Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Asmodeus? That name. No, that's not possible. It cannot be.

Arsene chuckled and leaned forward slightly, pointing his finger, his words tainted with malice. " But Father-in-Law." He mockingly said, " I did marry your daughter. No need to be so dismissive. We are family."

A derisive snort left the King of Hell. "I ought to wring that neck of yours. Just prepare yourself and be in Midgard before the change; we cannot afford to be separated. Lilith hasn't told you anything, has she?"

"No," He said flatly, lowering his gaze towards the table glistering with reports, schematics, showcasing a legion, and various courses of actions. "Before you leave, is Bael's condition tolerable?"

Asmodeus bore a wry smile. "That will be up to you, Ashen Prince. He is merely a Prince of Hell after all." He said and blinked away from sight, leaving only the scent of brimstone.

"So we are in league with the King of Hell?" I coldly asked.

"Watch your tongue, Layla." Karr snapped, "You are out of line."

"It's fine," Arsene responded, gesturing for him to relax; he glanced around at the empty seats letting his gaze land on Zanris smiling like a naughty cat. "The meeting ended a little late, but you guys came right on time. I have a mission for you, Layla. A way to prove yourself. Or would you rather listen to my brother's traitorous words?"

"You knew?" I muttered, betrayed by my words of acknowledgment. The Ashen prince nodded, leaned back onto his chair, and rested his eyes. "Your Majesty, I—"

"It's fine. Just disappointed that you never said it. Surely, you know how this looks." He wearily said. "A mistake, I'm sure. "

"It was," I hastily revealed, feeling like my heart was about to freeze. This demon would not hesitate to slaughter my entire family if it could serve his purpose. "I was merely trying to find out more of his intentions."

Arsene opened his eyes, filled with a ruthless light, "Karr. You will be responsible for implementing a plan to register every person and creature in Noctem; this will be your mission. Restrict galactic travel for all who are not registered, and cut access to the banking clans. And create an imperial bank. If the banking clans do not accept this, then you have permission to cut them off. We no longer need them since all the prime worlds are under my rule. They will have only two choices. Join or Fade into a distant memory."

Shaken by this ruthless move that would potentially turn the entire empire into a state of chaos, I was about to speak when Karr spoke out, " My Lord if we do cut them off then, our economy will sink—"

"Let the imperial bank handle that. Transfer the debt of our people to us. We will be in debt, but that's not so bad. Not all debt is bad. Just make sure the money continues to flow. There may be some issues initially, but that only stands if you can't persuade the banking clans to settle control to me. Now go. Oh, also restrict slavey to outside the prime worlds. I don't want it visible to the upperclassman."

Karr saluted and left with a graceful bow, shooting me one last warning stare, he was gone, and all that was left was me, Zanris, and the Ashen Prince.

"You seem against this plan." He said, resting his chin against his cheek.

"You risk killing millions, sending our entire economy into chaos, and for what?"

"For total and absolute control. Once that is done, which should take maybe two or three years, possibly a few months, I will form death squads and begin slowly expanding my empire till all of Noctem is under my control, from what I calculated. This empire has only conquered about three percent of this expanding realm." He said and shook his head, " But I did not call you here to talk about politics. I am sending you, alongside a set army to war."

"Your a sick bastard," I could not help but curse, and Arsene actually laughed. "Your insane." He was laughing.

"I was wondering when you would simply start speaking your mind." He said. While Zanris rushed a bit closer, sitting next to her king, she giggled.

"I like her too. Her skin is a bit weird, though. Why is it grey? Is her virgi—"

Flicking her head, Arsene pursed his lips, "Such a naughty minx. Don't foul my meeting with that filthy mouth of yours." He scolded, shifting his gaze at me once more. " As I was saying. You will be leading the charge in this battle. Your mission is to kill everyone that isn't of the abyss or the hells. We have barely a week left till we are thrown into a war zone."

"Is that why you have been gathering an army as fast as possible?" I said, "We are out of time? So soon?"

"The Angels want my head and the extermination of the Bed of Chaos. It's not too far off to say they won't extend past the Bed of Chaos to the Twelve Planes. We are in a dire situation, so I am only sending you. While here, everyone in Noctem is preparing for war."

"My Lord, if—"

"Just call me Arsene." He said rather casually, "At least when we have these informal conversations. I—" He paused, and his eyes grew wide, startling me when through clenched teeth, he continued. "I would like to gain your—Loyalty first."

Suspicion clouded my sights, only to notice Zanris's hand suspiciously trailing back and forth near his waist. My frown deepened the longer I watched, " What are you doing?"

Zanris licked her lips, "Making dinner, wanna help?"

Arsene cleared his throat, "She is married, I think. It doesn't matter. Are there any questions? Regarding your upcoming mission? I have already sent the dossier to your Holocube.

My expression fell with a quick flair of my divine sense. "No." I coldly said, wishing nothing more than to leave.

"Good, then pick a few members from the other doo—Dukes— Fuck—I mean, pick a few loyal soldiers of your choice from the dukes and begin preparations. Any starships you find must be placed in your soul, spiral ring, or on your physical body." He said, slowly slumping into his chair, and I could not have left faster.

"Damn, Pervert."