Beta read by Shigiya
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-Underworld-
Just like Azazel mentioned, the Underworld was an enormous land that stretched across such an absurd distance that trying to find a single person felt pointless from the start. Like looking for a nail in a haystack. No, it was worse than that. Like looking for a single nail through several haystacks. According to what little information I had been given, the Underworld was considered larger than the human world by a wide margin. That was not even counting the rumors about pocket dimensions scattered throughout the place. I never bothered confirming whether those were real or just another exaggeration passed around by bored devils.
Because of that, the existence of the contract guiding me toward Raynare had saved me from an unreasonable amount of wasted time. I caught myself thinking about it and immediately felt annoyed. Look at me, getting all worked up over her. Selling the idea that I actually cared felt impossible even in my own head. It was a ridiculous thought, yet it was there for a reason. Whether I liked it or not, this was the situation.
While those thoughts kept circling as usual, the group and I arrived in the middle of what could only be described as a barren wasteland. This kind of scenery dominated most of the Underworld from what I had seen so far. Despite the surprising amount of life that supposedly lived down here, the land itself remained empty and dry for reasons I could not figure out. Strangely, it was not a sand desert either. Just cracked ground, distant rock formations, and a sky that never bothered pretending to be welcoming. None of it made much sense, but then again, there were still plenty of places I had never seen. For all I knew, the logic here simply worked differently.
"All right, you kids, make sure to have fun and be back before nighttime for dinner," Azazel said. "Oh, and do not forget to take videos so I can see."
With that, he left almost immediately after dropping us off, keeping communication open through a phone instead of staying nearby.
"That is strange," I said. "I was under the impression that he was going to join us."
"Sirzechs mentioned something about unrest in his territory," someone replied, sounding uncertain.
I shrugged in response. "Do not mind him. He might sound like he is leaving this to us, but he is just making sure this area stays sealed so that someone decides to take a peek at what were doing."
"Well, we are just saving one of your girlfriends," another voice said. "I do not see the need to hide that. Would it not be a good opportunity to show your strength and discourage future trouble?"
I shook my head at that response, "One, she's not my girlfriend. Two, for the love of Super Maxx coffee, never say that again. I like my balls where they are, thank you very much. And three, it's not so simple as you're making it out to be. For all we know, another powerhouse could show up to help Diodora. And before you start saying that you'll be able to handle them, that's not the goal here. We came to get back that bitch, not start a mini serious war."
"Hahaha! Fair enough." Despite being somewhat of a meathead, the guy was still capable of critical thinking, more so than he let on. I could not prove it, but part of me believed he was just forcing people to see him in such a light. He was cunning when it mattered and crude if given the opportunity — The only reason you did not use that side of him was that he had enough strength to not bother.
"There is an illusion spell nearby, most likely hiding it from you."
"Yeah, I thought so." Damn it, had I still been capable of using my Sacred Gear, a single use of Delete Field would have been enough to greatly weaken such a spell and potentially break it in one go. 'But that would have most definitely alerted Diodora. If that guy is smart enough, then he would have taken that opportunity to just run away. But there is a large possibility that he would just take us on and underestimate us, but would I have taken that risk? No. A third possibility would be to just use Raynare as a hostage in order to buy time. With that Rizevim guy helping him, I can't take any unnecessary measures.'
Several plans flashed across my mind at once; unlike my battle against Sona, there was literally no room for error, given that a life was genuinely at stake. I could not even just throw cider org in the middle of the mansion and have them go berserk and lay everything to waste.
No matter how simple things would be if I did.
"Can you detect how many people are present inside?" Realising that I needed more information, I turned my head and relied on the one who had super-enhanced senses beyond those of a devil.
Kuroka closed her eyes and concentrated for a few seconds, "Quite a bit of them, in fact. Can't sense their numbers precisely, given many of them are within the mansion, which has more barriers protecting it. And from the remnant light energy, Raynare was definitely here and even had a fight."
"Is she…"
"I don't think so. Again, it's hard to tell."
Kalawarna visibly flinched at the idea that crossed my mind. As a long-time friend of hers and partner, such an outcome would be heartbreaking for her.
"No matter their numbers, we can just cut them down."
At least Xenovia was ready to take on the group without much fear. Holy sword in hand and visibly eager to confront a group of devils without needing to hold back. While I appreciate her enthusiasm, I could not let her run wild without any plans. "There is no way Diodora I did all of this without expecting some sort of confrontation. He was confident enough to try to take Asia. That means he should have known that such an action led to having an angry Gabriel out for his skin."
While the Seraph was a sweetheart, that did not mean she did not possess a ridiculous amount of power capable of erasing an entire town from the map if she so desired. Not someone who got angry so easily or even confrontational, but if there happened to be a method to guarantee such a reaction, then it would be kidnapping Asia. 'The fact that she hasn't tried to join me in this endeavour is a miracle by itself. Or maybe she would have, had I stayed on earth for a bit longer.'
"I am not that familiar with Diodora," Sairaorg mentioned while crossing his arms. "He never gave me the impression of being someone who would do something so crazy without some sort of plan."
"Or maybe that devil just could no longer hold in his obsession with Asia and just did the first thing that came to mind without any plan?" Kuroka added nonchalantly. "It's not the first time I've dealt with people like that."
That was a possibility I could not ignore. "Regardless of what it may be, staying here trying to make sense of this entire thing is a waste of time," I added while massaging my head.
"Are you planning on killing him?" I stared back at the fallen angel as she said that, wondering if this was a question or an expectation. "If he is crazy enough to do this, then nothing is stopping him from trying to get revenge against you. I don't know what Ajuka plans to do with him, but it's not going to be death. Probably just in prison in the depths of Cocytus, or leave him chained in some luxurious prison. At the end of the day, he is the heir of the Astaroth clan, and the Devils are very protective of their own kind. No matter how detrimental they are to them in the long run."
Rather than trying to think of an answer that made the most sense, I chose to take the next most logical step and instead retrieved my phone and dialled a number. Putting it on speaker and in front of everyone who looked at me with confusion, I waited until the beeping stopped and a voice answered on the other side. "Any good news?"
"Yo, Ajuka, I have a question for you. Would you hate me if I killed Diodora?" The others around me were immediately stunned by the question itself, and I asked so boldly. I even nearly said if we were allowed to kill Diodora, but changed that to it just being me, so as not to have this matter weighing upon their shoulders as well, in case Ajuka objected.
"..."
The silence on the other side was quite telling; I could practically guess the kind of expression he was making. While the guy himself presented himself as a calculating kind who put logic above most things — a sentiment with which I agreed — That did not mean he was not emotional to those he cared about.
So, just as I thought the man had actually hung up on me, I finally heard an answer.
"No. I would not."
Had it been any other scenario, killing would not even have been an option I considered. Even in the past, the fear of losing myself to bloodlust and recreating another mask killing incident heavily scarred me. But time always healed every kind of wound, even the most persistent ones eventually became dull, and one would grow numb.
Did I hate the guy? Yes, I did. Did I hate him enough to want to kill him with my own hands? Well, not really. But I also had to understand that if not handled properly, he could come back again and harm someone else more permanently. The choice was easy, even if it went against my own liking to a certain extent.
"...—e… ry… -h—"
"Hm?" A slight buzz sounded in my head, and although it was not a clear voice, the intent of what he wanted to communicate was understood immediately. 'You have a Valkyrie with you, use her.'
That statement caught me so off guard that I nearly looked past the fact that his voice was getting clearer by the day. Whatever Rizevim had done to me loosened up. But he was right, looking back at the white-haired woman, I stared at her closely.
"Ah!"
Jolted by my sudden reaction, she took a step back as if I was plagued with a curse. "Oi, why are you always so afraid of me? Pretty sure your current state, you could easily turn me into a mist of blood without a snap of your finger." I couldn't help but ask, come on, watching her back pressed against a hollow tree trunk, looking no different than a cornered animal! "Hah, never mind. Hey, so who do you work for exactly? Odin or Akeno?"
"B-both…" Even she did not sound so certain herself. "Technically, Odin, since he told me to follow her words as a way to seek forgiveness…"
Forgiveness?
For what?
I was pretty sure he was just messing with her; everything that happened back then was just a stupid misunderstanding, which I did not even care to remember. "Alright, so how about I make you a deal? If you perform well today, not only will I personally go to your patron deity and tell him that I forgive you, but I will also give you a small compensation prize."
I could just bark orders at her, but I truly felt bad for the woman and tried to paint this as a deal with both parties agreeing to it. Not to mention, she was dragged here against her will for some reason, a mighty Valkyrie being pulled everywhere like a doll was definitely not something I expected to see anytime soon.
"That's not a proper way to handle things. I gave an oath to Lord Odin that I would carry out my duties properly without taking shortcu—"
"This is how much I am paying."
"I accept!"
Huh, that worked out better than I imagined. Remembering how Akeno spoke to her before, I tested out a certain theory crossing my mind and tapped some numbers on my phone before showing it to her. I was not low on cash, even if I ran low, Rias always was there… Yes, I was not ashamed to ask for money. She already treated that as mere numbers and as a man who wanted to be a househusband — this was to be expected.
Just how little did they pay these people?
In any case. For him to win… he needed to use Diodora's arrogance against him.
{Break}
(Around the same time)
Pa!
"A-ah…"
Bam!
"Hm~!"
A series of harsh sounds echoed within the underground chambers, found right beneath Diodora's current hideout. A place he regularly frequented in the past, when he first acquired his set of evil pieces, a perfect secluded hideout to conduct any kind of research or play whatever game he wanted without any prying eyes stopping him from doing so. In fact, this place held fond memories for it was also back when he acquired his very first Queen.
His first holy maiden, whose will and body he broke bit by bit each and every passing day, the walls still holding echoes of her pain-filled screams and eventually pleasure. Untainted paintings that were slowly corrupted, the process and transformation being a euphoric sensation for the young man who got addicted to it and continued his practice from then on.
It was only later, after he felt confident enough to hide these activities perfectly from the eyes of Ajuka, that he changed places to his own castle in Lucifaad.
Unfortunately, as his grip around the wood grew stronger and each of his strikes grew harsher, Diodora began to realise that he was not having fun or enjoying the moment at all. His current prisoner did not show the same kind of reaction as each of his pieces; he broke them all by himself, with each strike, what he heard was not the cries of pain and begging for him to stop.
Instead, it was…
"Hn~! Is that all you got? Your whip barely feels more painful than a mosquito sting! Sleeping on a bed filled with crumbs of chips was more uncomfortable than this!"
"WOULD! YOU! SHUT! UP!" Diodora cried out, punctuating each word with a whip crack against Raynare's flesh. But it didn't faze the Fallen like he was hopping, and it just frustrated him even more.
Any ounce of satisfaction he would usually experience fizzled up and was now replaced with pure frustration and anger. His prisoner was actually enjoying the process from the beginning! No matter how strongly he hit her with his whip, she enjoyed the process and never showed any genuine pain. There was no begging or pleading, no cries of mercy, and the other side shouting the name of God at the top of their lungs to save them. Nothing came out but just pure provoking insults!
"What the hell is wrong with you!? How can you even enjoy this!? Don't you realise the position you are in!? I can kill you anytime I want!"
"Yeah, yeah. Wah, wah, wah, someone please save me and all of that nonsense. Oh, by the way, can you whip me around my ass? It feels a bit itchy there; or don't, at least then it would be the first time you made me uncomfortable. Well… Aside from me being near such a pathetic cuck. Oh, I have a better idea, just use the other whip with those spiky barbs on it, they feel better."
"I said shut up!"
With another roar, he threw his hands that still held on to the whip, demonic energy covering the entire length as it smacked her stomach hard enough to leave a visible red line. But once again, what he saw was not paying, but instead her eyes rolling up, body fidgeting in place, and slight moaning as she sensually bit her lower lip.
She… she was enjoying the entire process!
"Why you…" He did not even know what to say at that moment, while he enjoyed seeing pure maidens turned into hollow toys to be used for his own pleasure, this did not feel the same. In fact, it felt like his entire practice was being mocked, his entire existence being toyed with by this bitch who did not know how to shut her mouth.
"Aaah, that hit the spot. Keep up the good work, fucking cuck, soon you'll be around the same level as Kalawarna was when we first started to experience a century or two ago. Next time, I'll be the one to lock you up here and peg you in front of your Peerage while stuffing your mouth with Asia's used sock—"
"SHUT UP!"
That was it, the young man had reached his limit, and his patience had long since evaporated when it came to this person. At first, he wanted to break her, turn her into a complete broken mess for Hachiman to find. A sight that would have shaken that pathetic human and shattered his mind before eventually dying by his hand. Making him suffer for taking Asia away from him. But now… he was not getting any closer to that outcome through this method.
"What, already giving up? Figures. That's what I thought, you useless fuck. At the end of the day, you're nothing but an amateur who's never met a real woman in his miserable life. Go on, try hitting harder, justify your bullshit however many times you need to, you spineless cuck. Break my legs, burn my hands, beat me till your arms feel like overcooked dicks. It won't change a damn thing. You lost, motherfucker."
He said nothing, His teeth grinding against one another as his fists clenched with more demonic power condensing around them. Growing in power until even the width started to break down, for a brief moment, any bits of rationality were clouded by pure anger. "Enough!"
No longer having any plans to continue his attempts at breaking her, Diodora decided to take out a more literal approach. Raising his fists and forcing them to strike Raynare's stomach. The punch digs into her flesh, forcing every bit of air out of her lungs, with her previous wounds flaring up.
"Heh," that finally owned him, embers of satisfaction, seeing her face twist and a pain-filled groan escape her lips. "I should have known that my previous approach would not work. At the end of the day, you are nothing more than a fallen angel whore who ruined my plans. If you like pain so much, then I'll be glad to give it to you as much as you want. Or better yet, a dagger to carve out a more beautiful face and permanently paint over this ugly o—ugh!"
His words came to a halt when the black-haired woman spat a mixture of saliva and mucus right in his mouth. Her action disgusted him to the core and forced Diodora to take several steps backwards while gagging and spitting while yanking the pitcher of water from one of his Peers and rinsing his mouth.
"You talk too much. Seriously, now I can understand why that bastard always talks about how unknowing it is to hear villains monologuing every time. It gets old quickly. Also, Hachiman's punches hurt more than your weak-ass twig-armed punch; at least he managed to rearrange my organs for a brief period. Yours is not going to even leave a bruise behind."
"I'll kill you!" There was no way around it anymore. Diodora, filled with rage, grabbed a dagger from his belt, intending to plunge it into her heart. Raynare closed her eyes and looked away, waiting for the sudden intense pain until—
"Lord Diodora."
Until a voice interrupted him right as he pointed and touched her skin, only going deep enough to draw blood but without putting her in any major danger. But the cold feeling of the steel was enough to make her heart beat frantically, trying to calm down.
"What is it now!?"
He shouted loudly at the servant who had interrupted him. Looking backwards to find another one of his many maidens whose face was completely hidden by a layer of cloth.
"Someone has breached the outer perimeters of the estate."
"Huh?" His mind went blank at that moment, for this place was heavily guarded and hidden from everyone he knew. Even Ajuka did not know of its location, a place where he could meet even the other members of the old Satan faction without fearing of being discovered. "Damn it, it must have been because of this bitch! Who is it? Did Sirzechs and his followers already find me and send an army?"
Had it been in the past, then he would have never so much as contemplated the idea of facing any one of the current Satans. They were no different from abominations, even amongst Devils, irregulars born with a natural amount of power for exceeding their peers and even the prior generation. Monsters who disguised themselves as devils, but now… with two blessings he had received. Diodora felt like he could now stand amongst them in terms of power.
Drawing a fraction of a single snake was more than enough to multiply his powers by several factors. Giving him a momentary sensation of invincibility, where nothing could cut him down. He finally understood why Sirzechs and Ajuka were so confident, even when facing so many enemies at once; the power they wielded gave them that assurance that, at the end of the day, they would come out alive and as the victor.
So, facing either of them, while risky, would not mean death.
"No, it's a single person." The newcomer answered with a blank tone before handing him a crystal. Taking a back by those words, he quickly grabbed it from her hand and activated it. A translucent screen showed up in the air, where it showed different parts of the land around his mansion in real time. Observation stones that could be installed anywhere and were discreet enough not to be noticed by even the most sensitive of devils and mages.
And through this, both the devil and the fallen angel were equally surprised to find a single individual walking around the forest shouting loudly.
"Raynare! Raynare! Where are you? Don't worry, I'm here to save you, my princess! Just hang tight, and I will save you from Diodora's evil hands and whisk you away from his evil castle!"
Right there, shouting at the top of his lungs was none other than that despicable human whose entire existence was the source of his recent hatred and all of his issues. Diodora's eyes went crimson from rage just from seeing Hachiman's face, recalling once more that it was because of him that he could not get his hands on Asia!
Holding on to a spear, he traversed the land while not looking in good shape himself, some of the majors that were patrolling the area attacking him, forcing him to back off and seek cover. Using several spells, he shot an offensive blast of elemental attacks ranging from fire, ice, and lightning. Some of the attacks created a cloud of dust, which gave him enough cover to use it as a smoke screen to approach the mages and either pierce them with the spear or strike their heads with a powerful leg kick.
"Hah? What the fuck?" Raynare exclaimed beside him, before she got angry, cheeks flushing, and started to thrash in her restraint, "That fucker! Who in the fuck is he call a princess!? Let me out of here so I go kick fucking dumbass!"
"Humph, so even after Rizevim sealed his Sacred Gear, he remained a nuisance. But I will grant this human one thing: he is not as helpless as I thought." He said, neither impressed nor fearful of what he was seeing. Those mages were the bottom of the barrel, people who just started to use magic or had no talent whatsoever, only able to use a single spell and relying on external factors or artefacts to empower themselves. They were of no use in combat, and he just put them on security to patrol his hideout.
Even a second-class devil would be more than powerful to take them down.
Looking at Hachiman's dishevelled state, a wicked thought stirred in his mind, and a grin soon stretched onto his face. "This is a gift handed to me by fate. Yes… Yes, this is excellent. That idiot actually came alone! Hahaha! He came alone!"
No other individuals were spotted nearby, and even his own servant assured him that they checked several times and could not find anyone outside other than him. "He must have gotten so desperate to save you that he actually rushed to the underworld all by himself! Hmph, pathetic human, he has forgotten that he no longer holds the power of the Black Dragon King!"
Soon, he turned his attention back to Raynare. "I couldn't break you physically. But I will break you mentally, not with violence but by shattering whatever hopes of being saved you had in mind. Right before your eyes, I will cut down this human."
This way, nothing would get in between him and Asia anymore. For he was not even worried about Rias or the Angel factions getting in between, for Rizevim would handle them somehow.
Why he let Hachiman go remained a mystery.
But he will now finish the job!
"Stay here and keep an eye on this bitch. If she talks, then stab her as many times as you want, but don't kill her. I will handle this by myself."
Without waiting another second, and potentially even risking his prey to flee and escape his clutches. Diodora quickly used a teleportation spell and left the confines of his mansion, his excitement growing with each second at the idea of killing this man. 'Maybe Rizevim couldn't kill him because he just was not powerful enough. With Ophis' blessings, I will accomplish what even that madman couldn't!'
Glory was at his fingertips, and a barely suppressed excitement, he appeared in the middle of the forest surrounded by shattered trees and scorched ground. The aftermath of a lengthy battle, which obviously ended with those useless mages defeated at the hands of a mere human. But at least the latter now looked completely out of energy.
"You…"
Their eyes met, and Diodora looked back with pure scorn. Contempt and disgust, along with several other similar emotions, gathered in his heart. Was such a week the source of his problems? Unacceptable.
"Where is she!?" Hachiman shouted at the top of his lungs, lunging ahead with his spear ready to pierce its target. While fast for a human, to a devil's eyes, he was slow, and it required a single side step to dodge the attack and to deliver a crushing blow to the abdomen with his knee.
"Hm?"
The moment he struck Hachiman, Diodora's eyes widened as pain shot up through his own legs. His knees actually ached, the impact rebounding as though he had slammed his fist into a wall of solid steel rather than flesh.
And yet… Hachiman's body still went flying. Getting hurled backward, tearing through several trees and shattering boulders in his path, his trajectory carving a massive gouge into the ground that stretched for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop. Diodora stared at the destruction left behind, momentarily caught off guard.
"Eh… did I really use that much strength?"
Even he hadn't been prepared for it. The sheer display made him pause, a faint confusion flickering beneath his satisfaction as he wondered whether the power of the snake still lingered within him, seeping through his body without his conscious awareness.
It made sense. The power of the Ouroboros Dragon was beyond the understanding of even the sharpest minds in their world. It must have already begun reshaping him, reinforcing his body in subtle but profound ways, empowering him long before he realized it.
This day just kept getting better. His confidence swelled, steady and undeniable. At this point, he could kill this man without even bothering to cast a single spell. Still, he preferred not to get his hands bloody with human filth.
"I still remember the first day I saw you," Diodora said coldly. "The audacity you had to interrupt my conversation. A lowly human who doesn't know his place, spoiled rotten by that Gremory girl and swollen with an ego far too big for his station. I wouldn't be surprised if Sona let you win during the Rating Game. It certainly worked in her favor. No— even if it was legitimate, you've always relied on the power of others to achieve anything."
He scoffed.
"Hmph. The so-called Black Dragon King… what a joke."
In the distance, a growling could be heard, and soon Hachiman was back on his feet using the spear to hold himself up. "L-Let her go… She has done nothing. She is innocent."
Diodora smirked, "I knew fallen angels were decrepit beings who would lie in bed with just about anything and anyone. From my understanding, you two used to be enemies? Yet now you come here to save her like a knight in shining armour. What is she, your lover?"
Hachiman glared back at him, hesitating at first but continuing on with a whisper. "What if she were? Release her now! The others will be here soon; it's not too late for you if you just give up right now. We can talk things through. Come back to your senses, Diodora!"
"Come back to my senses?" This time, his chuckle did not stop at a laugh. It spilled out into loud, uncontrolled laughter that echoed across the ruined ground, lingering far longer than it should have. His shoulders shook as if the thought itself amused him too much to contain. "You think I will stop now, when I am this close to my goal? The others do not matter anymore. With the powers I hold now, I no longer need to fear them. If anything, you should be worrying about your own life."
His gaze fixed forward, pupils wide with confidence rather than rage. "I will give Raynare a proper show," he continued, voice rising with every word. "I will pull you apart piece by piece so she can see it clearly. In fact, I'm half the mind to keep you alive and have you watch helplessly as I break her!"
One of his hands lifted, palm open. An emerald magic circle expanded into existence, rotating slowly as glowing symbols formed along its edge. The crest of his clan shone at its center, clear and deliberate, as if he wanted anyone watching to recognize it. Energy condensed within the circle, gathering into a dense sphere that hummed with pressure. It was the same spell he had used against the Fallen earlier, refined and packed tighter, forced into a smaller space before release.
The human reacted the moment the spell launched. He tried to move aside, boots scraping against cracked ground as he twisted his body away. It was not enough. The attack crossed the distance instantly, striking his head with a heavy impact that sounded more like a collision than an explosion. A loud boom followed as the energy detonated, dust and debris erupting outward and briefly swallowing the area in smoke.
When the dust finally began to settle, Diodora stared at the result. The body lay half buried in the ground, legs awkwardly angled upward, head driven downward into the earth in a way that looked almost comical. He frowned at the sight, confusion slipping through his triumph for a brief moment.
"Why did the body get buried downward?" he muttered to himself. "Shouldn't it have been thrown back instead?"
He had intended to strike the head completely and render him unconscious. But with this scene, no way he remained alive. Best to leave nothing behind, if such a simple attack turned out to be enough to kill him, then he should have used something more grand, to have the corpse collapse to its knees so Raynare could see it clearly. In the end, it did not matter. Dead was dead, regardless of how it looked.
Then he laughed again, louder than before. "Hahaha. I did it. Did you see that, Rizevim? I killed the one you could not!" His chest rose as he took a breath, every movement filled with pride. "Not even the Irish goddess of death herself managed it. Not those fools from the so-called Hero factions. Not those useless remnants of the old Satans. Me. Diodora Astaroth! I did this! Hahahaha!"
His laughter continued for several long seconds, bordering on crazed, until another sound reached his ears. Footsteps. Calmly, boots crunching against hardened earth behind him.
Before he could turn, an arm slipped around his neck, casual, pulling him slightly backward. A familiar voice spoke right beside his ear, relaxed and almost conversational.
"Damn. You really aimed for my head. You sure do hate me quite a bit, don't you?"
Diodora froze. His thoughts stalled completely, as if someone had cut them off mid-sentence. Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head.
Standing beside him was the human. Alive. Scratching his chin as if he were inspecting minor property damage. His eyes moved from the crater to the body that was still half buried in the ground, then back again, thoughtful rather than alarmed.
Diodora's mouth opened, but only one word escaped. "H-How is this…?"
"Hm? Oh, right. The other one," the human said. "All right. You can stop acting now."
As if responding to a cue, the legs sticking out of the ground twitched. The buried body shifted, then pushed itself free, dirt sliding off as it stood upright. The first Hachiman straightened, brushing soil from his clothes. His head was intact, skin unmarked, no sign of burns or damage anywhere.
"So?" the sitting one asked. "How was it? Did you like my performance?"
The Hachiman beside him rolled his shoulders once, expression neutral. "It was okay. I will give it a seven out of ten. You went a bit too far with the dramatic speech and throwing yourself like that. It almost broke your cover."
"I was trying to make it convincing," the first replied.
"How does taking a single hit to the stomach lead to flying that far and smashing into the ground like that?" the second asked. "And he hit your head, and you ended up getting buried in the same spot? There is no logic to that."
"It happens to the people I fight."
"That is because you are an anomaly with a ridiculous amount of strength, where the laws of physics themselves become too scared to be applied to you. You do not count," the second said flatly. "And I am fairly sure the people you kicked earlier are probably dead by now. The last one had his skull flattened. I don't have that kind of strength."
Diodora stared at them, eyes darting back and forth. The conversation passed over his head entirely. None of it made sense. His thoughts refused to settle, rejecting the scene in front of him outright.
Then the first Hachiman began to glow. Pale light wrapped around his body as unfamiliar symbols appeared in the air, circling him in slow rotation. Diodora recognized them as runic patterns, layered and complex, shifting as they connected to one another. 'Norse… magic?' As they moved, the voice of the glowing figure changed, growing deeper. His posture straightened. He grew taller. His hairstyle shifted, clothes reforming into something far more refined.
The wounds left by the earlier attacks faded without leaving scars, skin smoothing as if nothing had ever touched him.
Diodora's face got drained of color.
Sitting on the ground, now fully revealed, was the strongest devil of the current generation. He rested his elbows on his knees, wearing a slight pout as if mildly annoyed.
"Come on," he said. "At least I sold it with the dialogue. Bump my score up to an eight out of ten."
"You're lucky I didn't give you a six out of ten. Since when would I ever call Raynare, 'my princess'? Urgh, almost puked when I heard that. You made it sound like she's my girlfriend or something. Also, 'whisk you away from his evil castle'? Cring man. Very cring."
Sairaorg shrugged, tapping the side of his muscular arms. "There's nothing wrong with adding a bit of romance during an action scene. It sells better the moment it's better. It makes the villains more motivated to take you down and make a show out of it! Trust me, I've been seeing plenty of those drama shows since my mother took a liking to them."
Hachiman let out a short breath through his nose. "Fine. It did work, so I'll bump it up to a seven point five out of ten. Happy?"
"Very," Sairaorg replied, sounding genuinely satisfied. "I just need to do better next time."
The sudden shift in atmosphere cut off any logical thinking going on in Diodora's mind.
"This couldn't be real. This has to be fake. An illusion. All fake. I-I refuse to accept this!"
The man shouted the words, his voice echoing across the scene as demonic energy poured out from his body in uneven waves. The air felt heavier, the temperature rising slightly as the power gathered around him. Before it could spread further, a bright light flared beneath his feet. Circular rune patterns formed instantly on the floor, clean and precise, overlapping one another with no wasted space.
His energy sputtered out as if smothered. His legs buckled, and an unseen pressure forced him down onto his knees. His arms locked in place, his body frozen in a strained position, unable to move, no matter how hard he tried.
"That should do it."
From the darker corner of the room, another figure stepped forward. A white-haired woman emerged into the light, her long hair tied neatly behind her. She wore fitted armor reminiscent of something one would see on a Valkyrie serving Odin, polished but practical. Several glowing spell patterns hovered above her open palm as she looked toward Hachiman.
"This should keep him from moving," she said calmly. "Just to be safe, I suppressed his demonic energy with my own magic."
Hachiman clicked his tongue quietly. "I still wonder why that hag never taught me sealing magic using runes. This is ridiculously convenient, especially when paired with Delete Field."
He finally turned his attention back to the restrained devil, whose breathing had grown uneven. "You're probably wondering why you didn't notice us earlier. Or maybe you're hoping someone else will show up to help you."
He shook his head. "Don't bother. We were inside for some time. Kuroka and Rossweisse helped us bypass your bounded field whilst avoiding triggering the damn thing. It alerts others of intruders, but it completely ignores the surrounding wildlife. We just fooled it with Kuroka covering that part. You kept checking outside without realizing we were already in."
As he spoke, a dull explosion echoed in the distance. The floor trembled underfoot as smoke began to rise. The illusion covering the hideout peeled away, revealing the damaged structure beneath.
"They should be done by now," Hachiman added. "Xenovia is probably enjoying herself. I rarely tell her to go all out. I wonder if our Rating Game would have followed a similar path… no, Rossweisse wasn't in my team back then. Your magic is really useful. I can pay you more if you keep working for me."
"R-Really!?" The Valkyrie exclaimed. "You a-are not messing with me, right?"
"Of course not, I'll even throw in a contract to guarantee you a monthly salary and several benefits like paid vacation, bonuses, and other knick-knacks." After Rossweisse started crying tears of joy, the man looked up slowly, his earlier nonchalant attitude slowly disappearing. His voice dropped, stripped of emotion, as a single word left his mouth.
"Checkmate."
Desperation took hold of Diodora, and in his moment of crisis, he turned to the sole remaining lifeline he had left.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Taimanin with 3, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.