POV – Angelica Lathas, Reporter for Devil News Today.
Okay, this is your big break, Angelica; don't mess it up!
Deep breaths in and out, in and out.
"How's my makeup?"
"You look good." Greg, my cameraman, shot me a thumbs up. "Just like the last four times you asked."
"J-Just make sure all the equipment is working!" I huffed.
Greg just shrugged; he didn't understand. He's a great cameraman, but that's all he really cared about. He doesn't have to stand in front of the camera and broadcast not just to the Underworld but to whoever else was going to be watching!
I can't believe I'm here!
I thought it was a longshot, and I never even asked my bosses for permission; they were pissed when Satan Leviathan popped over to have a chat with them, and they had no idea I even sent the letter to the Satans!
It was a good gamble though; either they ignored me completely or they accepted, and the bigwigs wouldn't be able to do anything because of my newfound importance.
Even Satan Leviathan complimented me on my shrewdness and offered me some advice on how to proceed.
The Satan Leviathan complimented a little devil like me!?
Sure, I may have used my good looks and my Pure Blood to my advantage when navigating the right circles to get to my current position as the most predominant reporter for the third most predominant news network of the underworld, but I put my work in, and it was nice to be recognized!
However, she was quite stern that I was to do my best to ask some specific questions and record some certain things. She even gave me permission to accept bribes from other factions asking for the same thing!
Like she predicted, a member of the Old Satan Faction gave me a list they wanted me to ask about if possible, as did the Great King Faction and some other sub-political factions.
Honestly, they almost all aligned with one another, so it's not very difficult.
Almost everyone was interested in what was going on. I couldn't blame them either; the moment we announced our full coverage of this Youkai War, our ratings skyrocketed.
Everyone was watching for a certain someone with anticipation, and I admit I was nervous.
It had been a long time since I've been out from the Underworld, mostly to take trips to see what my human counterparts were doing and see if I had anything I could steal to better my own position.
But this? This was an entirely different trip. and it was obvious these Youkai weren't too fond of Devils.
But I would persist!
Even if we had been waiting here for over an hour at this point, I wouldn't complain!
Even if the clock was metaphorically and quite literally ticking.
There was a large and antique clock in this room that made the most obnoxious sound ever second that passed.
I started to wonder if that was intentional.
A strange mist crept up from the floor, and I nearly jumped back until a Youkai appeared wearing the Guard Uniforms I noticed around Lady Yasaka when I saw her from a distance.
"Greetings, you must be the Reporter from the Underworld." The Youkai started, barely paying me a glance. "I'm Soma, Lady Yasaka's personal guard. For a few specific reasons, I will both be your escort and guard." He set his hand on the table in front of us, and two laminated cards with strings on them were set down. "These are your press passes; if anyone gives you trouble and I happen to not be around, you may show them those. That being said, the situation would be dire if I were not nearby."
"Wonderful, when can we begin?" I happily grabbed it and put it around my neck. This was far from my first rodeo.
"Not quite; we must discuss a few rules." The Youkai – I think he was a Tengu? He stopped me. "First and foremost, we are not responsible for your safety. My presence is a courtesy afforded to you, but you will be walking into an active and unknown warzone. A situation may arise where I am unable to protect you, or an accident occurs beyond our scope of understanding. In any event, you are taking a risk, and the consequences are yours to bear."
I gulped as he laid it out for me. Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head. "I understand."
"Very well. Please note that you have been given some leeway in how you desire to handle your recordings. However, if you attempt to meddle in affairs or privacy that does not concern you, we will treat it as an enemy action."
.....Right, no sneaking around; you have to do things above board. That's fine! I don't need to do anything clandestine; I just need to record things properly! Any thoughts I had of sneaking into the home of him were squashed before they even began. "I understand!"
"Very well, you may follow me." The Youkai accepted and he finally led us out of the room.
Almost immediately, we saw them marching.
I quickly slapped Greg, and he took the hint to start recording. I glanced at the Youkai, and he noticed but didn't say anything.
Good.
We could edit all this footage together later, but recording was the most important thing.
I never cared or even heard about these Youkai until this past year. The small island in the human world was worth so little notice, but now it was the center of attention for so many people.
A type of military parade? We had those from time to time down in the Underworld when one of the Nobles wanted to show off their power in their cities.
No…this felt different.
"Follow." The Youkai, Soma, urged us as we walked parallel, but out of the way of the soldiers.
Of course, Greg did a good job of capturing everything. Not just their military might, but the regular faces just as well. Those were important; they needed to set the atmosphere.
Finally, we came to a stop where the soldiers marched too. All their unique and odd shapes, all lined up properly in a unified force.
It would have been almost funny to look at had they not presented such an aura of power.
Soma, the Youkai, didn't usher us further.
"Greg, let's get our introductions." I quickly pulled out my Devil Phone and sent a message back to the studio that we were okay to do a quick live broadcast to pull in the viewers.
"Ready when you are." He set up the camera quickly with the soldiers and military people behind me. I quickly made sure my clothes were smooth and that my hair wasn't out of place.
Greg silently counted down with his fingers and gave me the ago ahead.
"Hello Underworld! Angelica Lathas here with Devil News Today!" I smiled as I had learned in front of the camera, where no doubt millions upon millions would be watching me. "I'm standing here inside of Shin-Kyoto, the Youkai home in Japan. And as you can see, they're preparing for war. I'm sure many of my viewers aren't learning about this for the first time, but today is the day that the Youkai made a public announcement about their invasion. We're not quite sure what is happening right now." I turned to look at what everyone was gathered for, but it was hard to see from here.
But then I had a great idea!
"Mr. Soma, do you have any comments on what's happening right at this moment?" I tried to get our 'guard' involved.
He did say he was a guard for Lady Yasaka.
Soma seemed... well, not happy, but he didn't seem upset either.
"The Young Lord is in the midst of preparing our entrance into the Fae Realms." Soma answered.
"When you say Young Lord, what do you mean by that?" I held my microphone out for him.
I knew the answer, of course, but I wanted him to say it. I could practically taste the ratings.
"Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, the consort of Lady Yasaka. He is our Young Lord." The Youkai said simply.
Perfect!
"Do you think we could get a view of what's happening for the people watching back home, Mr. Soma?"
Please, please, please, please.
"Very well."
Yes!
"We appreciate your help." I smiled gracefully.
I gestured for Greg to keep rolling. Viewers eat all this in between stuff up; having to watch us walk around in real time gave them a sense of belief and immersion.
Finally, after going a long way around everyone else, Soma led us to get a pretty good view of what was going on.
I quickly set up in front of Greg. "As you can all see, the Young Lord of the Youkai appears to be setting up some kind of….archway. And there are a few people providing assistance." I gestured for Greg to zoom in on them. "From what we know that should be Scáthach from Celtic Myths and Legends. And secondly, from what my sources tell me, the other woman helping him appears to be one Jinn, the newly arisen Goddess of Asgard."
Of course I knew who they were already, but I had to make sure and introduce them to the audience.
Lady Leviathan made sure to give me the rundown on everyone of importance that may be here!
I let the audience have a moment to understand there. The new Goddess of Asgard—what happened during the Norse Ragnarök—had been the talk of the town since it happened a few weeks ago.
Many news stations were still running programs talking about what happened in that part of the world. The fact that we're getting actual footage of the rumored New Goddess was just a cherry on top of everything!
"He appears to be... inserting some sort of what looks like a harp into the magical mechanism." I voiced what I was watching. I had utterly no idea what I was looking out for; I didn't really learn magic all that much other than basic stuff. But even I could see that whatever this thing was, it was profound in construction.
"The Young Lord is preparing our entry way into the Fae Realms." Soma spoke again as Greg turned the camera.
Before I could question that, there was a big commotion, cheering, rumbling sounds of people stomping and weapons hitting the ground.
The archway flared to life, and a portal appeared within it.
Oh…that's what you meant. "It seems that the Red Dragon Emperor is not only prodigal in strength but also in magical knowledge, for it appears that he was able to create a stable portal into a realm thought unassailable until now."
With how much of our viewer base was Reincarnated or Low Class Devils and adored him, it's best to praise him as much as possible.
"Hurry up, you damn virgin; we're going to be late!"
I snapped my head over at who was causing a new commotion. And I immediately recognized the face from the pictures that Lady Leviathan showed me.
Dare I?
Fortune favors the bold.
While the Youkai were caught up in what was happening over there, I gave Greg a gesture to follow me with the camera as I snuck away and quickly ran towards the person stomping over.
"Great God Odin, do you have any comment about the impending War of the Youkai and their invasion of the Fae Lands?" I admit, this was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done in my life. Run up and shove my microphone into the face of a god.
Thankfully, he didn't smite me out of annoyance.
He looked at me, then at the camera, and he slowly grinned. "Swiggity Swooty, they are coming for that Fae Booty." He said before walking off.
"…eh?" I looked at his back then at Greg, who shrugged from behind the camera.
We were live!
What was I supposed to say to that!?
"We're not taking any interviews right now!" Was she a Valkyrie? She ran up, blocking the camera's view of the god.
"Do you have any comment on Asgard's relationship with the Youkai? Is God Odin's presence here an endorsement or aid to their allies?" I quickly shifted back to work mode as I would not let this opportunity slip by!
"Asgard is not participating in this war! Lord Odin is just here for moral support towards his Blood Brother and fellow Goddess on behalf of Asgard to wish them good tidings in their fighting!" The Valkyrie waved her hands around.
"Do you—"
"Get over here, you maidenless Valkyrie; I think I see your crush over there by the brat."
"Wah!? Lord Odin!" She almost seemed to be in tears. "No more comments!" She squeaked as she ran towards the God.
Well then.
Satan Leviathan did request I verify if Asgard was coming to their aid in the war; it seems I can scratch that off the list.
We had to quickly pivot though!
"Look, that should be the Pendragon family! The legendary descendants of King Arthur!" I quickly found something to change the subject.
It was well known now that the Pendragon family was close to the Youkai, though not many were particularly aware of how it happened.
They marched forward, much more unified-looking, but that was to be expected from a clan of knights.
Behind them, they were pulling some massive things covered in tarps, and we couldn't get a good look.
Some kind of siege weapon? Did they expect that sort of thing to be needed?
And who was that in the front? "And at the front of the Pendragon Family, we have Artoria Pendragon, one of Wilhelm Schweinorg's harem." Once more, I thanked Satan Leviathan for her documents that helped me identify people on sight.
I nudged Greg, and his camera swerved to see some other interesting things. There were more carts being pulled up, wagons full of supplies. Weapons of all sorts, lots of arrows, and a huge amount of what looked like potions.
I didn't comment, but I let Greg record it for a few moments. Another thing Satan Leviathan wanted me to get if I could, a look at their supplies.
There had been rumors of some interesting Potions trickling out of the Youkai Faction for several months now...
"And we have new arrivals, that's – that's the church!" I blurted out in surprise as dozens of what looked like high-ranking members of the church teleported in, but that wasn't all. "And the Archangel Gabriel." I said in a whisper as the Angel of War stood among her people.
Well, she didn't stand for long before she shot out into a certain ground, and with a strange sound, she was apparently hugging some young-looking woman.
"Quick, record that!" I smacked Greg's shoulder, not caring that we were still alive. "That's the rumored Saintess, back from the dead!"
That had also been the talk of the town—a living saint, someone who should have been long dead, walking around with the Son of Lucifer.
Not to mention there were rumors that she and him were together.
If I could get some footage of that~
I cleared my throat, pushing those thoughts to the side. "I can speak for everyone when I say that it's certainly a surprise for the Church and Heaven Faction to appear here almost like... allies. The Archangel Gabriel, the Violence of Heaven "I noticed the strongest human among their number; it was hard not to when a single arm of his was wider than my body." And the rumored Saintess herself all come out in support of the Youkai."
"Of course, the Youkai seem to be...welcoming their arrival." I noticed the Youkai Leader, Yasaka, walk up to the strongest human and chat with him amicably. Weren't they supposed to be enemies!?
My attention was snapped away when I noticed the camera jerk to the side as Greg focused on something else and my eyes trailed. "Tiamat!?"
Who wouldn't recognize her? The famous Dragon King that lived in the familiar forest and refereed the rating game tournament last year!
What was she doing in Kyoto!?
She also seemed to notice us as she moved towards us in a blink of an eye. "Oh, some Devils? Are you recording? Hello everyone!" She moved in front of the camera, waving.
"L-Lady Tiamat?" I didn't know how to answer her.
"Don't mind me, I'm just watching the show like everyone else." She chuckled. "It was so noisy I just had to come out and see what the commotion was."
D-did she just swipe something out of the bag of camera parts that was hanging off Greg's shoulder?
"I didn't realize this was causing such a commotion to the familiar forest." I forced a smile. "It must be a..."
"The Forest?" She tilted her head. "Oh no! I'm living here in Kyoto for the time being. Anyways, don't mind me, you must be working right now." She didn't give me a chance to respond before departing somewhere.
I looked at the camera blankly. "You heard it here, folks; it seems like Tiamat, the Great Dragon King, is now... living with the Youkai. What an interesting turn of events." I wanted to face palm, but we were live, so I held it together.
I didn't know what sort of problems would come out after hearing Tiamat moved from the Underworld, but I'm just happy I wasn't the one that had to deal with them.
Thankfully, I didn't have to put much thought into it because our Youkaiminder appeared after we 'got separated' earlier.
"The initial assault will begin shortly. You have been invited to attend as our first members go through the portal." Soma stated.
That was equally terrifying as it was exciting.
I silently mouthed to Greg to not stop recording no matter what.
Even the most benign thing here could rake in the views.
We were still kept separated from the 'important' people, but now... it felt like we were right in the middle of it.
Not just them though; we were in shouting distance of the church people, and that made me worried.
It looked like a few high-ups of the Pendragon Family passed us, followed up by some of the Youkai leaders? I wanted to stop one of them, any of them really, to get a comment, but before I could even open my mouth, the glares they sent my way made that hard to voice.
"Ah, you must be the reporter I heard about."
"L-Lady Yasaka." I quickly greeted her, making sure to be extra polite since she's my meal ticket. "Thank you for letting us come."
"Well, it was a novel idea." She hummed with a contingent of Youkai at her back. "You lot, get ready; follow up with Wilhelm and Scáthach." She gestured as the Youkai following her went off to the side where the big portal was operating. "And you two." She looked at me and Greg. "Soma will be at your side, but you'll be following in after me as the first cleanup takes place."
"Cleanup?" I questioned.
"Ah, the first ones through will be making sure that there are no living beings in the vicinity." The Youkai leader smiled, and I felt a shiver go down my spine.
"Lady Yasaka." I gathered my courage and calmed myself down. "If you don't mind me asking, and for those watching, what is your strategy here? What do you hope to accomplish?"
"Well, our first priority is to establish a foothold, the logistics of which... well, you'll see shortly. As for our priority, well, we are owed a debt we intend to take with interest."
I gulped.
"Get ready, we're starting."
"Already!? I thought... are you not going to prepare anything? No speech?" This felt…. I don't know, so quick.
"A speech?" Yasaka laughed. "A speech is needed to raise morale, to give each of them a reason to fight. I assure you, they are very eager already; if anything, they've waited long enough for this."
I was maybe starting to feel the smallest bit bad for whoever crossed them.
"Look closely." Yasaka pointed. "Nurarihyon is leading the first forces inside. Along with Wilhelm, Raikou, and Scáthach and an assortment of our troops joining in."
They unceremoniously walked through the portal as if it were an everyday occurrence, no hesitation whatsoever.
"Jeanne dear." Yasaka called out, and very quickly the Living Saintess came over with the... the Archangel in tow.
Meep.
The Archangel gave us a glance, and I felt years of my life disappear.
"Lady Yasaka." The Archangel greeted her politely. "As per our agreement, we're ready."
It wasn't just her; the Violence of Heaven Himself and the dozens of clergy were at her back.
Were... were they going to fight alongside the Youkai?
"Very well, that should have been enough time for them to clear out any annoyances." She snapped her fingers, and dozens more of her people were quickly lined up. "Second wave, bring supplies. Where are the druids? And get me the magicians over here!"
Druids, Magicians?
Two distinct groups lined up, and I now had no idea what was going on anymore!
"Stay close." Soma's voice came from behind me, and I didn't even see him! He just kept disappearing and reappearing out of nowhere. "We're entering."
"See everyone on the other side." I forced a smile to the camera, as I had no idea if it would stay a live broadcast after going through. At the very least, we would record everything and send it in later.
Thankfully, the very scary Archangel was not following us inside, and the other church people didn't pay us any mind as we stayed near the back amongst groups of people I had no reference for as they entered.
I may have closed my eyes as we walked through, bracing myself, but I felt nothing strange until a breeze hit my face and a strange smell held in the air.
There were sounds of shouting and some magic being thrown around as I peeked through to see what was going on.
Almost immediately, I felt a strange sense of vertigo as I looked at the surroundings.
"Don't fly up into the sky; it's not connected to the earth!" Was that the Son of Lucifer who shouted? I think I recognized his voice, but it wasn't directed at us.
I took a moment to get my bearings.
The ground was quite literally scorched to the dirt as flames danced around the foliage.
It felt…wrong.
The sky, there was a constant aurora of colors that flowed like clouds, there were celestial bodies that... didn't seem real, but they hung in the air. At different points in the sky, it was day, and in others, it was night.
I think at the edge of the horizon, if I squinted, it was a strange twilight.
A root sprung out of the ground, nearly impaling me if it weren't for the Youkai next to me slashing it with his spear. "Apologies, this land is confusing."
No wonder they were scorching everything around us.
But very quickly, they pushed out, killing anything that moved.
It was…..a scary sight.
I didn't know what to say as Greg swept the camera around, catching everything.
"Jeanne, Father Swole, you guys are up!" Lucifer's son called out.
And very quickly, our Youkai Guard had a strange mist surrounding us, almost like a barrier. "This is for your safety. I have created a pocket dimension for you to stay within for the moment but made it so you can still peer outside as if you never left. I have also taken the liberty of sealing away their voices so they will not reach you; I did not know if it would be harmful by association."
"Pocket Dimension?" I blurted out in confusion.
"Ah, I am the owner of Dimension Lost." Soma clarified.
"D-Dimension Lost!?" I looked at him wide-eyed, then at the scene in front of me. "What are they doing out there?"
The church people, the violence of heaven, the living Saintess, they all kneeled together in what looked like prayer. It only took a second before a visible amount of Holy Power pushed outward.
"They're sanctifying the area. It is a most powerful repulsion to the will of these lands and needed if we wish to establish a foothold." Soma explained.
"Druids! You're up." Yasaka called out.
"Where did you get druids?" I whispered.
"We had friends from the English Isles come and teach many of our people." Soma smiled.
Very quickly, familiar-looking plants and trees sprang up at the edge of the open area.
"What's the purpose of..."
"You dare invade and conquer part of this realm!?" A chilling voice swept out, accompanied by an ice-cold wind that snuffed out any flames and froze much of the surrounding area bar the land that was sanctified.
Even inside this pocket, I felt my body stiffen and my blood turn cold.
Like a tidal wave, across the horizon, a literal sea of frost and snow came rolling across the once green hills.
"Hmph, Magicians, you're up." Yasaka seemed to scoff at the presence that commanded this place.
The Magicians, along with the Son of Lucifer and the notable Scáthach, walked forward, and barriers sprang up.
Hundreds of different magical defenses arose around the area, and I was fairly sure I even saw some of the church's own also overlap.
The tidal wave of frost slammed into our little shelter but splashed helplessly against everything.
"Titania, you owe me a favor. Destroy this foothold, and I'll consider it paid." The same chilling voice reverberated.
Contrary to the ice cold chill that those words brought, a more subtle warmth permeated the area, but it still held with it a certain shivering sensation like I was standing too close to an open flame. "I'll attack properly once. Whatever happens after has nothing to do with me."
"Fine!"
The warm and melodic giggle tickled my ears, and presumably against each and every person here as well. "I don't intend to get involved in your little dispute; I simply owe a small debt."
The errant frost and the frozen landscape immediately melted.
High up in the sky, a vast distance away, a small flame grew until a second sun appeared close to the earth.
"Do your best to survive, mortals~" The soft voice giggled as the sun came soaring towards us.
"Wilhelm." Yasaka said simply in response, barely acknowledging the attack.
The shadows, the shadows under us, jerked and moved.
"Riding on the winds of your father Vayu, Hanuman steal the sun!" The Son of Lucifer spoke words that shook the air around him; they felt heavy despite being shielded in this pocket.
The shadows swirled and merged into a massive figure that stood up from the ground, almost like some kind of ape. It reached out and grabbed the sun that was barreling towards us and wrapped around it.
I looked at Wilhelm Schweinorg, and he swept his hand out, and the shadow threw the sun back where it came from.
A colossal firestorm erupted at the point of impact, and a shriek was heard, very similar to the voice of the one who created the sun in the first place.
I waited with bated breath, but nothing more happened, and everyone around us resumed their tasks as if a world-ending event didn't nearly just wipe us all from existence.
I reached over silently, fumbling a few times because it was hard to take my eyes away from the flames that still danced in the sky, and I finally found the off switch to the camera.
"Is it off, Greg?"
"It's off." He said quietly.
Good.
Now I can have my mental breakdown without everyone seeing.
@***@
A/N
Two more parts of the looking glass omake are up on p.a.t.r.e.o.n.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.