Chapter 52: Dark Lord

Sylvanna’s heels struck the floor in sharp, deliberate rhythm as she moved through Iravex’s upper halls. Low, blue lights ran the edge of the floor in steady lines, casting a dim glow on the towering black metal walls stretching high and vanishing into a seemingly endless dark. She always enjoyed her trips through Lord Ichigo’s personal fortress.  

A stark departure from some of the more stereotypical and unimaginative interior designs of other Devil mansions and castles, Iravex held no great gothic arches nor grotesque gargoyles. The walls weren’t covered in tapestries and paintings depicting ancient battles or rituals of slaughter and mayhem.

Just a clean, modern design that was perfectly balanced as dark, functional, foreboding. The interior design also perfectly reflected Lord Ichigo’s personality: devoid of ostentatious posturing but marked with unchallenged might.

The simple and bare halls also kept her from being distracted, allowing her thoughts to turn in other directions.

Chiefly, her own personal projects that demanded her attention once she was done with her official responsibilities. She held back a sigh. Really, she simply didn’t have enough hours in the day to get through all the things she wanted to do. Maybe it was time to pick up some chronomancy? But she had so little time already, where would she find the availability to master an entirely separate branch of magic.

She snorted in her own thoughts. The irony wasn’t lost on her; lacking time to master time. Although, she did recall Lord Ichigo mentioning he was also dabbling in chronomancy recently?

Her lips curved wickedly. Perhaps she could arrange some private lessons with her young but incredibly attractive boss?

Hah, no.

The same issue. She didn’t have the time for even that. Honestly, what has her life become? Too busy to even have some productive time with her favorite eye candy. She’d have to request the Princes for some time off soon.

But then, Sylvanna did sigh.

Distant and far were any thought of vacation as she remembered that, as soon as this meeting with Lord Ichigo ended, she needed to go visit laboratory number sixteen.

Not just an excellent administrator and bureaucrat, Sylvanna was also one of the preeminent alchemists in the Underworld. Like her parent, the original Demon Valac, she had an immense command of poisons and toxins and could manipulate them to catastrophic effects.

Though now a days, far removed from the chaos of battlefields, Sylvanna used her lethal talents to head the research and development of her family’s pharmaceutical conglomerate. The Valac family juggernaut extended through numerous dimensions and planes, after all.

As for laboratory sixteen in particular: she had spent the better part of the last century slowly transmuting a chimeric tree: an original creation grafted from numerous magical plants with a unique resin that acted as a near perfect binding reagent for all plant based alchemical catalysts. At least, that was her intended goal.

And her latest reports held that the transmutation matrix there had entered its third stage yesterday, and if the ambient arcana of her creations wasn’t properly siphoned off (and really, she only trusted herself to carry out the delicate task) the whole experiment would collapse into a magical slag.

Decades of work and a king’s ransom worth of resources would be wasted.

Her eldest son was already scolding her about going over her agreed upon budget. And even though all the family money was rightfully hers, she was the Pillar Valac after all, he did have a point about her tending to be a bit too liberal with her funds. Hence, why she had placed her firstborn in charge of the family finances to begin with.

It also didn’t help that prices for alchemical ingredients had skyrocketed thanks to the Crown Princes’ open incursions against the Old Satan Faction; war did tend to have that kind of effect on the economy. While it hadn’t been officially announced, the Devil Empire had essentially been reignited into a second civil war.

As Sylvanna reached the doors of Lord Ichigo’s office, she took an unneeded breath and paused. She then proceeded to summon a tall mirror with a flick of crimson nails.

And swiftly, a critical eye swept over her reflection: mermaid dress in scarlet-red silk, neckline plunging just enough to draw all the attention she’d ever want with lips painted to match. She had also arranged her hair in deliberate carelessness. She dismissed the mirror, satisfied.

Sylvanna did so enjoy her little game with Lord Ichigo.

She did her best to subtly seduce him, he did his best to not fall for any of it. That’s not to say she didn’t have her small victories every now and then. She did catch him sometimes glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. But she was always looking.

Alas, it was such a shame that the Dragon King was so savagely possessive and jealous.

Lord Ichigo was arguably one of the most desirable men in the Empire.

For a Demon, he was so atypically caring and attentive, it was down right endearing how considerate her direct superior could be. But at the same time, he had no qualms about unleashing his dark power in titanic waves that made a female Devil weak in the knees for more than one reason.

It also helped he was rather delicious to look at. He was young, retaining that roguish and boyish charms of youth, and he also had that – oh, what was it the kids called it? Bad boy vibes? With his wild hair, iconoclast attitude and a casual but impeccable dress sense.

Mmm, that boy, she purred in her mind. Ah well, I don’t mind waiting a century or two.

Giving one last glance over in the mirror and winking at her own reflection, she dismissed it and quickly rapped her knuckles twice on the door. And instantly, the doors opened of their own accord.

And yet, as her eyes flitted across to the grand desk at the opposite end, the office was void of any Prince. But not entirely unoccupied.

To the left, where Lord Ichigo has set up a series of couches to serve as a sitting area, sat one of her fellow Pillars, Lord Phenex. Not that she was surpised to se him there. Whereas she aided Lord Ichigo’s governance as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Law, Lord Phenex aided in the same capacity for the Ministry of Order.

“Bennuides,” she greeted, gracefully gliding toward the set of sofas where the Phenex patriarch sat in comfortable ease, the office doors behind her closing automatically.

“Lady Valac,” he replied, inclining his head just enough to acknowledge her seniority. Even though they were both Pillar Lords, she was several thousand years older than him.

She sank opposite him. A glass of her preferred vintage magically appearing at her elbow. Without question she took it up, savoring the taste and texture. Another thing she admired about Iravex, the staff here were so wonderfully unseen and efficient in their servitude. Of course, she’d expect nothing less given that Lord Ichigo’s personal retinue were all handpicked and trained by the legendary Grayfia Lucifuge.

“Our young Prince seems to be absent,” she remarked, putting her glass down.

Lord Phenex nodded once. “Yes, rather mystifying. I’ve been here near ten minutes already, no message from him nor any servant” He then motioned to cup of tea before him. “Not that I’m complaining, I do enjoy Infernity’s tea.”

Her lips curved faintly in amusement. “Still, it’s unlike him to be late to a meeting. Particularly one he arranged himself.”

He hummed in agreement. “Ah well, ‘tis how things always have been. Ever we obey the whims of the Satans.”

“Or else,” she said as she smiled into her drink.

“Or else,” Lord Phenex repeated as he lifted his own cup. “That being said, I’ve been made aware he recently returned from an unplanned trip to the human world.”

“Oh?” She arched a fine brow. While the Dragon King was one thing, opinions on Lord Ichigo’s other consort were rather divided amongst the Upper Nobility. On one hand, many were conscious of the fact that one of their sovereigns was in bed with the sovereign of a foreign power - especially given the Kyūbi Empress was a High Priestess and Holy Facet of the Shinto Sun. On the other hand, she was a High Priestess and Holy Facet of the Shinto Sun who had been sexually 'conquered' by a Satan. Lord Ichigo was something of a cult hero to the younger lords…

Sylvanna held back a lamentable sigh. The youngest of the Crown Princes had a thing for buxom blondes, if only she had met him first. But she wisely said nothing more on the subject - Lord Ichigo did not appreciate people discussing his private affairs, and though he was absent, they were in his office. No need to take unnecessary risks.

She smoothly changed topics. “And Lady Phenex? How fares her retirement from the Rating Games?”

As for Lord Phenex, his expression warmed with her question. “I think she misses it. She’s taken to coaching the two younger boys. We’re also subtly encouraging our youngest to be a little more independent and form her own peerage soon.”

Sylvanna allowed herself a genuine smile. “I shall look forward to seeing another Phenex dominate the Games. Ruval has already made quite the waves.”

“And ruffled the feathers of half the noble houses,” Bennuides chuckled.

She gave a polite smile. Ruval Phenex was one of the most powerful and prolific heirs amongst the entirety of Devil nobility. The Phenex couple had much to be proud of with their eldest son. Not to mention, they had three other pure-blood children. Sylvanna herself had seven, but that was across the span of several millennia. Lord Phenex and his wife had produced four within the same thousand years, a near miraculous level of fertility within the Pure-Bloods. Not to mention, she had heard more than one whisper that Lord Phenex had a few concubine-born children as well.

As time went on, the minutes slipped by in easeful conversation. She and Lord Phenex touched on everything from shifting markets in the wake of the war, to the endless minutiae of their respective ministries, and the ever-churning currents of noble politics. Trade balances, reforms, and gossip alike circled quietly between them. But suddenly, without notice, the doors opened again.

And it wasn't the Demon Lord they had been expecting.

Sylvanna’s brows arched as Duke Sitri entered, followed closely by Duke Gremory. Both pausing at the sight of the other two Pillars present.

Her eyes quickly swept over the two as they stood in the threshold. Both dukes were the same as ever. Gremory with his signature crimson hair and form fitting robes always cut a dashing figure. As for his fellow duke… honestly, Sylvanna never understood why Sitri chose to look the way he looked. For one odd reason or another, he always appeared as a rather portly and hirsute middle-aged human.

Ah well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

“Lord Phenex. Lady Valac,” Sitri greeted evenly, utterly ignorant of the Lady’s disparaging thoughts towards him.

“My Dukes,” Bennuides returned.

Sylvanna’s smile was sharp. “Zeoticus, Pradukh; what a surprise. Pray tell, what brings you to Infernity?”

“A mutual surprise, my Lady,” Lord Gremory replied smoothly, though a shade too fast. “As for our purpose...” he trailed off looking towards Lord Sitri.

“The Lord Wrath summoned, and so here we are,” said Lord Sitri.

And with that, the air thickened as Sylvanna and Lord Phenex exchanged a glance. Lord Ichigo had summoned not one, but four Pillar Lords?

She and Bennuides served as both his teachers and deputies in matters of governance for the Greater Empire. But the other two…? Well, they were the fathers of his fellow Satans, but also the fathers of the two cast out heiresses who were put in his charge.

Suddenly, Sylvanna felt a cold pit grow in her stomach.

-----

If one were to ask how she felt in that moment, Grayfia would honestly say she was both highly annoyed and moderately aroused. Which was an odd mix of emotions for one such as her, but how else could she answer when her husband had so irresponsibly done away with his critically important work and instead grabbed her from behind and began fondling her breasts?

Fighting the rising blush in her cheeks, she lightly admonished him, “…Sirzechs.”

He chuckled low as he pressed his lips to the back of her neck, sending tremors down her spine. She would never admit it, but she let out a soft moan. “…not now,” she said, even as she bit her lower lip and shut her eyes.

“It’s always not now,” he said as he trailed kisses up and then lightly bit her ear.

She let out another moan. “…D-Duke Gremory…he-”

“Really?” He laughed darkly, his breath tickling across her skin. “You’re bringing up father now? Oh, are we doing that roleplay again?”

She took a deep, calming breath, fighting the rising urges in her body and put steel in her voice. “Sirzechs, please.”

“Oh, fine, fine!” And just like that, the sensual whisper in his voice was gone and back was the petulant and childish demeanor he often portrayed. Though his hands never left her breasts. “What did father do now? Oh, don’t tell me it’s that ancient headache that is my grandmother?”

She let out a sigh. “Both Duke Gremory and Duke Sitri have been reported to have entered Infernity.”

There was a pause, before her husband spoke surprised from behind her. “Really? Ichigo’s finally planning on asserting himself? It’s about damn time.”

She frowned. While she was happy that Ichigo was taking her advice to heart and reminding the Pillar Lords he was a Satan... that was still her father-in-law, the grandfather to her son.

“You’re not worried?” She asked softly.

“About Ichigo?” She could practically hear the confused frown in his voice.

Grayfia rolled her eyes. “No, you twit, about your father!”

Sirzechs snorted. “Of course not. Ichigo won’t kill him. Besides, father’s grown a little too comfortable with having me as a son. If Ichigo knocks him down a peg or two while also reminding everyone that a Satan isn’t to be trifled with - honestly, it’s a win-win.”

She threw a glare over her shoulder. “Sirzechs, did you plan this?”

“This specific outcome? No,” he said shaking his head, his red hair tickling the back of her neck. “But both Ajuka and I feel that Ichigo is far too forgiving in nature. He has this horrendous tendency to be passive when being manipulated. What was that one psychopomp he trained under in his human days – Uratake?”

“Urahara,” she supplied dryly, knowing full well that Sirzehcs knew the name and was just attempting to drag her into his nonsensical rhythm.  

“Right! That one!” He exclaimed. “By his own admission, Ichigo was deceived by him, and what did Ichigo do about it? Nothing! Ichigo needs to learn he can be as neutral as he likes, but he must push back with a vengeance when the time calls for it! The boy’s a Satan, Grayfia. He needs to learn to act like one!”

She sighed. While she agreed on all points, she felt the execution of this all left something to be greatly desired. “So, your solution to the issue of Ichigo being too light-handed against those who would attempt to manipulate him… is to manipulate him?”

“Oh, don’t be like that, dearest,” he said flippantly. “Rias is now removed from politics for the next ten years and can grow in power in the safety of Ichigo’s shadow. Ichigo himself will learn a valuable lesson, growing as person and coming out of this with a stronger political base. And the other Satans and I have our authority further entrenched by a more belligerent Sin of Wrath! Honestly, the only ones suffering from this are father and Uncle Pradukh. Pity them.”

She turned around and fixed him with a glare. “You are such an utter bastard sometimes, dear.”

“I know! Isn’t it great? Such fun!” He threw his head back with a laugh. “Oh, don’t make that face. It’s tough love! I honestly do have Ichigo’s best interests in mind.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. Sometimes she really wondered to herself how she could fall for such an overgrown child. She really hoped her Millicas would not grow up to be like his father. One monstrously powerful and petulant Demon was enough for her, thank you very much.

“That being said, allow me to express my frustration that you seem more concerned with another young man when I’m currently in the midst of-” and he cut himself off as he fondled her with renewed vigor to make his point.

“Anh! Sirzechs!” Grayfia twisted in his arms, but she knew better than to expect to break out of his hold.

“Really,” he said with mirth in his voice, “at this rate, we might as well officially adopt the boy. You baby him so much already. Millicas would be thrilled though.”

Grayfia gave her husband a small frown. Officially, adopt Ichigo? She doubted he would ever agree, attached to his human family that he was. And she knew how much his mother meant to him, how much her loss had shaped him. He didn’t find himself in bed with two single mothers out of nowhere after all…

But yes, she had grown incredibly fond of Ichigo over the years. And though she would never say it out loud, there was certainly a familial affection for the young Demon in her heart. Mostly a sororal one, but perhaps a touch of a maternal one too? There was just something about him that made one want to take care of him. It was part of his charm, she supposed.

Be that as it may… she gave Sirzechs a cold look. “It’s a shame Ichigo was born so much after us. I think I’d have married him instead of settling for you.”

Green eyes widened stunned before her husband began roaring with laughter. “Hah! Marry him? You’d eat him right up! Oh no, poor Ichigo would never survive you!”

She frost in her eyes only grew. “And what do you mean by-kyaa!” Grayfia let out a light shriek as Sirzechs lifted her into his arms. “What are you doing?!”

He gave her a suggestive look, to which her glare only intensified. But after several seconds of a deadlock between her frigid stare and his bright, unyielding smile, Grayfia finally let out a sigh of defeat.

“We have fifteen minutes before your next meeting,” she compromised strictly.

He winked at her, “Time magic is a thing, dear.”

“Sirzechs!”

“Oh, fine.”

-----

Sylvanna sat with perfect poise on one of the sofas in Lord Ichigo’s office, her glass of wine cradled delicately between long crimson nails. Outwardly, she looked serene, just another noble enjoying a fine vintage while waiting for her liege. Inwardly, however, her mind spun like a storm.

A Satan summoning four Pillar Lords at once was never a trifling matter. It always entailed something significant. And she knew Lord Ichigo well enough that a darker layer of suspicion colored her mind: he wasn’t late because he was occupied with other matters. No, she was politically savvy enough to recognize a powerplay when it was so artlessly thrown into her face. The sort of crude but effective maneuver designed to grind on the patience of lesser nobles, to remind them that their time wasn’t worth anything to a more powerful entity.

And the conclusion left her clutching her glass a little too tight. Because Lord Ichigo despised such games. Politics and these kinds of underhanded, cheap tricks were far beneath his dignity. Which meant if he had chosen to employ one now… Lucifer, he must be in a right foul mood.

She drew in a quiet breath, forcing her tension down with a sip of rich wine. Best not to let nerves show. Still, a faint shudder rippled down her spine as she considered what it might mean if that ire were turned upon them. She was old enough to remember the original Crown Prince of Wrath: a cruel monster, a tyrant who left scars across dimensions and burned entire pages out of history.

Lord Ichigo was not that creature; far from it. But he was stronger. Far, far stronger. And no matter what that irreverent and approachable demeanor his showed, he was still the Sin of Wrath. If he was truly angry with them...

She shuddered.

When she set her glass down, her eyes flicked toward Bennuides. For a single heartbeat their gazes locked, and she read the same implicit thought behind his calm features: he’s furious. The fire lord gave the faintest nod before turning back to his tea, but the tacit acknowledgment lingered. They both understood what the other two Dukes were so obviously woefully ignorant of.

Her gaze drifted to Zeoticus and Pradukh. Both were deep in genial conversation, trading anecdotes about trade routes and household affairs as though they sat in their own parlors and not summoned to the heart of a Sin’s fortress. Neither Devil looked the least bit perturbed by the delay.

Fools, she thought.

Sylvanna masked her scorn with another graceful sip. They probably understood the same thing she did, that this delayed audience was intentional on the Prince’s part. But she knew that neither understood the deeper implications. They had, most likely, assumed that the young Prince was simply using a tried-and-true method of asserting his authority. And they thought nothing more of it. And with a sigh in her heart, Sylvanna understood that they had no true grasp of Lord Ichigo.

And not just these two, she realized. Of the Upper Nobility, who truly knew Lord Ichigo? Had a grasp of his likes and dislikes? Lord Ichigo’s stance of neutrality and refraining from interacting with the Pillars had become quite the double-edged sword.

The Pillars were happy with one less Satan to contest power with, and Lord Ichigo (rather correctly) dismissed their antics as beneath his notice. But this divide had the unintended consequence of Lord Ichigo lacking the fear and dread his other four siblings commanded, and it also resulted in the Pillars not knowing his mind.

A vassal that does not comprehend their king’s mind is doomed to earn his displeasure.

Calmly, she broke into their chatter. “Tell me, my Dukes,” she said, her tone light, almost idle. “When was the last time either of you spoke with Lord Ichigo directly?”

Sitri, stout and smiling as ever, waved a hand. “You should know, my Lady. You were there after all, in Yfel.”

Her smile froze a fraction. That had been months ago, when the Parliament had formally requested Lord Ichigo to take charge of the discarded heiresses. Months… and not a single private word since? Her mind reeled. Not even a quiet visit to discuss their daughters’ wellbeing? Not even an attempt to ingratiate themselves with their children’s new liege?

Her thoughts sharpened and comprehension set in.

No, of course not.

They had relied on their elder children, on Lord Leviathan and Lord Lucifer, to handle all the communication. That was the problem. They were so accustomed to filtering matters of the Princes through their sovereign offspring that they’d overlooked the need to personally face Lord Ichigo as he was, a Crown Prince of Hell in his own right.

She felt the cold pit form in her stomach. Oh, Lucifer, these fools don’t even realize their folly.

Complacency mixed with arrogance was a catastrophic combination for anyone. Doubly so for those in power.

Again, her eyes sought Bennuides’, and again, they found the same grim understanding. An angry Sin was a walking horror. But an angry Sin justified in its ire?

Her nails clicked lightly against the stem of her glass as her nerves rose. This would not end well.

“Although,” and she was broken out of her thoughts as Zeoticus spoke up. “I must admit myself to being somewhat nervous. At first, I had assumed this meeting had something to do with Rias and Sona, but the presence of both of you here has dissuaded me of that notion.”

“Well,” Lord Phenex said lightly. “It is perfectly reasonable to feel nervous when summoned by one of the Satans. Particularly the one who embodies anger itself.”

“Yes, quiet,” Lord Sitri agreed as he put his tea down. “Like Zeoticus, I had assumed the Prince wished to speak with us regarding our daughters. But your presence here makes me consider it a thing of governance. Tell me, is there some matter happening in the Ministries of Law or Order?”

“Nothing that would concern House Gremory or House Sitri,” Sylvanna answered though a cold smile. “Unless,” and she paused with an innocent tilt in her voice, “you know of ongoings in your territory that would draw the eyes of the court or military police?”

“You jest, Lady Valac,” Zeoticus smiled smoothly. “The unfortunate consequence of having Satans as children is that we must adhere to the law rather rigidly. Least we reflect badly on our children.”

“Yes,” she replied tightly. “I imagine your Houses must always be mindful of the Satans. All of the Satans.”

“Mustn’t all Pillars?” Lord Sitri laughed in response.

She suppressed the twitch at the corner of her eye. Well, she had tried.

And before anything else could be said, the doors opened again.

And again, it wasn’t Lord Ichigo, but rather the head of his staff thi time. Sylvanna watched cooly as young Meril stepped in, bowing with crisp precision. She always did appreciate how well Abraxes had raised his children. “Greetings, my Lords,” Meril spoke in clear but soft words, “His Highness has granted you permission to enter his presence.”

And with a flick of her wrist, the young Devil, well, young compared to the four of them, neatly tore the fabric of space and created a portal.

Sylvanna rose at once, smoothing her dress with a subtle brush of magic. All the while, her pulse began to quicken and her heart pounded with dread. But she forced a smile to her lips, elegant and controlled. “Then we mustn’t keep him waiting,” she said easily, her voice betraying none of the tension lacing her chest.

Clutching her hands discreetly behind her back, she moved forward first, leading the other three into the waiting portal.

And the moment Sylvanna stepped through the portal, her breath caught.

A titanic cavern stretched in every direction, vast and lightless, its black and violet walls bristling with stalagmites and stalactites that climbed hundreds of feet to and from the ground. By her estimate, it spanned uncountable miles, easily large enough to contain the megalopolis of New Lilith.

As the others came in from behind her, she took in a breath, the air staining her lungs with the taste of ash and sulfur. It was well known that the tunnels that ran beneath the Underworld stretched countless miles. In fact, most sorcerers were in agreement that the underground system was an adjacent dimension to the Underworld that spanned infinitely.

And as she stretched her senses hundreds upon hundreds of miles, all she could sense was the immutable and overwhelming presence of Lord Ichigo. Every inch seemed to be infused with his demonic power, his very will running through the eddies of Time and Space. As the portal quickly closed behind them, they all looked at each other in other in grim understanding. There was no escape, they were utterly left to the whimsical mercies of the Lord Wrath.

Sylvanna tracked her eyes through the seemingly endless cavern, towards where she could sense Lord Ichigo’s presence was strongest. And in that direction, miles upon miles of bedrock gave away as a colossal chasm of darkness opened, a void absent of any light.

She swallowed thickly and took a step forward. Together, the four of them crossed hundreds of miles within moments. But as they did so, Sylvanna’s dread and terror continued to rise. She could sense it, with every second they grew closer, the pervasive and insidious evil of the Sin of Wrath permeated through reality. She could feel it crawl past her flesh, attempting to sink itself within her mind and the confines of her very soul.

The dark miasma colored her thoughts, dredging forth her every annoyance and petty grievance and transmuting them into venomous and unwarranted hatred. Sylvanna shuddered even as she gritted her teeth, using every bit of mental magic she knew to fight off the immense temptation to turn on Dukes Gremory and Sitri and murder them in a blind rage. Because it was the fault of those two blithering fools for having to be down in this Lucifer forsaken place.

Would Lord Ichigo grant her clemency if she presented the dukes’ hearts beating with poisons? Or should she sever their heads and-

She pushed away the evil, reinforcing her mind and soul further with more magic.

At last, they reached the end of the chasm. And at the precipice, where ground gave way to the nearly endless dark, Lord Ichigo stood with his back to them, hands folded behind him as he stared into the abyss. None of them dared speak.

But they all knelt.

For Sylvanna there was measure of healthy respect… but more so, she could feel the outright demand for submission being commanded of her soul. She dared not lift her gaze, her breath frozen in her lungs even as her flesh and bones ached under the monstrous pressure of his mere presence.

Minutes dragged on and her paranoia festered until she found herself plotting to kill Gremory and Sitri again just to appease him.

Dammit, she thought. She layered her magic once more, trying to find the invisible tendril of the Sin wrapping itself through her thoughts and push it out.

But then her entire body froze as Lord Ichigo finally spoke.

“I’ve been very generous with the Pillars” his voice rolled across the stone, calm but edged. And eerily enough, it did not echo in the silence. “I offered neutrality. I promised the Pillars that I would stay out of their affairs. So, you can imagine my confusion…” His tone hardened. “When you seem so eager to interfere in mine.”

Sylvanna bowed lower, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as her heart hammered in her throat.

“I’m well aware of why you asked to have your daughters placed under my care,” and though his voice remained even, she could feel the mounting ire of the Sin. For the first time since the Great War, Sylvanna Valac genuinely felt the fear of death. “You actually dare to try and influence my personal life? To plot about my future children?”

Much to her horror, that idiot Gremory made the mistake of opening his mouth. “My Prince, we ha-”

Lord Ichigo’s aura erupted.

Reality groaned and the Pillars were forced down onto all fours as the monstrous power of the Sin fell crushing on them. Sylvanna bit back a cry as pain lanced through her body as her bones cracked beneath the strain and blood vessels ruptured, forcing blood out of her eyes and nose.

“I also know that relic Zekram Bael had his hand in this too,” Lord Ichigo continued, voice like iron. “If you’re so eager to stick your noses into my life…” His aura sharpened, cutting against their skin. “I have no issue cutting them off.”

A line of fury cracked its way through Sylvanna’s fear. She had warned them in Yfel. She had told the Parliament Lord Ichigo would not tolerate anyone directly interfering in his personal matters. It was one thing to plot and plan for profits and resources, but to directly try and insert themselves into his private life?

Now they had an enraged Satan on their hands!

“And yet,” he said lightly, “despite your insolence, I retain my generosity. I remain committed to my role as guardian and caretaker towards your daughters.”

And finally, Lord Ichigo moved.

He unfolded his arms, and a shimmering white demonic sword burned its way into existence. The pressure multiplied instantly, forcing every Pillar to summon the full force of their magic to keep from being incinerated. Sylvanna poured all her magic outward, her own aura buckling under the black tide of Lord Ichigo’s power.

As the entirety of the chasm trembled, the earth beneath them cracked as fissures ripped like an ever-growing spider web, spewing fire and ash. Molten rock boiled up through the floor and incendiary heat washed over them in suffocating waves. And Sylvanna watched with utter horror as the black abyss glowed with a hellish orange-red light, transformed by Lord Ichigo’s ceaseless might into cascading and churning sea of seething magma.

And the Crown Prince turned.

Eyes blazing crimson, Satan brought forth his boundless oceans of demonic power.

Terror clawed down Sylvanna’s spine. She was going to die. After everything - after surviving the Great War, her father’s demise and the savage violence that followed when she fought against her siblings for control of House Valac, after standing victorious along side Lords Sirzechs and Ajuka in the brutal civil war, after all the countless schemes against her and hundreds of battles fought – Sylvanna Valac was going to die to the sheer stupidity of others.

How…

How unfair.

“To that end,” the Demon Lord said, blade tilting casually as baleful light flared around him, “to best know how to teach them, I should experience the Gremory and Sitri magics firsthand, don’t you think?”

-----

Sirzechs hugged his wife content, his office now thoroughly trashed in their rather aggressive lovemaking. The meeting he was supposed to have long since ignored as he indulged himself with Grayfia’s supple flesh.

And as he lay there, on the floor of his office with his nude wife draped over him, an abrupt tremor rocked its way through his private space.

No.

Not just his office.

He could sense the sudden spike of fear and panic through the populace of New Lilith as the entire megacity was rocked by the sudden quake.

Grayfia raised herself off his chest, and as their eyes met, they had the same exact same thought.

Good for you, littlest brother, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

Unbothered by the flood of mental messages from frantic servants and nobles, Sirzechs pinched his wife’s chin and gave her a mischievous look. “Round two?”

Ichigo wasn’t the only one who could indulge in some playful sin, after all.

-----

“Noooo!” Serafall wailed frantically as her set fell apart around her and the incredibly expensive filming equipment was all knocked to the ground by a violent earthquake. “That damn berry-head!”

-----

Azazel looked up from his latest pet-project as his private lab began trembling rather furiously. He scowled, how was he supposed to engrave the delicate runic arrays with the entire Underworld shaking like this? What kind of working conditions were this?!

While he admitted that the kid who had taken over as Satan was infinitely better than his predecessor, Azazel resolved to have a serious conversation with him about the responsibilities of generating dimensional seismic activity. How inconsiderate!

“I get no respect,” the Twelve-Winged Fallen muttered to himself.

-----

Issei dove for his ice coffee as it nearly fell off the desk while customers ran panicked in the magical VR café he worked at.

“Seriously, again?!” He yelled to himself. “What is it with this Satan guy aura farming every week!?”

-----

Tiamat cracked open a lazy eye, shifting comfortably under the covers as her beloved’s power blanketed the Underworld in a malevolent wave. She had known about his plans with the little she-Devil he kept in his servitude to address the slights made against him. She strongly approved. A king tolerates no challenge to his rule, after all.

But then, as she touched his mind… why did he feel so…?

-----

He was embarrassed.

He was so fucking embarrassed.

Ichigo couldn’t believe he just stood there, pouring out his power while monologuing and posing like some cheap, two-bit manga villain! It was so. Fucking. Cringe!

When he and Meril had sat down to plan out how exactly he would drive it through the idiot Pillars’ thick skulls to not fuck with him anymore, he assumed it would be as simple as just calling them into his office and punching their faces in. But Meril had expressly told him that it wouldn’t be enough. She said that he would need to put on a show to effectively communicate, without fail, just how badly he had been disrespected.

And how pissed off he was.

Which, in fairness, Ichigo was more annoyed than pissed off. From his perspective, the scheming and politicking of the Pillars was so far beneath him that it wasn’t even worth really paying attention to. But Grayfia-nee, and Meril, had driven the point home. If he wanted to be left alone, he needed to put the fear of Satan in them.

Meril had even convinced him to bring along Sylvanna and Bennuides as witnesses, to make certain that there was a third party to observe everything and ensure that the matter would spread to the rest of the Upper Nobility. She feared that the Dukes Gremory and Sitri would clamp down for a few decades and would never publicize the confrontation out of embarrassment.

But as he looked through the burning inferno, he noted Sylvanna bleeding from her eyes and nose as she was crushed beneath his power and Bennuides’ Phoenix regeneration working in over time to keep him whole.

Ah fuck.

Now he felt guilty.

And even more embarrassed! Ichigo desperately wanted to pull his hair out. While he wouldn’t exactly call the two significantly older Devils his friends, he was on friendly terms with them. And he genuinely enjoyed their wisdom and insights whenever it came to matters of the Empire. It was fun having adults around who took him seriously. and so openly and honestly answered his questions. Even if Sylvanna was an incorrigible flirt.

Oh well. He’d make it up to them afterwards. Though the thought of oweing his two deputies a favor somewhat further soured his mood. Again, while they were on friendly terms, owing a favor to a Devil, no matter who you were, was never a good thing. Much less two Pillar Lords.

And while Ichigo could pull the ‘Satan doesn’t do apologies’ card, it didn’t sit well with him. He agreed with Grayfia that he needed to start throwing his mythic weight around, but he refused to allow people who had done him no wrong to suffer needlessly. And Bennuides and Sylvanna had only ever shown him respect.

But then his thoughts turned towards the two who did earn his ire.

Sitri looked nothing like his two daughters. Which was honestly a good thing, Ichigo thought.

Sera and her little sister definitely got their good looks from their mother.

As for Gremory, he had the same red hair and mesmerizing green eyes his children and grandson bore. Though he shared little in terms of facial features. From what he recalled, Sirzechs and Rias were basically clones of their mother when it came to their facial structure. Whereas Millicas was a delicate balance between his own parents.

Honestly, Ichigo was somewhat disappointed that the duke didn’t resemble Sirzechs more. Punching in the asshat’s face was always so cathartic.

Sylvanna let out a small cry, breaking him from his thoughts, and he felt another twinge of guilt as he beheld the skin on her hands begin to blister.

Holding back a sigh, Ichigo set his mind grim and instantly moved before Duke Gremory and punted the man in the face, sending him flying through the cavern. He quickly followed up by doing the same to Duke Sitri. And as they flew far and off, Ichigo took a single step and followed after them, fully intent on giving the two Devil Lords the beating of their lives.

As they landed hard against molten rock, Ichigo appeared before them and instantly exploded into action. He blurred forward, Zangetsu eager and vicious in his hand, though he didn’t really need the blade. Not yet.

His fist cracked into Zeoticus Gremory’s jaw with a sickening thud, sending the duke skidding across molten stone until his crimson hair caught fire at the edges. Before Sitri could even flinch, Ichigo pivoted, his boot slamming square into the portly duke’s gut. The Devil spat blood, lifted from his feet like a rag doll before cratering against a wall of black rock.

Ichigo didn’t relent. He seized Sitri by the collar, hauling him upright before driving his knee into the duke’s face with bone-splitting force. Then, with all the effort of swatting a bug, he tossed him into Gremory’s already rising form, knocking both men sprawling in a heap.

“Stand up,” Ichigo commanded, voice flat and edged with boredom. Ultimate-class Devils were not worth his time. “I’m not done with you yet.”

They staggered up, dazed, only for Ichigo to descend on them again. A brutal backhand hurled Gremory aside, his teeth splintering under the blow. Sitri tried to shield himself, conjuring a shimmering wall of water, but it hissed instantly into steam beneath Ichigo’s aura. His reward was a fist through the ribs. The crack echoed across the cavern, the duke letting out a painful bark as he fell to his knees.

Ichigo looked down at them with cold disdain, trying to think of lines a stereotrypical villain would say. “Pathetic, but I’ll give you a chance. Fight back and amuse me.”

For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then, driven by desperation and pride, both dukes obeyed.

Gremory’s eyes flared, emerald light bleeding as he thrust his hands forward. Hundreds of circles of crimson magic unfurled, and a cascade of power tore loose: a storm of explosive sigils detonating across miles of the cavern floor. The blasts rattled the underground, molten pools spurting higher as the noble poured his full magic into sheer destruction.

Beside him, Sitri raised his arms, water manifesting in torrents from nothingness, swelling into tidal waves that roared with the force of several massive lakes. He spun the liquid into spears, into whips, into a hammering wall that sought to crush Ichigo under sheer volume.

The two dukes, heirs of ancient lines and masters of storied magics, unleashed their combined legacies upon him.

And Ichigo did not move an inch.

The storm of explosions tore against his body and fizzled. The water boiled into mist and steam before it even touched him.

He then proceeded to stroll through it all as if he were walking through summer rain. With each step, the ground split wider, his aura burning hotter until the dukes’ very magic disintegrated on contact with the oppressive swell of his power.

And then he struck again.

In a blur, he was behind Gremory, his fist slamming into the duke’s back with such force that his wards shattered like glass. Blood spurted from his mouth as he was flung across the cavern once more, his proud robes reduced to tatters. Sitri barely turned before Ichigo seized him by the throat and hurled him into the air. A flicker later, Ichigo was above him, heel descending. The impact smashed Sitri into the ground so hard the stone cratered nearly a mile wide, molten rock spewing outward in an earthen wave.

Ichigo pulled back and floated in the air patiently, twirling Zangetsu in his hand. His Soul-Sword growling impatiently at him, though Ichigo urged it quiet.

Admittedly, he had only summoned the sword for the intimidation factor.

Ichigo watched the two dukes claw their way upright, swaying and heavily injured. Well, he supposed he could give them points for not passing out. Still, he was a little disappointed. He expected the parents of his fellow Satans to put up more of a fight.

But then, he noticed a change in their demeanor. The raw fear was still there, but there was undercurrent of drive now. And dare he say, even a hint of killing intent from the two Devil Lords? He felt a faint sense of approval.

There we go, that’s what I expect from veterans of the Great War.

Gremory moved first, emerald light bleeding from his eyes as his aura spiked. Circles of crimson magic multiplied across the cavern walls in layered constellations, each one humming with destructive intent. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, mildly curious, as the energy reached its peak and the duke hurled a storm of meteors from the void of his own creation. Each one glowed hot enough to rival molten stars, trailing fire as they rained down with the force to level kingdoms.

Beside him, Sitri bellowed, forcing his will into the cavern’s air. Ichigo felt the water stir before it even manifested, bubbling into existence in impossible quantities. Rivers surged, lakes swelled, a veritable sea’s worth of water, and in an instant the entire molten landscape churned into a boiling ocean. Tidal waves thousands of feet tall rose, threatening to crash down on him, and spears of pressurized liquid firing like artillery toward Ichigo’s chest and head.

Ichigo stood mildly impressed as he took it all in. Now this is what he expected. He could only imagine a few hundred Ultimate-class Devils under the command of a Satan-class Demon, leading the vanguards of armies numbering in the millions as they clashed against the forces of the Seraphim and the Cadres. And then multiply that a hundred times over across countless dimensions and planes of reality.

The Great War had truly been its own apocalypse.

Thoughts wistful, Ichigo pulled Zangetsu to his side, and with a casual sweep of the bloodthirsty blade, he unleashed a titanic wall of the First Flame. The inferno stretched for miles, surging like a tsunami of limitless fire. Hellfire clashed with Gremory’s falling asteroids and Sitri’s conjured sea in a collision of mythic proportions.

Ichigo lingered in the air, arms loose, as the cavern convulsed beneath the collision of powers. Rock walls split and avalanched in molten sheets, stalactites shattered and fell like spears, and shockwaves rolled outward in thunderous waves that turned stone to powder. For a heartbeat, their combined effort seemed to bite into his fire, forcing it to recoil by inches.

Ichigo tilted his head. Yeah, we can’t have that.

Then, with a lazy flick of intent, he fed the inferno a breath of his aura. The flames swelled monstrously, tripling in size before detonating forward in a titanic explosion.

-----

Claire Vennris was just hardworking young Devil within the Ministry of Nobility under the august guidance of Lord Lucifer. As part of her duties, she helped newly promoted Devils acclimate to the nobility of the Empire.

In this particular case, she was on a government airship, guiding the new Mid-class King who had garnered enough merits via the Rating Games towards his freshly granted territory. The Mid-class King in question was a reincarnated human, and he cut quite the adorable picture as he excitedly held hands with his newly chosen Queen, a young Elven woman.

This was the favorite part of her job, watching these hard working individuals be given the opportunity to carve out their own kingdoms and build a new frontier of civilization and society!

She motioned to the lovely couple to look out the front bay windows. “And just over those mountains is your brand-new territory, granted by Lord Sirzechs himself!”

It was only about one-thousand square miles, which was tiny compared to the behemoth sized kingdoms of the Pillars and the Satans, but nonetheless, the young couple practically vibrated with excitement.

So cute!

“Uhh, captain,” one of the flight deck officers called out. “I think you should see this.”

“What is it, ensign?” Replied the ship’s captain, a grizzled looking Devil.

“We’re getting some weird readings, the ambient magic up ahead is whipping up into a storm-no, it’s quickly turning volatile, sir!”

“What!” the captain exclaimed as he jumped from his seat. “Turn a full one-eighty!”

“Is something wrong?” Claire asked.

But even as she got the words out, the entire horizon suddenly turned a frightning shade of fiery orange. Wait… not just the horizon, but the land as well!

There was a earth-rendering roar, and then everything beyond the mountains was suddenly upended as a gargantuan column of fire hundreds of miles wide erupted sky-high!

“Lucifer’s balls! Evasive maneuvers!”

“Diverting all power to shields and engines!”

“We’ve been hit, mayday, mayday!”

Whaaa! The apocalypse wasn’t part of her job description!

-----

Sylvanna’s chest rose and fell in a ragged rhythm, every breath scraping like glass in her lungs. Lord Ichigo’s oppressive presence vanished as he teleported dozens of miles away, chasing the two other Pillars he had sent flying. But still, his presence lingered in the molten stone beneath her feet and choking ash coiling around her limbs. And though far away he was now, his power still pulsed impossibly strong as the clash unfolded deeper in the caverns.

Each tremor that rolled through the ground carried the proof of it: the brutal contest between a Satan and two Pillar Lords.

Beside her, Bennuides rose to his feet with the casual grace of a man unbothered by it all. A twist of magic restored his clothes pristine, and even his flesh and skin reformed as flames curled across his body.

The sight sparked a tiny edge of envy in Sylvanna. She could feel her own hands trembling, skin blistered and raw from the oppressive weight of Lord Ichigo’s aura, while her peer stood immaculate, the embodiment of his family’s near endless regeneration.

“Here,” Bennuides murmured, extending his gloved hand.

She winced as she accepted, pain flashing white-hot where his leather pressed her burnt palm. He frowned, tilting his head with the faintest sigh. “Oh dear.” Then, with the elegance that always set him apart from her more brutish kin, he raised a finger to the corner of his eye.

From that deep blue iris, a single crystalline drop welled. He plucked the Phoenix Tear delicately and held it out to her. Sylvanna took it with no hesitation, pressing it to her lips. The healing came instantly: fire and agony dissolving into a soothing warmth. Her torn flesh mended, the raw burns knitted into smooth skin once more.

But the deeper affliction remained.

She hissed softly, focusing inward. Lord Ichigo’s demonic essence still clung to her flesh like a parasite, a miasma infecting every fiber of her being. It whispered in her mind, coaxing every irritation into murderous intent, every doubt into hateful loathing. Grinding her teeth, she summoned her magical power, purging the foul residue with bursts of her own aura. It was an ugly, painful process, like peeling shards of glass from beneath her skin.

One of the greatest dangers of facing a true Demon in combat was their corruptive, corrosive essence, which seeped into the core of one’s being.

When at last she had banished the last trace of the Crown Prince’s power, she exhaled shakily.

Bennuides, meanwhile, was peering into the distance. “Our peers,” he said idly, “are being tossed about like children.”

Sylvanna managed a sharp look despite her fatigue. “Are you truly surprised?”

He shook his head once, lips faintly pressed thin. “Not really. But…” His gaze lingered, expression shading grim. “Sometimes, because of his youth, and that oddly welcoming manner, I admit; I forget just how horrifying he really is.” He brushed ash off of his shoulder. “What an unpleasant reminder.”

She scoffed softly. “And yet, barely a fraction of his power. Had that been him true, we’d be pleasant piles of smoldering ash.”

Bennuides hummed, his eyes narrowing as another tremor rattled the ground. “Not just us, I think. If it is true, if he truly stands just beneath Lord Sirzechs and Lord Ajuka, I imagine he’d have taken all the Underworld too.”

Silence hung between them as they turned their attention back to the ongoing one-sided battle. Sylvanna took the opportunity to fix her dress. A lady had to look her best, after all, even in the face of Hell.

A shockwave hammered through the cavern, making the churning magma surge in fiery waves and sending her long blonde hair whipping in the sudden hurricane-force winds. Neither Pillar flinched. Focused and transfixed on the unseen clash, senses stretched to the heart of the chaos.

Sylvanna felt the shift first: the sudden, concentrated spike of power as Dukes Gremory and Sitri delved deep into their reserves. Not everything they had, but more than enough to level a country.

Moments later, Lord Ichigo’s response thundered through reality itself. Her knees nearly buckled.

“Oh dear,” Bennuides said again, but with none of his usual levity.

“They haven’t fought like this since the Civil War,” Sylvanna muttered, her lips tight.

“None of us have,” Bennuides admitted.

Her frown deepened, as his words rang a little too true. And maybe that was a deep concern that they truly needed to ponder upon. Perhaps they had all grown too complacent? She thought back bitterly - when was the last time she had truly trained? Centuries ago? She, the head of House Valac, content to let her combat skills dull while she drowned herself in politics and alchemy?

Lord Phenex inclined his head. “I am thinking the same. Watching them being so easily handled like this… it is a wake-up call. I, too, suddenly feel the urge to train again.”

She shot him a sidelong look. “When did I become so easy to read?”

Bennuides smiled faintly. “Nothing of the sort. I simply assumed you would arrive at the same conclusion as I did. And I was right.”

Her lips curled dryly. He always did have a way of making his arrogance sound like charm.

He folded his arms behind his back. “I confess, the Rating Games have dulled us. They are, as the name suggests, games. How long has it been since one of us truly waged war? Truly faced down death with brazen defiance? My lady, let us be frank: we Pillars have grown soft and decadent under the safety and security of the Satans."

“Careful,” she said with a touch of humor. “One would almost think you’re espousing the Old Satan Faction’s views.”

 “Nothing of the sort,” he replied with a touch of amusement, “But, perhaps it is time we remember our old instincts. Revive the habits that kept our lines alive during the Great War and subsequent Civil War.”

A new voice answered. “I agree, instincts are everything to a warrior.”

Both Pillars froze, and slowly they turned.

Lord Ichigo stood behind them, his face aloof and impassive. His aura was withdrawn now, but still oppressive in its sheer density.

They bowed instinctively, but his hand lifted, halting them. “Yeah, there’s been enough of that. Are you both all right?”

They straightened quickly. “We are fine, my Prince,” Bennuides answered for them both.

“Good. We’ll discuss things later.”

He flicked his hand. Space tore open, and two broken forms tumbled from the sky: both dukes were smoldering, battered and squirming half-conscious. Sylvanna’s trained eye scanned their wounds: they had grievous burns, shattered bones, chunks of missing flesh, but nothing permanent nor truly crippling. With Phoenix Tears and other proper magical remedies, they would recover in a matter of several weeks, if not months.

Lord Ichigo raised a single eyebrow. “Honestly, that was kind of pathetic. And yeah, I do feel that you old fucks have lost your instincts. You’ve thrown away your pride as warriors and now sit stupid playing useless politics. You’re Devils. There’s only one reality you need to follow: power.”

The Demon sword in the Prince’s hand gleamed with a flicker of curse fire, and with a single slash of white light, Gremory let out a bloodcurdling scream as he desperately clutched at his face. Another flick of the wrist, and Sitri screamed to mirror him.

Sylvanna swallowed fretfully. An alchemist’s trained eye readily telling her those deep running cuts along their faces were no mere flesh wounds.

“The scars will remain a minimum of a hundred years,” Lord Ichigo said flatly.  “So, don’t ever fuck with me again.”

He turned his gaze back to Bennuides and Sylvanna. “Take them home.”

And then he was gone, the entire swell of his demonic presence immediately disappearing from the folds of reality.

For a long moment, Sylvanna stared at the empty space where he had stood. Then her eyes drifted to the writhing dukes, and beyond them, to the ruined underground world burning like Hell itself. All that power, and in one so young. It was… intoxicating.

She sighed, lips curling despite herself. Power really is so damn attractive.

-----

“Honey, I’m home,” Ichigo joked listlessly as he teleported into his penthouse. He waited a second, but there was no response. Yeah, of course there wasn’t. Tiredly, Ichigo dragged himself up the stairs and through the hall until he was in his bedroom.

And there, wrapped up in a cocoon of the finest Underworld cotton, lazed his ancient girlfriend. Both eyes open and shining with mirth.

“Enjoy yourself, beloved?”

“Pfft,” Ichigo scoffed as he dragged himself over to the bed and unceremoniously plopped down, face first into a pillow.

“Must you be so dramatic, little one?”

“Yes.” Came his muffled response. “What a completely unnecessary waste of my time. I could have kicked their asses in 10 minutes flat instead of all that nonsensical posturing. This Dark Lord crap is so draining.”

“Then you should have done so,” she said, and he really did his best to ignore the bubbling laughter in her voice.

He let out a deep sigh as he turned over, running his hands deep through his long hair. “Yeah, but I need to send a message to all the other assholes too. And it’s not like I can go door to door, kicking all the Pillars’ asses.”

Tiamat rose and leaned over him, her eyes dancing bemused. But Ichigo ignored her and merely let out a tired sigh. “Man, I really miss the days where beating people up didn’t require so much thinking.” And even as the words came out of his mouth, a certain revulsion filled him. “Oh great, now I’m sounding like Sirzechs! Could this day get any worse?”

She let out a small laugh, and the next thing he knew she was gripping his hand and tugging him back up.

He let out a groan. “Beautiful, I just want to sleep for a bit.”

She fixed him with a look but then leaned in close and gave him a dark purr, one that never failed to send shivers down his spine. “Yes, but you smell of ash and other infernal unpleasantness. Shall I not scrub you clean with mine own hands, beloved?”

He blinked at her. Wait… was she implying…?

Sapphire eyes collapsed into serpentine slits as she guided his hand over her breasts. “Does the budding tyrant not wish to bathe with his Tiamat?”

And in record time, Ichigo had the Dragon in his arms as he sprinted off to the shower.

-----

A/N: Nearly 10k words this chapter, did not expect it to be so long. This was an interesting chapter because it provides some conflicting perspectives. Obviously, through Sylvanna, we get to see Ichigo and parts of the Empire through the eyes of a Pillar Lord. And then of course, with her her conversations with Lord Phenex, we also get to see just how above and beyond the Satans are when compared to even Ultmate-class Devils. And how terrifying they are.

And then we get to Sirzechs. Again, past the mask of petulant childishness, there's that casual, unrepentant cruelty and machiavellian charcateristics. At the same time, that alien mindset, the near sociopathic, 'hey, people are benefiting from my selfishness in the long run, so it's okay if I screw them over in the now.'

And then there's Ichigo himself, the iconoclast. Irreverent towards the holy and the demonic, caring little for power strcutures and heriarchy. And genuinely finding it embarressing when he tries to play the part people expect from him. He also begins to glisten the difficulties of the current Satans. Yes, they're so far above the rest of the Empire that it's not even funny, but they purposely hold themselves back because they don't want to be the brutal monsters their predacessors were. Which, of course, means they have to lower themselves and play on a field that is far beneath them.

Due to how much exposition was thrown in this chapter, I did try balancing it out with humerous snippits. Anyways, we're now past the Infernity/Underworld arc and will be moving into the Summit.