Ten Thousand Lights

[𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

The Lucifer Estate served two purposes, a living place for the current Lucifer and a historical museum—yet another of the Four Great Attractions—free for people to see the place where the Lucifer's of both past and present resided.

Today however was different. The Banquet Hall had been called to an abrupt end after the Battle of the Six—a somewhat hastily made nickname—though in the end, they were too late to give any meaningful assistance.

Naturally, that turned a great deal of anger toward the Four Satans, specifically all but Falbium who had protected them even at the cost of an arm. In an attempt to oppose this anger and also to celebrate their victory the Four Satans decided to host a luxury banquet.

Utilizing the resources of Ajuka Beelzebub they temporarily extended the banquet hall of the estate to fit a vast majority of devils. At this banquet, nearly six million were in attendance. It was an impressive feat that would likely never be beaten but it did make sense.

Six large cities had been destroyed and hundreds of thousands had been killed. This party was every bit a celebration as it was an opportunity to mourn—the latter half of the event had been reserved for just that. However, not all devils were here to mourn.

It was estimated that sixty percent wanted to mourn, ten percent were obligated to attend—ie the nobility—and the remaining thirty percent wanted to meet the newly rising heroes. That wasn't even accounting for those who had mixed intentions.

One must understand the significance of the term 'hero' among the devils. Devils, while being creatures of darkness, were in many ways just as human as the rest of the world. However, their prideful nature and history made it difficult for them to have anyone worthy of being a 'hero'. Yet, in the Battle of the Six, five heroes had been born.

Morgan Forneus the Tyrant. Though her name may seem cruel at first glance it was born from her unrelenting desire to free all the fish and ferocious nature in the latest battle. Her overwhelming power that resulted in the death of the Destroyer was firmly locked in people's minds.

Amaris Branwen the Black Witch. Originally called the Witch of Black Flames it was obvious where her name came from. It was the immense power of her flames that made the defeat of Yultran result in the low amount of casualties it did—if you considered 70% low that is.

Akeno Himejima, the Priestess of Thunder. Although her showing was the least impressive among the five rising stars she was no less impressive. Her one on one fight against Vartes was the most even among them all however that was still a feat to be celebrated.

Rias Gremory the Dragon of Annihilation, a girl whose Longinus was recently revealed to the world. Out of the five, her tale was perhaps the most impressive among them all—-among those known at least. As soon as she utilized her Longinus, she defeated both the Plague Doctor and Immutable in only twenty or so seconds.

Noel Purson the Ashen Wolf, was named as such due to his previous attitude that threatened all that stood against him like a wolf baring its fangs. He was crowned with the honor of defeating the Pandemonium alongside the current Asmodeus.

Those five were the ones who made the greatest difference in the battlefield and without them, there may have been hundreds of thousands more names on the gravestone outside. It was because of them that good lives had been saved and it was because of them that the safety of the Underworld remained strong.

Each of the situations was more dire than the last and though it wasn't widely known people truly believed the situation was doomed to fail. When Falbium was returned to the War Hall missing an arm and barely alive it was natural to assume that an age of terror would begin.

That entire spiel resulted in the army of six million devils standing, waiting for the words to come out of Sirzechs Lucifer. Those words that would surely come would be met with as many emotions as there were stars in the skies. Perhaps that was why even the calm and experienced Sirzechs was nervous.

Six million. That was no small number. What lay before Sirzechs was a literal sea of devils, their eyes filled with so much expectation that if anything even remotely wrong were to happen it would be his head. Not literally fortunately but it was still stressful.

"Now then! Let us welcome our heroes!"

Forgoing the long speech his wife had prepared and the impeccable show created by Ajuka and Serafall—the latter was probably a good thing really—Sirzechs moved right onto the main subject. Standing before them he could tell, they didn't want to wait any longer.

It had been a long day filled with so many emotions. Even if they only served as an outlet for those emotions, their presence was paramount. Even a single nod from them would reassure the people more than any speech he could give. It was the power of desperation and for better or worse that curse befell those five.

Yet, when it was his wife that ascended the stage with a letter in hand even Sirzechs couldn't understand what was happening. Immediately a feeling of ominous foreboding washed over him, a cold sweat nearly covering his brow. He would readily admit that his senses were not his strong suit and that Noel had been slipping away from his eyes as of late but this was no time!

"My apologies however the heroes cannot attend due to their injuries. Please understand."

While angered at the turn of events very few of the crowd actually raised any complaints. It was widely spread by now, images that is. Four large cities and the Underworld's greatest prison were reduced to less than ashes.

Mystus was an uninhabitable wasteland with so much poison that the surrounding cities had to be evacuated, Grastus that had been reduced to a bloody pile of rubble, Fraton that had been quite literally cut in half, Prutim that was a mess of distorted space that may never heal was all that remained of those once bustling cities.

Worse still was Inferno or rather the abyss that lay where it once resided. Though unknown why exactly it had occurred all artifacts that may have seen the battle were corrupted, anything stored within them entirely destroyed—an accident on Noel's end—and the battlefield reduced to a bottomless abyss not once but twice.

With that level of destruction and their young age, how could the people possibly raise their voices in complaint? Even if they wished to, most didn't have the energy to shout at their saviors, their benefactors who got revenge for them, and their heroes.

"Now then, a letter from Noel Purson. Ahem."

Coughing as if to clear her throat, Grayfia took a brief instant to rethink her life choices. Sirzechs was not an easy man to serve however he was not selfish, not to this extent anyway. It had been a while—a day if she remembered correctly—but she was relieved to have chosen Sirzechs once more. He at least understood the big picture.

"It reads… Good luck. That is all."

Groaning in annoyance Sirzechs didn't have to listen to the riled up crowd to know he'd have his work cut out for him. He liked his students' bold and unflinching attitude he truly did but there was a time and place for everything and in front of six million mourning devils was not that time.

"Quiet!"

Hearing the familiar bellow for the first time in uncountable years—likely centuries—Sirzechs felt relief like never before. It was the familiar voice of his senior who had led him through the ropes of Satanhood so many centuries ago.

Lazy he may be but he would be the one Sirzechs would always fall back on when things got tough. Falbium was a reliable man and though seeing his sleeve waving in the wind hurt Sirzechs deeply at this moment there was no 'tool' better to calm the crowd.

"Don't rely on a boy to soothe you! Take the first step to normalcy yourself and show those who have gone ahead that you will be fine without them! Hold your tears, grit your teeth, and move on for those who have departed."

Though it was far from the gentle consolation the people likely wanted Sirzechs was sure that this was ultimately better. They may not see the value, they may brood and complain, and it was likely that public opinion of them all would drop for a while but it was better this way.

Scars born from the loss of another didn't heal at the drop of a hat. There was only so much an outsider could do to help these wounds heal, in the end, all they could rely on was themselves and those closest to them. It was up to them to pick themselves up and move on not a hero. 

Time would heal all wounds and scars would surely remain but in ten years Sirzechs was sure that this tragedy would be nothing more than an unpleasant memory. When that time came, he hoped that every devil before him would be living a fulfilling life. 

They didn't need to be fully healed, they didn't need to forget, and they didn't need to forgive them. As long as they would keep moving forward, that was enough for him. As long as that happened, he had done his job splendidly.

Glancing at his wife at the comforting squeeze of his hand Sirzechs sent her a weak smile which was quickly returned. He wore an amicable grin and acted the fool but Sirzechs was quite the sentimental man. Times like these were hard on him.

Luckily, he wasn't alone.

[𝐀𝐣𝐮𝐤𝐚'𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐛, 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞]

"The baby is perfectly healthy. You got lucky."

Smiling at the relief on his two students' faces, Ajuka wasn't quite as surprised as Noel was to hear that Morgan was pregnant. It was only a few weeks ago that she had come to him to give the good news and unfortunately, it was his fault such a situation had occurred in the first place.

Due to the devil's near inability to have children one of the worst things that could happen to them was celebrating too soon. It took a number of weeks for the chance of a false alarm to disappear so Ajuka encouraged Morgan to keep it to herself.

As much as Noel wore a sour face and acted as though life itself was boring—which, to be fair, it often was—Noel was a kind boy. Though his kindness may be limited to those he picked and chose he was nonetheless kind. To know he had a child on the way and then taking that away from him was cruel. Morgan was no exception but there was little to be done in her case.

"That's good."

Though Noel put on a strong face outwardly it was clear to Ajuka that he was quite worried and rightfully so. Morgan had taken quite extensive damage during her battle with Ihaben and though nothing bad had occurred it was still incredibly worrying.

"Where are the other three? I had hoped to talk to them as well."

Switching the topic at the sight of Morgan's joyous tears Ajuka hoped to avoid any overly emotional situations. He was far from adept in those situations and he could exactly call Sirzechs for help after half ditching his work. He was technically at the banquet but that was only an illusion, a good one but an illusion nonetheless. He was still skipping work.

"Rias and Akeno are locked in the Bael estate while Amaris is comforting Kuroka and Shirone for me. Apparently, they didn't like being left in the dark about us heading off to our deaths. Who would've guessed."

Smirking as he always did it was almost like Noel had returned to normal but Ajuka was sure that wasn't the case. Noel often took great care of those around him and part of that resulted in his attention toward them but this was taking it to the next level. His eyes had hardly strayed from Morgan and he stood closer to her as if to protect her from him. 

It was mostly instinctive behavior which was amusing and hardly unexpected. Not long ago it was Sirzechs that acted this way in this very same lab. Really, it seemed that fatherhood had an odd effect on the brain. Perhaps he was lucky he had never taken a spouse.

"I see. Then I'll speak to them at a later date. There are three things of note regarding the current tragedy, care to wager a guess at what they are?"

In reality, the three things Ajuka was alluding to were all extraordinarily obvious to anybody with a brain larger than a pebble. For the rich Satans to think something was of note it was clear what they were.

"The death of the six is definitely one of them right?"

Raising her hand and swaying in her seat with a hand on her belly Morgan wore a smile as bright as always. After everything had calmed down she had mostly remained the same though there were still a few things they had to do.

"Indeed. Those six had been spared for a multitude of reasons and yet they all lay dead. It won't be a large number but some will have complaints with that. The death of Nufrien in particular will raise heavy complaints."

Sighing in resignation, Ajuka could already sense the future paperwork awaiting him. Nufrien's trait was unique in many ways, however the most important to the pillar families—especially the greedier kind—was his ability to transfer his trait.

Officially Vartes had been spared to utilize his knowledge of poison to create medicine years beyond what was currently available but in truth, it was because of Nufrien. He had revealed this ability only to spare Vartes. He had played to the pillar clans' greed and it worked perfectly.

"The last two are the core and the mastermind right."

Frowning at the mere thought of it all Noel couldn't help but click his tongue. The core was one thing and even if it was powerful the Ashen Wolf didn't really care for it. All he cared for was the one who caused this issue at all. No, that wasn't true. They didn't cause anything they just made it happen faster. Noel wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not though.

"Mhm. Though unannounced, the core's disappearance had been recorded long ago. The core has been hidden from the wider world for millennia, you see."

Answering Morgan's question before she could even ask, Ajuka could see the gears turning in Noel's head. He was a smart person so reaching the correct conclusion was only a matter of time but he faced the same issue Ajuka did. The mastermind's reasoning.

"So, who is the mastermind?"

It was obvious enough that they were a big deal but Morgan couldn't even begin to guess who they were. She already wasn't all that smart when it came to things like this but throw in at least a bazillion names and she was beyond lost.

"The Oroboros Dragon."

It was the same familiar gruff voice of Falbium that answered Morgan's question, her eyes widening like saucers in half the time it would take her to buy an aquarium. The only God of Dragons, the universal representation of Infinite and Nothingness, and the strongest being alive Ophis had spearheaded this mess?

"It seems like you've reverted back to your youth Falbium. I'm happy for you."

"I wish I could share the sentiment. If the only time I'm awake is when a tragedy happens maybe I should stay asleep."

Chuckling self deprecatingly, Falbium couldn't stop himself from placing a hand on his stump of an arm. It was a worthy sacrifice, one he was more than happy to make and would never regret, but it was a sign of his failure, a sign that he had left a child—a talented child but a child nonetheless—alone with a monster not even he could defeat.

"Uhm… Ophis did this?"

Interrupting the two Satans Morgan's voice was filled with more than enough confusion to make up for the rest of the room's lack of reaction. Ophis was a solitary being, she had to be or else the world may have ended.

Ophis was a being nobody could rival much like Great Red though it was safe to assume that she was stronger purely because of what she conceptualized. Unlike most dragons, she and Great Red were born from universal concepts that ran rampant in the dimensional gap.

Eventually, these concepts formed the myriad realms and the cores that held them together but before that came Great Red and even further before was the Dragon God Ophis. Nobody knew how old she was, nobody knew what she had in mind, and nobody could even fathom the depths of her infinite power.

She and Great Red may share a position but they were vastly different. Great Red was ranked number one because the list of the strongest beings was based on accomplishments. Great Red had accomplished many great things throughout the ages and yet Ophis shared his position without any. Why?

Because she was strong. She never acted, she never involved herself, and she seldom even spoke and yet she was undisputedly the strongest. She was a being at the very top, her very existence serving to be a symbol of strength. 

"Yes. We have no idea of her motives or goals but it hardly matters. I'm more interested in you two."

Looking at the soon to be parents Ajuka no longer restricted his desire for knowledge, his eyes glowing with greed. Morgan's awakening was extremely interesting and Noel's mysterious ability was more so. Perhaps it was the mystery of it all or the fact that the ones he spent the closest attention to hiding something from him but Ajuka couldn't help but be attracted to it.

"Shut it brat. I have something more important to talk about."

Interrupting Ajuka, the tone Falbium used was unrecognizable. There was a storm of emotion in his eyes that couldn't be deciphered. All Noel could tell was the pride, regret, and nostalgia that overwhelmed the rest of his emotions.

"Hey… are you serious?"

Unlike Noel though, Ajuka could tell where Falbium was going and it seemed insane if Ajuka Beelzebub—the resident king of insanity—himself couldn't help but be shocked. The Emerald Satan's wide eyes and agape mouth certainly made that much obvious.

"Noel Purson, what do you say about becoming a Satan?"

Solemnly questioning the boy who accomplished more than he, a member of the Four Great Satans, did Falbium from only two weeks ago would have laughed at him but he truly believed he was making the correct choice. Noel Purson was strong, had a strong albeit biased moral compass, and was more than willing to act for the good of the Underworld.

"Are you crazy?"

Even if Noel was more than qualified he couldn't understand why Falbium was doing this. He understood why Falbium was choosing a successor, his waving sleeve was more than enough proof, but Noel was possibly the worst choice.

Public support was in Noel's favor and there was no denying that but the devils that held all the power were predominantly old, traditional minded fools with more morals than sense. They wouldn't like it if the chance to put somebody in a position as important as that of a Satan was taken by a young brat who was already hated by the nobility.

The Four Great Satans did have the authority to choose their own replacements but that fact didn't make this situation any less troublesome. Besides just that, the level of responsibility that rested on the Satans' shoulders wasn't fit for a freedom loving fool like him.

"Aren't we all?"

Grinning for the first time in quite a while, Falbium didn't care for Noel's insults. Noel was the only one he believed to be worthy of controlling so much power. The Four Satans all had their roles and while all were equally important the Asmodeus seat held perhaps the most internal power alongside Lucifer.

Controlling all war efforts was obviously no small feat but it was easy to overlook the underlying trust given to them. As the leader of all war efforts, Asmodeus was the position that held the greatest respect of the soldiers. All of their loyalty belonged to Asmodeus leaving only dregs for the rest. If Falbium wanted to he could start a rebellion any day with that kind of power.

"Either way, if I pick anyone but you the public will riot. You either accept or the underworld is thrown into turmoil."

Turning the situation on its head, Falbium made the situation impossible for Noel to refuse. No father wants their child to live through a difficult time after all. Even if it was a pain, even if he didn't want to, even if he thought it would be a waste of time, he would accept. Not for the next generation but his child that would have to live in this god forsaken place.

"Fine. I'll bite."

Just like that, the most reluctant transition of leadership in history concluded.

[𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

A loud hiss echoed throughout the heir of the clan's abode as a loud smacking sound hung in the air. The series of events was quick and the natural energy that remained in the wound meant it would be painful for quite some time.

"Has she been like this the entire time?"

Effortlessly dispersing the natural energy clumped together in his palm Noel turned to his first Bishop, his amusement palpable as he looked at the cocoon of bedding resting in the center of his large bed.

"Mhm. The entire time."

Tiredly rubbing her sore wrist Amaris felt resignation wash over her. Both Kuroka and Shirone were far from happy with the unintentional secrecy about heading to war and were pouting. It was both endearing and irritating but the two couldn't be blamed for worrying for them. It was a difficult situation for a girl as kind as Amaris.

Grabbing the blanket that was held down with the force of two nekomata and nature itself Noel effortlessly ripped it from its holdings and threw it behind him. Ignoring his bishop who ran to catch the bedding before it fell Noel cockily smirked at his two cats.

"Nya!"

Screaming in surprise, Kuroka lept over her sister, her small body covering her sister's even smaller body. Lifting the black cat with one hand and the white cat in the other Noel sat down, placed them on both his sides, and held them in place even as they thrashed around.

"Amaris, are you alright?"

Ignoring the cats in his grasp Noel paid full attention to the purple haired girl that had stayed by him for so long. She seemed normal on the surface but she was spending just a tad bit more time contemplating what to say. 

"My Longinus affected my consciousness a bit. I'll get over it quickly." 

Calmly explaining the issue plaguing her Amaris tried to keep her eyes on Noel alone but it was difficult with the two cats fiercely fighting against him. She wasn't completely sure what was going on but it didn't really matter. As long as Noel knew what he was doing.

Their conversation continued for a few minutes and slowly the thrashing came to an end and the two cats rested their tired eyes. It had been a week since they had seen Noel since he had been running around since the war doing this and that and from what he's heard they hadn't slept a wink in that time.

With natural energy empowering them they could spend quite a long time without sleep but they were young. Kuroka was only nineteen while Shirone was barely thirteen, there was no reason for them to spend so long awake with only their wandering thoughts to accompany them.

"They missed you."

Giggling quietly Amaris was relieved to see the two cats cuddle up against Noel's thighs. Patting the seat next to him, Amaris ignored his curious brow rise as she sat behind him, her weight resting fully in him and forcing her breasts to morph around his broad back.

"You know… I was pretty scared."

Though her words were certainly correct the husky undertone of her words made Noel doubt her regardless, an amused grin crossing his face as she pressed herself even closer, her breath tickling his ear and her roaming hands heating his body.

"Yeah? Want me to comfort you?"

Teasingly responding to her advances Noel was curious where exactly this would go. Amaris wasn't one to push like this but war often made one change their mind. Whether it be out of fear or some kind of realization Amaris had decided to go on the offensive.

"Mhm. Please comfort me tonight."

Whispering into his ear Noel didn't even have to look at her to know how red she was. As much as she wished to push their relationship to the next level that didn't reduce the embarrassment of it all in the slightest. If anything, it made it worse.

"Alright. I'll make sure you can sleep soundly."

Smirking cockily and tauntingly promising her a night of pleasure, Noel's expression morphed into one of surprise as Amaris leaned in for a kiss. It was quick, light, and very chaste—completely unlike those he shared with Morgan—but it was no less impactful. 

"I'll see you tonight!" 

Quickly dashing out of his room Amaris didn't miss the laughter that chased her, her cheeks a bright red as she ran through the halls. It was unheard of for the student of Grayfia to act so inelegantly but that was fine. A meteor could fall down on her right this second and it would all be fine! 

As much as it was embarrassing, she would admit that she had been looking forward to this 'battle' after hearing Morgan talk about it so often. She couldn't blame the rest—besides Shirone of course—for being curious but it was undeniable that it was an embarrassing topic. But that was in the past! Now, she would be the one being asked!

"…"

That didn't sound much better…

[𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐝, 𝐃𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐩, 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞]

Laying curled up in the center of the abyss known as the Dimensional Gap was a small girl, her abyss like eyes staring emptily into space. Rather, she was looking past space to her desired point in space where a young boy sat accompanied by two yokai girls.

He was the latest target of the girl's interest, his life and character serving as wonderful entertainment for the bored girl. He was better than any before him and he more than matched her expectations.

"Ophis."

A deep, guttural voice filled the area as a deep crimson light spread throughout the void. It grew slowly and made little progress compared to the endless darkness but it was impressive enough that it had made progress at all.

"Leave."

Cruelly, scornfully, hatefully pushing away the energy it was repelled in an instant as darkness returned to the void. Yet, her words were ignored as a red human made himself known. He stood at nearly seven feet and had long, untamed crimson hair that billowed around him.

He wore an extravagant yet simple leather biker jacket atop a t-shirt that was purposefully torn around the bottom and tight fitting yet flattering jeans. He wore black shades but as the very air around him became crimson they took on a more reddish tint.

"To think I didn't even notice so many tears in the wall. I must be getting senile… That or you were purposefully hiding it from me. Why?"

Questioning the girl named Ophis she remained motionless, her body so still that one would assume she was a doll. However, slowly—almost excruciatingly so—the girl rose. She wore an odd outfit, one that she wouldn't even consider wearing until only a decade or two ago. It was unusual and extremely revealing, a far cry from her normal bland attire at least.

Despite her age being quite literally impossible to calculate Ophis was short—4'6 or so—so the attire known as 'gothic lolita' fit her quite well albeit her strange spin made it a tad unsavory. Her dark purple and lavender attire was adorned with pink strings and wrapped around her neck with a bright pink bow to seal the deal.

What made such a normal 'cosplay' transform into something far more risqué was the fact that her small torso was entirely uncovered besides a thing dark purple line in the center. The only thing containing her tiny—almost nonexistent—breasts was X shaped black pasties that did not fit her outward age in the slightest.

In essence, she appeared to be a young girl with an odd and perverted hobby but the aura emanating from her hardly seemed such. It screamed death, infinite power, and absolute nothingness that would surely await those foolish enough to be her foe.

"The issue with the devils, the fanatics that you toy with, the subordinate of that shell of a man… they're all your doing aren't they? Either way, I don't care what you do in those far off places but…"

Removing his shades the delinquent safely stored them on the inside of his jacket, his cocky grin falling away leaving only the utmost solemnity on his features. He was gritting his teeth, his fist clenched as he glared at the strongest being alive with blazing determination. 

"What exactly are you getting at?"

Apathetically responding to the delinquent's hatred, Ophis did not attempt to hide her disinterest, her eyes entirely focused on the boy who had caught her eyes. He was all that mattered and nothing would take her attention from him.

"Don't play coy. Tell me… how many did you reincarnate?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hey there, Express_007 here. Hope you liked the chapter.

Noel's growing up huh? It feels like just a few months ago that he was fighting a flaming chicken and ending family lines and now he's going to be a Satan. It almost brings a tear to my eye. Also, what do you think about the ultimate reveal at the end? Did it come as a surprise?

As always, if you're interested in supporting the creation of this novel I made a patre*on. Just look up Express_007 and you should find it easily enough. You don't have to support but it'd be much appreciated.