Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Valkyrie's Knight ❯ Act IX - A ( Chapter 11 )

 

Mara looked rather dourly at Hild as the CEO had her jolly josh and all. The Daimakaicho, with her hand held across her mouth, as she laughed to the thunder of hearing all across `her' Hell. It was a moment she relished without fail.

 

“My my my, that was all such a jolly to conduct. And all of it in so short a time.”

 

Mara just quips.. “All the better to keep on schedule?”

 

“We must not waste time with this chance.” ..she looks back at an emotionally chained knight. One that is only so by the devastation his soul was dealt in this enacting of Contract. Hild imparts further.. “We shalt not have a chance of this kind, ever again.

 

No, we can't waste this one.” ..she snaps a finger, reforming his clothes into Knight mode, for reasons only she cares about. Even armed, the Morphemic in it's waist held place.

 

Imladris looks up, his eyes trying to find anger to fight this all with, ignoring all else.

 

None to be found. Not here, senses were attuned to the fact of `where' he was, itself in sense, without fail. Hild looked at his eyes, and saw them. She smirked.. He's fixated on something never expected. A first for us as well to be sure.

 

Hild looks around, and smells the rarified air that is the Core of Nidhog.

 

All around them, the terminal twilight of day never waned, changed, faded, rose. A stagnant form of time held in check.

 

It was the first thing here that took away all hope. It was a typical `sunny' day here. A plain sky with puffy clouds that hovered gently. It was equal to Heaven in this version, though in this case, it was a mirror that reflected the dark side of even the soul of a heavenly sunny day.

 

A silver-gray sky, the clouds were `just' tinged enough of amber haze, to make them smog clouds, rather than regular ones, the `smog' as such, `fogged' into the lower plane, extended unto the sight of dark obsidian superstructures, monolithic and imposing, while looking all the like as of hyper-advanced looking office buildings of a Wall Street like nature. The entire area looked rather... conventional.. on the surface of it all.

 

Imladris was obviously expecting instead, the infernal mode that dominates too much of mortal consideration of such a place.

 

He however saw it with fringe enhancing that plied the underlay of what the plane was really about. The surface looked business like, with `street ways', or surfaces that looked like them in some fashion, with demons in appropriate garb, matching the air of the veneer environment. There were even paint markings, as if there were vehicles to be driven upon them.

 

And yet, he saw the manicured `lawns' of gray grass, bushes and vines of bleeding red plant matter. The `trees' were too warped, more like something mangled after a forest fire, still writing in agony. The `street' had light cracks in it, and betrayed `steam', or probably many forms, and even bare cracks of red in patterned places most random.

 

And some of the buildings, some gold, silver or just iron lined in structural format that was between gothic, and guided, a few stretched into the infernal `sky' here, with some gold-yellowish energy pulsing through them at random effects. Other beams of several colors of the rainbow, one also warped in pigments, produced, ejected, and traveled, in and out from dishes, port antennas, and sometimes from the arcs of `waves', or `lightning' that sometimes laced the sky, with no whim but on chaos's own accord.

 

And it all `felt' easily to him, as it was stretching unto infinity, as a proper plane of this magnitude should.

 

He `had' to admit, he was captivated.

 

“Try that direction.” ..he heard Hild's voice, and turned his head a bit too readily, and about gasped to the point of collapsing a lung.

 

Seeing a super massive.. trunk..? root...? ..one insanely towering into the impossible sky, with what looked like one insanely huge set of dragon like... or serpent like.. who that HECK knows.. apparently sprouted from and untold depth below a.. uh.. horizon? Anywho, the jaws were actively `chewing' at the... sheesh it's enormous. The trunk, root, something, was well and truly black as saccloth, bled of cracks of blood and magma, most igneous and organic like, as the jaws squeezed, squished, and sucked endlessly. Hardly a sight for the weak of constitution.

 

“You have `got' to be kidding.”

 

Hild snickered. “What? Seeing mythology in person, too much for you? What tourists you mortals are.”

 

Mara just blinked. “Actually, Nidhog `is' still a freaking sight.” ..and gets a zap-flick to her left ear. “Don't sass the Ash Tree's pet.”

 

Imladris shuffled up beside. “So `that' is the Root of Yagdrassil.”

 

Hild.. “Gaudy, but truth.” ..and then clapped her hands like in a Clapper commercial. (And on cue a BUNCH of `building' lights, all around, snap on. Infernal lords..) “And so let's get on with the tour.”

 

Imladris blinks.. “Tour?” ..this Hild just turns unto and pats his head rather kooky like. “Come now, it's not all work here. You won't get this chance again. Might as well show you the sights. It'll mean more when we get to training.”

 

Imladris however grumbles out.. “What `are' you going to make me do.”

 

Hild rolled her eyes. “Again with the `make'. Try `obey', it's a more tact word here.

 

And it should be obvious to you.”

 

Imladris sighed. “You can't make me, or enforce me to obey, the harm unto the goddesses or Keiichi. I won't have it.”

 

Mara was surprised in a fashion. In Hell, with a Contract, with a War hanging over his head, the knight `still' refused to truly obey. Hild in turn moved in close and whispered.

 

“You are thinking in three dimensional terms. How unevolved of you. We have `many' ways to have you acquire what we seek. So many ways we do.”

 

She then shifted back, and flicked a finger unto his forehead, feeling a light burn to be caused. “Ah?”

 

“And the Contract `will' be accorded. The lives of all you hold dear `are' at stake. Blame us all you like, but `you' hold the manner of how all of this will becometh. The Sin is now yours, not ours. Contracts are such a tease like that.”

 

Imladris looked away, rubbing his forehead. He knew he had to buy time, to kill off all such time at that. He also had to be careful of `what' he thought here. The same rules as of in Heaven, applied here, to all his weaknesses upon the higher planes. A painfully open mind added.

 

He just turned and.. “Fine. Let's do your lil show.” ..put with a flitsy twirl of a hand.

 

Hild smiled. “See, you `can' play the game if you want to.” ..and turned, added.. “You're going to make a `glorious' dark lord.”

 

Imladris and Mara gasped, but felt the `plane' around them suddenly shift, as Hild began her glorious tour of Hell most Infernal.

 

--------------------

 

“Give me one damned reason, not to tie you up, and drive you away to Okinawa, and never let you back up here ever again, boy..!!”

 

Keiichi looked up rather flaccidly at Keima. A terse as terse a terse moment could be, was answered in a simplistic.. “Belldandy.”

 

Keima gave a proper fit, which capped off a tantrum that was both his, and Takano's vein, all the same at once. Takano wasn't a part, because she was in such shock, she couldn't speak properly. Keiichi sighed and knew it was good the other goddesses, all of them, were not here in Keiichi's room.

 

Megumi just shuddered. “Why... do I feel so cold?”

 

Keiichi only kept saying, over and over.. “Sorry.”

 

Keima wanted to throw something. He `wanted' to. Badly. He didn't, he felt too helpless in so doing, and knew destroying anything out of anger was pointless. Driving Keiichi, hog-tied and all, wasn't so pointless to him however. He `almost' gave in to it.

 

He in the end, just slumped to the flooring, and lost all train of thought.

 

Keiichi however imparted. “This isn't the first time I've been through this. Didn't want to worry you guys and all, since this likely won't be the last time either.

 

But I'm not leaving Belldandy's side, she's in as much danger of all this, as I am. Being too used to it all for too long, to run away when she needs me. No, won't do it.”

 

Megumi just cracked somehow.. “Sounds more like otherwise bro.” ..this Kei just chuckled lightly. “Yeah.”

 

Takano just looks up, and sees her son's eyes. Something.... something in them made her wonder for a moment. That look of `experience', a glint in the eye that just isn't garnered by anything done in the false. Melded with the words, she knew Keiichi was as much afraid, as she was determined.

 

“Sounds like you won't give in.”

 

Keiichi felt a gladdening of his heart, Takano speaking was a hopeful sign. He needed one to know his parents weren't going to crack from under him. He wasn't sure he could hold up for even Bell, if that happened. He didn't press words of hope, he just replied. “No... I won't.”

 

For a moment, stifling silence. The moment lent to another, and fifty more it seemed.

 

Keima then glanced over at Takano.

 

“He's got your hard head.”

 

“And your pain in the ass calm.”

 

“And both your lunacy.”

 

Meg gulped as Keima and Takano just gave anime devil eyes at their daughter. Keiichi just smiled. He hoped that was a good sign. He then heard the slide door shift open, and knew whom. “Well?”

 

“Lind already found us a place to retreat to dear.”

 

Keiichi looked back, and found Bell this time with eyes that were as empty feeling as Takano's had been. Takano for her part sees this, a lot of eyes being read for emotional signs, as Keiichi imparts. “Guess that's a good thing.”

 

Belldandy then slumped unto Keiichi's back, much to the surprise of Megumi next to him. Takano and Keima watch as Bell fights to keep her own self control.

 

“Can I just lay here for awhile?”

 

Keiichi sighed, and.. “Sure, no problem.”

 

Megumi just imparted. “I thought that witch was harsh before.” ..this Keiichi imparts dryly.. “A ruler of demons indeed.”

 

Takano just decried. “Man, you kids know too much anymore. I thought worrying about summer camp and high school exams were problem enough.”

 

Bell smiles, as Keiichi just imparts. “Bet my NIT exams up you one there.”

 

Keima just complains. “You just be thankful. Both of ya, my work makes enough to handle such finances.” ..this Takano equals. “No kiddin. Puttin ya both through college here is such a pain.”

 

Keiichi just decries back. “Hey, it was the cheapest college I could find at the time.” ..this Keima snips back.. “Yeah, sure.. a technology campus. Cheap..”

 

Takano just half-heartedly jabs. “It's where I found you, oh expensive husband.” ..this Keima freaks a bit more in nominal mode. “You only paid off your loans last year you know!”

 

Megumi just remarks. “Ouch.” ..this Takano jabs back with.. “An you ain't getting any help either gal.” ..this Keiichi just sighs, making Bell feel even more soothed. “Well, guess we both will need a second life to pay off our loans.”

 

Megumi almost laughs, but the words make them suddenly chord back to the problem at hand. The mood of it all isn't as near entropic however.

 

Keiichi after a moment, just growls. “How... why is Hild `like' that? I thought the dude saved `that' realm too, and all.”

 

Bell raises her head, and sighs. “The mind of the CEO is beyond most of even us to fathom.”

 

Takano just sighs in mock relief. (Quite mock..) “At least I'm not the only one then.”

 

“Agreed.” ..the other three Morisatos chime.

 

Suddenly, the phone rings, and Keiichi realizes. “Oh shoot! Chihiro!”

 

“Let me.” ..this everyone notes, as Takano suddenly rises. Bell sees, and then offers. “..and me.”

 

Takano sees and smiles. Kindred at the very least in the misery of the morning. “Alright.”

 

They get up, but when they head to the phone, they see Frigurina on the handle, as she explains. “Yes.... very understanding of you dear. Aye... of course he will be, I promise you that....

 

..thank you, I'm very sorry on behalf of them for all of this. .....yes.. I will pray the same too. Thank you.” ..and she placed the receiver down.

 

--------------------

 

...as did Chihiro, who was shaking rather dearly.

 

At that moment, her cousin walks in and sees. “Uh.. you okay cousin?”

 

Chihiro on cue spins around and just jabbers out.. “Ah, eh.. nothin, nothing at all. Keiichi said he had a problem today and wouldn't be in.”

 

For his part, Keiba Fujimi just shrugged. “Eh, you said `when' they show up.” ..this Chihiro made her best fake laugh, which Keiba didn't buy, but dropped it since he didn't know better. He walked back outside after getting some lubing oil, and didn't press further. Chihiro, for once, was glad for a trait that wasn't matched to her own.

 

She just grasped the sides of her arms shuddered.

 

“How horrible.”

 

She found a reason to pray once more, in her life.

 

--------------------

 

“I.. I... I can't help it.”

 

Urd just sighed, after Skuld managed to bust an outside rock, after punching it with a dear amount of frustration. “I might join ya in a bit here.”

 

Peorth just dourly put nearby. “Mon dieu, have we become `this' impotent as of late?” Urd looked back and replied. “Or Hild `that' competent.” Skuld managed a crack back of.. “At least that's one thing you didn't inherit from her. Urd almost decked her comically, but.. well...

 

“Credit is warranted at the very least.” ..the three looked, as Eihwa sighed nearby, the lot held away from the residence, in the same forest glade that they had been practicing so serenely within, not too long ago. The goddess of Tests angled her head away warily, adding.. “We `are' outmatched by the like of her.”

 

“Not our Mother.” ..everyone looks, as Skuld rebels from this train of thought. “..no, if anyone can combat such better, it's Mother.”

 

After a silent moment, Urd just remarked. “I hope `that' is true.”

 

The others hoped the same. In any case, it was good that the utility goddesses were sent home, and the Synthetics sent to Illistrum, for their own safety. Scetu didn't argue. Sigel did, and was shut off by Skuld for the time being. None of them were safe at all here. No one was, period.

 

As Frig considers this, the sound of a portal activates, as at the residence, a window glows forth, and Lind shoots out from it. In moments, she meets up with the goddesses in the glade, and reports. “I found two more respective places to hide Keiichi and his family. Both very far south and west of here.”

 

Urd just remarks. “At least we can split them up, if we really need to. Keiichi would be the target, presuming the obvious to come.”

 

Lind shudders, as Skuld retorts. “But Cousin wouldn't `really' go along with Hild, would she?!”

 

“You didn't feel it.” Urd replies all too softly, Skuld in reservation.. “Exactly?”

 

Eihwa explains, all too painfully. “The Mandala was using Imladris's own power signature to activate and operate it. Hild wasn't using any of her power, save for opening the portal in the end.”

 

Urd just shakes her head. “Impossible. Demonic powers? Where the HECK did he get `those' from?!”

 

“They weren't powers.” ..Lind speaks up, the others looking on. Lind squeezes her eyes shut, trying to blot out the burned in image of her beloved in that horrid scene. She speaks through this pain.. “..It was power derived from his base powers. A... apparently..”

 

“Not here.” ..this everyone looks, as Frigurina suddenly imparts. She then puts.. “..and besides, there's a Protection Program instilled upon this information.”

 

Urd dryly quips. “Hild needs one of those.” ..this Frig just cracks. “Yeah, well she never did play by the rules. Had to make them all up on her own.

 

I swear she's Celestine's mother as well, the way he acted back then, as of recent even.”

 

Everyone looked and felt something rather deep in that statement. One interrupted as the phone started to ring again. Frig imparted on cue. “That'll be for you Lind.”

 

Lind looks at her, as Bell shouts out. “Lind! It's Almighty.”

 

Lind never raced out of sight so hard in her life, much to the slight amusement of others. Frig then in accent to this, remarks. “I wonder if she'll do it.”

 

“Do what?” Eihwa remarks, as Frigurina just looks over. “You should know. Wouldn't you do the same thing when the time `will' come?” This of Eihwa blinked and exchanged looks with the others, not quite understanding. Frig just shrugs, and remarks. “Don't worry, you'll know when the times comes.”

 

Almost on tail end of those words, a new portal shimmer sound sonnets out, Frig imparting. “Hmm, getting the troops ready is so like her.”

 

Skuld just blanches. “Do you have to talk so mysteriously Mom?” ..and gets glommed a bit too tightly... “Gph!” ...as a result. “But all knowing mothers are like that! Especially I, that have Him as a husband.”

 

Urd just sees Skuld losing breath, and remarks. “Can you keep her like that?”

 

Peorth and Eihwa scurry away as Frig `replies' by fishing a Skuld bomb from Skuld's blouse. “I told ya not to sass her!”

 

“Try that high-yield one there mom!”

 

“Can't you two take a joke?!”

 

--------------------

 

Bell saw the window frame fade back to normal, just before a detonation blew smoke out from the glade. One she didn't heed at all.

 

She wasn't heeding much, given her thoughts.

 

She clutched at herself, and thought.. I won't regret the decision to make him family. He's stronger because of it.

 

“He'll come back.”

 

Belldandy looked over, as Keiichi looked out at the occasional bomb burst, lightning spark, light flare, rose vine leaf, and angel pen feathers that flutter out from the comic chaos being conducted out of sight. He however focused words on one that needed to hear. He looked over at Bell confidently, and spoke.. “This is still home for him.”

 

Bell nodded with an honest smile. “Yes.. yes he will.”

 

A rather `blaring' explosion from outside, makes Takano suddenly pipe up. “Talk about letting off steam!”

 

Keiichi just plainly quips. “Good thing I don't pay insurance on this place.” ..this Takano gets a good giggle from.

 

Bell remarks in kind. “We're all under stress right now. This will help us focus later on.”

 

“We'll need it.” Keiichi remarks.

 

Megumi then speaks up behind them all, Keima next to... “Can't believe one guy would cause all of this.”

 

Keiichi looks back and sighs.. “And after he said he `didn't' want to be singled out.”

 

Keima remarked to that.. “Talk about the Fates having irony. -blinks- Ah, no offense Belldandy.”

 

“Hardly.” Bell smiles back, whit Keima blushes. Whit Takano throws a fit at him for. Another moment of relieving tension.

 

--------------------

 

They all look crispy and blasted to cinders.

 

..and relaxed as heck, for the moment.

 

“Heh.. we needed that.”

 

Everyone murmurs agreement to Urd's, smoke induced assessment, the lot of them splayed and exhausted. Frig then promised. “We don't leave family behind.”

 

Urd and Skuld nodded.. “Yeah.” ..knowing also whom they spoke. Eihwa and Peorth didn't think any different.

 

--------------------

 

The meeting didn't take long. Lind was glad for that much. The things she heard in that short span of time however, made her question a great deal of integrity of her core mission as a warrior of the Section.

 

The fact Almighty told her such a truth, without hesitation of apparent, frightened her far more than she could have prepared for. And all of it of things she `never' could have expected of her own beloved to be made into.

 

As Almighty once put it... `Essentially a tool at the whim of another, even to die as...' ..both from thought of a love, and word now of his boss of bosses.

 

Lind stood there for a moment, the Secretarial goddess looking, but dare not saying a syllable, since all of Heaven knew what had occurred by now.

 

She fixated only for a moment, on thought of.. ..if that is to be his fate, what of me then with him?

 

..the next moment threw that thought off, and fixated on the here and now. She turned to the same cream mane colored goddess-secretary, and commanded. “Inform Section, I will be there in moments.”

 

“Understood.” ..the secretary only replied. Lind phases out of sight a moment later.

 

The secretary hazarded out before making the network connection mentally... “Going to be one heck of a fight.”

 

--------------------

 

“We see you're not losing interest.”

 

Imladris just sighed. “We see too much to be bored.”

 

Mara actually giggled at that, Hild a tick put off, but had her patience still in well reign. It `was' her idea of a tour after all.

 

---

 

Just to get the preliminaries out of the way, they ended up in Nidhog's Primary Core, the demonic System Hub. Here, it made it clear that all the `buildings' around, were adjunct systems to this place, the actual demonic mainframe. Imladris saw several triad rows of towering tri-look super-mainframes, set as like the IBM models even.

 

That in of itself came as a main theme here, as Hild explained.. “Yes, the old system was a lot like all those flaming pools and scenes of infernal torment you would expect of us. But about twenty years ago, after that original Invasion, I decided to take more renewed look at the basis of evolutionary process our target souls were comprising themselves by.

 

The nature of much of the greed took a more economic approach, and all of it's themes became applied to here. We found the changes more stoic, but efficiency was surpassingly good. The reformat gained us ten times as many souls in the first few years, before Intracel caught on.”

 

Hild then remarked. “It `twas fun to watch them squirm, with sight of the very things that did them in.”

 

Of course Imladris replied to that.. “And yet just as many went to the Heavenly side. I've learned that much.”

 

Hild sighed.. “Perceptive.” ..and moved them on..

 

---

 

The next stop was one Plane down.

 

And Imladris got the sight he expected all along. Lava plains, broken amidst endless canyons, blood red and glowing lava flowing it's glowing venom, as the red in black in red, blood sky struck endless bolts of chaotic red lighting all over, some even tempting to strike even Hild, where she stood.

 

“The energy for Nidhog, the burn and flame of Crimson Despair.

 

The only thing alive here, is the hate of Eons that have made their way down here. It's what fuels Nidhog's functions, down to the algorithm.”

 

Imladris couldn't help it, he shook with fear he never wanted to have. “T... th... that much.... hate...?”

 

Hild cocked a devious eye over. “The multiverse... `is' that ancient. There is a balance of all things in the end. Is there not?”

 

Imladris shivered a look back, as Mara smelled the thick air. “The sulfur. Been awhile.”

 

Just then, the air struck with the clang and rush of battle voice. Imladris renewed his shock, in looking. “Wha....”

 

Hild just smirked. “Ah, just in time for the show.”

 

Off to the left, somewhere in the vicious mists of unlife, a `large' army was gathered. And then on noting better, a second army glinted a wavering bronze and gold from the heat rippling all over, one that stretched out to a great distance.

 

Imladris calmed down on sight of recognition. “Petitioners?”

 

Hild shrugged. “Probably, this part of things we actually don't pay much attention to. What with the Treaty. Still, it here because `of' the Treaty, if ever called for.

 

But not just plain petitioners. Not when we have to have a counter to the Valkyries, don'tchaknow.” ..this Imladris adds more shock. He recovers quickly, knowing the truth was obvious. “Oh really?”

 

Hild raises her left eyelid, and smirked. “You want a closer look? You do don't you. Go ahead, we won't keep you.

 

In fact, `go' wade through, and see for yourself.” ..this Imladris blinked, Mara THRICE so. Hild prodded.. “Must I order it?” ..whit Imladris just slit his eyes.

 

When Imladris `did' wade in, he found the kind of battle that was equal to Einherjar Fields, but ten times in scale. And here, Imladris was just another soldier in battle, seeing with each swing of his allowed blade of norm, the flow and swath of more than one `kind' of army. In fact, he saw at times, `new' forces appear from impossible portals, and join the carnage.

 

And despite, one set of forces started to strike out from all the rest of the vicious chaos. Ones that were clothed in dark armors, with black and silver lined jumpsuits.

 

Wielding scythes fit for a grim reaper.. each... in the thousands it seemed..

 

Eyes of a burning rubicon red that made their dark toned skins look as much ravishing, as terrifying..

 

And the fighting style.. “The Valkyrian mode.” ..he whispered, as he cut down a charging petitioner of decent size. Through the spray of very real blood, he noted he couldn't keep eyes off what were `obviously' the counterparts to the Valkyries.

 

He then was beset by a dozen at once, without warning, and found cutting his way out was a brutal affair. A fit theme here. When he `did' manage to punch out, in more ways than one, he found a circle of these warriors, cutting a swath towards him.

 

Standing on top of the... pile.. he saw a number of petitioners charging one of the number, and decided to test a reaction, or a sort. He lunged and disposed of the lot in short order, but found the one he `helped', ended up charging at him instead.

 

One with blood raven hair, both of normalcy, and from battle, clashed his weapon rather lustfully, and he shoved it off in quick succession. “Answers that..”

 

..and found several of the other warriors, cutting their way at him `quite' intently. He suspected Hild, or just a number of myriad excuses for this, and found only one recourse. At least all that pounding through the years made him recognize the `copy' of Valkyrian mode of battle, and he could counter the rougher version with his own mortal brutality.

 

He fenced one charging, into another, and blocked them both to a crash into a third. He then caught a leap attack, and parried this into fifth assailant. By then. He noted the differences in these beings, and almost saw Valkyries all in their own, in a warped version, though they could be just Urd clones, by skin tone alone.

 

At this, he assaulted the bronze warriors with fury, as he dealt off any petitioners interfering. The Valkyrian clones (for all he knew,) did no less, and clashes were swift and severe.

 

Hild meanwhile watched with a keen simplicity, wondering from where the Warlord of the Horde was watching. She had to be as impressed as the CEO was, and as much as Mara was frightened by it all. She could tell by the mind waves Mara was jittering out.

 

“He's so brutal.” Mara betrayed her tone of. Hild just replied. “Still a cold warrior of original make beneath. Remember my dear minion, he's seen many more wars since your battles with him, mostly in the times he was not of true mind.

 

Hone from ore of original mortal mode, Heaven did him service.

 

We'll need to make adjustments however.” ..this as she saw with perfect eye, as Imladris kept parrying off attacks in several directions, until he got double blind sided, and tackled to the hideous ground of dead rock below. He found himself trapped by the grip of four bronze skinned warriors, and a fifth straddled unto his chest, a business end of a scythe at his chest bone.

 

The milk maned warrior, a head band of demonic chisel adorned as head jewelry, grinded like diamonds together in her teeth.. “We are Horde! Such as I even speak to an Enemy of us.”

 

Imladris cocked an eye, as the scythe blade, sharp along it's entire sided lengths, was moved to his neck. “I remember one of you. Aye.. one a Pandemonium mission once.”

 

The Horde leaned down her head close to his. “As do I outsider.”

 

Imladris squint his eyes.

 

And the ground erupted alive with a powerful Incarnum energon burst, the aura obliterating a dome of matter, as well as Horde forms, all around for a good fifty meters. Hardly that it did grievous harm to the Horde types, but scalded the area of normal demon soldier petitioners.

 

When the blast subsided, the same Horde found herself straddled herself, the tip of `his' blue diamond blade at `her' neck apple.

 

“I'm no impressed.”

 

He about felt her power spike, as her anger growled, and the other Horde began to approach with further inhumanity, when he heard a `LOUD' clap of hands. The Horde looked up, and dropped to their knees in succession. Imladris felt his trapped for, become otherwise, and to a similar kneeling position, in her own Horde turn.

 

He angled his head up in annoyance, as Hild imparted. “Enough foreplay, the tour is still young.”

 

At this, he squeezed the hilt of his katana format blade, to the point the Horde captain glancing over, saw blood seep down and out.

 

Imladris just growled out in turn. “They are trained well.” ..and leapt back over the distance, landing out of sight of the Horde, behind Hild and Mara. He turned ever menacingly back to a waiting Hild, and freaked out Mara. “They would have been more worthy foes during my Galactic campaign.”

 

Mara frazzled, knowing well enough the insult, as Hild just replies. “They would have violated the Treaty, being on the mortal planes.

 

Not without valid reason for their appearance beyond anyway.”

 

Imladris turned away. “How terrible a problem that must be for them.” ..this he shafted his blade, before suddenly feeling a finger wipe across his cheek. He spins around, and sees Hild suck on it in succession. He realizes from the sting on his cheek.

 

“Hmm.. salty..” ..as he wipes and sees the results of a cut mark. He growls and spins around, using a quick healing spell to cut off further `enjoyment'. Hild smirks, with her finger in lips, rather erotic in look. She then removes it, and twirls it the same..

 

Another planar leap, leaving the Horde warrior closest, to dabble the droplet of foreign blood to her own rare of rare enjoyment. Another purple maned version saunters up, flipping her scythe in a twirl. “Satisfied Anoxia?”

 

She looks over and smirks, echoing Hild's posture a moment prior.

 

“Enraptured.”

 

---

 

A sea of dark purple `space' was in sight next, with towering islands that floated unimpeded within the Great Void, a place of mixed negative energies, and positive infusions from newly acquired souls unto the Infernal webs. But this defied logic, as the unimpeded nature didn't seem to heed the gargantuan spider web network, with one `butt' huge spider palace slithering it's way across, between the island palaces.

 

Hild proudly acquiesced. “A palace for every copy of `every' cursed and infernal artifact of power, ever created throughout all time and space. Happens to make this place, an infernal library of demonic magicks as well. So you can guess the purpose of this place.”

 

Imladris scoffed in tone of.. “A sewage tract of infernal make?”

 

Hild just spun and leaned unto him. “My, still snippety? The eyes we see, seem different of such.”

 

Imladris hazarded a come back, which made Mara fearful of a bad reaction, as he spout in turn. “I consider this a battle, through and through. Be showy all you like.

 

It's still a `lower' plane in comparison. All of it.”

 

Hild felt the sting of this insult. Calling her realm such, unconscionable it all was.

 

And Mara sweated much of it.

 

And stopped when Hild replied. “Good. Resistance is futile anyway.”

 

Imladris didn't care for that, and had thought switched to when sight swirled to within one of the palaces, with the blue-violet interior, lit by the walls of same glowing color, from Nidhog runes alone, all over in neat lines that still ran in chaotic enough vectors.

 

All that ran to the central pillar of the chamber they were in. Mara saw and gasped. “So `that's' where that thing ended up.”

 

Imladris cocked an eye, as he trained sight upon, as Hild remarked.. “This might interest you, since I `did' read your mind as soon as you arrived here.”

 

Imladris grinded molars, but stopped as he saw with focusing sight, within a small aura of gold... “Eh? A ring.”

 

“Yeessssssssss....

 

...or.... `the'.... Ring.”

 

Imladris didn't comprehend, then heard a `strange' whisper in his head, or... from unto towards.. “Eh?”

 

“You heard right.”

 

..and heard his name, seethed out like a wheeze from a volcanic crack. He cocked an eye, and then took a few steps, reaching towards.

 

“Careful, it's still very potent.”

 

He stopped, looked back, then unto, and saw upon closer inspection... and closer disbelieving inspection..

 

“Are... are those....”

 

“'All' languages exist, even the language of Tengwar.”

 

Imladris balls his eyes in shock. “You have GOT to be joking!”

 

Hild just dryly retorts. “Please. In a multiverse as infinite as ours is, even `that' Ring can exist. We think your mind can comprehend the rest of that consequence. A million monkeys with typewriters, and all that.”

 

Imladris felt a migraine coming on, and turned away. “I'll keep worry of that for another time. And `that' thing well out of sight.”

 

Hild smiles. “Smart boy.”

 

The three vanished as simply as becometh, leaving the Ring to it's ancient solitude.

 

Waiting for it's author to someday climb back out of the Void, somewhere on this planar level. Such an infinite torment indeed, upon this perceived space.

 

---

 

Imladris hoped time was going fast than he worried it was going. He remembered time was a commodity of morphemic make here, as he suspected Hild actively plumbed away upon.

 

Hoping she forgot, while pointless to consider, was a theme of where they were now. The tidal rush of a wide as infinite a river, blood purple in darkness, and glowing teal and milky with frothing off rocks of some format here, gray as a forgotten mind, was a sight that itself was meant to be forgotten.

 

“Styx. You know the rest.”

 

Imladris sighed, and nodded. He looked in both directions, the area they were in, an obvious major artery of the River of same name, as it flowed the lower planes, placed unto and from, he didn't want to consider.

 

He also didn't want to consider the figures he saw waded in swamped mode, on rocks, the sides of the river edges, and others wandering in empty gazes, all around in clusters, and others solitary, in their forgotten misery of subjected note.

 

“Cruel.”

 

“Well, another absolute of our reality.” Hild offered.. “..a place we send my punished, the failures both demon and petitioner, where we... hehe.. forget them. I usually drop them in, and leave the rest to the fresh waters here.”

 

“Fresh?” Mara denounced. Hild blanched a response by hip shoving lightly at Mara, which nearly made the demon First Class, forget she `was' one. Mara just fought for balance, and shouted. “Watch it broad!” ..which Hild laughed at full expense thereof.

 

Imladris however found eye transfixed on one particular soul, as this female would fish herself out of the river, with a moan of forgetfulness that had no equal tone. She then patted at herself, and for some reason, then started muttering.. “Wh... wha... where is it.... it? That picture... did I...?” ..she then looks back at the river, and walks right back on in.

 

And does this several more times...

 

..which Hild allows long enough for the depression value of it all to settle in, nice and entrenched.

 

“How long...?” ..he whispers out, which Hild remarks. “Not sure. A day.. year... years...

 

..eons... all of time. All of such are here, and will be forever. Their choices in life and all that. We don't make the punishments, we just provide them.”

 

Imladris glares back at Hild, whom just smirks and turns away, seeing.. “Ah.. our ride.” ..and turns back to see him `actually' trying to dip a finger in the river. She swat his head. “Sorry bub, that won't cancel our Contract.

 

Nice try.”

 

Imladris then feels himself `popped' onto, all three as one, unto a rather character in place boat. Hild just dropped a gold coin into the `pilots' hand, and ordered.. “Home.” ..before looking back on her denuded guest. She felt the hooks of Nibelhiem taking root.

 

Nice and deep.

 

---

 

..and so whence they becometh unto. This in the CEO's lavish office penthouse suite, a palace of palaces to be sure, the infernal landscape of the business mode shown in splay, beyond windows of impossible size. Beyond lay her domain, stood before the crystal window, gazing, while considering her next move.

 

Mara waited, while Imladris grumbled, albeit passively so.

 

Hild then suddenly imparts. “The Big Guy wants it to go `that' far eh?”

 

Imladris looked with reservation, as Hild turned to gaze at him. She then slowly rounded the huge, obsidian-marble desk, and drew in all too close, which defeated his own few steps backward.

 

She cupped his right cheek in her opposing hand.

 

“If so, you need to be taught properly.”

 

“What if I don't want to?” ..Imladris immediately put, but Hild in turn just pats the same cheek. “Contract miboy, Contract.”

 

Mara felt too much a looking on bystander, as a dark sounding ring, chimed the infernal air. Hild smiled. “Ah, so here she is.”

 

Imladris wondered, and let eyes follow the sound of an opening slide door. A Demon secretary entered.. “Warlord Bellona, and Entropia, Norn.”

 

“What?!” ..Imladris struck out, about catching Mara's throat in a knot. He looked and saw a dark green haired `warlord', set in some roman emperor like `armor', cloak and all, all of dark in dark pigments that seemed of the Void, all their own.

 

The other, a gray maned being that seemed to have all the demonic trappings of a certain Norn he called Cousin, one that had `no' kindness in her eyes of any format, in any shape, of anything to the word. Imladris stuttered.. “But... but there are only three...”

 

Hild wrapped her body upon his backside, Mara watching the cop-feel display, as.. “There `are' other Norns out there. No one said there were only those three.

 

And this one fits my plans to a terrified T. Ones dealing with `the end of times'.” ..which shivered the knight, triple so.

 

Bellona meanwhile just imparted. “So this is the one? A legend in person?”

 

Hild just caresses, explaining. “You both know my desires. Is the chamber prepared?”

 

Imladris blinks, as Loviatar cocks back.. “Five or ten? Whichever time frame you prefer.”

 

Mara blinks. “That many years?” ..this Imladris gasp.. “Temporal chamber.” ..Hild squeezes and squeals. “Splendid. Smart as proper.

 

We can't very well teach you all you need, in a mere half day or so. Far too much to detail for that. So to `prod' things along, we'll use the same methods your dear Thor used. The technology isn't unique to Intracel, after all.” ..this as she started `feeling' Imladris over..

 

Imladris tried to blanch. “That kind of violation, what good will it do with me as I am now?”

 

..and feels `deep'.... soul `deep'. “Perceptive.

 

As you are now, even with the code embedded in those splendid nanites you acquired, you cannot be fully demonized, and therefore trained as I wish you to be.” ..this Imladris `feels' something fingering through his back. He then sees wings suddenly spread out, surrounding around his body, at decent length.

 

Ones looking like.. “Urd has that wing color...”

 

“A daughter should, as half of her is me in the end.”

 

Slowly, the wings turn, and with them, the body most dark that parent them. Imladris sees and disbelieves the sight of.. “An... angel?”

 

Hild smiles, as Mara is shocked to see the impossible. “What.... I.. I don't....”

 

Hild smiles more, licking the knight's ear, whispering. “I was the first to fall, I chose it when I dumped Him. Guess what that made me beforehand.

 

Meet my true Soul.”

 

Imladris saw it in full, no one else saw it without fail, as for all intents, it `was' an Angel, all true and through. It was, as well, the version of Urd's World of Elegance, that did not have any trace of true light within it. Skin, wings, raven in raven hair, piercing red eyes of infernal glow, cloth gray in brown unfeeling. It's one delineation from the daughterly version, was a glowing red `tattoo' that

 

All spread for Imladris to feel, for the last moment he truthfully could.

 

A moment of shocked enrapture later, Hild whispered in open. “My Oblivion, she is a marvel of my true nature.

 

And all of it `just' like the rest of my `higher' brethren, all of whom are younger than me, even my Doublet. That includes Melding, since I know you have twice now.” Imladris freeze-sweats, as Hild imprints. “Yes. I feel your Receptor.

 

You `can' support one, if you `wanted'.”

 

“No..” ..Imladris saw what was coming, and then `saw' it come, as Hild struck. “And I can `use' that to Factor your will to MINE!”

 

Everyone watched as Oblivion dove right into Imladris's armored chest, ignoring all such outright, as Imladris felt his soul suddenly start to change in split moments! Hild winced, having to endure a moment of the scalding purity of his soul, before the Receptor was locked in upon, and from that, she began her Factor Conversion of the Lord Knight.

 

Mara stumbled back, and even Entropia shuddered a rare fear, as Hild felt the soul darken, Void unto itself, and swamp to the emotions that suited her will.

 

As his eyes lost pupil dilation, so did the soul.

 

Such as how the fall began.

 

--------------------

 

It was already dark, by the time the window began to glow again. Keiichi shot up, as everyone was waiting for something to go on. Frig and Bell came up with a lot of contingency plans, all expecting Hild to use Imladris against them, in some fashion. (Too dang obvious.)

 

But all of that, was dependant on what Lind came back with, which was now upon them. “Here she comes.” ..Urd opens up, as the glow gets rather bright.

 

Keiichi notes with an arm over his eyes. “Wow.” ..before Bell pulls him back. “I think Gate is accenting the portal for Lind.”

 

Why appears on the other side of the window, as they all start to head outside in the evening air. There they see with surprise. “Holy cow!” ..apt by Takano. This as Frig steps forth and nods. “You went all out.”

 

Lind nods. “I made a promise.” ..as she isn't alone. This by four more than just she, a number that nods in simult. “One that it's time has come.”

 

Skuld notes over. “Lotta Axes.” ..which Urd smiles a bit too gleefully. “Going to be a bang up fight.”

 

Frigurina imparts. “Remember our discussion earlier. We are only doing a holding action against him. We only need to prevent him, and run the time out tomorrow morning, somehow.”

 

Eihwa imparts.. “Will we do it here?” ..this Frig shakes her head. “No.”

 

Bell offers. “This place can be repaired again. But it's also too obvious.”

 

Megumi asks in turn. “What of us?”

 

Keiichi offers. “We should split up.” Keima rubs his chin and offers.. “I can drive us to Okinawa.”

 

Peorth compliments with an attempt to wrap herself around Keima. “I can fly us there instead.” ..which is straight arm blocked by a miffed, bland Takano. In Peorth's face. “He's a fine driver broad.” ..unto which Keima flusters dearly at.

 

Belldandy then turns thought of.. “I'll stay with Keiichi, as we each should with them each.”

 

Urd imparts. “We better get packing then.” ..this Frigurina shakes her head. “No threat until daybreak. We should sleep however we can.”

 

Lind offers.. “We'll keep watch otherwise.” ..she looks back, as her four equal Commanders are present.

 

And this time Phosus and Demesus are amongst, as are two new faces, deities of Valkyrian, one with mixed, silver-blond hair of straight length in kempt, the other with glowing teal-blue in blue, set with braids within long free lengths, and forehead a lock in a full curl, thick and lavish. This Thrud and Tsuyana were presented.

 

Skuld for once gets the former.. “Hey! You're Thor's daughter?” ..and gets nicely hawked over. “Got a problem with that, Norn-child?” ..this Skuld just defensively meeks. “Should I?”

 

Bell offers.. “Back from Pandemonium Command Sector?” ..this Thrud nods. “A favor to Lind here. Plus even I want a part of this action.” ..this Tsuyana elbows in kind. “She just wants to fight the guy Thor reared by hand.”

 

Keiichi blinks, as Frig compliments.. “And you Tsuyana, A rare leave from the High Planes Sector Host.” ..this in turn, a bit kooky for a response. “Oh, it's just a fling for me. Eons with the Army needs a point to release tension.”

 

Phosus blanches. “Give us a break.” ..this Tsuyana eyes dryly in turn.

 

It's Demesus, to the point as always, that remarks. “Focus my fellow warriors. Our enemy won't allow us otherwise.”

 

Lind just huffs, which strikes attention unto. “We'll dictate that.” ..this Phosus nods. “That we will.”

 

Keiichi gulps, and creeps out.. “Another big battle ahead, huh?”

 

“The most important of all.” ..this Phosus replies, noting Keiichi for the first time. Lind nods. “Yes.

 

One of `us' is held hostage. We don't leave one of our own like that. Ever.”

 

Keiichi just nods and looks to Bell. “Neither will we.”

 

Bell.. “Agreed.”

 

Everyone seemed gung-ho about it.

 

If only they knew what was going on, at that moment. And in the hours that they managed bare and barren sleep.......

 

--------------------

 

Hild was there for all of it. She pressed, prodded, and did all the manner insult, before all manner of caress and seduction, to conduct her welding and remaking process. And all of it, knowing the years would be added to her own life.

 

As if that mattered.

 

It didn't to her new Apprentice.

 

The interior of the chamber was set in the nigh infernal landscape fashion, set to be it's own abuser upon her Apprentice, as much as his `trainers' would.

 

About as soon as she had him enter the chamber, kicking Mara out of the sessions, since it `would' be incredibly brutal, she had her two `helpers' enter, along with whatever `tools': demons, petitioners, or anything else alike, and have them all sealed in.

 

A year for an hour.

 

She pushed it to thirteen. Nice/dark, and appropriate number. Seven had already passed by now, Hild kept track, easily, and through this, the time she needed to ensure her corruption was complete.

 

Having used the same Factor Conversion of previous note that Mara tried with her Valentine fiasco, this version was without fail. Imladris was turned utterly into a negative of himself. Such was the utter power of the CEO, in of itself.

 

The rest of it, was the `new' mind, and the access powers of the Apprentice. The mental games, much of it serious as blood and death incarnate, was suffered upon her Apprentice.

 

For one that professed not liking it rough, this flew in the face of such words, the way she began to wrench him, the former knight lord, into the vicious version she wanted to command.

 

Warlord Bellona, and her enforced Horde troops, assailed the Apprentice over and over, as Hild over and over chastised him to use demonic code powers properly. At this, Entropia was used to induce full in brutal torture into the skin, mind, and soul of the Apprentice, both awake, and asleep. No dream was allowed to be of old, all of it was writing in darkness otherwise.

 

And it was done over and over, and over so on, and so on over.. a drudgery of tragedy, without remorse, and without release.

 

And yet the mental abuse never went past the erotic. Hild forbade it. She realized that when the time came, he would return to normalcy. There `was' a line that she knew passing would ruin all she had planned. She kept all things conventional, in the demonic, torturous sense. It was in the end, the same end she `knew' Almighty was pursuing, the powers the Apprentice wielded, that she wanted him to perfect.

 

In any case, this was a blunt weapon in the end, one she abused without mercy.

 

The images shown much of the time, were repetitive. Even when it seemed the Apprentice was well exceeding expectations, Hild ordered a vicious stripping of that power down, to induce an addiction to it. She `had' no qualms of going that far with this.

 

How else can one teach one not of evil make, how to be a legend amongst `that' kin, most infernal.

 

As long as the Factor Conversion held, and through Oblivion, it did, the sessions held merit.

 

In the end, this would assure the assault would be without remorse, and mental hold in `her' corner, beyond reach of those that would try so hard to reverse all this.

 

As Hild put it at one point. “My dear Dark Lord to come, how else best to utilize, and crush the hearts that face him, to gain all things I seek.

 

Train him, until he doesn't even see `us' as friend, even if he wanted. I want no meaning of the word to twist into his mind. The heavenly enemy won't hesitate to use that if we fail in this regard.

 

Break him, until he hates with passions that are `not'.

 

Mend him, with sew of thread, ones that induce constant torture.

 

He is an animal, until we find the being I want to rebuild. Tear down again, and again, and again, until the lesson is truly, well and taught!!

 

Make my Apprentice as one we can cry without tear, in a joy we won't feel.”

 

The double talk had meaning only to her. The commands were carried out.

 

The Apprentice did get melded in such a heinous manner.

 

And by the end of the thirteen `year', the machinations were all but ready. And her minions were all but spent, as the Apprentice took all fury of pent up anger more and more amongst the even the demonic lords.

 

Hild knew it was time, when even `she' was attacked outright, and was not easily halted. Only her fathomless powers put an immediate halt to this. And that is when the last `weeks', of that last hour, were spent in the stratagem she wanted to flourish in his mind, for the final hours to come.

 

In the last hour of that hour, only Hild wasn't outright terrified of the creation they concocted.

 

Hild said it best to her original words. “I have my wanted terror.”

 

--------------------

 

Mara was slumbering, in her version of comfort, on a side couch, near the temporal chamber arch. Hardly a comfortable place to be, so Mara wasn't either.

 

As such in a groggy state, she awoke with a start, when the chamber hatch suddenly clanked open, and hissed severely hard. Gray smoke flooding out, before a delicate looking CEO foot steps from it. She appears, waving the acrid mist away, seeing Mara jumping up.

 

“Oh, you're still here.”

 

Mara groaned, but then heard. “Well, at least you'll be the first to see the finished product.” ..as Hild then floated aside, to the sound of rather heavy, clanking footsteps. Their approach is infernally joined by the sight of the dark, and tattered remains of a once proud knight. Mara gasps, seeing the normal knightly cloth and metal, all warped and smothered in ash and soot, shredded and cut in deep in replete places.

 

Which seem to focus in on the skin and hair of length attached, all blackened into a hide leather, each, scarred, immolated and inhuman looking. It was like looking at a full body cauterization. Mara didn't like it, she did `not'.

 

“Nice work.” Mara complimented anyway. Hild just flitted a hand. “Well, we try.”

 

Bellona and Entropia walked out next, well and truly trashed as well, while a bunch of their minions began slinking out from both sides of the chamber opening, slunked up against the way, in as much a comical way, as it was also disturbing. Bellona flat out asked. “Are we done ruining the best of my Horde?”

 

Hild snapped in kind. “'Our' Horde. And you might as well, since we can't use you in the next phase of the plan.” ..as she flipped open her watch. “Gee, only a few hours left.”

 

Mara just kept angling eye at the brute that was wrought, imparting.. “Isn't this all cutting it close? The Contract will end, along with his Factor Conversion, at that time.”

 

Hild plainly closed the watch. “We'll only need an hour and a half.”

 

“Battles have taken less time.” ..this Mara freaks out at, as an `iron' vocal version of Imladris tones out, as if it was pure animal speaking through the fangs. Hild just compliments.. “Exactly.”

 

Mara gives a look at, and sees such reservation on Bellona's façade.

 

..and only of ravenous lust on Entropia's. Mara just quips at her. “You ever going to act sane?” ..which is flat out ignored.

 

Hild just snapped her fingers. “And now to consummate the full measure to come.”

 

Mara jitters.. “You.. you don't mean to...” ..which Hild `stares' unto Mara dryly.. “..no... We're still a Lady, `the' Lady, as far as you are concerned.

 

Nay, we have a better version in mind.”

 

Her Apprentice meanwhile looked at, and clenched his mangled right hand, the armor screeching. He kept doing it over and over..

 

--------------------

 

...Lind suddenly looked up with a start.

 

“Wha....?”

 

Phosus blinked and floated over. “What is it?”

 

Lind looked at her, then at her own right hand. She tensed it for a moment..

 

She then shuddered her words in fearful tone of.. “I... I think it's beginning.”

 

Phosus wondered, then remembered.. “Meld link?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Phosus nodded, and then looked over. The first halo of dawn creeping over the eastern horizon, over the Pacific. “We don't have long. We better wake them.”

 

They both shoot off to find the other Valkyries, and enact their contingencies.

 

--------------------

 

“Kill him.”

 

The Apprentice looked over, as Mara and Entropia watched, Hild only waving hand forth. He looked back, across the arena, one of infernal mode and architecture, one filled with demons, all kinds, all classes, even Horde and petitioners, all seeing across where the Apprentice did, of one other being facing towards him.

 

One frothing with insult and ego, all but manic in insanity.

 

The Apprentice commented in the same grinding tone. “Whom is this?”

 

“Our former choice as the Dark Lord of this Realm. One that once was as dear to me, as you are now.

 

But unlike you, is a failure of too long a time frame. One we see as your obstacle to the throne you are meant for.” Hild then wordlessly floated herself, upwards, Mara and Entropia watching, as she croons... “Only one of you can be my Dark Lord of Nibelhiem. The other is ash to the Styx.

 

Recourse is impossible, since a life `will' fall here.”

 

Mara and Entropia looked back, as the Apprentice `got it', and gave a vicious glare at his stated opponent. Mara just quips. “We might wana move.” ..this Entropia just marvels.. “..closer in.”

 

Mara just shoots up. “Whatever.” ..this Entropia looks up, just in time to see Hild open her arms. “Our minions! The Test is at hand!

 

Enjoy this spectacle, for the Throne of My Dark Lord in Hand! Let them fight, for our pleasure!” ..unto which a blood curdling roar explodes from the crowd! Entropia gets the hint, and also finally shoots up to be near where Mara already landed. This as the Apprentice faces down his opponent, a name he cares not for at all to learn.

 

Of which was ironic. Mara just comments softly. “You think he suspects?”

 

Hild just flicks a finger in `shush'.. “And he won't, since this will help get us `around' the Contract end.

 

And if not that, one other in mind `will'.”

 

Mara looked over, and tried to consider what that meant, just as a IRON roar spiked the air, as their `animal' feeds off the blood lust in the infernal atmosphere, and in that alone, causes the `incumbent' Dark Lord to stagger back.

 

They might as well have been clones, their armors, cloth, and faces so badly warped and distorted by the infernal corruption. Distinction seemed impossible, and was even less so as the Dark Lord charged the Apprentice.

 

Both complying the other in short, vehement order!

 

Hild just smiles. “Yes.... we are already pleased.” ..this Entropia hears on the landing, behind the CEO.

 

Combat commenced, with the incumbent charging with the first swing. The Apprentice followed suit, and the first few strokes were testing each other out, this as a dark opal Morphemic blade parried a seemingly equal, dark iron version. The initial spar held in the middle of the arena, which became anything but, when the `Dark Lord' under swing, and parried off, to give a follow up overslash in the severe!

 

One caught with brute force, but then given a more elegant response, by spin pushing off, and a MASSIVE low swing slash from the Apprentice, at his opponent's left leg! When the Dark lord leapt, he got a brutal chest kick that crashed him all the way into the Arena wall!

 

Hild watched her Apprentice follow up immediately, miss a straight stab, but slashed through the black-brown wall, just cutting the Dark Lord's cape in the follow through. Mara watched as the Dark Lord followed up `that', with a double back push, and hard swing to the Apprentice's midsection.

 

One deftly caught, but not fully blocked, as the Apprentice ducked the remainder of the blunted blow, to deliver a second gut kick, that caused the same wall cracking effect!

 

Entropia watched as the Dark Lord recovered a second time, but this time saw the Apprentice approaching, far more slowly, and deliberately, a menacing effect she knew Hild had instilled. Apparently `all' of Imladris's original social training had been factor reversed. It made Entropia lustful in the eye to see this.

 

The Dark Lord didn't wait, and made a quick lunge, their blades locking briefly as the Apprentice expected in some fashion. He however made more elegant use of parrying, by preventing the `Dark Lord' from getting a solid shot in, the Apprentice twirling and expertly avoiding any real clash to keep his feet planted with.

 

To a point that frustrated the `Dark Lord', which led to a sudden shout of anger, and a palm thrust burst of demonic energon right at the former knight.

 

One that was only blunted by a held in place move, as the Apprentice used his free left forehand to erect a demonic reflection barrier. The spell made it's gross effect, as it bit back hard into the Dark Lord, with a horrendous yell to match!

 

Hild smirks. “Better... such calm in the void.” ..Mara glanced over, but struck gaze back, as she saw the end impact of a follow up under slash blow, that caught a good part of the prone Dark Lord's armor, and face alike! Mara gasped.. “Brutal!”

 

“Perfect!” Entropia screeched, before Hild just shushed them both, in an off placed, comical fashion.

 

“You're interrupting true art.” ..this her two minions returned gaze, as the Apprentice kicked a third blow to the Dark Lord's head, and crashed him back into the same wall fracture, before punching him with the same spell enriched left hand, to the Dark Lord's face!

 

Hild loved it. “No compassion left. The old version wouldn't be this way, nay at all.” Hild put too serenely to be such. This was exacerbated as the Apprentice grabbed at the Dark Lord's collar, and made a hard over head throw. One that didn't even start in momentum, before the Apprentice followed up with a `quick' overspin heel kick, that crushed down onto the `Dark Lord's', impacting the sod into the caustic ground!

 

Hild was growing her own self reasoned lust, as the Apprentice spun back around from his backwards landing position, and made a hard overswing of the Warped Blade. The Dark Lord tried to counter with some fashion of senses, spinning around on ground and raise his own blade.

 

And again the blade was only partially blocked, before the Apprentice caught the outstretched arm, and in a severe motion, cut through with his Blade, and severed the hand at the forearm, clean off! The tear of pain ripped the shocked crowd, not expecting such a severe display.

 

Some of whom were shuddering all of a sudden now.

 

Hild watched, her glee at success all but confirmed. One so `done', as the Apprentice looked down, and upon the cringing form that he noted familiar features... “You are not `fit' to adorn Her seat of Power!”

 

Hild clenched her hands. “He's ours! Certain of certains!” ..this Mara had outright thoughts of blanching upon.

 

The Apprentice saw the sniveling form, and growled vehemently, lunge grabbing at the prone neck, and hefting it up with inhumane strength.

 

The crowd was `not' cheering now. The most of the lot were a lot more like their heavenly enemy than they would admit. Plus their ways were about trickery of souls, with the Horde used to the violence of only petitioners, the shadows of the mortals that they once were.

 

Seeing one in full fury, and venom, was unsettling to them.

 

Only Hild seeing had the proper stomach. (Entropia was too insane to know better, so it seemed..)

 

As the Apprentice held his prey in complete mercilessness, he heard a CEO decry out, as much as command.. “Now, my new vessel of my Will. Deal with that failure as befitting the end of one line of dishonor, and bring unto me my desire.

 

Fulfill my foreseen Sin of destiny, and take his place at my side!”

 

The air was soaked in words that were more than, almost spell format they became, as the Apprentice glared the blackest stare he had. He saw the eyes, ones so familiar..

 

..and raised his blade.

 

..and felled it.

 

--------------------

 

Lind fell to the ground. This as she was helping carry a sleeping roll for Keima and Takano, which caught the obvious eye of many around her. Keiichi yelped.. “Lind?!”

 

As several fell to her side, she was clutching her heart, almost ripping at her bosom, such was the grip. Frig quickly asked.. “Another one?”

 

“My... my heart... it feels it's been stabbed to death!”

 

Frig gulps.. “It's getting worse. We need to leave `now'!”

 

Takano nodded. “Get that Yokan in there!” ..Megumi shooting by! “Got it Mom!” ..this Takano didn't argue semantics and followed suit! Keima with Urd and Peorth helping after `that'.

 

Bell kneels down, as does Phosus, and asks despite.. “Are you okay Lind?”

 

What Lind said next, creeped beyond creeped the rest listening all out of their code, and blood alike.

 

“Felt like... I could hear his scream. Like he just died. Like `he' was stabbed.”

 

Keiichi GULPED, and hefted a backpack “Wait up Dad!” ..and scampered out fast!

 

Frig looked at Bell, and spoke.. “What is she `doing' to him?!”

 

--------------------

 

Mara didn't believe it. “I thought it was dead.”

 

Hild smirked. “Nope. Just was wounded. And still viable, now healed in full.” ..this Entropia watched with amazed lust. (All expressions were in this insane manner.) Before then, the Apprentice, blood of his victory still caked unto his blade and reforming armor, one black as void now in turn, watched as he spoke of.. “The Tenshigui, is it not?”

Hild smiled. “Indeed.”

 

Something made the Apprentice writhe with fury, as the half reptile, half insectoid demon writhed itself, in a holding cell. One kempt ever since it turned tail from the incident of accord.

 

The Apprentice looked, as the `thing' saw him, and flung it's antenna stalks at him, thrice each. All it hit was a demonic code shield wall, shimmering circles of red energy, off the clear `bars', where struck. The Apprentice just growled. “Another failure to rid of, My Lord?”

 

Hild replied nonchalantly. “Nay. We have another use for this one. A second chance as it were. This one actually did well, before even `I' was surprised by events. Belldandy and Keiichi were more formidable foes than even we anticipated.

 

This second time will not have the same results.” ..this as she fished in her all too revealing cloth of dress. She then commanded.. “Turn unto us, and receive my intentions.” ..this the Apprentice turned, in time to see Mara gasp!

 

Hild's hand, of focus, holds something `else' she is about to breach protocol unto.

 

The Apprentice snarled. “An angel egg? What tripe it such this?!”

 

Hild `tisks' a finger waggle, left hand of note. “Poor form, as you misread the coloration of `this' version.” ..this Mara notes. “Why is it black?”

 

Not just black, rather as if Void was suffused into the egg itself. It readily effected a wavering aura of this, just in even looking at it. Such was it's evil incarnate. Hild calmly recited. “A displeasure from before my Fall, the original Sin that wrought us here, before We made Nibelhiem. What was the `first' of eggs, but in end `twas not.

 

The first came unto me, and then my Doublet the second, a story that was part of my self wanted downfall.” ..she caressed the wretched, smooth object. “As such, this grew jealous, as it never should have, when it discovered it was Third in line, doomed to relegation of never being used.

 

Until now.”

 

“Never used?” Mara echoed, as Entropia found her captivation of more sane note, a rarity itself. Hild smiled in kind. “When my former Boyfriend of All such, discovered the jealousy entrapped in this one, it was Sealed. And act to prevent it from being ever used. All other eggs from that point were both encoded to be goddesses use only, and all the rules and trappings that went with. All meant to be so `good' and `light', as was safer measure.

 

And since such meant no other egg could be of the Arch level again, such as mine and my Doublet's were, the one He chose to supplant us, when We was seen as the fool of Power.

 

We have my vengeance now, when they overlooked the situation during my procurement of the Eater, originally. I have it in our hand.” Hild smirked.. “Poor thing. All because there was no third goddess to receive it. She already rejected him after he got his `Wisdom' from her.”

 

Mara didn't catch that. Anyone who did, would shiver to death on the thought.

 

Hild however then remarked with a snarl of lust. “And `this' we give to you, my dear Dark Lord of Nibelhiem. This will be your ascension unto descent. The step that makes you the power I wrought you to be, all this time, long in the short of it.”

 

The Apprentice, however, hearing this, blanches. “An angel? Such a loathsome thing in `me'?!”

 

Hild smirked, then frowned a dark tone. “Don't be a fool. Your Receptor, and your Formatting, was `meant' for this Sin. Some mortal you were before, when He was making you more than, to combat the mutual foe of us all.

 

Now you shall show Him the folly of this decision, and make my plan come of Dark!”

 

The Apprentice seems to balk at this, the Factor Conversion making him see the `iota' of an angel, as if swimming in refuse of the End of Styx.

 

Mara notes this, and quips. “Maybe you should just force feed him?”

 

Hild rolls his eyes. “We just may.” ..and shoves it into the new `Dark Lord's' hands. “..but we won't need to.” ..and imparts.. “If you wish our favor, then curry it by command, that of ingesting that, and feeling the Sin we intend from it!”

 

And so done with disgust.

 

..and so after was the raw rush of power that filled him, a second Void to add to the first, drowning in it, as much as savoring the outflow! All of it making him feel incredibly heavy.

 

Hild didn't expect the results, as the shadow before her, of her Dark Lord, was joined by a second, menacing shadow of a `true' soul, exploding forth from the Dark Lord's rear! The pressure aura alone was too much for Mara and Entropia to stand, smacked to the far chamber wall! Hild managed with her usual ease, as she saw the second shadow writhe in agony.

 

Hild realized. “Didn't expect the Conversion, did ye our Angel of Death.”

 

Meanwhile, as the new Dark Lord doubled over in equal agony, the flooding of ages of endless suffering and lone torment, the Angel did likewise of the truth it experienced, of just how far in the False, the new host soul had begotten!

 

And both wept of pain, before they cackled from the insanity of power being poured into each other's vessel.

 

Hild noted this, and acted fast. She snapped a finger, and the Eater's cage was disarmed! Mara had eyes as wide as Satellite TV dishes, as Hild commanded. “Meld to his new Angel, as you did to Lind's!”

 

Tenshigui reacted with a look at the Angel, still doubled over in both pain, and a growing laughter of mania, equal to the empowered host. It acted fast in result, and leapt unto, clutching the Dark Angel unto the back, the same as it did to Spear Mint originally.

 

Hild however, as she leapt back near her prone minions, saw an entirely, unexpected reaction. The Angel wrenched at the grip of the Eater, and it's Host reacted by pulsing a dark aura, one that reflected back into the Angel, and pulsed into the Eater's body!

 

The Eater found itself trapped all of a sudden, in a hypnotic trance, and in moments, found itself the equal of the one it was trying to control. And then it found itself being subsumed, and then overwhelmed...

 

Hild smacked her hands. “Not too far, my Dark Lord.” ..this said evil looked up, the eyes black in obsidian in gaze. Hild imparted.. “We need the Eater in `some' control of it's powers, or at least enough to react in concert with your Angel.

 

You `both' will be needed to combat the `other' halves that you will now soon face.”

 

Hild took a gleeful, lustful, dominant look at her true creation, as the Armor, and Robes were not fully Nidhog, the mind fully demonic, the powers fully clenched and mastered. She smiled, but then made a thoughtful look, anime, and again misplaced in cuteness, compared to the moment at hand.

 

“Hmm.. missing something here.” ..this Mara creeps in tone over.. “By all that is Hell, what could `that' be?!”

 

Hild considered that, but already knew what it was, as she snapped her fingers.. “Yes... that would be it.”

 

The Dark Lord looked up, and ground his opal encrusted-corrupted teeth.

 

--------------------

 

The Twins never cried so much before. Never felt the suffocation from such extension.

 

The description of such, met with outraged ears. The disbelief was in of so a reaction. The sorrow equaled it.

 

Lind's compatriots wondered if she'd hold up. Frigurina wondered, as she saw Takano and Keima drive off, with Megumi waving. Above them, Peorth and Eihwa went off, just high enough to not attract attention. “I wonder if this is deliberate.” ..this Keiichi and Belldandy look, the ones that would realize the most of the statement. Demesus notes. “That Hild would be using Lind as a window of some kind?”

 

“A horrible one.” Lind pained out. Frig nodded. “Yes, I would agree to that.”

 

Urd came up just then. “Meg's bike is set.”

 

Keiichi nods, and called out. “Sis! Time to go!” ..and then looked with a start, as they all saw Meg turn back, her eyes welled up badly.

 

Keiichi gulped, and then saw Bell rush over without a second thought, glomming onto the shaking Morisato dearly. Keiichi felt in mixed emotions at the sight, the sobs striking them all dearly.

 

Skuld nearby, comments... “I can't believe there's this much stress, and nothing has happened yet.”

 

“Here.” ..Lind corrects, which just makes Keiichi's throat go dry.

 

“Hope we're going to get through `this' one.” Keiichi admitted. For once, even Frig couldn't answer against that one.

 

Lind did that instead. “We all will. I still swear it.”

 

Frig then imparts off this.. “We better get going. It won't be long now.”

 

Urd asks.. “Wonder how long exactly.”

 

--------------------

 

“Two and a half hours. More efficient than expected.”

 

Mara just remarked.. “A proud moment, is it?” ..this Hild looks over with her demonic glint. “No, just the act prior to such.” ..as she looks at her placid looking monster, standing at the other side of her monolithic desk. She smirked.. What a single day can wrought.

 

What will tomorrow be, we wonder.

 

She then smells the `fresh' air, and looks a second time. “So much effort. It's been so long since I was into a project like this.” ..this Mara looked, as she and Entropia, whom was in a manic delirium by this point, watched their Lord waltz up, and on a twirl, tap a finger without warning unto the Dark Lord's forehead.

 

She croons out. “There...” ..as he feels his forehead burn some, as the others see a formal forehead sigil, set in void black, of the same Sigil that `had' been on the watch, the sword pointed down, and wings festooned to either side. This is joined by a formal demonic forehead sigil to either side of the main Sigil, with accompanying cheek marks.

 

The sign the corruption was complete. “....perfection.”

 

The fact the Dark Lord didn't respond, didn't faze Hild in the least.

 

Course the next moment, which even Entropia even teardropped in annoyance, as she offered.. “Maybe this can help too!” ..as Hild looks back, and `urked' in equal annoyance. This as Mara holds a `certain' looking helmet, all black and glossy and such.

 

Hild just remarks. “That's already been done, dope.”

 

Mara just chuckles.. “But he'll make those cool breathing sounds, and... eh?” ..she stops, seeing the Dark Lord react to `that', walking up with a calm, menacingly manner, and then reaching out a hand to grasp the said helmet, taking it. Mara.. “Uh..” ..before they all see him outright CRUSH the item, barehanded, showing the place with black shards of polymer. Hild blinks, as Mara decries. “Geeze, that's a bit `too' harsh!”

 

Hild hears Entropia exclaim. “Exactly! He's `got' to be ready now!” ..which the boss announces. “He is, but we aren't.”

 

She then looks at Mara. “Mind helping me with another improvement we have in mind?”

 

Mara blinks. “Uhhhh...” ..before Hild imparts.. “Or we can have our Dark Lord, enforce cooperation instead.”

 

“I'm coming! I'm coming!” ..Mara readily complies, scampering over like a chibi-doll. Hild just informs the others. “Do please wait here for a few more moments. After this, we're on the attack.”

 

At this, Hild `leads' Mara into a side chamber, leaving Entropia and the `creation' alone, the latter whom only walks to the gargantuan window, and stands there, black of void cloak wrapped in monolithic form, the same in infernal thought. Entropia kept to herself, seeming calmer with the absence of Hild. She actually didn't want much part of the traitor next to her.

 

She had a `function' to update.

 

It all didn't last, as in quiet moments that pass later, a new scream, one of Mara's own chord, rips the air. This Entropia hears.. “What the demon?” ...before it turns into a huffing set of screams, before turning into a long pained version that puts a cap on the terror of previous, and into this passing day.

 

---

 

Something stirs `very' deep within the suffocating Void. It's there, impossible to know of, even for Hild to detect.

 

As a tear drop somehow reverberates at this singular point.

 

A break in the pitch.

 

---

 

He then hears and turns his stoic head, as Hild claps happily. “Alrighty kids, we're ready!”

 

The Dark Lord just flaps his cloak around him. “Indeed.”

 

Entropia just nods, as Hild smiles.

 

They are celestial toast. This time for sure!

 

--------------------

 

Keiichi looked back, the haze of morning covering the last vestiges of a long beheld home. This as he's carried by two goddesses, mother and daughter alike, while Lind ahead, and Phosus behind, keep hawkish eye.

 

He didn't say anything.

 

His mind did however..

 

I hope we all make it.

 

They all fade into the fog, one of spell induced make. This as the last group fades from all sight, as the sun fights to penetrate the haze, one most people below would give miscredit unto the local weather person for.

 

This as they miss the opening of a demonic gate, missed in the heavy mist.

 

--------------------

 

“Back so soon.” Hild smirks at this, just before her wrist suddenly seizes up. She looks angrily at the Seal marks, reasserting themselves as she returns to the mortal plane, this time in teenager format, just powerful enough to counteract all this, and who she'd likely face down.

 

“Damn Him.” ..she seethes, and looks back, as a shaken Mara, a mania Norn, and her Tool. The latter most of whom already is walking about, crunching his dark, metallic boots along the ground. Meanwhile, Hild just looks around.

 

Her tone was quite expected. “Huh, they are smarter after all.”

 

“Escaped, have they now?” ..the Dark Lord grinded. Hild just shrugged. “Like waiting around here for us would have benefited them.

 

We'd wager there's more of them too.”

 

The Dark Lord only clenches one of his armored gauntlets, the screeching sound most annoyed in tone.

 

Hild rubs her chin. “We doubt they've begotten very far, unless they lack sleep, which only would hurt them.”

 

Mara just huffs out, her back sore as all heck. “H.. how far, you think Mistress?”

 

Hild doesn't have to answer, her Tool responds.. “Not far enough.

 

They are not the `only' ones we can use to draw them out.”

 

Hild cocks an eye. “Oh? And whom would you consider?”

 

The word almost forms in his blood-black tongue, before they all hear the phone suddenly ring. They all exchange a look, as Entropia walks over, into the residence, and picks up the phone. A moment later.. “A Chihiro for a Keiichi?”

 

“As I said.” ..he imparts in kind, Hild smiling. “Nice, clean, and tragic.

 

We'll wait here.”

 

“You'll want to move first.”

 

Hild cocked an unexpected eye at him.

 

--------------------

 

Lind suddenly stopped, as she felt it...

 

Frig and Bell halted, making Keiichi flail his leg in midair. “What is it?” ..the latter asked. Lind held motionless for a moment, before they `all' felt it. The dark pulse of energy was too fathomless to ignore.

 

Phosus looks back, at the long clouded over haze of Chiba, and remarks.. “What the heck?”

 

“Crap!” ..everyone shoots a look, as Keiichi's voice spikes. “Dear?!” Belldandy shouts, before Keiichi quips.. “I forgot to call Chihiro! She'll be calling back there at any time!”

 

“Oh crud.” Frigurina bares her teeth at, just before the sky grows `dusk' suddenly, as if a shadow was passing over them all, over all things. Phosus looks around. “What the light is...” ..before Lind gasps.. “NO!”

 

Suddenly the clouds part with such quickness, as if from a pressure aura. Everyone is shocked at the speed this occurs, as when all of it clears, they see why. They look with such fear, such dismay, and such disbelief, they can't fathom how a dome of such immense size and power could have formed like that.

 

One that they can `feel' pulling at them!

 

“Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzeeee.” Keiichi hollowly says, as he sees the dome of void, contract, leaving a more transparent second `burst dome', to expand to encapsulate a great portion of the visible prefecture. The center of such is all too easy to see of, what ground zero is. No black bolts, just clean, effectual spell power.

 

“Gravity spells. She gave him... gravity.... spells...” Frigurina gulps dearly at. Belldandy looks in confusion, as Lind looks with all shades of fear.

 

“But... those spells are forbidden! Not even....” Bell shouts..

 

“I know what's causing them.” Frig quickly answers, as they watch the dome fully contract, leaving behind...

 

--------------------

 

Hild was actually frightened. “Whoa... good thing I listened..” ..this as she saw, her minions within her demonic shield shell, as a great amount of debris was left about.

 

All of it, frozen in place, with no life of gravity to affect it. This as a massive spell aftershock effect takes place. Yet all of it, not as much razed and ruined, as broken up, and then frozen in place, all space time here frozen for a moment.

 

An act that reflected the Factor Conversion, at it's most brutal level, where centered in location.

 

Somehow in the complexity of that, certain beings wouldn't remain so, for long. Hild liked where this was going. “The ones whom know, get to see our way of doing things at last.

 

And now I know what that Angel does.” ..this as she looks down, at the center of a swirl-shredded temple grounds, residence and all, frozen in remains to come until the end of this affair. It of itself all short in coming.

 

Hild takes and flips open her watch. She grumbles.. “If only we had more time. Oh well.” ..and she shouts down. “If you're done down there, we need to get them all here now!”

 

Below, a Dark Lord looks up. Sneers, barely accepting her as his commander, and then accepts anyway, for the moment. Within, he agrees with his new `true soul', their contempt of the demon queen. At this, they leap away, to find their bait.

 

As soon as he fades, Hild curls her lip, but then imparts back, in a `cutesy' tone. “Let's set it all up. We'll have guests in very short order.”

 

Mara looks at her, then heads down. Entropia a split moment of hesitation more, which Hild sees more readily, before the Norn too heads down. Hild just shrugs. “Don't worry you fools, it's only less than two hours till it's over.”

 

..and her self whisper to add.. “Which can lead to `so' much more.”

 

She wrings her hands, and saunters on down.

 

A tea party to be had. The kind that Boston once had, to be at least sure. History showed where that tiff went. What of this one?

 

(End Act IX-a)