Interlude 37 (Patreon)

Rizevim Lucifer POV

“Here are the documents you request, Lord Rizevim.”

“Thank you, Katerea.” I said, taking them from her.

“Y-yes, of course, Lord Rizevim.” She seemed stunned for some reason.

I merely held up a hand silently to dismiss her, quickly flipping through the papers she handed to me. Gradually, I found myself smiling and amused at what I was reading.

“You seem to be in an oddly good mood.”

“Am I?” I contemplated that, glancing towards Crom Cruach in his human form. “Perhaps I am. The Trickster put on quite the show, and I am very satisfied with his performance.”

“Even though he failed.” The Evil Dragon questioned.

“Failure is subject to perspective, I believe.” I hummed lightly. “We achieved our main goal through his efforts by accident.” And I also learned some interesting things and found someone that piqued my interest.

“Oh?” The Evil God seemed to perk up.

“Is that why you called this meeting, Rizevim?” Angra Mainyu asked.

“One of a few reasons.” I confirmed to the Evil God of Zoroastrianism. “I believe it was time to advance our plans to the next stage.”

“The Dragon is right, you’re much more talkative and expressive than normal.” The Evil God pointed out as well.

Is it really noticeable?

No matter.

“And what goal did we achieve?” Chernobog tapped the table impatiently. “With the loss of Loki, our presence in the Norse Faction is all but gone. That is a substantial loss, in addition to losing the two Titans we spent a lot of effort to free from imprisonment. What could possibly make up for that kind of loss of forces?”

“Calm yourself, Chernobog. Let them speak.” Hanpa, one of the last Sumerian Gods calmly interjected.

“Well, if you want to talk about losses, Hades seems to have betrayed us.” Angra Mainyu added on rather flippantly.

“What?” Chernobog’s fist hit the table. “I knew he wasn’t fully on board, but to betray us!? He is a fool and must have a death wish!”

“Did he finally decide to leave us?” I lazily asked. “A shame, I felt like we could have squeezed some things out of him before he finally decided to step away. I suppose he was still upset about freeing the Titans from their Cage?”

“Is this a game to you?” Chernobog asked angrily.

“Yes.” I managed to put forth the effort to reply.

Angra Mainyu chuckled, using his power to put up a barrier between us as the Slavic God’s power erupted out.  “Come now, friends.” It was always strange to see him smile. “We all have the same goal. Evil Gods should stick together, the power of friendship!”

“…..never say that again and I’ll stop.” Chernobog said with a look of disgust.

“Deal.”

“Hmph.” His power receded backwards. “I’m tired of being yanked around. Tell me what’s going on.”

He did join much later than most of us, so he wasn’t privy to the sordid details of our little….group. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

He has been….loyal to our joined cause.

“We’ve been searching for the location of the Beast of the Apocalypse.” Angra Mainyu stated.

It was amusing to see the Slavic God still at the mention. “Those old stories? They’re nothing more than legends, even to us Gods.” He waived his hand dismissively.

“Oh, they’re much more than stories.” The Zoroastrian God countered. “It’s the reason that our Dear Abrahamic God is no longer around. It’s the reason that the original Devils were even capable of dealing any significant damage to him at all. And most amusingly, it’s the origin of Devils in the first place.”

“What!?”

“Isn’t that a surprise.” Hanpa rubbed his chin.

“What proof do you have?” Chernobog demanded.

“Am I not proof enough?” I spoke up.  “However, he speaks the truth. I discovered my Father’s old notes some centuries ago where he mentions that the origins of his ‘Demonic’ powers come from the combination of his Angel nature and a wisp of power from the Beast itself. They combined into what you see today.”

Before either of them could speak, a Teleportation Circle lit up in the room, another familiar face joining us.

“I apologize for being late, I was held up and unable to come when I received the message to gather.” Tezcatlipoca apologized, taking one of the many empty seats at the table.

“It’s no problem.” Angra Mainyu waived it off. “Would you like something to drink, some snacks?” He offered.

“I’m alright, thank you.” The Aztec God of Evil smiled and politely declined.

Well, just because we’re Evil doesn’t mean we’re uncivilized.

“Though, it seems as I’m not the only one running late.” He looked around at the rather empty gathering.

“It is what it is.” The Zoroastrian God shrugged. “It’s already hard enough to get this many of us together on short notice without causing a commotion.”

“An unfortunate truth.” Tezcatlipoca nodded. “Especially with our identities being revealed, we have many more eyes on us now.”

“Oh well, we couldn’t hide forever.” Angra Mainyu replied casually. “It doesn’t change much. We were just filling in our friends here of our true plans.”

“The Beast of the Apocalypse?”

“Correct.”

“Carry on.”

“Explain the Beast.” Chernobog went back to tapping the table patiently, but there was a hint of hesitation in his tone.

“It should be, at a minimum, on the same level as Ophis and Great Red.” Angra Mainyu. “Without the….complications that either of them have.”

“You mean how both of them are absolute morons.” Hanpa asked.

“Well, I didn’t want to be rude.” The Zoroastrian God chuckled.

“….and this won’t be like how we ‘lost’ Ophis?” Chernobog asked.

“To be fair…” Angra Mainyu raised up his finger. “The Ouroboros Dragon was never technically on our side. If it found out what we were really trying to do, it would have destroyed us without a second thought.”

“It does save us the trouble of having to deal with it to advance to the last stage of our plans.” Tezcatlipoca agreed. “Though it is concerning how those…Youkai were able to remove it from the board as they revealed during that interesting meeting between factions.”

I would bet that the target of my newfound interest had a hand in such a thing.

“I offered to go find out myself.” Crom Cruach impatiently answered. “If someone or something over there is capable of defeating or ‘removing’ the Dragon of Infinity, then I would want to fight it.”

“Peace, my friend, you will have enough battles to satisfy you in time. Let’s not ruin the main course for a simple hors d'oeuvres.” Angra Mainyu was surprisingly talented at managing many conflicting and aggressive personalities.

The Dragon just grunted, going back to being silent. He wasn’t a very talkative one, but his strength was indisputable, having reached the level of the Heavenly Dragons in their prime.

“You said Loki achieved this objective despite his loss during Ragnarök?” Chernobog raised his concerns.

“The Biblical God sealed away the Beast of the Apocalypse at the cost of nearly all of his power.” I began to explain. “In addition, there are 666 seals across the world, smaller in scope, but they serve to prevent the Beast from… ‘reaching out’ into the world. They contain malevolence and hatred and negativity from accumulating enough to give it a foothold. Hell had one at its entrance, and Loki used Pandora’s Box to contain everything accumulated there along with the small touch of the Beast that tried to reach out and then used it to try and corrupt the World Tree. He failed, in the end, but it was enough that it caused a stirring that we were able to trace back.”

“So it exists.” The Slavic God breathed out. “Where is it?”

“The Ends of the World.” Angra Mainyu stated. “The clever Abrahamic God sealed it at the Ends of the World, neutering it almost completely. And until now, no one knew the sacrifice he made to protect the world. Amusing, isn’t it?”

A plan that one cannot reach because it’s at the ‘end’. What can an engine of destruction do when the ‘end’ was already around it?

The location itself was a significant part of the seal as well.

“How do we release it?” Chernobog asked.

Angra Mainyu clapped his hands. “Now that’s the question to ask, my friend! See, we’re all on the same page here. To answer your question, well, we’re not entirely sure! At this moment, we’re going to focus on destroying the seals around the world. We’ve already destroyed 89 of them so far.”

“90.” Tezcatlipoca corrected. “I found the one in Argentina.”

“Well done.”

“Thank you.” He politely returned a smile.

“Still, we’re down a substantial amount of manpower. The plan was for Loki to destroy Asgard and the Norse Gods, then we could have used the remainder of his forces for our own use.” Chernobog pointed out.

“True, true.” Angra Mainyu nodded. “I can’t disagree that it puts us in an awkward spot, and Loki being gone is a big loss to us as well. Especially since he was working on that project of yours that was left over from when your subordinate was taken…” He looked at me.

“Ah yes, Euclid. It’s a shame, he was a good underling. Fortunately, Loki completed his research before he left to begin his plans. We just need to find a worthwhile Sacred Gear and we should be able to mass produce copies of it.” I replied, not caring about the value of this ‘information’.

“See, we’re doing alright still.” Angra Mainyu gestured between us. “We still have plenty of allies and friends around the world. Just because they couldn’t make it here doesn’t mean they’re gone. I even managed to recently convince Eris to become one of our spies! I’m trying to work on Ares, I think I almost got him. Like Eris, he only cares about causing War while hers is about Discord.”

“Eris?” Hanpa asked. “While she’s not the most beloved Goddesses, she’s far from being Evil.”

“Well, she’s treating it like a game.” Angra Mainyu. “I may have misled her into believing we just wanted to cause some discord around the world.”

“Ah, that would do it.”

“And the research into resurrecting Balor?” Crom Cruach asked.

“It’s a work in a progress.” I replied. “You’re welcome to come and see in person.” I offered as well. It was only polite considering he was the one with a former relationship with the Evil God Balor.

“I still don’t know why you just won’t use the Holy grail.” The dragon grumbled. “It would be much simpler.”

“The Young Vampire Girl is still learning to control it.”

“Since when do you care about her safety?”

“A useful tool shouldn’t be cast aside so hastily, Crom Cruach.” Angra Mainyu chimed in. “The young vampire girl has a much deeper connection to that object than us, it’s more optimal to turn her into a proper interface for it rather than just brute forcing it. Why, she even managed to mutate it into three separate Grails that perform the same purpose but remove many of the negative side effects! A boon we would have never discovered if we simply ripped it out of her like some primitive.”

“And she’s working with us willingly?” Chernobog asked.

“A simple transaction, my friend. The original owner of Balor’s eye was another vampire that was her childhood friend. We agreed not to kill him when excavating old Balor’s eye, and she agreed to cooperate.” The Evil God smiled warmly. “Believe me, my fellows, I am just an anxious as you all are, I very much wish for my old Dragon to come back again, I miss that Evil Bastard. It’ll be the perfect way to celebrate our reunion, by burning the world down.”

“You mentioned that Hades betrayed us?” Hanpa raised a question that I was also a little curious about.

“Since when?” Tezcatlipoca looked surprised.

“You know how it is.” Angra Mainyu let out a sigh. “He was still upset about breaking out his old man. He even attacked poor Aka Manah and ruined one of my plans going on in England.”

“Is that why he isn’t here with us?” Hanpa asked.

“Unfortunately, Hades and his pet Thanatos did a number of my dear friend and he’s recovering at the moment.”

“Why did Hades attack Aka Manah. And what was he doing to attract Hades attention?” Tezcatlipoca.

“Those are certainly questions to ask. As for why, I honestly have no clue. I didn’t run afoul Hades whatsoever. I had him possessing the owner of a peculiar Sacred Gear that popped up, one of the Church’s Holy Relics it seems. It was able to brainwash people to a pleasant degree and I was using her to see if I could expand and take over the world merely through a human’s efforts. She wasn’t particularly hard to persuade after some….motivation.”

“How was this going to advance our plans?” Chernobog asked.

“Oh, it wasn’t. It was just a game I was playing when I wasn’t busy. I suppose she was a somewhat valuable piece herself, and I may have eventually pulled her further in. But it’s no substantial loss all things considered.”

“So it stands to reason that Hades targeted the Girl specifically, and not you.” Crom Cruach mused out loud. “Interesting.”

“Who knows what that guy is thinking. As long as he isn’t targeting us specifically, I don’t really care what he gets up to. It would take too much effort and sacrifice to bring Hades under heel, so best ignore him unless he becomes a problem.” Hanpa perfectly voiced the thoughts of most of us present.

“Agreed, best to let sleeping dogs lay. Besides, we still have significant manpower all over. Our friends in the Celtic Part of the world are keeping the Tuatha De Danann busy. Indra and his are still cleaning up the mess around their own enemies acting up. We’ve recently reach an agreement with Kun Peng and his Demons to help with the Celestial Bureaucracy. The Norse isn’t capable of doing much for the foreseeable future. The Greeks….well, we have several people among their number that’re able to keep them occupied, and Typhon has even yet to make a move there. The Devils have our dear Rizevim over there to keep them in check.” Angra Mainyu listed off several key points.

“What about the Shinto Gods…..and the Youkai.” Chernoborg asked, causing the room to lose its casual overtone.

“Them.” Angra Maiynu pursed his nonexistent lips. He was able to emote very well for not having many physical features. “Truthfully, we don’t have anyone of significance over there. We originally had some small minions calling themselves the ‘Cult of Tamamo-no-Mae’, but they were cleaned up fairly quickly after causing a commotion.”

“Are we just going to ignore everything that’s been happening around them?” Chernobog asked. “How many times have they interfered with our plans at this point? Even indirectly.”

Angra Mainyu turned to me with a strange look on his face. “It’s not so much the Youkai is it? A wayward Devil is the primary cause for everything if we trace things backwards.”

“Ah, Ddraig’s new host.” Crom Cruach sat up straighter. “I am intrigued. Not to mention he has that Witch by his side. I was saddened when I heard of her death, I would have loved to be the one to kill her.”

“I would like to know how he has so many individuals who should be dead reappearing by his side.” Tezcatlipoca seemed annoyed. “It offends me, as a Death God.”

“Aren’t you helping us resurrect a bunch of dead things?” Hanpa asked.

“Yes, but I’m giving permission. It’s different.” He causally waived off the hypocrisy. “Hmm, but Izanami is close to him, so I guess I should retract that…..for now.”

“You Death Gods.” Angra Mainyu rolled his eyes. “Your camaraderie is as touching as it is annoying sometimes. But it is a point worth discussing. Every major incident recently….that Devil has been involved in some way. He is the reason that Loki was removed from our table. This strike against us, intentional or not, cannot go unanswered.”

“He’s strong.” Crom Cuach offered.

“It’s undeniable at this point.” Hanpa agreed. “Loki almost certainly underestimated him for being a Devil and a Mortal. No offense, Rizevim.”

“It’s fine.” I casually dismissed the slight. I was in far too good a mood to care about such a petty thing right now. “I admit, he also has my attention.”

“Ohoh?” Angra Maiynu chortled. “Our lazy Rizevim finally has something moving him? A fellow Devil that finally caught your eye? I’m surprised, even those Monsters ruling over the Underworld these days don’t even get a response from you.”

“I feel like I found a kindred soul.” I smiled warmly. “So many of my kin, they’re obsessed with such….petty and stupid things. But look at him, he does whatever he wants and take whatever he wants, like a true Devil. I can’t help but feel a hint of pride.”

“He also prevented Ragnarök, saving Asgard, and foiling our plans. I don’t believe he lands on the same side of our fence.” Hanpa pointed out.

“He’s young still, he just needs someone to teach him properly. The most important thing is mentality, and he has the mentality of a true Devil.”

“Rare praise, Rizevim.” Angra Maiynu hummed. “I take it you want to ‘deal with him’ then? Our agreements do still hold even now, those from correlating factions get first dibs.”

“Thank you, I would prefer to handle him myself.” I expressed my sincerity towards the Evil God that I have come to appreciate in our working relationship.

It’s pleasant to have such competent allies such as these. It truly makes me miss the Trickster, even if I will never forget his last show.

“What’s your plan?” Crom Cruach asked.

“You are surprisingly interested.” I raised an eyebrow.

“I could say the same thing.” The Dragon snorted. “He is an anomaly. A Half-Devil wielder of the Boosted Gear, possessing Divinity, wielding Holy Power, a Magician of such caliber that he can match Gods with Magic alone. Any combination of those makes me interested. Most importantly, he is a Dragon, thus I wish to understand him.”

“He’s mine.” I warned him.

The Dragon’s aura seeped out. “What if I want him?”

I cracked my neck and let my own power come out to match his. “I wouldn’t mind a new set of armor made from Dragon Scales.”

A massive black hand smashed the table completely, leaving a rather large imprint. “FRienDs.” A distorted voice caused us both to stop. “Let’s not fight, okay?” Angra Mainyu’s tone was still chipper. “Crom Cruach, you know the rules. You agreed and we all are letting you handle the Celtic Faction how you wanted.”

“And I offered up Balor’s Eye for our mutual goals despite the value it held.” The Dragon retorted.

“That’s true, that’s true.” The Zoroastrian God stroked his chin. “But it’s still up to Rizevim. What are your plans, Rizevim?”

I sat back down in my chair despite the table being gone. “I would not be against him participating as long as we do things my way.”

“See? No need for violence when we can just talk things out~”

“What did you have in mind?” The Dragon fell back into his own seat.

“I have not yet thought of a plan.” I became lost, deep in thought. “I’m still learning about him and have not decided how I want to handle it just yet.”

“I have an idea that you can both be involved in. Crom Cruach, your faction had the most interacted with the Fae and you should know a method to….reach them.” The Zoroastrian God had his grin threaten to split his face as it extended unnaturally wide. The Youkai will be going to war with the Fae soon, why not…..pay the Fae a visit beforehand, extend a hand of friendship?”

@***@

A/N

Figured we could get an interlude to show what the Khaos Brigade is up to, so when things happen it’s not just like ‘when they this happen?’. Also to elaborate on a lot of smaller details and what’s going on in the background unbeknownst to Wilhelm. I originally intended for it to be only half the normal chapter and not an interlude, but it went on longer than anticipated, which seems to happen often.

Next part of the Looking Glass Omake later today.