The War of Ascension Begins.

(I guess I can still call it a War.)

During Romonus' coronation as Lord Bael, he revealed the true extent of his great power. He was so strong that his aura had caused the near-endless Underworld to tremble. Every Devil in the underworld heard his voice as if it had come from their souls. 

Zekram, who was watching all of this as he had been ordered to attend placed a hand over his new heart. 

'What kind of monster did I create?' 

Now that he had time to ponder his life, he committed several mistakes that could have prevented his current state. His commitment to the old ways had been wrong. Making an enemy of Romonus was the worst choice he could have made. 

Rather than accept the choices Romonus had made, he pushed against them. Now, he was no better than an undead possessing his corpse. He clasped his hands together and prayed, not to God, but to Romonus for forgiveness. 

Unfortunately, it was not up to Romonus to forgive him, but to Vespera who he had wronged. 

---

In the days following his rise, Romonus never left Bael Castle. He, of course, would need to address all his allies and the Devil Clans, but that could come later. In the meantime, he started planning the assaults against his targets. 

He already knew where his Katerea, Shalba, Creuserey, and Rizivem were. The teams he had chosen to hunt them had not changed, but now he had 100 Legions of Devils to send with them. 

He also had allies to call on, so while Sairaorg and Magdaran worked together to deal with House Bael's business under the guidance of their grandfather, Romonus met with his closest allies. 

He was meeting with Sirzechs, Ajuka, Falbium, Serafall, and Azazel. Romonus had brought Kharn, Grimaldus, and Azi Dahaka, while Sirzechs had brought Grayfia. He had called them a week after he became the Demon King. 

Azazel had Baraqiel with him while Serafall, Falbium, and Ajuka were alone. Azazel leaned back in his chair as he glanced at Romonus. 

"So, Demon King, what did you call us here for?" 

Romonus rolled his eyes. 

"It is simple. I have never kept it secret that my dream since I was a boy was to become the first Devil to become a god. That goal has not changed even after I became a Demon; I have been gathering certain catalystis to do so. 

The True Longinus, Incinerate Anthem, Sephiroth Graal." 

Azazel instantly noticed something. 

"The Holy Relics, right? All blessed by the blood of Jesus, the son of God." 

Romonus nodded. 

"Exactly. I need two more, the Nails and the Shroud. They will be part of the ascension ritual and a few more items, mainly the bodies and souls of Katerea, Shalba, Creuserey, and Rizivem, the last descendants of the original Satans. I also plan to use the corpse of Lilith in my ritual." 

Ajuka had a good theory of why he was using those. 

"Since God is dead, you plan to take his divinity, yes? You wish to combine the four bloodlines of the original Satan along with his vacant divinity with your Demon bloodline as the core." 

Romonus nodded. 

"Exactly. I already know where those items are; the issue is where they are held. Katerea, Shalba, Creuserey, and Rizivim won't cause issues, but the other three will. Lilith's corpse is hidden in Rizivem's lab, which is in the realm of Hades. 

Attacking will be seen as aggression and lead to trouble, but with your strength that is of no consequence. However, the Shroud of Turin will be kept in the Vatican, and I plan to attack that alone or with help. Will you help me?" 

Azazel looked at the ceiling before smiling. 

"All you had to do was ask. I am in, and all of Grigori will move with you. Count on that." 

Sirzechs nodded as well. 

"Count on me as well. You are my brother, and what can I do other than help? I would rather not cause a Second Great War, but with your strength, I can see that we don't have to worry as much." 

Serafall was already in on it. 

"Sure, I can use this chance to show my new strength." 

Falbium, who was asleep, opened his eyes and asked a question. 

"When you become a god, what will that mean for me?" 

Romonus smiled as he knew how to tempt Falbium. 

"You can retire and sleep all you want." 

A serious expression replaced Falbium's tired face. 

"I am in." 

Once he heard that, Romonus grinned. 

"Great, this is the plan and reason." 

---

Romonus spoke of his attack plan and who he planned to send against who. He also explained in detail the future he had seen with Trihexa, the Evie Atolde, the death of Great Red, the weakening of Ophis, and the death and sealing of several Supernatural leaders. 

Once he explained this in detail, they all understood why he had been so focused on getting stronger. The death of Great Red was a big shock, as he was supposed to be the strongest creature in their world. 

Learning why he kept the dimensional gap sealed off for so long made them more grateful to the Dragon Of Dreams. This also made them more serious in this, as the war this would start would be the lesser evil. 

Azazel returned to Grigori as Viviana would go with the attack team to hunt down her grandfather. He also began reorganizing his fighting force since he planned to lead them, along with Baraqiel, Armaros, and his other Cadres. 

Sirzechs, Ajuka, Falbium, and Serafall all returned to their original clans, the Gremory, Astaroth, Sitri, and Glasya-Labolas, to take control over their clans' armies. This was not supposed to happen because the clan Lords were supposed to control the fighting forces. 

However, rules were ignored since this was a very important campaign, and they were the first to go. Seekvaira, Silvana, and Roygun returned to Agares, Berith, and Belphegore's clans to do the same. 

Roygun faced opposition, but when Azi Dahaka came with her, her old clan surrendered to her power again. Romonus even returned her King Piece, which he and Valerie had modified to work again. 

On the other hand, Lord Agares and Avivoton instantly agreed to participate in the war. Avivoton and his wife Caoimhe were instantly on board since they were battle maniacs. 

Caoimhe even communed with her god, Arawan, to ask for his aid in this war. The Death god gave his decree and made it so his followers, the 3 Dullahan clans, follow Romonus in battle. 

He even strengthened Silvana's blessing because she was stronger than him. Silvana had the luck of being modified by Valerie and being Romonus' second Knight. He could have removed his blessing, but from what he could feel, Silvana was close to becoming a goddess of Death like him. 

Those were not the only allies that agreed to move for him, as Arjac jumped at the chance to fight. The Werewolf King only wanted to receive modifications from Valerie in exchange, and even the Ancestor of the Corpse Ghost Sect desired to participate. 

Once Romonus' allies had agreed to join him, he began to plan the attack along with his harem and Peerage. In the days leading up to the first targets, the other Devil Clans were beginning to get nervous since more and more troops gathered around Castle Bael. 

Only two weeks into Romonus' rule, he was already slowly beginning to gather more karma for himself. His big moves made his name known to everyone and created confusion about his plan. 

However, that all changed when two more weeks passed as the troops gathered and prepared to move. 

---

A month after his coronation as Demon King, Romonus and his allies were ready to move. The last thing to do was to decide which force would move since Romonus was planning on assaulting the realm of Hades. 

He would take 75 Legions of House Bael while trusting his grandfather to lead the other 25 to keep Castle Bael safe. He and the rest of the war leaders met for the last time before the battles began. 

Romonus stood at the head of the war room, where plans were underway. His peerage, harem, and disciples were present and ready to move since they were the core of the attack. 

In this room, Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, Falbium, Azazel, Baraqiel, Armaros, Penemune, Avivoton, Caoimhe, Arawan, Arjac, Viviana, and even Chen Deming, the Ancestor of the Corpse Ghost Sect. 

Once everyone was gathered in the war room, Romonus walked forward. He was the strongest and the core of this war. 

"First, thank you for answering my call to arms. I assure you that you will be repaid for this. Thanks aside, it is time to separate our forces. Katerea Leviathan and her troops are the first targets. 

Serafall, I want you to take the Legions of the Sitri clan. I already promised Miria to lead since this is her revenge. Work together in this." 

Miria and Serafall looked at each other before exchanging fist bumps. As part of Romonus' harem, if they could fuck together, they could kill together. Serafall winked up at Romonus. 

"Count on us." 

Romonus smirked to himself. 

"As I said, Bikou, Arthur, La Fey, Vespera, we have gone through this already. You will join Serafall, Miria, and the 20 Legions of the Sitri Clan. This will make this operation go smoother. The coordinates are as follows." 

He transferred the Locations of Katerea into their minds, allowing them to prepare. He then continued to the next target. Though, Latia spoke up. 

"You said this already, me, Seekvaira, Rias, and Tobio. Uncle, you coming." 

Ajuka nodded. 

"I will. Shalba is a bother, and I can ensure everything goes well. I will be bringing the 15 Legions of the Agares clan to deal with Shalba's forces." 

Latia smiled to herself. 

"I will get a chance to use my secret creations." 

Ajuka smiled as he had taught her well. Romonus smiled to himself before continuing. 

"Now, Creuserey Asmodeus. Falbium, I am counting on you to lead your 18 Legions. Initially, I wanted to send you Roygun, but you will be part of the greater Vatican raid. Instead, Kuroka, Shirone, Kouki, you three will move ahead with Falbium and the legions." 

Falbium nodded. 

"We shall get it done." 

Once that was dealt with, he spoke of the next most dangerous target. 

"Rizivem is probably the biggest danger. Viviana, I know you want revenge, and I am giving it to you. Azazel, you, of course, will go with her. Grigori has 80 Legions of Fallen, so how will they be split?"

Azazel smirked. 

"4 Cadre, 80 Legions, 20 per. I will lead 20 Legions of Fallen Angels to ensure Rizevim doesn't escape."

Romonus nodded. 

"Ok, I already said this, but Akeno, Itsuki, Silvana, you three will join then. Make sure he doesn't escape. Their heart is just the main ingredient. Get me their souls and bodies if you can." 

Like Romonus, Viviana had aged once she had access to the time chamber. She was now 21, just a year younger than Romonus. She clenched her fists, still dressed in her usual rock attire. 

"Thank you for this chance; I won't let it slip, and make sure to kill that monster." 

Romonus placed his hand over his heart before giving her a nod. She smiled and raised her fist before placing it over her chest, returning the gesture. While they were not dating, they did have mutual respect.

Romonus then brought up the next target. 

"Alright, the next target will be more risky. While I am attacking the realm of Hades to get to Lilith, the Vatican will be the most dangerous raid since it will cause a war with Heaven. That is fine since once I become a Demon God, that war will end. 

Sirzechs, you will lead your Peerage and the Legions of House Gremory against the Vatican. Arjac, Ancestor Chen, will you go with them?" 

Arjac, the Werewolf King, was always in his massive Werewolf form. He was 22 feet tall, covered in shaggy black fur, and had small armor plates around his arms, chest, and legs. He grinned, and his armies were always hungry for war.

"A glorious battle against the Vatican and Heaven? My warriors and I won't miss this for anything." 

Ancestor Chen, the most powerful Necromancer of his sect, was a true undead. He wasn't a Lich, but rather, he was something unique. His skin was deadly pale, making him look anemic; his hair was cut very short, unlike most cultivators, and his eyes were two black pits. 

"One question: can I have the bodies?" 

Romonus smiled as he respected fellow Necromancers. 

"Of course. Angels, exorsists, and more. Take the corpses." 

That made the old Necromancer smile, showing his sharp needle teeth. 

"Excellent."

Romonus then focused on himself. 

"As for me, I will be moving 75 Legions of House Bael against Hades. I will lead it personally. To fight with me, Avivoton, Caoimhe, will you come?" 

From the look of things, his two in-laws didn't need to be told twice. Avivoton, Silvana's Father, smiled as he ran his hand down his beard. 

"Of course. My daughter would hate for me to stay behind." 

Coimhe, his wife, smiled as she twirled her long sword. 

"It has been a long time since I fought like this. A fight against Hades sounds like paradise." 

Romonus smiled as he liked these two.

"Natsume, Valerie, Connla, Azi Dahaka, Grimaldus, Kharn, Mephiston, and Walburga. Our target is Lilith, if it comes to it, and Hades, if he tries to stop us. That leaves Baraqiel, Armaros, Penemune, and you, Lord Arawan." 

The god of the dead and the patron of Silvana was wearing a bone-like mask with a crown of antlers. He was the god of Death and the ruler of the Celtic afterlife. He was a powerful god, but Silvana surpassed him in power. 

When he spoke, the air became stale. 

"I suggest that I go with you. I will lead my followers, the three clans of Dullahans, in the battle. Hades controls a powerful, endless army of the dead, and 50 Legions might not be enough. 

That is if you do not move yourself, otherwise this battle will end quickly. If Hades is to die, it will leave his territory and authority vacant. If possible, I would like to take it." 

Romomus thought about it. 

"It is not guaranteed that he will die, but if he does, I will keep his corpse while you can have his Domain." 

Arawan was fine with that. 

"That is fine by me." 

That just left three Cadre of Grigori. Azazel also had suggestions. 

"I suggest Baraqiel, Armaros, and Penemune go with Sirzechs, Arjac, Roygun, and Ancestor Deming. Heaven is a powerful army even now, and more numbers will even the playing field." 

Romonus nodded. 

"Got it. Brother, you hear that?" 

Sirzechs nodded. 

"I agree. Thanks for the help, Azazel, because we will need it." 

Just as Romonus was about to end the meeting, his mother spoke up. 

"You forgot me. I am not missing out." 

Romonus smiled. 

"You can come with me then." 

With a smile, Venelana sat down. 

"Good." 

Romonus clapped his hands. 

"That is all; everyone, prepare to move because I will be opening the portals to get you where you need to go. I also have one last thing to say: fight well." 

(P-atreon.com/A_Real_Werewolf234)

(Ok, on Patreon, I made a voting poll for Next World and it was Elden Ring. When it ends, I am open to suggestions. Not DC since I already have two fanfics based on that. At least worlds that could challenge Romonus.)