Chapter 19 - The preparations are complete

This revelation is something that shocks Kurayami to her very core. Astaroth and her father.. are brothers!? It's one thing that she only barely knew about her father during her life, but this changes things.

Her mother had told Kurayami that her father was a man of pride, one who would give his very life for those he wishes to protect.. and so he did. Astaroth reveals that Kurayami's father was called Lucifer, and that he was Astaroth's older brother.

Astaroth looked up to his older brother, and at one point, Lucifer had asked for permission to leave Hell and base himself on Earth alone, something to which Satan reluctantly agreed. He was reluctant because he knew that Lucifer's fate would end horribly in that realm, but if it made him happy, it was his choice.

Satan did not want to be correct, however, his fears were confirmed. Before the birth of Kurayami, Lucifer had tried to protect her mother from an evil that loomed around them, and in doing so, he was killed horribly. This death was so important that Satan wanted to break the divine law and interfere, though he kept himself in check and order Beelzebub to murder the ones who killed Lucifer.

He did not have the heart to ask that of Astaroth, due to the side effects that that'd cause, so they waited until Lucifer's murderers were out of the way so they can finally commence his funeral. Kurayami's mother was transported to Hell with great care, due to her pregnancy, and the funeral began.

God, Satan, Astaroth, Beelzebub, Michael, Kurayami's mother and everyone of the two realms attended Lucifer's funeral, as Lucifer was a man who would not hesitate to help anyone and everyone whom requested of his help, be it that they were demons, angels, Gods or humans, even.

Kurayami did not understand the intensity of those facts until Astaroth placed two of his fingers to Kurayami's forehead, giving her his memories of Lucifer, and how highly Lucifer had talked to his younger brother about his wife and unborn child.

Hell, he even said that he wanted Astaroth to train the child when it is of age, something to which Astaroth had taken great joy in, because his brother wanted to entrust him with such an important task, and Astaroth had agreed.

That promise was not able to be kept, however, as Kurayami's mom was murdered when Kurayami had become of age and Grace had taken her in, though Astaroth did not keep an eye on her after that incident, but Astaroth wants to keep his promise to his brother.

He tells Kurayami that she shall be training under him now. She'll be receiving special training from her uncle, as he is the one who understands her the most, and he shall help her awaken the power of her demonic heritage.

At that point, Kurayami agrees, but collapses, as the wounds on her body had increased for some reason, putting her through even more severe pain. Back in Heaven, Akio wakes up in a bed, with God and Satan sitting besides him.

They were very much surprised that Akio was even able to wake up, but they're even more surprised when they see that his wounds had been healed, as they couldn't do anything. Akio asks where they are, to which the two reply that they are in Heaven, and Akio is undergoing special treatment to undo the damages on his body. Unfortunately, his marks from Roland and the marks from when he injured himself remained, even with Akio's newly-acquired Phoenix magic.

Even so, they see that the Titanification has been undone, but Akio has retained its power, so it could be possible that if he trained, he'd reach the current power of God and Satan. That also reminds Akio that apparently, they couldn't do anything to him. Why is that?

Satan explains that the two deities have limiters put on them, and that only if a certain condition is fulfilled, will they be able to use their full power. This gives Akio the explanation that he needed, and now he asks where Durandal is, as he can't feel its presence.

The deities say that they do not know, and Akio tries calling out for it, though in the process, he activates his cursed form. Putting two and two together, Akio manages to make out the fact that he has most likely absorbed Durandal into his own body, giving him some amount of power, but Akio is now not worried about that.

He asks his most important question:

"Where is Kurayami?"

Akio had actually forgotten that Kurayami is alive and well, so now he's quite worried, and the two deities tell him that she's in good hands, though she had once again fallen unconscious. With this, Astaroth appears, saying that it should be wise to tell Akio the truth also, as he is Kurayami's fiancée.

Hearing that, Akio blushes, correcting Astaroth. He had not proposed to Kurayami, not yet. Astaroth laughs and apologizes for his mistake, though he notes that he's sure that the two are inseparable so still, he deserves to learn the truth.

Astaroth starts talking, and Akio finds out that Kurayami is, in actuality, a hybrid. This doesn't come as a surprise to him, as he had felt a weird magic presence on Kurayami quite some time ago, and now it feels more familiar.

Brushing it off, Akio now asks when the next training session is, and God, alongside Satan, reveals that they decided to take a different approach. They're abolishing the current system about the weak and strong teams, seeing as everyone has different strengths and whatnot.

Everyone will be trained under their personalized mentor in order to train in what they succeed the most in. Akio, however, will have two mentors, as he's the most important part. He will be trained.. by God and Satan and themselves. This amazes Akio, but he doesn't let it get to his head.

Soon after, their small discussion ends, and Astaroth goes to see his niece, alongside Akio. They enter Kurayami's room, and she's ecstatic to see both Astaroth, her uncle, and Akio, her lover. Akio is also happy to see that she's alright, but Astaroth now decides to act like an uncle for a bit, based on his information on the mortal realm.

This goes on for a while, until Kurayami is ready to go, and everyone leaves, except Akio, who is once again stopped by God and Satan. They only want to inform him of something, which they discussed and decided that he should know.

As Akio knows, they're prohibited to fight due to the divine law, but nothing's stopping them from helping mortals. With this, they reveal that Akio will be receiving their power when the time comes to fight against The Dark Wizard.

Akio knows the gravity of this request, and he agrees, saying that he shan't let them down. The two deities smile and say that they're proud that Akio is on their side, telling him that his training will begin tomorrow, even.

With this, Akio leaves to get back with his friends, as God and Satan stay back, now starting to talk in a very serious manner. Satan asks God if they're sure that Akio is the one, and God confirms. Akio will be the one to end all evil, be that the evil is The Dark Wizard, Hades, or they.

God then confirms it: Akio is not a mortal. At least, his true self isn't. For now, they must cultivate his power and help him succeed against The Dark Wizard, as there is nothing they can do if they fall to him.

Be it for themselves, the mortals, or Akio, The Dark Wizard must die. But, beyond that, Hades must die too, for he is an entity far too dangerous. This has the two thinking. Is Akio.. a Titan? No, that can't be it. The Titans were eradicated millennia ago. Could he be.. a god beyond the Olympian Gods? A Chaos God?

No, that's impossible. The Chaos Goddess is the only person known to be of that race, there shouldn't be anyone else like her. Now, they stop discussing about Akio, and start talking about what to expect of The Dark Wizard.

He is most likely having his soldiers train rigorously, so they must do the same, but the most worrying part is he, Gawain.. Behind them, a bright orange light appears, telling them that Akio will be able to handle it.

Turning around, God and Satan are equally surprised. This is..!