In celebration of this news, a party was planned in the dining room of the Temple, where everyone would be to eat, drink and have fun for a night disregarding their training. Escorted by his father to the doors of the dining room, his cybernetic hand slid them to the side to reveal the contents and people inside. The wondrous delicious stench of food entering his nostrils, the greetings of his many friends and family blasting into his eardrums, Azazel couldn't help but smile at them all, August raising his cup, discolored eyes gazing at his rival- Ry pushed him into the room so he could take his seat across from the grandfather of the child, Jason.
He didn't have the usual grumping old man face, instead, he just smiled and held up his cup of tea to his daughter's lover,
"Glad you're the one to continue our legacy," Stated Jason happily, to which Karlo nodded, bowing his head as a sign of respect, but, in the back of his mind, remembering how he insulted him just a day or two ago when they first met Hana.
August couldn't help but bump him on the arm, wrapping his limb around the neck of the Detective. Turning his head so he could meet the lower eye-line of his old friend, Az awaited what the white-haired idiot had to say,
"Daddy Karlo, huh? And here I was thinking that… that…" August had lost his train of thought for a moment, leading Kristina, asserting some of her foods onto her plate- to look at the Reaper curiously. Azzy, too, couldn't help but quirk a brow, worriedly staring at his younger friend,
"August?" Inquired Azzy, before Rivera turned his head away, holding out his hand, excusing himself as he raised his left palm.
Kissing Kristie on the cheek momentarily, he stood up and went outside so he could have a moment to himself. Closing the doors on his way out, Aug ruffled his hair, shoving his hands into the pockets of his outfit then vanishing in an emerald cleave in space. Following the Reaper, though, was his Detective friend, and though he was the man of the hour, he'd known August like the back of his hand… so he had some suspicion of why he suddenly just vanished like that
The gateway in space spat him out on the rooftop of the Temple, where the stars sparkled against the peak of his head, the moonlight shining against his grey hairs. Touching against his red eye, he felt a spark of electricity hit against the eyeball, Aug wincing in momentary anguish, he dug into his pocket to take out a cookie he'd stolen from when he left home. Thanks to the self-heating function of his dad's suit, the snack was always kept at an edible smooth hot temperature, meaning when he sunk his teeth into the color and chocolate chips, it was just as satisfyingly tasty as ever.
Reeling back after he'd taken a bite, he threw back the bitten chunks inside of his mouth from side to side. Vocals muffled,
"Mom's cooking is the best," August praised the woman who wasn't even here, hoping that she was okay, he took out his phone from the other pocket- scrolling through his contacts to see if he could maybe invite her to this place.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, desperate to find someone to relate to, to cling to the past while everything seemed to be moving forward to the future. Because even after everything, her face still shined as bright as the morning sun in the depths of his mind, luscious white hair, bright red eyes, Celine was the light of his life. While they originally knew one another for simply a week, he spent all of his time at the Temple going to her, resting on her chest or shoulder whenever he was tired. 15 years- how do you just get over someone like that?
Truthfully, he couldn't even really use the excuse like he just got back, when in reality, that was about eight years ago. And in those eight years, he didn't even lose his virginity, how despicable was that? Even dating Kristie, he thought it'd be simple, but it wasn't, instead, he held onto the past, that beautiful girl. August decided to sit up from his laid down position on the roof, stretching his limbs into the air feeling his joints crack, he turned and twisted, feeling as if he would fade away into a deep slumber,
"Thinking about Celine, I suspect? Because, if she didn't die and Kuno never existed, you and she would be living long happy lives, together. Married or even expecting a kid, you'd even thought of a name, didn't you?" Deducted Azazel, before August interjected to give him that specific name, like his father, he was more interested in the idea of having a beautiful baby girl instead of a boy,
"Her name would be June. That's what we agreed upon, that if we ever came back, we'd have a girl and her name'd be June. I wish I could go back to the past and slaughter Kuno before he was ever born- heh, not like that'd even do anything," August stated, to which Azazel, hands shoved in his pockets, brought them up to spit some wisdom,
"Think about it this way, though I know you'd much rather have been with her forever if things never happened the way they did, you and I would've never had a long-lasting friendship the way we do now," Azazel pointed like out sticking out his index finger, aiming it at August's face, leading the Reaper to roll his eyes with a short chuckle afterward.
He shrugged his shoulders back, some of his feelings had faded after that statement, thinking about it in retrospect, Azazel was right. The Prince Fool Detective, for once, used some of his deductions skills for something useful, how rare. Ruffling his mess of grey hair, he let out a gentle sigh, just stargazing for a while at the sight of the night sky, how they dwindled in illumination, it was a rather beautiful phenomenon,
"So, Azazel Karlo is gonna be a dad. How's that gonna work? Do we know if it's a boy or a girl? Which do ya want?" Inquired August of his friend curiously, neither of them sharing eye contact, the duo of them keeping their gaze at the moon-ridden skies.
Chuckling nervously, Karlo thought for a moment rubbing his chin, searching about the possibilities in the depths of his mind. Pondering deeply about what he wanted if it turned out to be what he'd wanted, not that it was any bad if it was the opposite, he just needed to think of names and all that,
"Maybe… uh, I think-" Halting right in his tracks, the vibrations of that intense presence sent chills down his spine, Azazel glaring and arching his eyebrow glaring upward at the sky.
Convergence immediately activating, Aug shot right up into the sky standing beside his partner, having his darkened shadow tendril begin to slide down from his elbow to his arm ensnaring over his fingers to sharpen like demonic claws. Smirking, he couldn't even let himself withhold that smug excited giggle he had for when the thrill of a fight inched closer, and especially beside his best friend, it would sure as hell be a good one.
Maybe a small fry pathetic Angel scouter or a demon wandering around the outskirts of Acheron, managing to find this location, but those assumptions were wrong, as the silhouette of the Legendary Demon Prince raising out from the depths behind them both. Both paralyzed by fear, unable to even make a move or step forward, Azazel couldn't even make his sword appear, with August unwilling to make another tendril appear or even throw the first punch. What didn't help after was his deepened voice, vocals booming throughout the world, the sinister sound of his voice bouncing throughout this Mountain,
"Runaway from me… disgusting brats!" As Lucifer bellowed that out from the bottom of his gut, August had finally regained the determination and bravery to do what needed to be done.
Aiming a rightful punch to the center of the Prince's face, a simple swiping of his fingers had led to the Reaper's hand going flying into the air, instantly breaking through Shattered Limit's barrier. Stunned by this action, Morningstar raised his right hand to bitch slap August right across the face so he could be slapped right into the air above the clouds, flailing about, unable to gain his balance. The Hellish Prince expanded his smile, revealing his fanged teeth, glaring at Azazel, still paralyzed with fear, before gritting his teeth and making his sword appear, infusing the metallic edge with Takyr.
That way, he'd at least have more of a chance against this guy, but just as he raised the tip of the katana to meet his forehead, Lucifer raised his arm to protect the peak of his hair. Just as the metal had met his wrist and forearm, it had shattered to a plethora of different pieces, shards hitting against the rooftop below him. The brightness of his four red eyes menacingly glowing in the darkness of this despairing night, a crazed giggle squeaking out from between his rowed teeth, he grabbed Karlo's throat immediately and threw him to the back of his head, so he could fall and roll against the concrete to the front of the Temple almost falling down the limitless steps.
Stabilizing himself and pushing his body upward, he cracked his neck then knuckles afterward, clawing at his face so the Takyr could seep his brains, psyche altering so he could turn himself psychotic. Insane smile over his lips, he created two blackened swords, spinning them around, Lucifer extending out his wings so he could carefully levitate and touch the soles of his feet against the ground to the front of the Detective,
"So, the King's energy can alter the mental state of a human to beyond that of the normality? I can't wait to test it on those little test subjects, sniveling fucks those insolent humans are," As Lucifer degraded the existence of humans as a whole, Azazel couldn't help but snarl and groan at the hate-filled comment.
Unsheathing a curved, sharpened sword from his palm, extending it out and grabbing it at the grip, red with black lightning chaotically cracking as he manifested this weapon. Giggling maniacally as he awaited the charge from the human in front of him, Azazel growled like a rabid animal, running right head with enhanced speed, and slashing right down as if trying to slice his enemy in half right then and there. More of the same slashes came forward as Lucifer kept dodging with basic ease, whether it be to the side, jumping back, or even simply ducking, the attacks were too simple, leading Morningstar to drop his sword to the ground and simply go for the throat.
Struggling and gasping for air, Azazel hit at the stronger hand around his neck, veins sliding up from that area to show around his chin and face. Lucifer couldn't help but smirk at the sighting, wings flapping out so some of his feathers would gently hover to the ground as he unleashed them, Morningstar giggling as he inched his face closer, brushing his tongue against the cheek of his enemy,
"I'll bring you to that Rivera girl, and torture you right in front of her. Dig my hands into her stomach and crush that fetus right in front of you, just the way you deserve, you useless tiny insolent excuse of a being," Just before Lucifer could warp away with Karlo in tow, his arm was slashed right off, and Azazel fell to the ground.
Red lightning bouncing from that area to lift the Detective from the floor, Jason stood a few several feet away, the Fool right beside him still wielding their double black blades. It wasn't just him though, August had landed right behind the Prince with Hana manifesting just as a flower petal touched against the ground. Following that, the rest of the horde began piling up with other poses, Ryder on the rooftop aiming his morphed cybernetic hand at the demon, Rose readying to scream at the top of her lungs. Not to mention Madi right beside her older brother to her front, all of them ready to kill him, right then and there, with their shared power, he could do it in a second. Each of their eyes was glowing as bright as the moonlight shining on the face of the Morningstar Demon, still with that happy smirk painted over his mouths,
"I don't have a death wish, especially with six of you Requiem abominations around here, the incessant Peace of Mind technique would just swiftly annihilate me. Ehehe~ but I'll save that for the Advent. In nine days, all of you shall meet your doom. See you then," As a portal opened to his rear near the end of his speech, Lucifer stepped back into it, Jason widening his eyes and attempting to thrust the tip of his blade right into the chest of his enemy.
Right before he could land any sort of stabbing attack, the Demon Prince vanished in front of those crimson orbs of his. Gritting his teeth, the Hunter snarled in agitation, sheathing the Ketsueki blade right in its cover so the grip would make a clicking sound once hidden. All of them powering down, Hana raised her hands, eyes enveloped by a bright white glow, tips of extremities sparking as if summoning lightning itself, as she summoned a barrier to protect her Empire, everyone winced, all holding their ears, except Hana,
"Your training is worthless, all of you will die painful deaths at the hands of my brother. The Superior Emperor will tear you all limb from limb, and shove the organs that he rips out of Rivera's loved ones down the throats of his family. Prepare and train all you like, but in the end, malevolent humans, that is the destiny you're fated for," The Prince's disturbingly menacing vocals began to reverberate throughout the intricate space of everyone's minds, shivers sent down their spines, goosebumps forming all over their skin.
August reached out for Kristina as she covered her face in his chest, afraid of what was to come, Madi sitting down, hand on her face, wiping away the sweat, rubbing her eyes. Ben staring at his tanned palm, quaking with fearful anticipation of the future awaiting, Azazel kept in the comforting arms of his father in law, holding him there, as he faded off to unconsciousness, Jason couldn't help but dejectedly sigh.
Nine days until Advent, for where the World would change forever, there was no doubt that maybe Lucifer had slaughtered everyone down there in the lower city of this Empire. Hana could even sense it in the depths of her spirit, so, after she finished putting up the shield over her home, she fell to her knees. Unable to move, her chest began to shiver, grabbing at the center of her anatomy, carefully attempting to maintain steady breaths to overtake her new coming raggedness. It was the same presence as back then… for when she was just a soldier on that lonesome Army, fighting for the safety of mankind, but the very God she was fighting for had turned to the same side of those disgusting demons!
It was the same as back then, because of her inaction, she couldn't save anyone, unaware of the way the very subjects she'd sworn to priests had been massacred without her knowledge. The flashes of the past, of that horrible war, of his sadistic booming voice making its way like a virus into her ears the way a sickness infected the vulnerability of a human. Just on the verge of a mental breakdown, tears coming out the edges of her eyes, his hand had touched against her shoulder, forcefully turning her head so they could make eye contact with one another, Ben and Hana stared at one another…
And though, inside of his soul, he held the Incarnation of the Sixth Holy King within him, the Blessed Emperor of Longing, she could sense the way he held her cheeks. They had a long way to go before they would fully master their powers, that was the, sure enough, truth, so they would have to fight on and hunger. Fight and move onward for the future of this world and all others beyond it, so, finally, after a lifetime of failures, the both of them could be a part of something bigger than themselves and win!
Win, not only for those people but for themselves, as well. THAT- was the destiny they were fated to have, and without a shadow of a doubt, they would ensure it would be enacted.
For the next nine days, everyone worked themselves to the bone, days and nights were spent without any rest, bones were sore, and bodies even more so. Creating new techniques, learning new ways to control energies, scars were formed over the way some of them trained, but it was for the sake of the mission. Ben, Alex, and August went through hell, their bodies are broken but their spirits remained ever strong.
Ben learned to harness and control the aspects of the Superior Emperor, though it seemed hopeless, they managed to prevail, coming up with a fail-safe. Many trainers were brutalized when the Emperor and his counterpart switched out from one another, yet as Hana reassured him the way he did her when Lucifer visited days prior, it was for the cost of becoming stronger. In the end, on the Dawn of the 22nd, the Emperor managed to get some control over his other self to at least a miniature degree, being able to use his highly advanced telekinesis to his benefit.
Alex discarded his whip to channel his Requiem energy, creating a new technique always kept active throughout all his veins by the name of 'Judgement's Reign.' While it was impossible to unlock his full abilities and potential in just ten days, Amara decided to substitute it with an ocular technique originating from his heart and streaming up to his eyes, the same as August's. He could sense the flow of Omni, Requiem, and positive energy, making it easy to predict the moves of enemies while also going for a critical hit.
Madi learned some of her techniques from Hana's teachings along with the Planetary Blade, utilizing ancient Requiem powers into her moves that would amplify their strength to such a degree that the opponent would instantly get weakened from the blows. She passed these skills over to Jason who inherited some of this knowledge, building up his Negative version of Peace of Mind, who altered one of Hana's moves to fit his style.
Rose learned how to imbue her sonic abilities with Takyr for a more lasting effect on enemies, like her sonic scream, for example, along with the innate skill she inherited from Ryder. 'Demanding Speech' being that name, she could instantly use a word to create an effect on an opponent. For a weaker one, she could just tell them to go to sleep or die and that would be the end of it. However, for a stronger opponent, even telling one to punch themselves in the face would be damaging to not only the throat and body but to the very fabric of her soul, as well.
Everyone, both in the Requiem and Shinobi-Samurai Empires, prepared to their last breaths for the coming Advent. And on the final day they all had, everyone took a simple day of straight sleeping on their mattresses to rest their bones and brains from the horrible torture they had to endure. Their snores filled the world, sleeping for one final day until the world would change forever, the armies of Hell fighting alongside the Upper Echelon's Elite from Heaven. Not to mention whatever crazy twisted combined beasts they managed to combine, Ben, having woken up so suddenly in the middle of the day, had his arms behind his head, eyelids ridden with gunk.
Shaking his head, he started to sit up, rubbing his eyes, cracking his neck, Ben looked around- the chamber was vacant, chill from the AC seeping against his tanned skin. Just about to stand up so he could get ready, he took out his phone and checked the time, along with the date. July 21st, 2059. Right slam pack in the middle of the day, 5:02 PM. Just a month prior, he, Alex, and August decided to venture off together to locate the Tower, find some way to defeat the Advent themselves. How things had changed in such a short amount of time, not to mention on the day of his birthday, and the anniversary of his mom's death, there was that horrendous Advent looming over him like a demon about to ensnare their victim with their claws,
"63… huh?" Commented Ben weakly, with just tomorrow being in sight- the end of everything was there, too, just as it always was when he lived.
The way he was dying wasn't an illness, rather, it was a prophecy, if that made any sense, for tomorrow was the day. July 22nd, on his 63rd birthday, as he slid open the doors so he could step out from his room, he then felt the sting of the sun hit against his azure orbs gazing at the sight of the blue skies above him. His tomb laid bare tomorrow, he didn't see it, the only ones who did, without a doubt, were his father and his mother. And to his surprise, there he was, further out right near the steps of the limitless stairway, staring out at the sight before him, hands behind his back, Uraku turned to his son with a gentle smile over his lips,
"Ah, so, you're finally awake… come, let's chat for a bit."
To Be Continued - Dawn of the Final Day.