Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena's POV – September 10, 2008
"Serena, you're here," Sirzechs said as I approached him and the other leaders, quickly placing a Muffliato. As a participant in the Young Devils' Tournament, I had been invited to watch the Rating Game in the VIP room. The VIPs included various faction leaders and other important people.
"I had a little time to come," I said easily.
"I suppose you don't have any more important information to share, do you?" Sirzechs asked casually. I shook my head.
"No, I've already sent you everything I could find out," I said, shrugging. In the end, I had used Kurome as a scapegoat to inform Sirzechs about the Khaos Brigade attack. They already suspected it. With the information they had gathered themselves, they already suspected that the Khaos Brigade might attack this Rating Game. I just confirmed it.
"I see you decided to come alone," Sirzechs said lightly, though there was a glimmer of seriousness in his eyes.
"I am, I hope that's not a problem," I said easily.
"None at all. In fact, I'm surprised and grateful that you're here," Sirzechs said with a gentle smile. I snorted.
"My Peerage can handle anything the Khaos Brigade throws at them." I said dryly.
"Hmm... you really do seem to trust your Peerage. Entrusting the safety of your city and all the work you've done to them, against a terrorist attack, you really must trust their forces," Azazel said, looking at me with a smile. I chuckled.
"Believe me, they're more than enough. I'm sure even Bella will be... too disappointed if the fight is boring," I said dryly.
"Take a seat; there are only a few minutes left before we start," Sirzechs said with a smile. I just slumped into the seat before tearing off the muffliato and starting to chat with the others about random things.
As expected, the main event began a few minutes later. We all froze as we felt the devils and Khaos Brigade members begin teleporting above us. The venue was an open-air stage, so we had a clear view as thousands of devils began teleporting.
I could see the armies of the three factions preparing for battle. I just hummed as I watched, before shaking my head.
"It's almost as if they never learn. It didn't work during the peace conference, so why do they think it'll be any different this time?" I asked dryly, looking boredly at our opponents. Azazel laughed amusedly.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results," Azazel said playfully. I snorted.
"Rias and her group are trapped." I said, waving my hand, and an image of Rias and her group appeared. "Uh… so that's Dimension Lost… interesting." I said, fascinated, as I looked at the Sacred Gear that imprisoned Rias and her group.
"You figured it out so quickly?" Azazel asked, surprised. "If it really is Dimension Lost, then it's a problem. A Sacred Gear that relies on barriers and the creation of dimensions—even we would have trouble breaking it," Azazel said, frowning.
"Can you go with Rias?" Sirzechs asked, frowning.
"Leave it to me," Odin said with a cheerful laugh as he stood up. "I should be able to carry most of us with me," he added playfully.
"Let me help you," I said easily. Odin glanced at me sideways.
"Oh? Do you really think so highly of yourself that you're able to keep up with me?" Odin asked playfully. I snorted.
"You'll never find out if we keep talking," I said dryly. Odin burst out laughing.
"Good! That's the spirit, girl! Let's see what you can do!" Odin said cheerfully.
"You go ahead," Sirzechs said, frowning as he looked at us. Serafall laughed amusedly.
"Ajuka-chan, Falbium-chan, and I will stay here. We'll also have Michael's help. We'll be fine. Go with them. You're worried about Rias," Serafall said playfully. Sirzechs seemed conflicted before looking at Serafall with relief and gratitude.
"Thank you," Sirzechs said, nodding. "Leave half the army here," he said, gesturing in our direction. Odin didn't reply; he simply struck the ground with his staff, and a massive teleportation circle enveloped us and the army. I drew my staff and swung it about. My eyes scanned Odin's formulas, and I began tweaking and adapting them on the fly.
Dimension Lost allowed the teleportation of faction devils from the Old Satan Faction and Khaos Brigade members, so we didn't really need to force our way in, just mask our teleportation. So I quickly adapted it, and we slipped in through the gaps in Dimension Lost.
When it was over, we were all easily teleported inside the artificial battlefield that had been created.
"Impressive, girl, I thought we'd all end up scattered," Odin said once we got our bearings. The fighting began almost immediately. The place was flooded with Khaos Brigade members; there wasn't even a word to be said before the army of the three biblical factions began their retaliatory attack.
"Where's Rias?" Sirzechs asked, frowning. I pointed in one direction.
"Over there, several kilometers away," I said easily.
"Can you feel them?" Sirzechs asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I can see them," I said simply. The three of them looked at me strangely, and I shrugged. "I have good eyes," I said simply. "But putting that aside, you should decide who's going to go get him. The rest of us need to meet our guest, or host, I suppose," I said with a hum.
"Oh? Who's here?" Azazel asked, intrigued.
"Ophis." I said simply. That made the three of them stiff once again.
"Is Ophis here?" Azazel asked slowly, and I pointed in one direction.
"She's there; I can see her power; it's... immense." I said honestly, and I was being completely honest. It was impossible to ignore. Ophis, the Dragon of Infinity. It wasn't just a title; she literally possessed infinite power. The bottomless pit, like a black hole, was impossible to miss the moment she arrived.
"Let me guess... good eyes?" Azazel tried to say tensely, as a joke, trying to lighten the mood. I chuckled.
"You've got it." I said playfully. Odin snorted.
"I have a good eye; yours are another story," Odin said dryly. I smiled slightly.
"I'll take that as a compliment," I said dryly.
"Odin-sama. Would it be too much trouble for you to go and find Rias-chan and keep her safe?" Sirzechs asked tensely. Odin merely stroked his beard, then struck his staff against the ground.
"I'll do it, don't worry," Odin said simply before teleporting away. The three of us remained silent as we watched the army fight amongst themselves. After a few minutes, Azazel put his hand to his ear and began speaking to Rias and her group, explaining the situation.
Finally, he finished speaking and sighed wearily.
"So, shall we go?" Azazel said tensely. Sirzechs just nodded, and they both looked at me. I started flying toward Ophis, with the two of them following. Finally, we landed in a secluded spot, in front of a girl with black hair and a gothic lolita outfit.
"It really is you. I didn't expect you to come here in person," Azazel said cautiously. Ophis finally reacted and looked at him.
"Azazel. It's been a while," Ophis said easily.
"Ophis," Sirzechs said beside me. "What are you planning?" Sirzechs asked directly.
"Just observe. That's all," Ophis said simply as she looked at Sirzechs. Then Ophis's gaze fell on me and... then she ignored me and walked on.
"Observe... However, let the boss appear... Will the world be peaceful if we defeat you here?" Azazel asked tensely. Ophis just stared at him.
"Impossible, they can't defeat me," Ophis said without a hint of doubt.
"So you want to become the head of the terrorists? I seriously doubt you wanted to kill time. Don't give me such a lame reason. Because of your actions, there are
Victims in every area." Sirzechs said, frowning. Ophis remained silent for a few seconds.
"I want the world of silence," Ophis said easily. I could see the confused faces of Sirzechs and Azazel. Ophis looked directly at us. "I want to return to the Dimensional Gap and attain silence. That's the only reason," Ophis said.
"The Dimensional Gap? If I remember correctly, that's where it is..." Sirzechs said, frowning.
"Yes, Great Red is there," Ophis said, sounding slightly annoyed for the first time.
"What is silence?" I couldn't help but ask. The three beings stared at me. I suppressed the urge to grimace.
"Seriously?" Sirzechs asked with a sigh. I shrugged.
"I'm a curious woman, Sirzechs," I said easily. "Besides, I mean, if it were acoustic silence, it would be as easy as snapping my fingers." And I did exactly that; I snapped my fingers, and the noise around us died away. "But I doubt that's what she means," I said dryly, looking at Ophis, who frowned. She simply flexed her power and broke my spell.
"Noisy," Ophis said simply.
"Do we really have to do this now?" Sirzechs asked, sufferingly.
"No, no, no, she has a point. I'm curious now too," Azazel said, sounding genuinely interested. "Could you clarify the silence you seek?" Azazel asked. Ophis just looked at us.
"Everything... is noisy," Ophis said simply. I just blinked. That... didn't really explain anything. Unless...
Everything… did she mean… everything? I mean, Ophis was born from NOTHING, like, literally. The Dimensional Gap has absolutely nothing. A world of nothingness. People who entered the Gap were in danger of dying due to exposure to non-existence.
But if we take that literally, the Dimensional Gap should be beyond reality; the concepts of distance and direction shouldn't exist; time shouldn't exist; and space would be irrelevant there.
If an existence knows absolutely nothing, especially things like time, space, matter, and even causality, then… yes, reality would be far too 'noisy' for someone like Ophis. A being as powerful as Ophis would be capable of sensing all of that and more.
But… was that really misleading? I mean. Aside from the fact that Great Red lives there and that Ophis originated there, many other cases disproved the idea that the Dimensional Gap is a place devoid of time, space, and causality.
People can survive in the Dimensional Gap with some preparation; they can pass through it and fly across it. People can spend several days inside, provided they can survive.
You can create territories, build on them, and create entire dimensions. And I knew it; once I learned how to use the Dimensional Gap to create pocket dimensions, it was ridiculously easy. The Gap was empty, so putting things in it was a breeze.
So… what was the silence that Ophis was looking for?
The Gap dimension, as it behaves at least partially like a plane, would be easier to interpret as a place where ordinary reality is not naturally present, rather than as one where literally nothing exists at all.
Non-existence exists within the Dimensional Gap, but… reality can impose itself upon it, yet it doesn't originate from it. That… could make both things true. Time exists in the Dimensional Gap because there are beings subject to it. So, on one hand, it would act as a space, as another dimension that can be used, but on the other hand, under certain conditions, it would truly be a plane of non-existence.
What Ophis sought was the absence of everything that made sound possible in the first place, and that encompassed absolutely everything. She wanted a place where 'existence' ceased to make noise.
And I felt a chill.
The Final Shape.
The Witness sought to crystallize all of reality into a perfect and immutable moment. To halt change. To stop the senseless cycle of action and reaction. An eternity calcified in its final shape. Timeless. Immutable. Silent.
No, it wasn't the same. I breathed shakily. The Witness sought a definitive state, to stop change, a perfect and immutable state, we might call it, absolute immobility. At the same time, Ophis sought the absence of everything. But… both could arrive at the same thing.
If the Witness were to implement the final shape in such a way that everything froze, that even the atoms and particles did not move and vibrate, that there was no reaction, no energy transfer, no causality, so much so that even time was far from those objects, then… there would be silence.
The Gap is silent due to absence; the final shape could be silent due to absolute immobility.
Trembling, I pulled an apple from my inventory. I knew how to do it; the Traveler knew how to do it; I knew how to do it, how to achieve the final form. And I felt an absolute, visceral revulsion from the very depths of my being, yet I pushed it.
I let the Darkness envelop the apple before giving it physical form with the Light. I almost felt like I was going to vomit as I stared at the calcified apple in my hand. My whole being rebelled against this creation.
"Is this what you're looking for?" I asked Ophis, feeling slightly pale. I tossed the calcified apple to Ophis, who caught it and stared at it wide-eyed. She gazed at the apple, mesmerized.
"It's... silent." Ophis said in shock. Ophis stared at the apple.
"What the hell was that, and why did it feel so... unnatural?" Azazel said, shuddering. "And not unnatural like demonic power or anything like that, unnatural in a way that goes against reality itself." I opened my mouth before closing it again as I saw a teleportation circle appear beside us. A man suddenly appeared, and I grimaced.
"This is the first time we've met. I am the one who carries the blood of the true Asmodeus. Creuserey Asmodeus." Creuserey announced grandiloquently. He first seemed to focus on Azazel before turning to Sirzechs, his expression filling with rage. "Sirzechs! The imposter I hate the most! Appearing here in person! Because of you—because of you all—" Creuserey growled furiously.
"Creuserey, could you lower your weapons? If it's now, we can still prepare for negotiations," Sirzechs said calmly. He was about to continue when Creuserey shouted.
"Don't talk nonsense! Not only have fallen angels joined forces with you, but you've allied yourself with the angels! I don't want to hear that from those who have defiled the devils!" Creuserey shouted furiously. "And you!" Creuserey glared at me. "You, who possess the honorable blood of Lucifer, and yet you fight on the side of the imposter! Join us! Let's kill the imposter and put an end to his nonsense!" Creuserey shouted, extending his hand in my direction.
"No thanks." I said curtly. Creuserey's expression changed.
"One last chance," Creuserey said, frowning. I just raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Creuserey shook his head. "The fakes and impostors have brainwashed you, a real shame. Unfortunately, if you're on their side, you're also someone who needs to be annihilated. You, along with your city. The others must already be doing it. Too late to back down." Creuserey said, sneering, as he looked at me. I just snorted.
"Creuserey, you still have time to stop this," Sirzechs said, his eyes sad. Creuserey's expression turned to rage once more.
"There's no need for further negotiations! Sirzechs! The false king with false goodness! Lucifer! Even though you possess the power of destruction, why don't you use it against the angels and fallen angels?! You have no right to call yourself a devil king! I, Creuserey Asmodeus, a true devil king, will annihilate you! And then, I will end Lucifer's rotten bloodline. He would be horrified to see his lineage wasted on you, Serena Prince!" Creuserey said furiously.
At this point, I was seriously considering killing him outright, simply because his voice was irritating me. Sirzechs just looked at Ophis.
"Is a negotiation with you not possible either?" Sirzechs asked, addressing Ophis. To my surprise, Ophis ignored him, still staring at the apple I had given her. Completely mesmerized by it, she gazed at it without blinking.
"I don't think she'll wake up anytime soon," Azazel said dryly. Sirzechs just sighed.
"Do you want to do it, or should I?" Sirzechs asked, turning to face me. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shrugged. "He's threatening you too. I thought you'd want to fight him," Sirzechs said simply. I snorted.
"All yours." I said simply. Fight Creuserey? That would be fun for about 30 seconds. I much preferred watching Sirzechs fight. Even though I'd copied the Bael trait and was capable of using the power of destruction, I wasn't even close to what Sirzechs could do. It would be good to see him in action.
And I don't regret doing it. I witnessed Sirzechs's abilities firsthand. The control he had over the power of destruction was frankly incredible, especially considering the amount of demonic power he possessed. And most importantly, the difference in quality and conceptual understanding was striking.
The difference between Rias and Sirzechs was enormous. Rias's destructive power at that moment was child's play compared to what Sirzechs could do.
I saw Sirzechs kill Creuserey with ease. His entire body disintegrated, and then his soul was destroyed as well.
"Impressive," I hummed to Sirzechs. Sirzechs just sighed sadly. "Hmm, seems there's someone else with Rias's group," I hummed. "Someone named Shalba Beelzebub," I said simply. Sirzechs and Azazel frowned. "I'll take care of him; I don't think you'd want to leave our guest alone," I said, glancing at Ophis. They both nodded.
"You want to escape?" Azazel said dryly. I didn't say anything and just teleported to where Rias's group was.
"Give me back Asia... She's-" I could see Issei, catatonic, as he slowly walked forward. Hmm, just in time, before Issei activated the Juggernaut Drive.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" I hummed lightly as I looked at Shalba Beelzebub.
"Serena!!" Rias shouted in relief as she looked at me.
"Descendant of Lucifer," Shalba said with the same grandiloquence as Creuserey. "You-"
"Hey, Issei, catch her." I said dryly before creating a portal with my mists, then I reached in and pulled Asia out of the dimensional gap and threw her toward Issei. Issei's eyes seemed to come alive again, and his body reacted immediately.
""" Asia!""" they all shouted at the same time.
"Asia!!" Issei cried, clinging tightly to Asia as he sobbed. I glanced at him, then grabbed Aria in her Staff form and looked at Shalba, who was narrowing his eyes in my direction.
"I guess it was too much to expect you to be better than that bastard Vali," Shalba said, sounding almost disappointed.
"Asia is safe; stand back. I'll take care of him." I told the group easily.
"We can help!" Rias said immediately, sounding almost furious with Shalba. I just shook my head.
"It's not necessary," I said simply. Then I began to fly into the air. "I'll end this quickly," I said coldly as I looked at Shalba. He just frowned and stared at me.
"You want to fight, fine. Let's see what you can do," Shalba said as he raised his hand.
"I am the Root of all Mystery
Light is my body, Magic my soul.
I am the Gardener of infinite possibilities,
who despises the certainty of a final shape."
The words spilled from my mouth, and I let my demonic power gush forth.
It wasn't complete, not yet, but even so, it was more than enough to manifest my Reality Marble partially. The sky changed; it seemed to darken, as if the night were swallowing the entire artificial dimension. Then, in the night sky, it began to light up; small lights formed, and stars illuminated the night sky.
It started with one, then two, and then they multiplied. In less than a second, there were thousands upon thousands of stars in the sky, like a star cluster. They began to shine intensely, and then hundreds of magical beings shot out in the direction of Shalba.
All kinds of magic fell upon Shalba; each attack had the strength to annihilate a high-class devil with ease, and even injure an ultimate devil if struck head-on, so Shalba could not defend himself against the constant onslaught.
He tried to dodge it, move, and defend himself, using magic to protect himself or using his body; he functioned with a dozen of them, but when he was bombarded with thousands of attacks, his defenses tended to run out faster than he could sustain them.
So he began to fly around rapidly, but the spells simply changed course, attacking from one side to the other. I simply guided them and blocked Shalba's path.
Shalba was so focused on escaping that he wasn't paying attention to me. I created a portal toward where Shalba was heading, thrust my staff through it, and a magic circle appeared on Shalba's leg, stopping him abruptly. Shalba's eyes widened in panic.
Finally, one of my attacks struck him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Then all the attacks focused on Shalba, who lay on the ground. The constant barrage lasted only a couple of minutes, but that was tens of thousands of attacks concentrated on Shalba. I could see how each attack wore him down more and more as he tried to withstand the relentless onslaught.
I could see his armor shatter to pieces before the attacks began to tear his body apart slowly. His legs vanished quickly, followed by his arms, then half his chest was ripped off before part of his face was torn away.
At this point, Shalba could no longer withstand the constant blows and was on the verge of death. I stopped the bombardment before flying over to Shalba. He was little more than a completely burned torso and half a head, still breathing and alive. You'll admit he was resilient.
I was about to cast a killing curse on him to finish the job before I could even huff and puff. I lowered my staff, crouched down, and quickly sealed him away. Then I regenerated him enough to keep him alive for a few days and threw a time bubble at him. Then I sold him immediately.
With that done, I could only sigh as I gazed at the stars in the night sky that were slowly beginning to disappear as I released my Reality Marble.
I really hoped the girls were having more fun than I was. And I really hoped my trick with Ophis wouldn't backfire again—me and my stupid curiosity.