Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"So this is where he was, but I did not think they would meet so soon." I silently stepped through the vast expanse beside a woman, that looked no more than sixteen. With her hands pressed against her back, she stared towards the world below.

"Is he your Chosen?" Aiza softly asked, "if so, I shall not kill him."

"You know who he is?" I patiently said, watching the young man caring gently for the little vampire within his hands. Such a healing method was only usable for devils due to their inhuman bodies.

"Will it matter when his head drops from his body?"

"Your head will fall faster than his. That boy is not just my chosen but also Tenebrae, Baphomet, Asmodeus, and several others. You will do well to watch your words less your head falls."

"What!" Aiza harshly muttered, losing the aloof air that seemed to trail behind her every movement.

"I have yet to debut him to the council, but Arsene and Lilith are our best bet. Zelos cannot last much longer, and I will not allow him to die in such a manner. He is too strong of a warrior."

"So he is Arsene Snow, huh? Is that Lilith with him?"

"No, that is Yura Snow, his wife."

Trust is a very fickle concept, and Aiza is the closest thing to a devil one could get to without being one. Her mannerism, her thoughts, even her intent changes by the second. One day she is cold, others she is loving.

"An Era of Monster!" Said Aiza tracing her gaze over the still body of Lilith to my dismay. However, it was better this way. "That Arte she used, what Grade would you give it?"

"It held the power of the two most powerful Planes in existence, Heaven and Hell. It's hard to say, but on a divine level, I will say it's tier seven." I voiced hesitantly. It was pretty hard to say much about Lilith's Arte since its full capabilities were cut short due to limitations. Had she used abyssal energy, then maybe we would have seen its true power.

Lifting her lips into a shameless smile, Aiza crossed her arms, "Makes me want to have her, is she also protected?"

Neither confirming nor denying as I honestly did not know, I spoke of my own agenda, "I am here to give you fair warning about that devil below. Warn Yu Jing of Arsene Snow. Your chosen will surely die early should their blades cross as she is now."

"Oh? It seems there is not much trust between you two. I may have to steal him from out from under you." She uttered with a gaze that said she was serious.

"If you wish to have a kid, who has the enemy of Aldrich, Soloman, and all the Princes of Hell, maybe even some Kings of hell, by all means, take him," I replied sharply, studying the priceless expression upon the Devil of Calamity.

"Are you serious! And he is still your Chosen? Aeron, are you mad!"

"He ended both Prince Sitri and Arch Angel, Yeshamiel." I coldly stated, "Both of them are gone! We cannot afford to not have Arsene under us."

"Yet all I hear is fear in your voice." Aiza callously uttered, "Can this Arsene be controlled? Out of the five of us, only Zelos is without a Chosen. We picked the strongest out of the Known Sea of Chaos, but we also made sure there was a way to control them."

"Which is why I came to you, Aiza. Warn you're Chosen of Arsene and his games. I picked Arsene, not as a true choice but instead as a backup."

"So it's a double-edged sword that you are molding? By the Hells, Aeron. One thing we learned during the War of Demons and Devils was not to meddle in their affairs, yet now you tell me this one boy, this still mortal boy took down two divine level beings that could kill either of us? It sounds to me like he is more of a threat than the Overworld."

She was not wrong, but what choice did we have? With the absence of Iluthath, we cannot compete with any of the twelve realms. Even Elysium, whose legacies were destroyed by Aldrich, are still leagues stronger than us.

There was no comparison with the other Planes. Iluthath linked everyone together, their legacies were ours, and our's were there's. There was a balance, but now... Now, all that's left is chaos.

Holding me in her cat-like eyes that shimmered with a dark glow of night, no trace of a smile could be seen upon Aiza's expression, only dread. "I wish to have a word with this Arsene Snow. I have been far too focused on Yu Jing to care about anything else, but no more. We need to find out what that boy wants. "

"You are free to do so, but I suggest all five of us address Arsene together." I proposed watching Aiza's expression turn ugly in an instant.

"You would humiliate us like so?! Damn it all, Aeron. We are some of the strongest beings in the Bed of Chaos, yet all of us must approach this one kid? Why not just spit in our face?"

Narrowing my eyes, my jaw tightened as my heart turned cold, "Get over it, Aiza. What is this little humiliation throughout your immortal life? You and are have been humiliated many times in our lives. What is different now? It happens. Grow up, and accept it or go and speak to Arsene yourself. Test the waters if you like, but I can assure you he is not one you want to make an enemy out of."

Wiping the horrid expression from her face, a smile suddenly flickered into view, causing me to curse beneath my breath at this tricky fox.

"Just wanted to see your reaction towards Arsene Snow. It will seem that he really is trouble. You are one of the five founders of Nox, Aeron, I will listen for now, but I will make it clear now. Arsene Snow needs to die. If he is as bad as you claim, we cannot afford to keep him alive after the war.

"Which is why I want him in this competition. We will pit him against the best of the best the Bed of Chaos has to offer. If he fails, we kill him no matter his protection. I will see it myself, but if he wins—"

"We train him," Aiza softly muttered, touching the tip of her chin with a chilling smirk, "But we make sure he has a flaw that only we can explore. Leave that to me. I have just the plan." Said Aiza as she vanished, leaving only a chill in the air.