Alastor was now surrounded by the three demon royal guards. He had no time for this, he had to find Ikarus. However even if he could get away easily, he has decided not to. It was time for these people to know who was the one in charge here.

The first one was Naberius. As hot head as he was, the beastman started with a plunging attack with his giant axe from above. However his attack was not effective. In fact the axe did hit Alastor but it passed right through him as if it didn’t hit anything. Cutting through his body, it broke the ground below and with it Alastor vanished into thin air.

In truth it was nothing but an afterimage created by Alastor as he sidestepped so quickly it was impossible to perceive with normal eyes. Immediately the beastman tried to pull back his axe for a second attack but for some reason his axe felt unusually heavy, making him unable to even budge it.

The boy has put one of his foot on the axe’s blade to block it but how could Naberius, the strongest man in the demon army in term of strength, was unable to lift a boy?

“”

With a mere touch, Alastor has changed the weight of the axe, increasing it to ten times heavier. He also had modified his own to make him as light as a feather in order to increase his agility.

In a single second, he seemingly teleported from his location and appeared right under Naberius’ arms. He put his hand on his chest.

“”

A cross of light exploded in the vicinity and blasted the beastman against the wall. Compared to the one Alastor used against Gnome, this one only used a tenth of its original power as it was not his intention to kill. However, it was more than enough to cause severe injuries.

One of the trio has fallen. Now Alastor has found his second target: the witch Amelia. Without warning he fired a series of combination of elemental small bullets toward her. These attacks were not for offensive purpose but only to draw out what Amelia’s abilities actually were since Alastor has never actually fought with her nor was he very knowledgeable about her.

“” From Amelia’s shadow, two giant skeleton’s hands enclosed her and protected her from the projectiles. As the boy dashed toward her, the devil Mephisto joined the fight and launched furiously an assault with his nimble claws.

Skillfully dodging all of them, Alastor’s body changed into a black creature with only a mouth on his clouded face.

But his appearance which would normally sent shiver to his enemies did not make Mephisto even budge. The devil has seen more terrors than one hundreds men combined in his lifetime. This kind of intimidation would not make him back down.

“”

Moving purely on instint, Alastor quickly back stepped. Three scars have appeared on his chest. If he has not moved in time, he would have been cut opened.

“Not over yet! !”

Multiples large blood red claws emerged from the ground and dived toward the boy. Just evading would not be enough. And it seemed to be an endless wave of these as each time Alastor destroyed one, another would take its place. Not only that, when Alastor was slightly scratched by those claws, the blood from the wounds converged toward the devil.

The blood flowed according Mephisto’s command and turned into crimson darts that targeted the boy. And each hit would generate more blood for him and so creating more darts.

But Alastor would not take it lightly. And his retaliation was swift.

“

A strange feeling took over the devil before he realized that he could not see anything anymore. Alastor has taken away his sight using Asmodeus’ special ability. And without being able to see the boy, Mephisto would not be able to target him.

“You think you can defeat me just by taking away my eyes? It’s not that easy boy!” he shouted.

All the blood gathered surrounding him and turning into a whirlpool of red liquid. The red darts were actually inside the flow and would lacerating everything that came into contact with it. If he could not see him then he just needed to make sure that he could defense against attacks from all directions. And that was his mistake.

Alastor didn’t aim for him. In fact, the loss of sight has made Mephisto into taking a more defensive stance and let the boy an opportunity to reduce the number of contestants: Amelia.

Seeing that the black creature was coming for her, Amelia summoned a battalion of skeletons. She knew they alone would not be a match for him. Yet these special undeads would continue to rise again as long as she was around. In addition, she was constantly shooting black orbs of darkness from afar to support her troops.

As the boy was charging through the undead horde to get to her location, Amelia raised her arms to her neck as if she was holding something. A giant scythe manifested itself in her frail arms.

“”

‘That thing is dangerous!’ was what his body was telling him. Instead of defending against it he should dodge. And luckily he did. That weapon Amelia held was a soul weapon, much similar to his Excalibur which could pierce all defenses. The skeletons that were cut by the scythe had their essences drained from them and turned into dust, healing Amelia in return.

That was a special combo. The undeads would just spawn again and again while Amelia could always heal back. The only way out of this was to finish all in one attack.

“Perhaps now it’s the time for some new tricks I learnt from Gnome!” Alastor said as he clapped his hands together and concentrated his mana. Apparently the thing that entered him was his soul according to Lilith. Of course he didn’t find Gnome inside the Abyss but theoretically he should be able to perform his skills. By focusing all the mana inside him and unleashed them all at the same time. “”

Alastor’s body illuminated brightly moments before he launched a streak of light missiles that destroyed all undeads instantly. However would light magic be effective against the witch Amelia?

Yes it would. It completely destroyed her barriers and wrecked her body. That was because her body was undead.

“How…do you know?” Amelia panted, her body broken.

“I have never seen you eat anything for a year. That alone has raised some suspicion. And that tea you are always drinking. I found it weird the time I asked for a cup but you would not give me. It wasn’t tea was it? It was actually a special potion that preserves corpse, your corpse. No wonder why they call you the Immortal Witch, one that would never die! That’s because you have already died years ago.” Alastor explained.

The last one left standing was Mephisto. He has finally regained his vision back, only to see that Amelia has fallen. He has underestimated the boy.

“Step aside Mephisto!” Alastor said.

“I will not! You are the only hope we demons have! I can’t let anyone ruin our chance of survival! Not anyone! Not you!” Mephisto raged.

“It’s not up to you to decide my future!”

Baring his claws at the boy, the devil accelerated, cracking the floor under his foot, and lunged toward the boy in an instant. He has put everything in this attack and no way he would back down now.

Something has impaled him from behind. Who did that? Alastor was right in front of him the whole time. He was sure of it. Looking down in his now opened belly, he recognized the weapon that did this to him. It was his own claws.

When Mephisto moved his hand forward, he didn’t touch the boy. Instead his hand passed right through a magic circle that has appeared moment before he reached Alastor. A second circle was on his back the whole time and through it his claws came out and pierced himself. Lucky for him, the second circle was intentionally placed to avoid vital organs as it was intended by Alastor. While it was not life threatening thanks to the devil’s body, he needed immediate medical attention.

“Maria, can you take care of them?” Alastor said.

“Yes…of course!” baffled by the one side fight, Maria only came back to herself when the boy called her name. “But are you going right now?”

“I need to find Ikarus. It’s just a gut feeling but something tells me that she is not safe right now!” In fact, it wasn’t just any random instinct. Their bond acted like a link between the two. If something happened to one then the other would feel it. And right now Alastor was feeling a deep uneasiness inside him.

Indeed trouble was coming. The sound of a bell echoed across the entire continent of Ragna. Just what kind of bell would be able to produce such a loud sound?

What followed next was even more terrifying.

Rushing to outside, Alastor could see something breaking through the clouds and slowly descending from the sky. A giant floating island has appeared above the skies of Ragna. And those winged figures coming out of it….they were celestials.

Did they finally decide to invade Ragna? Was it because Alastor killed one of the Gods and destroyed Caelum? No they should not have been able to assemble their army in such a short time. How did they even know about it anyway? The only person who apparently knew about the truth behind what happened at Caelum was Morrigan. Did she inform them? Then what about what she said to him? It didn’t make sense.

Then Alastor realized something was odd with these celestials. They did not bring any weapon and wore only normal clothing, not used for battle. Surely they could not be that unprepared. However the most bizarre thing about them was their expression. Their faces were written with looks of fear and despair, as if they were running from something.

They were not here to invade. They were trying to escape from that island.

* * *

A few hours before

Ikarus was currently running as fast as she could. Not to find Alastor but to escape from her pursuer.

Right after losing sight of the demon lord’s castle, she met a strange child with golden hair. The problem was he had eight wings on his back, an undeniable proof of his identity known especially by all celestials as to them he was their revered Holy Father. But he was also known as the God of Celestials and therefore an enemy of Alastor. If he was here, then he must be after the boy. And Ikarus would not allow that. She would not let anyone harm him, not even her God.

“You are Merkabah!” Ikarus said as she looked tense. She was in the presence of a God. It was natural to feel intimidated by his presence despite his appearance.

“And you are ….actually I don’t know your name. Would you tell me yours, child?” the child spoke softly. His expression was peaceful, yet what was this alarming sensation she felt from him?

“Ikarus. Ikarus Salem…what are you doing here, Holy Father?” asked Ikarus. He must have just gotten here. He shouldn’t have known that Ikarus was associated with Alastor yet.

“I am here for a personal business in search of someone. Before that I am thinking of paying a visit to my children back in Avant-Heim. But as you know the island is constantly teleporting from one place to another…if only…” Merkabah stopped, implying to suggest something.

“I can bring you there!” Ikarus volunteered herself. She knew it was dangerous for her to come back home. Especially now that she has been with the one they were hunting for. However this could lead him away from Alastor, at least for a while.

“How kind of you! But don’t you need to see Alastor first?” her plan has failed. The Celestial God was already aware of her involvement with the demon lord. She must run.

You may run but in the end could someone escape from a God?

And now he has caught up with her.

“Why are you running child? Did you do something bad?” he was already right behind her. She did not even have time to look back.

Ikarus realized that she could not get away from him. The only option left was to fight, no matter how futile it may seem. She turned back and drew her spear, pointing it at Merkabah and held it firmly.

“Don’t be scared! I am a kind father. I won’t punish you for that. In fact, you can help me with something, my child! But for now….” The God celestial closed his eyes and started hymning. The song was so peaceful almost like a lullaby.

“What….What are you….?” Ikarus’ mind turned blank as her consciousness began to fade away. Her eyes became empty, as if her souls was lost.

“Tell me where Avant-Heim is right now!”

“Of course Father!”

* * *

Ikarus’ POV

What have I been doing? Why could I not refuse him? Why couldn’t I control my own body earlier? I guided him to where Avant-Heim was supposed to be. And now we were floating right in front of it.

“Finally we are home! Avant-Heim! As beautiful as I remembered! This scenery, this nostalgia almost brings me to tears.” Said Merkabah. He really was on the verge of tears. He seemed so gentle and caring yet I had a really bad feeling about him.

“Why are you bringing me back here?” I asked.

“Can’t a father enjoy a moment of peace with his family? An outcast you may be, you are still one of my children. Worry not, I won’t let them do anything to you!” said the child in front of me.

“Then tell me, dear father! This eternal conflict between the Primes and the demons has brought nothing but pain for both sides. In the short amount of time I stayed with them, I have seen that they were just like us. We are all children of Eden, why do you we need to fight each other?

We claimed that they did horrible things. But we were the one who started the war. We are the one who have pushed them to resort to desperate actions. Anh this will never end if we just let things continue the way it is right now.

So tell me! Why do we have to fight the demons? What does the high and mighty Eden have against the demons?” I proclaimed.

“To understand the true nature of the demons, you must understand the special existence of the demon lords. Do you know the true story behind their creation?”

I shook my head. Alastor has told me about the story behind the demon’s creation from Lilith. However not the demon lords. All stories had two sides and I wanted to know the version from the Gods.

“At the very beginning, when Astora was just created, still void of life, there were three Gods: Eden the Life Giver, Lilith the Bringer of Flesh and Magnus the Soul Forger. Together they created the Six Primes Races.

One day, the God Eden tricked Lilith into stealing the Soul Flame of Magnus. However, when Lilith actually gave it to him, Eden killed Lilith and took away her Immortal Heart. With both relics possessing endless power, Eden disappeared together with us the Six Gods from the world.

But a primordial God don’t just simply die. Despite having lost her physical body, Lilith still existed. She wanted to recreate a body of her own so she could take revenge against lord Eden. And so she created the demonic race in hope that one day one of them would grow to be a compatible vessel for her soul.

What she did not expect was that Magnus also held a deep grudge against both her and Eden. Using the power of the Abyss, a realm only known to him, he created a superior being that which later took over the body of a demon in order to become what you now known as the demon lord. In addition, each dead demon lord would pass over a portion of his power onto the next generation and with Magnus’ guidance, one day one of them would become powerful enough to face Eden.

And we are looking for that person. As for why….I can’t tell you.

To answer your question, basically the demon is a tragic race, created out of hatred of their creators. Thousands of years of sacrifice just so we can find one person. When we finally find one, the cycle will resume and this will happen all over again and again. Such is our fate, our curse.

At some point in your life, someone must have told you that there are things in this world you can’t control. Well that also applies to Gods.” In the entire time, Merkabah did not look at Ikarus in the eyes, not once. His voice was filled with sadness and regret.

“Then does that mean everything is Eden’s fault? Then why do you still continue to serve him???” I shouted.

“My dear, have you ever loved someone so much you are willing to do anything for them?” Merkabah said.

The moment he asked me that question, I immediately thought of Alastor. I did not realize it myself. I always thought that what I did was simply to repay him for the kindness he showed to me. Could it be that I ….

“Judging from your expression and how you were at that place, I would say yes. Then I ask you this: are you able to hurt the ones you love in order to save them?”

What did he mean by that? Why would you hurt somebody you loved? I..I could never hurt Alastor…

Seeing the expression on my face, Merkabah simply smiled.

“Anyway we have talked long enough. Let’s go greet our family!”

There were still so many things unanswered. Why would Eden do that? What was the goal of the Six Gods? Why did they seek this ‘special’ demon lord? Merkabah still hided a lot from me. The way he spoke was so cryptic. I guessed I needed to stick with him longer in order to find out.

Entering through the archway of Avant-Heim, we were directly surrounded by the celestial guards. But they did not even pay attention to me. Their God was here, walking on the same ground as them.

“Our Holy Father, you have finally returned to us!” one of the guards quickly kneeled before his God.

“Yes I have! Please tell everyone to gather! I have an important announcement to make.” Merkabah said to the guard.

“Of course, Revered Father! But what about this one?” the guard looked at me with disgust.

“What about her?”

“She has been declared exiled for her crimes, never to return to Avant-Heim again.”

“She is with me so it’s fine.”

“But…”

“I said it’s fine!” the god insisted.

“Yes… Holy Father! Please forgive my intrusion! I will inform the council of heralds of your arrival right away!” with that the guard flew away as fast as he could.

How a god could get away with anything. He didn’t seem like a bad person but he was still Alastor’s enemy. I didn’t know why he brought me here or what he intended to do with the celestials so I must be careful.

Moments later, we found ourselves at the central plaza. A rostrum has been erected for the God of Celestials for his announcement. While the contents of that speech were still unclear, all the celestials have gathered, filling the entire level. Well almost as it was not big enough to have everyone standing there.

It has been thousands of years ever since the God Merkabah departed from the world of mortals to serve lord Eden in the high heavens. However, what exactly was Heavens? He himself told me that Eden and the Six Gods went somewhere after taking both of the relics of Magnus and Lilith. But where? And for what purpose?

What surprised me was Merkabah. The longer I stayed with him, the more I could not see him as someone evil. While waiting in the plaza for everyone to come, he passed through the ranks to talk with as many people as he could. He asked about their families, shake their hands, even hugging them. He held the kids on his hands and cuddled them. It was weird to see someone with such a childish appearance to be that revered. But for some reasons I felt what he was doing was genuine, not just to keep up appearance or anything like that. Yet his smiles….was it despair I felt each other I saw it?

Anyway here came the heralds and of course Mikael was with them. It seemed he was already informed about my ‘special circumstance’ so he could only scrutinize me but could not do anything. Right now someone else much more important than me was here after all.

“My children, I could not find any word to describe my joy to be standing here with you! For far too long, our family has been separated. But now that time is over. We will be united once more.

To go in the subject of my arrival today. The reason I am here is simple: I want to make an apology.” The God of Celestials proclaimed.

An apology? Just what was this about?

“We Gods have failed in our duties. The tasks that were entrusted to us, the hope we carry….everything is lost. And now our children will be the one who pay for the consequence of our failure.”

What was he talking about? Failure? In what?

“But worry not! For I am here, my children. I will die before I let anyone of them be defiled. I will not!!!” Merkabah changed his tone. His voice just now was so filled with anger but also regret. His hands started shaking.

Suddenly tears poured out of his eyes. Everyone was surprised. Why did their God weep? Muttering and murmurs started to come from the crowd.

“What’s wrong with the Holy Father?”

“Did we do something to upset him?”

The crowd grew more and more rowdy. They have no idea what was going on, or what would happen next. Neither did the heralds or the overseer. And not me.

“My children….know that I love you with all my heart…. So please….die!”