- Death -
With the plans understood by all, Death decided to train. He had an area cleared for him while he practiced, warning everyone not to get close. He wasn't planning on using magic, he had planned to swing his scythe around with his eyes closed and didn't want to accidentally hit someone.
'I ride in. The first one to try and make contact will probably be Urdros,' He pictured as he swung his scythe upwards.
He ran every interaction he could in his head. He had always been an instinctual fighter more than a planner, he decided that this battle would be different. He needed to be better, he didn't want to rely on permanently blighting the land.
'I can tear through the left side and move my way right to assist Lucifer.' He swung his scythe horizontally.
He opened his eyes and sighed at all the stares he was getting.
'Surely you have your own training you could be doing? Whatever, if things go well you won't need to fight.'
- Death and Lucifer -
(Past: After the battle of Sol)
Death and Lucifer were sitting across from each other at the fire. Death had a mug of beer that he was taking occasional sips out of. Lucifer had asked the team members to give the two of them some time alone, which just meant the team staying out of earshot while still maintaining line-of-sight.
"So you blighted that part of the zone?" Lucifer asked.
"Had to be done; I wouldn't have won otherwise." Death said. 'Won in time, at least,' He thought to himself.
Death gave a limited explanation of how his fight had gone. He left out key parts such as him obliterating a large chunk of land.
"You seriously think she's going to tell her father that she broke her oath?" Lucifer questioned.
"Obviously I don't." Death took a long sip out of his mug. "Few in this world have the honor and/or courage to willingly accept such a fate." He finished the mug and put it on the ground. "I can tell you this though." He closed his eyes. "The look on her face told me what I needed to know."
"Careful," Lucifer warned. "Fear can easily revert into anger."
"Really?" Death opened his eyes. "No offense, but how do you feel when you think about your father?"
Lucifer shuddered. He would rarely think about his father. Their conflict was a long time ago and he had more relevant things to concern himself with. However, the rare times he had thoughts of his father pop into his mind always gave him an unshakeable feeling of unease. It felt like the man might appear for simply being thought about.
"I'm not the same rank as Amaterasu though," Lucifer said, looking away.
"Greater pride, greater fall." Death stated. "Besides, you and I both know that your world ranking is misrepresented."
"I like it that way," Lucifer grinned. "Still though," He frowned. "Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susano'o. Three powerful gods, two of which might want revenge for their sister."
"Maybe." Death sighed as he leaned back. "I can tell Izanagi and Izanami about Amaterasu before the other two make any real plans for vengeance. If those two try anything after Izanagi learns the truth they'll be condemning themselves."
The two stayed quiet for a moment. Lucifer felt guilty about Azriel's attack, while Death felt guilty about Amaterasu. Both had thoughts about what they could have done in the past to avoid the battle they just had.
'I should've killed you that day you psychopath,' Lucifer thought.
'I should have requested a duel with you,' Death thought. 'Maybe you would have realized how outmatched you really were.'
"Are you planning on continuing to Passage?" Death spoke first. "I can take over from here if you want?"
"No," Lucifer answered. "I want to see this through. If this unknown is a bigger problem, which it probably is, then I want to be there to help you."
Lucifer wanted to help because he had felt inadequate about his own strength. He wouldn't have stood a chance against Amaterasu, Taifu, and Odoroku. He hated the idea of putting his team at further risk but knew that he could always send them to Heliopolis if he needed a safe area.
"What about your team?" Death asked.
"I'll ask them again if they want to leave, but I have a feeling it'll be a repeat of Hydern. If anything goes wrong in Passage I'll send them away no question." Lucifer sighed.
Death felt a growing worry about Lucifer. He worried that his friend was only staying because he wanted to prove himself. He would never suggest such a thing out loud. He tried to break the tension with a hidden compliment.
"Do you think you would win against Amaterasu in Hopu?" He asked.
"Obviously," Lucifer said confidently.
Death smiled.
- Death -
(Present)
'I can't afford to be anything less than what's expected. I have a duty as a protector of humanity, as a former Rider, to kill those two.'
Death's movements got faster and faster. The display started to scare away some of the spectators. The previously damaged ground now appeared to be sinking with the accumulation of damage. The air around Death's scythe made an unsettling, almost crying-like sound with every swing.
'How many lives could I have saved if I had just dedicated my time to killing you two? How many broken souls would be spared your torture?'
With every thought, the scythe swung faster. The humans that were still watching the practice seemed terrified.
'Passive...I was far too passive. I will change that in this battle. Moloch, Baal, you will witness what you hid from. I will rid this world of you.'
Death had slipped into his hunter form. The torn ground beneath his feet started to wither.
"Death!" Saint yelled, catching the pole of the scythe before the blade connected with her face.
- Death and Saint -
"What?!" Death was irritated.
Saint touched her face with her index. Death realized what she meant and turned back to normal. He felt embarrassed. Losing control over anger was one thing, but this felt even worse. His embarrassment led to him being ruder than he meant to be.
"What?" He repeated, but a little softer.
"I was getting questions from the humans spectating you." She said. "Apparently they were worried you were losing control and that I was the only one who could stop you."
The idea that he was "Losing control" wasn't wholly incorrect, but Death had a feeling that the spectators' image of him was far more sinister than what was actually happening.
"They shouldn't have watched," Death grumbled. "Sorry that you got dragged away for this," He was sincere.
"Why are you even practicing?" she asked.
"Because I'm not a Rider anymore," He answered. "Believe it or not I don't feel over-confident about this battle."
Saint sighed. She looked around at the ground that Death had sliced into. Her look of irritation stayed, but her tone got softer.
"It's not like some last-minute practice is going to reawaken the former you."
"I appreciate the attempted worry," Death sighed. "How I prepare myself is my business though."
"I understand that you're afraid Lucifer might die in this battle, bu-"
"Really?" Death interrupted. "Don't pretend to care when you and I both know that if you really did you would actually join us in this fight."
"I wasn't pretending," Her irritated voice returned. "I just said I understand."
Death was happy when he first saw Saint again. Her unexpected appearance had made him forget what actually speaking with her was like. She was unfamiliar with the things that had gone wrong on this mission, and that he was in a less patient mood than normal. He wanted to be cordial and tell her politely to leave him alone. Instead, he said this:
"Just go back to healing then," He jabbed. "I'll be more careful with my practice, so please, leave."
Death's tone seemed unusual to Saint. It seemed strange that he would respond in such a way after trying to make amends earlier. She didn't know why he was acting the way he was but wasn't about to put up with the attitude after his insistence to talk while she was trying to help the rescued.
"So you can interrupt me when I'm trying to regrow limbs, but this pointless training session of yours is off-limits?" She mocked.
Death felt himself thinking "Let it go" so loudly he was mouthing it. She was right about the hypocrisy, and he knew that. His words came out too fast for his mind to stop him.
"Do you have any idea what's happened on this mission?" He asked. "No, you don't, because you don't concern yourself with me. You've made it perfectly clear how you feel, so please, I have a battle to prepare for," He said waving her away.
The look of Death trying to shoo her away gave her a deep feeling of anger. She wanted to just say "Fuck you" and leave, but instead said something more personal.
"Finally making up for past mistakes?" She asked.
Death returned his scythe. He felt like having a weapon in his hands was a bad idea given his current mood. The comment didn't anger him, it was just upsetting. He didn't respond immediately, opting to think about what he wanted to say next.
'What would Lucifer say in this situation?' He thought
After a brief moment of silence, he knew exactly what to say to get a rise out of Saint.
"Yes, as opposed to making new ones like you," He insulted.
The look of anger on Saint's face showed the effectiveness of the comment. Death felt a weird mix of pride and disgust with what he said. He hated arguing, especially with beings he thinks of as friends.
Saint stomped her foot forward and went to strike Death in the face. He could tell what she was doing and blocked her fist before it connected.
"I'm not fighting the Saint," He whispered. "These people fear me enough as is," He motioned with his head to the staring soldiers.
She pulled her fist away and walked off. It was clear to everyone that saw the look on her face that she was furious. Some of the spectators' stares filled with anger.
'You can be as angry as you want, it doesn't matter. Chances are most of you will die once the fighting actually starts...' Death thought.