My heart was pounding, each beat sending pain through my chest. My breath was ragged, the air smelled of burning, ash, and metal—blood on my lips. Kadiel stood before me, his gaze full of guilt and conflict.
If you've decided to do this, why are you looking at me like that?
His black hair was blowing in the wind, his armor was clinging to his body, and I, kneeling, tried to understand:
How did we get to this?
The memories came flooding back. Everything was fine: Grigori was getting stronger, we were keeping order, recruiting allies, preparing for the worst. Azazel, as always, was missing from his lab, but one day his presence was gone. No trace, only a mess in his office. Grigori had stood firm, and I was once again shouldering her burden. But Kokabiel... he had changed. His oddities had grown into something more. There was a stir within the faction, the atmosphere became tense. Subordinates, previously calm, looked at each other with suspicion.
I began to dig, and the traces led to disappointing conclusions: Kokabiel was gathering supporters and military power. He was thirsty for war - only in it did he find meaning. I hoped that he would come to his senses, but Barakiel, having learned about this, decided to act himself. Then he disappeared. Everything inside screamed that the worst had happened to him, but I drove these thoughts away. Kokabiel's supporters multiplied, my allies melted away. I clenched my teeth, realizing that the nightmare was coming true. Deciding to protect my family, I set off along a secret path, but met him - Kadiel, a friend whom I trusted, to whom I entrusted the most valuable.
Now I am on my knees, clutching my chest, barely breathing. Blood gushed from my mouth, I spat the clot onto my hand, wheezing:
"Kha... khar..." the metallic taste intensified.
Poison.
Kadiel towered over me, clutching the spear of light, lost in thought. I squeezed out:
"Why?"
His gaze became even more painful, he reluctantly answered:
"This is necessary for Grigori, Shemhazai. For our race, for the future."
I threw ironically:
"What future, Kadiel? More death and suffering? Isn't the Great War enough for you?"
His doubt was visible, and I hoped to get through to him, but his eyes darkened for a moment, his face became cold:
"You don't understand. The future belongs to Kokabiel. You will never understand."
The light of the spear grew brighter, he was preparing to finish me off. I clenched my teeth, gathering the last of the holy energy. My knees grew heavy, pain tore through my body, but I was not going to give up. When I was already trying to release my power, and Kadiel swung, blood splashed into my face. I froze, shocked. There was a gaping hole in Kadiel's chest, blood was gushing out in a stream. His face expressed disbelief, his hand reached for the wound, as if he could not comprehend what had happened. The light of the spear went out, he whispered hoarsely:
"Shemhazai... I'm sorry... It's my fault..." His voice was breaking from pain.
He collapsed on me, I caught him, still in shock. My gaze slid to the side, and saw a figure with scarlet hair, whose serious look inspired trepidation.
Sirzechs Lucifer.
One of the rulers of the Underworld.
What is he doing here?
His steps were even, confident. He approached, and involuntarily tensed, but his chest tightened, and he spat out blood again. Sirzechs stopped, grinning:
"You look like shit."
My lips trembled. He took out a vial and handed it to me. I looked at him with distrust, wary. He explained:
"Phoenix Tears. They will help.
I hesitated, but thought:
If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have bothered so much.
Exhaling, I took the bottle and drank. The warm liquid went down my throat, the warmth spread through my body. The wounds were healing before my eyes, the poison was receding. Shock was reflected on my face, I squeezed out:
"Why? "
Sirzechs looked at me, his gaze unreadable. I was still trying to catch my breath, waiting for Sirzechs to answer. He said calmly:
"Why? Why not. "
My lips twitched, and irony flashed through my thoughts:
What a joker.
We stood on opposite sides of the barricade, not allies, not friends - more like potential enemies. And the leader of the devils saves my life? Mockery and sarcasm bubbled up inside, but I pushed them away. It was not the time. Pulling myself together, I said:
"We are adults, Lucifer. Don't play with words. Get to the point."
He raised an eyebrow, grinning:
"Really? Usually, everyone likes to chat about trivial things before doing something. What's the rush, Shemhazai?"
I frowned, my fists clenched. Fear and anxiety for my family were suffocating me. I wanted to rush to them, but Sirzechs clearly wouldn't let me go without some benefit. If I made a mistake in my answer, this corridor would become my grave. This thought made me feel sick, and I clenched my teeth. He, noticing my tension, added in a relaxed tone:
"So serious? Just relax."
Relax? If you were in my place, would you say the same thing? I snapped mentally, but said out loud:
"What do you need, Lucifer? I'm in a hurry, there's no time for empty talk."
He nodded:
"I understand. Since you're in a hurry, let's get straight to the point."
Suddenly, his aura pressed on me. My knees buckled with a slight crunch, fear flooding my mind. His voice, cold and heavy, asked:
"What's going on in Grigori? I don't like mouse fuss and problems. You seem to be creating them. I need answers.
My chest tightened, my breathing became ragged, my thoughts were confused. Dizziness prevented me from collecting myself. Exhaling with difficulty, I squeezed out:
"Kokabiel."
The pressure eased slightly, I greedily gulped in air, the suffocation receding. Sirzechs, narrowing his eyes, repeated:
"Kokabiel, huh."
He smacked his lip, as if tasting the name. I looked at him, still in fear, considering my options. Attack? Flight? Both were useless. It was better to stall for time, not to provoke. Remembering the reports on Sirzechs, I noted his reasonableness. He did not like unnecessary conflicts, he could understand. This calmed me down a little, but the wariness remained. Sirzechs, thoughtful, looked at me, his hands were ready for any movement - he was clearly monitoring the situation.
Finally, he exhaled:
"Do you want war?"
He was slightly taken aback, but sincerely answered:
"No, I do not want a war between us. Only Kokabiel seeks conflict. I don't support him."
He nodded.
"Okay. What does Azazel think?"
I bit my lip nervously, but decided to be honest.
"Azazel is missing. I don't know where he is."
Sirzechs frowned, clearly displeased, but he exhaled.
"I have a group of fallen that I left alive. You can take them. And if you find Azazel, contact him with me."
He held out a leaflet with a red emblem.
"This is for communication. If you are against the war and are willing to help prevent it, it is in your best interest to find Azazel and maintain contact."
I took the leaflet, still in shock. His actions stunned me - I hadn't expected such openness. Sirzechs turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing in my mind. I watched him go, clutching the leaflet, lost, but with a little hope.
Maybe it's not that bad. And there are still future ones.
***
I wandered aimlessly through the wasteland, my mind spinning around Shemhazai's words. The situation was depressing. The possibility of war, especially with the Khaos Brigade on the horizon, threatened to be a disaster worse than in the old days. Memories came flooding back: the war, the thousands dying, their cries tearing through the air:
"Mercy! Nooooo!" they screamed, choking in despair as a sea of blood covered the ground.
The images made me sick. I couldn't let Rias and the others face something like that. It was my duty to prevent it. Suddenly, I came to my senses, dodging to the side. Just in time, a bolt of light flew past.
The Holy Spear.
Frowning, I sensed the presence of hundreds, thousands of sentients. Silhouettes flashed across the sky: Fallen with black wings and devils with bat wings. Were they uniting against me?
Funny.
The young devil, his gaze blazing with arrogance, shouted:
"Give up, Sirzechs! Don't do anything stupid!"
"Really?" I replied. "What are you here for? And aren't you disgusted by working with the enemy to attack your ruler?"
He spat:
"You're not my ruler! An impostor! The true rulers will take back power!"
He mentally rolled his eyes. The Old Satan Faction. How many fools like that have I seen? Their naive speeches have become boring. Magic circles of all colors and properties sparkled around me, the fallen ones charging spears of light. The attack fell on me, and a deafening explosion rang out:
"BOOM!"
The ground shook, a cloud of dust rose into the sky.
The devil burst out laughing:
"Too easy! Pathetic impostor!"
But his laughter stopped. He turned pale, his legs trembled, fear gripped him. The Fallen and the devils who had just been laughing froze, looking up at the sky. It turned black, a vortex of black clouds swirled, the air vibrated. A choking sensation squeezed their throats, they swallowed with difficulty. The dust cleared, revealing my figure. I stood imperturbably, a scarlet aura flowing from my body. Suddenly, a wave of scarlet energy rushed across the wasteland, incinerating everything in its path - trees, stones, insects. The Fallen and devils caught in the blow turned to dust and ash.
I raised my hand, and dozens of scarlet spheres with dark cores hung in the air. They fired, breaking the sound barrier:
"WHOOSH! BAM! BAM!"
Explosions like a million bombs shook the earth.
Craters dotted the wasteland, the mountains disappeared, leaving a scorched plain. The young devil, the only one left, fell to his knees, clinging to the ground in terror. When the rumble died down, he raised his head, his mouth open in disbelief. I walked towards him, my posture radiating majesty. Stopping, I said:
"The only one left? Congratulations."
The fear in his eyes only grew stronger. I added:
"Silent? It doesn't matter. I will take the answers from your head."
I extended my hand, but the devil suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter was insane:
"Ha-ha-ha! Fool!"
I raised an eyebrow. He took out a rainbow dagger and stabbed himself in the heart, still laughing:
"Death awaits you, impostor! The true rulers will win!"
A rainbow light flashed, I covered myself with my hand, but did not have time to react.
Millions of kaleidoscopic colors swirled around, freezing my mind and body. I stood motionless, not understanding what would happen next. Suddenly, my feet touched a solid surface, I felt support and caught my breath. But then I became wary, noticing the presence of many creatures. The room I found myself in was huge, decorated with a colorful design. People and monsters crowded around. The monsters, ugly, with lustful looks, exuded a nauseating smell. People who looked like cliched bandits, with disheveled hair, crooked teeth and scars, looked at me with surprise and lust.
A man sat on the throne, his arrogant gaze causing disgust. Next to him, a guy in glasses, flipping through a book in panic, his face expressing horror.
My gaze was riveted by two elven women, whose beauty was mesmerizing: dark smooth skin, long ears, slightly trembling. The young one, with scarlet eyes, radiated pride and defiance.
The older one, with golden eyes, looked at me with thoughtful surprise. Their outfits - thin black fabrics and metal breastplates, barely covering the body - awakened unworthy thoughts.
The silence was broken by the voice of the man on the throne:
"Who are you? What do you want?" his tone was imbued with arrogance.
I chuckled, ignoring him, my gaze remained riveted to the elven women. His screams were getting louder, but they did not bother me.
Where did I end up?
The memories surfaced and I began to draw parallels, still looking at the elven girls. The man's screams turned into an angry roar, but I had enough. I glanced at him and he fell silent. Without hesitation, I released an aura, pressing on everyone in the room. Monsters, people - everyone turned pale, fell down, their eyes filled with panic and fear. The guy in glasses, surrounded by a barrier, trembled, whispering spells, clearly preparing to run.
Who will allow you?
I passed the devil's magic through my body, warmth spreading through the magical veins. A small magic circle flared on the tip of my finger. The guy's spells crumbled, the barrier collapsed, and he screamed:
"Aaaah! No, nooooo!" His scream was full of agony.
I forcibly damaged his mana channels, destroying them. The pain was unbearable, and in an instant he fell silent, dead. His breathing stopped - he could not stand it. The hall froze in horror. The man crawling on his knees tried to say something, but I slowly approached, grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up with ease. His muscular body weighed no more than a feather to me. My eyes flashed, energy flowed down my hand. Penetrating his mind, I looked through his memories, and then used the aura of destruction. He evaporated, leaving no trace.
Calmly sitting on the throne, I looked at the pale people, monsters and elven girls. One thought came to me:
So, the world of Kuroino?
He leaned back on his throne, his gaze sliding across the hall. The elves, despite their fear, held themselves with dignity, their eyes still sparkling with defiance. The monsters and humans, trembling, did not dare raise their heads.
The world of Kuroino is a place saturated with lust, war, and betrayal.
But the main question remained open:
How can I return back?