Chapter 47: Pride vs Wrath

Reality groaned beneath the weight of their power.

Above Sirzechs, the sky darkened into a blood-red canvas, seething with crawling tendrils of black that pulsed like veins through a struggling and dying heart The ground at his back, once solid and teeming with life simply ceased to be - dissolving grain by grain, atom by atom and reduced to black specks utterly devoured by his Power of Destruction. It was not a mark of erosion nor of decay, but of things ceasing to be. Existence itself torn to nothingness.

And behind Ichigo himself, the atmosphere writhed in agony. The clouds ignited, turning into blazing rivers of molten color; reds and oranges bleeding into ochres and golds before collapsing into a pulsating ooze that twisted the sky and colored it in chaotic streaks.

Bolts of fire ignited within the air, whipping up the winds into a heated torrent as vacuums were formed out of the void pockets in the atmosphere. And the ground beyond him fared no better. It buckled and liquefied into volcanic sludge, a sea of demonic fire, thick and slow, like a burning and festering wound on the planet itself.

A massive fissure cracked open beneath their feet; at first a thin fracture in the crust and then with a thunderous roar it kept growing far and wide, until finally becoming a gaping maw dozens of miles wide. The ground gave way as mountains collapsed and oceans poured in, plummeting into the bellowing fiery glow of the planet’s mantle.

And yet, amidst this apocalyptic ruin, the two Demon Lords floated still.

Sirzechs Gremory, the Crimson Lucifer, smiled perfectly at ease, unbothered by Armageddon about him. The red corona of his aura rose in twisted pillars, spiraling like serpents, threatening to consume the sky. The world peeled away at his back, and he couldn’t care less.

Ichigo’s grip on Zangetsu tightened, his sword soul practically quaking in anticipation. It was rare, very, very rare where they were afforded the opportunity to actually have a battle. The stronger he became, the less worthy opponents he had. He was so powerful now, outside of a few slim outliers, and those immortals firmly entrenched within the realm of Time, none truly posed a danger to him. And all that he chided his zanpakuto’s bloodthirsty nature, Ichigo couldn’t deny he enjoyed a good fight.

Hell, sometimes he even craved it.

And here it was.

Sirzechs.

His former master.

The most powerful Demon to ever exist, and the one responsible for returning him into the folds of the Supernatural. And Sirzechs was someone he both respected and disliked. He was grateful for the many opportunities the legendary Demon had given him, but he was also resentful of the many opportunities forced upon him. But that resentment had simmered down over the years.

In many, Sirzechs was to his life as a Demon as Urahara had been to his life as a Shinigami. Both were guiding mentors, wise and supportive whenever he asked for it, but also manipulative and scheming as they deemed necessary. It was somewhat amusing how history tended to repeat itself.

Nevertheless, here they were now, in Ajuka’s conjured dimension on a simulacrum of a world out of one his childhood TV shows. Not for one second did Ichigo regret leaving the life he had behind when Sirzechs asked him to follow him.

Oh.

Ichigo realized he was smiling. Lucifer, he was downright giddy, even as he poured oceans upon oceans of his demonic power into this reality, twisting it into a molten mess.

“It’s been quite some time since we last sparred,” Sirzechs said.

However, Ichigo only frowned in confusion. He could see Sirzechs’ lips move, but the roar of the apocalypse around them drowned out the older Satan’s voice. “What?” He yelled back.

“I said,” Sirzechs yelled, but quickly stopped, “Oh, blast it all,” he angrily muttered.

Suddenly, Ichigo felt a dark tug in his mind and he quickly allowed the telepathic presence of his soon to be foe to enter his mindscape.

“I’m not going to float here screaming like a baboon – what I was saying was, it’s been quite a while since we last sparred.” Sirzechs’ voice mentally echoed.

“Yeah, last time was when you and Ajuka were helping me control my Sin,” Ichigo said with a touch of amusement, conjuring and sharing the memory of him crushing one of Sirzechs’ testicles.

The red-haired Demon winced. “You brat, I’m going to get you back for that today!”

“Hah! Yeah right, gramps! Maybe we should start looking for a retirement home for you!” Ichigo shot back.

“Why you little,” Sirzechs shook his fist at him. “Hmph! You didn’t even realize you were walking around with Grayfia’s lipstick for nearly a full day, you think you can do anything to me when you so easily fall victim to my ploys! I’m ten steps ahead of you, you fresh out diapers infant!”

Ichigo’s eyes widened in outrage. “That was your idea?! Oh, what am I saying, of course it was!”

“Grayfia and I are a team! What can you do against our combined might? It was child’s play to convince Millicas to go along with our plan, even Tiamat kept silent!” Sirzechs’ smugness poured through their mental channel, and Ichigo’s grip on Zangetsu tightened.

Yes, how could he forget. Grayfia was just as mischievous as her husband, she just had better self-control and restraint. But of course, the one day he decides to be the hospitable friend, they turn around and prank him. And naturally Tiamat hadn’t said anything, deeming the whole childish prank beneath her dignity.

“I had a meeting with both Lady Valac and Lord Phenex the next morning!” Ichigo raged. “Do you know how embarrassed I was! Dammit, it was magically reinforced lipstick too, I had to burn it off my face!”

Sirzechs crossed his arms and roared with laughter, not that Ichigo could hear him over the sound of the howling winds and shattering planet below. Nonetheless, the sheer sight of Sirzechs laughing at his expense grated on his nerves. “Like I said,” the Crimson Lucifer thought haughtily, “Grayfia and I are a team! You’re a thousand years too early to handle the likes of us, you damn brat!”

“That’s it!” Ichigo roared out loud. “I’m putting you down, you geriatric asswipe!”

And instantly Ichigo appeared before Sirzechs, both hands over head as he brought down Zangetsu in a two-handed strike.

“Oh shit!” Sirzechs quickly sent out a panicked burst of energy, and as Zangetsu clashed with Destruction, the cosmos shook.

-----

Rias felt her heart pounding in her chest, each throb like a hammer blow. Even here, tens of thousands of miles away, standing on an invisible platform suspended in the void of space, she could feel it. She could feel them. The pressure, the monstrous, suffocating presence of the two Satans.

Her hands trembled at her sides, and she only realized she had been holding her breath when she forced herself to inhale again. And even though the air here was artificial, conjured by Lord Ajuka’s sorcery, it still managed to somehow taste thick and heavy, flavored with the echo of the overwhelming forces raging below.

“Look,” whispered someone near her.

Rias turned her gaze back to the planet. It was already changing. A circle of roiling, demonic miasma had spread over the continent where Lord Ichigo and her brother faced one another. It was vast, hundreds of miles across, maybe more, and still growing. One half of the circle was drowned in shades of black and crimson, a bleeding wound seething with destructive energies. The other half glowed molten orange and red, as though the planet’s very crust had been torn open and its mantle had been wrenched onto the surface.

The two halves pulsed against each other, clashing at their border, neither giving ground.

Rias shuddered. They’re just standing there…

Beside her, Sona adjusted her glasses with a hand that wasn’t as steady as usual. Her voice, when she finally spoke, was crisp and controlled, but Rias heard the thin crack of fear and awe beneath it. “Their presence alone would incinerate anyone below Ultimate-class,” she said. “And this is while they’re doing nothing.”

The words twisted like a knife in Rias’ gut. She had always known, in the abstract, that her brother was powerful. That Lord Ichigo was terrifying. Hell, his familiar, a Dragon King, had effortlessly torn apart a legion of Fallen and then annihilated a Cadre armed with an apocalyptic weapon out of legends. Intellectually, she knew he was monstrously powerful. But this?

This she felt. With every heartbeat she could feel the titanic force of power that was a Satan, even at this vast distance: it was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. And with it came the realization that there were forces in this existence she could not even dream of touching.

“Terrifying…” Rias whispered, more to herself than anyone.

“Hah!” Sairaorg Bael’s booming voice cut through the hush like a war drum. He stood a few paces away, his arms trembling excitedly at his side, eyes gleaming with raw anticipation. “Dearest cousin, this is magnificent!” Sairaog’s voice was colored with admiration and awe. “This is what true battle looks like! Can none of you feel it? The pull in our souls? The demand for submission? This is what it means to be a Satan! Just imagine how strong they will be when they actually start fighting?”

“Unbelievable…” Seekvaira Agares murmured, her golden hair glinting in the ghostly light of the projection screens Lady Serafall had conjured above them. Unlike Sairaorg, her tone was more subdued than exhilarated. “But, they’re just… standing there. Are they even going to do anything, or are we meant to watch them glare at one another? Not that the glaring isn’t impressively terrifying.” She pushed her spectacles further up her nose. “But for an exhibition match, they appear to be talking instead? No disrespect my Lord Leviathan, but shouldn’t we also be able to hear them if we’re meant to learn from them?”

Rias blinked, startled by the mundane complaint amidst the oppressive terror clawing at her lungs.

“Alas, no audio,” Lady Serafall answered with an exaggerated pout. And she drifted past them with her hands on her hips. Her magical-girl attire sparkled against the void, ribbons fluttering. “The combined chaotic energies of those two bricks for brains disrupts most magical transmissions. If not for Ajuka’s satellites, you wouldn’t even see them. Be grateful!”

Seekvaira sighed. “So they are talking, then?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Serafall nodded sagely. “Trading insults and taunts before the battle is a time honored tradition amongst the Supernatural. Embarrass your opponent before you try to kill them, it’s the polite thing to do.” And suddenly, Rias vaguely recalled Kokabiel having said something similar when he had invaded Kuoh.

“As for these two,” Lady Serafall continued pensively, “I know that face on Sirzechs. He’s gloating about some mischief he’s managed. And Ichigo… mmh, it’s hard to tell because he’s always frowning grumpy all the time, but he’s definitely getting angrier by the second.” She puffed out her cheeks in mock exasperation. “Ugh, honestly, they’re supposed to be fighting, not flirting!”

As if the universe itself had chosen to indulge her complaint, the images on the screens flared white.

Lord Ichigo lunged.

One instant he was floating across from Sirzechs. The next, he was there, his blazing white sword carving down with the weight of his tremendous demonic power. Sirzechs raised his hand, a crimson aura erupting outward, and the two powers collided.

The resulting explosion was titanic.

From their vantage in space, the young Kings gasped as a blossom of black and red light swallowed the continent. The force of the clash radiated outward, shoving back oceans, leveling mountain ranges, shaking the very crust of the world. The blast was so bright that for a moment, Rias couldn’t see the planet at all- just a glaring, demonic sun burning against the void.

Then the light dimmed, and the miasma thickened.

The battle began in earnest.

Lord Ichigo struck again, faster than Rias could follow with her eyes. His demonic blade tearing through the air, each swing carving burning fissures onto the surface of the planet. Her brother danced back with infuriating ease, his movements precise, almost lazy as crimson orbs of destruction formed at his fingertips with every gesture. He flung them forward like playthings.

Each orb was small, barely bigger than one of the pig-pong balls Issei and Kiba often used in their vehement matches. And yet, each one could have erased her entire peerage in a heartbeat.

Lord Ichigo effortlessly batted them away with the edge of his white sword. They sailed into the distance before detonating, explosions so vast they consumed entire archipelagos and mountains.

Sairaorg laughed aloud, his voice carrying even over the astonished murmurs of the others. “Look at that! To weave so many spells at once, Lord Sirzechs’ multicasting speed is unreal! And that sword! I’ve heard the rumors, a Satan’s own soul manifested! Said to be the most powerful Demonic Sword to ever exist! Lord Ichigo wields it so blindingly!”

Barely registering her cousin’s words, Rias struggled to keep up. Her eyes darted across the projected screens, trying to follow the preternatural speed of each exchange. But everything blurred together: the light, the shockwaves, the incomprehensible speed the Demon Lords exhibited.

“In fairness to them, it’s slowed,” Lady Serafall explained with a shrug in response to Sairaorg. “What you’re seeing is Ajuka’s time dilation. The planet’s flow is being matched to your perceptions. Without it, your little Devil senses couldn’t even comprehend what they’re doing.”

“Slowed?” Seekvaira muttered, her voice incredulous. “You’re saying this” she gestured at the outright cataclysm playing across the screens “is slow motion?”

Serafall winked. “Yup! Super slow mo!”

Rias’ stomach dropped. She felt dizzy. If this was what their “slowed” movements looked like, then at full speed…

Lord Ichigo blurred forward again, his jacket whipping in unseen wind. His demonic blade cut downward, sparks of Hellfire dripping from its lethal edge. Her brother answered with a magical weave of Destruction, red lines spiraling into geometric forms that swallowed the attack whole before exploding outward in all directions. The sky split into two halves, one molten, one void, and the shockwave punched through the planet, rippling all the way into orbit.

The platform beneath them shook violently, and several young Devils yelped.

“They’re going to tear the world apart…” Rias whispered, horrified.

“Sure will!” Lady Serafall exclaimed cheerfully. “That’s the whole point!”  The Crown Prince amongst them smiled wide, eyes glittering. “Better you all see what it really means to be a King. What you’re expected to stand beside- or against - someday. And maybe, just maybe, stand as an equal!”

Rias turned to her, stunned, only to falter. The smile on her lips was the same, but something in Lady Serafall’s eyes had changed. The ribbons and sparkles seemed suddenly like a costume, because the expression on her face was alien to anything Rias had seen from the bubbly Satan before. As Leviathan looked back at the screens, in its gaze Rias saw no sisterly warmth, nor the lively playfulness beloved throughout their Empire - only the mad glint of a Demon Lord, watching its fellow Satans tear a world apart in sheer sport.

-----

Zangetsu screamed as Ichigo swung, its white edge burning with fury. Each stroke carved the world open, fissures dozens of miles long erupting across the ruined continent. Lava geysers burst in his wake, the planet howling like some wounded beast beneath their feet.

Sirzechs barely looked concerned. With a casual flick of his wrist, crimson orbs spun into existence around him: at first one, then a dozen, then dozens more, until the sky above was a firmament of stars of Destruction. Each one pulsed with power enough to obliterate cities, and the bastard treated them like snowballs to be thrown around for play.

Ichigo snarled and swatted them aside with his hand, his drastically reinforced Hierro bouncing off Sirzechs’ erasure capabilities like drops of falling water. They pinwheeled away into the distance and then detonated with such tremendous force, each impact consumed entire islands and mountain ranges, vaporizing them like they’d never been there at all. The horizon was rocked with mushrooming columns of demonic ash and debris, and still Sirzechs floated above it all with that insufferably serene smile.

“Still swinging like a brute, eh Ichigo?” Sirzechs called, laughter bubbling in his voice.

“You’re one to talk,” Ichigo shot back, cleaving through another cluster of spheres. “You’re spamming those things like a kid! Then again, you spam in games just as much!”

“No, I don’t!” Sirzechs exclaimed childishly. And with a similar gesture, another volley of orbs shot through. They cascaded toward Ichigo like a rain of miniature suns.

Ichigo’s lip curled. He poured more of his demonic aura into Zangetsu, the blade flaring bright, and slashed in wide arcs. The orbs burst into monstrous explosions, crimson sparks expanding into spheres of Destruction dozens of miles long and coloring the sky a deep red.

But Sirzechs wasn’t finished.

Ichigo felt the swell of magic that rose like an ocean, as the older Satan raised both hands. And the dying sky answered. A thousand spears of lightning cascaded down from the burning heavens, jagged forks of incandescent white splitting the red sky. Each bolt carried the weight of mountains.

Swiftly, Ichigo ducked, weaving through the bombardment as lightning exploded all around him in violent bursts. It reminded him of playing with Tiamat in their more, err… aggressive romantic moments. He had learned to slip between the strokes of the storm. Compared to that, Sirzechs’ bolts were almost nostalgic.

Almost.

“Too slow, old fart!” Ichigo jeered, reappearing above his opponent. He brought Zangetsu down in a heavy strike, but his blade met ice instead of flesh.

“I’m not even middle-aged yet!” Sirzechs yelled as he teleported away and simultaneously managed to conjure a glacier in an instant; an entire mountain of ice with a supernatural chill that briefly managed to resist the searing temperatures of Zangetsu. But the Hellfire emitted by his Soul-Sword could never be fully denied; with a push of his arms, Ichigo cleaved the mountain of ice in half, and then he threw out his hand, unleashing a telekinetic blast of energy. Immediately, the two frozen halves were shattered into shards that were vaporized in the heat of Ichigo’s aura. Steam erupted and blanketed the battlefield in boiling fog.

But Ichigo surged forward, teeth bared. His aura flaring hugely and ignited the very air around him, searing away the mist.

“Not bad,” Sirzechs mused. “Let’s try this, shall we?”

The Crimson Lucifer lifted his hand again, and this time the earth itself tore apart at his command. Entire mountains groaned and ripped free of the crust, stone and soil twisting into grotesque shapes. They grew arms, legs, heads, until titanic golems of rock strode across the burning landscape. Each one rivaled a citadel in size, their steps cracking the earth below.

Ichigo snorted dismissively. “Yeah, go figure, you’re still playing with dolls at your age.”

Sirzechs gave him the finger in response.

The nearest colossus bellowed and swung a stone fist the size of a city block at him. Ichigo met it head-on, Zangetsu slashing clean through, leaving a trail of searing and molten rock. With a single thought, Ichigo shattered the bisected golem and ground its pieces into fine dust that quickly fell as molten rain under the heat of his aura.

More came at him, lumbering giants pounding the earth apart. Ichigo danced among them, his aura flaring hotter and hotter until meteors of Hellfire spun from his body. Each one struck fierce, reducing the constructs to rubble and slag. Within moments, the army Sirzechs had summoned was nothing but smoldering debris scattered across the wasteland.

“Any more tricks?” Ichigo said mockingly, locking eyes with his foe.

Sirzechs only chuckled, utterly unruffled. “Plenty! Can’t be accused of spamming! Unlike a certain one trick sword swinging pony!.”

Despite himself, Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward. Damn him. As aggravating as he was, verbally sparring with Sirzechs was just as enjoyable as physically trying to beat him in.

But regardless, Ichigo wasn’t about to let the one trick pony comment slide.

His aura surged monstrously, his demonic presence bleeding into the molten glow of his power until the planet and its fires turned a jet-black. What remained of the atmosphere began shaking violently, and the entirety of the planet was rocked with cataclysmic tremors.

Zangetsu pulsed in his hands even as it laughed maniacally in his soul. And Ichigo raised his sword past his shoulder.

“Getsuga…” And though his voice was just barely above a whisper, it silenced the world.

And all of reality quaked as he swung.

“…TENSHŌ!”

The blast tore loose with the force of a nova, a colossal crescent of solid black demonic energy that stretched for miles. It carved through the planet, gouging the land beneath into an abyss that split the continent in two. Oceans boiled into nothingness and the sky churned into a black void. Nothing would be able to withstand its unrestrained power.

Nothing except Sirzechs, apparently.

The Crimson Lucifer smiled deviously, his eyes glowing a ferocious red. He extended one finger, and space bent. Reality twisted to his will, warping as easy as water.

Ichigo’s Getsuga vanished for but a second, before reappearing right above him.

His eyes widened huge as the Black Fang came crashing down on his own head.

“Oh fuck.”

-----

The world below was unraveling.

Rias couldn’t stop staring at the continent where her brother and Lord Ichigo clashed. Enormous gouges split the land apart, carving wounds so deep they swallowed oceans whole. Steam erupted in colossal plumes as falling seas boiled and evaporated in minutes, and the released vapor twisted into monstrous storm clouds that stretched into the stratosphere.

But even as the planet was engulfed in a choking smog, one glaring region remained untouched.

About the two Demon Lord, about the Sin of Pride and the Sin of Wrath, there was absolutely nothing. No clouds, no storm, no wind dared trespass. A vast radius, several hundred miles across, lay devastated and empty. Because anything that drifted into their vicinity simply ceased to exist, utterly disintegrated in the clash of their auras.

Rias had never seen destruction on this scale before. She had witnessed battle; she had felt terror and had even been a terror when the need called for it. But this... she couldn’t even call it a battle. It was just pure devastation, plain and simple.

And then it happened.

Lord Ichigo’s aura surged, black fire bleeding outward from his frame until it seemed as if night had swallowed him and the world around him whole. And Rias felt a cold chill grip her spine, her arm and neck erupted in goosebumps as even from this impossible distance his gigantic presence on her with a soul-crushing pressure. The breath in her lungs froze cold, and for a single second, everything fell deaf in her ears, even the beating of her own heart.

All she heard was the caressing whisper of Lord Ichigo’s malignant power. “Getsuga…

And she saw his famed sword cut midnight.

“TENSHŌ!”

There was a whine in her ears, a high-pitched note as terror gripped her soul and her heart seized. For the first time ever, Rias felt afraid for her brother, the mightiest of all of them. But even as her worried eyes tracked him, his image on the screen smiled and she saw him move a hand. She wasn’t sure what he did or what happened, but all the color in her eyes faded to a monochrome gray.

The world went black.

Not night.

Not shaded.

Black.

Pure and suffocating; a void where light and meaning ceased to be. Hundreds of miles of a world simply gone, replaced by an absence that clawed at her mind with the promise of nothingness. 

It physically hurt to look at, a sharp pain built behind her eyes telling her to look away. And she swore she felt herself unraveling, as the breath in her was forced out cold. She felt like choking, the sheer promise of Lord Ichigo’s unadulterated power crawling over her skin and clawing at her throat. 

Then that void burst.

It exploded upward in a spike of searing demonic power that reached thousands of miles into the heavens, a column so immense it dwarfed the curvature of the planet below. A shockwave followed, rippling outward with apocalyptic force. She watched in mute horror as the oceans recoiled and then boiled away entirely, continents torn apart in an instant.

The clouds that had swallowed the globe evaporated in the blink of an eye.

It was like the documentaries she had watched as in the human world - the asteroid impact that had ended the reign of the dinosaurs. But this was a thousand times worse, and far more damning. This wasn’t nature’s blind fury. This was the unfiltered fury of the Crown Prince of Wrath, a Demon Lord who reigned over an Empire of billions. And even though there were no ancient legends of him personally, when storied humans spoke in hushed whispers the name Satan, this is what they meant.

Rias’ nails dug into her palms. A tsunami of demonic power rushed over her and the other young Devils, drowning them in Lord Ichigo’s suffocating power. For a brief second she felt as if her knees would shatter under the strain of his wave of baleful might.

For that one brief second, she genuinely felt that she had died, that her flesh had been sundered under the careless display of power from Satan. But as soon as the sensation came, it left too. 

And it dawned on her, in that moment, what the Satans were trying to convey in this conjured apocalypse of theirs. She finally understood. She had known that the Satans were strong, but now truly understood. This was power. True power.

And the next unbidden thought came to her infinitely more terrifying: they weren’t even fighting seriously.

This was sport for them. Lady Serafall said that this was meant to be an exhibition match. What would it look like if the Satans truly unleashed their full might with the intent to murder?

In a war, a genuine war, how many would die? How quick would the Underworld be torn-

Her eyes widened in epiphany.

Oh.

The Great War.

That had been the Great War.

There had been Seven Crown Princes, then. Seventy-Two Demon Lords reigning as Pillars, peers to her ancestors Bael and Gremory, and numerous other Demon Lords of the Extra Houses. The Fallen had Azazel and Gadreel and other Twelve-Winged Cadre, along with the host of weapons forged by Azazel’s demented mind and Sacred Gears stolen from humanity. Heaven had Four Great Seraphs and beneath them over a dozen Seraphim nearly as powerful, and above all, the Heavenly Father.

And all of them, all of them, had come together to make war.

She couldn’t imagine it. She couldn’t fathom it.

How many worlds had burned? How many civilizations had been wiped out across the various dimensions and realms that served as the unfortunate battlefields? She had read the history books, of course she had. Ever since she was a child she had been told the horrors of the Great War. But in her mind, she could not separate the horrors of war itself from the catastrophic consequences of what the Great War was. Not for naught were they called the Three Great Factions, after all.

Her eyes stared transfixed at the planet now sundered under the sword of her guardian, of the Lord Wrath. She swallowed thickly. Her lips were dry as her throat burned. And still her thoughts spiraled further.

To Issei now.

Her Pawn. Her foolish, lecherous, earnest Pawn. And to Boosted Gear and the Dragon within it.

Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor: even her brother had admitted to being inferior to Welsh Emperor when that ancient behemoth had been in his prime. And that same power now resided inside of Issei. She had not realized then, the greed and arrogance of her decision to bind such terrible power to herself. Thank Lucifer Issei was such an honest and good-natured boy. And it was her responsibility that he remained so, because she had read the histories of what became of most of Boosted Gear’s past wielders lost in Ddraig’s unending might. The madness that consumed. 

And as her thoughts continued to churn, Rias trembled as anxiety gripped her heart..

Because there was Albion too, somewhere out there nestled within Divine Dividing, awaiting a fated clash with his opposite. When would the White One come to seek out the Red One under her care?

And beyond Heavenly Two were the other pantheons, those Immortals who reigned over their own realms with Celestial Authority. She thought of Odin and Zeus and Indra and Amaterasu and the Jade Emperor and others. So many others. All possessing the power to rival the destructive force Lord Ichigo and her brother exhibited.

For the first time, she truly glimpsed the stakes of the world she lived in. Not petty noble politics. Not marriage contracts. But that the silence between these cosmic powers was a fragile thing, and that it must be maintained at all costs, lest Creation itself collapse under them.

And now, here she stood. A young girl, a King in name only, staring at the stage she was being told to walk onto. Her heart hammered. Her stomach twisted. But somewhere beneath the terror, something else kindled. 

Resolve.

This was why her brother and the other Satans were so averse to another war. This was why they bore the weight of their titles with such severity. And this was why she, and every other young Devil King standing beside her, had been dragged here to watch.

It wasn’t just a lesson, or a spectacle to inspire. It was a warning.

This was the reality of power. This was the truth of what it meant to be a King. Because those with power inevitably affected those around them, it was axiomatic. And there was a responsibility that came with that. Because one day she would be Duke Gremory, and there were millions upon millions who would turn to her.

And as the shockwave of Lord Ichigo’s attack rolled across the globe below, Rias knew that she was nowhere near ready.

But she would be.She promised in heart of hearts, she would be.

She clenched her fists and forced herself to keep watching, even as the world died helplessly under the Satans’ duel.

Because this was the path laid out before her. And turning away was no longer an option.

-----

The smoke peeled back, parted by the pressure of an aura that refused to be drowned. From within the black haze, Ichigo stepped forward, Zangetsu gripped loosely in his hand. His body bore cuts and bruises, streaks of blood running along his arms and shoulders, yet already the wounds knit themselves shut, muscle and skin stitching back together at inhuman speed. In moments, the injuries were gone and not even a scar was left behind.

What wasn’t so easily replaced, however, were his clothes.

Ichigo looked down and promptly scowled as he realized his clothing had been utterly atomized under the force of his own Getsuga. He spat to the side in annoyance. Always his clothes! It never failed to gall him just how much money he burned away purchasing new clothes! Dammit all.

“Just my fucking luck,” he muttered under his breath as he gave his shoulder an experimental twist. It was always a strange sensation, having new muscles and skin regrow in place of old ones.

However, as he gazed through the rising smoke and debris, he locked eyes with Sirzechs the moment he caught sight of him, only for the damn bastard to promptly double over and burst out laughing. The Crimson Lucifer pointed at him as he roared exuberantly, nearly losing his balance mid‑air. “Bwahaha! Serves you right, Ichigo! Caught nude in front of the cameras!” His shoulders shook, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Oi Sera, get a load of this! Make sure it's recorded! Hahahaha!”

Ichigo’s expression darkened as humiliation set in.

But Sirzechs’ laughter died almost as abruptly as it had begun. His emerald eyes widened, and he whipped his head toward the space above them.

The red-haired Satan went pale. “Wait, wait, WAIT!” His voice cracked with sudden panic as he jabbed an accusatory finger at Ichigo. “My little sister is watching this! You absolute degenerate! Stop flashing her!”

Ichigo blinked, nonplussed, even as he quickly conjured some clothes over himself. Fuck, he had momentarily forgotten about their audience! “It’s not like I did this on purpose!”

“You depraved pervert!” Sirzechs’ face went crimson as his hair, his aura spiking with outrage. “Have you no shame?! Have you no decency?! How dare you try and corrupt my Ria-tan?!”

Ichigo’s face quickly morphed furious, and as his mortification churned hot, it rapidly blackened and gave way to anger. He had been enjoying himself so far, but now that he had been so publicly embarrassed, the demonic pulse in his veins quickly gave way for his Sin to manifest. Wrath churned and Ichigo’s aura darkened considerably.

“That’s it, asshole!”

And he flung himself with lethal intent.

-----

And every lifechanging epiphany Rias just had flew out the window.

Because, on the projection screens, Lord Ichigo emerged whole from the demonic inferno, his body covered with traces of blood and soot – and completely and utterly nude. Every sculpted muscle, every inch of sweat glistening skin, was laid bare. And Rias’ eyes slowly trailed down perfectly sculpted abs to between his legs.

Oh, wow…

Rias felt heat climb her cheeks, hotter than any Hellfire as she laid a tentative hand just below her navel. Would that even fit…

“Gah! Close your eyes, So‑tan!” Lady Serafall wailed dramatically, flinging herself in front of her younger sister. “Don’t let that berry‑headed fiend corrupt you!”

But her warning fell flat. Beside Rias, Sona stood petrified, her mouth agape and a deep, red flush scalding her cheeks. And Seekvaira’s usually sharp composure was nowhere to be found as she too stared mesmerized under the masculine beauty of the Crown Prince of Wrath. And that went for every other female King amongst them… and some of the men too.

Rias’ lips moved before her mind could catch up, whispering a single sentence, soft and reverent. “My future husband…”

Her imagination flared to life: little orange-haired children running about, green‑eyed and laughing. Names, birthdays, anniversaries - whole lives bloomed unbidden in her mind.

Akeno is never gonna forgive me.

-----

Ichigo launched himself at Sirzechs, fully intent on caving his smug face in. Dark embers still hissed in the air when he shot forward, and Hellfire surged about him, no longer just coating Zangetsu but igniting his full being.

His Soul-Sword came down with the force of several mountains. Sirzechs slipped aside, his body flickering into the folds of space itself. One heartbeat he was there, the next he was scattered across dimensions, his true self reappearing several yards away with a faint ripple in reality.

Ichigo snarled, pivoting mid‑air to slash again. The sleek white blade searing through the vacuum, gouging fissures into the sky itself.

Sirzechs smiled infuriatingly, hands weaving lazy arcs. Space bent obediently to his will, and Ichigo’s strikes slipped right through him, as though he were cutting through illusions.

His rage mounted, and Wrath swelled beneath his skin.

Enough, he thought darkly.

Ichigo let his ire surge, and Hellfire concentrated and burned dense along the fine edge of Zangetsu’s length. The blade burned with the harshest light of Creation and reality shuddered around it. His next swing was not aimed at Sirzechs, but at the very folds of space he occupied. Zangetsu laughed savagely, cleaving through layers of dimension as though they were paper.

Sirzechs’ eyes widened and recognition lit his eyes. He wove strings of magic, knowing full well that physical movement would not allow him to evade this strike.

And it was enough, though just barely.

Much to Ichigo’s glee, a swath of crimson hair cascaded down, disintegrating into ash before it could even fall past his feetl.

The Crimson Lucifer froze solid for a full second, and then he screamed.

Completely at odds with the dignity of his station, it was a girlish and horrified shriek. He clutched at the left side of his head where an entire portion of his hair had been ignited in Hellfire. Sirzechs acted quickly to keep the First Flame from reaching the rest of his head, and he conjured a blade of destruction and hacked away the damaged locks himself, leaving his once‑majestic mane ragged, lopsided, and nearly bald on one side.

Ichigo smirked sardonically. “Whoops.”

Sirzechs floated frozen in horror, his fingers desperately clutching at his ruined hair that had given him his title. “My hair! My beautiful, luscious locks!” But quickly Sirzechs outrage turned on him, “I-chi-go!” his voice warping with unsuppressed rage as his aura exploded outward, Destruction surging forward in gargantuan waves.

The fake Namek quaked under Sirzechs’ rage.

Lucifer’s hands moved, but this time not with the playful laziness of earlier. Ancient and eldritch symbols bled into existence around him, glowing crimson and black. The air warped as curses layered themselves into reality, each spell a different kind of dreadful nightmare.

The first curse struck Ichigo like a hammer: an attack that bypassed flesh and struck at the soul itself. He could hear Zangetsu let out an enraged cry even as his body jolted. His demonic power destabilized and Ichigo felt a terrible pain rip through his entire being. His aura dipped, and, for a heartbeat, his supernatural senses blurred as his vision whitened.

Another curse rapidly struck him, piercing into his mind. A thousand voices screamed in his ears: accusations, threats, doubts, and insecurities; all designed to fracture his otherwise iron will. Images burst in his vision: Tiamat lying slain, his sisters lost, Yasaka and Kunou thrown into chains.

And then a third wave of dark magic struck, fouler still. A curse that clawed at his flesh, trying to turn his physical form into a living vat of poison and acid. He felt a million hot blades pierce his skin and dig deep into his very essence. His very existence was briefly being over written with the concept of pain.

But it was in that pain that Ichigo found clarity. Because no matter what terror Sirzechs visited upon him, no matter what torment or misery he was thrown into, it would never amount to the unimaginable horrors of Hell.

Because, in the end, there was nothing worse than Hell. And Ichigo knew Hell.

He roared, his very soul and body igniting in a raging inferno of Hellfire, and immediately the First Flame purged Sirzechs’ vile magic from his being. The soul attack dissolved into nothingness. The psychic cacophony melted away to silence. And the curse pervading through his blood and bones was seared away. Like a magical fever for a magical infection.

Yet, Sirzechs didn’t relent. He conjured a complex weave of geometries, each one a different curse‑matrix stacked atop the other, thousands upon thousands of symbols, blooming like crimson flowers only to collapse into singularities of annihilation. He turned his hand, and a barrage of destruction‑bolts mixed with twisting glyphs rained toward Ichigo.

And Ichigo answered with Hell. 

He carved upward, a single ferocious thrust of Zangetsu drenched in fire. A veritable sky of demonic fire met with and blew apart curses, erased glyphs, and batted orbs of destruction back into the void where they detonated like miniature suns. Reality itself screamed under the building rage of the two Demon Lords.

“Let me show you despair,” Sirzechs seethed, his voice smooth and venomous as cracks formed in his face, revealing the Avatar of Destruction waiting behind. With a vicious stroke of his hand, Sirzechs erased an endless expanse of Ajuka’s pocket universe and tore impossible holes through dimensions: creating a spatial rift miles across, high in the stratosphere. And through the dimensions, Ichigo beheld the surface of a blue star: and straightaway the force the cosmic body ripped through and hit the world.

The light was blinding, blue and burning, a supergiant glaring its celestial fury down on the ruined planet. The sheer intensity of its radiation would have immediately sterilized the planet, had he and Sirzechs not already done so.

Ichigo snorted in contempt. “A star? You can’t burn me!” His demonic powers flared, pushing the heat of the bridged star back under his own tremendous fire. “You could throw me into a supernova and I wouldn’t feel it!”

But then he did feel it.

Gravity.

The inexorable pull of the star clawed at him, dragging at his body and the very bones of the world beneath them. The planet’s crust cracked like fragile glass, titanic slabs of land wrenching loose and collapsing into the widening void.

Sirzechs’ smile returned, sharp and cruel. “It’s not the fire, fool. It’s the weight.”

The planet itself howled as its body was torn apart, dragged into the ravenous embrace of the star’s well of gravity.

Ichigo bared his teeth, Hellfire wreathing him, fighting the crushing gravity that sought to pull him down into oblivion. He felt the strain twist through his muscles and his physical being.

But he would not yield, not now, not ever. The sheer thought filled him with a terrible rage. Him? Admit defeat? Never.

His eyes glowing a fierce crimson as his skin cracked, revealing a molten demonic form beneath his physical shell. Ichigo brought Zangetsu forward, the blade releasing an eldritch white and red light as he put his hand to his elbow and his power swelled well beyond the ranks of a Satan.

“End All Hope, Zang-.”

But he was cut off from releasing his Soul-Sword as a third and equally powerful presence crashed into the two of them.

“Enough, brothers.”

-----

The pressure hit her like a tidal wave.

Rias gasped and dropped to one knee, fingers digging into the invisible platform beneath her as if anchoring herself would stop the crushing weight pressing down on her body. Every muscle screamed in protest, her lungs burned with every breath, and her vision swam as though her eyes themselves were being forced inward. The air was molten one heartbeat, freezing the next, and every inhale scoured her throat raw.

Something deep inside her, her demonic soul, quailed. Her power was being smothered, squeezed into nothing by the sheer presence of the two Demon Lords unrestrained. The pressure sank into her bones, into her blood, until she thought her body might splinter apart.

She wasn’t alone. To her side, Sona crouched forward, one hand clamped over her chest as though it would keep her heart from bursting. Seekvaira was trembling, white-knuckled as she gripped her own arms for support, her spectacles cracked from the force distorting around them. Even Sairaorg, so eager only moments before, now staggered under the invisible weight, his proud grin stripped away, sweat streaming down his face that contorted in great strain.

Rias forced her eyes downward, every glance a terrible strain, and she saw the planet coming apart: continents shearing like cracked porcelain, tectonic plates folding in on themselves as gravity pressed and twisted. Half the world was gone already, ripped away into the abyss that the blue star’s rift had revealed.

And at the center of it all, her brother and Lord Ichigo, well beyond the point of clashing with demonic steel and spells, no longer holding back: they were beginning to lose themselves to their full, dreadful might.

The air burned her lungs again, and she tasted copper. She realized with a sick jolt she was bleeding from her nose. Her demonic reserves frayed and flickered, like a candle struggling in a hurricane. She had the absurd thought that if she closed her eyes, she might simply be erased.

“Oh crap,” she heard Lady Serafall mutter, her usual levity layered with a hint of concern. And suddenly Rias felt the weight of the world fall off her shoulders. No longer did she feel the malevolent and, quite literally, soul crushing presence of the two Satans. As she gingerly looked up, her body still wincing in physical pain, she noted the bright pink energies dancing about Lady Serafall, one hand lightly outstretched as she wove a pink tinted barrier around them.

“They’re manifesting their Sins,” she said worryingly. “Dammit, these bricks for brains have ruined everything! Sorry kids, looks like I’ll have to teleport you out ahead of schedule, because I can’t calm them down and keep you alive at the same time!”

And then, almost impossibly, Lord Ichigo’s power spiked even further. 

Even behind the protections of Lady Serafall, Rias and the others shuddered as his might erupted forth and just continued to climb. His presence shone a dark light so intense it dwarfed even the star her brother had summoned forth. Lucifer, it felt as if the Sin of Wrath’s dark might was endless, it pulsed through the dimension and shook the very fabric of reality, threatening to tear everything apart.

If both her brother and Lord Ichigo kept going…

“Enough, brothers.”

The words rang clear, low and firm, cutting through the choking oppression like a blade. For a second, everything went quiet, and then the near endless fonts of demonic power that were the two combating Satans slowly began to reel in their power

The rift in space swiftly sealed, the harsh light of the blue star went away, though the damage was done, half the planet had been torn away, leaving floating globs of magma the size of countries, and a molten planetary core that was quickly falling apart, unable to hold itself together. And before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, both Lucifer and Satan appeared before them - smoldering, begrudging, and whole.

The sight of them stole the breath right of her lungs, and her legs buckled again, and this time she didn’t try to fight it. She collapsed to her knees alongside the other young Kings, bowing her head in fear and subservience of their two sovereigns: of their two masters.

No one said a word, even as the two Satans stood there grim with eyes burning in demonic furor. Everyone was petrified, gripped with terror, knowing full well all it would take was a single look from the two infernal titans to blast any of them into a pile of ashes.

“Hmph! You all kneel for them, but when I showed up you just stared dumb?” Lady Serafall complained with a pout as she floated down beside her two compatriots. “Do I need to blow up half a planet too, is that it?”

No one dared answer.

Her pout turned into a full blown glower as she whirled toward her fellow Satans, hands planted on her hips, ribbons swishing furiously. “And you two! Gah! Losing control like children! Do you have any idea what kind of example you just set?” Her voice cracked like a whip across the void, eyes narrowed and burning with pink fire. “You nearly killed these poor kids! What would have happened if Ajuka hadn’t stepped in? Idiots! Morons! Rocks for brains!”

Lord Ichigo scratched the back of his neck, glancing sidelong at Sirzechs as though daring him to answer first. Her brother cleared his throat, looking, for once, faintly sheepish. “Well… sorry about that,” he admitted, voice carefully composed but not quite meeting any of their gazes.

Lord Ichigo let out a low grunt. “Yeah. My bad.” It was an apology only in the most technical sense, but it was as close as anyone could hope for. Or ask for, given the circumstances.

Serafall gave an exasperated sigh, muttering something about idiot brothers with world-ending egos, before flouncing back toward the gathered Devils.

Sirzechs straightened, smoothing a hand over the ragged remains of his crimson hair, and then waved his hand, a soothing wave of magic seeping into all of them and instantly healing them of the wounds suffered from the two’s rampage. And then he projected his voice over the group. “I hope,” he said solemnly, “you all learned something from mine and Ichigo’s little spar.”

“Little spar?” one of the young Kings echoed disbelievingly, still pale from the sight of two Crown Princes giving way to their rage.

Lord Ichigo gave a halfhearted shrug, as he dismissed his famed sword. “He’s kinda right. We weren’t even close to full power, not even half. If either of us had gone all out, you’d probably be dead. Hell, even Sera wouldn’t walk away unscathed.”

Lady Serafall immediately stuck out her tongue at him, hands on her hips.

Despite himself, Rias saw the faint twitch of amusement return to her brother’s lips. But still, her guardian’s words set hard in her mind. 

Not even half? Just how insanely powerful were these two?!

Her brother then stepped forward, posture regal again, his earlier embarrassment fading beneath the mantle of Lucifer, despite the fact he looked downright ridiculous with half the hair on his head missing. “Jests aside, this was not simply for spectacle. It is the hope of myself and my fellow Satans that you, as the next generation of nobility, will strive for a similar mastery of power. Not all of you will reach this state, in fact most of you won’t, if I’m being realistic. But nevertheless, it is the nature of Demons and Devils to strive for power.

“Though in this new day and age, in our reconstructed Empire, we must do so with a specific purpose in mind,” his gaze hardened, sweeping across each trembling heir “For the betterment of all Devil-kind. This is the burden placed upon the Upper Nobility. Power wielded not for the self, but for all. For a safe and secure society.”

The words fell heavy, and though the young Kings bowed their heads, doubt lingered in their eyes. Most could not imagine reaching even a fraction of what they had just witnessed.

Well, except for one.

Sairaorg Bael stepped forward, fists clenched at his sides, his grin fierce even through the lingering sweat of his previous strain. “I look forward to the day I can spar with you as equals, my Princes!”

Sirzechs’ expression softened, and he gave a nod of genuine pleasure. “I look forward to it as well, little cousin.”

Lord Ichigo smirked faintly but said nothing, though his eyes gleamed with the same dangerous amusement that had colored their clash. Then his gaze turned upward, to the ruined sky above. “Ajuka,” he said, voice raised slightly, “sorry about wrecking your planet.”

There was no reply.

But suddenly, the remnant half of the planet blazed with an eerie green glow. And slowly, they witnessed the entire world mend itself. It grew back an entire outer core and mantle, as layers of molten rock rapidly cooled into a crust miles and miles thick. The country-spanning scars healed in seconds, oceans refilled, continents knit themselves together like reversed shrapnel. Even the shattered sky returned to its soft green hues as it wrapped itself around the healed planet with bands of white clouds. Within seconds, the world looked as pristine and untouched as it had before the two monsters had descended.

The young Devils gasped in awe, while Lord Ichigo only rolled his eyes with a smile. Rias couldn’t help but balk. Sweet Lucifer, did Lord Ajuka just restore an entire world in a manner of seconds? How? Just what were the limits to the Satans and their power?

“A few centuries beyond you, but this is the upper strata of space-time magic,” Sirzechs explained calmly, reading their wonder and bafflement as plain as day. “This is one of Ajuka’s pocket universes, as such, reality is whatever he wills it. Mind you, I feel somewhat cheated, old friend. Recreating an entire planet seems far more impressive than me and Ichigo slowly ripping it apart.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lord Ichigo snorted. 

But then her brother let out a defeated sigh. “Ah well, it seems our fun has come to an end. Duty calls, and unfortunately even I cannot shirk it forever. The never-ending mires of Empire” His gaze flicked briefly toward his sister, softening for the briefest instant as he gave her a cheeky wink. “I bid you all farewell. I trust you will take today’s showcase to heart.”

He raised a hand, and with a faint ripple of magic, his body dissolved into crimson motes of light. And in a blink, the Crimson Lucifer was gone.

The silence left in his wake was almost a relief, until Lord Ichigo turned towards them.

Unlike Sirzechs, he wore no smiles. Instead, his expression was grim and foreboding, as his eyes passed over them one by one. As if he were silently judging each and every single one of them, and deeming them worthy or not of serving the Empire.

“I should get going too,” he said far too casually, as though he hadn’t just helped tear a world asunder. “So much Satan stuff to do, so little time… not to mention the training regimens and tortur-I mean educational exercises I need to develop for certain someones.”

Rias froze. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and beside her she heard Sona’s sharp intake of breath. That laidback, almost off-handed tone was infinitely worse than any angry growl or snarl the Crown Prince could have given. She could already picture it: endless drills in brutal environments, sparring until their bodies gave out, being thrown against impossible odds and being flat out told to adapt or die trying.

The corner of Lord Ichigo’s mouth twitched, amused by their reactions, and then his form dissolved into darkness, fading into nothing.

Rias wanted to scream. Instead, she pressed trembling fingers to her temple. Sona’s glasses had slid down her nose, and though her face remained composed, Rias saw the faintest twitch in her jawline. Clearly, she too understood exactly what awaited them.

And to think she was fantasizing about having children with this brutal slave-driver not but several moments ago!

“Whaaaat a day!” Lady Serafall sang suddenly, twirling in the air with her usual sparkle. “Two Satans bicker and blow up a world, Ajuka cleans it up, and you all got front-row seats! Truly delightful!” She spun again, arms spread wide, ribbons fluttering in a way that felt practically mocking after the raw devastation they had just endured.

The young Kings exchanged exhausted and disbelieving glances. No one thought this excursion of theirs was delightful. But not one of them dared contradict her.

Nonetheless, Lady Serafall, undeterred, pressed on cheerfully. “Remember this, everyone! What you saw today, what you felt, what you survived - that’s the kind of strength you’re meant to strive for! Because every good Devil strives for power! And!” She raised a finger dramatically, eyes twinkling, “I have super high hopes for all of you in the upcoming Youth Rating Game! So no slacking!”

Rias bit back a groan. After what she had just seen, the very idea of a Rating Game felt insultingly trivial, like those petulant arguments between anime fandoms that resulted in comparisons of – what was it again – hydrogen bombs and coughing babies?  But she didn’t dare voice her thoughts out loud.

Lady Serafall gave a single clap. “Alright, kiddies! Time to send you all home. Keep working hard! Because the next time you get to see Satan level combatants battle it out, your lives will probably, most definitely, almost certainly be on the line!”

And with a flick of her wrist, pink light blossomed beneath their feet. The platform dissolved into a kaleidoscope of stars, and in the blink of an eye, Rias felt the world fold around her.

Finally, she could go home and – oh Lucifer.

Home.

The shithole in Grevex.

Satan-dammit.

-----

A/N: Another chapter at 9k words, ended up being significantly longer than I intended.