Chapter 39: The Void of Eternity

A/N : That's Meril up there. She's going to be a fun character. She may come off as a bit a bitch at the start, but it'll get fun, promise.

And I know a lot of people want to see how Ichigo interacting with Akihiko, and that will be next chapter, promise. I just need to set this up first. Enjoy!

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In a Space without a Where. In a Time without a When.  

Surrounded by and containing existence; multiplex and paradox.

There, touching the Darkness Beyond Death, two Thrones stood opposite, adjacent and one in the same.

Eight pupils across two eyes danced still over the infinite possibilities of shall and shall not. And there they met an empty stare in which dwelt the trisect house knowing all noble things and endless dark withal. Diametric and superimposed.

“What has Become of Us?”

The light bent inwards. Endings were born. The Wheel of Souls made a rotation.

“Then Everything is as We have Foreseen.”

The Chain of Generations cut. A newborn Father. A dead word. A dead world?

“We see it, We know it, We made it.”

The Dead Moon Rising. Heliocentric Egg hatched. Vile and gold, Satan spreads his wings laughing.

"Not Prophecy. A Record of Pasts. We shall Chronicle."

A song sung. A Wrong done. Do You a Wr-

“Wait-”

Don’t look.

“Wake up.”

DON’T INTERFERE

!#$@%*#^

-

“…”

And came the Void. The Aperion Sea. Pushing past all known Endings to propagate all unknown Beginnings. Silencing all of Existence.

Drowned and smiling: serpent!

I AM OPHIS

I AM OLDER THAN MUSIC

Ichigo woke with a scream.

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Tiamat’s eyes shot open, and her eyes collapsed into slits, fangs sharpening and claws lengthening as she sensed an unnatural cold pervade the through the ebb and flow of Underworld. And not a second later, her beloved jolted upright with a soul-wrenching cry. Stillness gripped her heart as she beheld him clutch his head and shut his eyes tight, his face scrunched in agony.

“Beloved?” Her voice was laced with alarm as she sat straight, her sapphire eyes wide and glowing faintly in the dim light.

Ichigo did not respond. His eyes remained shut, brows furrowed in terrible strain, and his chest heaved in erratic spasms as if every breath were a great labor. She could see his fingers strain and knuckles whiten as he applied more and more force against his skull. Instantly, she grew worried that he may hurt himself in whatever wretchedness that had possessed him.

Tiamat reached toward him, both physically and mentally, extending the grasp of their shared bond, but what she found within their shared mindscape made her breath still.

It was utter chaos. A storm of fractured thoughts and frenetic emotions.

There was no coherent thread, no anchor. Only panic. Confusion. A cacophony of perception unmoored from time. Past and future bled into one another. Images without meaning. Words without language. Sensations too alien for this reality.

Her concern only grew heavier when she sensed the ancient Evil slumbering within his soul begin to stir. His distress awakening the Sin, and it threatening to lash out in a cataclysmic show of self-defense.

She whispered to him, her voice steady and calming. “Breathe, little one.”

Tiamat's hands moved swiftly, one pressed gently to his shoulder, the other cupping the back of his head. She pulled him close, guiding him into the cradle of her arms until his cheek rested against her breast. Her aura flared, not a display of might, but one of tender intimacy: the primordial weave of motherhood rushing forth as she wove it into a protective cocoon about his mind.

“You divined the timeless place of the Undying. Where sit Thrones Immortal,” she murmured against his ear, voice low, lilting with the cadence of ancient lullabies. “Breathe now, beloved. Follow my voice, the beating of my pulse.”

She felt his trembling subside by degrees, but still his breath came in shallow gasps. She tightened her hold, resting her chin atop his head.

“Thou art too young, my love,” she whispered, soft and solemn, a certain heartache filling her. He really was far too young to be shouldering the domains he already had. His life barely counted in decades; he was being thrust too soon into the timelessness of the divine. Even with the First Flame raging within his Soul, his mind was not yet fully acclimated to the acasual realms.

“But you need not weather this alone.” She planted a firm kiss onto his head. “I am here. Your Tiamat will love you an eternity more.”

Her spirit poured into his with the ocean’s embrace. The primeval sea that served as the wellspring for all life. Nurturing and lifegiving. Her love washed over him, anchoring his broken thoughts with warmth and familiarity. Gently, slowly, she imposed order upon the discord, gave shape to the formless. Where his mind struggled to define, she offered definition. Where it ran frantic, she offered solace.

Ichigo’s arms slowly came around her, uncertain at first, but then caged her desperately.

His breath hitched once, then slowly began to steady. His fingers gripped her robe, and at last, the iron tension in his body eased.

Tiamat kissed him once more.

“Here and now, beloved,” she said. “Always and forever. Thou art not lost.”

He took a deep breath, and slowly his hold on her relaxed and he began to pull away. As he lifted his head, she gently pushed his fallen hair away from his eyes, and her heart jumped ever so slightly as those warm, loving brown eyes of his were marked with dark and haunted look.

“Oh, beloved,” she said sadly, cupping both his cheeks with her hands. “Look what they have done to you.”

He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes. Finally, after several heavy minutes passed, he turned his head and kissed her palm.

He gave her a small smile as he opened his eyes, and her heart broke just a little at how hollow it seemed, devoid of his usual fervor and passion.

“Thanks,” he said, voice reverberating with sincerity.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, light and chaste, but with enough out pouring of love and reassurance that it meant more than any wild and passionate night of mating.

His smile lifted just a fraction, but it quickly fell back to a frown as she saw gears of thought wind behind his eyes.

Good, she thought. He is recovering quick.

“What-what happened to me?” he asked, lips turned downward heavy.

She brushed his hair with her fingers. “I believe you divined the fourth-world in your dreams, and there you met something you are not yet ready to face.”

“The fourth-world?” he asked, brows furrowed I question.

“The realm of time unmoored from the physical world. Where the past, present and future bleed as one. It is the seat of immortal essence. Where sit those proud spirts daring to call themselves gods.”

“Wait, you mean the fourth dimension?” He looked away from her, his nose scrunching in contemplation. She thought it cute. “Hold on, what do you mean daring to call themselves gods?”

The corners of her lips twitched. Ever his curiosity and desire to know burning strong. Good. Truly, her love was amongst the most exceptional beings she had encountered in her long life. Recovering from a metaphysical existential crisis within the span of minutes was unheard of.

“We Dragons have our own thoughts as to what constitutes as God. Omnipotent and omniscient. Without limit, equal or compare. Without beginning or ending. Beyond imagination and comprehension. Unified and One.”

Ichigo blinked at her, mystified. “Okay…wow…I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk religion before.”

She gave him a small smile. “A discussion for another day, perhaps. Let us focus on the matter at hand. Your mind failed to grasp reality without linear causality. Worse still, you were assaulted within the dreamscape.”

He gave her a dubious look. “Tiamat, I’ve been to Hell. I’ve seen things there that literally cannot be described because no language exists to describe them. Also, the fact that there is no Time in Hell. There is only one reality: pain.”

She gave him a slow nod, affirming his words. “There is no doubt, what horrors scream in the First Flame are unknown to me, and I am content to keep it such. But beloved, think on it, while you have seen and delved into the Fire, you have not experienced it yourself.”

He opened his mouth to respond but quickly shut it as he contemplated her words. She gently rubbed her thumbs across his cheeks. “The warden does not experience the prison as the prisoners do. Your mind is framed through your perceptions. To know a thing in of itself, independent of observation, is a different matter altogether. Particularly for the Darkest Pit.” 

“Phenomena and noumena,” he mumbled to himself, before his brows furrowed and he gave her a surprised look. “You know Kant?”

Amusement trickled through her mind. “Nay. I care little for mortals and their philosophies, beloved. Yet I am old enough to have experienced this world a thousand times o’er.”

He snorted. “Always comes back to you being older than me, huh?”

“You are young, beloved. Even by human standards, you are barely into your adult years. Many would consider you a child still,” she stroked his hair lovingly. “If I could, I would spirit you away and let you grow safely, nestled in my arms. Letting centuries pass so that you may grow and mature into your own being, outside of the meddling of that lout Sirzechs and that annoying thing insisting itself as your mother in spirit.”

He gave a laugh, and Tiamat’s heart finally let out a sigh of relief in knowing he had fully overcome the ordeal.

“I think one mystical font of motherhood is enough in my life,” he said wryly. “But I much prefer to think of you as my girlfriend instead.”

Thoughts turning wicked, she traced a finger along his jaw. “And yet, there were those moments where you did so enjoy our roleplays…”

To his credit, he gave no reaction to her jab, though his ears did begin to color red. With a dark laugh, Tiamat crawled into his lap and hugged him tight. He quickly returned her embrace as his arms snaked around her waist, and he tucked her head under his chin.

Tiamat rested her head against his chest, listening to the sound of the demonic heart and taking a deep pleasure in the rhythmic beating.

“I heard Ophis,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” she said, in an equally still voice. “I sensed its presence, leaking from your dreams into the reality of the Underworld.”

“…I don’t think I can beat that thing.”

While not a shocking admission, she was proud of him for admitting it, nonetheless. Many fell victim to the trappings of power, believing themselves invincible. That he could so openly and readily admit to his limitations spoke volumes of his maturity and wisdom.

“You are not meant to,” she replied, shifting in his arms. “The Void is nothing. It is not there, it never was. You cannot fight nothing.”

“Pretty damn loud for a whole lot of nothing,” he said dryly.

“As you ascend the ladders of immortality, you will find logic and sense replaced with paradox and chaos.”

“If you say so.” He went quit for a moment, before saying in a more hesitant tone, “That being said…I think you can burn nothing.”

She looked up at him in question. What did he mean?

“I think I can burn it; I think Hell can burn it. I think even the Void can be burnt by Hellfire.”

“Beloved,” and there was an austerity to her voice, even as uncertainty and a creeping dread thrummed in her chest. “Promise me, promise me you will try no such thing.”

He opened his mouth, but she raised two fingers and put them across his lips, silencing him.

“Listen to me. Do not make the mistake of conflating yourself with the First Flame. You wield its power, but it exists independently from. It is not you, nor are you it. This is your greatest blessing. Do not tempt Fate any further than this.”

He met her eyes, and Tiamat flooded their bond with conviction. This was a truth she fully needed him to understand. The Infinite Ouroboros could not dare to swallow the Inferno, but her love possessed no such protection.

He nodded before giving her an indulgent smile and leaning down to nuzzle against her shoulder. Tiamat reached up and snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him tight against her. She felt his lips come to her ear, his breath warm and steady. “I love you, you know? I don’t know what I would do without you. I really, really love you, Tiamat.”

Her heart swelled and she smiled into him. “And I you, beloved.”

They cuddled together for several long minutes until finally, Ichigo broke the silence and asked her, “I guess this means I need to start fourth-dimensional training.”

She rolled her eyes fondly. “Must everything be training with you? It is the same with young Millicas. You are a bad influence, beloved.”

“Training never stops. And I'm a great influence!”

“You are so boorish.”

“Yeah, okay,” he snorted.

"I will have to pay attention to ensure you do not corrupt our own children, one day."

He went still around her, but a moment later he hugged her tighter and she felt an outpouring of love through their bond as he murmured into her hair, "One day."

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In an ironic twist of events, they, along with Lady Sona’s peerage, were placed under the – ahem – auspicious guidance of the Lord Wrath. There had been a collective groan from all of them when Lady Rias informed them of their fate.

No one was looking forward to being placed under Lord Ichigo’s non-existent mercies.

And now, Kiba stood in stunned silence, as the sweltering heat of Infernity licked at his skin and his boots crunched against blackened stone. Before him rose the Dark Gates, the infamous magical doors that served as the only entry way into the Crown Prince’s personal world. A wall of obsidian and solid metal that towered so high it seemed to scrape the roof of the sky and stretched so far that the sheer scale of the gate made it seem less an edifice and more a mountain.

 If he remembered his prior reading on this demon realm correctly, then the Doors of Infernity stood over twenty miles high, dwarfing Earth’s tallest mountains.

The titanic metal doors seemed to radiate some sort of gravity as well, a magical allure that pulled at him. Kiba grimaced as he consciously tried to ignore the alien sensation in his mind.

He turned around, and looked beyond their group, and as if the impossible gates weren’t baffling enough, the sheer scope of the crowds amassed before them was…breathtaking.

Tens of thousands, and not just Devils. Centaurs with brass-tipped spears, great hunched Orcs dragging wagons, cloaked Yōkai whispering in archaic dialects of Japanese, he even spied a group of humans, bartering in thick accents with lizard-like merchants. It was a chaotic menagerie of supernatural species all jostling to enter the Realm of Wrath.

But then his eyes were drawn upward. High in the violet skies of the Underworld, six fiends circled on blackened wings. They were gigantic beasts; his excellent eyes marked them as about thirty feet tall. They seemed bipedal, almost humanoid in appearance, but distinctively draconic with triangular and demonic heads. Their long tails trashed behind them; their mouths split in snarls that showed jagged-like obsidian teeth and a burning molten furnace of a throat.

One of them turned its gaze downward, and Kiba felt a shudder rip through his spine.

“The hell are those?” Issei muttered from beside him. And he wasn’t the only one looking up at the winged demon like creatures seemingly forged of ember and ash.

“Reaver Titans.”

And as one, they all looked at the cool and collected voice of their chaperone for the trip.

 Grayfia Lucifuge stood as poised and as beautiful as ever. Lord Sirzechs had tasked his wife with ensuring that both heiresses and their peerages met with Lord Ichigo without any incident. There was a shared sense of worry amongst them all. The most powerful Queen in the Underworld was not someone they dared to upset, so they were all on their best behavior.

“That’s a Reaver?” Lady Sona asked skeptically. “They look nothing like the pictures in the bestiaries.”

Lady Grayfia raised a nonchalant, silver brow, and placed one hand on her hip. “Those would be common Reavers.”

She then pointed off, and they all followed her finger to the direction of a hulking figure several feet away, seemingly intimidating a group of travelers. “That is what is printed in most books.”

It was an incredibly tall, heavily muscled demon of brick red color. By Kiba’s estimate, it stood some eight feet high, maybe a few inches more. It had a dog-like head, similar to a rottweiler’s, but no ears. Instead, two great horns of twisted metal, wound down and curved forward, giving it a bull like appearance. As if noting their eyes, it turned towards them, eyes seething red with a deep abiding hatred. Kiba wasn’t so sure why the monster was staring at them with such loathing, but he was content in his ignorance so long as the beast stayed at a distance.

“I don’t think it wants to be friends,” Gasper whimpered from his hiding spot behind Akeno.

“There are different types of Reavers?” Lady Sona asked.

Personally, Kiba was less interested in learning about the hulking beast staring death at them and more interested in getting out this veritable sea of people and into the safety of the city on the other side.

But Lady Grayfia coolly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and deigned to give them a quick zoology lesson. “As you know, Reavers were created by the original Sin of Wrath, but now they serve Lord Ichigo. Reavers are magically tied to the number thirteen. For every thirteen Reavers, the fourteenth is born a High Reaver. High Reavers are identical to common Reavers, but noticeably bigger. And more aggressive. Be warned, Reavers and High Reavers have limited intelligence and will not hesitate to eat you if they deem you a threat to Infernity’s security and order.”

Kiba nodded to himself, he was more than content to keep any and all distance between himself and the ravenous demon like creature staring unadulterated hatred in their direction.

“There are other ranks of Reavers, I’m assuming?” Lady Rias asked, looking at the monster in the sky with faint interest. Kiba sighed to himself. As much as she loved and emulated human culture, his master was a Devil through and through. He had no doubt she was imagining having her own army of monsters at her disposal.

Lady Grayfia gave a curt nod. “Following the example of after every thirteen, the fourteenth being another; after the High Reavers are the Reaver Knights. They are much more intelligent and are capable of wielding rudimentary elemental magic. In terms of strength, they would be as strong as a veteran Mid-class Devil.”

Kiba frowned. Akeno was the only one of them who was a Mid-Rank Devil, aside from Lady Sona and Lady Rias who were firmly High-class. He wasn’t sure how powerful he himself was now, he’d have to get tested eventually.

Nevertheless, given that Lady Grayfia hadn’t spoken of Titans yet, that meant that Lord Ichigo had potentially hundreds, if not thousands of monsters as powerful as Akeno in his employ. It was both a humbling, and a frightening, realization.

“Above them,” Lady Grayfia continued, “are the Reaver Lords, one for every thirteen Knights. Each as powerful as a High-class Devil.  Next are the Titans who are patrolling the skies above us. Titans are on the cusp of being Ultimate-class Devils. And then, for every thirteen Titans, the fourteenth is an Imperator. Equal in might to the ranks of Ultimate-class Devils.”

“And for every thirteen Imperators?” Gaspar asked nervously.

Lady Grayfia fixed him with a flat look. “There is one Crown Prince of Wrath.”

“Eep!” Gaspar buried his face into Akeno’s side, and she quickly put a comforting arm around his diminutive shoulders. Though Kiba didn’t miss the slight look of bewilderment on her face.

“Wait a minute,” Tsubaki whispered horrified. “If I’m doing my math right…Lord Ichigo was nearly five million Reavers under his command?! Thirteen of them at Ultimate-class too?!”

Kiba balked, and he wasn’t the only one. Lord Ichigo hardly had to lift a finger if he wanted someone dead, if that were the case. An army in the millions, he could barely even begin to imagine it himself.

However, Lady Grayfia shook her head. “The bulk of the Reavers were wiped out during the Great War, and they do not reproduce sexually. They have alchemical spawning pits that can only be empowered by the Sin of Wrath. Factor that in with the frequent wars they waged after their original masters death and Ichigo’s very recent ascent, their number is only little over a million. At least, according to the last census. Even then, of the Imperators, only four survive.”

Only, she said. Kiba had to keep himself from scoffing. An army a million strong was still quite impressive. And four Ultimate-class servants, along with how much of his Peerage he had filed out? He didn’t think it was possible, but Lord Ichigo was sounding more and more terrifying by the minute.

“Are the Imperators part of Lord Ichigo’s peerage?” Lady Sona asked.

“They already serve him wholeheartedly,” Lady Grayfia said matter-of-factly. “It would be a waste of Evil Pieces. But we’ve tarried long enough, let us make for the city.”

“Are we going to walk?” Lady Rias asked dubiously, as she gazed out over the sea of people between them and the city.

“Of course not.” The silver-haired Queen then waved her hand; a hum of magic passed through the air and a blue portal, three people wide, appeared before them. “All traffic to and from Infernity goes through the Dark Gate, but Ichigo has granted me access to the realms wards. Now, let us be on our way.”

However, as she turned towards the portal, a commotion suddenly broke out all around them!

“Look! A portal!”

“Let’s go! We don’t have to wait in this damnable line anymore!”

“Quickly! Before it closes!”

“Thank Lucifer!”

Dozens rushed in their direction in a mad stampede.

Kiba made ready to grab Lady Rias and rush her through the portal, but out of nowhere, there was a sudden chill that permeated through the air.

Without even moving, Lady Grayfia had conjured thick sheets of ice and froze the wild charge in place. Over a hundred Devils and other species were entombed in demonic ice, and she hadn’t so much as even blinked.

“Come,” she said, as she nimbly stepped through the portal.

Kiba shivered, and not just from the cold. Rather, the sheer indifference Lady Grayfia slaughtered so many people with. These Satan-class Devils were going to be the end of him, he swore.

As they all quickly shuffled through the portal, Kiba was instantly met with the refreshing feel of air conditioning, a stark contrast to the hot and humid air of Infernity.

However, ignoring the welcomed comfort, he swiftly positioned himself in front of his master, taking note of all possible exits. Not that he thought Lady Grayfia would ever lead them into danger.

It was just, recent events had filled him with a healthy sense of paranoia.

He found that they were now in what appeared to be a spacious and sleek conference room, built to impress and accommodate. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows lined one side, offering a panoramic view of the city’s skyline: skyscrapers of steel, glass and magical crystals gleamed against the velvet night of the Underworld. Soft blue overhead lighting bathed the room in a fresh glow, contrasting the cool violet hues outside.

Several large, modern sofas and low coffee tables were arranged in conversational clusters, each inviting comfort over formality. At the far end, a large flat-screen television hung against a matte-black accent wall, silently playing the news. It was a room designed for both power and ease, business and diplomacy alike.

“Where are we?” One of Lady Sona’s pieces asked with quiet awe.

The doors on the far end of the room slid open, and Kiba’s eyes immediately darted towards the figures entering.

“The City of Fellgrand, the largest city within the realm of Infernity,” said the smooth, voice of the woman in the middle. On either side of her were two strange-looking creatures he had never seen before. They were tall, perhaps just over six feet, and black as midnight. Covered in what appeared to be a glossy carapace that reflected the blue light from above off them, giving them an eerie glow. Even their faces were entirely covered in the strange armor-like hide of theirs. He could make out no visible eyes, ears, nose nor mouth, just the smooth sheen of their black carapace.

“Holy crap she’s hot,” Issei whispered from behind him. Kiba barely suppressed the twitch in his eye as he prepared to turn around and hit his friend.

But apparently, he was beaten to it.

“Ouch!” Issei cried out before quietly mumbling out an apology. “Sorry, Akeno-san, I’ll be quiet.”

Though exasperated with Issei’s antics, Kiba found himself agreeing with his fellow servant’s sentiment. The woman was down-right stunning.

She had shoulder length blue hair, that was cut stylishly in a manner that caused her bangs to fall over one of her eyes. She was dressed in a pencil skirt that hugged and accentuated her hips, and coupled with the tight blue blouse and her short blazer, her hourglass figure was masterfully highlighted.

A professional beauty, Kiba thought.

The clack of her heels on the polished wooden floors echoed through the room until she came to a stop before Lady Grayfia. The two accompanying creatures, however, stayed at the doors that shut tight behind them.

The woman clasped her hands together and gave a graceful bow at the waist. “Greetings, Lady Grayfia. On behalf of my master, welcome back to Infernity.”

Their chaperone gave a polite smile and an elegant tilt of her head in return. “Hello, Meril, I am glad to see you are doing well.”

Lady Grayfia then motioned for both Lady Rias and Lady Sona to step forward with a subtle wave. “May I present Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri.”

Both stepped forward and curtsied, giving quiet hellos to the woman before.

She nodded towards them and gave them a sharp look. And there was something in the woman’s mannerisms that reminded him of Lady Grayfia and her own personal brand of severity. It was in the sharpness of her eyes, as she looked down at the two teenage heiresses, Kiba thought.

“Greetings, I am Amerilgransieanna of the Extra House of Abraxas. I am also called ‘Meril’ for short. I serve as the Head Maid and Chief Secretary for His Highness, the Crown Prince of Wrath. I will be your primary point of contact during your stay in Infernity. Lord Ichigo has a number of responsibilities that go beyond looking after you and caring for your needs. Should you desire a meeting with him, you may make an appointment with him through me.”

Well then. Her Spartan tone left no room for argument. Not that Kiba would be objecting to the lack of the Crown Prince’s presence in the future. As far as he was concerned, this was excellent news.

“Uhm, excuse me, Meril,” Kiba looked over to see Asia nervously raising her hand in question.

Cold blue eyes fell on the young girl. “Miss Meril or Lady Abraxas, if you please. And, with all due respect Miss Rias, I highly recommend that you teach your servants not to speak out of turn.”

Lady Rias quickly offered an apology. “I’m sorry, they’re all very new the Underworld.”

Meril’s lips pressed thinly. “Lord Ichigo himself is quite lax and prefers to do away with formality of any kind. But I say this for your own good, do not mistake his casual manners as an invitation to show disrespect. This is the realm of Infernity, and many of its denizens are zealously loyal to our master. We tolerate no insult on his behalf.”

There was a terse moment of silence where all the younger Devils shuffled nervously in front of the two, older, beautiful Devils. But then Lady Sona cut through the tension. “Will we be meeting Lord Ichigo soon?”

Meril nodded. “He should be here shortly, I believe he currently is in the middle of training session.”

“Nope, just finished up.”

And there was a tug in his soul as Kiba felt a horrid dread wash over him. The younger Devils collectively flinched as Satan himself walked into the room.

Significantly more relaxed than the last time Kiba had seen him, Lord Ichigo’s dark power still washed over him like a tidal wave. Instantly, they all fell to their knees.

“Yeah, enough with that, get up,” he said dismissively.

However, Lord Ichigo quickly turned his attention away from them. A soft and, dare he say, affectionate smile crossed Satan’s lips as he turned toward Lady Grayfia.

“Hey there, Nee-san. Looking beautiful as ever.”

And in an equally shocking display, Lady Grayfia reached up and gently kissed Lord Ichigo on the cheek! She then proceeded to lightly cup said cheek and, with the friendliest smile he had seen from the frigid woman, said, “Hello, Ichigo. Have you been well?”

The Demon Lord shrugged. “Same as ever, can’t complain.”

He turned his attention back to them and said, “Alright, you brats stay here. I need to talk to Grayfia-nee for a bit. Meril?”

As Lord Ichigo motioned with his head, he offered his arm to Lady Grayfia – who happily took it – and together they followed Meril out of the conference room.

There was a moment silence in the room, before Lady Sona turned flabbergasted towards Lady Rias. “…did she just kiss him?”

His master looked just as shocked and confused. “I-I…”

“Did you see the way he smiled at her?” Tsubaki asked, almost scandalized.

Kiba stared at the girls in confusion. What exactly was this weird energy that had suddenly taken over the female members of their respective groups?

“Arm in arm,” Koneko said plainly, causing Kiba to frown in her direction.

Momo, the white-haired Bishop of the Sitri group, clasped both of her hands over her mouth as she gasped. “Wasn’t Lord Ichigo Lord Sirzechs’ Pawn?!”

“You guys!” Lady Rias cried. “They’re just friends! I-It’s not like that!”

“They looked very comfortable with one another,” Xenovia said flatly.

“Oh!” Akeno said with a squeal. “I read a book like this!”

“Wait,” Saji said from behind Lady Sona. “What are you all talking about?”

“Yeah, I’m also confused,” Issei said as he crossed his arms and pinched his chin.

“I read that book too!” Tsubaki exclaimed as she looked at Akeno. “The one with the Pawn in love with his Queen who’s married to the King?!”

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

 Kiba paled dramatically. They couldn’t possibly be implying…?

“Yes!” Akeno screamed delighted. “Oh, it’s one of Lady Serafall’s masterpieces!”

“Is-is this the debauchery of the Underworld we were told about in Sunday school?” Asia asked, her face flamed red.

“No!” His master decried, equally red.

Akeno shook, giddy with excitement.

“Huh? Oi, handsome bastard, what is everyone talking about?”

But Kiba chose to ignore Issei, instead he closed his eyes as he resigned himself to his oncoming doom.

“They’re having an affair!” Akeno shrieked excitedly.

Lucifer, they were dead. They were so, so dead.

Maybe if he begged hard enough, Lord Ichigo wouldn’t bring him back from Hell just to kill him over and over again?