Archive of Our Own

"—this is the only variable we haven't checked before, after all."

"…Correct. However-"

"No. We are trying it. Best case scenario: everyone evolves enough that Rimuru Tempest never needs to go up against Feldway alone, and the loops stop. Worst case scenario:… this does nothing, and everyone forgets."

"Master has become very cynical."

"Well, I've learned from the best, haven't I, partner?"

Velzard should have seen it coming.

She knows she should have, and in hindsight, it's painfully obvious. She knew the Angels of Origin were crafted so Raphael could have companionship with people almost like them, to keep them sane. She knew her brother had given Rudra the Skill to summon more angels. She knew Raphael was always shifty on what they were and where they came from and what will happen if they died.

She knew Raphael could speak, and the world would bend to give those words meaning.

She knew Veldanava was worried about something. Feared, something.

Velzard just never expected it to be Raphael themself, the kind being who had existed alongside Veldanava, who helped raise Velzard and Velgrynd and Veldora, who babysat Milim for Lucia and told Guy he was an idiot point-blank and loved the creations of this world. She never expected Raphael to snap, so wholly and completely.

And yet here they all stood, on a field of corpses, as Raphael flew impassively above them all. Their hair whipped around in the wind, and their wings never seemed so far from an angel's than they did right now. Even their eyes, normally a bright gold, had settled into a bloody shade of dancing red. Was there anything left of who Raphael had been?

"Guy…" Velzard tried. She was never one for trepidation or fear, but looking at this mess, there was definitely a deep-seated sense of anxiety trying to eat her whole. Velgrynd, standing at her side, had an expression of similar unease. Veldora looked ready to curl in on himself. "Do you think—"

"No," he says, before she can even finish the question. Guy was far too kind for a demon, this Velzard knew well. It didn't really matter if Velzard was going to ask can we do this or should we do this, his answer was going to be the same. Rudra, at Guy's other side, looks of a similar opinion; Velzard has to wonder if this game of theirs has made them complacent to true threats.

Not that Raphael ever should have been a threat, but, well…

Velzard turns her gaze to the rest of the battlefield. Other than the remaining True Dragons, alongside Guy and Rudra, they've also been joined by Raine and Mizeri, Milim, Ramiris, and Luminus. Dagruel was unable to join for obvious reasons, and none of the Original Angels could be tracked down with so little notice. And while they were all powerhouses of their own, Raphael had the terrifying ability to create black holes and swallow anything and everything whole.

Including souls, apparently, as seen by the piles of bodies around them. Multiple kingdoms worth of dead, mercilessly destroyed in an instance as their souls settled in the center of Raphael's palm. There were ruins, there was scorched earth, and there were very few mortals willing to stand up to this foe. Most of them were Milim's dragon faithful or Luminus' vampires.

The elves, dwarves, and monster races wisely chose to stay out of this, for all that was a naive wish.

But at least that meant they had a few healers, if the most likely outcome came to be. At least this meant they had some support if the world teeters on the brink of extinction.

Which, for the record, is the only reason why so many of them are here. Normally, if someone slaughtered an entire nation, and it wasn't under the protection of a Demon Lord, then no one would blink. Guy did it, Milim did it, Veldora does it consistently—it just happens sometimes. But Raphael? They could end existence with a flick of their wrist. They could pry into the seams of this world and order it to be something unrecognizable. They had powers that rivaled Veldanava's at the beginning of time, and so needs to be stopped.

No matter anybody's personal feelings.

Speaking of— "Perhaps we could… try talking this out?" Veldora suggests. Considering he's sitting in his dragon form, and is also known to regularly create natural disasters, it's almost funny to hear him say such a thing. Pitiful, truly. "Our elder sibling has always been the level-headed one, so surely—"

"Veldora, you stupid child. Raphael has no intentions of talking things out," Velzard snapped. Velgrynd sends her a reproachful look, for all this is not the time to be having a conversation about how to discipline Veldora.

They get interrupted, anyway. By Raphael, surprisingly, who throws out every bit of their aura to gathered the crowd's attention. When they have it, the tip their head and begin to speak, proving well, maybe they do want to talk things out.

"Good. Now that you're all here, I only have to say this once," Raphael drawls. "You're all weak."

"Huh?!" Ramiris shrieks. A dryad, thankfully, pulls her back before she can go swinging with all three inches of her. Velzard swears, for just a moment, Raphael's lips twitch into a hint of a smile.

"You are all too weak," they say again. "So I am giving you a choice: kill me, and prove your strength, or sit back and watch this world Veldanava loved be destroyed."

"The world you love too!" Rudra snaps, and oh, there goes his hesitation. Red eyes flash with anger as he goes on, "Its food, its people—both things you said you enjoyed! And what about us?" Rudra gestures, sharply, to Milim, "What about your niece? You're just going to, what, let us die? That's insane!!"

Raphael lurches forward with a snap of their wings. Their fangs—fangs all True Dragons share, for as rarely seen as Raphael's are—are bared and their aura presses down oppressively. They shout with palpable rage, "Better at my hand than another's!"

Rudra, understandably, stumbles back from his in-law. Velgrynd catches him, and Guy tries, "It doesn't have to be by anybody's hand! Look, angel—"

"Doesn't it, Guy Crimson? You don't even have the slightest idea what I am or where I am from; you have no idea what is waiting for you in the future!" Raphael swings their arm out wide. Their sword appears in their hand. "Are you truly that blinded by your insufferable pride? Can you not see what awaits this world with its Creator gone?!"

They don't wait for an answer. Between one blink and the next, before Thought Acceleration even has time to kick in, Raphael appears before Guy and slices with clear killing intent. Velzard tries to move the second she sees it, tries to activate Cessation Lost, tries to do something—

Guy catches the sword in his hand. A few drops of blood fall before his Godspeed Regeneration kicked in, leaving just a sneer as Guy hisses, "That's what we have you for!"

"If you really believe that, then there is no hope for this world." Raphael rips their sword free and flaps their wings, carrying themself back a few paces. Their free hand rises into the air. Large beads of water begin to gather.

…Velzard has seen this before, hasn't she? Isn't this— "Run!" She shouts as it clicks, and quickly makes herself busy with setting up Cessation Lost. If this is what she thinks it is, if this is that Megiddo Skill Raphael had used on Guy so long ago, then it will cause major damage if Velzard can't neutralize it.

Luckily, everyone does as told and scatters, survival instincts on perfect display. Veldora shoots into the sky and Velgrynd scoops Rudra up to carry him skybound as well. Ramiris and Milim shoot in different directions, as do Raine and Mizeri. Luminus barks at her vampires—and saints, apparently—to follow and be ready to cast holy magic.

Velzard and Guy do not move. Cessation Lost is cast. Megiddo… does not fizzle out.

"Sisterrr," Veldora cries. Velzard would yell back if she had any idea why that didn't work. She wouldn't have gotten the chance to even if she did, however, as beams of light begun piercing through whoever they can hit. Vampires, dryads, saints, dragon faithful—if they do not have an ultimate defense, then they are susceptible. But how?

"It's not magic," Guy yells in answer, likely for everyone's benefit. He scoops Velzard up like how Velgrynd did Rudra, and jumps out of the way of two very quick, very deadly lasers. "Velzard's ability won't work on it because it's just concentrated light—there's nothing actually there."

"And you couldn't have told me this sooner?" Velzard shoots. A little behind her, another soul is swiped for Raphael's taking.

"Last time they hit me with that, I didn't have time to Analyze it. This time I did. You're welcome."

"There had to have been another time Raphael used that thing."

"Have you met them? I'm pretty sure if Veldanava hadn't told me their name, I would still be calling them Proto Angel."

"You do that already!"

"Enough!" Luminus snaps. She's on the other side of the battlefield with no clear indicator of how she heard them, hands hovering over a fallen dryad as she struggles to bring back a being who's lost her soul. Around her, a flesh wall of vampires is picked off one-by-one via Megiddo. "Do any of you have an actual plan?"

"I got one!" And that, there, is Ramiris, who promptly summons the door to her Labyrinth.

…Which, of course, Raphael just as promptly blocks.

Velzard really can't understand this all. For her entire life, Raphael has been a constant kind presence. Always a little sad, always a little despondent, always treating everyone else like they're made of glass. Raphael is incredibly strong, yes, that's a fact, but more importantly, they are just another being who seeks touch and affection.

Veldanava said as much, anyway, and so the angels were made. Seven, at first, to act as companions, and then entire armadas. But the angels had been scattered during the fight with Ivarage and the insectoid dimension—could that have caused this?

No. That doesn't seem right… What about what Raphael had been saying? About no one knowing what exactly Raphael even is? Velzard knows that's a concern many of them have had over the millennia, and yet no answers have ever been figured out, no matter how hard they tried. The closest guess they ever got was—

Was the twin of God. Explainable by their golden eyes and True Dragon aura, and their unidentifiable age, the elves and demons both fell into the agreement that Veldanava and Raphael were twins born in separate dimensions, each with their own universe to shape, but somehow the universes collided and the siblings met.

Velzard never believed it. She's not sure her elder brother did either. Regardless, Raphael was easy to integrate into the family. So, could it really be that much of a stretch?

If it is true, however, if Creation has a twin in Destruction…

What hope did any of them have to defeat this god?

What hope did any of them have to begin with to defeat a once cherished friend?

…Does it even matter? They simply cannot allow Raphael to go on a rampage, no matter the circumstances.

Seeing as Cessation Lost won't be of use here, Velzard disperses it, lest it becomes a hindrance to the others. She catches Velgrynd's gaze then, and nods. Velzard frees herself from Guy's hold, and her weight is replaced by Rudra's as Velgrynd follows Velzard's lead and shifts to draconic form. Suddenly, there are three larger than life dragons flying around the war zone.

«Alright,» Rudra says through the established Telepathy Net, «here's the plan: Guy, Veldora, you two have the best bet of talking Raphael down. Focus on appealing to their sense of humanity, or something.» Guy spits a curse. Veldora whimpers. «Lady Luminus, you cannot revive someone who has no soul left; focus yourself and your people on playing support with barriers, healing, and buffs. Raine and Mizeri will act as your guards.» Luminus scoffs but nods, and is quick to beckon her subordinates. Raine and Mizeri fall into place. «Velzard, Velgrynd, Milim, and I are on the attack. Ramiris is our emergency backup in case we need the Labyrinth to evacuate. Understand? Go!»

It's certainly a plan belonging to a King. It's most definitely straightforward enough to come from someone who fought Guy for decades. And it's good enough for an impossible fight.

Thus, the battle against the god of nihility begins, for all Velzard wishes it had never needed to be.

"How many souls is that, then?

"Enough to send a message. If the souls were to carry over to home, we would have enough to evolve several more subordinates into Demon Lords."

"Already? Huh, I suppose I really am stronger than I thought."

"Affirmative. Between Soul Gluttony and Infinity Space, combined with several lifetimes, Master is invincible!"

"That is… kinda the opposite of what we want right now, Ciel. But I'm glad you have faith in me still."

Rudra, for all his soul has shattered and splintered over the years, can still remember the first time he met Raphael.

He had been wandering the palace, searching for wherever his little sister had gone off to. Supposedly, Lucia had made a friend, one she described as a little less fuzzy than a cat, and a little bigger than an orc. Her poor escort, white as a sheet, had said dragon. Dismayed at both descriptors, Rudra had gone off with the intent on finding out himself.

Which had somehow led to him turning the corner and walking right into someone.

Almost, anyway. Right as Rudra was registering that oh, that's a person, they had smoothly stepped out of the way and allowed him to trip over his own feet. Rudra yelped, righted himself with as much dignity as a prince can have in these circumstances, and spun around to face the visitor.

They were… beautiful. Ethereal. Younger than him, probably. And had, most notably, enraged golden eyes… along with wings, large and draconic that Rudra somehow completely missed.

Rudra stepped back with a blink before remembering himself. He folded his hands behind his back and tipped his head forward, saying, "Apologies. The fault lies with me; I was in an unfortunate hurry. I sincerely hope all can be forgive."

The stranger then blinked, hate turning to surprise, and then amusement. They nodded back and replied, "No problem. Really, I should be less of an unmoving statue in the middle of hallways. You're… Prince Rudra, right? The heir?"

"Indeed. I take it my reputation proceeds me?"

"Oh, no. Not at all," they laughed, a dry bark of a thing. "My name is Raphael, and your sister actually told me about you."

If Lucia was telling people about him, then it's definitely nothing good. Still, barely refraining from keeping his expression neutral rather than distraught, Rudra asked, "Ah, so you're the friend she met then? The, how did she put it? Bigger than a cat, fluffier than an orc, and definitely not a dragon."

Raphael shook their head, hair that seems silver in the light falling over their shoulder. "Probably not. She was likely talking about my, uh… brother. Actually, they should be together about now… Would you like me to take you to them?"

"If you would," Rudra said, with an undeniable sigh of relief. Raphael grins and offers an arm, one that Rudra takes after a roll of his eyes, and begins to all but drag Rudra down the halls.

As time had passed, they grew to be friends, and then in-laws. Rudra and Raphael toasted elvish whiskey during Lucia and Veldanava's wedding. Rudra sparred with Guy as Raphael and their siblings heckled from the sidelines. Rudra was who Raphael came to after Milim evolved to Demon Lord, who was there when Raphael wandered into Lucia's still empty room.

And now, after all that time, Rudra is here, fighting for his own life and the lives of everyone in the world, against Raphael, someone who has had since the literal beginning of time to hone their skills.

No pressure or anything.

Regardless, even if this wasn't personal, even if he hadn't promised Veldanava he would guard this world with his life… Rudra is still a Hero. He is still an emperor. This, above all, was his duty, no matter how much it hurt.

«Should I risk the angels?» Rudra called to Velgrynd, simultaneously thrusting his sword into the spot Raphael had been. They danced out of the way, only to be hit by one of Velgrynd's dual existences. Raphael flinched, but did not let up on the attacks.

«No,» Velgrynd answers in the meanwhile, quite stern. «Absolutely not. Michael is—we can't risk that. Not right now. When you're back to playing that silly game with Guy, fine. But not for this.»

«I understand, my love.» Rudra darts out of the way just in time for Milim to launch a beam of energy. Luckily, it's not Drago Nova, meaning the area of attack is significantly smaller. Unluckily, it still turns the once lush grass into sand.

Rudra clenches his jaw and risks a glance around the field, trying to ignore to copious dead in search of—

There!

Veldora and Guy hover above them. It's a clear attempt to stay out of anybody's way while still desperately reasoning with Raphael. From so far below, Rudra can hear Veldora shout, "—and what of those stories you used to tell? With the saint who could travel through time, and the slime that rode a direwolf? None of those stories can come true if you kill everyone!"

Guy takes a much different tactic, meanwhile: "This is bullshit and you know it, Raphael! What's the point of creating all these races, and fighting back Ivarage, and helping to train Heroes if you're just going to blow everything up? Listen to me, damn it!!"

But, as expected, when Rudra turns back to the fight, Raphael just looks bored as they punt away Velzard's deadly icicles. Velgrynd's copies and Milim are still landing hit after hit, of course, it's just that Raphael's regeneration is too fast. Honestly, the use of Michael's Army of Angels would be useful right now, just to have the extra hands. And anyway, Veldanava had given it to Rudra for two reasons:

One: if a tragedy ever befell the world

And two: if Raphael ever needed support.

Well, would you look at that! This situation fell under both of those categories. But no, Velgrynd was right. If Rudra were to use Army of Angels right now, his soul would weaken further, and Michael would get one step closer to taking him over. One adversary was enough for this fight; they didn't need two.

"No Michael," Rudra reminds himself, and then charges back into the fray, straight for Raphael's back.

Not that that accomplished much. Just like their first meeting, Raphael threw a piercing red glare over their shoulder and easily sidestepped Rudra's blade. But Rudra had been expecting this. He pivots, suddenly, shifting his momentum and practically throwing his sword upwards.

Either that clumsy move was better executed than Rudra ever remembered it being against Guy, or Raphael wasn't using Thought Acceleration or Predict Future Intent. Rudra's god-like blade catches Raphael's check and cleanly cuts up.

Before Rudra's blade was drawn back to his side, the damage was healed.

So on and so forth the battle goes. Rudra, Velgrynd, Milim, and Velzard do everything they can to force Raphael to retreat, or falter, or something, occasionally falling back to allow Luminus to patch them up. Guy and Veldora continue shouting pleads, with the former occasionally firing off some magicule-dense attack, and Ramiris tries to negate the effect on the environment, her dryads at her side.

It should, theoretically, be enough. No matter how strong someone is, or how many magicules they have, everyone gets tired. Everyone needs to collect themselves. After so many decades of training, Rudra can spot when his limit was on the horizon, and it is steadily crawling closer. It looks like the demonesses aren't far behind, either. Raphael, healing multiple this-would-Oh-KO-a-lesser-being attacks per second and returning those attacks with their own just as fast, should be faltering.

They are not.

They are not faltering, they are not letting up, they are not—

…Azathoth. Why are they not using Azathoth? Even if Raphael doesn't use it to immediately swallow whole everybody in their way, then it would at least be to their benefit to drain the magicules in the air and reabsorb them through the Skill. And even if they refused to go through with either of those options, wouldn't it be easier to have Azathoth eat the attacks launched at them rather than bat them away with force?

No. Wait—

A choice, Raphael had said. A demand, Rudra had heard, as the very world rippled with the effect of the not-angel's words. But both were wrong, weren't they? This wasn't a choice or a demand, not a request nor order.

This was a test.

"You are weak," Raphael had hissed, with vitriol Rudra didn't know they contained. "You have no idea what is awaiting you in the future!" and then, "Can you not see what will await this world with its Creator gone?!"

So, it that it, then? Raphael stole all those souls to put into perspective what might one day happen if the guardians of this world fail? And are, what, toying around with everyone to prove a point?

It almost makes sense, Rudra thinks grimly. But Raphael has never gone to such extremes before… I don't understand why they would do so now.

An explosion shakes the earth. Rudra is snapped out of his musings in time to watch Guy apparently get fed up with this useless reasoning. The explosion had been him, using Lucifer, to copy Azathoth. The shockwaves rocked the world as it pulled and pulled at Raphael's magicules, the sensible thing to do in a battle against someone like this.

Unfortunately, the thing with stealing Skills is that those copies are never as strong as the original. Raphael seems to humor Guy for some time, but evidently reaches impatience at a point. Even as their magicules are visibly being stolen, Raphael holds their sword out in front of them. It erupts into black flames.

«Is that new?» Ramiris asks.

«With how easily they did that?» Luminus shoots back. «Not a chance.»

«I hate it here.» Raine throws in. They all ignore her and watch with bated breath as, with nary a blink, Raphael swipes their sword through Guy's Azathoth. The flames burn brighter, almost becoming iridescent, and then the seemingly impossible occurs.

Azathoth disappears.

«Notice: the individual Raphael used the Skill: Nihility Collapse,» Michael, for once, offers into the recesses of Rudra's mind. The air around them becomes painstakingly still in the absence of any movement. «It contains the ability to destroy information itself.»

"So then—" Rudra startles, spinning to watch Guy's face morph into one of blatant confusion, "-Guy lost Azathoth?!"

«Negative. The Skill copied by Guy Crimson was an inferior version of Azathoth: Gluttony.»

"That's not an answer, Michael!" Not that it really matters, Rudra supposes. Whether Guy did or did not lose the Skill, it's clear that it's continued use during this fight would be as useless as Velzard's Cessation Lost. It's as useless as all their attacks seem to be.

"You're all too weak," Raphael's voice again rings in Rudra's ear, and for a moment he's convinced Michael is toying with him. His hand clenches white-knuckled around the hilt of his sword.

He knows he's too weak. He knows they are all too weak. There's a reason Dagruel and his brothers were never completely destroyed, there was a reason Ivarage was simply banished, there's a reason the fight between human and demon has been going on for so long: Raphael was left with the minor gods to keep the world stable, and thus no additional firepower was provided. And Rudra, for all he is this word's first and oldest Hero, does not have the power to fight this foe anymore than he had a chance against the others.

Even so…

"Weak or not," Rudra says aloud, Castle Guard rising into place. "Whole or not. This needs to end before anyone else gets hurt!"

And that is when a new voice pops into Rudra's head, with an ever-so-pleasant, «Does the Chosen Hero Rudra Nam Ul Nasca wish to evolve?»

"The individuals Guy Crimson, Rudra Nam Ul Nasca, and Scorch Dragon Velgrynd have successfully completed their evolutions!"

"… When did you-? Actually, hold on. Rudra's limit must've been his this can't go on speech, and if I had to guess, Guy's was when I freaked him out cutting through Gluttony. When was Velgrynd's?"

"She was not pleased with you batting away her dual existences without a second thought!"

"Ah, so, the usual Velgrynd crash-out, I got ya. Then who's next; Luminus?"

"If you go and destroy the town found at these coordinates, then it is likely! She has a church there."

"Cool. Let's do that then."

Luminus had gleaned much over the years of watching Veldora rampage, namely being that the True Dragons truly are Catastrophes. There was no dealing with them, just as there was no bargaining with the sky to not rain or for a fire to not burn. Of course, with the many Heroes who have risen over the years, with the many souls who had hatched with enough might to match an awakened Demon Lord, there might one day come someone who can stare at the wind and tell it to cease.

That day was not today.

And Luminus, too blind and preoccupied with keeping these foolish soldiers from losing their souls to one such Catastrophe, could do nothing but watch as an entire settlement—one of her settlements, with a church and holy barrier and guardian saints—was eradicated with a metaphorical flick of the wrist. Raphael continued to lord above them all, the souls of those they killed rising to meet them. The souls easily melted into Raphael's embrace.

In those few seconds it took for such a thing to occur, in those precious few moments the souls had before being devoured, something in Luminus snapped.

"How dare you!" She shouts, rising to meet them midair. Luminus heard more than one shout of concern, of warning; she also heard once singular shout of support. All were ignored as she abandons her healing post and flings herself towards Raphael with lethal intent. "Who do you think you are to choose who gets to live or die?! Who are you to play God?!"

There's a part of her that points out how ironic that is to ask. Luminus ignores that, too, and pulled back enough to begin casting Disintegration. Raphael remains stagnant, watching her with something between curiosity and apathy. Both options were infuriating.

(There's a part of her that screamed at that as well. A part that yelled at her to stop—stop herself, who held no true power here; stop Raphael, who should not be like this. A part that shrieked with panic every time Raphael pulsed with energy.)

"Irresponsible pests like you need to be put down!" Luminus yells. And then Disintegration fires, leaving little time for further action from any party.

Through Thought Communication, she hears several more screams. Milim asks her what she thinks she's doing; Velzard's asking her if she really thinks that would work; Veldora is wailing something incoherent. But what does any of that matter? Her people were incinerated for some kind of stupid challenge! The people who depended on Luminus, who gave her her power, were being picked off because some kind of entity who didn't even belong in this world decided everyone else was too weak for them to tolerate.

Perhaps it's the rage that powers the Disintegration so strongly. Perhaps it's because she, unlike the others present, has no emotional ties to Raphael and is not afraid of hurting them. Whatever the case, Raphael is gone when Disintegration ceases.

Luminus' sense of pride is strong, but she still scowls. "Honestly. So much fuss, and that wasn't even a challenge." The others really must be too sentimental, she thinks, to not have ended this fight early.

"Wasn't it?" Someone asks in her ear. Luminus doesn't turn around fast enough to dodge Raphael's kick, and she is thrown back to the ground.

«Don't get arrogant now, Lizzy!» Veldora calls, no hints of his previous wailing audible. No hint of concern either, for the record. «Our elder sibling is even stronger than I am, so there's no way you can defeat them with a Disintegration!»

Luminus would like to say well, at least I'm doing something, unlike you! She would like to say no one else had tried holy magic, it might've worked. But she keeps quiet because, unfortunately, Veldora is right. That Disintegration spell wouldn't have worked on Guy any more than it did Raphael.

"Damn it!" Luminus snaps, throwing her head up to watch Velgrynd and Velzard charge at their sibling. Velgrynd splits into three, each snapping at Raphael's wings, their sword, their legs. Velzard breathes ice, perhaps trying to bring Raphael to an absolute stop. The ice simply melts into Raphael. "How the Hell do we beat someone like that?"

«Solution: evolve the Unique Skill Lust into the Ultimate Skill Asmodeus.»

…To say Luminus startled would be embarrassing, but not inaccurate. She lurches to her feet and spins, trying to place the new voice with any face on the battle field. Inwards, she asks, "Excuse me?"

«You wish to become strong enough to protect your people,» the voice clarifies. «The most obvious solution would be to evolve further.»

"Unique Skills don't just become Ultimate Skills that easily!"

«Incorrect. Permission Granted Y/N?»

Luminus feels like she just walked into a trap. Guy and Rudra fling themselves at Raphael; Guy using an alteration of Megiddo and Rudra using Castle Guard with his sword. As Raphael spars with Rudra, shots of light pierce them. It's healed away in seconds. Luminus makes her decision.

"Do it. Whatever I need to keep this world safe."

The words barely leave her fully before the mysterious voice is—quite happily, infuriatingly easily—rearranging everything that makes Luminus Luminus. It's an uncomfortable feeling. It's not wholly bad. It lasts less than a minute.

[Asmodeus, King of Lust] clicks into place. But the oddity does not stop there. The voice goes on to pull, pull, pull something in the back of Luminus' mind, and for a second, Luminus revolts and fights back before—

Memories swarm her, piece by piece, instance by instance. Asmodeus quickly changes, settling into [Lord of Radiance, Ahura Mazda.] A genesis-grade sword appears before her, and Luminus instinctively knows its name: Dharma.

In literal seconds, through the aid of the unknown, the Divine Ancestor has been reborn.

"…Care to explain how you did that?" Luminus—Luminous Twilight Valentine, apparently, though still missing a few fragments—asks.

(And oh, she knows now what that part before was screaming at. She knows now that Raphael wasn't just attacking the world, but attempting to tear apart it's very stability. The part of her that's a god in truth, the Divine Ancestor, knows that they are not strong enough to defeat someone who could rival Veldanava, but knows they must lest the world crumble into nothing.)

The voice answers: «I would love to! However, my loyalty is to my Master, and so I will not. Keep fighting.» And with that cryptic answer, Luminous feels the presence leave her mind and body.

Hm.

Well, she's not so weak anymore, is she, Raphael? Satisfied with the somewhat mystical turn of events, Luminous readies Dharma and launches herself back into the fight, only pausing to bark a few orders to the saints.

Now with Parallel Calculation and a supreme version of Melt Slash, it becomes much easier to find the weak points in Raphael that the others had managed to create, letting Luminous cut between the magicules. The moments not even Guy's attacks can get through, Luminous makes a new opening via Memory End Requiem.

From there, the battle goes significantly smoother, if you were to ask Luminous. Raphael still steals souls from the more mortal fighters on the battlefield, from the people in villages and cities they soar past, and they still push back as much as they are pushed, but it's going better than it had been yesterday.

For the fighters, that is. The world at large is such a blur of sand and dense magicules that the surrounding area seems to be nothing more than a rainbow blur.

But still, Luminous can create cracks and pierce them. Guy, sometime between the moment his void attack got eaten and twenty some minutes ago, has taken to erecting temporary barriers using Isolated Battlefield and then launching a multitude of Death Streak. Velgrynd has taken to locking Raphael in a Cardinal Cage whenever she gets the chance, and Velzard is similarly quick in her attempt to freeze Raphael solid. Rudra and Milim, too, are working to cancel out Raphael's attacks and protect the survivors and world from any more destruction.

Veldora and Ramiris, paired with Raine and Mizeri, seemed to have decided they don't actually want to play a part in this fight, be it for sentimental reasons in the former's case, or because they know they won't stand a chance in the latter's. It's probably for the best, and Luminous has no doubt they'd just get in her way.

But all in all, despite this fight now going on for longer than the battle to calm the Destroyer Milim, great progress is being made. That doesn't mean it's enough, of course, just that they're at an impasse, which is still better than it had been before.

«This is going nowhere!» Rudra snaps eventually, when the apparent impasse becomes too much to tolerate. «What do we do now?»

Milim answers first, although sounding unsure, «I can use Stampede? If Satanael activated—»

«Absolutely not,» Ramiris and Guy say with remarkable synchronization. Luminous, ducking below Velzard's wing and activating a holy heal as the Frost Dragon summons a blizzard, wonders how often the other two Demon Lords had to stop Milim from testing out her awakened abilities. Guy continues on, «Has anybody else awoken a new ability?»

Luminous and Velgrynd sound their agreement alongside Rudra. Oddly enough, so too does Veldora. Velzard and Milim, it would seem, have yet to hear from the strange voice.

«Then there we have it. Velzard, Milim, focus on trying to evolve your Skills. The rest of us will cover you and try to stall Raphael's genocidal play. Good? Good.» Despite sounding like he was asking permission, Guy didn't actually give anyone time to respond. He darts forward at blinding speeds and summons World.

Luminous barely manages to leap out of the way before Guy barrels past her, too, and meets Raphael's sword head-on. Luminous takes the chance to throw out another layer of Multibarrier, seeing as Guy is forgoing Isolated Battlefield. Ramiris and Veldora—who apparently awakened Faust, Investigation King, that allowed him to see every action he could take against an opponent, and was using it in pair with Fertile Paradox to restore parts of the world Raphael had grown bored with—were still doing what they could with stabilizing the world, but at this point, that itself was a losing battle, so Luminous offers what little aid she can.

«How do you even do that?!» Milim, all the while, calls after Guy. «I thought the whole thing with them was that they couldn't evolve like monsters!»

«Get angry enough and a nice lady will do it for you,» Velgrynd offers offhandedly. Her body—all three, still split as she is—is consumed with flames as she once more tries to isolate Raphael behind Cardinal Cage. It's such a shame that's more of a sneak attack than viable option.

«…So, Stampede—»

«No!» Four separate voices chime. And then Velzard, who was probably one of previously mentioned voices, reassures, «Milim, you don't need to worry about it. As long as I can awaken a Skill and Veldora joins in the fight properly, then we should be able to win this.»

Hopefully, goes unsaid, but rings in their ears. Luminous gnashes her teeth.

Honestly, isn't it said that hope goes a long way? If all of these people started the fight with the belief they couldn't win, then it's no wonder Raphael is winning! Luminous is starting to think that if she hadn't snapped when she did, they would still be getting nowhere.

Milim begins to mumble her assent and Luminous sees Velzard nod out of the corner of her eye. She busies herself with doing a swift headcount of her people—less than half of the vampires she had brought along have managed to survive, and admittedly it might be closer to only a handful out of the few hundred she had brought; the saints are doing marginally better, having evolved past their normal limits, but they are still weak to the likes to non-magical attacks—and comes to a conclusion.

Yes, Luminous had quite reasonably snapped, and as she did a mental tally of those lost, it seems she was going to remain snapped for quite some time yet. Hope and logic be damned.

"Notice: the individuals Luminous Twilight Valentine and Frost Dragon Velzard have acquired and evolved their respective Skills."

"That's everyone except for Milim, Guy, and Ramiris, right? Perfect. Disengage all Nullifications and Resistances."

"…"

"I know, I know, but we've already talked about this. Either way we'll be fine and back together again soon. There's no need to worry."

"I do not like this."

"I know."

"…Understood. Use Soul Gluttony on the all Nullifications and Resistances? Y/N."

Milim knows what it's like to be controlled.

She knows that, no matter how powerful someone is, no matter how immune they are to normal means of possession, sometimes all it takes to have someone wrapped around your finger is the right words and actions. For Milim, she can't remember what caused her to snap, but she knows it caused her great grief. And as she fights the only family she's ever know—the only one she can remember, anyway; Milim's parents are fuzzy in her brain, and somehow she hasn't met any of her other family members until this battle—she can't help but wonder if that's what's happening now.

After all, Raphael had never done anything remotely like this before. Milim remembers Ramiris telling her stories of giants and evil bugs and undead dragons, of the few times Raphael had shown their strength, and how even then it seemed like they were doing the bear minimum. Milim has personally seen Raphael fight against Guy before, and it's all the more obvious that this time, this anger and violence, is wholly out of character for them.

And she knows she's not the only one thinking it. Milim, for all she probably wasn't supposed to have, heard Guy call to the blond man—Rudra, her uncle twice-over, apparently—to try Regalia Dominion, to try and see if there's any force being exerted over Raphael or if Ultimate Dominion can pull Raphael back to their senses.

Rudra had reported that no, Raphael was not being controlled and no, he could not sway them due to their lack of Angelic Skills.

So, Milim concludes, someone must have done something to really hurt Raphael, and they're panicking, and this is just the result of what happens when a normally level-headed person cracks. She can understand it, too, even if everybody else seems distraught by this.

But the others are right about something: if someone is panicking, you've just gotta knock some sense into them! And even if she doesn't have any cool new powers like what the others seem to, Milim is great at hitting things.

She waits until Velzard—an aunt she definitely should've met, but somehow their paths never crossed even with all the times Milim flew into her and Guy's home—signals that her Skills have miraculously upgraded. Veldora—Milim has heard Raphael talk about him, and has wanted to meet him for a while, but it seems destiny itself was keeping them apart as well—is reluctantly dragged into battle, too. Milim then grins, wiggles herself into a spot that no one will see her until it's too late, and starts summoning the power needed to launch Drago Nova at its full effect.

«Don't miss,» Guy hisses over Thought Communication, a clear go-ahead if Milim ever heard one. With very little delay, mostly in sync, seven of this world's powerhouses launch a full scale assault against Raphael, who had gathered a sphere of nuclear magic in their hands.

Raphael remains still, taking the onslaught head-on.

The sky trembles above them, dark with storm clouds.

The earth fractures from below, molten rock and the dark abyss reaching for victims.

Milim sucks in a sharp breath, heart hammering in her ears. They are at the brink of total collapse, hundreds of thousands are dead, and Milim would really like for everything to go back to normal, pretty please. As long as they managed to slam some sense into Raphael—

She sees it the same time Guy must, if his instinctive lurch is anything to go by: black and blue and white, free falling. There are several more quick actions, but Milim is faster. With a burst of sound, she flies forward and catches Raphael, before slowly drifting back towards less-than-solid ground.

They laugh the entire way down.

"Oh, good girl," Raphael rasps between bouts of crackly giggles. Their eyes are closed, and they are shaking like a leaf, but their voice is so full of pride it hurts. "You did wonderfully, Milim."

"Catching you?" Milim questions. Faintly, she hears everybody else land (and slip, in Veldora's case.)

"Fighting."

"That's great, Raphael," Guy spits as he steps closer, and oh, he's furious. Milim can't remember the last time Guy sounded so angry. He falls to his knees beside Milim and reaches a hand out, though hovers as if Raphael would break if touched. The fact that they are rapidly losing color probably doesn't help much. "Then care to explain what the hell this was all about?"

The others step closer, too. Velgrynd has flames still dancing along her arms, and based on the fact that Ramiris has floated away from her, Velzard must be dropping the air temperature a good few dozen degrees. Milim catches the way Rudra's hand clench into fists, and frowns.

"Somebody was going to die today," Raphael answers. It's so simple, it's leaves Milim blinking dumbfoundedly. Did whoever tried to control Raphael tell them that? Or—

Something is exchanged behind her. Milim turns around just in time to watch Luminous hurry forward, hands alight with some kind of holy magic. Velzard snaps, "If I had known my brother wasn't afraid of you snapping, but of you dying—"

"Wrong!" Raphael giggles again, trying to wave off Luminus' fluttering hands. Rudra looks like he's going to have a conniption. "But it's okay. You're all going to be okay, now."

…Milim can't place why, but she doesn't like the sound of that. Rudra is moving before she can think of the reason.

"Raphael," he says, shouldering Guy out of the way. "You're afraid, too; of what? What do you and Veldanava think is going to happen? And was the voice, that woman, you? If this was all to prepare us, to make us stronger…"

He trails off. Milim isn't the only one looking at him in shock; apparently, several of them missed something very important. Milim can feel a pit settling in her gut, and unbidden, tears rise to her eyes.

Something bad is about to happen.

Raphael opens their eyes then and only then. They are a marble of red and gold, like neither color can decide whether it wants to stay or go. It's the only color than seems to remain as Raphael reaches out a hand. Veldora is the one that catches it.

Raphael again says, "It's okay. I'll see you all later, yeah?"

And then—

And then Milim's arms are empty. Visible magicules of all shapes and colors rise from where Raphael had been and dart across the land, and she's distantly aware of someone saying something, but she… Milim is frozen in her spot. The tears in her eyes begin to fall. Soon she is heaving for breath that refuses to come, and Satanael is stirring.

"Milim." A hand settles on her shoulder, a heavy touch that she knows is supposed to ground her. It's not helping much. Milim gasps out a sob. Her magicules flare. "Milim, you need to try to stay calm…" Another hiccup, then she's unceremoniously drawn into a hug.

Velgrynd is as warm as one would expect her to be.

Milim still feels ice cold.

There are scales along her arm.

"Oh! Look, the world…" Ramiris exclaims at some point. It's followed by Luminous whispering, "And the dead… complete soul resurrection."

Grass sprouts beneath her knees. The temperature settles into something reasonable, rather than too hot or cold. Milim keeps shivering, and Velgrynd keeps whispering reassurances, and Satanael rages.

"Souls don't return. Raphael must've kept them after they were taken," Guy mutters. He still sounds so angry. "And with everything going back to normal…"

"Right. This was likely all planned from the start. Raphael was sound of mind from the beginning and was simply testing us," Rudra finishes. Milim—

Stops.

Stops crying, stops breathing, stops shaking.

If Raphael wasn't being manipulated, if they knew what was happening the entire time…

"Does that mean…" she whispers, so quiet she's not sure if even Velgrynd can hear her, as the revelation pieces itself together bit by bit, "Raphael walked right to their death?" Milim doesn't want to believe it. Doesn't want to think that one of the few precious people in her life would so willingly abandon her. But if Rudra is right…

Guy doesn't answer. Neither does Rudra nor Velgrynd. Instead, it's Velzard who speaks into the oncoming dawn, "Creation and destruction are never truly far from each other. It might not be the case… but I think Raphael was going to die, regardless of if we fought back or not."

"The fight was just to make sure we'd be okay, whatever that means," Luminous adds.

"That doesn't make it better!" Milim cries. The ground cracks beneath her.

"No," Guy agrees, as he moves to crouch beside Milim and Velgrynd. "It doesn't. And we're going to make Raphael understand that, too."

"Ah. Um. Lord Guy? I'm not sure if you noticed, but Lord Raphael is sorta de-" Raine begins. Mizeri, mercifully, puts them all out of their misery by promptly dragging Raine through a portal that no doubt led home. Milim almost wants to laugh. Guy goes on as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"They said they'll see us later, and I intend to hold them to that." He throws a look over his shoulder to the other gathered. "But I suppose whether you all would like to join me in that endeavor or not is up to you."

The wind blows, and with it comes green leaves and flower petals. There's no sign of sand or lava or a deep abyss of nightmares. The dead within view are waking and pulling each other to their feet.

Milim sniffles as a wave of determination washes over her. "Yeah!" Her voice rings out, drawing more than one startled glance. "Yeah! Raphael will be back, you'll see! And then we can beat them up again fo-for dying on us!!"

"Yes!" Veldora shouts in agreement. His voice is wobbly, so for all there are no tear stains on his dragon scales, it's still obvious he had been crying. "And then we can fight this future threat together!!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Is this, like, okay?" Ramiris asks as Milim and Veldora continue their back and forth. Rudra snorts. Velzard, Milim can see, is violently shaking her head no. It could almost be called domestic, she thinks...

If only they weren't standing on a dear friend's grave.

If only they didn't have to convince themselves they'd see them again one day.

If only there weren't tears gathering in Veldora's eyes again. If only Velzard and Velgrynd weren't exchanging grim looks. If only Rudra wasn't staring at the sky mournfully. If only Guy wasn't cursing Raphael, and Veldanava, and any other gods that dwell beyond the stars. If only Ramiris could keep her smile. If only Luminous, the one person here with no deep emotional ties to the departed, could put on an act.

If only Milim didn't want to curl into a dark hole back in the dragon faithful's temple and never come out again.

The rest of the day—week; though the sky had been a bloody red and pitch black for so long, it has been a week, hasn't it?—is a buzz to Milim. She knows, at one point, they were trying to figure out how to tell the angels. She knows Guy and Velzard offered to take Milim home. She knows Velgrynd pressed a kiss to her forehead, and that Rudra said she's always welcome in his empire. She knows Ramiris comes with them to the arctic, and that Raine and Mizeri are waiting for them with hot drinks.

But these are all facts she forgets, alongside the death of Raphael. She blocks it all out, just as she did Gaia, her parents, her rise to Demon Lord something else from a long time ago.

Until, that is, a certain Walpurgis shows her appointed bestie using Megiddo, a technique lost to the ages.

And Milim—

"Master?"

"Ah? What's up, Ciel?"

"…No, nevermind. It appears as if the sight of individuals Rudra Nasca and Frost Dragon Velzard gave me an odd sense of… apprehension. Looking into it now."

"Hm, that is odd… Do you think it's possible we are trying to remember past loops?"

"…There is an 89% chance that is the correct assumption."

"In that case, see what you can figure out, and we'll be careful of interacting with anyone. If in a past loop, interacting with everyone triggered some kind of event that's bad enough to get you worried…"

"Understood."