The Underworld.
Perched on the roof of one of the tall buildings, from where I had a full view of everything that was happening, I looked thoughtfully at Goetia, who was still inactive. And while everything was relatively clear with Rizevim, who smiled sweetly at him and had not yet fled, and the Demon Lords, who had gone to fight the Evil Dragons, the behavior of Beast I raised questions for me.
Morgan had already removed the spell from the Pillars demons, at least I hope so, but still, Goetia should have been acting to protect the Underworld. However, he was definitely waiting for something, but what? And yes, he knew that he couldn't touch Rizevim yet.
I made a cup of coffee and took a sip while the sounds of battle, the panicked cries of demons who hadn't managed to evacuate, and some kind of exclamations from Seraphim echoed around me.
So, events had changed completely again, and it was entirely my fault. In theory, not only the Evil Dragons, or rather their clones, but also the servants of Hades and the Hero Faction were supposed to participate. The latter two factors were absent, and yet the degree of destruction remained the same due to the number of clones stamped out by Rizevim.
The demons did quite well, even considering the more powerful versions of the dragon copies, but again, why did Goetia remain inactive? There were few casualties, but there were still some, as the capable demons could not be everywhere at once.
And although he himself did not mention it, his Saint Graph had changed, as had his behavior. The reason, of course, was the Pillar Demons, who had found a new purpose in life, but what about Goetia himself? Shouldn't he be acting for the good of the Underworld? And that was without taking into account the Demons of Sin that had formed within him during his time in this world. And they would demand action from him.
In any case, I had no intention of getting personally involved in this matter. Firstly, because he himself probably did not fully realize all the changes in himself. And secondly, matters related to the Underworld were not my concern, but his. And his alone.
Just then, two magic circles appeared behind me, from which Azazel and Michael emerged, but I didn't even turn around. I could sense their confusion without even glancing at them.
- "Romani-san..." Michael began. "Why did you order us not to interfere?"
- "Yes," Azazel agreed. "Now we are all allies, and the demon capital is on fire."
In response, I pointed my finger at Goetia, who was hovering in the sky.
- "Who is that next to him?" Azazel raised an eyebrow.
- "Her appearance seems familiar to me," Michael added.
- "It doesn't matter," I smiled. "What matters is that this is Goetia's business, and let him decide what to do. Without you."
- "That's..." Michael muttered uncertainly.
- "But..." Azazel was about to protest, but I interrupted him.
- "Oh, want to rebel, huh?" I asked, turning my head and flashing a cute smile, which made them both flinch and fall silent. And at that very moment, a wave of power burst from Goetia's body, spreading throughout the Underworld. This caused Azazel and Michael to tremble again and made them instantly look up at him, while I whistled. "And you really think HE needs help?"
-0-
Everyone felt IT, but demons, whether reborn or pureblooded... for them, everything was on a completely different level.
IT was like a command, too ancient and powerful to ignore, penetrating the very essence of each demon and demanding unquestioning obedience. And at the same time, twelve ominous towers of black flesh burst out of the ground of the capital, their height threatening to pierce the heavens, and which differed slightly from each other.
They writhed like snakes, towering majestically over the tallest buildings in the city, as if mocking everyone below them. The scarlet eyes with vertical pupils that covered these flexible towers moved frantically from side to side, as if searching for those whose lives they were about to cut short. Sharp spikes, whose sharpness seemed capable of piercing even a dragon's skin, covered every millimeter of the towers' surface, adding even more horror and trepidation to these frightening structures. And the rumbling they emitted was reminiscent of a siren heralding the end of the world.
But all this attracted only partial attention, only out of the corner of the eye, when the highlight of the celebration was as gigantic as the towers themselves: the magic circles of the twelve clans, shining in the midst of the black flesh like the Sun itself.
These were the Pillars demons. Their true forms, which Goetia, their king and god, had commanded them to take.
And every demon, whether reborn or pure-blooded, subconsciously and not, knew this.
A moment later, the scarlet eyes of each demon pillar lit up, as if turning into priceless rubies. And a moment later, rays of concentrated demonic energy burst forth from them, mercilessly tearing, cutting, and disemboweling every Evil Dragon that came into their field of vision.
The sounds of the towers, the rays, the dying Evil Dragons, and the tearing flesh and bones intertwined with each other, creating a truly demonic symphony that everyone, as if spellbound, could not stop listening to. It was like hopelessness, fear, and awareness, as if a person, instead of trying to escape, was watching a boulder falling on him, about to crush him.
There were only two places where the eyes of the demon Pillars were not directed. The first place was the battle of the young heirs against the five Evil Dragons, and the second was the demon council hall, where the elders and Zekram Bael were located by order of the Beast I.
The first of the Bael clan was perplexed, a state that even the original Lucifer had never seen.
A few moments ago, his own body had not obeyed him, but Zekram himself was still conscious and saw how he, using the Power of Destruction, had personally killed about a third of all the elders. Those who survived, who, coincidentally, were mostly leaders of the Pillars demon clans, were already preparing for battle with Zekram, but it was not to be.
In the middle of the hall, a golden flame suddenly ignited, from which emerged the silhouette of a boy with blond hair and blue eyes. And Zekram, like the rest of those present, instantly recognized the resemblance between this "boy" and a certain clan.
- "Great ancestor!" exclaimed Annikk Phenex, instantly falling to his knees.
Zekram frowned.
Like the others, he had encountered the demons of the Pillars of Goetia, but he did not feel the same deep respect. The reason for this was that the demon Bael was not interested in anything related to Zekram, but in Sairaorg, whom Romani favored. That is, their paths did not cross in any way. This suited Zekram, the demon Bael, and Beast I, but now changes had arisen. Zekram definitely did not like losing control of his own body.
- "Listen to His Majesty's words," the demon-Pillar Phenex began in a young voice. "He does not tolerate those who act behind his back and wish to contradict his will. The underworld. Its existence and prosperity. This is His Majesty's only goal, and anyone who dares to threaten these three factors will be destroyed."
At these words, Zekram noticed a subtle glance directed at him personally.
- "The Council will continue to exist, for it understands the necessity of doing so. The vacant positions will be filled later by His Majesty himself. Now go. Focus all your efforts on repairing the damage and helping the victims. This will be the beginning of a new old order, where His Majesty will be watching you all closely," concluded Phenex, and as soon as the others had left the hall, he turned to Zekram, who wanted to ask a few questions. "Zekram Bael. There is a separate message for you from His Majesty."
Hearing this, Zekram frowned, but nodded nonetheless.
- "His Majesty has studied you. You honor the old order, the order established by outsiders," he began, causing Zekram to frown even more, for these words directly implied that all his actions, as well as his very essence, were wrong. "His Majesty, like us, the Pillars, is also an outsider. However, the Underworld accepted us, penetrated us, and gave us power over every creature in which it is present. And the fact that your body carried out His Majesty's orders is an unshakable truth and proof of this."
- "Then why didn't His Majesty get rid of me too?" asked Zekram, whose composure was beginning to crack.
- "His Majesty is not a Magician. His attitude will not depend on chance, boredom, or childish enthusiasm. You can be used because you are useful. You will be a tool that does what it is told," Phenex declared in a powerful voice. "Your games against other clans need to be punished, and they will be."
Zekram clenched his fists, and his Power of Destruction began to emerge from his body. However, as soon as it began, he was instantly pinned to the floor by its force. And when he tried to look up, he was met by the purple eyes, just like his own, of a middle-aged man.
It was the demon Bael, and unlike previous encounters, his gaze was different. Deeper, stronger, and intolerant of disobedience.
- "Gremory, Abaddon, Gamigin, Amon, Zepar, and Purison. Each of these clans has suffered at your hands, Zekram. And, of course, His Majesty is aware of your dealings with the blood of the First Fallen and the numerous sacrifices of useful tools that could have been avoided," said Bael.
- "His Majesty's orders are indisputable, and if you slip up just once more, you will be destroyed and replaced. Such is his Will."
With that, the two Pillar demons disappeared without a single glance at Zekram, leaving him alone in the council chamber with his thoughts.
Zekram's pride was wounded. His honor had been trampled, and his essence had been examined and subjugated. Such were the old ways of the Underworld. The two words used by the pillar demons were perfectly chosen, for each of them contradicted Zekram and his very being.
Destroyed. It indicated that he would not be able to see and control even the little that was allowed from that moment on.
Replaced. It already indicated that the order of things that Zekram cherished so much would be buried under a new order, over which he would also have no influence.
It was a dead end, and the first head of the Bael clan understood this perfectly well.
Zekram slowly got up, adjusted his hair and clothes, and left the hall.
This was the first time Zekram had been unable to predict future events. And since that was the case, all he could do was follow the will of Goetia, who was as much of an outsider as Lucifer himself...
-0-
A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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