"Daniel…" I sob as I cradle the body of my fallen friend, tears streaming down my face. "This feels like Nick all over again…"
"Are you okay, Luis?" Ella asks as he kneels on the ground beside me and tenderly rubs my back with a sad smile.
"Yeah…" I answer as I rub the tears from my eyes and turn back to face Ella with a sad smile. "Why wouldn't I be? Daniel accomplished what he set out to do, and I kept my promise to Daniel and helped him to complete it. It's just…Daniel had to sacrifice his own life in the process…"
"But Daniel died a hero. He saved us all, he saved the world…"
"Everyone's suffered a lot from this war, Luis," Ella replies. "We've lost countless lives and watched so many of our friends die. They're all heroes, each and every last one of them."
"You're right," I reply with a sniffle as I wipe my eyes and peer back down at Daniel. "I just wish that -in some alternate universe- Daniel and I could have met differently, you know? At…oh…I don't know, maybe at school, maybe in a park, it doesn't matter. Just somewhere where...we could have become friends without fighting. Become friends without killing." And live our lives without having to die on a battlefield, same with everyone else. Nick…my dad…Ivy…Daniel, and eye one else who gave their life in this war…they all died as heroes."
"I know that Hell exists, but if there's a Heaven…"
"I know that Daniel is there!"
Slayer Fūjin, the final volume closing act: The Epilogue
After the war ended…we celebrated.
We had a party to celebrate humanity's total victory over demonkind, as well as to honor the lives and the sacrifices of our comrades who had given their lives fighting for the sake of mankind in this war.
The party was a great time. We danced, and sang, and laughed and ate and played; all things that we can now do only thanks to our comrades' sacrifices. I tried alcohol too, but it wasn't that good. But maybe it's because I'm not twenty-one yet, I still have a "kid's" palette, afterall.
Slayer Mezame ended up giving a toast at this Pro-Slayer party, and a beautiful one, at that.
And just like that, the war is over.
War…it's an interesting thing. Thousands upon thousands of years of planning and built-up tension went into preparation for this war. We risked our lives fighting countless opponents. But just like that, in not even a week…the war had ended. The Second Human-Demon World War ended in a win for humanity.
After the war ended, humanity was in SHAMBLES. Although New York City was worse than any other place (and New York City was BAD. there wasn't a single building left standing or a road that you could travel on by the time the war was over!) the entire world seemed to be in a rough spot. Not just physically, with demolished cities, but mentally, too. The citizens were traumatized, and morale was at an all-time low. The wrath of the demons was felt everywhere throughout the world, but everywhere, there was a branch of the Slayer Organization prepared to fight.
Something else also happened as a result of this war, too. Remember after my fight against Daniel when I first used my half-demon powers, and after exiting my Blue Demon form I still had a white streak in my hair? Or how after Nick's death, the entire right half of my hair remained white even when I wasn't using my half-demon powers? And then after I killed Ace, most of my hair was white? Well…I think you know where I'm going with this…
After Mikey and I killed War…
My entire head of hair turned snow white.
Now I don't know if this symbolizes something bad or good or if it's even symbolism to begin with, but, well…it's a look. And don't get me wrong, while I do miss my black hair, the white hair...it's pretty cool too. I like it! I'm just a little worried because typically my hair grew more and more white the more "demonic" I became, but now, after my battle's over…my entire head of hair is white? It's strange.
The Slayer Organization was in shambles too. The current Chairman, Owen Slomon, died protecting us from the first three Circles of Hell, and hundreds of half-demons and demons who had attacked him all at once. According to Grover; the Chairman self-destructed using a special Cursed Power stored away in his The Notebook to kill them all.
And so, we needed someone to fill the spot as Chairman of the Pro Slayer Organization and fast, now more than ever. Stupidly enough, the current Chairman didn't have any sort of assistant or vice Chairman to fill his role, and finding a suitable candidate and running an election and all that would have taken far too long.
Eventually, the Chairman's notebook was recovered amongst the rubble of the demolished Slayer Organization Headquarters. In his notebook, the Chairman had written that he wanted Nicholas Boras, Slayer Hachi, to fill the role as Chairman after him. But of course, Nick is long since dead. And so, the role of Chairman was given to the begruden previous Chairman who, as stated, was "Looking to retire, but then the war came around." But with morale at an all time low, everyone -citizens and Pro Slayers alike- needed a familiar face, a powerful leader to turn to. And so, Slayer Mezame begrudgingly took the position as Chairman, yet again.
But unlike Owen Solomon (who served as Slayer Mezame's Vice-Chairman back in the day), Slayer Mezame wasn't stupid enough to not assign someone as his Vice-Chairman (again). And thus, the Pro Slayer appointed to become Slayer Mezame's Vice Chairman was…
"YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME, GROVER BRADSHAW, SLAYER MIDORI, SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE INTERNATIONAL PROFESSION SLAYER ORGANIZATION AND FUTURE CHAIRMAN!" Grover proudly booms as he places his hands on his hips.
"WHAT?!" The rest of us cry.
"You, Grover, you're Slayer Mezame's Vice-Captain?!" Jamie cries.
"How…why…what?!" Ella stammers.
"I…I can't believe Grover is my superior…" Austin sobs.
"Well…old man Mezame is the one who trained after all!" Grover cheekily explains. "He said we need some "fresh blood" around here!"
Apparently, Grover had earned Owen Solomon's respect when he initially saved the Chairman's life, then teleported everyone out of the Slayer Organization Headquarters, allowing the Chairman to self-destruct and kill his opponents, saving the day only thanks to the chance given to him by Grover.
As much as I hated Owen Shannon- (and boy did I loathe that guy…) death is a tragic thing. Years ago, when I was fourteen and before I met Nick, I would have said "who cares" upon learning that someone I don't know or don't like died. But now -after fighting for my life, taking the lives of others, and watching people whom I love die- I can tell you that I value life a lot more now. So now, I will say this;
Owen Shannon, Slayer Atama, previous Chairman of the Slayer Organization…
May you rest in peace.
Despite the massive repercussions of the war, the Slayer Organization didn't change much after it. Sure, there was some rebuilding to do, and we needed a lot more Medical Slayers, most of the remaining Pro Slayers were given missions to pick out the remaining scraps of demons lingering throughout the world. The fortunate yet suffering few who didn't die in the war. All of the really powerful demons are dead, like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Nine Circles of Hell, so I'm sure that demon society is in shambles. After seeing that even the strongest of demons had lost, most of the remaining demons fled into Hell to avoid being slain. The only remaining demons are stragglers, or nests of unintelligible, savage demons who don't understand the situation they find themselves in.
The world just doesn't have much use for Pro Slayers afterall…
Speaking of Hell, despite the fact that its rulers have died, the major portal to Hell opened up by the Cards of the King still remains often. So one night, when everyone else was busy partying, Ella and I grabbed Grover and slunk off.
There's still something that we need to do.
***
"Well…here we are…"
Currently, Ella, Grover, and I find ourselves standing in the jungle where the golden, bloody ruins of the Temple of the Almighty Torch lies. In front of us…is a spiraling, dull rainbow colored wormhole. But not the dazzling, beautiful colors of a rainbow. I can only describe these colors as being ominous, or sludgy.
The Portal to Hell.
"So Ella-" I begin to ask as I turn to face the girl. "What did my dad say to you?"
"It was a bit cryptic," Ella answers. "What I gathered from your dad's final words is that by using my Demon Seal and your half-demon abilities…the two of us together can seal the Portal to Hell for good."