solution yet?" He asked.
"Yes, he's working on creating a temporary seal for the pit entrance; the demon lords will eventually break it, but we're hoping they will have calmed down when that happens. If not, we'll have to put an end to the mess ourselves." I said, determined to do just that if it was needed.
"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. I know you don't like using that form after all we've done, but prepare yourself for the worst just in case."
"Don't worry, friend, I already am. Just keep the defences steady for now; we just need to hold out until the other lords deal with the one causing trouble. Let me know when the stragglers have been dealt with; it has some of our people on edge that a demon might appear in front of them."
"I will now leave this place to me; I'm sure you've already got a lot on your plate with the Great King Faction trying to make use of the situation." He said with a grim laugh.
"Don't remind me; they're trying to use this as a way to increase the size of their personal armies. We've already denied them previously due to how it would be seen by the other factions, but with the demon tide happening, they're hoping it will pass this time." I said, letting out a tired sigh.
"Yeah, sounds like something they'd do. Well, you got your role for a reason, just as I got mine; you'll handle it, no problem," he said, trying to encourage me.
"Thanks, Falbium, I'll speak to you soon." I said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Later, Sirzechs."
A deep crimson glow appears below my feet as my personal magic circle surrounds me, and I teleport myself back to my office in Lilith.
Stepping around my desk, I allow myself to slump into my office chair before sighing.
The door to my office opens, and the love of my life enters. "Welcome back, Lord Lucifer."
"Mou, Grayfia, like I always say, when it's just us in the room, you can drop the lord nonsense." I whine at my beautiful wife.
"It is unbecoming of a maid to speak so directly to their lord while on duty."
I wilted in exaggerated despair at her stern rebuttal, though I was not bothered by it. Once she was finished with her duty for the day, she could be the most loving person I'd ever met.
"How's my little sister and her peerage doing?"
"Lady Rias and her peerage have been enjoying her freedom from the arranged marriage and have been stopping by the Gremory estate much more frequently as of late."
"That's good; remind her to be careful travelling with the demon tide going on."
"I will see to it; now there are some documents here for you to sign." She says as a small magic circle appears on her palm and a large stack of paper appears, and my face drops.
"Noooooo! Please, Grayfia, anything but more paperwork." I all but begged.
"Stop begging, Lord Lucifer; it's unbecoming of your position." She sternly reprimands me again as the stack of papers thumps onto the desk.
[Split]
Japan – Secret Base
"How goes the gathering of the Excalibur pieces?" A smooth voice asks.
"It's going well, Lord Kokabiel; our men inside the church have managed to get 2 of their youngest wielders sent to Kuoh Town without any guardians. We just need to grab their weapons from them when they arrive."
"We have 3 pieces with us so far, but Excalibur Blessing is with the pope, who is protected by Vasco Strada, and we don't have any news on Excalibur Ruler."
"That's fine; 5 pieces will be enough for Valper Galilei to work with. Once he's finished gathering enough data on them anyway, it's perfect timing with most of the factions distracted by one thing or another. Soon the great war shall begin once again, and we fallen shall prove to be the superior beings." Kokabiel said as he began cackling wildly.
"It is as you say, my lord."
Provide that annoying foul-mouthed exorcist with one of the blades for now; allow him to cause some trouble for the devils, but remind him that they need to remain alive for the grand finale.
"As you order, my lord."
Kokabiel turned away from the grovelling 2-winged fallen angel and made his way to the lab where Valper was working.
"Valper, 2 more swords are coming soon. How long until you can fuse them together?" Kokabiel said to the human as if he was looking at a bug.
"Lord Kokabiel, I'm still studying the 3 we currently have, but with enough time I am sure I will have it done." Valper said nervously.
"That's not what I asked, worm. How long?" Kokabiel snarled.
"A month, maybe 2." Valper whimpered in response.
"3 weeks. I want it done in 3 weeks." Kokabiel said in a way that wanted no disagreements.
"B-but, sir, that's not enough time for all the data." Valper stammered out.
"Well, you best make it enough time, or else the other factions are currently distracted. This is the best opportunity to act. Now get the data you need and fuse the stupid thing for me, or I'll do to you what the church was going to."
"Y-yes sir, r-right away." Valper whimpered as he scrambled to his machines, hoping to get them working faster in some way.
With one last look at the whimpering fat bug, Kokabiel sneered as he made his way out of the lab and to the quarters of one of his generals.
"Sir!" His general saluted once he was aware of his presence.
"Churiel, I want you to find out what's got Azazel so interested in wanting to meet with the yokai faction. Once you find out, let me know, and we can proceed from there. Do not be found out; I will be most displeased."
"As you command, Sir!" Churiel saluted before swiftly exiting the room to carry out Kokabiel's order.
Thank you for reading. ^^