Having converted his soul into a real-world Territory, Naraku firstly ensnared Alex in his trap.
Alex didn't falter, continuously rebelling against any enemies that threatened his freedom. And now, Naraku was confined within his Territory, seconds away from being judged by Unlimited Judgment.
But while they were entangled in a Territory tug-of-war, more battles were going on across the flaming Capital. Skirmishing near the Tower, Natalia threw her leg into a demon's face, kicking it across the street, watching their flailing body crash into a storefront's glass window. Carefully landing onto the road, Smith's ragged breaths faded to the background, now analyzing her current situation.
'What the hell happened? I was just walking to get some food. Is this… Retly's counterattack?' she thought.
Then, a disastrous aura appeared right behind her, with glowing red eyes and sharp demonic claws. The monster readied to slash at Nat's back; ready to mutilate her. Just before it could attack her, the beast was grabbed by the face and smashed into the ground. Removing her steaming palm from its features, she looked at her hand before glancing at where the demon's head would be.
Her face drenched in beastal blood, she carefully sighed, remaining ever so idle however temporarily. Allowing her lower lip to temporarily quiver, tears unknowingly streamed down her cheeks; wiping them away as if they were never even there.
"I have to keep moving," She told herself.
Just about to start walking down the road ahead, an explosion DETONATED behind him, her eyes immediately locking onto the source. Squinting through the smoke, she caught the sight of Hana's fist connecting against someone's face—launching them away from before her white-haired build. Another crash emitted from the Master's enemy impacting into a building.
"HANA!! HANAAAA!!"
Nat's desperate cries eventually reached Saiai's ears, the Master's neck shifting toward her ally against the floor.
"OVER HEREEEE!!"
Hana listened to her ally, delicately descending before Natalia. Hiding her arms in her sleeves, interlocking her limbs, she walked closer to her brown-haired comrade.
"What's the situation?" asked Nat.
"Retly's enacted their counterattack. Not only did the Jester bring in his elite guard but many assassins from other nations here under the vow to wholly annihilate the Requiem Subjects race," Hana responded.
"Is that who you were fighting?"
Nat and Hana turned toward the enemy, walking out from the hole they made upon crashing into the building, carrying a cleaver over their shoulder. Sharpened horns protruding from their temples, bearing seven eyes all over their exposed body, their skin was wholly gray while mindlessly strutting onward.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Natalia's frightened self loudly queried.
"Likely a citizen from another nation that voluntarily underwent the Jester's demonic experiments. It's comparable to a 'demonic spirit'," Hana observed.
"Okay but… why's he naked?" Nat placed her palm over her eyes and squinted at their enemy.
"Beats me. He's strong so be careful, Nat."
Natalia paused. Instead of immediately diving forward without preparation, she split apart her legs and aimed her fist ahead. She didn't respond to the Master's clear warning, she just glared forward with lifeless brown retinas that reflected their opponent's disfigured features. Hana observed her ally's stance, turning her eyebrow upright before stepping away so she could watch from the sidelines. Smith didn't object. The instance Hana's foot removed itself from the imminent fight's future vicinity, the demonic spirit aimed its cleaver ahead.
"Are you… my… slave…?" It incoherently mumbled.
Then, they both vanished. Hana, motionless and her sleeves conjoined, shifted her head the tiniest bit upward after noticing the air distort around her. Rubbing her chin with her fingers, the Master curiously watched the ongoing lightning-fast battle occur overhead.
Natalia and the spirit rapidly traded blows, the battling duo having seemingly warped to the surrounding buildings' rooftops to fight amongst each other. The Plague was suddenly kicked away in mid-air, tumbling onto another rooftop behind her soaring self. Spitting out blood briefly, Natlaia jumped away from the follow-up projectile the demonic spirit threw, smashing into the platform below her. The demonic spirit zipped ahead, stroking a downward slash with its cleaver. Nat caught its cleaver with one hand, however, the spirit prepared for this. One of its seven eyes released a deafening ping upon blinking singularly.
'If this doesn't work, I'm dead.'
That reminder coursing through Nat's thoughts is what gave her the determination to outreach her hand, placing it ever so delicately against the spirit's ugly face. And then, just like the earlier demon she'd decimated so mercilessly, she committed the same act—this time with his entire upper half exploding in front of her.
Bloody chunks descended from the heavens to drench her in crimson gore. Her dirty face peeked over the roof's edge, noticing Hana against the ground and smiling upon spotting her affirming thumbs-up. Natalia jumped from the rooftop, landing clean beside the Master.
"He wasn't so tough," she noted.
"Well, not everyone has your ability to basically be God," Hana retorted sarcastically.
"I guess that's fair enough."
Natalia walked past Saiai, further observing the watching blimps floating within their airspace.
"What are we gonna do? The brass and Riot's all separated, we'd have to be lucky to find everyone–"
Hana's words were intruded by the sound of a familiar masculine voice appearing telepathically. She wasn't the only one listening, though. The same as the Master beside her, Natalia held her head at the sound of the man's voice. How could he still be alive…
'To all Requiem Subjects: hear me.'
Their environment momentarily shifted, identical to the mystical Seas of Time transcendentally linking all of the King's descendants.
'I am the Savior of the New World: the Requiem Reaper, Augustus Rivera. I speak to you all using the Requiem Artifact's unequivocal power. My goal is to protect all the people descended from the New Allfather, no matter the cost. However, Riot… wishes for the extermination of all the people outside the walls of the Evolutionary Capital. I can't allow for that to occur. Despite them being my dear allies I've risked life and limb to protect, I must puppeteer all Requiem Subjects and ensure the end that's brought about is righteous and true. All Requiem Subjects listening to this message not under Riot or the brass's supervision will annihilate any traitors to the New Requiem Empire until every last piece of their soul is exterminated from this world!'
A message from the beyond that all others descended from inactive Requiem blood heard.
Azazel and the others he was fighting alongside abruptly halted, the former Detective holding his head.
Katie, having just returned to the real world, angled her sword sideways at the sound of August's returning voice.
Ace and Kima couldn't believe what they'd heard, stepping away from one another with hands on their faces.
"Traitors to… the New Requiem Empire…?" Kim quizzically uttered.
"No way!" Ace instantly spat. "Azazel killed dad, remember? How can he be–?"
Alex didn't bother turning his head at the sound of his brother's voice. Naraku's maniacal chuckles resounded endlessly within this judgmental Territory. Regardless of however long his cackling went on for, the Judge's face remained unchanged. Nothing faltered him. When given the chance to take freedom dangling right before him like new car keys, he would take it—just like his father.
"Let's get this show on the road already."
Alex slowly raised his gavel and then SMASHED it against the desk before him. Without any further ado, court was officially in session.
"In order for me to kill you, I have to make sure you're guilty. After all, in the New Requiem Empire, the denizens have to be pure of heart. I'll be determining your sentence via your testimony regarding a specific incident from the past. Be prepared, Naraku. This is where your sins finally damn you," the Judge warned.
"Let's just get on with this already," the Superior Emperor's eyes rolled.
"Good. Now, in the Old World, on July 22nd, 2059, it's said that you slaughtered two teenage girls. One by the name of Hazel Adams and the other named Arabella Nova. Did you commit this murder, Naraku?" Alex asked.
"I didn't."
"Not guilty. There was no video footage of this incident so it cannot be proven. Next." Alex flipped the page of the book he was reading; reciting once again, "Did you summon the Black Moon using 'Catastrophic Calamity', Naraku?" he interrogated.
"I… I didn't," answered the Heavenly Superior.
"Guilty. There are eyewitness accounts from August's older sister who put you at the scene. Her word is to be trusted above all else. She is 'your' daughter, after all."
While the Judge enjoyed torturing Naraku for his sins, he spoke while moving around the desk he was locked behind. Now just holding a singular piece of paper scribbled by pencil, Alex grumbled, scanning the endless lines of text plaguing the sheet.
"Your punishment is: half of your body will be destroyed along with… half of your soul."
What he'd said seconds prior had come to pass… painlessly. Naraku turned to the left-hand side of his body: totally gone. But what could he do? After all, at this point, in this state, he was already—
The Territory released. The paper in Alex's hand crumbled magically. Shoving his hands into his pocket's hoodies, the Judge kneeled before the Jester's vessel, watching as he slowly regenerated the entire left half of his physical form.
"I made it so your punishment for even one crime would be impossible for you to live through. Your irritating presence has finally come to an end."
Alex's face lit up, noticing the spherical light phasing through Icarus's chest. Instinctively, he caught it in one hand and pulled his extended arm closer to his face. Scum like him didn't deserve a ceremonial death. His soul was crushed between the fingers of the Requiem Judge.
"That's for what you did to Hazel and Nova… scum."
When faced with the infinite potential of the Requiem Unlimited, Naraku was incapable of doing anything but dying at the Judge's merciless hands. But he couldn't rest yet. While Naraku was finally taken out of the picture, that daydream resurfaced—his brother's voice, reaching them from beyond the void. Walking away from Chrollo's healing body, Alex vented an exasperated sigh, tying his hair into a bun.
"Leave it all to me."
Trivia: Requiem Subjects' true lineage was hidden from them for quite some time, but it was public knowledge in the outside world after the Oracle of the Reaper's incarnation. Many people, frightened by what the Subjects were preaching about and their potential power, formed hate groups entirely dedicated to exterminating Requiem Subjects from the world. Because of August's selfish ideology, this wish may very well become reality in the not-too-distant future.