With three bags of freshly-popped popcorn held between both hands, Raylix pushed open the door to Sabemka and Tomosei's living room, stepping through the door and swinging the door shut behind him with his heel as he went. Tomosei looked up from the chair she was sat in and smiled, holding her hand out as Raylix tossed one of the bags of popcorn over at his friend, which she caught neatly.
"Dark chocolate caramel..." Raylix muttered, flipping one of the bags over to get a look at what was written on it, before teleporting it directly into Sabemka's lap. "Classic cheddar..." he then flopped back into the empty chair (which he'd vacated earlier to prepare the popcorn), and opened the third bag, his own. "And simply salt."
Tomosei and Sabemka let out small sniggers at the noble Devil's common taste in popcorn as they tucked into their respective bags, as the movie they were watching on the TV (Return of the Jedi) continued to play.
["What is it?"]
The Ewok that Leia was with spoke a little bit in its native tongue while looking around, sniffing a bit before speaking again. After a few more seconds, a loud zap rang out, and both Leia and the Ewok rolled over the log they were sitting on to dodge out of the way of a laser that was fired their way. Leia and the Ewok both peaked over the log in question, Leia with a blaster at the ready, in anticipation for anything else that would be fired their way. Another tense moment passed before another laser was fired at them from within the woods, prompting Leia and the Ewok to quickly duck down again.
The Ewok crawled through a hole under the log, yapping away in its own language as Leia peaked up over the log again, far more cautiously this time. Yet another tense moment passed until...
["Freeze!"]
Leia gasped as a black and white-clad Stormtrooper forced her to her feet at blasterpoint, taking her blaster from her as he did so. Another Stormtrooper walked up through the forest, noticing what was going on, where he was ordered by the first one to take Leia back to base, after which the other one left. The Ewok chose that moment to smack the Stormtrooper holding Leia at blasterpoint in the leg with its weapon, distracting him for long enough to allow Leia to swing a hunk of wood at the Stormtrooper, hitting him hard enough to knock him out.
Picking up her blaster, she fired at the second Stormtrooper, who was riding by on a hoverbike of some description. She scored a hit on the front of said hoverbike with her third shot, scored another hit in the same place with her sixth, and hit the engine of another hoverbike with the seventh, blowing it up and sending the (presumably dead) Stormtrooper flying.
The Ewok that had hit the Stormtrooper climbed up onto the log, crowing in celebratory triumph.
["Come on. Let's get out of here."]
Leia lifted the Ewok down from the log it was standing on with a grunt, and made to lead it away in one direction. However, the Ewok pulled at her, and after speaking a bit more at her, began leading her in the opposite direction of where Leia had originally been going.
Raylix finished chewing on the bits of popcorn that he presently had in his mouth, and swallowed as the movie shifted focus to the still-under-construction second Death Star, and the black armour-clad Darth Vader entering the Emperor's throne room.
"You know, I always wondered," Raylix remarked, as Vader ascended the stairs and began speaking with the Emperor (who, Raylix vaguely acknowledged, sounded somewhat similar to Lucifer, in the rare few times that he'd heard the First Devil speak). "Remember when Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi had their whole fight in the first movie?"
"Mmhmm." Tomosei replied, not taking her eye off of the screen. "Why?"
"Well, the thought just popped into my head." Raylix remarked. "As thoughts often do... who do you think would have won between them? If they fought before the events of Episode 4, I mean, because chances are they did."
Tomosei looked over from her chair at Raylix, blinking a couple of times.
"Ben." she replied, simply, before turning back to the TV.
"Really?" Raylix spoke. "Huh. I always thought Vader would have won."
"Nah, I don't think so." Tomosei replied. "I doubt that Vader could've beaten Ben if he was 'but the learner', Raylix. Plus, he has to be wearing that armour all the time for a reason."
"That is true." Raylix replied. "But how do you explain Obi-Wan hiding out on shithole Tatu... Tati... the planet that Luke grew up on!"
"Tatooine." Sabemka spoke up absent-mindedly as he threw another couple of pieces of popcorn into his mouth. After a couple of chews, he pulled another piece out of the bag and attempted to toss it high up into the air and catch it in his mouth. His failure to pull off such a trick went unnoticed by either
"Right, yeah." Raylix nodded. "Even if we assume that the Empire became a thing when Vader and Obi-Wan had their hypothetical fight, I don't think Obi-Wan would be hanging out on that desert had he beaten Vader to the point that he was the reason that he got his armour."
"Fair point..." Tomosei replied. "But it's not like there aren't any other reasons that Ben could've moved there that don't have anything to do with the fact that he and Vader had their hypothetical fight. The Empire becoming a thing might've had something to do with it."
"...True enough." Raylix replied. "Still think Vader would've won. Hey Emka, what do you think?"
"Yeah, settle this for us!" Tomosei spoke up. "Vader or Ben, in what I'm guessing would be their prime, who would win?"
"Uh..." Sabemka looked between his two best friends, before glancing back at the screen, which showed Luke, Han, Leia, R2D2 and C3PO trapped in a net. "I think it was pretty stupid that they named the first movie 'Episode 4'. I mean, what about Episodes 1, 2 and 3?"
"Agreed!" Raylix and Tomosei replied, in unison. "Wait, what?" they spoke up, also in unison, half a second later. "That didn't answer us at all!" They cried out, yet again in unison. But as Sabemka refused to definitively side with Raylix or Tomosei on their little debate, the subject was dropped and the three friends continued watching their movie.
About an hour later, with relative silence between the three friends as the rest of the third instalment of the Star Wars trilogy played, with Sabemka switching the TV off once it was over, and casually tossing the remote onto a nearby table as he sat back down in his chair. He looked over at Raylix and Tomosei, rolling his neck.
"So, what now?" he addressed the pair of them. "Another movie? Another go at Contra?"
"DEFINITELY not another go at Contra!" Tomosei insisted, evidently still a bit pissed-off from the events of the day before.
"Yeah, maybe not another go at Contra." Raylix remarked, stretching and yawning. "Maybe another day, or something."
"Maybe when you're not looking like you did that one time when you spent nearly two days straight reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy." Sabemka replied. "Plus the Hobbit. With no breaks."
"I took a break!" Raylix protested, remembering the time in question that Sabemka spoke of. It had been thirty years ago, and Raylix had finally picked up a copy of The Return of the King, the third and final volume of The Lord of the Rings. Simultaneously overcome with excitement at the fact that he'd be getting to read the final part of the best story he'd ever read in his life, and in the mood to give the first two books another run-through in order to refresh himself on the series before jumping into the third, that resulted in him just... locking himself in his room and simply reading.
Raylix wasn't as fast a reader as other Devils he knew, which was probably a contributing factor in him taking forty-eight hours of non-stop reading to get through all four books, give or take. And contrary to what Sabemka had just said, he HAD taken a break. Between The Two Towers and Return of the King, he'd taken about half an hour to use the toilet, and take a shower. After that, it was right back to reading for the rest of the way.
"Yeah. A break, dude." Sabemka replied, holding up a finger. "As in singular. And it wasn't even to sleep, or even to eat, it was to take a shit. When you were done, you looked like one of those goths from the Human World, with the bags you had under your eyes."
"And you look kind-of like that now." Tomosei remarked. "Just... less pronounced, I guess. What were you even doing last night, having another time with one of your maids?"
"All four, actually." Raylix replied. "One of them had an idea, the others liked it..." he trailed off, looked between his two friends and just offered a shrug. "It was pretty fun at the time, at least."
"I'm sure it was." Sabemka remarked, glancing at the clock. "Did you actually get any sleep, though?"
"Oh, you know..." Raylix shifted around in his chair, as he polished off the last couple of kernels of popcorn in his back, before crumpling the bag into a ball and destroying it with a pulse of his Power of Destruction. "Enough."
"Maybe we should head back a little earlier than we usually do." Tomosei replied. "You need your sleep, Raylix. Also, your parents mentioned something about wanting you back earlier, for whatever reason."
"Oh yeah, that." Raylix replied, yawning again. "They probably want me back so they can talk me through the whole 'marrying-Ruvella' thing.
The can of beer that Tomosei had picked up and was moving to her lips slipped out of her hands, dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and rolled over, spilling out its remaining contents. Tomosei didn't pay that any mind, however, as she looked over at Raylix, a stunned expression on her face. Sabemka looked over at his best friend as well, also with a surprised expression on his features.
"When the hell did that happen?" Tomosei asked, her voice almost a whisper out of surprise.
"Last night." Raylix replied. "Trust me, I was just as surprised as you both probably are."
"Well... congrats, man!" Sabemka spoke, getting out of his chair, moving over to Raylix's in two steps, pulling him out of it and pulling him into a hug that- Raylix swore- almost crushed him. "Man, Ruvella freaking Phenex! She's gotta be the most... or at least one of the most-wanted women in the Underworld, if you know what I mean! Shit, I'm kind of jealous..."
"I'm sure Raylix knows EXACTLY what you mean, Sabemka." Tomosei replied, her tone slightly colder as she stood up. She took a breath, thought, and in a more normal-sounding tone, "I'm happy for you too, Raylix. When will it be happening, though? I can't imagine that the wedding's gonna be soon, not when there's a chance to hype it up for all it's worth."
"I think mine and Ruvella's parents are... still working that out." Raylix replied. "Probably as soon as they're able to get everything planned out, which I can't imagine will be too long. A year, maybe?"
"Well, however long it takes for this to happen," Sabemka remarked. "This'll probably mean that we got... less time to spend together in future, right?"
"Huh?" Raylix looked over. It took a second for his mind to fully acknowledge what Sabemka had said. "Oh, shit. Yeah, I guess you're right." The Gremory Heir's face fell as he bent down to pick up Tomosei's can of beer, set it on the table, and sat back down. "I mean, figures, with how often Mother and Father go out to do shit as a couple, both just for themselves and appearing before other Devils. Makes sense that Ruvella and I'd be doing that too, most likely more of the appearing-before-other-Devils stuff than the couples stuff-"
"Especially with how your marriage is probably gonna be announced to the Underworld public, soon." Tomosei replied.
"Yeah, the engagement party's in a week." Raylix replied. "Though... it's just..."
"You just figured that you'd never be in that position, huh?" Sabemka asked, in a slightly softer tone than his usual one, as he sat down. Raylix just nodded, as Tomosei sat down, picked up the beer can that Raylix had set down, and downed its remaining contents in one go.
"I mean, it's not like we'll never see each other again just because you're getting married, Raylix." Tomosei spoke up. "The fact that we're your bodyguards isn't changing, so we'll still be able to see each other in that context. Though being able to hang out like this? Significantly harder."
Raylix nodded again, before leaning back in his chair.
"Yeah, it sucks." he replied. "Hopefully Ruvella's reasonable enough to not be pissy when we spend time together."
"From what I know of her, she doesn't seem that level of clingy." Sabemka remarked. "Though I guess there's only one way to really find out."
Raylix nodded, for a third time.
"In any case, I don't think we're going to be the big issue for Ruvella, if she IS that level of clingy." Tomosei added. "Raylix, I'm sure you know what I'm on about, don't you?"
"Maids." Raylix replied, nodding for a FOURTH time. "Damn, I really should've asked Ruvella about all this last night, when she was at the castle. But I just... ugh."
"Yeah, we get it." Tomosei grinned. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll be able to ask her some other time in the near-future, Raylix. So I wouldn't worry too much about it."
"Right." Raylix nodded, offering up a smile of his own. "Yeah. Thanks, you guys."
"What would you do without us, huh?" Sabemka remarked, chuckling as he stood up and strode over to the TV, and its accompanying VHS player. "ANYWAY, if we're not up for another game... how about another movie?" When neither Raylix nor Tomosei raised any verbal objections, he moved over to the shelf of boxes, and ran his finger across them, one by one. "Back to the Future?"
"Didn't we watch that last week?" Raylix asked.
"Oh, yeah..." Sabemka replied, continuing to move his finger. "Rocky?"
"Eh... not sure." Raylix replied. "Great movie, but I'm not sure if I'm really in a Rocky mood."
"Hm." Sabemka continued moving his finger. "Friday the-?"
"NOPE." Tomosei spoke up, immediately. Raylix and Sabemka both chuckled, as Sabemka continued.
"Alright, then... how about Raiders of the Lost Ark?"
"Yeah!" Raylix and Tomosei both replied, in unison. A particularly large grin formed on Raylix's face as Sabemka pulled out the box.
"Alright, then." he replied, as he bent down to set up the movie.
-----
It was a few days later, now a full week since it had been revealed to Raylix that he'd be marrying Ruvella Phenex.
Now in the same suit that he'd been given that afternoon, bow-tie and all, he stifled a yawn as he stood just inside Gemyem's party hall, an extremely large building used for the biggest and most extravagant parties hosted by the Gremory Clan. Sabemka and Tomosei (both of whom were in their bodyguard uniforms) were stood on either side of them, with Zeoticus, Venelana (both in the finest of fine upper-class clothing. Zeoticus in a sharp crimson-red suit that had been specially-made for tonight, and Venelana in a radiant floor-length purple ballgown with matching elbow-length gloves) and their respective Queens also standing in the general area.
Gyokuro was an attractive young woman with violet eyes, tan skin and light blonde, shoulder-length hair. By human standards, she looked to be in her late-twenties or early-thirties. She presently wore a short black dress with an empire halter, a simple silver necklace, and gladiator-like sandles. Jarahn, by contrast, was an attractive man with short white hair and dark blue eyes. He was dressed in a similar suit to Raylix and Zeoticus, though it obviously wasn't as expensive as Raylix's or Zeoticus'. Hell, Raylix would've been surprised if Jarahn's suit was even HALF as expensive, considering that he was, you know, only his mother's Queen.
As Raylix had no servants via his Evil Pieces to call his own, Sabemka and Tomosei attended in place of anything like that. Though with how much time the three of them spent together, one wouldn't exactly be wrong in assuming that Raylix's two bodyguards jointly-shared the position of his Queen, Pieces or no Pieces.
A light-yellow transportation-circle appeared at the bottom of the steps that Gemyem's party hall stood atop, with Lord Agezt Agares- the Head of the Agares Clan- a middle-aged-looking man with mid-length blond hair, dressed in another extremely expensive-looking suit, his wife and their respective Queens, appearing out of it. Almost immediately, they ascended the steps, and handed in what looked like invitations to one of the six lower-class Devils that were stood outside the party-hall, guarding the doors from uninvited guests. After the invitations were handed in, Agezt and his family were allowed past the security guards into the party hall, at which Zeoticus (who had been in the middle of giving Raylix a pointed look, disapproving of his younger son's yawn) took a step forward, an arm outstretched and a wide smile on his face.
"Agezt! Welcome, you're the first to arrive!" he greeted the Archduke, who accepted Zeoticus' offer for a handshake, extended polite nods to both Venelana and Raylix, and moved into the party hall with his wife and their Queens. The only Devils inside the party hall, sans Raylix, Zeoticus, Venelana and their respective bodyguards/servants were a few maids and butlers from the Gremory Clan (not including any of Raylix's favourite four), who manned the many tables of food that were dotted around the edge of the hall. Seemingly right on cue, Raylix's stomach audibly grumbled, prompting Tomosei to try and hold in a giggle. An endeavour in which she narrowly succeeded at, as another transportation-circle, this one a deep blue colour.
A second later, a woman with a child-like body dressed in pink practically leapt out of the transportation-circle, a wide grin on her face as she seemed to bounce up the steps to the party-hall, landing with a pose that that Raylix was at least a hundred and one percent sure had been practiced a good few hundred times.
"Hi~!" Serafall Leviathan chirped, looking from Zeoticus to Venelana to Raylix and back again. "I'm here, Lord Gremory~ My Queen's in a meeting tonight, so I'm alone tonight~"
"And it's an honour that you could come, Lady Leviathan." Zeoticus replied, inclining his head to the diminutive Satan, with his Queen, Venelana, her Queen, Raylix, Sabemka and Tomosei following suit. It was a slightly comical sight: the seven of them, all of whom at least a head taller than Serafall, bowing to her. Or at least it WOULD have been if Serafall wasn't one of the two strongest Devils currently living, and one of the strongest women living in Hell overall. Penemue- one of the Cadre, the leaders of the Fallen Angels- Agrat, Naamah and Eisheth- the three other Queens of the Lilim- were in the approximate same league as her and Grayfia power-wise, and Lilith...
Was just in a class of her own.
Serafall skipped past the Gremory Devils, playfully winking at Raylix- who didn't react- as she went. Once she was gone, and had struck up a conversation with Agezt and his wife, Raylix turned towards Sabemka.
"I think I preferred her before she started doing that damn show." he remarked, his voice low. "At least you didn't fear she'd start bouncing off the walls at a second's notice."
"That, and she had bigger tits." Sabemka replied, a grin on his face. Raylix simply nodded in reply, and looked up at the sound of a third transportation-circle, this one large, orange and instantly recognised by Raylix.
Renzo, Rika, Ruvella, her two younger brothers Rarzeth and Riser (who Raylix had heard about in passing but never seen in person before. Though their respective appearences weren't exactly anything out of the ordinary: blond hair, blue eyes, formal attire... though Riser certainly had more of a playboy-esque air about him than Rarzeth) and five more individuals, who Raylix could only assume were everyone's respective Queens, stepped out of the transportation-circle. Renzo, Rika and Ruvella ascended the stairs first, with Rarzeth and Riser behind, as Zeoticus stepped out to greet them.
"I trust we're not terribly late?" Rika asked, peering past Zeoticus into the party hall.
"Oh, no." Zeoticus replied, kissing the Marchioness' hand before stepping back. "If anything, you're early. Only Agezt, his family and Lady Leviathan are here so far, though I suspect most of the other attendees will be arriving soon."
"Naturally." Rika nodded, moving back into step with Renzo and Ruvella as they walked past Zeoticus, into the party-hall. It was then that Raylix was able to get a good look at what Ruvella was wearing this evening. She'd upgraded from the knee-length dress she'd worn the week before to an... utterly jaw-dropping off-the-shoulder scarlet dress, with frill designs from the hip down, and silver high-heeled shoes.
Her blonde hair- which contrasted beautifully with the colour of her dress- had also been done up quite elegantly: it had been extended (most likely through magical means) down to hip-length, and was separated into three drill-like curls from the middle of her back (which the gown she was wearing didn't cover) downwards. There were smaller clumps of hair that trailed down to just above her chest (which was emphasized brilliantly by the dress), which framed her face. A silver necklace with a golden phoenix-shaped pendant around her neck and red lipstick worn on her... well, lips, completed the look.
Ruvella might not have been Raylix's number-one choice for the coveted most beautiful woman in the Underworld, in my opinion' title (which, to be honest, she would probably NEVER claim, not with Lilith having occupied the top spot for virtually Raylix's entire life), but in that getup... shit, was she making a good run for second place!
"Raylix, why don't you head inside and chat with Ruvella for a while?" Venelana asked, looking over at her younger son. "Your father and I can handle the greetings."
"Sure." Raylix replied, stretching slightly as his eyes flicked from Riser's Queen- a voluptuous young woman with back-length purple hair and a dress that seemed to reveal more of her large breasts than they covered up- back to Ruvella. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he locked eyes with his fiancée before jerking his head backwards, non-verbally indicating for her to follow him inside, which Ruvella did. The servant (Raylix assumed) that she'd arrived with- a young woman with fair skin, platinum-blonde hair and light blue eyes- followed her closely.
She wore most of her hair in a half up-done style with a small, simple bun on the top, with the remainder of her hair hanging at the bottom. Most of her bangs were tied back, barring several large locks that framed her hair on the left. She wore a white two-piece dress, consisting of a sleeveless backless pleated top that diagonally overlapped with itself, and a long, high-waisted white skirt with a faint purple tint that was adorned with various accessories, as well as grey earrings. She also wore faint purple-heeled flats, though they were somewhat obscured by her skirt.
"It's nice to see you again, Raylix." Ruvella spoke, a polite smile on her face. "I must say, I'm rather excited for our engagement to be publicly announced. Are you?"
"Uh... I guess?" Raylix replied, scratching a random itch that formed on the back of his head. "I think I'm still coming to terms with the fact that we're suddenly engaged now. It wasn't exactly something I really thought about before now."
"That sounds reasonable." Ruvella replied, nodding as she picked up a glass of wine from a passing butler. "I suppose, with the life you've had, being wedded to anyone never felt like a possibility, did it?"
"I'd say so, yeah." Raylix answered. "Who's the woman with you? Queen?"
"Bishop, actually." Ruvella replied. "Took both of those pieces, actually. Her name is Salem."
"Huh." Raylix looked Salem up and down. If he remembered right, Sirzechs had a Bishop that took up both of those Pieces... as well as a Knight. "Well, nice to meet you, Salem." he addressed Ruvella's Bishop, who silently bowed her head to him. Ruvella had a sip of the wine she had taken, and spoke up again.
"So Raylix, what are your thoughts on our engagement?" Ruvella asked. "I must say, I think it's wonderful that our families will be coming together like this, with the pair of us as the image of our Clan's shared future. The increased wealth that our united families will bring in is also rather nice to think about, too." She let out a small giggle, which Raylix enjoyed the sound of for a second or two, before the Phenex Heiress stopped and looked- slightly expectantly- at Raylix. Taking the unspoken hint, Raylix spoke up.
"I... guess that's true." he replied. "And yeah, I suppose more money is always nice to think about. Even if- right now- we've both got enough riches right now to last us both for... a while, at the very least."
"Indeed, we do." Ruvella replied. "Though planning to secure our future certainly isn't a bad thing, Raylix. Are you... opposed, to that? To our engagement?"
"What? No, where did you get that from?"" Raylix, slightly taken aback, replied, his voice raised just a tad. "I never said that I was against us getting engaged! I mean... it's you, right? You're nice enough from what I know, our parents obviously want it a hell of a load, and you're- no pun intended- really hot. Most-wanted non-Satan bachelorette in Hell isn't pushing it at all."
"Well, thank you." Ruvella answered, her face going slightly pink. "I'm sure that, during this party and afterwards, we'll have ample time to get to know each other before our marriage, in whatever ways that our families see fit. I'm looking forward to it."
"Same." Raylix replied. "Actually, hey, after this whole engagement party's over with, you want to come back to the- uhh- castle, with me? I'm sure we can do the whole 'getting to know each other' thing more well back there than in here."
"I'd like that a lot." Ruvella nodded, her smile back on her face. "I'll mention that to Mother and Father soon. Hopefully, they'll be alright with it."
"Yeah." Raylix replied, stopping walking at one of the food tables that he and Ruvella were coming by, grabbing a plate and moving some food onto it. "Missed lunch." he added, by way of justification, as he lifted the filled plate up and moved towards one of the empty tables dotted around the hall, where party guests could sit at if they didn't feel like standing up all the time, and sat down. Ruvella, after gathering up a far more modest amount of food on a plate of her own, sat down in a chair directly next to her fiancé, taking great care to not mess up her dress as she sat, while Sabemka, Tomosei and Salem remained standing, staying close to their respective charges.
As the two noble Devils tucked into their meals, Raylix cast his eyes over the party hall, which was far more populated than when Ruvella and her family had arrived. Zeoticus and Venelana weren't standing at the doors anymore, but were a little further in, having a rather animated-looking discussion with Rika and Renzo. Right as Raylix looked over at them, he saw Renzo looking up from the conversation and glancing over at him and Ruvella, before turning back to his wife and Raylix's parents. Raylix quickly looked away: his and Ruvella's parents ogling at him and their daughter from afar wasn't exactly high on the list of things he wanted to see tonight.
Devils from most of the remaining Pillar-descendant families (32 out of 72, if Raylix remembered correctly), now all varying degrees of nobility in the Underworld, milled about the hall, making conversation with their fellow nobles while their servants stood dutifully at their sides. Some were sat, enjoying the food that had been expertly made for them, but most were stood. All four of the Satans were in attendance: Sirzechs was talking with Ajuka, Serafall was talking with her parents while enjoying some food that Raylix was at least a THOUSAND percent certain was sweetened through the metaphorical roof, and Falbium... had his head down at a table, looking like he was asleep.
To each their own, Raylix supposed.
As he and Ruvella continued their respective meals, Raylix continued looking around the party-hall, and spotted Zekram Bael making his way through the party hall, and being given a pretty damn wide berth by everyone who walked even close to him. No-one wanted to risk pissing off the most politically powerful Devil in all of Hell, after all.
"Ruvella!"
Raylix and Ruvella both looked up from their plates of food (Ruvella had just about finished polishing hers off altogether), and saw Rika (who had called out for her) and Renzo approaching the table they were sat at. When she clapped eyes on them, Ruvella almost immediately stood up and stepped away from the table, facing her parents.
"Yes, Mother?"
"We're so glad that you're getting along with Raylix, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to pull you apart for just a moment." Rika replied. "It's almost time for the big announcement. Zeoticus wants it to be as impressive as possible, so you and Raylix will need to appear in front of everyone as a couple."
"We just need to make sure you look absolutely perfect for this moment, Ruvella." Renzo added. "Before you and your future husband appear before the Underworld as the image of the Phenex and Gremory Clan's shared future." He then turned to Raylix, who was resisting the urge to raise one- or both- of his eyebrows.
"Raylix," Rika spoke up, turning to Raylix, who was still sat down, and resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow at what Renzo had just said. "Your parents mentioned their intention to do the same with you, and asked us to ask you to make your way over to them. As soon as you can, please."
"Got it, Lady Phenex." Raylix replied, standing up and picking his plate up. It still had some food left on it, and Raylix was thinking of taking it over to one of the maids manning the refreshment-tables and asking them to hold on to it for him.
"Oh, there's no need for that level of formal talk with me, Raylix." Rika replied, letting out a small giggle from behind her hand. "Not when you're marrying our daughter! Please, just call us by our names from now on."
"Right." Raylix answered, rather non-committally. "I'll be over to Father and Mother in a minute." He added, stepping away from the table as he watched Ruvella walking away with her parents. "Hey Emka, can you take this over to-"
"Will do, Raylix." Sabemka replied, allowing Raylix to place the plate into his hands before shifting into his faux-formal tone. "We shall guard this plate of Wulf-meat slices, buttered bread and smoked salmon with the same loyalty as we guard-"
"Oh, put a cock in it." Raylix muttered under his breath, just loudly enough for Sabemka to hear him. The bodyguard burst into laughter as he walked off with Raylix's plate, with Tomosei in tow, as Raylix headed off in the opposite direction, making a beeline for where his parents were stood. They were talking with Diehauser Belial, now Head of the Belial Clan, who was accompanied by a young white-haired woman who Raylix could only assume was Diehauser's daughter.
"Oh, Raylix!" Zeoticus spoke up, a smile on his face as Raylix approached, before he turned back to Diehauser. "Sorry, Diehauser, we can continue next time we meet, which I'm sure will be soon."
"Completely understand, Zeoticus." Diehauser inclined his head to the Duke Gremory, and guided his presumed-daughter away from him, his wife and his son, leaving Zeoticus, said wife and said son alone together. Zeoticus then turned back to Raylix.
"Did Rika-"
"She did, and I'm here." Raylix replied, shrugging. "You needed me for... something?"
"Indeed, we did." Venelana replied. "We just need to get you looking your absolute best for the big announcement. So you and Ruvella can look as perfect as possible when you appear as Hell's hottest couple in front of your fellow nobles!"
"Isn't it impossible to be any more perfect than perfect?" Raylix replied.
"Anyway, come on." Zeoticus placed an arm on Raylix's shoulder, and steered him away. "Let's go get you looking your best!"
-----
"Ahh! Ahh! AHH~!" A young-looking woman let out rhythmic moans that steadily increased in volume, in tandem with the movements of the one knelt behind her. With every thrust that she felt, with every invasion of the cock-based invasion of her inner walls, every time her lover, her OWNER's cock slid in and out of her, she felt said inner walls being stretched out just a little bit more each time. The young woman's dark-green eyes shook in their sockets, and her body shuddered, with every ripple of pleasure that she felt flowing through her.
The woman's master let out a dark chuckle as she continued her thrusts, thoroughly enjoying the sight before her. Her favourite pet, who she'd taken great care to train, made absolutely loyal and subservient to her, practically dripping in sweat, and moaning and shuddering like a bitch in heat as she was railed from behind. It had taken some serious doing, freeing her from the bonds of her former husband, the man who had become her... second pet, and keeping the existence of both pets hidden from everyone else for multiple centuries, but on her dead father's name, it had been worth it!
The woman's master- Lilith- leaned over her pet, her thrusts slowing down slightly, grinning as she whispered into her ear.
"Coming close, are we, Eve?"
Eve could only nod, her breath coming out of her in shaky pants as she felt her body beginning to tighten up on the inside. Lilith let out a little "hm", smirking as she sensed this, and straightened back up, returning to her regular thrusting pace as she did so. She was coming close to a climax herself, but so many climaxes throughout her life (through a variety of consensual and... less, consensual means) meant that there wasn't much that could bring her to externally react in such a way as her pet was presently acting in the build-up to such a climax.
Eve let out a scream loud enough to shatter most regular windows as her latest orgasm ripped through her, her feminine juices streaming out of her most sensitive area and mostly landing on the bed on which she and Lilith had both been copulating on, though some of it had managed to land on her owner's own thighs. Said owner, by contrast, simply closed her eyes and let out a soft hum as her own climax washed over her, triggering her to send several long, hot streams of thick cock-juice directly into Eve's pussy, which she'd filled more times than she could count throughout their time together.
Lilith held her cock inside her favourite pet as she emptied her balls into her, allowing herself a smile as she allowed the pleasure of an orgasm to momentarily envelop her. As the last of her cum was fully deposited in Eve's pussy, she pulled back and sat down at the head of her bed, enjoying the sight of Eve's body for a few seconds. Her whole body caked in sweat, her arms and hands held above her by shackles created out of pure darkness, essentially keeping her held in place and allowing Lilith free reign over her (which she'd been taking full advantage of over the past couple of hours), her extremely well-developed bust shaking and bouncing with every shuddering post-orgasm breath that escaped her, Lilith's freshly-dumped cum leaking out of her overflowing pussy.
It was truly a lovely sight to see, Lilith thought as she snapped her fingers. The darkness-created shackles around Eve's hands disappeared, and she almost immediately flopped down onto the bed, letting out a soft "oh!" as she landed on the sheets. She lay prone for a second, breaths escaping her in a far more even, regular way, before Lilith extended a hand towards her, and gently pulled her pet towards her via her demonic power. Eve offered no resistance as she was pulled into Lilith's direct clutches, allowing Lilith to wrap her arms around her. Lilith allowed herself another smile as she allowed Eve to bask in her post-orgasm glow for a while, before looking up and clearing her throat.
"So, how did you like the show, girlie?" The Prime Succubus spoke up, as if to someone else in the room that she presently couldn't see from where she lounged on her bed, Eve in her arms. "Enjoy it?"
"I-I enjoyed the show very m-much, Ma'am." Another voice spoke up, coming from just beyond the end of Lilith's bed. Entirely reverent of the raven-haired Queen of Sin, tinged with broken humiliation at the position its owner was presently in (and had been in essentially for several centuries) and decidedly male, Lilith smirked at the reply from her second pet.
"Glad to hear it." Lilith replied, shifting herself away from Eve (who moaned in light protest of her owner and lover moving away from her. Lilith ignored this) and slid off of the bed, standing upright and turning to the end of the bed, where her second pet was evidently located. "I expect drinks and fresh clothes for Eve and myself within the next hour. Go."
"A-as you wish, Ma'am!" the unseen man replied, clearly scared shitless of the prospect of disappointing his owner. Lilith watched, a cold look in her crimson eyes as her second pet crawled into view on his hands and knees, his head bowed low so his eyes couldn't be seen. He looked slightly older than Eve, who herself didn't look a day over 23, and possessed long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He was as naked as Eve was, and as he came closer to the bedroom door, Lilith took a glance over at the man's behind, raised into the air from the position he was currently in. She allowed herself a smirk at the sight of his asshole, permanently stretched-out beyond what was natural by centuries of training, as the man came up to the bedroom door and stopped.
There was no way for him to make his way through the door without standing up: an act that Lilith had strictly forbidden her second pet from performing in her presence, unless orders she had given him were impossible to carry out while crawling... like bringing her and Eve drinks and fresh clothes.
Waving a hand in the door's direction, Lilith shaped a large flap within the door, similar to the kinds commonly used by dog-owners in the Human World, but large enough for an adult human to easily fit through. Her second pet silently moved through the flap, leaving Lilith's bedroom, after which Lilith waved her hand again, and the flap was gone, as if it was never there in the first place.
From outside Lilith's bedroom, the sounds of someone getting to their feet, followed by footsteps steadily fading away, could be heard. As that happened, Lilith stretched and walked towards a different door, one directly opposite of the bed that she'd been screwing Eve on not two minutes earlier. When she reached the door and had opened it, she turned back to Eve, who was working her cream-coloured hair from the splayed-out look that had developed over the course of the last couple of ours into something vaguely presentable.
"Rest for a bit, Eve." Lilith spoke, her voice a few tones softer than how she'd addressed her male pet. "I'm in the mood to clean myself up alone, today."
"Yes, ma'am." Eve replied, quietly, nodding and getting herself into a more comfortable position on Lilith's bed as Lilith stepped inside the bathroom, closing the door behind her. The First Succubus let out a sigh of contentment as she focused some of her magical energy into her cock- thick as an average man's wrist and nearly a foot long- causing it to steadily shrink over the course of about half a minute, and eventually pop out of existence entirely, replaced by what she usually had down there.
Once that was done, she allowed herself another stretch before stepping into her shower, turning it on with a thought and reaching for her favourite shampoo.
Twenty-five minutes, give or take, was all it took for Lilith to fully clean herself up in the aftermath of her evening engagement, after which she stepped out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. Immediately noticing her owner out of the shower, Eve slid off the bed and walked over to the bathroom, with Lilith glancing at her pet's shapely rear as she did so. Alone in her bedroom as Eve shut the bathroom door behind her, Lilith turned and stepped out of a sliding door, opposite to the one her male slave had crawled through to exit her bedroom, onto her private balcony. She leaned over the rail and allowed herself a smile as the sun set on her private Human-world villa, on the south-west coast of France.
It was moments like this, Lilith thought, where everything was perfect, that made life actually worth living. And coming from someone with such an unspeakably horrific past as hers... that was saying a lot. She remained there for a few minutes, watching the human sun slip below the horizon until there was no sun left to see.
A quiet knock at the bedroom door brought Lilith out of her silence. Closing her eyes, and not even bothering to turn around, she spoke, the hard tone returning to her voice.
"Come in."
The sounds of her bedroom door opening and closing could be heard, along with the shuffling of feet on Lilith's bedroom carpet. Lilith didn't have to turn around to know who had just entered her bedroom.
"Leave the drinks on my bedside table." Lilith ordered. "And the clothes on my dresser. Return to your quarters after that, and return in an hour to replace the sheets on my bed."
The former wife of Lucifer smiled to herself as she heard her second pet carrying out the orders she'd given. The sound of two glasses being gently placed on the beside table, on one side of Lilith's bed, the sound of two sets of clothes being placed on top of the dresser, on the other side of Lilith's bed, and the sound of shuffling footsteps accompanying both actions. After that was done, the male pet dropped back to his hands and knees, and crawled back through her bedroom towards the door, which Lilith conjured another dog-flap for with another wave of her hand, allowing her pet to crawl through and out of the room, after which she dispelled the dog-flap.
Taking another breath, Lilith turned around and stepped back into her bedroom, closing the sliding door to her balcony behind her, and moved over to her dresser. After pulling on a set of underwear (black, of course), she picked up the dress that her pet had brought for her, and had it back on her body by the time the bathroom door opened, and Eve had stepped out, dry and clean.
"Adam brought drinks." Lilith remarked, pointing to the two glasses that Adam had placed down on the bedside table a couple of minutes before, before turning back to Eve. "Feel free to have yours, and enjoy yourself for the rest of the night. Adam's coming in to replace the sheets on my bed in an hour, so be aware of that, and I have... business, tonight, so don't wait for me to return home before going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Ev."
"Understood, ma'am." Eve replied, inclining her head to Lilith and taking one of the drinks that Adam had left. Her favourite drink, a simple glass of apple-juice, which Lilith found absolutely hilarious. "I hope your business goes well. Good night." After taking a gulp or two, Eve walked out of the room, glass in hand. She shut the door behind her, leaving Lilith alone again.
"Thank you." Lilith whispered to herself, before moving over to the bedside table and taking the glass that Adam had left for her: a cocktail of her own invention, the recipe of which only two beings knew (herself and Adam, so he could make it when she wasn't in the mood to do it herself). Taking a sip from it, she moved back out to her balcony and looked out over the steadily-darkening sky.
She hoped her business went well tonight, too.
Taking another sip out of her cocktail and setting the glass down on a table, Lilith closed her eyes, took a slow breath and began to steadily fan out her considerable demonic power across the villa, across the town that her villa was located in, across the region, across the entire country. Her eyes didn't open when a small cluster of 'presences' popped up in her mind, or when a larger cluster of 'presences' popped up a couple of seconds later, or even when her SEVEN Succubus tails naturally unfurled as she continued what she was doing, so focused was she on her task.
Her power at this point in time was such that she could spread it out over the entire continent of Europe, potentially even further, if she so wanted, but she decided to keep it to one country at a time. She didn't want to spread her power too thin, not willing to risk ANY chance of failing to spot who she was looking for, and besides. She had all the time in the world to find who she was looking for.
After a few minutes worth of quiet focus, of allowing her power to envelop the entirety of Europe's third-largest country, she opened her eyes, picked up her glass and downed the rest of her cocktail in one go... Six hundred and eighty-nine.
Not counting herself, Lilith counted six hundred and eighty-people beings in this country right now with some kind of demonic energy residing within their body. Whether that meant any of those beings were full-born Devils or Lilim, Reincarnated Devils thanks to those fancy chess pieces that the current Beelzebub had put together four and a half centuries ago, or hybrids between Devils/Lilim and some other species, Lilith unfortunately wasn't able to tell via the sensing that she'd done.
No matter, she thought, summoning a pair of heeled shoes to her feet and casting a transportation-circle beneath herself. Six hundred and eighty nine potential targets... that was more than double the number that she'd found in the United Kingdom... and yet just over half of the number that she'd found in Spain, and she'd been able to cover that country in one night, so France would be no trouble at all!
"I'm coming, Valian." Lilith whispered, as she activated her circle, vanishing from the villa in silence.
-----
"Noble ladies and gentlemen of the Underworld," Zeoticus, his voice magically enhanced at the front of the party-hall, just about instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Rika was stood next to him, with Venelana and Renzo slightly off to the side. Not being the Heads of the Clans that they belonged to "On behalf of the esteemed Gremory and Phenex Clans, Lady Rika and I thank you for attending this gathering."
"The reason that Lord Zeoticus and I have arranged this gathering tonight," Rika continued, "Is so you may all witness the dawn of a historic partnership between two of the Underworld's strongest families. The Phenex and Gremory Clans have recently agreed to join forces in our respective ventures, which we are sure will lead to greater prosperity for both parties involved. As well as for all our fellow Devils, of course." she added, allowing herself a little giggle that most of the other Devils attending emulated. There was also a smattering of light applause at the announcement from some of them.
"That's not all!" Zeoticus called out, as the applause began to die down. "As a further service to the Underworld, and to bring both of our illustrious families closer together," he shared a look with Rika, who smiled. "We are both extraordinarily proud to announce the engagement of our respective Heirs. Allow us to present Hell's newest and hottest couple, Raylix Gremory and Ruvella Phenex!"
With a dramatic wave of Zeoticus' arm, a transportation-circle opened up behind him and Rika, with Raylix and Ruvella both appearing out of it, hands held and looking absolutely immaculate. Ruvella offered the crowd of Devils a polite smile and a wave as they burst into applause, while Raylix just smiled. Zeoticus and Rika moved out of the way of their respective Heirs and went back to join their spouses, with the four of them looking like they couldn't be prouder of what they had accomplished.
"Raylix! Ruvella! How many kids are you planning on having?" One in a crowd of reporters from the Vassago Clan that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, asked as the Gremory and Phenex Heirs were almost immediately swarmed.
"What are your plans for the futures of GLE and PhenexCorp?"
"Who, out of the pair of you, will be taking the other's family name?"
"How is Ruvella in bed, Raylix?"
"I, uh..." Raylix took a couple of steps back as the reporters got closer to him and Ruvella, looking slightly awkward. Ruvella looked slightly less awkward, though she was shifting slightly backwards as well. However, mercifully, two certain figures made themselves known very quickly, placing themselves between Raylix and the reporters.
Thank Lilith for Sabemka and Tomosei, Raylix thought.
"Alright, everyone, no need to swarm the Gremory Heir!" Tomosei spoke up, in a VERY authoritative-sounding voice. "He'll take questions from you when he's ready. For now, leave him be!"
Some of the reporters hung around, attempting to fire questions at Raylix, but they gave up quickly enough when Ruvella's parents (plus Salem) stepped forward and steered their daughter away. Renzo in particular made a brushing motion with his hand at some of the reporters that had stuck around for more than ten seconds since Sabemka and Tomosei had shown up, making it quite plain that they needed to clear off, or else.
"See you later, Raylix!" Ruvella called over to her fiancé over the din as she was led away by her parents and Bishop.
"Yeah, see you." Raylix replied, shrugging and turning around to his two friends/bodyguards. Sabemka procured the plate of unfinished food with a grin, and handed it over to Raylix, who grinned in return.
"You're the best, man." Raylix muttered as he sat down at the nearest table, and began polishing off the rest of the food that he hadn't been able to finish before he and Ruvella were presented.
"I know." Sabemka replied, as he stood guard over Raylix while he ate. "Smooth, by the way. Real smooth."
"Huh?" Raylix, his mouth full of food, looked up.
"Back with Ruvella." Sabemka continued, a smirk on his face. "You looked like you were gonna start sweating your ass off back when you were talking to her. It was almost... actually, it was straight-up funny." He added, chuckling a little as Raylix scowled up at his best friend.
"Yeah, well, it's not like I've had much practice with talking to people in that way." Raylix replied, before turning back to his food, which he'd almost finished. "Believe it or not, I've never been engaged to someone I've only met a few dozen times in passing, don't you know."
"Oh, we know." Sabemka remarked, holding in another snigger. "We were there for... at least most of those times you met Ruvella those few dozen times in passing, believe it or not. Though to be fair, she seems alright with the idea of getting to know you. Should we come by later than we usually do, tomorrow morning?"
"Good idea, yeah." Raylix replied as he finished up his impromptu meal, before taking the plate back to where he'd gotten it from, where it would be cleaned up until it was good as new. As he moved away, Tomosei let out a little noise from her nose, which only barely didn't go unnoticed by Raylix and Sabemka.
"What's up, Tomo?" Sabemka asked.
"Nothing, much." Tomosei remarked. "Just thinking about how nice it must be."
Raylix turned around.
"How nice what must be?" He asked.
"Everything, really." Tomosei replied. "For you, at least. I mean, you don't even have to worry about what you say to Ruvella, considering you'll be marrying her no matter what. Somehow I don't think that you'd have that same luxury if you weren't... well, a noble."
"I... suppose." Raylix replied, pausing in his walk. "But it's not like I can do anything about it, though."
"Yeah..." Tomosei replied, in a slightly quieter tone. She remained silent and kept in step with Sabemka behind the Gremory Heir as said Gremory Heir made his way throughout the hall, routinely stopping whenever a noble or two approached him, for whatever reason.
"My congratulations on your engagement, young Gremory!"
"Thank you, Lady Stolas."
"Be sure to have lots of children with Ruvella, Raylix! I truly cannot wait for how the two of you will lead the next generation of young nobles!"
"I'll do my best to not disappoint, Lord Astaroth."
"It's a shame that the Phenex Heiress was able to claim your hand in marriage first, young Gremory. I would've quite liked to see my daughter on your arm instead of Rika and Renzo's."
"I'm... sorry to hear that, Lord Vassago."
"Raylix, I have a young son who would be the perfect marital fit for any daughters you may have with Ruvella in the future! Zephrydor Glasya-Labolas, be sure to remember it!"
"I'll keep that in mind, should I end up having a daughter, Lord Glasya-Labolas."
"Young Gremory, will your future children compete in the Rating Games? Or will they not use their Evil Pieces, as you haven't? I still can't understand why you haven't, by the way."
"My future children can make their own decisions, Lady Purson."
Raylix took a breath as Diehauser and his presumed-daughter headed away to talk to Serafall, and moved in the opposite direction over to a quieter corner of the party-hall, sighing. Pulling off his bow-tie and shoving it into one of the pockets of his suit-jacket and undoing the top button of his shirt, he leant against the wall.
"I guess noble Devils don't have everything." Sabemka remarked, leaning up alongside Raylix. "Like being able to avoid talking about arranged marriages between the children of other nobles and your own kids."
"Who don't even exist yet, and might not for centuries!" Tomosei added, taking a spot on Raylix's other side. "Plus, from what I've heard about Zephrydor, he's a total cu-"
"Yeah, I know." Raylix replied. "You win some, you lose some, I guess."
"Mmhmm." Tomosei hummed, nodding. Looking up, she saw Zeoticus, Venelana, Sirzechs and their respective Queens approaching, and quickly stopped leaning on the wall. Sabemka, seeing his best friend's parents and older brother-slash-ruler approaching, did the same just in time for the six Devils (or rather, four Devils, one Vampire and one Incubus) to stop in front of Raylix.
"Raylix! There you are." Zeoticus spoke, the ever-present noble smile on his face. "We've been looking all over for you! Some reporters want more pictures of you and Ruvella as a couple outside the hall. Put your bow-tie back on and come outside, okay?"
"Yes, Father." Raylix replied, shoving a hand into his pocket and pulling out the bow-tie. Re-buttoning up his shirt and quickly affixing the bow-tie back onto himself, he followed his parents and older brother to the open doors of the gathering hall, with Sabemka and Tomosei directly behind Raylix.
"Believe me, Raylix." Sirzechs leant over to his younger brother, his iconic good-natured big-brotherly smile firmly on his face. "I know all of this business in front of cameras and reporters can be tiring. Just imagine how much of it I have to go through as a Satan, huh?" he chuckled at his own joke, if one could even call it that, and straightened up again as the group came closer to the party-hall's doors. "Bet you're thankful you didn't get the job of Lucifer, huh?"
"Zechs, I never thought I'd get the job in the first place." Raylix replied. "Not when you're better than me in every conceivable way."
Sirzechs looked back at Raylix, a surprised look on his face, for a second before shifting back to his regular winning smile as the group moved through the open doors of the party-hall, and everyone surrounding Raylix moved aside so the reporters, who were stood around and on the steps leading up to said party-hall, could get clear shots of him. At the direction of her parents, Ruvella was quick to join Raylix at his side, her right hand snaking into his left as the flashes of demonically-powered cameras appeared, capturing pictures of the Underworld's next big couple, as everyone seemed to say.
"Raylix," Ruvella spoke, in a soft and quiet enough tone that only her fiancé would be able to hear her.
"Yeah?"
"I spoke to my parents about your offer, earlier." the Phenex Heiress remarked. "They're okay with me spending the night at the Gremory Castle. I'm looking forward to... getting to know you, better, while we're there." She continued, a light blush coming across her face at the last thing she'd said. A smile found itself forming on Raylix's face, as he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You are, huh?" he replied, in the same soft tone, so only Ruvella could hear him. Zeoticus and Rika were too busy announcing that, if all plans went the way that the Gremory and Phenex Clans wished them to, their respective Heirs would be wedded in just under a year to notice said Heirs chatting with each other. "Well, glad to hear that. And, uh, same."
Ruvella allowed herself a small giggle as the camera-flashes ceased, and the reporters began warping away via transportation-circles. Sabemka, Tomosei and Salem moved back towards their respective high-class charges as they made their way back into the party-hall, with their parents following.
"Ruvella?" Raylix spoke up, again, in the same softer, quieter tone that they'd both used while outside.
"Yes?" Ruvella replied, looking back at her fiancé.
"You know, since we'd heard that we were getting engaged last week, I was... a bit conflicted. Partially happy since, you know, it's you I'm gonna be getting married to, but partially... I don't know, worried, since something that I've never really thought about before last week is suddenly happening. You follow what I'm saying?"
Ruvella nodded.
"Well, I think this whole engagement and marriage-thing is starting to set in, and... yeah, I'm beginning to like the idea. Getting married to you doesn't sound all that bad. Arranged for us or not, I think we can make this work."
"Aw..." Ruvella blushed again, slightly more intensely than Raylix had seen her blushing throughout their times together throughout the party. "That's really nice to hear from you, Raylix. I completely agree: if we're both willing to try, then there's no reason why our engagement can't work. Arranged or not."
"Yeah." Raylix replied. It was just then that the Gremory Heir realised that he was still holding hands with Ruvella... only a second or two before Ruvella moved around so she was in front of Raylix, leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Too shocked by the gesture to move for a second or two (normally it was HIM initiating kisses), Raylix eventually found it within himself to kiss back, his hands steadily moving to Ruvella's dress-covered lower back as the kiss between the two betrothed Devils deepened.
Ruvella, in turn, moved one of her hands to the back of Raylix's head, taking a gentle hold of her fiancé's chestnut-coloured hair as she kissed him. Raylix could feel her other hand slowly moving all over and around his back, feeling it up... or at least feeling it up as best she could, with both a jacket AND a shirt on top of it.
Raylix doubted that Ruvella cared that much at this point in time, though. She could do all the feeling she wanted when they were back in Raylix's room at the castle.
After what felt like several minutes, but what was probably not even one, Raylix and Ruvella pulled back, Ruvella breathing slightly more heavily than she had been doing throughout the entire gathering so far. Neither of the two Clan Heirs seemed to notice (or if they did, they didn't care) that most of the partygoers had witnessed their lip-lock out in the open.
"You're an alright kisser." was all she could get out, after a couple of seconds taken to collect herself.
"I'm an excellent kisser." Raylix replied, smirking from the praise. "...Or, so I've told. Among other things."
Ruvella giggled again, and leant in to peck her fiancé again on the lips before stepping back.
"Shall we return to the castle, or wait for your parents?" she asked. "I can imagine that they'd probably like to spend a little bit longer at this hall, but probably won't object to us going on our own."
"Yeah, I don't see that being an issue either." Raylix replied, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked around the party-hall, scanning over all of the Devils still present, as some of them had already decided to warp out of there. It didn't take Raylix too long to spot the crimson and brown backs of his father and mother's heads, talking to Serafall's parents.
Raylix and Ruvella made their way over to them, with Ruvella gently squeezing Raylix's hand as they walked. Zeoticus was the first out of him and Venelana to hear Raylix and Ruvella coming, and turned around. The smile he already had on his face became wider, and slightly more genuine-looking, when he saw that Raylix and his fiancée were holding hands.
"Raylix!" he spoke. "You're getting along with Ruvella, I see?"
"You could say." Raylix replied. "Father, Ruvella and I were thinking of heading back to the castle, if that's alright with you?"
"Of course, of course!" Zeoticus replied, his smile becoming even wider. "I'll be sure to wait a bit before-"
A loud BANG cut through whatever Zeoticus was about to say he would wait a bit before doing, accompanied by a large portion of the party-hall being blown up. Dust and debris flew into the party-hall, filling up the area directly below where the explosion had taken place. Everyone remaining in the party-hall looked around at what was going on, with some of the Devils letting out yells of shock and fright.
"Fallen Angels!" Magdaran Bael, the present Heir of the Bael Clan, yelled, pointing into the dissipating dust-cloud, where the black-feathered wings of Fallen Angels could indeed be faintly seen. One, two, five, ten, twenty... around fifty.
"All forces within this territory, converge on the Gemyem Party Hall, NOW!" Zeoticus shouted into a comms-circle that he formed by his ear. "There are Fallen Angels here, they've blown a hole in the roof and are ready to attack ev-" Zeoticus felt himself flung backwards by an unseen force as a light-spear streaked through where he'd been standing. He looked up, and saw Raylix, who'd put his hand down (evidently, it had been him who'd pushed him over) and switched on his projected-blade. Sabemka and Tomosei both rushed up to join him, standing ready against the Fallen Angels, most of whom were floating in the air on their wings, while some of them remained on the ground.
"RAYLIX!" Zeoticus yelled from his position, as he was helped up by Venelana, who fired a bolt at a Fallen Angel who thought it'd be a good idea to charge at the pair of them. Her aim was true, and the bolt of destructive energy struck the Fallen Angel straight in the head, reducing its entire upper body to giblets. "Get back to the castle! The military is on the way, they'll take care of this!"
"I'll go when they get here!" Raylix replied, dashing forward. "Won't be long, right?!"
"Raylix, come on!" Ruvella yelled. "You don't have to..." Ruvella's words died in her throat as she watched Raylix and his two bodyguards (who she remembered as having been around him since the Great War. What she wouldn't give to have a bond like that with anyone for that length of time, she thought) dashing forwards to take care of the Fallen Angels. Even if she kept yelling for her fiancé, it wasn't like he'd be able to hear her over the Fallen Angels' yells as they engaged Raylix, Sabemka and Tomosei.
She looked to the doors of the party-hall, which a great number of noble Devils were pouring through, and then back at the forty nine-on-three battle going on between Raylix, Sabemka, Tomosei and the Fallen Angels. That seemed like a lot of Fallen Angels for Raylix to take on alone, even with backup from two others, but it wasn't like he hadn't taken on hordes before. Fallen Angels, regular Angels, Royals Devils, Stray Devils...
Screw it, Ruvella thought, standing up and facing the Fallen Angels, calling the Hellfire that the Phenex Clan was so famous for to her hands in the form of dense fireballs, and stepping forward. There could never be too many Devils holding off the Fallen Angels before the military arrived to assist. Besides, there could be more coming that had decided to not enter the party hall yet.
Spreading her wings (which were more wing-shaped masses of fire than the regular bat-shaped wings that non-Phenex Devils possessed), Ruvella flew towards where Raylix was fighting with the Fallen Angels, ready to throw one of the fireballs that she'd formed in her hands at the closest one to her. She let out a hiss of pain as a light-spear streaked past her position, and just grazed her shoulder. Cursing under her breath at the sight of the wound on her shoulder- which did not heal immediately, as was the case with all wounds that came from Angels and Fallen Angels. Or anything remotely holy, really- she looked up at the one who'd thrown the light-spear at her, and threw a fireball at him.
She never knew whether or not the fireball had actually hit the Fallen Angel (she never heard the scream of pain that immediately followed one being struck by a ball of fire from Hell itself, so common sense told her that she'd missed, Satan-damn it) as another light-spear, thrown by a Fallen Angel to her right, caught her full-on in the side. Letting out a scream of pain, she felt herself dropping to the ground and skidding for a bit before coming to a stop. The Phenex Heiress looked to her right through streaming eyes, conjured up a fireball and sent it the way of the Fallen Angel who had thrown the last light-spear. This time, her aim was true, and it caught the Fallen Angel in the stomach, burning a hole almost straight through him and setting his clothes alight. The Fallen Angel who she'd just burned barely got the chance to scream in pain and fright before a blast of magical energy impacted the stomach-less black-winged Angel, sending bits of him everywhere. Looking up, Ruvella spotted Salem, who lowered her hand and rushed over to her King's side.
"Lady Phe- Ruvella, it's not safe here." Salem spoke, in an even tone. "We should go."
"Right..." Ruvella relented. She felt a pang in her stomach at not being able to help her fiancé fight against the Fallen Angels, but there was no point doing so when she was injured, and would likely lose her own life in the attempt to assist any further. She accepted Salem's help in pulling her to her feet, stepped into the transportation-circle that she conjured at that moment, and the pair of them were gone from the party-hall a second later.
-----
"Is it just me, or are you also in the mood for fried Byrd-wings?" Tomosei asked, summoning her staff into one hand as she got into a battle-stance, facing the Fallen Angels a couple of paces back from Sabemka and Raylix.
"I'll make some for you tomorrow!" Sabemka replied, slinging his gauntlets onto his arms and getting into a battle-stance, facing the Fallen Angels just like Tomosei and Raylix. "But are you really thinking about food now? Or do you never not?"
Raylix rolled his eyes at his friends' bantering as he dashed forward, staggering the Fallen Angel directly in front of him with a pulse of demonic power from his right hand, before driving his projected-blade into the Fallen's heart. Said Fallen struggled for a second, managing to summon a light-spear in the extremely short time it had left, before he slumped, dead, on Raylix's blade. Raylix kicked the Fallen Angel away from him and ducked a couple of light-spears streaked past him, straightening up and firing a couple of bolts of his Power of Destruction at the Fallens who had thrown said spears, sending both flying with holes where their hearts should have been.
"Heh, close one!" he remarked, to no-one in particular, before glancing back to check on Sabemka and Tomosei. However... neither of them were there.
Sabemka's prosthetic middle, ring and pinkie fingers were lying on the ground, having seemingly fallen there, alongside his gauntlets. Tomosei's eyepatch was a couple of feet diagonally away from him, and so was her staff.
"Guys?!" Raylix shouted, as soldiers from the Devils' military began pouring through the doors into the party-hall, and began firing shots of demonic energy at the Fallen Angels. This didn't make sense, Sabemka and Tomosei wouldn't just drop everything and leave. Especially not in the middle of a fight with Fallen Angels!
Though speaking of Fallen Angels, those two light spears that Raylix had ducked... under...
…
One second later, the full force of what had happened hit Raylix.
…
And two seconds later...
…
Raylix vaguely registered someone with black feathered wings approaching him, a light-based weapon of some description held in one hand. The Fallen Angel raised their weapon above their head, not being able to believe his luck at the fact that the younger brother of Sirzechs Lucifer himself would be such an easy kill. He never GOT that kill, however, as his arm was suddenly ripped from his body. The Fallen Angel didn't even get a chance to scream before Raylix, the Power of Destruction focused into his arms, stuck one arm THROUGH his chest, destroying everything in its way, including his heart.
All the other Fallen Angels paused at what had happened, looking over at Raylix, and there was absolute silence and shock at the look on his face. Rage, hate, despair, all of those feelings and more condensed and morphed into a single facial expression. The result must have been terrifying, considering that it was enough for one of the Fallen Angels, a younger female with only four wings, to scream and try to cast a transportation-circle, in an attempt to run away.
However, the transportation-circle that the Fallen Angel had cast didn't activate, for whatever reason, and the second that it took her to realise this... was more than enough for Raylix to fly towards her, grabbing her face as he did so. He was going so fast, and the demonic power focused within his hand was such that the Fallen Angel's face was melting by the time he made it to the nearest wall, the act of flying through which was enough to reduce whatever remained of the Fallen Angel's face to paste within Raylix's hand, as her headless body lamely dropped to the floor.
The remaining Fallen Angels had gotten the messages by now, that a) there was an anti-teleportation ward in effect, so they couldn't just teleport away from their present situation, and b) their best option was to FLY THE HELL AWAY AS FAST AS THEIR WINGS COULD CARRY THEM, so MAYBE they would be spared the despair-fuelled WRATH of Sirzechs Lucifer's younger brother. What ABSOLUTE IDIOT thought that he would be an easy kill, in ANY context?
Raylix didn't even register that hot tears were running down his face. Or that the noise coming out of his mouth could only be compared to a million damned souls' simultaneous screams of unending despair. His ten wings spread, he took off from the ground with such force that it caused a minor shockwave around the immediate area that he took off from. The first Fallen Angel that he reached yelled out in terror, and kicked Raylix in the face in an attempt to shake him off, but all that did was make Raylix grab him by the shirt, spin him around and slam his back against his knee until he heard a sickening cracking noise.
Tossing the Fallen aside, Raylix rocketed off towards the nearest group of Fallen Angels, a group of five that threw light-spears in his direction. All seemed to either miss or be dispelled around Raylix as he rushed through the group so fast that the Fallens were all blown about, spinning through mid-air uncontrollably towards him and unable to do anything but take it as Raylix punched the first hard enough to cause him to EXPLODE, and kicked the second into the third, both of which were blown up a second later by another couple of bolts of destructive energy. The fourth had flown too close to him, light-spear in hand, close enough that Raylix simply reached out and GRABBED the light-spear that the Fallen Angel was holding. Not caring that it was burning his hand (or even registering in his mind that that was happening to him), Raylix drove the light-spear through the neck of the Fallen Angel that he'd been struggling with, grabbed their rapidly-expiring body and swung it around, using the fourth Fallen's corpse to catch another light-spear that the fifth Fallen Angel had thrown at him.
Raylix then threw the fourth Fallen Angel, now with two light-spears in him instead of one, at the fifth Fallen Angel, distracting him enough to fly behind him and deliver a two-handed blow that dented the fifth Fallen's skull with enough force that his brain must've been reduced to mush in there, with the rapid trip downwards followed by sudden stop just finishing him off.
How many Fallen Angels were left now? One, two, five, ten, twen- who gave a shit?
Raylix could see flashes of light in the distance: evidently, some of the Fallen Angels that were still alive were trying to escape through transportation-circles. Evidently, they had found where the anti-teleportation wards that had just been cast were no longer in effect. Raylix rocketed towards them and grabbed two of the Fallen Angels who weren't lucky enough to have escaped through their transport-circles yet, one in each hand, dragged them away from safety and flew down to the ground, flinging both of the helpless beings into the ground.
One of the Fallen that Raylix had grabbed was killed on impact with the ground in the aftermath of Raylix's little trip, but the second- still alive- spoke up, spitting up blood.
"W-wait! D-don't kill us!" he begged, as if that would dissuade the raging Devil. "I-I have family at the Grigori! F-fri-"
He didn't even finish before Raylix punched him through- yeah, THROUGH- the chest. The remainder of the Fallen's words died in his throat, and after Raylix pulled his fist back, he slumped down, blood pooling beneath him.
His rage at what had happened far from sated, Raylix picked the dead Fallen Angel up by his bloody shirt, and punched him in his dead face, sending him across the street that they'd landed in. The corpse bounced a couple of times before coming to a stop, after which Raylix picked it up, flung it down again, and stamped on his face, breaking the corpse's nose.
He then stamped on the corpse's face again, and he heard the crack of the Fallen's skull.
Another stamp, and he felt something mushy beneath the Fallen's skull.
Another two stamps, and he'd broken through the Fallen's skull and crushed the Fallen's brain. Not that there was much more of a use for it, considering that the Fallen was LONG dead, with not much remaining of his face that Raylix hadn't stamped on.
But that still wasn't enough. Raylix stomped on what remained of the Fallen's neck, crushing it in one go. He then moved onto the area of his upper chest that he hadn't punched through, and stamped on that.
He then did it again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
…
Raylix had kind of lost track. As he began registering senses again, the first thing there was, was blood.
He could see blood all around him, feel blood on his hands... some blood had even made its way into his mouth, somehow.
He vaguely registered that the Underworld sky was a lighter shade of purple than he remembered it last being. It must be daytime, or at least morning.
He was on his knees, kneeling in the middle of a mangled-up... something.
And tears.
There were tears on his face. He'd been crying. Because... because...
Raylix raised his blood-covered hands to his face, held it in them, and let out another sob, not even realising that his throat was sore, or that his hands were covered in blood that might or might not have been his.
They were gone. Sabemka and Tomosei, his two best friends, his two ONLY friends... the one who he'd done just about EVERYTHING with, for about 97% of his life... were gone.
Forever.