Who to trust?

Upon reaching the door beside the large window as he was told, Carlos entered his room with a tired look on his face. His migraine returned, making him feel a little dizzy and no longer wanting to move around. He sighs. His journey has just started, but he's already fully drained. In just a few days, he already faces problems left and right. He wants to call Ami, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He wants the leader to know that he finally has a way to find the Red Courtyard, yet it was acquired through a deal that brings him his demise. "What am I doing?" He says to himself, burying his body on the warm bed sheets. "This is not how it's supposed to happen. How did it come to this?" He gently held his head with both his heads, soothing the aching pain with his fingers. "The Cardinal Manors, the Asperities, the Red Courtyard, Lucius. How am I supposed to deal with all of them at once?"

Falling deep into his crisis along with the unbearable headache, he tries to close his eyes. He was about to fall asleep, yet the sound of the voices right outside the door flicked away his drowse. 

"The Superior Leader's been busier than ever since the prince came. Don't you think?" A young woman seemed to be gossiping with her co-worker. Hearing names he had long known, Carlos started to listen carefully to the conversation.

"Of course they would be, the Asperities are running out of their dens to find the prince." The companion then replied. "Earlier, I've heard that the devil commanders, Rohesia, Eoforwine and Greysen have all been executed! Yesterday I think it was... " 

"It was Xiruk. The one with the axe weapon."

"Yeah, yeah! He was a real dick and I am so glad he got wiped out off the face of the earth." Both of the girls laughed as if it sounded amusing, but to Carlos, it was horrifying. After filling the halls with the sound of their laughter, their voices slowly distanced away. The silence took over.

The prince couldn't believe what he had just heard. First, it was Lorelei, and now, another has been executed. "Rohesia... was killed?"

Disturbed and rage-filled, the highest ranking Asperities gathered together to seek assurance. It was another day in the Red Courtyard wallowing in fear. Four Asperities stood before Lucius, who was glaring at them with superiority, unlike his fellows, who were all disturbed by their predicament.

"167." Vorax anxiously muttered to his subordinates. "The Asperity palace only has 167 members left."

"51 were confirmed killed by one entity. The Superior Leader." A large brute with his arms crossed, Ire, followed Vorax. "Lucius, we need to do something about this."

"They all hoped of ruling a kingdom, now they're all dead." Vorax started to panick , his eyes were widened and his fingers were twitching. "Damn it, we're losing our members. Envy and Triumvirate Fiend are still missing, and we still haven't retrieved the prince." He was about to be grappled by insanity. 

"We're losing, aren't we?" A young devilman as anxious as Vorax, Avarice, accidentally uttered such words. When it reached Lucius' ears, he turned to him with a cold, violent gaze. "You dare say we're losing?" he spoke threateningly.

Avarice stuttered and struggle to face Lucius. "I... it was just a doubt... sir Lucius." 

Lucius laggardly climbed down the stairs, not once looking away from Avarice. He stood before his dithery subordinate. "I understand, but if you speak of it again, I'll have your tongue ripped off your mouth."

"Y...yes, sir." Avarice replied with his head lowered, refusing to look up to Lucius.

The cold, dimly lit, almost empty throne hall was swallowing them alive. Lucius on the other hand, was unbothered by the uneasiness. He faced his fellow Asperities with an egoistic expression plastered all over his countenance, obviously unaffected by the fact that the Asperity Palace is crumbling down. "Losing members is necessary." He asserted. "After all, I do not want to lead weaklings in our battle against the Cardinal Manors. I have my experiments who does the jobs more efficiently."

Ire didn't agree with him. "Lucius, we're still at risk if we're losing our manpower. We're outnumbered!" He yelled at Lucius.

"Tsk." Lucius scowled. "I do not need members who are easily frightened by thunder. They deserve to die if they're too weak for war."

Vorax agreed with Ire, he couldn't understand Lucius' intentions despite being his ally. However, with his fear driving him insane, all he could think of now is how he'll escape the deadly fate that either the Queen, or the Superior Leader will bestow upon them. "Then how are we going to tell the Queen once she returns that she lost almost all of her troops?" He questions Lucius.

"Seriously, you all still think Anarchy's still alive?" Unexpectedly, the most silent Asperity spoke up. 

"...Sloth, what are you saying?" Avarice held his arm and shook him. "Answer me, goddammit!"

"The Queen is dead." Lucius silenced Avarice. "She died a long time ago."

His words strangled the throats of his allies, ridding them of their breaths. All, except Sloth, had their jaws dropped down the floor. Their writhing eyes stared at Lucius with grief and outrage. Brimming with Wrath, Ire held on to his greatsword's handle and unsheathed it.

"What the hell? Why didn't you tell us? And what the hell was the message you said she sent in the last gathering?" Vorax vociferated.

Aggravated, the left corner of Lucius' lips was lifted up his eye while brows crossed. He flashes his fangs towards them. "How else would I urge the weaklings to go off and die?"

"LUCIUS!" Ire pointed his weapon at Lucius. "You better have a proper explanation for this or I'll cut off your head."

Lucius was unmoved and simply swayed his hand, dragging Ire's greatsword to the side, crashing it unto the wall. A group of dark, faceless serpent beings then swarmed around the three devils, strangling their struggling bodies and carrying them closer to Lucius. "Vorax, Avarice, Ire, you will not speak of this to the others. Do you understand?" They try to break free, refusing to look at Lucius. Angered, the serpents constricted as they enwind their bodies around the three. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Lucius continued to threaten them.

"You will never replace the Queen!" Avarice outbraved Lucius, even with his limbs drudging to get itself out of the serpents' grip.

"The Queen isn't coming back." says Lucius as he waved his hand downward. The serpent plunged down the floor, dropping their hostages. For a brief moment, they disappeared, but then they returned, tying the demons' legs to keep them kneeling. Their hands were bound as well, partially immobilizing them. Incapacitated, they grit their teeth and could only look at Lucius apoplectically. 

"Now that Anarchy's gone, you have no one else to bow or kneel down to but me." Lucius' eyes scintillated red, staring down his subordinates who he turned into his subjects. "The crown is mine now."