Alastor knocked at Illia's office door, which was soon opened by her maid. He stepped inside, before noticing the maid in greater detail.
'It's faint but.....Control is reacting. So Envy has begun making his move, huh? How troublesome.'
Alastor smiled at the maid, making her blush, as she quickly left the room.
"If you're done trying to flirt with my maid, what are you here for?" Illia asked from her couch throne.
"I believe my current rate of progress is a bit beyond-" Alastor was cut off by Illia.
"You wanna graduate early or something? I'm fine with that."
Alastor nodded, "Indeed. I believe I need more practical experience at this juncture."
Illia hummed in affirmation, "Good kid. Gotta see the world someday. I'll allow it, but the Council has taken a bit too much interest in you. They want to play their petty politics, trying to grow your image as my replacement. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this?"
"I'll agree to any test you give me," said the demon.
"Come to the Boundary with me then."
After some baffled silence,
"I beg your pardon?"
................................................................................
The Boundary.
The gray zone where the assimilation process of the Demon Realm had begun in earnest, but hadn't completed. It was, effectively, a border.
As is the case with most active borders, an endless battle was taking place within this gray zone, as both sides tried one upping the other.
"General! How much longer?!? We can't hold the line!" An officer of advanced rank shouted towards his superior as he attacked the giant demons making their way to the hastily set up walls.
The General, a wizened old man, looked at the bell on the desk, ringing it again, "I'n trying! This damned bell is glowing as she said it should!"
'Is that bitch abandoning us?!'
"That bitch is right here, you old fuck. Also, rude." Almost casually, Illia had teleported within one of the most secure locations in the Human Realm, with a quarry as well.
The General quickly bowed his head, before noticing the youngster next to Illia, "I apologize, Grand Sorceress! I shall bear any punishment you deem fit, as long as you save my men!"
Illia turned to Alastor, "There's an annoying friend of mine here that I need to deal with. Your task is to ensure that the walls don't fall, and save some soldiers if you feel like it."
Alastor nodded, feeling a sort of comfort he hadn't known he lacked.
'Ah, the feeling of home. Demonic essence is rich in the environment. It must be hellish for these humans, but it feels like a warm blanket to me.'
Alastor looked in the sky, catching faint glimpses of shimmering lights, pushing back the reddish hue of the Demon Realm.
'The Barrier.'
'The only thing keeping humanity alive in front of Demons, and able to negotiate with Gods.'
'It both protects the world, and hinders it. I should look into it's structure when I attain that state, especially since I plan on making this Realm my anchor.'
Alastor then got to work, clearing the weaker demons in the surroundings first.
He returned to the General's side, offering a Runed piece of metal, "The priority is saving the people. Hold it to your throat and speak into it, and your men will hear your voice. Tell them to drop everything they're doing and hunker down in 10 seconds. Those who don't, will die."
The General thought to himself for a moment before relaying Alastor's words, 'This young man.....He's a much better person than that witch!'
All the soldiers who had the luxury of getting on the ground, did so. Those on the walls jumped down, some of those fighting demons decided to place their trust in their General and fell to the ground, and some continued fighting.
Those who had hunkered down, witnessed a view both devastating and magnificent.
While the Change and Control Runes were the ones most familiar to him, Alastor was a master in Runework, acknowledged by Professor Bones, having a good grasp over many Runes.
With a bit of augmentation from Change and Control, the sky was filled with various Runes.
The battlefield lit up as the demons were bombarded with various Runic effects.
Behemoths fell as flames burned within their bodies, aerial demons screamed as their wings dissipated in acid, ranged demons were chopped apart or imploded with raging winds and the bulky and slow demons were swallowed by the ground, making them easy pickings.
One move determined the fate of the skirmish, as humanity reclaimed ground quickly.
The General laughed incredulously, turning to Alastor, just to see him collapsing onto the ground.
"I'm fine, just.....exhausted."
Alastor thought to himself, 'I had to use demonic essence to not collapse into a pile of flesh from the strain of that move. But it was worth it.'
As he looked at the General fussing over him, he though to himself, 'The first one has been Marked. It's just a matter of time now. Envy will receive quite the present waiting for him.'
The General never noticed the small Rune disappearing within his flesh, mirroring the Rune on the metal piece that Alastor had given him.
................................................................................
Illia looked at her opponent, "Been a while since I saw your ugly face around here."
Sitting opposite her on a throne of flowers, overseeing the planet, was a haughty looking blonde woman, drinking tea, "My offer to you still stands, Illia. We know you are the one chosen by this....Barrier around your Realm."
Illia stiffened at that, her eyes narrowing dangerously at the Demon King of Pride opposite her, "Watch it. I can't kill you, but as long as you're in here, I can make you wish I did."
The Demon plucked at what seemed to be a luminscent string beginning and ending in nowhere, "This Barrier has been the most interesting thing in the past millennia of conquering, you know? Even some of the Devils are gaining interest in this, and if they move, humanity will be erased. Without a doubt."
"The Gods would rather sacrifice humanity to keep this Barrier, than help your kind. My offer is the best one yet. Pride wishes to let humanity live."
Illia was about to say something when she was interrupted, "Human wench. Why is this eyesore still not dealt with?"
A Divine presence appeared. A Sixth Heaven God had descended.
"Obizuth." The newcomer called out the blonde Demon King, sitting on her throne, "Leave before you force my hand."
Obizuth bristled, "You'll have none left when I'm done with you, you gnat."
Illia grabbed a portion of the Barrier, and warped them away from the planet, as well as the realm.
As the God and Demon King found themselves outside the Barrier, they immediately felt their shackles be released, power returning their pinnacle as reality bent violently.
The Lord of Storms summoned his staff, as the surrounding space was shredded by cosmic lightning.
"Perish!"
Ozibuth reached out and grabbed the arm of a galaxy, before pulling it into the path of the cosmic lightning with her Authority over Pride, "Don't get too cocky, you filthy mutt."
As the transcendental beings collided at the edges of the Realm, Illia stabilized the core of the Realm, the planet of humans.
'Just need to save this planet. I just need to ensure this one planet is saved.'
'And everything else will be fine.'
'No matter what.....'
"The Barrier must not fall."