Chapter 3

⟨Later that Day⟩

»Third Omniscient POV«

"You what???" Daisuke questioned Akuma, the news making Kaori.

"I threw the match and made a bet risking my life." Akuma repeats.

Xenon scoffs. "That bastard used an illusion on me. How dare he? Fucking coward. I'm going to rip him limb from limb when I get my hands on him. Not only that but I'm going to drive my lance directly through his spine and rip it out of his back. Then, I'm going to spit on his remains, sending the rest of his garbage body to hell where he belongs, actually? No, hell is a paradise compared to where I'll send him."

Lucy gave a disturbed expression in his direction, surprised someone of such brutality was fighting alongside them, the others merely mostly unmoved by it though. "He uses illusions since that is his specialty." Akuma begins to elaborate. "He mentally wears down his victims so the kill is easy." He looks at everyone. "If the opponent recognizes you, deny it. It's an illusion, it doesn't benefit Axel if they remember you." Akuma warned them, which made them think about the possible lies they'll be fed by said illusion just to die from their loved ones.

"But why would you make a bet so risky?? If we lose you, what are we going to do??" Kaori asks. "No other entity is going to let us retrieve our loved ones!"

"And no one else is generous enough to help us either!" Trevor chimed.

"It's because it throws Axel off. If I make a bet to risk my life, he's going to think I'm dumb, and his egotistical side won't let him lose." He makes a motion to his MVP pawns: Xenon, Sol, and Nyx. "He doesn't know I have you 3, he's going into this bet blind."

"Well…what's our next fight going to be then? Do you have any information on them? It would help quite a bit with preparation." Daisuke requested.

"The Scissor Torturer," Akuma began. "She was called that before she disappeared to the Earth Realm- human genocide is her favorite thing, so we'll be expecting her. Her pawns will probably have an affinity for knives, so prepare for that." This earns a small nod from the small group of fighters." Afterwards, we'll be fighting someone who's kinda my niece. She has a lot of promising pawns. We might be lucky enough to get more than one." Akuma says confidently. "Anyway, relax. It's going to be a long night." Akuma says before leaning on Shadow and closing his eyes, quickly falling asleep. Nyx immediately starts doing push ups again and Xenon heads to check on his children.

"Do you think mom is okay?..." Kira asks, concerned with filling her tone. Xenon didn't want to overwhelm his innocent kids, previously he informed them someone took their mother. He knew they'd overlook any lie, and any further details would crush them.

"Of course she's okay! Mom is...mom is awesome! Dad will bring her back, I promise!" Zeon replies, trying to sound confident to reassure his little sister but in reality, he is just as scared and unsure as her.

"Y..yeah...Yeah! Dad and Mom are a power team! They won't stay separated for much longer...aha.." Kira tried to motivate herself to hammer in that idea. The kids couldn't help but miss her. Kaya usually had time for them every day, even when she was working on college assignments. The kids are honestly not used to going days, even weeks without her supervision. It felt like something important was missing.

Xenon slowly approaches the room after overhearing his children's conversation. He knocked on the door frame, alerting his children of his presence. "Hey kiddos, dad's back."

"Dad!" Kira looked at the door with hopeful eyes, Zeon didn't even get to open it since she ran over and unlocked it without a second thought. Opening the door, she hugs her father tight. "I missed you so much!" She sounded so worried and broken, Zeon quickly joined in on the hug.

"I was trying to comfort Kira that you'd be okay-..since- you and mom are the coolest ever! And-..she's with you… right?" Zeon asks, he didn't sound like he believed himself.

Xenon pulled them into a hug, kissing the both on the forehead. "No.. Mama's still out there but this is the last time I'll be going back out there. The next time you see Daddy, Mommy is gonna be right behind him. But hey? I saw her and guess what? She's perfectly fine. We're gonna battle together to beat the evil guy who took her away from us."

Kira gripped his leg, looking mentally broken at his answer. "Why isn't she with us??" She asks, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why did they take mama?! Why won't they give her back!? I want her back! I want her back!! Give her back!!!" She released her father, having a breakdown and stomping her feet before wailing loudly. "MAMA!!" This surprised Zeon, who quickly moved next to her to embrace her.

"Kira s-s..top…Mom is going to come back, she is..s-..so why are you crying..?" The son gulped thickly, trying and failing to hold back his tears. He wanted to be tough for his sister like Kaya had always taught him to be, but he couldn't help it. Zeon wrapped his arms around his sister, bringing her head under his and he looked at his father. "Right d-dad..?"

Xenon wanted to be strong for his kids but he knew even if he lied they could see right through him. He wrapped his arms around the two of them tightly, he cried with them in fact. "Listen… Daddy is hurting… he's hurting so much, I am so sorry. If I were stronger I could've prevented this but I couldn't… That man is stronger than daddy as of now but once I head in this time I'm going to beat him."

The kids looked at him through teary eyes as he spoke. "The truth is I lost, he used Mommy against me and she's the only leverage he has against me. But listen to me… I'm going to save her, that I promise. The last time I leave is the last time I'll have to return because your mother and us all will be reunited.. I promise." Xenon shrieks, his vocal cords deep and enraged piercing the ears of anyone in the vicinity, he cries with his children making a moral promise to them.

⟨The Next Day⟩

Akuma slithers into a tailor shop, one that was surprisingly untouched by all the disasters around it. It was almost like a sore thumb. The city is destroyed, buildings fallen over and fire everywhere, and yet this tailor didn't even have a scratch of paint. He ignores the abnormality and enters the tailor shop, noticing a very obvious battlefield in the middle of the lounge. He slithers over, seeing a small girl snipping something with scissors. "Hmm~" he heard her hum. "Oh, there you are. Don't you know it's rude to make a woman wait?" She turns around to face Akuma after, a soft smile on her face. Akuma looked at what she was holding, it was a shirt made of human flesh. "But you're lucky I don't mind, I'm feeling generous recently~"

Entering the lounge, she puts the shirt on a mannequin with the rest of the clothes, then she stands on the other side of the table. She holds her cards over the battlefield, her eyes reading the details on his face. "Well Celestial, I see you still go by the Scissor Torturer." Akuma comments, doing the same.

"Oh~? Do you know me? Why, I'm flattered. I didn't know I was so popular." The heart demon teased before looking more intently at Akuma's face. "Wait, you look familiar…You're a sin, aren't you?" She tilts her head, her tail swaying.

"Just Akuma works." He replies while their decks leave their hands and shuffle separately before returning to the appropriate sides of the battlefield, laying out two cards in the dueler's hands and placing their five pawns upright in front of them. The rest of the deck is put to the side. The duelers look at the scale. As per Akuma's luck, he's going first again.

"I summon Nyx." He places the card down, the black haired woman emerging from it. "End," Akuma said rather quickly. Is he confident or did he just have no cards for her?

"I summon Azura." Celestial replied, placing down a card and a woman emerged from it. She's a lot more petite then Nyx is, having short blue hair and a worker's uniform. It's a shocker Celestial put them up against one another.

(Picture of Azura)

"Again?..." Azura mutters to herself as she's summoned, it's like she can't be bothered to be here. Exhaling through her nose, she gets in a stance. "Very well. Good evening to you ma'am." She accompanies her greeting with a bow. "You better give it all you got." She warns.

"Eh, Kay." Nyx gave a small shrug, not bothered by Azura's overly formal greeting.

"And I summon assassin daggers," Placing down another card, two daggers emerge and Azura picks them up, wielding them in a way that screams her experience. "Now, let's have some fun and tear her apart~" Celestial says in a husky, malicious tone to her pawn.

Azura raises her hands, throwing the daggers so fast toward Nyx's direction that the normal human eye would've missed that blur. But Nyx's eyes caught it, and her brain processed. They're aiming for your vitals, she thinks as her footing changes. Smoke summons and solidifies itself over the inferred locations of Azura's aim, causing her daggers to bounce off. This surprised Azura. Most of Nyx's body is covered in black clothes, so to Azura, Nyx's body just blocked it off.

"How the…?" Azura looked shocked, but then her gaze sharpens. She usually doesn't act serious but this situation demands nothing less, somehow her vitals are being protected, and Azura needs to find a loophole. Nyx repockets her hands. "Done? My turn." Nyx's foot digs into the ground before she launches her body in Azura's direction, while mid air she slams her foot down toward Azura's head, she raises her arms and blocks the impact. She winced immediately. "Ah-!"

Nyx is much stronger than Azura initially assumed, and moreso, it didn't seem like Nyx was trying- after all her hands are in her pockets. Azura felt disrespected over all, she went to grab Nyx's ankle but she swiftly turned her body, her foot meeting the side of Azura's face before landing. "Khh-!" Azura felt spit fly out of her mouth, and she looked up to Nyx swinging another kick, aiming up to her head. Azura ducked, reaching up and squeezing a pressure point in Nyx's ankle.

Nyx felt pain and numbness, giving Azura the opportunity to pull and hopefully throw Nyx onto her side, but Azura couldn't lift Nyx. It shocked her how much she tugged on what felt to be only muscle. Azura has picked up grown men before, and somehow Nyx's weight surpasses that..? Nyx yanks her ankle out of her grasps, stumbling some before rolling her foot around on the ground.

"What are you?" Azura asks, giving a very intent expression at Nyx. She thought only humans were allowed in the game?

"I'm not like you." Nyx replied, she jumped to the side and moved behind Azura. It's like she's light on her feet. Azura couldn't believe Nyx moved so fast, she swiftly turned around, a crack heard as Nyx's foot meets her chin, followed by a spin kick to the head that threw Azura's body. Nyx walks after her, Azura doesn't get up. "You learned to fight, I was made for it." She places a foot on Azura's stomach, raising it to stomp on it. Azura gasped hard as blood came from her mouth- Nyx's foot went through her body entirely.

"So, die." Nyx raises her opposing foot, raising it to stomp on Azura's face. In an instant, Azura grabs one of the daggers beside her and she stabs it into Nyx's foot, trying to dig the knife into her skin but she just hears soft clanks as if the knife was meeting metal. Nyx twists her ankle, kicking the knife from Azura's hand. Looking up, she sees something shocking. Something black on the bottom of her foot, slowly dissipating after protecting Nyx from the stab. After that, Azura's world went dark as Nyx stomped her head in.

"Oh my~ what a sinful one you have." Celestial smirks at Akuma, Azura returns to the card and Celestial adds it to the graveyard pile.

"What's your motive?" Akuma asked curiously as he drew a card.

"Hm~? Little ol' me? Well…" Celestial rested her head in her hands. "To see mankind suffer." She whispers, a shadow falling over her face.

Akuma said nothing, he just looked at her then the card he drew. He places down Xenon's card. "I summon Xenon and his lance." He places down the weapon card after, both of them emerging in a flashy fashion. "End,"

"Carlos, Julian, make it a beautiful blood show, won't you?" Celestial placed down two cards, a man and woman emerging. "And I summon an axe and rapier," She places two cards down, they glowed and weapons came out. Carlos gripped onto the axe, and Julian wielded the rapier with an exotic pose. She side eyes the balance scale before speaking. "Now make it rain red~"

"So which one do you want?" Nyx stretches as she speaks to Xenon casually, Carlos and Julian drawing near to make their attack.

"Akuma, redraw Nyx's card or keep her out of my way. I've got some emotions to let loose and I'll need more than one person to let it out." Xenon spoke, Nyx shrugs and steps back, watching as Xenon's body flickers and ends up beside Julian. He figured they'd be the more annoying one so he kneed their shoulder blade into their chest.

"This what you want, sadistic bitch?" Xenon's eyes pierce Celestials as he spin kicks the rapier user in their throat.

"Ooo~" Celestial smirks widely at Xenon, clearly pleased by him. "You carry so much sin and rage, don't you? I wonder why~" It's almost as if Celestial could read his mind. She raises the remaining 2 pawn cards she has. "Kill all of my pawns in a sadistic fashion, and I'll make it worth your time~" She winks. Akuma wondered what she'd give..?

Xenon grips the hilt of his lance staring at the bitch directly in the eyes. "Stand in my way and I'll kill you." Once again Xenon is met with the rapier wielder, he grabs them by the collar, running toward the axe wielder and he jousts his lance through her so that it'd reach him. After they are both impaled by his lance Xenon throws it upward spiraling in the air. He pulled the chain downwards forcing their bodies to collide with the solid ground. Not to mention they went twice the speed coming down as they went up.

"Beautiful~!" Celestial exclaims. "End your turn," She orders Akuma, who was in the midst of drawing a card. Why was Celestial so excited he wondered..? Regardless, he obliges since it seemed like she was forfeiting.

"End."

"My, thank you. You have such manners." Celestial winked. It got no response from Akuma, probably since he knows it's just a coy to murder him. "Now, you're doing such a good job boy~" her finger taps Xenon's head. Since he's so small, it was equivalent to a head pat. "Just two more to go, and you can have more than just one card of mine that will help you on your little…revenge quest." She giggles, placing down two pawns. "I summon…victims." She tilts her head, two men coming from the card and looking at the battlefield, feeling quick intimidation. Nyx perks some, assuming that just means that they're people who are only for dying, nothing less and nothing more.

"Make it a bloody performance, remember what's on the line~" She winked at Xenon, it's hard to tell if it's motivation or manipulation, but she sounds truthful, in her own dark and twisted way. Her eyes land on Akuma. "You there,"

"Hm?" Akuma raised his head.

"While they fight, why don't you and I have a little chat? I want to make sure that sinful soul gets exactly what he wants." Akuma gives a small nod since the pawns are unable to leave the battlefield anyway. Celestial looks at Xenon. "While I'm gone, make sure I can see that rage turned into murderous passion~ Now I'll be back." She gives a small wave, her and Akuma heading off to the Staff Only area so the pawns can't hear them.

Xenon scoffs at the thought of her thinking that cards like these would work against him. She heard agonizing screams as she and Akuma both walked away indicating they were already executed. "Turn your back on me when I'm talking and you're next." He shouts from the board in Celestials direction, his body having blood splattered on it. "Tch…-"

"Don't talk like that to a lady!" Celestial's voice is heard followed by the sound of a door, she's left the room temporarily.

"Your wife is gone, right?" Nyx inquires, raising a brow and tilting her head.

Xenon turned his head, staring at Nyx. "She is and I'm willing to do anything to get her back. Why do you ask?"

"Ehh, I guess I don't get it? I heard everything that happened with you and your kids." Nyx says, referencing last night. "And I've never seen someone cry like that." Nyx thinks back, realizing she's not used to crying. Not only does she not do it herself, but she doesn't witness it either.

Xenon turned his head to stare in Nyx's direction. "That wasn't what I call crying. That was sheer pain, you'll never understand until you have a family. Once you start a family and gain someone significant in your life, especially one that gives you purpose… when you lose that it's like the candle to your flame is blown out in a dark room."

"A purpose?" Nyx seemed fixated on that. The person he's saving is his wife, and the person Nyx is saving is just a friend. Nyx is saving her since it's something to do, but in reality did it really phase her? Watching people mourn so often over ones they inevitably have to kill reminded Nyx that she'll never attain that feeling. "I guess that's true, I haven't figured out mine yet." She admits.

Xenon stared Nyx deep in her eyes, he gritted his teeth… "Your eyes, I can tell they're like mine… You're a survivor huh? Well tell me. How does it make you feel when someone is about to take your life. You're overcome with fear right? Well in a sense what I'm feeling is like that. But it's much STRONGER… than fear, it's condensed so heavily to the point where you're willing to do anything."

"If people make you feel something that awful, why do you have people to care about?" Nyx couldn't imagine that condensed emotion of panic, stress, and confusion, bundled together and immensely strong. To her it was questionable if it was worth such backlash.

"Answer this. Why do you still try to survive? What makes you want to live huh..? You said it yourself you don't know your purpose and yet you desperately cling to life isn't that right? Well…? That's because you desire life, I desire my family's protection. Some things are worth risking everything, just like you have risked everything to survive up until this point.

Nyx quietly stared at him, when he worded it like that it made sense but it only made Nyx feel more empty. She wondered..? The door is heard and she tosses her thoughts aside. Celestial and Akuma returned from their talk. Leaning over the table, an intrigued look is painted on her face. "Ooo~ How lovely, I really feel the hatred you have toward that Sin of Greed, as promised I'll give you a very generous reward. I'm so nice, aren't I~?" She lifts up her deck, pulling out 3 cards. "These bad boys will aid you in beating his deck. Take a peek~"