A Demon's Tale

Rain.

What felt like an endless amount of rain continued to tap against the windows of an incredibly large castle. Inside, many lights were already turned on.

All but one, however. The light within the throne room.

On one of the large chairs sat a woman with blood red hair and eyes, beautiful blue skin, and a radiant dress of red and black that was outlined by gold.

Her posture was rather improper for someone of her status, with her body slouched heavily against the bottom of the chair.

Her eyes had almost seemed lifeless, as if they could not view anything but the red and yellow carpet in front of them.

At the door to the room stood a girl adorned in jewelry and beautiful orange and pink colors. From just her face alone, it was clear that she had been incredibly nervous at the woman she saw across the room. As to be expected, it was not only her face that displayed this. Her body trembled with the same worry, and her teeth clattered together harshly.

With a soft voice, the girl spoke to the woman she served.

Sol: [Lady Devi, we have some food prepared for you… It would be best that you eat something, please.]

Her eyes did not move. Her posture did not change. The light sounds of rain tapping against the glass was all that could be heard.

It took exactly ten long seconds… before a response was given.

Devi: [... I’m fine, Sol. Thank you.]

A rough voice was produced from the woman’s voice, likely due to the immensely dry feeling in her throat. Through her voice, however, a similar sign could be detected just like her eyes had displayed. A sense of lifelessness.

The wood of the door started to creek as the girl gripped the side of it tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to view the ruler of all.

Sol: [Please… Lady Devi… you need to drink something at the very least… It isn’t good to stay like this… That’s what you taught me…]

Not a word was given. No matter how much time passed, she did not provide a response.

The girl could no longer contain her emotions and started to harshly cry, before slamming the door on the woman she served.

Despite the change in emotion from her subordinate.

Despite the loud noise that pierced through the room.

Despite the only sound that now existed being that of the rain.

The woman did not change.

She merely slouched on her throne, doing nothing at all.

Atop of her throne, a nameplate was written.

Devi Bloodfire

Beside her, a second throne existed.

An empty throne with a different name engraved on it.

Damon Bloodfire

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

Raising her head after a sudden small nap, the former ruler of the world became familiar with her surroundings once again. Looking around, she noticed the same hospital that the group had stayed in. She noticed the supplies in the room, but most importantly, she noticed a knitting kit across from her. By the knitting kit was a goddess dressed in white from head to toe, including that of her long hair and side ponytail. Only her crimson eyes and her dark gray turtleneck beneath her overshirt provided a contrast to her appearance. In front of the goddess was another, much smaller figure. A yellow cat girl, who was currently having a new outfit sewn for her. A beet red blush stretched out across her face, inching all the way to what would be where the ears had normally been for many others. Hers however existed in a nice, fluffy form atop her electric-styled hair. Nearby, a final figure dressed in a blue and white kimono, along with a red hakama and geta leaned against a doorway. Her long orange hair provided a similar look to the cat girl, only hers had sharp fox shaped ears instead. Her tails were also much different than the girl’s much more slim, singular tail. That being nine fluffy and incredibly large tails that occupied the space behind the woman.

The white goddess took quick notice of the now awake royal figure and provided a greeting to her.

Shiro: [Ah! Devi! You’re awake! Apologies about the whole outfit thing. You fell asleep there for a bit and I figured that I might as well fix yours while you were resting. I wasn't able to fix the gold on your right shoulder though. Sorry about that as well.]

Devi took notice of what Shiro had said, and quickly moved her eyes down to her own outfit. The chest and abdomen, along with the foot of the same side which had all been ripped from their battle prior were now sewn back into place. Her shoulder that displayed an outline of gold along her figure was now separated, but the cloth between it had been reattached to compensate.

Placing a hand on her chest, Devi closed her eyes before speaking to Shiro.

Devi: [You do not need to apologize for such a thing, Shiro. If anyone should, it is I for falling asleep whilst you were fixing my clothes. I can only assume that I left your conversation with me on a rather rude end.]

A small wave of Shiro’s hand was given in response.

Shiro: [Don’t worry, don’t worry! It was nothing! I got to talk to Bachi for the time being instead. She shared some interesting stories with me, though I had to pry them out of her.]

Suddenly, an aggravated look was displayed on the cat girl’s face.

Bachi: [Don’t go actin’ like I’m some safe n’yar tryna break into!]

Redirecting her attention back to Bachi, Shiro picked up her needle and returned to her knitting .

Shiro: [Sorry. Lemme continue for the time being. Can you lift your arm for me, Bachi?]

The girl hesitated to respond, but ultimately formed a question instead of performing the action requested.

Bachi: [... I got a question, white lady.]

Shiro: [Hm? What’s up?]

Moving her eyes to an empty bed in the room, Bachi continued.

Bachi: [... Why do n’ya even care ‘bout me that much? I was jus’ some wild beast before, and then n’ya suddenly took me in. N’ya went through all that stuff earlier and still enjoyed my company, and now n’yar makin’ me some clothes. Why?]

Digesting Bachi’s words, Shiro gave a soft smile as she looked at the needle in her hands.

Shiro: [There’s all sorts of people in the world, and some of those people don’t ever get the chance to live their life to the fullest. For those same people, there’s probably many others who wouldn’t even be willing to give them that chance under any circumstance, or if they did, there would likely be some harsh rules with it. I’m not sure what I would say when I was a kid, maybe I’d be one of those same people.]

Her crimson eyes moved towards the nearby knitting kit.

Shiro: [... When I was a teen though, I met someone like that. It was thanks to the combined effort of me and my friends, but mainly one of them in specific, that the person was able to enjoy their life. They aren’t around anymore… but I guess from a certain standpoint, I wanted to be the one who would create that change for another.]

Finally, her eyes moved back to the girl.

Shiro: [You’re still young, Bachi. You’ve still got a lot of life to enjoy. You might not be old enough to be my daughter necessarily, but I want to see how you grow and enjoy things, even if it’s temporary.]

The girl’s blush was not there like it had been before. However, her eyes had widened after hearing what Shiro had to say. Not only hers, but the two others within the room.

The first to speak had been the kitsune by the door.

Kōkatsu: [Honestly, yer gonna make all the speeches I gave my brats look like a four year old’s school assignment with that.]

The next had been the royal succubus sitting on a chair.

Devi: [She certainly has a way with words.]

The third and final one…

The one who was silent for a large portion of time after…

Bachi: [... Schmiro, or whatever n’yar name is…]

Shiro: [Yes?]

Though an odd name was given, and the kitsune behind the cat needed to cover her mouth in order to hide her slipping laugh, the woman who was called responded as if all was normal.

Bachi: [... I’ve got a request for my clothes, not because I care or anything! I jus’... I figure if we’re all on the same team, then it would be kinda smart to have a way to identify… n’ya know? Like if we had a way to tell–Look! What I mean is, I wanna have somethin’ on my top!]

A nod from the goddess was given.

Shiro: [Understood. What would you like?]

Bachi: [... Demons have the… thing, right? Like the mark stuff? Whatever n’yar mark is, I wanna have holes cut out in the shape of it. Only because of our team though! Jus’ like I mentioned!]

With another light smile, Shiro moved her needle up once again.

Shiro: [As you wish, Bachi.]

While Shiro continued to work on the girl’s clothes, Devi looked over to the kit.

Devi: [I was not aware that you were so talented with knitting.]

Shiro: [Hm? Oh, yeah. Yoro was the one to teach me how to. She’s the real expert. I just copied off her. After my marriage, I didn't end up seeing her very often. Luckily, she bought me a knitting kit as a gift once. While I didn't use it for a few years, it was past that where I picked up where I left off.]

Devi: [How often did Yoro Kobi create clothing?]

Shiro: [Pretty often. She made Nero’s outfit back when we were taking on the fourth task, and from there, she set up her own clothing service by mail.]

Devi tilted her head in confusion.

Devi: [Clothing service by mail?]

Kōkatsu: [While Nero was busy with his duties as a god, Yoro was a stay at home wife. She didn’t mind it, but she got bored eventually. So she made her own little shop where people could mail her ‘bout clothes they wanted, along with some money attached, and she’d send the clothes back once they were ready. Took a while for her to even get business, seein’ as I needed a bunch of clothes for my brats, but she got requests every now and then. She even made sure to prioritize the big stuff like weddings and funerals, no matter who it was sent from.]

Devi: [I see. Come to think of it, my grandson had said something about receiving a new suit.]

Shiro: [AIE!]

A loud cry interrupted the chatter between the two. The source originating from the succubus who was now staring at her left thumb.

Devi: [Are you alright, Shiro?]

Shiro: [Y-yeah. Just stabbed my thumb with the needle, that’s all. I’ll be okay.]

Devi: [Well, as long as you’re alright. Now then, where was I? Ah, yes. My grandson, Alf, spoke about a new suit that was made for him. I believe it was during his wedding.]

Kōkatsu: [Hear that, Shiro? Alf talked ‘bout his new suit.]

Shiro: [Oh, haha! Very funny!]

A smug grin beamed across Kōkatsu’s voice, leading to a sarcastic response from Shiro who glared back at her. Between the two, Devi looked at each of them, confused as usual.

Devi: [I’m not sure I understand why… Oh, it is due to Silvia Bloodfire, correct? I suppose she must have also had a new dress from Yoro Kobi.]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah, she did. Hey, by the way, do ya know if anyone else got a new outfit or somethin’?]

Shiro: [Kō, I swear to the divine ones, if you–]

Before Shiro could finish, Devi placed a finger by her chin as she recalled the conversations from her past.

Devi: [Hm. I’m unsure if there were any others that I had been made aware of… Though I do remember my grandson mentioning something about another suit. I don’t believe it was his, but it was someone else’s that he was speaking to me about at the time. Unfortunately, our conversation was interrupted before he could continue.]

Shiro: [... Almost had to turn Silvia into a widow for a second there.]

Devi: [Pardon?]

Shiro: [Nothing! Don’t worry about it!]

After Shiro’s quick response following her small whisper, Devi reorganized what she would do next in her head. With her hands pushing against her knees, she quickly rose from her seat.

Devi: [Right then. I believe I’ll take a small walk before we proceed with our planning.]

Kōkatsu: [Yer foot isn’t in bad shape anymore, right?]

Devi: [Correct. Please give my thanks to your daughter, Miss… Kaoru… was it?]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah, that’s her name. I’ll be sure to let her know.]

Devi: [She is quite the skilled child. I haven’t seen one as capable in healing as her in all of the years that I’ve lived.]

Kōkatsu: [She’s here today thanks to Shiro, so I’d say she deserves some thanks as well.]

Shiro: [Hey! I’m not the one who made the plan that found her, nor was I the one who took her in and saved her!]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah, but yer the one who protected her from Daroma. I’d say that has enough merit to it as is.]

Shiro: [That’s not how that works at all!]

Kōkatsu: [That’s totally how it works!]

Shiro: [If we’re going off of that logic then that implies a candy shop handing her free candy also deserves some thanks whenever she puts some hard work in!]

Kōkatsu: [The hell are ya goin’ on ‘bout?! That’s a completely different level of priority!]

Shiro: [It’s the same level you’re describing!]

While the two continued to bicker, Devi gave a small laugh before saying her temporary farewells.

Devi: [I’ll be back shortly.]

Shiro and Kōkatsu: [Yeah, yeah. See you later. Now as for you!]

In complete harmony, the two said waved back to her before returning to their previous argument.

Seeing their perfect synchronization, Devi smiled as she moved down the hall.

Devi: [The two of them truly are like sisters.]

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

By the evening, many kitsune and snake people, along with several Bloodfire soldiers were gathered in a large room. Nearby this very same group stood an angel dressed in a white gi and a bombastic incubus with spiky purple hair, a large mechanical right arm and a long coat that hung over his shoulders. Though they were close in distance, this space was soon increased as they had both noticed someone approaching.

From between the two came a cat girl dressed in a brand new outfit. A cropped shirt with the sleeves providing an almost ripped appearance and long baggy yellow pants.

Confidence filled each of her steps as she gave a smug smile to both of them.

Bachi: [Lookie here! I’m twice as cool as both of n’ya! Check out my shirt!]

On her shirt was the same demonic birthmark that was placed near the womb of Shiro Fuloreen. Two waves moving both up and down, along with a diamond- like shape in the middle, all being topped off with the tail-esque design by the sides.

Raising an eyebrow at the girl from beyond his sunglasses, the incubus voiced his question.

Migi: [Doesn’t that imply you’re happy working with Lady Shiro? Not that there’s a problem with that at all, but considering how you felt earlier…]

The cat stared back up at him with her dart eyes.

Bachi: [Shut up. N’yar jus’ jealous ‘cause n’yar outfit sucks.]

With a forceful end to their conversation, the attention was brought back to the center of the room where three individuals had stood. Shiro Fuloreen, Devi Bloodfire, and Kōkatsu the Almighty.

Two other leaders within the previous group were now gone, however. One being that of Helig Gammal, who had left the hospital along with her troops shortly after their recovery. The other was that of Silvia Bloodfire, who was currently still recovering from the war. Though she was not present, Silvia's troops offered to step into the meeting in order to relay the information back to her.

Their focus was now on the biggest priority among their lists, the method of dealing with Nero Virtuoso and how to do so.

Kōkatsu: [Let’s lay our groundwork down here. As it stands, we don’t really know how to deal with the bastard.]

The azure fingers on Devi’s right hand caressed her own lips gently.

Devi: [Correct. It’s rather puzzling to sort out. We can start with his sword. When I had fought him, there was something rather off putting to it. I was unsure of what it was, and even now I’m still confused as to what it can do. The clear truth behind it is that it isn’t a regular weapon in the slightest.]

Picking up a pencil, Kōkatsu sketched out a disc along the long sheet of paper in front of them.

Kōkatsu: [When I made some weapons for our school group, I made this disc for the guy. At the time, it was as simple as you can see here. The only difference… was this.]

With a few more swipes of the pencil, multiple scythes were drawn along the disc.

Kōkatsu: [It was an interestin’ piece I had made. I wasn’t sure how to make it, but I got the general idea after some thinkin’. Apply some matōki, and the scythes come out. It worked well as a long ranged way to deal with some foes, but was also enough to provide a more defensive route to things rather than full offense. Somethin’ that he would have preferred, Problem is, instead of this, we now have… this.]

The scythes were erased, and instead, the disc was used as a hilt for the newly illustrated greatsword.

Kōkatsu: [When the two of ya fought him with Tequi Tensetsu, he had this. Devi, you explained to me that it had some power behind it, right?]

Devi: [Yes. It was rather difficult to fight against. Perhaps that was due to his strength, but the blade itself was also quite powerful. There were several instances where I had gotten injured following a struggle, or the area around our battle had received a piece of the same damage.]

Suddenly, Kōkatsu snapped her fingers and pointed at Devi.

Kōkatsu: [I’d agree with ya and all… if that was true.]

Waves of chatter filled the hundreds of troops behind them before the bewildered Shiro interjected.

Shiro: [What do you mean by that, Kō?!]

The eraser of the pencil now tapped against Kōkatsu’s chin as she spoke.

Kōkatsu: [Let’s think ‘bout some things here. S’true the guy is strong, and s’true that I made that weapon real sturdy, but as it stands, we don’t know what it does.]

Devi: [Indeed. This is the reason as to why I was puzzled over what it could do.]

Kōkatsu: [That’s the thing, Devi. He quite literally showed ya what it could do.]

Devi: [Would you care to elaborate?]

Kōkatsu: [Y’ve lived for quite a long while now, right? I’m sure ya had yer fair share of sword fights as a result. I might not have had as many, but I’m quite familiar with the topic myself. Maybe I’m at a higher level, I doubt that though, but let me ask you this. Have ya ever had a clash where you received an injury while pushin’ back yer foe?]

The crimson gems within Devi’s eye sockets shifted in place as a hand was moved to her chin.

Devi: [Now that you’ve mentioned that… No, I don’t believe I’ve experienced that before. Not until that battle…]

Kōkatsu: [Well that’s for good reason. It doesn’t happen unless yer green, and yer blue. Lighthearted jokes aside, s’only a newbie thing to get hurt like that. So that rules in only one thing…]

Countless eyes within the room widened in response, including that of Devi’s and Shiro’s.

Devi: [Are you implying that this was caused as a result of an ability?!]

Kōkatsu: [Let’s look at what you explained to mean when Kaoru was treatin’ ya. He cuts some fire and ya get a shallow wound across the body. He charges at yer shoulder, and all of a sudden, not only do ya have a cut in the same place, but a massive line in the ground is formed all the way to our med tents. Ya try to clash with him after he rips out Tequi’s throat, and as soon as he stops ya, yer foot gets a real bad cut. Notice a pattern here?]

Shiro: [But if something like the parting in the ground was an example for his ability, couldn’t the same be said for the oni girl I fought?!]

Kōkatsu: [From the way it was described, that girl’s strike wasn’t done yet, or rather, it was caused by the movement in her attack. Let’s put it this way, there’s two steps to an attack from a sword. We’ve got the movement at the start, or we can call it the swing if ya really want to. That’s the part where the sword is movin’ and could easily cleave someone, but it isn’t necessarily where all the force is. That comes in with the strike. The strike as we’ll call it is what Nero is using. He focuses on the heaviest part of his attack, the one where he can put all his strength behind it, and uses his ability in tandem with it.]

A hand was then slammed against the table by a radiant looking Devi.

Devi: [Therefore, he used the force behind his attack to activate the true power behind his ability, that being to continue said force onto whatever is behind it.]

Kōkatsu: [Bingo.]

Scratching her head, Shiro moved her eyes between the two rapidly.

Shiro: [I’m… a little confused here. Could I get an easier explanation?]

Kōkatsu: [That sword of his ain’t some ordinary sword. Whatever it hits, it hits what’s behind it. If it hits yer sword, it’ll hit you as well. Dependin’ on how well ya guard against it, or how hard he hits ya with it will determine how big the aftereffect will be. His attack against Devi’s fire was pretty shallow, and Devi easily dealt with it in response, so she got off with a shallow wound. The charge at her shoulder was real heavy, and as a result, it cut not only a wound into her shoulder but the ground behind her as well. Finally, the attack near her foot was one she could barely guard, and he had some motion behind his step, meanin’ the wound was bound to be bad.]

Shiro: [That still doesn’t explain it!]

Both Kōkatsu and Devi raised their eyebrows as Shiro shouted.

Shiro: [If that was the case, why didn’t I get hurt at all?!]

Kōkatsu: [... If I’m bein’ honest, I really don’t know…]

Devi did not respond. However, her face formed an expression as if she had an idea of her own, but hesitated to provide the words to Shiro.

Before she could even try to, Kōkatsu continued the conversation.

Kōkatsu: [For now, s’move on to the real mystery. I may have figured out the sword, but there’s still somethin’ I don’t got the answer to after what the two of ya told me. That bastard’s body.]

A new sketch was created, that being the anatomy of an oni. On it, a large wound was drawn on the right side of the chest and abdomen.

Kōkatsu: [Logistically speakin’, oni can regenerate from their wounds. They need their horns out to do so, but if done, they’ll heal over time. That ain’t the issue here. Not only did he never take ‘em out, but he shouldn’t have been able to survive an injury like that in the first place, with or without horns.]

Devi: [A wound on the right side of the chest would imply that a severe loss of blood would be created. Given that this would be the same location of the body where blood would flow the most.]

Kōkatsu: [Right. But that guy didn’t bleed out in the slightest. He got back up like it was nothin’ and walked over to ya. So now we reach a new step in this whole thing, solvin’ how the hell that happened.]

A few seconds of silence filled the air before the first response was given.

Devi: [Is it possible that Shiro’s attack did not cause a wound great enough to kill?]

Kōkatsu: [I’ve seen Tempest a few times now. I know what it can do. A light scratch isn’t somethin’ it could provide for the lowest result. At the minimum, you’ll have a nice big wound across yer body for a long while.]

Devi: [Perhaps a barrier was formed? Either from his own element or the matōki around him?]

Kōkatsu: [I doubt there’s any possible chance that either could give enough of a shield to block the attack.]

Suddenly, a voice from behind Shiro entered the conversation. The same angel as before.

Hidari: [We’re sure that there was nothing extra to this ability of his?]

Kōkatsu: [There’s a chance it could be related to an advancement… Hell, we don’t even know if what he was usin’ was an advancement or not… and seein’ as the advancement has to work off of a similar foundation as the main ability… Hey, wait a minute! This might be it!]

Rapidly drawing on the paper, Kōkatsu displayed her idea to those around her.

Kōkatsu: [Think about it for a minute! If the advancement needs a foundation, then his ability is exactly that! If he’s able to pass through anythin’ with his sword, that means his advancement might be able to provide an invisible shield of armor to himself!]

Devi: [In short, any attacks focused on him would be reduced to such a degree where it could not kill him…]

Kōkatsu: [Exactly!]

Devi: [That is quite the brilliant idea, Kōkatsu! I believe we might have our answer!]

Kōkatsu: [It has to be! Thanks a ton, Hida–... Shiro?]

While the two enthusiastic figures tried to look towards Hidari Monjo, they were both stopped by Shiro, who was swaying her body around whilst staring at the ceiling. All the while, she was quietly whispering something to herself.

Shiro: [From onto the body… new flesh will be born, and a greater power will be achieved… so as to keep the body at its strongest, from where youth resides…]

Kōkatsu: [The hell are ya sayin’, Shiro?]

Snapping out of it, Shiro looked back at her crafty friend.

Shiro: [Huh? Oh, well, we were talking about oddities with the body, and I suddenly remembered something I read in that book Kaoru had when we met her.]

Beside Kōkatsu, the young kitsune known as Kaoru Teppen lit up with glee.

Kaoru: [Ah! You remembered my family’s book! That means a lot to me, Miss Shiro!]

Shiro: [Of course! I assumed that they worked hard to keep it safe, so I wanted to make sure to copy down the details with my own brain.]

Kōkatsu: [That’s real sweet and all, Shiro, but it doesn’t really help us here–]

Unbeknownst to Kōkatsu, the royal figure across the table had started to grow more and more bewildered in response to Shiro’s words. And thus, the result of which was–

Devi: [Shiro!]

The startled Shiro and Kōkatsu jumped in response to Devi’s quick shout.

Devi: [I apologize for my rude interruption, Kōkatsu! Shiro, could you repeat what you just said?!]

Shiro: [Huh? Oh, I guess I can. When I read the book, it said these exact words: “From onto the body, new flesh will be born, and a greater power will be achieved, so as to keep the body at its strongest, from where youth resides.”]

Devi's pupils started to shrink as she stared back at the paper.

Devi: [The tablets…]

Kōkatsu: [The what?]

Devi quickly shifted her attention to Kaoru.

Devi: [Miss Kaoru, could you please tell me where this supposed book was located?!]

Kaoru: [Huh? Oh, well, it was in my village. My family had a book that they had written some info into, but supposedly it wasn’t just them. They had told me that there were others before them who had written some of the details. As for the location, it was close to the capital in Zero.]

Suddenly, both Shiro and Kōkatsu displayed signs of terrified confusion.

Kōkatsu: [Kaoru, what did you just say?!]

Kaoru: [I’m unsure of what was wrong with my statement, Lady Kōkatsu. My village had written down the detail–]

Kōkatsu: [No, no, sweetie! Not that! I mean the Zero part! What do you mean your village was located close to the capital?!]

Kaoru: [Oh, well, that’s where my village was. I’m not sure what’s confusing in regards to that.]

Moving her eyes over to Shiro, Kaoru could see the same expression as the mother beside her.

Shiro: [When we found you… we weren’t near Zero… at all.]

Thus, a fourth member of the conversation started to experience a change in expression.

Kaoru: [... Pardon?]

Kōkatsu: [Without a doubt, we were in your village. You recognised the people there and everything…]

Shiro: [But we weren’t even close to there. The closest town we were near prior to that was the Dodomeki District in Mazokuni.]

Kaoru: [... No… but that can’t be… We’ve always been near the capital, so how did…]

Another individual entered the conversation, this time being that of a much larger and far more muscular kitsune with messy black hair and maroon colored skin.

Kiyomi: [I can confirm it too, Kaoru. Daroma’s castle wasn’t anywhere near the capital and that was the fourth place your group traveled to.]

Kaoru: [Sister…]

As Karou’s wavering eyes looked up to her older sister, an endless sea of chatter was once again started. In the midst of this, a single man muttered something to himself while crossing his arms.

Night: [... An entire village moving… Don’t tell me you fell for something again…]

Grabbing the attention of the dazzling man beside him, Night received a comment back to him.

Migi: [You all good, big guy?]

Night: [Hm? Yes. Just fine. I was merely thinking about an old friend.]

Migi: [Ah. I see. Guess they suffered something similar, right?]

Night: [... I’m not sure that it would necessarily be similar from that angle, but…]

Before Night could even continue, the chatter in the room was halted by an explosive question from the elegant red-haired succubus.

Devi: [I need to ask, do you still have this book?!]

Kaoru: [I… I… Shiro! Miss Shiro! That’s right! I had forgotten for a moment there! I passed the book along to her… but it’s more than likely inside her home now…]

Shiro: [No. It’s right here.]

From a cloud of smoke came a book of interesting design. Devi quickly provided a palm in response, which led Shiro to handing off the book to her.

Skimming through the pages, Devi relentlessly attacked the book with her eyes and brain.

Devi: [Yes… Yes… Yes… Yes! This is perfect, Shiro! This is our answer!]

Thrusting the book onto the table with a single finger, a picture placed on the page was pointed at. Both Shiro and Kōkatsu moved beside Devi to view the contents she had focused on.

Shiro and Kōkatsu: [The Tablets of Madness?]

Devi: [My mother had conducted studies regarding such a thing before, but due to the risk behind it along with the insufficient proof that such a thing as immortality was real, she was unable to properly examine it! While we don’t have our proof just yet, there is something that puts a theory such as this far above the idea of an advancement! An advancement has limitations behind it, and the limitations to said ability must also cost to a similar degree as it is providing. Thus, if a shield was truly formed on his body, Nero would need to have fulfilled a large condition, or sacrificed something far greater. However, should the result of his healing be from this, it would make complete sense]

Kōkatsu: [Readin’ through this a little bit, I’m noticin’ some things. Immortality for the cost of “divine blood”? The hell does that…]

Once again, Shiro and Kōkatsu were perfectly synchronized as they raised their heads and shouted to each other.

Shiro and Kōkatsu: [The previous gods!]

Devi: [Precisely! The previous gods had been killed, likely due to Nero Virtuoso himself! From there, someone was sent in to replicate Shiro’s image and voice, that to which we must still uncover. However, this would explain the result! With the blood of the previous gods at his disposal, Nero has likely attained a far greater level of being!]

An irritated twitch was now present across Kōkatsu’s cheeks.

Kōkatsu: [Isn’t that a real mess for us, though?! If that bastard is immortal, that means we can’t do shit to him! The hell are we supposed to do now?!]

Devi: [It has a weakness.]

The silent air was let into the room once more.

Devi: [My mother could not perform enough research to find this exact weakness at the time, but due to certain reasons, she was aware that the weakness was likely documented somewhere. This book residing near the capital only makes sense, as it is not only near where my mother had been, but also the previous gods themselves. The same gods who supposedly had information of their own.]

Kōkatsu: [And how do we know that?]

Devi: [Because it is precisely from those gods that my mother took from for this research. This means that there is still more to this that we must uncover to arrive at our desired result.]

Finally, her eyes met the one she would entrust a new duty to. Shiro Fuloreen.

Devi: [Shiro, this is of the utmost urgency! I will use the most of my own power that I can do to allow for this, but I need you to perform it as one of the eight with a key to the location! I must ask for you to fly to the capital, to the same location that the previous gods had been! From there, find a book that looks similar, or has similar documentation as this!]

Though the request was sudden, Shiro quickly braced herself for the challenge.

Shiro: [R-right! I’ll do so immediately! Hidari, Migi, Bachi! Back me up!]

Hidari and Migi: [Yes, Lady Shiro!]

In complete contrast to the energetic two, a much more relaxed expression was given by the shorter, younger girl below them.

Bachi: [Fine. I could use the exercise.]

As the three of them moved towards a nearby door, Shiro attempted to follow suit, only to be called again.

Devi: [Shiro.]

She turned over her shoulder to face the same smiling succubus as before.

Devi: [We’ll prepare everything to move out to the Babylon District in the meantime. As for now, I’m counting on you!]

Shiro: [Yeah! Leave it to me!]

With an enthusiastic goodbye, Shiro and her team left the hospital building.

Her new destination was now set into place. The same building that had once framed her for a crime she did not commit.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

Soaring through the air were four different individuals. A succubus goddess dressed in white, an angel in the same, an incubus with an appearance that made him pop out far more than the rest. The fourth could not fly like the rest, but instead used both her speed and electricity to hop along the trees with a great amount of distance traveled per jump.

With a smile on her face, the goddess looked towards the endless dark, evening sky in front of her.

Shiro: [This is it, team! We might really be onto something here!]

Hidari: [With this, we might just be able to reclaim victory after the losses we’ve suffered!]

Migi: [As we should all expect from our Rockin’ Lady Shiro! It’s thanks to her that we’re even accomplishing this in the first place!]

Covering her mouth with a hand as she giggled, Shiro looked towards her incubus subordinate.

Shiro: [Oh please, you flatter me far too much!]

Migi: [You know it’s true, Lady Shiro! It’s all thanks to you that the book was brought up, and now we’ll have our chance to turn the tides!]

Hidari: [I must agree with Migi, Lady Shiro. Your incredible memory has caused quite the great boost, both in morale as well as for our own efforts!]

Shiro: [I guess so, it just feels weird to be doing this good… especially after how I thought about myself earlier in the day…]

Shiro’s smug grin slowly shifted into a proper, genuine smile.

Shiro: [I guess Devi and Kō were right. Maybe I really don’t cause problems everywhere I go.]

Bachi: [Can all of n’ya shut up already?!]

A loud interruption was given to the three by the annoyed girl on the side.

Shiro: [Are you alright, Bachi? We were just enjoying the moment…]

Bachi: [Yeah, well, I’m tryin’ to check some shit I’m detectin’!]

A single eyebrow was raised by Shiro in response.

Shiro: [You’re detecting something?]

Bachi: [Yeah…]

The cat’s gaze shifted from Shiro to directly in front of them.

Bachi: [... We’ve got company.]

In a mere second, Shiro saw a figure emerge from the top of a tree in the distance.

They rose higher and higher, till they eventually reached the same height as the moon was placed behind them.

Then, instantly, they shot down like a bullet towards Shiro.

Hidari and Migi: [Lady Shiro!]

Bachi: [Tch! They’re fast.]

Without a second to spare, the now panicking Shiro quickly summoned Storm from her Illusion World and unsheathed the sword, clashing with the katana that opposed it as the both the mysterious assailant and her met the greenery below.

Countless trees now surrounded them, along with a village located a far distance away on the left of Shiro.

However, none of that concerned Shiro, as she had now moved her eyes back up to meet her foe… only to see.

Shiro: [You’re…]

Rising up from their knees using their geta, the wallet chains along their black pants rang as the fierce wind attacked them. The long coat that hung over their shoulders swayed, while the sarashi tightly wrapped along their chest remained motionless. Finally, their beautiful, long jet black hair danced with the very same gale as it spread out across their face.

???: [Hehehe…]

With an oni-fanged smile, Shiro’s opponent looked towards her with deadly sharp eyes.

Ryuka: [... Found you!]

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼