The Red Hand

Akagi's words chilled the room, and Elariel's face turned pale. "A D-Demon Lord?" Her mind raced as she tried to understand what was going on. She'd detected something that reminded her of a Demon Lord's power when she tried to remove Hitomi's mental block, but she never expected one to appear before her.

"Precisely." Akagi let out a demonic laugh. "And if you don't believe me..." She allowed her power to briefly flair for a moment before retracting it. “I think that should put any doubts to bed.” She chuckled.

{Was it really necessary to do that...} (Amakusa)

Rebeckah was practically blue in the face as she momentarily forgot to breathe. Demon Lord Vikes' destruction was something that she knew well from her time studying history, and the thought of another being like that showing up was the stuff of nightmares.

{I... That...} (Rebeckah)

"T-That power..." Elariel finally managed to speak, shaking off her momentary confusion. "You really are... But... We destroyed Vikes! I know it!" She thought that Akagi was a reincarnation or revival of Vikes, rather than a wholly knew Demon Lord.

{Did those Cultists manage to somehow revive him?!?} (Elariel)

"You did, but he was not the only member of my kind in existence." Akagi smiled, allowing her voice to return to normal. "I am the Demon Lord of Earth, Akagi Dumetor. The one you destroyed was the Demon Lord of Enoris, a separate individual.”

"Halifax... Why have you brought such a being here?!? Do you wish for this world's destruction?!? Do you hate us that much?!?" Elariel was almost hysterical as she began to panic internally. The battle against Vikes had killed several Gods and nearly destroyed the world with its intensity. If another creature like Vikes decided to act, there was no guarantee that they could win again, especially if Halifax sided with said being.

{We... I have to warn everyone... Halifax... Have you finally...} (Elariel)

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter." Halifax shook her head. "It's like I said, the Gods fucked up big time by sending the Heroes to Earth... You pissed off a Demon Lord, and now... Now she's here to get even." Despite how kind that she knew Akagi could be, the Sword was well aware that the Demon was currently angry and out for blood.

{Not to mention... Not to mention that I'd like to see you all humbled after what you pulled. You... What you did, not just to me... But to so many others...} (Halifax)

"So you brought her to Enoris?!?" Elariel stood up, glaring at her. "Why?!? I understand that you might hate me or the other Gods for what happened in the past, but the people of this world do not need to die for our sins! Especially not at the hands of a Demon Lord! You know firsthand what Vikes did to his victims, Halifax! He ate them, soul and all!" Such a fate meant that there was no saving them, and that they would vanish, never to reincarnate again.

{This thing will consume every last person in the world! Do you truly wish to see our home burned to cinders and rendered into little more than a lifeless ball of rock and earth?!?} (Elariel)

"I did not bring her here to get vengeance on you or the people of this world!" Halifax shot up, her hand briefly moving toward her blade before backing off. "You asked me to save that other world, and that's what I did! Akagi drove the Heroes away... But.... But I cannot control what she does next." She practically growled. Being screamed at like that instantly put her on edge, and even if she didn't intend to get into an argument she'd unconsciously reacted negatively to the Goddess' accusations. "Now lets make one thing clear, you lot attacked a world ruled by a Demon Lord! Akagi would be here regardless of whether or not I helped her out! She didn't need my or anyone else's help to defeat the Heroes or even to get here, Elariel! So cut the fucking attitude!"

{WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?!? WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS LIKE THIS?!?} (Halifax)

"So then, why are you with her?!? Surely you must know what will happen to our world now that another one of her kind has appeared!" Elariel continued to yell, escalating the screaming match further. "I accepted that our world's fate is sealed, but I will not allow the people of this world to be terrorized by another member her kind!" She summoned her golden staff, ready to do battle. "Now stand aside. That thing must be eliminated before it's too late!" The summoning of the staff caused Yumi to tense, but Akagi quickly put her hand on top of Yumi's to calm her down.

"If you try and attack her, then you guarantee this world's destruction, Elariel! Don't do it!" Halifax was trying hard not to reach for her blade, even though she knew that it would be impossible to use it on the Goddess.

{If you piss off Akagi, then my plan of convincing her to help SAVE this world is going to go out the window, you idiot! So calm the fuck down and listen to what I'm trying to say for once in your fucking life!} (Halifax)

"If you will not stand aside, then should I take that as you siding with her?" Elariel asked, her eyes showing both anger and sadness. "Tell me, is she the one you wish to be wielded by?"

{I always feared this day might come... That you might...} (Elariel)

"I WILL BE WIELDED BY NO ONE!" Halifax's voice rattled the windows and caused Rebeckah to flinch. "NOT YOU! NOT AKAGI! NOBODY! NOBODY SHALL WIELD ME EVER AGAIN!" The insinuation that she'd rolled over for a new master caused her nonexistent blood to boil and she was seconds from trying to attack, as futile as it might be.

"Alright, knock it the fuck off!" Akagi used her power to paralyze the two of them and stop them from doing anything further. "I knew this might happen. So how about you two calm the fuck down before I smack you both upside the head." She sighed as she held up her outstretched hand.

{I can only tolerate a screaming match for so long...} (Akagi)

"I... Can't... Move..." Elariel tried to call upon her divine power but found herself at Akagi's mercy.

{This shouldn't be possible! Even Vikes couldn't do something like this!} (Elariel)

"Try all you want but you won't be escaping my restraints." Akagi smirked as she pulled out her Kiseru and lit it. "Now, Halifax, take a seat, and don't let this idiot boil your blood and further. I can assure you that she's not worth the stress." She released Halifax from her power, and the Sword sat back down on the couch. "Now, Elariel. Are you going to sit down and let me talk, or do I need to keep you restrained? I don't mind either way, but I'd like to think that we're both civilized people that don't need to have proverbial knives at each other's throats to have an adult conversation."

{Then again, I find that most people suck at that no matter how old they are, mortal or otherwise.} (Akagi)

"F-Fine..." Elariel knew that she had no choice. Her Avatar body wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to fight Akagi, and whatever force the Demon was using was stopping her from fleeing.

"Good." Akagi released the Goddess as she blew a puff of smoke. "So, to clear the air a bit, I am not exactly like Vikes. Yes, we're both Demon Lords, but unlike him, I retained my sanity. I have no intention of turning this world into a smoking inferno, at least not as of yet." She chuckled.

"So, what, are you trying to tell met that you're some kind of good Demon Lord?" Elariel didn't buy that for a second.

"Good? No. I'm an distinctly evil being as one would expect." Akagi replied. "My kind exists to destroy. I've just decided to forestall such destruction indefinitely since I'm content to enjoy the world that I was born into rather than burn it to ash. However, that doesn't make me some kind of paragon of virtue." She snapped her fingers, releasing Amakusa from her prohibition on speaking and temporarily removing her transformation.

"Shiroe?!?" Elariel's eyes went wide as she realized who the 'beastkin' was.

"Tell them, pet." Akagi took another hit. "Tell them all about me."

"She's fucking evil and should be destroyed!" Amakusa exclaimed. "Akagi enslaved me and basically treats her world as her personal toy box!"

{SHE MADE ME JUMP FOR TREATS YESTERDAY! IT WAS HUMILIATING!} (Amakusa)

"I mean, it is." Akagi laughed. "Earth and its people are mine by birthright. I just gave them the mercy of not eating them all, so the least they can do is provide me entertainment."

{I mean, come on. If I kill them all, then how would I get more amazing games to play or anime to watch?!? And who would provide copious amounts of snuggles and pudding?!?} (Akagi)

"Y-You enslaved a Hero?" Rebeckah finally managed to speak, shaking off some of her fear.

"I made her my pet." Akagi corrected her. "And tell them just how much you love your new position!"

"Of course! Being master's pet has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me! She's so kind, and I'm such a bad girl for killing all those poor Spirits!" Amakusa's sudden change baffled Elariel and Rebeckah.

"And what do you think should be done about this naughty little world?" Akagi asked with a laugh.

"Burn it to the ground!" Amakusa smiled while screaming internally. "These disgusting Gods should be tormented for daring to wage war upon you, master, and the people of Enoris should be subjected to horrors even greater than what they inflicted on their victims.” She finished, reverting to normal. “FOR THE RECORD, I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THAT! SHE FORCED ME TO SAY IT!"

{REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.} (Amakusa)

"Good pet! I'll give you extra snacks later, and maybe some ear scritches to go with them!" Akagi laughed.

{I don't want any of that...} (Amakusa)

"I see. So despite what you said you truly are a monster..." Elariel understood what Akagi had done to Shiroe. It was a technique that she'd seen before, only on a much deeper level than what she'd expected.

"Hey, in all fairness I could've killed her or erased her real personality." Akagi shrugged. "Though I suppose being forced to happily become my pet is also pretty bad." She winked.

"Akagi, you're not helping my case here..." Halifax sighed. "But regardless of her proclivities, Akagi isn't really our enemy. Well, she's not this world's enemy anyway. She's more interested in getting out punishment on the Gods for attacking her, which is why she's here."

"I mean, it's not as simple as that, but yeah." Akagi twirled her pipe in her hands. "Let me be blunt. By sending those four into my world with the express goal of killing my subjects and usurping my position, Enoris' Gods have declared war on me." She shot Elariel a fiery look. "And I don't intend to stop this war until I've got all of you hoisted up by your own petard!" She slammed the back of her foot down on the small coffee table between them.

{I'm not sure they're going to understand that phrase...} (Yumi)

"Your subjects?" Elariel wanted clarification. "By that, do you mean the Spirits?"

"Who else could I mean?" Akagi rolled her eyes. "They swore fealty to me after a series of events that I don't feel like going into, which means an attack on them is an attack on me. Not to mention that your whole plan to take over Earth and become its Gods was also a direct challenge to my rule. Naturally, I didn't take well to either of those things, and so here we are." The second part was Akagi's main reason for being here, since while she did care about the Spirits their well-being was never going to be a higher priory than dealing with someone challenging her.

{A Demon Lord ruling a world? What?} (Elariel)

"I can't disagree with... With Akagi going after the Gods, Elariel." Halifax spoke up. "Knowingly ordering the elimination of an entire race was bad enough, but to have done it knowing full well that it wouldn't help and then trying to do the same thing to the entire world just to save yourselves... I'm sorry, but that's not something I can just sit and watch idly." She shook her head, her face showing deep sadness. "The Gods picked a fight with somebody that can destroy them, and I have no intention of intervening to stop you all from getting your just desserts."

{I never thought that somebody could hold them accountable... And even now... It still feels strange...} (Halifax)

"You must know that we won't stand aside and accept such a fate." Elariel said. "Even if I agree that the Gods went too far, I cannot trust that a Demon Lord won't turn its wrath on the population once she destroys us. Not to mention that our deaths would destabilize the world! With no one to administer Enoris there's no telling what kind of chaos would result!"

{This are already on the brink, the loss of the entire Pantheon would doom the world all the sooner!} (Elariel)

"This world is doomed whether or not I destroy it, you know that right?" Akagi commented as she leaned on Yumi.

"Of course I am aware of that, but it doesn't mean that I'm happy to allow you to speed that process up." Elariel scowled. "I was hoping to find a way for the people of this world to flee. Since even if we Gods must die, that doesn't mean Enoris' people should suffer the same fate! And to leave things in your hands would be no better than consigning them to the death that Gale and the others have planned for them!" She figured that Akagi would let out her true nature the moment she got the Gods out of the way.

"Its funny. You sit here and try and protect the 'innocent' people of Enoris when they are anything but." Akagi scoffed at her comments. "They went along with such a heinous act of slaughter, so if you ask me, they're getting what they fucking deserve."

{Like seriously, you kill hundreds of thousands of people and then beg for your own lives. What kind of delusion are you under?!? I'd never grovel and beg for my life if somebody actually managed to hold me to account, since I'd probably deserve everything they've got lined up for me.} (Akagi)

"Hah! I'm not surprised that a being born to destroy has no empathy for the plight of mortals." Elariel returned a scoff of her own. "I'd bet good money that you see them as nothing but pawns in your little game, Demon Lord."

{Don't try and take some kind of moral high ground here! 'Good' Demon Lords don't exist and you're just another power mad monster who thinks she can do anything that she wants!} (Elariel)

At her words, Akagi slowly sat upright and glared at the Goddess. "You are correct to say that most people are of little concern to me, but you are wrong if you think that applies to everyone." She wrapped her arm around Yumi and pulled her into a hug. "Yumi here is what gives me life, and without her, I'd be lost, and the same can be said for the rest of my family." She continued. "Back home I've got a little sister that I love to pieces and some amazing friends that mean the world to me." Akagi put her hand on Halifax's shoulder. "And that includes Halifax here. I might not have known her for very long, but I already consider her to be an important friend. So, to say that I care about no one is patently false. I'm just selective about who I open my heart to." She smirked. "Besides, how can you even say something like that with a straight face after what you did to your own daughter!" Her voice distorted briefly. "So don't try act all holier than though, Goddess. Your kind don't give a fuck about the lives of the people who live within the world you administer. I know enough about your kind to say that 99% of you see them as little more than tools for your plans or a power source that you rely on! If you truly cared for them, then you'd've done more to help them, but you didn't, and you don't!"

{This preachy shit is why I HATE Gods! Don't go trying to act all better than me when that's patently false! Demon Lords are beings meant to kill, and by in large my kind have no choice in the matter, but YOU assholes are free to act as you wish and yet you STILL do horrible shit! So tell me, who's worse?!? Me for being born to destroy and yet over coming that desire, or you who were created as a blank slate and yet still chose this path?} (Akagi)

"You're not wrong to say that some of us care little for those who worship us, but that's not true for all of us!" Elariel took exception to Akagi's comment. "We try and help the people of this world in whatever way we can! It's just that direct involvement always runs the risk of problems so we have to pick and choose when and how we involve ourselves! Unlike you, we try to be careful about the collateral damage we cause!"

"Tell me this.” Halifax interrupted, her face completely expressionless. “In the end, how many Gods actually objected to Gale's sacrificing this world's people to save themselves?" She asked. "How many of the so-called 'caring Gods' were willing to go down with the proverbial ship?" A moment passed as silence enveloped the room. It was obvious that Halifax's question was unwanted, and if looks could kill, Halifax would've been a dead woman.

"Three." Rebeckah in Elariel's stead, something that clearly annoyed the Goddess. “Only three...”

"Huh. Three out of thirty-six..." Akagi shifted her jaw in thought. "That's a whopping 8% of Gods willing to die. Back home, that's not only a failing grade, but one so bad that you would have to question if those remaining eight percentage points were only gained due to guessing." She laughed.

"So then, what?" Elariel tried to ignore what Akagi said. "You plan to kill us all? To plunge this world into chaos?" She figured that it made no difference if Akagi killed only the Gods or everyone since the former case would also doom the world.

"Not exactly." Akagi leaned in slightly. "My plan is to show you lot just how powerless you really are. You've spent so long gathering up the adoration and worship of the people of this world, so the first step is to take that away. I'm curious to see what happens if I make the people of Enoris turn on you.” Her lips curved into a nasty smile. “Wouldn't it be fun to see all those formerly loving fans of yours scorn you in the same way that you've done to so many in the past?”

{I... That would be...} (Halifax)

"You won't be able to do that!" Elariel flat out denied the possibility of Akagi's plan succeeding. "The people of Enoris, for better or worse, trust us. A Demon Lord will never be able to change that fact, and, if anything, your presence will only harden their faith."

{The story of Vikes is known by many, and such a vile being would NEVER be able to turn any sizable number of people away from us. Even if she told people Gale's plan or some of our past misdeeds, they'd never believe her, so why would she think that convincing them was even possible?} (Elariel)

At her words, Akagi broke into a psychotic fit of laughter, which nearly lasted a minute before ending. "Watch me."