Chapter 53: That Time I was summoned as a Devil!
The purple sun cast long, distorted shadows across the study room of the Balam mansion, its light filtering through the stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope of hues onto the pristine leather of the antique desk centred in the middle of the room.
The familiar scent of old books and pipe tobacco lingered in the air, a comforting aroma that had accompanied Landon Balam through centuries of navigating the treacherous waters of underworld politics.
Landon, the current head of the Balam House, bore the physical marks of his long life on his face. Deep lines etched into his skin spoke volumes of worry and apprehension.
A sudden sharp knock on the door startled him, causing him to tighten his grip on his ornate silver cane instinctively. He scanned the room for any signs of intrusion before finally answering the door.
"Enter" he rasped with a voice dryer than the desert winds.
The door creaked open, revealing a figure bathed in the purple light.
Landon felt his heart skip a beat as soon as his eyes fell upon the tall well-built figure entering the room. Lennox, his nephew who had been declared dead just months ago, stood before him, vibrant and alive.
"Lennox?" Landon choked out, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Lennox flashed a smile, but unease flickered behind his eyes. "Uncle Landon...it's good to see you again."
The boy in front of him appeared paler than usual, and there was a new intensity in his gaze that hadn't been there before.
A small twinge of unease crept into Landon's mind as he took in the unfamiliar sharpness around the edges of Lennox's demeanour. He knew his nephew well - his love for a good fight and alcohol, and his musclehead nature. But this Lennox...he seemed different, colder and more guarded.
"How… how is this possible?" Landon stammered, his mind struggling to grasp the impossible reality before him. "The registry…the reports…they all confirmed your death."
Lennox let out a sigh, the smile fading from his face, "It's a long story, Uncle. I was ambushed by a fool claiming to be the Tarot killer. He wanted me to betray the current government and join their cause. I refused, naturally. We fought, and…' His voice dropped to a whisper. "He massacred my peerage. He thought he had killed me, but somehow I managed to escape with my life."
Lennox hung his head down, seeming almost ashamed of having survived such an encounter with nothing but cowardice. But Landon walked up to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, boy. You did well. But..."
His mind raced as he tried to make sense of it all. He knew Lennox's strength and mastery of Demonic Technique - for someone to have cornered him so brutally, The Tarot Killer must have been a force to be reckoned with, a shadow lurking in the corners of the underworld unknown to all. Or is it....?
"Who…?" he began, his voice cracking with the weight of suspicion. "Did you discover his identity?"
Lennox's eyes hardened. "Just before he tried to kill me, he said - Those who defy the will of the original rulers meet the same end."
"I'm sure he belongs to The Old Satan Faction! Even their motives match up!"
The news struck Landon like a bolt of lightning. 'The Tarot Killer, the infamous assassin who had been making headlines in the underworld for months, is related to the Old Satan Faction? But why would a group that had been keeping a low profile for centuries be involved in this?'
"Are you sure?....and how did you survive?" The Balam Clan Head's voice quivered with a mix of disbelief and a growing sense of unease.
Lennox's lips twitched into a faint smile. "I discovered something interesting, Uncle."
He held out his hand, revealing a bracelet adorned with intricate carvings. It pulsed with a faint, ethereal glow, its reddish-white energy seemingly flowing through Lennox's body.
"This," Lennox continued, gently rubbing his fingers on the intricate carving on the metallic surface of the bracelet, "saved me. This mysterious artefact....protected me from their attacks and helped me escape."
Landon stared at the bracelet, his mind reeling. Although he was not well versed in ancient artefacts, he could feel the power radiating from it, a power both ancient and terrifying. He understood now why the Registry of Noble Devils had declared Lennox dead. The artefact had masked his presence, shielding him from the prying eyes of the underworld's bureaucracy.
"Uncle, I need your help," Lennox pleaded urgently, desperation evident in his eyes. "I need you to write to the Four Great Satans."
Landon felt a chill crawl down his spine. This was a dangerous request, one that could easily be misinterpreted.
Since they belonged to the noble houses of the 72 Pillars, they were expected to stay loyal to the current devil society, and indirectly to the current incumbent satans. But quite a few Houses of the 72 Pillars had backdoor dealings with the old satan faction, and except for the staunch allies of the current government, it was unwise to opt for all-out hostility with the old Satans.
But he couldn't turn his back on his nephew.
"Tell them about the Old Satan faction," Lennox continued, "their involvement in the attack, their plan. But don't mention my survival. It's too dangerous. They'll come after me if they find out I'm alive and won't hesitate to harm our family. Warn the Satans and request them for protection.'
Landon nodded solemnly and reached for a quill.
He knew the ramifications of such a letter. It could be the spark that ignited the powder keg that was the underworld and result in a war that could very easily destroy the fragile peace between the three factions. But he had to do it. He had to protect his nephew, protect his family.
With a steady hand, as he penned a letter, the words flowed effortlessly signifying the urgency of the situation fueling his pen. He described the attack, the Old Satan faction's involvement, and the threat they posed to the current government. He also stressed the danger he was putting himself in by passing along such sensitive information and emphasized their dire need for official protection.
A loud sigh escaped his mouth as he finished the letter and sealed it with his family crest, before activating a special magic post.
The letter went soaring into the purple sky, before vanishing into a blue portal; carrying hope in the face of impending darkness.
Landon felt a pang of pride in his heart as he watched the pale and drawn-out face of his nephew bravely witnessing the letter disappear into the swirling blue vortex.
"You made the right decision. Help will be on its way soon."
"Thank you, Uncle," Lennox said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for understanding."
With that, he turned to leave but then paused as his eyes met Landon's. A flicker of something dark crossed his face accompanied by a cruel glint that sent a shiver down Landon's spine.
"You see, Uncle," Lennox addressed in a voice cold and devoid of emotion, "you didn't understand. None of you do."
In an instant, even before Landon could flare his magic, Lennox lunged forward with one hand clamping around Landon's throat while the other one pressed the silver bracelet on his uncle's forehead.
Landon Balam was an Ultimate-Class Devil. Not an exceptionally strong one, but still an Ultimate-class. So he got the shock of his life when he saw his nephew moving at speeds even he couldn't react to, and more so at how the silver bracelet stopped him from mobilising even an ounce of his demonic energy. It was as if their connection had been severed.
Struggling to break free from Lennox's grip, Landon's vision blurred as darkness overtook him.
The last thing he felt was a sharp, searing and agonizing tightness, as Lennox's grip squeezed the life out of him.
"You should be grateful," Lennox hissed in a voice laced with chilling amusement. "Grateful to be a part of master's plan."
As Landon took his final breath, Lennox released his grip and cleaned his bloodied hand with a flick of magic. He looked down at the lifeless body with satisfaction.
'Well, time to move on...'
As he turned heel, his gaze swept over the room one last time before finally settling on the shattered remains of the mahogany desk.
He let out a low chuckle, "What a grand mess," he said with a voice marred by unsettling sadism.
With another flick of his wrist, an enormous surge of dark energy engulfed the mansion instantly. The archaic Balam mansion standing as a grand testament to the family's power and wealth, vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind only a gaping crater in the ground.
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[The Castle of the Great Satan, Lilith, Underworld]
The dishevelled man with green hair walked through the door, plopping down in the only open seat among the four thrones surrounding a circular table.
Satan Beelzebub, one of the three super-devils in existence, loathed being disturbed during his research. His insatiable thirst for knowledge often kept him locked away in his laboratories for days on end, experimenting and theorizing. "Why did you call me?" he grumbled irritably.
Sirzechs Lucifer, his childhood friend and the most powerful devil alive, spoke up. "The Balam family has been wiped out."
It took the smartest and one of the most intelligent beings alive just a microsecond to process the information before his demeanour shifted 180 degrees. "How?" he asked sharply.
Sirzechs handed him a piece of paper. "This just arrived a few hours ago."
Ajuka nodded and read the paper. The information was concise but Ajuka's expression turned more grave the further he read
"I sent Greyfia to investigate," Sirzechs added, "but by the time she got there, nothing was left. The whole estate was vaporized, and in its place stood a massive crater."
Serafall Leviathan, the Satan responsible for external affairs, nodded as she attested to it. "I detected chaotic magical energy at the scene," she said in a delicate, almost childlike whisper, belying the seriousness behind the tone.
"The resurgence of the Old Satans and their followers will have major consequences," Ajuka mused as his mind sped far off, trying to calculate all possibilities.
"Why do these genocidal old manics need to pop up right now?! Urghhh!" Serafall whined like a petulant child, shaking her head so violently that her twin tails whipped around like a storm.
"It certainly complicates things," Sirzechs agreed.
"Right?! Let's declare Black Alert State 5!" Serafall's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.
"No! Don't be hasty Sera." Ajuka chided her.
Serafall humphed and turned away with her shoulder slumped.
"What do you think Falbium?" she asked in a voice tinged with annoyance.
"..."
But when they didn't get a reply, they all turned towards the Fourth Satan and were met with an all too familiar scene. The Satan in charge of defence and security was sound asleep at the table, expertly dodging his responsibilities with procrastination and napping.
"He's not going to be any help," Sirzechs groaned.
"Obviously," Ajuka commented, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's dreaming of fluffy clouds right now."
"Well, what do we do then?" Serafall asked, her voice tinged with frustration.
"We need to find out who is responsible for this," Ajuka replied. "Let's start by investigating the destruction of the Balam Estate."
"Do we even have any leads?" Serafall asked impatiently.
Sirzechs nodded, pulling out a small rectangular metal card from his robe's inside pocket.
"Is that…?" Serafall whispered, her eyes widening in recognition.
"Yes," Sirzechs confirmed.
Between his index finger and thumb was a shiny tarot card with the pictorial representation of The Devil on it.
"How can we be sure it's not a copycat but the real one?" Serafall asked curiously. Since the Tarot Killer first emerged, there have been numerous criminals attempting to imitate him by leaving devil tarot cards at crime scenes.
But they all missed one crucial detail.
"Don't you remember? On the back of the original Tarot Killer's cards, there were two words that we kept secret from the public?" Sirzechs revealed as he flipped over the card.
Serafall's eyes widened in recognition as she read the red letters inscribed on the metallic card - Rose Redemption.
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Author-san here!!!
This chapter is more of an interlude (Still very canonically important). Arc 3 starts from the next chapter. And we will be returning to schedule starting next week.
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