90 What Comes Next

- Satan and Death -

Satan was walking back to his small force of demons. He noticed Death speaking with them.

"They were following my orders, leave them out of this," Satan said.

Death turned and sighed, "I'm just asking them why they continue to follow you."

Satan put his hands behind his head and smiled. "Strength and success are the only things that matter or should matter."

Death glared. "What were you talking about with Kahvis?"

"Calling the you-know-what by name now?" Satan chuckled.

Death just grunted. His blinding rage towards Satan had shifted to grating irritation.

Satan lowered his arms and shrugged. "Just warning them about their future."

Death gave a curious look, "Why would you warn anyone about anything?"

Satan started picking his teeth. "I want them to succeed. They got lucky with your help, which I can assume won't continue after today, and I don't want them dying before they pry this world's stagnation open."

Death was going to ask why "Don't you join them then?" but knew the answer. Just thinking about the answer sent an extra wave of frustration through him.

"Are you that desperate to step back onto a battlefield?"

Satan stopped picking his teeth and whistled.

"You must really be annoyed with me to ask that?" he laughed, "I'm perfectly satisfied with being a spectator."

"You can't spectate forever," Death said.

Satan moved his head in a way that matched someone rolling their eyes.

"So long as another cataclysm doesn't happen I can stay back and watch forever."

Satan waited until Death was going to speak and interrupted him.

"If you think this "unknown's" resistance is going to lead to another cataclysm, why did you help them?"

Death hated that Satan had trapped his reasoning. He didn't believe that Kahvis would cause another cataclysm but he realized that Satan wouldn't move again unless that was the case. He dropped his initial response and decided to just move on.

"I'm going to Han'ei after this to check on a future problem. Are you going back to Hell immediately or are you staying to sort the new territories?"

Satan frowned. "I plan on staying for now. I'll consider it my last gift to Kahvis."

Death sighed. "Just don't start a war with the Healers' Guild when their representative eventually shows up."

Satan looked in Saint's direction. "Good to see you're at least smart enough to not trust the Guild."

Death turned back to the spectating demons. "Keep what I said in mind." He walked away without responding to Satan.

Satan turned to the demons. "He's probably right," he laughed.

- Lucifer, Peter, Death -

Lucifer and Peter found Death alone, brushing Hrom.

"Does it need brushing?" Lucifer asked.

Death didn't stop his brushing. "Getting the dried blood and mud out."

Peter stepped in front of Lucifer. "I have something I need to talk to ya about."

Death sighed and stopped brushing Hrom. He had a good idea of what this was going to be about. He felt he deserved what was coming but it didn't make actually experiencing it any easier.

"I'll just say I'm sorry now, get it out of the way," Death apologized.

Peter's anger with Death didn't fade after hearing that. He had been practicing what to say on the walk here so he didn't end up just shouting and cursing. What Elijah had said to him made him shift his attitude slightly.

Peter took a deep breath. "I am sick and tired of ya ancients doin' the shit you do and then beings passing it off because healin' magic exists. I know you're better, I know you're genuinely sorry, but I want ya to know that if ya were any other god, I'd be plannin' with Luce on how to kill ya."

"Almost Peter, almost..." Lucifer mumbled.

Death thought the threat was strange. He couldn't pretend to take it seriously. He wasn't sure what to say so he decided on a risky strategy.

Death looked up at Hrom. "Finding the balance between 'executioner' and 'guide' is difficult. My history is filled with battles like these, gruesome slaughters where I can't afford to be a 'safe' existence. Battles like these don't take a man or a soldier, they take monsters, and I'm sorry that you've dealt with that 'monster.' "

Lucifer didn't say anything. He had lied about wanting to list grievances with Death, initially at least. After hearing Death's response he thought of something he wanted to ask.

"Do you plan on killing Amaterasu when you get to Han'ei?"

Death and Peter both looked at Lucifer. They hadn't expected the question. Lucifer himself hadn't expected to ask it, so he realized instantly how weird it seemed.

Lucifer's eyes bounced from Peter to Death. "I know it's a weird question but it's important. As awful as Satan's personality is, he didn't do nearly as much damage as her. She would have killed you, me, and my team, and I need to know right now that you plan on making her pay for what she did."

Death stayed in his head for a while before answering.

"I'll tell Izanagi and/or Izanami and let them handle it."

Peter raised his eyebrow. "And if they say they're not goin' to execute her?"

Death rubbed his index with his thumb. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. It's a serious issue that I don't feel like discussing here."

Lucifer noticed Death's tick.

"He's right, Peter."

Peter closed his eyes and rubbed his neck. "Fine, last thing then," he opened his eyes. "I appreciate your strength, so please, please don't fuckin' point it at me, Luce, or my team ever again."

"Also, don't tell Oliver about this conversation," Lucifer asked.

Death just nodded. He didn't know what else to say. Lucifer took that as a sign to leave. Peter and Lucifer walked away, leaving Death to continue brushing Hrom.

'Maybe I'd be better off just fighting...no, don't idolize those times, be better. Ra's beer, Persephone's cooking, Tera's singing.'

- Lucifer and Satan -

Lucifer had left Peter so he could go speak with Satan. He found Satan with his hand on his chin, facing the resistance soldiers from a distance.

"What are you doing?" Lucifer asked.

Satan took his hand off his chin. "Just thinking about all the different ways Moloch and Baal could have won against this 'army.' "

"What's your favorite way?" Lucifer humored Satan.

Satan smiled. "Your debts are paid, you don't have to fake niceties."

Lucifer hated speaking with Satan for a number of reasons. The fact that he could never control the conversation was the current one.

Lucifer stared at the resistance soldiers. "Just like that?"

Satan turned his head slightly towards Lucifer. "Just like that," he turned his head back to the resistance soldiers. "And my favorite strategy would be having a flying demon drop Baal in-between all the resistance soldiers while Moloch and all the commanders stall Death."

Lucifer had rarely spoken to this side of Satan. He let his curiosity get the better of him.

"What would I be doing in that strategy of yours?"

Satan kept tilting his head from left and right. "Wouldn't matter. The point of this war is the resistance winning, not you and Death surviving. No resistance soldiers, no actual victory. Maybe you kill both demon lords and their commanders, so what? Then some new anti-human god moves in and starts this whole thing over again."

The more time Lucifer spent speaking with this side of Satan the more he wished it was Satan's default personality. If he hadn't had conversations like these with Satan in the past he wouldn't have believed the "Mad chimera" title.

- Saint and Kahvis -

Saint had already healed every injured soldier by the time she went up to Kahvis. She had been waiting for her opportunity to speak with them. She noticed them walking away from what seemed like the last group of soldiers and went up to them.

"How are you going to handle the Guild?" She asked.

Kahvis put their hand out. "Give me the echo. I'll pay whatever fine they have planned for me."

Saint pulled out her echo and called Eir. She explained to Eir that she was handing the echo over to the unknown.

"Is this the unknown leading the human resistance?" Eir asked.

"Yes, my name's Kahvis so you know," Kahvis answered.

"Well, Kahvis, you owe us quite a large sum of money for the damage you've done to our territory," Eir informed.

Kahvis looked up at Saint. "How much?"

After hearing the amount, Kahvis's eyes narrowed. They had expected an extreme amount but still couldn't bring themself to respond immediately.

Saint leaned over the echo. "How about you take half of what you owe me out of that?"

A deep sigh from Eir could be heard. "How much do you think we owe you?"

"I can ask Canta instead if you'd prefer?" Saint said.

Kahvis placed the echo behind their back and whispered to Saint. "What are you doing?"

"Consider it a favor," Saint smiled.

Kahvis put the echo between the two of them.

"Did you hear me?" Eir asked.

"Sorry, no, could you repeat it?" Saint asked.

Eir made another deep sigh. "Your terms have been accepted. Make sure to send your bill within at least a month."

"Will do," Saint responded.

Kahvis moved the echo closer to their side. "I'll have your payment ready when your next representative gets here."

"They'll be there in a few days," Eir said. "Don't leave," she ended the call.

Saint took the echo from Kahvis. "Give me your echo so I can imprint mine."

Kahvis gave their echo to Saint. As Saint went to imprint she noticed that Kahvis's echo was already imprinted on hers. It wasn't too unlikely that two echoes could already be imprinted on one another but she was still curious.

"Where did you get this from?" She asked.

"It used to belong to Ares," Kahvis told her.

Saint's expression shifted to melancholy. She handed the echo back to Kahvis.

"Never tell anyone else that," She warned them.

Kahvis put their echo away. "I didn't want to lie to you about it."

Saint pulled Kahvis closer and whispered. "I appreciate it but never. Tell. ANYONE, else that."