Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

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"Levi-Chan did that? That crazy bitch," I resounded in laughter, peering down at the hologram of Freya. "Well, Arsene did get a lot more dangerous, but all in all, she's still a paragon; she'll be fine."

"Not really what I was asking, but good to know. I want to know when our counter-attack will be; with Arsene out the way, the dutchess of Noctem has been a tinge bit distant. She does her job, but there is a clear lack of communication. I worry about the Angels finding out we have infiltrated some of their deepest ranks."

My hand fell to my chin as I thought of Freya's concern. It had been a little more than half a cycle, and without Arsene controlling his men, things have been relatively tight on our end. However, it was the same for the Seraphim. The Seven Heavens had never been significant in size but were instead a force of pure destruction when needed. Devils, or more so demons, however, were plentiful. But with the other Realms joining against us, our numbers were dropping fast.

The Badlands, The Etherial Realm, The Overworld, and Aether were all against us. Despite us putting up a good fight, we were losing, and at this point, it was only a matter of time before the Angels finished there—

"Of the Seven provenances, we have only managed to control one, same with the angels as many of the Abyssal Fiends and their monsters are becoming more coordinated." Aldrich coolly remarked from his chair, "And lately, I've been feeling unease."

"Unease?" Both Freya and I said as one.

What the hell could get this man unease? If there were ever someone I would not want to fight; it was Aldrich,

" Putting aside the Abyssal Fiends, for now, have none of you been unease as of late? As it stands now, we are just outside the gates of Iliya, but I have this gnawing feeling in the back of my mind that Zantar is plotting something. Something we, no, I am missing." He continued taking a stand to his feet. He eyed me for a moment, his frown deepening, "I'd forget the war if I were you because it might not be Angel's blood the prophecy states that will fall.

With those words, Aldrich was gone, and something sank within me.

"Freya, leave Levi to deal with Arsene; she'll be fine. You handle the Shadowfell or at least find someone who can," I said, hanging up, leaving the tent to find Aldrich standing over a ledge overlooking the skies clouded with ash. As I approached, roars and howls filled with bloodlust and anarchy resounded below, peering down the river of blood. I saw demons on the frontlines being led by Devils as they raged a marvelous war I'd never seen before.

While we are on the losing side, even I must respect the war the angels raged against us. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

The demons were the perfect cannon fodder; with each hit, they took and survived; their battle prowess would jump to compensate. They were the ultimate killing tool; if they had brains to go with that talent, they might not be so enslaved without even knowing it.

Lifting my head past the endless war that had lasted more than half a cycle, I peered at the city of destitute, and a cold chill pierced into my heart. The walls, which spanned over two hundred and fifty kilometers, the size of mountains, were stained black, with scarlet veins stretching like webs. When I had first laid my eyes upon the walls of Illya, I could feel the throbbing pulse within those walls.

The city itself was alive. And then there was the castle that stretched higher than the mountains into the skies, a pure obsidian black, with hundreds of abyssal dragons and fiends circling its perimeter.

"Illya was not like this when I last saw it. It was a rich paradise, ruled by a man we all called the Fool."

"The Fool?"

"Yes, he played his part so well; he was granted the name for his persona. He was Arsene's true Father, a monster standing at the peak. A God-King. You might look down on that stage now as you stand above it, but back then, that was the peak. Or at least it was for most people. The Fool was, without a doubt, one of the greatest masterminds I'd ever seen. Had I not known that bastard from House Lazarus before, I might have also been fooled."

"Is he the one you fear? Arsene's Father?"

Aldrich laughed, "Gods no, we were never enemies if anything, But we would occasionally ask for each other's help. Even when I was weak and new reborn, it was him who supported me behind the shadows to escape the hold of the former Ruler of Iluthath. Have you ever wondered where Arsene or maybe the Silver Devil got their scheming ability? They got it from their Father. But he's not here in the abyss. I haven't a clue if he's alive or dead, but within Illya holds two beings. And one of them I fear facing."

"Who is he?"

"Back when we killed Arsene or Lucarious del Lazarus, there existed two traitors, one outside the Order of Chaos and one within." He pointed towards the palace ahead, "within the Grand Palace of Lazarus, you will find the Traitor of the Order, the man who assisted me as I gutted the silver devils, brothers."

Huh? Why does this all sound so familiar? Is it a sealed memory? No, I've programmed those memories to return when my subconscious perceives a threat that might be relevant to the danger I might be in.

Was it Master? Did she tell me?

"I'd manage to kill off the rest of the traitors on my own, to allow a devil heart to grow within the SIlver Devils' soul. Forcing him to live with the fact that he will never have his revenge or figure out who the traitors were, but such a thing was doomed to fail, as he managed to figure out who betrayed him and take them into his possession," Aldrich said, releasing a great sigh.

"You played with fire, didn't you," I said, watching as he turned to me.

"No, I played with the devil."