Magdaran floated within the Dimensional Gap inside a bubble like temporary dimension he just created, holding Scáthach's body in his arms.
The dimensional gap was not a place to exist without a proper barrier, sure, he could live there without any danger, but it was still unpleasant, and Scathach's body could have been harmed.
Her form was perfectly still, her expression serene, frozen in the final moment of a warrior who had accepted death without regret. No breath moved her chest. No pulse beat beneath her skin. Whatever had once bound her to existence had already been severed.
He did not rush.
He looked at her face one last time.
Scáthach Skadi... The Godslayer. The Warrior Queen.
She had died a warrior's death, he had fulfilled his promise, and went even beyond that. Killing her was hurtful... even as he knew that she would be back to him, doing so caused a strange sensation inside of him...
Was it guilt? Sadness? Agony?
He could not be sure, but he knew that this feeling was something he did not like, something he would never want to experience again.
As he felt her body, he swore to himself that he would never hurt her again.
And now, he would bring her back.
Magdaran extended his right hand.
Space rippled and a chess piece manifested above his palm.
A Queen piece.
But it was wrong.
Its surface was darker than obsidian, veins of violet energy pulsing beneath the crystal like a living thing. The aura it emitted was heavy, sovereign, warped. This was not a standard Evil Piece bound by the old system.
It was a mutated Queen piece.
A piece capable of reincarnating almost any being. The performance of the evil piece depended heavily on the strength of the King.
The higher the strength of the king, the higher the potency of the evil piece. A weak devil might need a lot more pieces to reincarnate someone of the same strength a strong devil can reincarnate at just one.
And me, A super devil, could probably reincarnate anyone with just a single piece, I mean, the regular type, not beings in top 100.
For beings like Scathach here, a mutated queen piece would do just fine.
He lowered his hand toward her chest.
"There is no undoing what you chose, this should give you a new purpose." he said quietly, even though she could not hear him. "You died as you wished. This is not just resurrection."
The piece hovered just above her heart.
"This is rebirth... A new life, with a new purpose."
He pressed it forward.
The Queen piece sank into her chest without resistance, dissolving into light the instant it made contact. Power erupted outward in a silent shockwave, rippling through the pocket dimension as the reincarnation system activated.
Scáthach's body arched sharply.
Her fingers twitched.
Then her chest rose in a sudden, violent gasp.
Air rushed into her lungs as if she had been drowning, her back arching as demonic energy flooded her system. Her heart slammed back into motion, strong and unmistakable.
Her eyes flew open.
Crimson burned anew.
She inhaled again, choking slightly as sensation crashed into her all at once. Heat. Weight. Existence. Her body trembled, fingers curling instinctively as she tried to orient herself.
She was alive.
Magdaran smiled.
Before she could even speak, he leaned down and kissed her.
It was an instinctive reaction, immediate and certain.
Scáthach stiffened in shock for a split second.
Then he broke the kiss, as he stared at her eyes.
Her eyes were wide, full of surprise.
"…I'm alive," she whispered.
Her voice was hoarse. Uncertain.
She pulled one hand up, pressing it against her chest, feeling the unmistakable rhythm beneath her palm.
A heartbeat.
"I died," she said, slower now. "I felt myself disappear."
"You did," Magdaran replied calmly.
She looked at him sharply.
"Then why am I breathing?"
He raised his hand slightly, letting residual energy from the Evil Piece flicker faintly in the air.
"Because I reincarnated you."
Her eyes widened.
"With… Evil Pieces?" she asked, disbelief creeping into her tone. "That shouldn't be possible. I was a goddess..."
"It normally isn't," he agreed. "But I am not normal."
She stared at him, searching his face for exaggeration, madness, deception.
She found none.
"…Explain," she demanded.
"Well," he said casually, "I am a Super Devil... And the Queen piece I used was mutated."
She blinked.
"Mutated?"
"Yes. Evil Pieces scale heavily with the King. A powerful King can reincarnate far stronger beings using the same number of pieces. The system was never truly rigid, just… underutilized.
And, when the evil pieces are bestowed to a devil, some pieces tend to mutate, these pieces carry far greater potential than their normal counterparts, these pieces can reincarnate beings above the paygrade of a normal piece.
And the piece I used, was the mutated Queen piece, the strongest possible evil piece."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Scáthach laughed.
Not softly.
Not weakly.
A sharp, disbelieving laugh that echoed through the pocket dimension.
"I died properly," she said incredulously. "I finally died… and you dragged me back anyway... I now finally understand what you meant with that question..."
"You agreed to be mine," Magdaran replied. "I never said I would let you stay dead."
She looked down at herself again, flexing her fingers, feeling demonic energy circulating where divine power once had.
"…So I'm a devil now."
"Yes."
She exhaled slowly.
"…I don't hate it."
That made him chuckle.
She looked back at him, eyes sharper now, more focused.
"And this means," she said carefully, "I am part of your peerage."
"Yes."
"As your Queen."
"Yes. My Queen."
She studied him for a long moment.
Then raised an eyebrow. "I was already a Queen." she smirked playfully.
"Now you are mine."
Her lips curved.
"…I do not dislike how that sounds."
"I would take it that you have accepted my proposal." I chuckled.
Then she nodded once.
He raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"I was already prepared to give you my body and soul," she replied dryly. "Becoming your Queen instead of staying dead seems like an improvement."
She paused, then smirked.
"Besides… I would very much like to see what kind of chaos a devil like you intends to cause. And being with you is fun."
Magdaran laughed quietly.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She stepped closer, placing a hand against his chest, feeling the sheer density of power beneath his skin.
"…You really are dangerous," she murmured. "And infuriating."
"And you're alive," he replied. "You can yell at me about it later."
She snorted.
Then leaned up and kissed him again.
As they separated, she started to vow in with a soft voice,
"You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself.But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.You cannot command me, for I am a free person.But I shall serve you in those ways you require,and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand."
"I love you... my Queen." He chuckled and kissed her once again.
"That's an old vow, I was rather surprised you would bring that up." Scathach said as the two cuddled softly.
"It sounds nice..." Magdaran replied.
"Maybe... but it does properly convey what I want to convey, and it does not represent my heart.
Since we are partners now, then I shall state my vow,
You are blood of my blood,and bone of my bone.I give you my body,that we two may be one.I give you my spirit,till our life shall be done."
Scathach's words made a gentle smile on Magdaran's face, almost instinctively, he hugged her a bit harder.
As the couple were focused on each other.
The universe had gone chaotic, it had been so for a few days.
It could not not notice.
A super devil strong enough to be counted amongst the list of most powerful beings in existence had been slain.
For everyone who disliked the devils, this would have been good new, but the fact was that the one to slay him had been another devil, which meant that an even more powerful devil had risen.
This battle, although happening in a dimension in the Dimensional gap, leaked enough energy to be felt by a multitude of powerful beings, specially the utter destruction of a dimension.
-Dimensional Gap-
-Great red-
"A new Super Devil? And one which can use conceptual powers..." Great red muttered slightly.
He was the defender of the World, preventing beings from the outside to enter this world.
"He killed Rizevim, that madman...
Hmm, I guess I would have to thank him for that, this would delay those ExE beings from invading, maybe for centuries." He noted.
"Well, He seems rather busy, I guess I will meet him later, he has done more good for the world than most of the gods combined, he should get a proper reward for that." He decided and continued to float through the Dimensional Gap.
-Ophis-
In the endless void where nothing existed except infinity itself, two eyes opened.
Black eyes akin to obsidian.
Ophis tilted her head slightly. Her form was that of a young girl, about 10 years old, yet she was one of the strongest beings in existence.
"…Gone?"
She felt it clearly. A presence she had vaguely been aware of. A distortion wrapped in madness and ambition.
Erased.
Not sealed.
Not suppressed.
Gone.
"…Strange," she murmured.
Ophis' gaze shifted, focusing not on what had vanished, but on what had caused it.
"…Destruction," she said softly.
Not the familiar crimson she knew devils had.
Something deeper.
"He broke. Like the one he killed."
She smiled faintly.
"…Interesting."
Rizevim was a weakling to her, but he was part of her organization, The Khaos Brigade.
She did not care about them, but they still had to help her fight Great Red, so that she can attain her silence once again.
"He is stronger... He will do better." And with a small nod, she decided to not pursue of the matter of death of Rizevim, the one who had killed him was far stronger and younger than him.
She would much rather visit him and recruit him, than think about Rizevim.
With a nod, she decided to contact him later, closing her eyes once again.
-The Underworld Lucifer's Castle-
-Sirzechs Lucifer-
Sirzechs' hand froze mid-motion.
The chess piece he had been idly turning between his fingers cracked.
His smile faded instantly.
Ajuka looked up from his work, eyes narrowing. "You felt that too."
"Yes," Sirzechs replied quietly.
He stood.
The room felt heavier, as if gravity itself had increased slightly.
"That wasn't just spatial collapse," Ajuka continued. "That was conceptual erasure. Clean. Absolute."
Sirzechs closed his eyes briefly.
"…Rizevim."
Ajuka's fingers tightened. "You think this is related?"
"I know it is."
Sirzechs opened his eyes again, crimson irises sharp.
"And the other presence… that one is new."
Ajuka hesitated. "New?"
Sirzechs nodded slowly.
"…No. Not new."
He exhaled.
"Someone broke his limits... I can feel the demonic nature of the energy."
Silence stretched between them.
Ajuka spoke first. "If Rizevim is truly gone…"
"Then someone killed him."
"And if someone killed him," Ajuka continued carefully, "then that someone is now a Super Devil. And that power, that was rather similar to you... albeit, more dangerous, conceptual type."
Sirzechs' expression hardened.
"…Magdaran."
Ajuka turned sharply. "Bael?"
"Yes."
Ajuka went silent.
After several seconds, he spoke again, voice measured. "That explains the distortion. His destruction… it was always slightly abnormal."
Sirzechs clenched his fist.
"…Although he is my brother in law... him becoming a super devil changes a lot of things..."
Ajuka nodded, "True... The Great King faction is going to jump around more."
Sirzechs sighed, "I can only hope that he is more sensible... Rias loves him quite a bit, I do not hope to fight him..."
"True... But did you feel that power of Destruction? Even if you fight, your chances of victory are rather slim." Ajuka retorted.
"...We can't be sure about that, I still have my true form." Sirzechs rolled his eyes as he countered.
-Asgard-
The Allfather
Odin
Odin's ravens scattered violently, feathers dissolving into runic light as the disturbance reached Valhalla.
The old god slammed his spear into the ground.
"…Tch."
His single eye narrowed.
A Valkyrie approached cautiously. "Allfather?"
"Another dimension just ceased to exist, by that same being who killed that crazy bastard Rizevim a few days ago..." Odin said flatly. "And not one of the fragile ones."
He turned toward the World Tree.
"Tír na Scáth…"
His expression darkened.
"…That land should not be so easily erased."
A pause.
Then realization.
Odin exhaled sharply.
"So the Witch finally died."
He straightened.
"…No."
His eye widened slightly.
"And lived."
A slow, knowing grin spread across his face.
"…So that boy did it. It seems I have to send for negotiation to the devils... They have become... rather dangerous."
-Mount Kailash-
Shiva opened his eyes.
That alone caused everything to tremble.
"…Ah."
He laughed softly, deep and resonant.
"That feeling…"
The air around him shimmered, destruction and creation cycling endlessly.
"…That was not mine."
Parvati glanced at him. "But similar."
"Yes," Shiva agreed. "Very similar."
He leaned forward slightly, intrigued.
"A devil who learned what destruction really means. How interesting, I really want to meet him."
He smiled, amused.
"He erased something bound by eternity."
A low chuckle escaped him.
"…Dangerous."
Then, after a moment:
"…I like him."
Parvati looked at him with interest, "You want to fight him?"
"Fight? Why fight? That young child has awakened power similar to mine... I want to adopt him instead, at least become friends with him.
Maybe I can teach him how to use his powers better." Shiva chuckled.
"But he's a devil... They are generally evil in nature." Parvati said with a frown,
Shiva did not reply, instead just looked at her with a smile.
"Right... I forgot, you don't care about that. Still, I am already salty about the fact that you brought all sorts of Asuras, Rakshasas and Ghosts with you as guests in our wedding...
If you adopt him, that would mean a devil would become my son... Sigh... well, I guess if you want him as your son, I can care for him as my own." Parvati sighed, she knew her husband, even with all the powers he had, he was not the scary God of Destruction everyone imagined.
Though, he sometimes acted stupidly, granting unrealistic wishes to Asuras which led to them causing chaos everywhere, he did not actually love chaos and destruction.
And that devil was really interesting, for someone that young to be so powerful... was very strange.
-Dev loka-
Indra
Lightning cracked violently as Indra rose from his seat.
"That presence!"
His weapon vibrated violently, reacting to the disturbance.
"…A Super Devil?"
He gritted his teeth.
"No. Something worse."
A subordinate spoke nervously. "Lord Indra, what should we-"
"Nothing," Indra snapped.
He exhaled sharply.
"…If Shiva noticed him, then this is not our concern."
He turned away.
"But keep watching. That power he just released was uncannily similar to Shiva..."
"Similar to Lord Shiva? Wouldn't it be dangerous for such a being to appear, my lord?" Varuna, one of the major gods in Indra's court asked.
"Maybe... I will test him myself later. Gather news about him, once he is near, I shall test him myself." Indra commanded.
-The Underworld-
Hades frowned.
That alone unsettled the spirits around him.
"…multiple souls disappeared," he muttered.
Not passed on.
Not judged.
Erased.
He tapped his staff once.
"That devil is troublesome..."
But there was no anger.
Only caution.
"…Still," he admitted quietly, "it is impressive."
-Back to the Dimensional Gap-
Scáthach felt it now.
The ripple.
The attention.
"…They're watching," she said calmly.
"Yes," Magdaran replied. "They always do after something like this."
She smiled faintly.
"Good."
She looked at him, crimson eyes sharp.
"Let them."
She stepped closer, standing beside him as the pocket dimension drifted peacefully through the Gap.
Magdaran nodded once, then chuckled, and stepped towards her, giving her a deep French kiss.
"What are you doing?" Scathach asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Hehe, giving them a good show." He chuckled, before continuing,
"Welcome to my peerage," he said quietly.
Scáthach sighed.
"…You really think crooked sometimes, my King."
______________________
Hello friends,
I am sorry about the delay, one day I was travelling, the next day I got sick, so the update got postponed to today. But, the uploads would return back to normal now.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.