Chapter Text
The road to the Demi-Fiend’s castle shines dimly in the complete darkness. If their carriage goes astray even for a few yards, they will be destined to wander through the eternal pitch black for the rest of their lives. Solemn voices, occasional screams and fluttering of wings or some other limbs echo in the heavy air. The High Priestess’s head is lowered in a silent prayer. Sir Fionn mac Cumhail and Aogami sit by each of the carriage’s doors, staring into the abyss and listening intently for any sign of danger. Fionn, in particular, had his hand on the tilt of a sword ever since they crossed the Da'at border.
“M’lord, I’m bored! Tell us a joke!” Everyone in the carriage jumps. Little retainer Amanozako, ever so optimistic, wiggles her legs on her seat and looks at the young lord with full expectancy. Lord Amemura, sitting across from her, sighs.
“Knock-knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“You were too slow to answer the door, Turbo Granny has run over your house already.”
Amanozako laughs. She’s the only one who laughs. Suddenly, laughter picks up on the other side of the windows. Amanozako covers her mouth, but it’s too late. A cacophony of voices - low and thunderous, seductive, squicky, feminine, childish, unhuman - echoes in a hysteric fit. Fionn grips his sword tighter, and Aogami puts his hand closer to Kei’s.
“Seriously, how long will it take?” the young girl whines.
“In the letter I’ve received from High Priestess Hiromine, she said the road took her less than an hour,” the woman next to her speaks, interrupting the prayer.
Fionn, not looking away from the window, mutters almost as if to himself, “How is that possible? By my estimation, we’ve been driving for six hours. Does he intend to make us drive in circles? In that case, we must ask High Priestess Isonokami to use the light magic and illuminate our way out of here.”
”I’ve decided to put my trust in him. If he agreed to treat my ally with hospitality for such a long time, there’s no reason for him to entrap me after it.”
“I mean, yer gonna be the new king of the country he’s at war with, so… I think he’s more than enough reasons to let us totally die here… m’lord.”
“I’m the only candidate for the throne who has reached out to him to discuss peace. If I were in his place, even if I wasn’t interested in ending the war, I would listen. If not for consideration, then for entertainment.”
Amanozako sighs, “Then, I hope you have a lotta more jokes to tell, m’lord.”
The blonde knight perks up, “We’re here.” Everyone looks out the windows. The light from the earth under their wheels weakly casts itself on the thick stone walls of the fortress as their carriage passes the metal gates. The sound of soft ground is replaced with pleasant thuds against the stone tile, and the voyagers start slightly jumping in their seats. As they arrive at the castle’s bailey, the darkness that weighs heavily upon their minds is cut by teal flames arranged across the walls of various barracks and workshops. It’s dim, still. When the carriage passes the main road, the young lord catches the glimpses of the castle’s inhabitants. The grotesque shape of a shadow here, the slimy skin covered in holes illuminated by the flame there, the sound that couldn’t be made by any human or a beast - Kei shivers, imagining what kind of creatures watched him in the darkness on his way there. He’s quickly amused by Sir Fionn’s nervous twitching, though.
“My King, I ask you once again. Is this our only option? Do you truly wish to…”
Kei rolls his eyes and groans under his breath.
“For the hundredth time, Sir Fionn - yes. I’ve combed through dozens of strategies, and this one will work the best, as risky as it is.”
“What if your… sources were incorrect? What if the Demi-Fiend truly is the five-headed, ten-handed abomination with a body of a dragon and legs of an ox, like the common folk believe?”
“I’d rather believe his most trusted generals than a bunch of farmers and blacksmiths.”
“Shall we merge upon our entrance, young lord?”
Kei looks to his right where his living armor Aogami sits. The weak shine of the torches reflects on his white plates, decorated red and black. The helmet, forged to resemble the head of a man in his prime, looks back at him. Kei briefly goes over the outcomes inside his mind.
“No. I’d like to keep some tricks under my sleeve.”
“But make sure to reveal them before yer head gets sliced off the shoulders, m’lord!”
The carriage stops with a creak. Sir Fionn takes a last look out the window and slowly opens the door. He holds out his hand to the High Priestess, which she accepts. The red velvet of her garments brushes against the hard stone. She looks around in awe, and Amanozako soon joins her when she flies out, ignoring the knight’s hand. Aogami comes out next, followed by the main guest. As soon as lord Amemura steps out, the company feels the chill in the air, along with quick crusty steps.
“Look who’s hee-re, ho! Our hee-honored guests! I’m Black Frost, the Gray Cardinal, ho!” The snowman does a jump-and-turn around himself and strikes a pose, “Welcome to my Castle of Chaos, hee-ho! The King of Chaos might be the land-ho-wner, but it’s really me who’s in charge, ho! I’m the one gree-hee-ting you now, after all, ho! Let me lead you to my puppet ruler!”
The esteemed guests tactfully greet him and follow the giant snowman up to the king’s keep. The building was made out of simple cubes, with geometric shapes carved into each stone, creating an intricate, yet elegant ornament that stretches over the walls. The doors to the keep are massive, able to allow entrance for a demon of any size. Lord Amemura stops for a moment under a frame and looks upwards, letting his imagination send goosebumps under his skin as his mind comprehends the scale.
“This way, meelord!”
Meelord snaps out of it and rushes to catch up to his group. The halls of the keep are a labyrinth, probably a shifting one, too. Black Frost confidently navigates them through a myriad of doors and intersections, and they follow him like they followed the trail of light on their way here. They’re inside now, and the walls of the castle are white and gold, and there is a bright light everywhere, but they’re in complete darkness still, at the mercy of the King of Chaos.
As they go further and further, the shine of the walls begins to fade. They slowly become the shade of dark brown, and the drafts of wind howling between the shifting halls become more and more piercing. The final floor they’re led to is akin to flesh. The walls, the floor, everything around them pulsates with black and red, the doors make a slimy sound upon opening, and Black Frost begins to make seemingly irrational routes, although everyone still follows him closely without any complaint. Considering they most likely wouldn’t be given time to rest and prepare for negotiations, Lord Amemura casts a healing spell on everyone to relieve some soreness and mental exhaustion, despite it being strongly advised against by every doctor and magician.
‘If the Shekinah Kingdom decides to invade this castle, it will doom our entire army. The Demi-Fiend has the upper hand.’
The longer they pass the halls, ride the numerous elevators and stare into the abyss under the bridged path, the less confidence the young lord has in his plan. There’s no way back, though. The lord takes a deep breath and steels his expression.
This is what he wants, for me to get anxious. That long road, these halls. He has control over it all, and he wants to hammer it in, to show off his might. I mustn’t panic.’
Eventually, the snowman leads them to a massive open room akin to a cage, where the keep’s inhabitants spectate the huge dining room beneath them. The tables are placed in a disorderly manner, like after a wedding at the village’s tavern. The entire elite of the Da’at Kingdom is present, dining on all sorts of abominations. As the group of humans, a living armor and a little flying homunculus pass the tables, the chewing and ripping sounds start to quiet down and the chatter takes their place. They’re led to the main table, and lord Amemura immediately locks eyes with the King of Chaos. His are bright gold, and they shine subtly along with the contours of the marks across his face. His calm, quite handsome face. Beside him there’s a fairy, sitting on a special seat. She drops her meal, flies above the table, clears her throat and announces:
“Bow to the King of Chaos, King of Da’at, the heir of the Devil himself, the Demi-Fiend from the prophecy!” The fairy points to herself, “And I am Pixie of the Fairy clan, his Royal Advisor.”
The demon with the body of a human sets aside his cutlery, but does not rise from his seat. All five guests bow to a monarch of their enemy kingdom.
Sir Fionn gestures towards the high-ranking two, “High Priestess of the Empyrean Church Isonokami Tao and Lord of the Jouin province, the candidate for the throne of the Shekinah Kingdom Kei Amemura have arrived, Your Majesty,” he then places his hand on his chest and bows again, ”I am a humble servant of my lord, Sir Fionn mac Cumhail. We are deeply grateful for indulging our request.”
“It’s an honor to finally receive your invitation, Your Majesty. May our discussion this evening be fruitful for both of our nations,” Kei forces himself to sound composed and confident.
The Demi-Fiend silently gestures for them to sit. Amemura sits across from the king to allow for a more formal conversation, with Aogami and sir Fionn taking the seats by each of his side. High Priestess Isonokami tries to take her seat when the familiar voice among the demonic mumbling calls out to her, “Tao!”
The woman quickly turns her head, just as the other one manages to make her way out of the scattered tables. She clasps her hands and gasps, “Yoko!” High Priestess Hiromine bows to the people at the table until she’s interrupted by an embrace. “We’ve missed you so much! How are you doing?”
Hiromine returns the hold, albeit in a more restrained manner. “I’ve missed you all as well. You have nothing to worry about - the Demi-Fiend is nothing but hospitable to me. I receive all the care and entertainment I need.”
“We’re grateful for your hospitality to our dear ally, Your Majesty,” Kei gives the king a small smile. The man across him stares blankly at him and shrugs . The lord is taken aback.
‘He still hasn’t said a word. Is this some sort of cultural difference?..’
“M’ladies, you will have time to catch up later, let’s, like, tone down the excitement, yeah?” Amanozako says.
Tao covers her mouth in embarrassment and sits down with a quiet “excuse me”, Yoko taking a seat beside her shortly after.
The Demi-Fiend slowly stands up and all the chatter in the vast hall quiets down. Kei looks up at the man, the angle makes him even more imposing. His garments are not regal at all - just a long emerald green tunic and a thick gray robe with a simple geometric pattern, no crown covering his short disheveled black hair or an accessory in sight - but his demeanor, the sheer presence of him are both demonic and royal. He briefly locks his golden eyes with Kei again. His face is emotionless, but the gaze is intense. He looks over the crowd and finally speaks with a confident, clear voice.
“I’m sure you all already smelled the new human presence in our dining room. Today we’re having guests from the Shekinah Kingdom. Since the death of their king at the hands of Lucifer himself, the Order of Bethel, guided by vengeance, had started the war against the Kingdom of Da’at and put a fool on a throne to bid their will. They’re too blinded by their self-righteousness and hatred to understand that their tyrant was killed as an act of justice for his disregard of both his and our kingdom’s laws. Lord Amemura Kei, who stands before you, was one of the soldiers of the Bethel Order. See, this war is a huge opportunity for beggars such as him to make a name and a fortune for themselves. And now, this beggar has made his way into our castle, saying he has some sort of ‘plan’ for reaching peace.”
The air around the table is instantly suffocating. The demon nobility, his allies and the monarch in front of him stare at the slouched lord. He hasn’t said a word about his plan and he’s already failed. The King of Da’at has no real interest in listening to him after all, and all the lord will achieve is getting the laugh out of demons.
“May I speak, Your Majesty?” Aogami’s soft voice echoes inside his helmet-mask.
The Demi-Fiend turns his head to the living armor, “Sure, what’s in that helmet of yours?”
Aogami stands up and puts his heavy hand on his lord’s shoulder, “We can argue about our kingdom’s complicated history, sure, but this conversation lasts for hundreds of years, and the only conclusion of these arguments is prolonged bloodshed. Lord Amemura Kei wishes to end our dispute once and for all. He rose to his current status thanks to the war, you are correct. However, he uses his status to reach an agreement between humanity and demons. You’re aware that some demons live in Shekinah - ask any demon of the Jouin province, they will tell you that Lord Amemura does everything in his power to establish equality. Not to mention, it was solely him who freed High Priestess Hiromine of her confinement, proving he doesn’t support the late king’s actions too. Your rage against our kingdom is justified, but I humbly request you to put aside your prejudice and hear us out. If our plan does not satisfy you, we will leave without complaint and continue working on achieving peace from our side.”
Aogami bows and sits back as the Demi-Fiend keeps looking at him intently.
“What an eloquent piece of metal.”
His eyes glide back to the man in front of him. “Well? So, what’s your so-called ‘plan’? Announce it, Lord Amemura! What is your genius plan to put an end to a centuries-long dispute neither God nor Lucifer were able to stop?”
The more these two talk, the more absurd his plan sounds in his head. Amemura clenches his fists under the table.
“If I may be honest, Your Majesty, I was hoping for it to be a private discussion.”
The Demi-Fiend spreads his arms and shouts, “Come on, Lord Amemura! This isn’t the human world with all their conspiracies and secret strategies. Speak!”
The mocking tone of the man turns Kei’s anxiety into irritation. He never liked when someone took this condescending tone with him. His first instinct used to be to bite back, to confront, to demand respect. During the days in the Bethel army, though, this instinct was quickly forced out of him, and Kei adopted another one. To comply . Amemura stands up, the folds of his navy blue kimono shuffling against the seat. He looks straight in the demon’s eyes, on equal grounds, and speaks loud enough for the whole room to hear.
“I want you to marry me, King of Chaos.”
He watches as the King’s stoic expression wavers. As the dining hall erupts in a fit of laughter, they keep looking into each other’s eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of realization of what words were just said.
The Demi-Fiend quickly crosses his hands and spreads them widely, engulfing the hall in the pitch black darkness akin to the one outside the keep’s walls. It passes as quickly as it came, and when the light returns to the room, the demons of the castle and their hysterics are gone, save for the Advisor. She watches two men back and forth with an unhidden excitement. The demon puts his hands on the table and sits, his eyes closed and brows furrowed. Lord Amemura sits as well. The table is silent. Kei fights the urge to burst into a ramble to explain himself, but he needs to remain collected. The kingdoms’ fate depends on this ludicrous pitch.
“You’re not the king yet, so what difference will it make?” The Demi-Fiend relaxes into his seat. Kei takes a deep breath. He lost hope to get to this part several times already, so the prepared points were getting a little blurry. Still, he begins to speak, and the clarity quickly returns to him.
“We will marry after my coronation. Before that, I will use our engaged status as an argument for myself being the only one who’s able to stop the war.”
“You’re practically handing your opponents shit to smear you with. Are you prepared to be called humanity's traitor or Amemura ‘the Demi-Fiend’s whore’ Kei for the rest of your rule? Humans would rather spend another century suffering from famine and war than living within the same borders with demons.”
Sir Fionn jumps from his place, “Do not dare to speak such profanities about my king!”
“Calm down, Sir Fionn. I was called much worse back in the days.”
The knight sits, still glaring at the impudent demon.
“And I’m ready for all the insults thrown at me by Bethel and others if it will bring peace. I have a means to defend myself in case they turn the angry mob on me. I’ve already gone through several riots in my province after I implemented policies that allowed demons to rent land and have a job. I know what to expect, more or less, and I know that people won’t ever warm up to demons unless they walk the same streets and plow the same fields.”
“I can’t guarantee this for demonkind, though. What are your thoughts on demons like Rangda? Lahmu? Succubi? Do you believe they can live among humans?”
“I will leave this up to you, King of Da’at. I’ve dealt with violent groups that were hunting down demons on my lands, and I’ll be expecting you to do the same on your side. I’ll be glad to share my strategies, even if we decide not to proceed with the engagement.”
The demon scoffs and shifts in his seat, thinking of the next question.
“What if you won’t become the king? Are you still going to marry me? You’ll be exiled from Shekinah in any case.”
“The goal of our marriage is to force the end of the war by merging our kingdoms. If I won’t be a king, there will be no political gain from it. So unless we fall for each other, I don’t see the point.”
Advisor Pixie and Amanozako giggle. Somehow, during the discussion, they ended up sitting together on one of the chandeliers and whispering something to themselves. “You’d look soooo good together, milords!” and the giggles turn into a jingling laughing fit.
“Do you two want to join the rest of my crew?” The Demi-Fiend loosely crosses his hands to make a point. The laughing stops. Little flying girls theatrically cover their mouths. Demi-Fiend glares at them for a lingering moment, then turns his eyes back to Kei, “Where was I?”
Amemura is surprised the discussion is still holding. Judging by his questions, or by the fact that the Demi-Fiend is asking questions at all, it means that he’s not outright against it, despite his initial resentment. Now he just needs to prove this plan is thought-out through and through. He makes eye contact with High Priestess Isonokami. She nods ever so slightly and speaks.
“May I chime in, Your Majesty?” The King nods. “Lord Amemura already has my blessing to rule the Shekinah Kingdom.”
“With all respect, Miss High Priestess, your authority on the matter was diminished during the last king’s reign, wasn’t it? To go even further, if you try to promote Amemura as the king, you will end up just like the High Priestess Hiromine. Perhaps you’ll even be placed in the same solitary confinement cell.”
“Don’t use my circumstances to diminish her, Demi-Fiend,” everyone is taken aback by the lack of formality in the woman’s voice, “I was imprisoned because I tried to take away his title, not to replace him. Now that he’s dead, the authority of the High Priestess is restored.”
“Is it, though?” the heads of people at the table snap back to the king, whose voice is suddenly much less commanding, “What stops Bethel forces from doing the same thing to her they did to you, now that they’ve learned there’s no divine punishment for it?”
‘So that’s his real, relaxed voice…’ Kei thinks to himself.
“I simply will set her free as well,” he says.
“And send her to mooch off of me too?”
“Argh, you’re whining like you’re some poor carpenter forced to fend for a family of five.”
“Resources are resources, Hiromine. A whole swarm of Jirae demons was brought here just to grow the food you can eat.”
“And? What, you don’t have any place for them here?”
“I-If I may chime in again… You both sure seem… friendly?” Tao’s eyes are wide with shock. The short-haired woman laughs.
“Oh, forgive me. It seems I’ve grown too… accustomed here. It was actually my request to keep the etiquette on this meeting formal, so I’m sorry for not managing to uphold it.”
“What do you mean?”
Demi-Fiend interrupts her, “She means we don’t care about formalities or etiquette here, but if I were to talk to you like I do to my crew, you’d be gasping and clutching at your swords every second. Take that knight as an example.”
Sei Fionn perks up, “My devotion to my King and upkeeping his honor is not for mockery, Your Majesty.”
“It is. Your King came here to sell himself for a ceasefire.”
Lord Amemura hits the table with his palms, and the scattered attention is back on him. The crease between his brows quickly smoothes out, and his expression becomes calm again.
“Enough. We’re getting off track. Your Majesty, that’s not how marriages work. I’m not selling myself to nobody. We will be equals, a union to establish peace. Your kingdom suffers from the war as much as ours, so our marriage will benefit you as well.”
“How so?” The demon’s voice is clearer and sharper again.
“I can guarantee the complete exchange of occupied territories and hostages, as well as the direct influence over law legislation. It should go both ways as well.”
“What about war criminals?”
“We can assist each other on investigations and trials. I will demand inspections for humane treatment, though.”
The King’s face becomes contorted with anger, “Humane treatment? How humane were Bethel soldiers when they occupied the Fairy Village?”
Kei tries to hold eye contact, but gives up and averts his gaze to the side. “Executions are still on the table. I only ask for them to be quick.”
The demon sighs and puts his head on his hands, deep in thought.
“Something doesn’t seem right. It’s all too perfect. And if everything is this perfect and easy, why hasn’t anyone tried that before us?”
“I think it’s because of mutual hatred, Your Majesty. No rulers had enough courage or a will to do this.”
A snort comes from above them, “Is it really hatred or is it just that the new King of Da’at is not a giant purple vagina this time around?”
The Advisor gets removed from the room. Demi-Fiend looks intently at Amemura, as if searching for something - a hidden motive, a lie, a trickery.
“High Priestess Isonokami,” the woman flinches and sits even more properly than she already did, ”You said Lord Amemura has your blessing. What did he do to deserve it?”
She ponders on the question and smiles warmly, “He did many great things across the Shekinah Kingdom, Your Majesty. You may think he achieved his name with trickery only, and I know that he had to take some dark trails to gain certain favors from people, but he mainly gained his fame through being helpful. He managed to unite the nobility and get rid of some rotten apples that were the main cause of their quarrels. He’s beloved by the people of Jouin province, too, both demons and humans. As a fact, his province, as of now, might be one of the best ones to settle in, despite being so close to the frontlines.”
The Demi-Fiend perks up.
“Ah hah… You must be rushing to become the king and end the war before the frontline reaches your lands…”
“That’s one of the reasons, yes. I would have to draft more people to the Bethel Order forces, too, meaning some of my work will be reverted.”
The King stands up and puts his hands on the table.
“In conclusion, after our engagement, you will flaunt the ring in front of your people to gain more support. You’re prepared for Bethel’s forces' retaliation and common folk’s rebellions. You will use the momentum and have High Priestess Isonokami and aristocrats to call you the new king. After your coronation, we will marry and call for a ceasefire on both sides, exchange the territories and hostages and start working on merging the borders.”
“Correct,” Kei can’t help but smirk. He hears no mockery or bewilderment in the Demi-Fiend’s voice. He might be hooked. Kei hopes he’s hooked.
“... I’m hooked.”
Everyone jolts. Kei stands up in a rush, “And how do I convince you completely, Your Majesty?!”
The Demi-Fiend smiles and slowly leans towards the man.
“We’ve discussed everything as humans do, right? But it will be a marriage between a human and a demon. We can’t ignore my customs, can we?”
Kei immediately picks up on what he’s getting at. He’s prepared for this turn of events, too. His gaze gets sharper, and he leans in as well.
“What is required of me, Your Majesty?” He asks, as if his eyes aren’t already subtly wandering over the King’s body, looking for potential places to stab through.
“Demons can’t be on equal grounds with someone much stronger or much weaker than them. Thus, I challenge you to a duel. Prove to the Kingdom of Da’at that you’re worthy to stand next to me.”
“...I accept.”
The demon crosses his arms and spreads them once again. The darkness takes them to an arena, around which all the castle inhabitants chant the Demi-Fiend’s name. Amemura’s allies are sitting among them, all mortified by the noise except Miss Hiromine. Pixie the Fairy flies onto the stage and, for some reason, her voice easily overlaps the crowd’s screams, “Would you believe that, folks?! Who would've guessed the time would come so soon for our boy, the Demi-Fiend, our King of Chaos, to engage in a duel for his heart?! His opponent is Lord Amemura Kei of Jouin province of Shekinah Kingdom! Yes, the one the King insulted earlier in the evening! He actually agreed to consider the marriage proposal, can you believe that- Eck!” Pixie was removed.
Demi-Fiend’s robe slides off his shoulders and gets thrown away like a rag.
“You and I will go all-out. Don’t hesitate to slit my throat, I have a means of revival,” he begins to unbutton his tunic, “Healing is permitted once.”
“Is magic allowed?”
Demi-Fiend chuckles as he pulls up his linen shirt, revealing the glowing marks covering his toned body.
“You won’t win without using magic, Lord Amemura.”
Kei nods. “Aogami!”
The living armor sprints out of his seat and runs to the center of the arena. The human shakes the metallic hand and a flash of light cuts into everyone’s vision. The Demi-Fiend takes his hand away from his eyes, and looks in front of him. The creature standing in front of the king is not Amemura in armor, but something new. The armor and flesh infused with each other, the white shine of Aogami now replaced with the obsidian. Blue hair cascades over the creature’s back like a waterfall, the curls almost touching the ground. The Demi-Fiend laughs.
“Oh, I see you’re a cunning one, Lord Amemura! Instead of fusing with an unruly demon who may possess you, you chose to fuse with a docile living armor! A trick worthy of some praise!” He cracks his knuckles and takes a fighting stance, “Let’s see your other tricks.”
And so, the dance begins, the demonic crowd’s chants being their tune. They start off energetic, the Demi-Fiend immediately trying to take the lead. The lord accepts his force, allows it to push him back, to become his own, then elegantly turns it onto his opponent. They waltz and waltz, bare fists against the blade of light, the hellfire from the core of the earth against the hurricane descended from the heavens, powerful and swift strikes against ferocious fencing. The splatters of blood start to stain the arena’s floor. Lord Amemura spits out and growls like a wild animal. The demonic chants start to turn into a static in his head, until it dulls and silences out. He only hears his raging heartbeat, his heavy breaths and the satisfied laugh of his soon-to-be-fiance.
‘He doesn’t see me as a threat yet.’
The lord launches forward, aiming to wipe off that smile. A tango of cuts and stabs begins. The half-dressed demon taunts and moves in rhythm with the blade, evading the lethal attacks and clawing back when he has a chance. Amemura starts losing his patience and clarity of mind.
“Calm down, young lord,” Aogami’s voice rings in his head, “He tried to wear you out and drain your confidence before, and he’s doing the same now. Focus.”
It helps. The lord suddenly starts to step back, and the King takes the bait. Amemura keeps looking straight into his eyes, blade raised between them. The demon lunges forward, and like a whirlpool, his opponent spins downward and lets the blade follow the tide. Finally, the cocky smile on that face shifts into a grimace of pain as he falls forward, while his leg, along with a veil of blood, gets thrown in the other direction. Kei wastes no seconds trying to stab the demon right at the center of his back, but the King manages to throw himself out of the way and far enough to cast a healing spell. The lone limb dissolves into red strings in the air, gets sucked by the Demi-Fiend’s body and regrows itself. He scrambles on his two feet and glares at Kei. His face is finally serious, but there’s still a golden glint in his eyes that irritates the lord. His soon-to-be fiance is still too alive for his liking. He summons a purple blade of his own, and the long-haired man decides for himself that this won’t be a duel anymore. It will be a murder .
Their last dance is a violent, dragged out mess. The screams from the audience dissolve a little bit when they realize those men lost touch with time and space, and the only thing that mattered to them was seeing each other bleed out, not that they ever cared for the crowd’s entertainment to begin with. Some demons even choose to return to their lodgings when the opponents circle around each other once again, exchanging the feral glares from one side of the arena to the other.
And the next moment, they’re at the center, falling in front of each other on their knees with impaled abdomens. Amemura’s pained scream mixes with the King’s laughter. He sticks out his lance from the human’s body, and the river of blood seeps from the hole, sliding off the smooth black metal. As Kei’s vision gets blurry, and Aogami’s voice gets duller and duller, he sees how the shine in those yellow eyes in front of him starts to dim. The King’s smile slowly fades away as well, and suddenly, he looks very tired. Through his last bits of strength, Kei smirks. Demi-Fiend shifts his half-lidded gaze on those curled lips and his eyebrows furrow a little.
The young lord casts a healing spell. The Demi-Fiend’s eyes widen. For some reason, Kei notices, some kind of glint returns to them despite the pool of blood gathering at the demon’s knees.
“Are we finished?”
The king keeps staring blankly at him, his breath growing weaker. Then, he nods. His posture waivers as he almost falls into Amemura’s arms. He manages to heal himself and tries to stand up, but the other man holds his arm and makes him stay in place. With a flash of light, Aogami steps out of their fusion and takes his place behind Kei’s shoulder. Kei reaches into the sleeve of his kimono in a rush and takes out a little wooden box, lined with white silk and embroidered with gold. He opens a box and reaches it to the Demi-Fiend. His voice is quiet when he asks,
“Will you marry me, Your Majesty?”
The Demi-Fiend leans in closer and looks at the bright teal translucent opal. The inclusion in the gemstone resembles a white lily - like the ones embroidered in the lord’s kimono. The man closes his eyes and sits up straight again.
“Yes.”
He opens his eyes and is greeted with Lord Amemura’s warm smile. He carefully takes the ring out of the box and reaches for the King’s hand that is still covered in some of his blood. He watches as Amemura gently puts a ring on his finger and adjusts its size with a spell, then his eyes slide up to see the man look at their held hands, at the gemstone matching so well with his tattoos. Kei snaps his eyes to his, and they keep looking into each other, mint and gold, and let the new reality greet them. They are fiances now. Shekinah and Da’at are destined to become one.
They start picking out the voices of the audience again. The veil of their own little world falls off their eyes, and the men hurry to stand up properly and face the witnesses of their duel.
“Lord Amemura Kei of Jouin province of Shekinah Kingdom proved his strength to me. I proclaim him my equal!”
The coliseum erupts in ear-blowing cheers. Kei didn’t expect demons to be so receptive to a human defeating their King. He flinches when the Demi-Fiend suddenly joins their hands.
“Speak. I will empower your voice.”
Kei clears his throat.
“May this day be the beginning of an end to a war between our kingdoms. I vow to you all: my life belongs to the creation of peace and prosperity of both humanity and demonkind!”
The cacophony of cheers slowly takes shape and structure.
“King of Chaos! King of Peace! King of Chaos! King of Peace!”