POV: Haruki
"You are finally back," said a voice behind me as I stood at the top of a tall skyscraper.
I wore a black tuxedo and watched New York spread out beneath me. The city at night was a strange kind of perfection. From above, the endless lights made it look alive, restless, unwilling to sleep. It was almost beautiful, though I knew beauty is always less innocent than it seems.
"I missed you," murmured Lavina, hugging me from behind, while my hands stayed in my pockets.
"How is Asia doing?" I asked instantly.
It had only been a couple of days since I escaped from the vampire dimension, and I had not gone to check on her. I have to make sure first how the Hero Faction is going to handle the aftermath and plan my next course of action accordingly. It is possible that Cao Cao would reveal my involvement in the extinction of the vampires, which would paint a huge target on my back, and of that I already have enough. If my involvement is revealed, I am not sure the devils would not use me as a scapegoat to satisfy the other factions, to reassure them that the devils had nothing to do with the matter. I will have to take Asia away from Kuoh, but first I need to prepare certain things and plan. Looking back on my foolish outburst at Cao Cao, it had been a stupid thing to do. I should not have revealed myself to him. Useless anger could cost me dearly. It only made him wary of me and see me as a threat. I would prefer it if he underestimated me.
"No hello? How are you?" she said with mock sadness. "You break my heart, Haruki."
I did not react to her theatrics. She pressed herself into my back, tiptoed, and kissed me on the back of my neck.
"Asia is doing fine," she said. "Although I had to take her away from Kuoh Town after the recent event," she added calmly.
I finally turned to her and looked at her carefully.
"Relax. I only did it to keep her hidden in case of unexpected developments," she said. "I am not your enemy. Only doing what you asked me to," she said with a warm smile.
I nodded. "Where is she?" I asked evenly.
"You do not trust me, huh?" she said with a teasing smile.
I narrowed my eyes at that.
She sighed. "She is in one of my resort houses in Calella, Spain. Would you like me to bring her here, or do you want me to take you to her?" she asked sincerely.
"Does Le Fay know?" I asked, my tone careful.
"No, she does not," said Lavina. "I do not work for her, you know. I only got involved with her because I found her and the Hero Faction interesting. Do you want me to swear to you that I am not your enemy?" she asked sincerely.
Relief washed through me despite myself. "Please pardon the lack of manners," I said apologetically. "Spending the last couple of months in a den of vipers has made me quite paranoid."
She smiled at that. "Do not worry about it. It is only natural," she said.
"So," she said, "are you going to tell me about your adventure?"
I smiled faintly and gave her a shortened account of my time in vampire society. I left certain details unsaid, like the few vampires I had saved. I had a feeling I could trust Lavina, but certainty is not something I grant lightly.
She eyed me with interest. "How astonishing that no one did kill you," she said.
"Many tried," I answered with a shrug. "None succeeded."
She looked at me playfully. "Maybe some succeeded, but the devil, after seeing your attitude, spat you out again," she said.
"He sends you his regards," I said dryly.
She chuckled. "Good to see you have not lost all your sense of humor," she said.
"How well do you know Cao Cao?" I asked her.
"A little," she said. "He once tried to recruit me. You are wondering if he will reveal your role in the fall of the vampires?"
I nodded.
"Then I would tell you not to worry about it," she said. "Cao Cao is a prideful man and quite pragmatic. The fall of the vampires was the first major event the Hero Faction participated in and was their debut, so to speak. He wishes for it to be a perfect showcase of the might of the Hero Faction. To show the world that no one is beyond their reach. Revealing that a devil helped them would diminish their image," explained Lavina.
I had assumed as much. It still does not change the fact that Cao Cao is going to see me as a threat now, but oh well, no use crying over spilled milk.
"How are you doing?" asked Lavina softly.
"I am fine," I answered curtly.
She rolled her eyes. "Really? You do not look it," she said.
I raised my eyebrow at that.
"You have been in a den of vipers, as you put it. I imagine cosplaying as a vampire lord is not all sunshines and rainbows. It is not healthy to bottle up your feelings," she said, caressing my cheek.
I sighed at that.
I turned my eyes back to the city. I sat down on the ledge. Lavina joined me in silence.
"I do not know how I should feel, to be honest," I began. "I have been thinking about one of Jesus's sermons: 'love your enemies.' It had seemed an extremely stupid thing back in my childhood. Why would I love one who hates me? My grandma explained to me once why he said that. She said that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals.
"Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they cannot stand it too long. They react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they will hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That is love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There is something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.
"And yet I feel no love for the vampires. I was the reason that an entire species was wiped out, yet I do not feel any guilt over that. I do not feel anything at all. Neither happiness nor sadness. It is as though a couple of ants died in a yard and my involvement in their demise was insignificant. I lived amongst them, as one of them. I saw those that suffered and those that caused suffering, those that loved and those that were loved. Perhaps I felt sympathy for some of them. Their society is full of suffering and misery. And yet I feel no love for them, nor the desire to do so. Strange, is it not?" I said.
"My father believed that in order to truly love or hate someone, you have to know them truly. Well, I know the vampires deeply and found myself feeling neither love nor hatred," I said.
I remembered the unicorn's words. Do not gaze too long into their abyss. For it gazes back. And if it finds you hollow, it will keep you here forever.
"You think you have become a monster because you feel nothing at the death of the vampires, do you not?" asked Lavina.
"There was a vampire girl who loved me," I replied. "Her name was Liliane. She was a dreamer, one who dreamt of a better vampire society, to improve things. And I used those feelings and manipulated her into destroying her people. What is that if not monstrous?" I said bitterly.
"The very fact that you are afraid of becoming a monster shows that you are not," said Lavina softly.
I chuckled at that. "There are murderers that feel sorry for their victims. It still does not change the fact that they are murderers," I said.
"No," said Lavina. "But it makes all the difference. It shows that you have conscience and that there is hope for you," said Lavina sincerely.
So it comes down to it, huh? To have hope. Hope of becoming a better person, hope of a better future, to see the light. Yet I feel that the road I am walking on will lead me only to further darkness.
"And besides," said Lavina, "think of the people who were suffering under the vampires. You saved them all by your actions," said Lavina.
"Not all of them," I said as I remembered those that were massacred by Cao Cao for not being human enough.
"Not all of them," admitted Lavina. "But you are hardly responsible for the actions of others. Especially ones as powerful as the Hero Faction," said Lavina.
I chuckled bitterly at that. "Power. It all comes down to it in the end," I said. "To think I believed Cao Cao cared about humanity, how foolish I was," I said.
He will pay for it. Before, I did not really hate him. He kidnapped my sister, but I believed in his cause, to save humanity from supernatural tyranny. I was not going to go against the only faction that seemed to care about humanity. I was only going to save my sister and leave the Hero Faction alone. But now I know that was a foolish belief.
They are nothing but another set of tyrants in the making. I will not let them be.
"All this time I was only focused on myself, on my sister," I said, standing up and looking at the city below. "Not anymore. I will act on my own now. I will salvage what is salvageable. If only I had realized this sooner. That incident would have gone differently," I said with conviction.
"What do you mean?" asked Lavina worriedly.
"I am saying that if I had focused on truly saving the people instead of only fulfilling my mission, it would have gone differently. Perhaps the vampires would not have all gotten wiped out," I said.
Lavina narrowed her eyes at that. "Have you forgotten that the vampires were one of the reasons why the Hero Faction was formed?" she asked. "The vampires were monsters. I saw their victims. All the humans they enslaved and devoured. Their very existence means that humanity suffers. It was either us or them. It always has been," said Lavina with anger.
"It did not have to be," I said. "It would have been possible to redeem them," I said.
The vampires were monsters, no doubt about that. Who knows that better than I. After living as one of them, I know the depth of their depravity. But coexistence was possible.After all, I have a way to evolve the vampires so that they do not need to feed on humans anymore, the Sephiroth Graal. Without their hunger for blood, they would not need to feed on humans. There were many good people among the vampires, such as Liliane. It would have been possible for humans and vampires to coexist.
And that would have been true salvation, solving the issue fundamentally instead of massacring all of them. But it is too late now.
"Yet I do not see a way for vampires, who need human blood to survive, to coexist with us," said Lavina.
"There is. But it is too late to think of that now," I said. "But it was a good wake-up call. I have been way too passive. It is about time I change that," I said calmly.
"What are you going to do now?" asked Lavina.
"I have a plan that involves the devils. I will go to the underworld for a while," I said calmly.
If my plan works, there will be no more reincarnated devils. I am not so foolish that I would believe Sirzechs' spiel about improving the condition of the reincarnated devils. They will remain slaves in the end.
I refuse to accept that.
Lavina nodded at me.
"But before that, I would like to meet Le Fay. Can you arrange that?" I said calmly.
"Sure. She is excited to see you as well," said Lavina.
After that, we chatted, and Lavina contacted Le Fay and arranged a meeting between us in five days.
After that, I went with Lavina to meet Asia, who was delighted to see me again.
——————————————
I sat down and ate my pizza in a restaurant in Amsterdam. It was delicious, but the food was not what brought me here. I was waiting for my guests to arrive.
A few minutes later two blond women crossed the room: one slight, almost delicate; the other taller, and elegant. Le Fay and Lavina greeted me and took their places opposite me.
"Would you like to order anything?" I asked, folding my napkin with a measured motion.
"I am afraid not," said Le Fay. "I don't have much time to stay. Both due to the recent events and Cao Cao's growing suspicion."
"I will just have some of yours. It looks delicious," said Lavina and took a slice of my pizza.
I nodded.
"So Cao Cao increased his surveillance of you?" I asked casually.
"Yes, after he met you during the purging, he has become even more paranoid. He believes I had something to do with it," said Le Fay.
"Then let us dispense with pleasantries and speak plainly," I said. "I imagine you are short on time."
"Something like that," said Le Fay. "First of all, I would like to thank you for your help in saving countless humans. It would not have been possible without you. The teleportation gates that were created there made bringing all of them to safety extremely efficient and fast. Who created them, by the way?" she asked.
"What makes you think I was not the one who created them?" I asked.
"We are not stupid," said Le Fay curtly. "The gates were extremely high-level. George has been obsessively analyzing them and deemed them the finest work of teleportation magic he has ever encountered. The one who created them must have been extremely experienced and powerful. Satan-class at the very least. So let us not waste time and pretend you did. Who created them?" said Le Fay tiredly.
"A friend of mine," I answered. Better to let them think I have a powerful backer.
"If someone powerful is willing to help humanity like that, it would be better to know who they are, for the sake of humanity," said Le Fay with determination.
I laughed at that.
"For humanity, is it?" I said, my voice even. "Why, dear Le Fay, I could almost believe you cared about humanity," I continued.
"What are you implying?" said Le Fay, narrowing her eyes.
"Tell me," I said. "The fifteen thousand humans your group massacred. Were they also not humans?" I asked calmly.
Lavina looked at Le Fay intensely. She had been furious when I told her about this.
Le Fay sighed. "It is a bit complicated," she said. "How much do you know of the inner workings of the Hero Faction?" she asked calmly.
"The Hero Faction is divided into seven separate orders led by the original seven. They are called: The Heptarchy of the Oath. The original seven are all equal in rank, with Cao Cao being first among equals," explained Lavina.
I listened with interest.
"Exactly," said Le Fay. "The original seven, among which are – Cao Cao, my brother Arthur and Leonardo – lead the Hero Faction. However, these seven separate branches are not entirely united. They have their own vision for what humanity should be and how they interpret the oath."
I groaned. "So internal politics, huh?" I said.
"Yes," answered Le Fay. "Some interpret the oath in its most extreme form. Take it to mean to kill all those who have harmed humanity. Cao Cao and his branch fall under this category."
"Fascinating story. Yet I do not see how that justified killing so many humans by a group meant to protect them," I said dryly.
"The branches that went to the vampire dimension when the barrier fell were The Order of the Eternal Flame and The Order of the Iron Crown. Both of which are led by Cao Cao and Leonardo respectively, who are extremists. After they responded first to the incident, the other orders did not interfere so it fell to Leonardo and Cao Cao to solve the matter how they saw fit," explained Le Fay.
"So it is all Cao Cao and Leonardo's fault, is it?" I asked dryly.
"No, I am not saying that," said Le Fay, frustrated. "After they explained the events, most of the orders did not see an issue with the matter. Cao Cao was able to see the true nature of these 'humans'. They were especially bred by the vampires to weaken humanity and were a virus that had to be eliminated, so it was justified to eliminate them," said Le Fay.
"Behold, the heroes of mankind," I said sarcastically.
Lavina giggled at that.
"Look, I do not like it any more than you do. But it had to be done," said Le Fay.
I looked at her as if I was seeing her for the first time. "It had to be done, eh?" I said. "Your asshole must be jealous of the amount of shit that comes out of your mouth."
"I do not expect you to understand. You are a devil after all," said Le Fay.
I chuckled. "And the fact that a devil is criticizing your handling of your fellow human does not make you rethink your actions?" I asked dryly.
"I am not going to sit here and listen to a devil preaching about kindness," said Le Fay. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills. We did it for the sake of mankind," she said with conviction.
I observed her in silence.
Le Fay sighed. "Look, why don't we talk about what brought us here," she said.
"Sure," I said.
"Did you accomplish your mission?" asked Le Fay.
"I did. I have stolen the artifact from the vampires," I said.
Le Fay smiled brightly. "Well done. Where is it?" she asked.
"Somewhere you cannot reach," I answered.
"What do you mean?" said Le Fay, narrowing her eyes.
"It means, my dear Le Fay, that I am done playing your game," I answered.
Her eyes widened.
"Did you take me for a fool?" I said dryly. "You expected me to simply give you the artifact?" I said mockingly.
"What do you want?" she said coldly.
"What I have always wanted," I answered. "To save my sister. Now I want you to organize a way for Hikaru to be sent on a mission alone or something similar and tell me the details so that I can meet her. You will receive your prize after that. Do we have terms?" I asked.
"You–" began Le Fay, livid.
"I would suggest you give an answer quickly. You are short on time after all," I interrupted her.
"What you are asking of me is extremely difficult," said Le Fay with frustration.
"Oh? And why is that?" I asked.
"Because your sister is in Cao Cao's branch. I have no influence or people there at all. And as you know, Cao Cao does not trust me," she said.
"So when you said to me that you would keep her safe from being sent on dangerous missions, you were lying?" I said coldly.
Le Fay did not meet my eyes. "I am sorry," she said timidly.
"Did you know about this?" I asked Lavina.
She shook her head and looked annoyed at Le Fay.
"Saying sorry does not change anything. I want you to keep your word," I said.
"After the incident with the vampires, Cao Cao has taken more interest in your sister. From what my brother said, he has even begun to train her personally," she said.
I curled my fist at that. Of course he would do that, as insurance against me.
I looked at Le Fay with anger. Before she could react, I put my hand to her neck and lifted her into the air. She began to struggle with widened eyes, taken off guard by my speed. She had not seen me move.
"She is going to die if you continue doing that, you know?" said Lavina.
I looked at her. She was still sitting and eating pizza without a care. I observed how she had compelled all the other occupants of the restaurant to leave, leaving it empty save for us.
"You don't say?" I said with mock interest.
"Yeah, people die when they are choked for a long time," Lavina explained.
I chuckled and dropped Le Fay to the ground. She started to cough heavily.
"So you lied to me and manipulated me into doing your bidding with a promise you cannot keep," I said to Le Fay. "You have been terribly rude, Le Fay. What am I to do with you?" I said calmly, looking at the girl.
She was preparing multiple spells silently and quickly. I was impressed at her speed. Not fast enough, though. I quickly dispelled her spells before she could cast them, leaving her dumbfounded. She looked at me in shock and terror.
"Yo–you are an ultimate-class?" she said in terror.
I ignored her observation. "If you are done with your laughable attempt at spell-casting, you may stand up and take a seat. We are, after all, civilized people," I said, returning to my seat and gesturing for Le Fay to sit.
She looked at me unsurely, then hesitantly rose and took a seat.
"I consider myself a reasonable person," I said.
"So reasonably in fact that you would massacre an entire race for a chance of saving your sister," scoffed Le Fay.
"At least I am consistent," I answered. "I mean, you always know where you are with me. And where you are, Le Fay, is on the brink of the abyss, about to do a triple back-flip over the edge," I said calmly.
"I–I do not understand…" began Le Fay.
"I have fulfilled my end of the bargain and you have not. I am afraid you started a dance you never intended to finish. That is not how deals work," I said.
"What do you want from me?" she said, composing herself.
"I want you to gather as much information as you can and find a way to send my sister on a solo mission or at least on a mission far away from Cao Cao or the other leaders," I said.
"I can gather information for you, but I cannot do your second demand," answered Le Fay.
"You are mistaking this for negotiation. It was not a request. You will do as I say or you die," I said calmly.
Le Fay looked shocked at that, as did Lavina.
"You have not got the nerve," said Le Fay.
"Try me," I said. I meant it.
"You would have the entire Hero Faction after you. My brother will not rest until you are dead. Do not be unreasonable, Haruki," tried Le Fay.
"And I will not rest until my sister is safe," I answered. "As for the Hero Faction, what do you think the lords of hell will do when their prince calls them for war?" I asked menacingly.
That was merely a bluff, but I can at least count on the cults of Lucifer to aid me. If pushed, I could possibly unite various factions to act against the Hero Faction. By playing into the illusion of Lucifer's spirit inheritor, I could possibly do that. The fact that I am not Lucifer's spirit inheritor and have nothing to do with him does not matter. Power resides where people believe it resides.
"It will be extremely difficult," said Le Fay.
"Well then, I suggest you work hard. Do we have terms?" I asked again.
Le Fay sighed. "We have terms," she said.
"Brilliant. Now you only have to swear an unbreakable oath that you will not tell anybody and that you will do your best to accomplish your mission," I said calmly.
"W-what?" said Le Fay, shocked.
"Come on, dear Le Fay. We are past the point of trusting each other. As I am a reasonable man, I will also swear to give you the artifact after you fulfill your end of the bargain," I said and took out a draft for the oath I had already prepared.
Le Fay looked angry, but she swore it in the end. After that, we went our separate ways. Lavina came with me.
"I am surprised you did not try to help Le Fay. I had thought you were her friend," I asked Lavina.
"Not really. More like colleagues," answered Lavina. "And I do not like that she lied and manipulated you, nor the Hero Faction's massacre of innocent humans. And I am quite interested in studying you. A walking contradiction of natural laws and a beautiful soul to match," said Lavina.
I chuckled at that. I thought of my deal with Le Fay. I will give her the Shears of the Firstborn, but she will not be able to use it for more than a decade at least, and I am not sure it can even break the oath. Oaths are too conceptual and not something physical that can be cut. But oh well, it is her fault that she did not think about the details.
In matters like this, the details are all that matter.
AN: New chapter.