1 A Second Chance and a Misunderstanding

Why did I fight? Why did I do what I did? Miki had already died. Uncle, Aunt, Taro. They were all dead alongside every other human. Everything else as well. All my companions. I'm...I'm actually glad I didn't win against Ryo. What would I have done after I won? Who would I have won for?

Me? My hope was already dead after Miki's death. Beating Ryo would have never changed that.

And deep down I knew that Ryo...He was the only person left from my old life. He may have been the one to tear it down, the one who made me into what I am, but he was also the only one last. Could I have really brought myself to kill him?

Whatever...it doesn't matter anymore. As the blackness surrounded and engulfed me, everything I cared about, everything I regretted - it all just faded away with the rest of my life.

But I do wonder...what is Ryo doing now? Did he fight God again? I hope not.

As these thoughts were coming into my head, I felt something...odd. Feeling was being restored to my body. My feet and legs, which I'd lost again Ryo, were coming back to me. I could feel the air blowing against them, the cold stinging the nerves. I could feel the air blasting against my skin all over my body.

What was happening?

Could a Devil like me be in Heaven? Or Purgatory? Wouldn't I just go straight to Hell? Part of me tells me I deserve it, honestly. To go to Hell, that is.

Opening my eyes, just to try and see where I am, I was met with blue skies, with fluffy white clouds surrounding me. I was shocked. This was Earth. Before the war that ravaged it, before the final fight between me and Ryo that destroyed most of it. But I also found that I was falling as the clouds were getting farther and farther away from me.

Turning around mid-air, I released my wings and flapped them, bringing myself to a stop.

Looking down I saw a town. Full of humans.

I felt my heart beat with both excitement and confusion. I was excited and happy that there were humans but confused on where I was...Ryo and the Demons had wiped out every other human outpost other than the last one where we fought. So, where was this?

But before I could finished my thought process, I began to get dizzy and I watched as my wings faded away. What's happening?

That was the only thing I could think about as I began to fall from the sky.

While I was falling, I constantly tried to get my wings to come out, yet they didn't budge even a little.

I felt some kind of energy attacking my body, putting locks on it. I felt weaker. Much weaker. I felt like I had when I just got my powers. But I also felt something get added to me. Something ancient and powerful, and I felt it mix with Amon. I felt him getting stronger and I felt my potential explode upward.

Looking forward, I could see that I was heading for a school of some kind. It looked old and had vines crawling all over it. Good thing it looked abandoned as well...because I was coming in very quickly.

Bringing my arms in front of me and curling my body up to avoid as much injury as possible.

Just as I was about to hit the building, I closed my eyes and hoped...I hoped that I had a chance to change everything that I hadn't.

. . .

Opening my eyes, I groaned as I stood up. Looking down at my arms, they were completely tore up, but I could already feel them healing.

Knowing it would help the healing process, I tore out the pieces of wood and stone that were stuck in the flesh. Taking in a sharp intake at the pain, I let out a sigh as I looked up to see a me-shaped hole through the roof.

Hopefully no one would be too mad about that...

...But hearing that running toward my location, I knew it was too much to ask.

I quickly looked around and saw that I was in a decrepit, abandoned classroom, and while I did wonder where exactly I was, I knew I was in Japan from the style of the classroom.

Before I could begin to reminisce about the time I spent in school, that felt so long ago but was actually only two years ago, the door to the classroom slid out of the way with a bang and three people entered.

The first to enter was a teenager boy with short blond hair, blue eyes and a mole underneath his left eye. His overall appearance reminded me of Ryo. The resemblance did make my anger boil, but I kept it under control - this guy wasn't Ryo. Anyway, he was wearing what looked like a boys' school uniform, which consisted of a black blazer with white accents over a white, long-sleeved dress shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, matching black pants, and brown dress shoes.

He looked like a nice guy. Even as his eyes were filled with suspicion against me, there was next to no ill-will in his eyes.

The next to enter was a young woman with a voluptuous figure, very long black hair and violet eyes. Her hair was tied in a long ponytail, reaching all the way down to her legs with two strands sticking out from the top and sloping backward, with an orange ribbon keeping it in place. She looked at me with much more suspicion than the blond guy and my instincts screamed that she was getting ready to attack.

"Akeno, wait!" a voice pleaded as a red-haired girl burst into the room, dodging passed the blond teen and standing in front of me.

The girl in front of me looked around my age, with pure white skin, blue eyes, and the aforementioned red hair. Just like the black-haired girl who I presume is called Akeno, the redhead has long hair that reaches down to her thighs with a single hair strand sticking out from the top. Her hair also has loose bangs covering her forehead and side bangs framing her pale face.

"Who are you?" she asked, seemingly uneasy with my presence. Despite me being naked, she held her serious face as well, so I knew I wasn't dealing with some normal girl my age.

But as I looked closer and sensed them, I felt something similar about them. Something...sinister? It had something to do with their energy..Wait a minute--!

"DEMONS!" I roared as I charged at them, changing my body into my Devilman form. Though I couldn't seem to complete a full transformation, I could at least get a partial one off, as I felt my height and overall size increase by a little bit.

I felt my teeth become pointed fangs, and I felt my nails on both my feet and hands turn into claws. I would guess this is the same form I used when I chased after Miki when she was possessed by Ghelmer.

I appeared in front of the blond, sweeping my leg upwards and at his head. I felt groggy but if the two years of battle against the demons and even the humans had taught me anything...it was that if you try hard enough, you can push through things like pain and grogginess. Right now wasn't any different.

But he surprised me when he didn't change into his real form, and simply ducked under my foot and summoned a sword from somewhere.

Where did he get that from?

I stopped such thoughts, however, as he practically disappeared from my eyes and my weakened reflexes could see him move and before I knew it, I had a sword stuck in my stomach. Which confused me...

If this person was a Demon, they'd know such an attack wouldn't hurt me in any meaningful way. So, why did he do it?

Seeing me practically unharmed, the blond's eyebrows rose in shock but before he could do anything, I lifted my foot and kicked him in the stomach with as much strength as my weakened body could muster.

His body flew backward, crashing through the wall, and the wall after that, and the wall after that - I heard him slamming through wall after wall, and I felt gratitude that my brute strength was still quite high even after whatever weakening force had shackled me. I didn't waste anytime, however, before I rushed at the redhead who seemed to be their leader.

I knew from experience that Demons would become a whole lot less organized if you took out the Demon leading them. It was one thing they had in common with humans.

But just as I was about to punch her, a red barrier, flickering with yellow lightning appeared in front of my fist. The lightning flickered along the barrier and up my arm, burning and shocking my arm, trying to char it black. But how could my body, a body that burned with fire, be burnt?

I grit my teeth and roared as I pushed against the barrier with all the strength I could, while also conjuring up a pillar of flames around my arm to boost the punching power of my attack.

*Crack!*

The barrier shattered like glass, and my attack continued and hit the floor with a fiery explosion, destroying most of the classroom. Though that redhead had dodged out of the way, given the time by the barrier that Demon Akeno had opened up for her.

The room was quickly filled with smoke, and the fire from my attack spread across the room like a wildfire. But the fire, along with the smoke, was quickly banished by a wave of strong air. Like a gale was summoned into the room. As the demons came into my sight again, I saw they had covered themselves in some kind of red shell. It looked like the summoning circles people used to use in the Sabbaths that gave me my powers...which led me to the thought, that maybe these people were like me?

But that thought was soon wiped out as Akeno opened up a symbol in front of her, like the barrier that blocked my punch earlier. But this wasn't a barrier. The lightning that flickered across it began to get bigger and bigger, but I didn't have a chance to dodge before it struck out and slapped against my chest, flinging me back through a few walls.

By the time I'd got back up and started to heal again, I was met by the sight of the blond teen looking at me with a serious gaze. His blue eyes were focused on me.

And next to him, was a short white-haired girl, but I didn't have any time to check out her appearance, as more lightning bolts were shot at me.

Knowing what to expect, I dodged from left to right, swerving out of the way of the bolts, before I got in front of the blond and the new kid. The kid swung at me, and knowing not to look down on someone because of their size, I dodged out of the way of the punch and seeing how it crumbled the floor like when I hit it, I knew I made the right choice.

Before the girl could react, I slammed a kick into the back of her head and she hit the floor before flying through it.

"Koneko!" the blond shouted but before he could do anything else, I waved my hand, summoning a wave of fire blasting him backward. If it were the me who just got my powers, I would have no doubt have ran at him and gotten sliced up quite a lot. But now I actually knew how to use my powers, fortunately for me, I guess.

Leaving those two behind, I charged back to the classroom I'd been in before. In it, I saw the redhead's face pale, and Akeno's face was also pale, but from exertion.

"Why..." the redhead whispered, catching me off guard. I'd never heard a demon ask 'Why' before. But she wasn't done. "Why are you fighting us?!" she screamed, her blue-green eyes full of indignation and grief, "You shout about Demons and then attack us?! Yes, we are Devils, but that doesn't make us evil or bad people!" she screamed, her eyes going teary.

But I didn't care about that.

They're...Devils? Do they mean they're a Devilman like me? Then why do they feel so much like Demons?

"I'm fighting Demons because they want to kill people. I'm protecting humans!" I shouted, both to myself and to them, as my face morphed from seriousness to confusion and doubt. I had to believe that otherwise what would all of the fighting I've done be for? All the deaths?

Akeno scoffed, "We're not trying to kill anyone! You're the one who attacked first!" she shouted, her voice full of sincerity and exhaustion.

What was happening?

If they weren't Demons...then, what are they? Devils like they say they are? A Devilman like me? Am I even in the same place as before?!

[Akira, we need to talk,] an ancient and deep voice spoke in my head, shaking my skull and my brain and causing me to drop to my knees with my hands covering my head. It reminded me of...Amon? But before I could guess, my vision went black and I passed out. The last thing I saw was a flash of red and more people entering the room.