OP Sister Chapter 454: What It Means To Be A Death Apostle

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“If you don’t come, then stay there and torment yourself for eternity. End your life if you’re so desperate. I won’t give you the swift release you desire.” 

As the leopard walked away, the dragon remained there, full of despair.

He didn’t know what to do.

But eventually…

He started to follow him. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Aim. Yours?” 

“…Astaroth.” 

“A-Astaroth?! I knew it was you! You’re the Demonic Dragon! One of Lucifer’s strongest generals!” 

“Yes… I am known as such…” 

“You sure don’t look like the legends, though.” 

“HAH?!” 

“I thought you would be, like, a kilometer big. You’re barely thrice my size…” 

“I-I’m only saving my energy. I can get really big, I swear!” 

“Uh-huh…” 

“So where… where are you taking me?” 

“Where else? If you truly don’t want to serve Lucifer anymore, we need strong people like you. Do you know about us?” 

“Who?” 

“The Death Apostles?” 

“…!” 

Astaroth’s eyes widened. 

“You’re the guys trying to create a new world for demons?!” 

“Lucifer mostly aims to destroy worlds and absorb their energies and stories, but we aim to conquer one and transform it into an ideal world where demons can escape from the 999 Hells, so we can finally live in peace, away from Lucifer’s reign.” 

“You’re insane… To go against him is…!” 

“Hoh? So you’re getting scared already? I guess you are still his little pet. I bet he gives you yummy food, right? He pets you on the head and calls you his favorite…” 

“S-Shut up! I am… No, I am not that anymore! I am not a pet! I am… a demon!” 

“Hmph…” 

Aim smiled back at Astaroth. 

“If you’re a demon, then you know that our cause makes sense, right?” 

“…” 

“You’ve seen what his negligence has provoked… Unchecked power, tyrants everywhere, starvation, poverty. The Hells were once brimming with resources; now they’re all extracted or reserved for the Generals or the Thrones. The rest? They either have to join his army and die in war or die of starvation. This is not sustainable! How did we even make that bastard our King?” 

“He’s… always been. There has never been another King… To dare defy him is just…” 

“Insane? Well, yeah, we’re all insane already! Do you think we have any screws in our heads? All loose and lost! We’re fucking tired!” 

Aim stopped right there as Astaroth noticed a large cave where there was a camp with people.

Demons of all shapes and sizes—animal-like, insect-like, and humanoids—working together.

He even saw little children playing around, making Astaroth’s heart feel something for the first time in eons. 

“Y-You have children?! I haven’t seen one in eons…” 

“We do our best to raise them, but resources are thin… So? Are you joining us? Or… If you don’t want to, we’ll have to take you down right here.” 

Suddenly, several other demons appeared behind Aim. Among them, Astaroth recognized a few fellow Generals—or, well, ex-Generals.

Bael, Agares, Neberius… 

“I brought you to our base, so we can’t let you escape, Astaroth… But we know you’re strong. You could kill us…” 

“You sure took a gamble by bringing this fat ass here, damn cat,” Agares groaned angrily. 

“Astaroth, huh? First time I’ve seen him in a hundred years…” Bael smiled. 

“CRAAH! Are you joining us or what?!” Neberius asked angrily. 

“…” 

Astaroth looked at these demons. They were not weaklings.

They were pretty damn strong.

If they went against him, they could kill him with their combined strength.

Quite easily. 

“Hah… I don’t have any other choice now, do I?” 

Although Astaroth said that he had already decided to join them the moment he saw the children.

If they were fighting to protect these young souls, they couldn’t possibly be worse than Lucifer. 

“Welcome to the team!” Aim said. “You’re starting your job right now. Go over that mountain and bring us some food! Or else, we’ll kill you.” 

“HAH?!” Astaroth glared at them angrily. 

“…” 

But then he noticed the children glancing at him from behind the other demons. 

“Uncle Neberius, who’s that?” 

A little, red-skinned demon girl tilted her head, glancing at the huge dragon. 

“A big, scary dragon! Don’t get close to him, CRAH! Or he’ll eat you up!” 

“R-Really?!” 

As the girl gasped, Agares sighed. 

“Come on now, kids, go back to the village. This isn’t a place for you.” 

“But we want to see the big dragon!” 

“Can’t we climb him?” 

“Tsk! These damn kids don’t have any sense of danger! How are they even going to survive the hellish lands?” Bael complained. 

“Please, please, please!” 

As the kids kept begging, Astaroth felt overwhelmed. 

“Ugh…” 

He groaned, sitting on the ground. The kids happily climbed his scaled body. 

“Wooow!” 

“It’s super high from here!” 

“Heheh!” 

“…” 

Although Astaroth looked visibly annoyed, he still smiled a bit. 

“Hey, this bastard’s got a really soft heart, don’t he?” Neberius wondered. 

“Yeah, he’s easy to manipulate,” Aim laughed. 

“Now go and find us food, or the kids are going to starve!” Bael said. 

“…Dammit, okay, fine! But you’re going to give them a good share, you hear me?!” 

As Astaroth gently set the kids back on the ground, he spread his wings and flew away.

After hours of foraging, he returned with the huge corpse of a demonic beast resembling a two-headed wolf and a black-colored tree bearing red fruits shaped like heads. 

“Wooow! It’s him!” 

“Uncle Dragon!” 

“Uncle Dragon is back!” 

“He is?!” Aim wondered. 

“W-Wha…? He brought a bunch of food, CRAH!” Neberius said. 

The group ran out of the cave, seeing Astaroth drop the corpses and the trees onto the ground. 

“Eat the fruits. I’ll cut you some meat, brats.” 

Astaroth used his sharp claws to slice the demonic beast’s meat into big pieces, using his breath to cook it. 

“Oooh!” 

The children had their first feast in years.

Aim glanced at the scene as the rest of the village flocked around Astaroth. He instantly became popular. 

“Hmph… You pass the test, newbie. Welcome to the Death Apostles.” 

“Thank you… I won’t disappoint you!” 

As Astaroth got happy and started looking even dumber, Agares and Bael glanced at Aim, raising an eyebrow. 

“Are you sure this is fine?” Bael asked. 

“This guy’s a fucking idiot. Look at his face…” Agares muttered. 

“He’s good with kids… Anybody who’s good with kids gets a pass for me…” Aim sighed. “That’s something that, despite what you may think, is very rare among demons of higher ranks.” 

Like that, years went by… Battle after battle, Lucifer’s forces constantly chased them across worlds. They fought his forces while trying to claim parts of those worlds for themselves, only to be stopped and forced to run again.

At some point, they were assimilated by the Cosmic Records, becoming part of the cycles of Apocalypse and Awakenings—beings that invaded worlds and had to be stopped by the inhabitants.

Sometimes they won, conquering a planet for themselves, only for Lucifer to come and steal everything from them again.

Never having their peace for too long…

And yet, Aim, his Death Apostles, and especially Astaroth never gave up.

Always staying together, trying to survive this insane universe. 

He could still recall that time when Astaroth saved his life, defeating a powerful Demon General who had come for his head.

Both were left nearly dead. Astaroth’s wings were lost, one of his legs broken, his jaw almost dislocated. 

“B-Bastard, you almost died…!” 

“Well, what’s wrong? You have my back, and I’ll have yours, alright?” 

“What?!” 

“We’re friends, aren’t we, Aim?” 

“…But we’re demons! Demons don’t have friends, idiot!” 

“Gahahahah! Maybe? But we aren’t exactly normal demons!” 

“You fucking idiot…” 

These memories flashed through his mind, Aim’s eyes shining bright gold. 

“ASTAROTH!!!” 

He roared mightily, his entire body turning into pure electricity. 

FLASH! 

And he reached Lucifer at that moment.

Surprising everyone!

He went beyond everything he thought possible. 

“{Infernal Thunderstorm}!!!” 

RUMBLE!

An explosion of crimson, golden, and purple lightning erupted everywhere as Aim’s body turned completely into an element—something he had never done before. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

“NNNGRAARGH…?!” 

Lucifer groaned in agony as his heads were electrocuted and fried from the inside out! 

“A-Aim…?!” 

Astaroth’s eyes widened as he saw his friend come for him, quickly using his lightning form to drag him away, returning to normal as the two fell from the skies. 

“YOU FUCKING CAT…!” 

As they heard Lucifer’s roars behind them and his monstrous heads drawing closer, Astaroth was surprised. 

“You… saved me?” 

“Tsk, of course I did!” 

“But… why?” 

“Because… we’re friends, right?” 

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