Absolution: Chapter 11

A Deal With the Devil

While Absolution dealt with his children and readied himself for his meeting with the Satan’s, another confrontation was shaping up in another part of the Underworld. Deep within the bowels of the abyss which the twisted realm of the underworld dipped into, the wellspring from which reality first came to be rose up from unreality.

In this deep, dank cave, was the realm of Xibalba, the Underworld which the Aztecs called their own. Far deeper than even Tartarus and that of Nifelheim, this realm skirted just above the darkness everlasting. In this realm of tormented souls, was where Tezcatlipoca retreated.

With a gasp, the god hauled himself from the dark waters, coughing and gasping for hair as he strained against the shadows grasp. There was little light in this realm aside from the stars embedded up in the cave’s roof. Still, he could see and he watched as those that came with him struggled against the water, drowning upon its thick almost viscous pools.

He was tempted to leave them there but no, they still had their use. With a heave, he forced the shadows to his will, having them spit out the fallen angels which he called his allies.

He had escaped but not without consequences. As his wet footsteps and the coughing of the fallen behind him echoed through the caves, he knew that he had lost all those souls. He was defeated and its bitter taste was almost too much to bear.

Roaring out, he struck the ground and the world quake. The cries of terror of the souls that had been shepherd and sacrificed into his realm quaked and cried in supplication, singing him praise and asking forgiveness. Back then, he would have been satisfied and merely licked his wounds like the time his sister took over from him, but now, not even the cries of his people could satisfy him. He had not just been defeated by any other god but by his most hated enemy.

Still, he can recover. He was still alive though he wondered if non-existence was a better option for who he had to talk to now. Grimacing, he got to his feet before he pulled out a dagger from his belt. Cutting his palm, he allowed his godly ichor pool down to the rocky floor below, letting it seep to the cracks as the world around him pulsed.

Slowly, the world shifted as pillars and pyramids rose from the shadows. The once proud cities now become part of his realm of the dead, a bitter reminder of why he fought. There, he’d stand before a ball court with the confused angels behind him, as his “allies” slipped out from the shadows.

They came in many shapes and forms. It wasn’t just gods that met him but dragons, demons, and even humans who walked behind their betters. They who united against the Tyrant now gathered and they stared down with judging eyes and disappointment.

With the shadow of a neary pillar, the one who led the gods of the underworld spoke up, judging him for what had just happened, “You failed.”

“I brought him down to his knees! He was at my mercy,”He spat out as hate and anger bubbled up his chest from the insult, “I could have won!” he told them. He could have won indeed. He had him at the ropes and he could have ended it there in then.

“But he still lives,” The god hissed as his fellow divine jeered at him. Stepping out from the shadows, the skeletal god spat out in disgust, “You lost, simple as that. A large chunk of the army we’ve been building up is gone. The hostages we could have used slipped through your hand. Your own power diminished in your confrontation. And worst of all, He knows that someone is out for him. Nothing on your part of the plan even succeeded remotely.”

Tezcatlipoca wanted to argue, to tell him that he was wrong but as much as he hated it, he was right. He didn’t even have the strength left to pull the hostages he had gathered for the light had burnt away so much of his shadows and stole what was rightly his.  

Lambasting him for his failure, the god continued, “In fact, the only one who even remotely succeeded is your chosen champion,” he declared, pointing at the shaking and quivering Kokabiel who had yet to recover from the journey, “He at least managed to set up the location for your confrontation yet you still failed.” he accused him and the shouts of anger only got louder.

Shaking his head in disgust, he then said, “I’m starting to doubt if supporting this endeavor is even worth it,” Turning to those who had gathered, he shouted, “The Chaos Brigade is in shambles, all the weapons we had accumulated rendered useless with him back in the helm, and now, we have incompetent fools in our midst.”

“Is this the victory that we were promised!” The god shouted and those in attendance screamed in agreement, all asking for his head.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he shouted, “You accuse me of failure but where were you when I fought him?” Pointed his clawed fingers at them, “Where were you all! That’s right, hiding in the shadows. I atleast I fought him and I would have won if it wasn't for the faulty information you gave me! How could I have known that he had recovered sufficiently enough to be that strong.” As shameful as it was for defeat, against an overwhelming foe, there should be none. He fought while they hid in the shadows, giving him trinkets which did little in the end.

While the gods were cowed by his words, the dragons among them were not. With a cruel and mocking grin stretched across his face, the darkest among them taunted, “You and your excuses,” Shrugging, the dragon then said,  “Maybe it was a mistake having you lead the operation.”

Before he could fire back, the man laughed out,  “You gods always claim such power, such grandeur with your titles yet all we see is hot air and a lot of bluster. You claim to be the ultimate beings of this world when we find you… lacking,” Shaking his head in dismay, he then shouted, “You know, I actually wondered how you even survived that fight? Oh wait, that’s right, you fled! What god you are indeed.”

The shadows around him roiled, tearing away at the feet of the other gods who cried out in surprise. “Why you-!” He hissed out only to pause as a voice of the last member of this assembly finally made themself known.

The Dragon who insulted him was quick to shut up as the Devil among them walked out from the shadows with a disarming smile across his face. “Oh come no Crom, Hades, Tezca, calm down. There’s no need to fight when our enemy still lives,” The man reasoned before he asked the assembly,  “Did we not all agree, Devils, Dragons and Gods alike, that the pretender in Heaven should be struck down while he’s still weakened before we pursue our other goals?”

There was a soft muttering amongst the gathering but none dared voice otherwise. They were here for one thing and one thing alone, the death of the man. To think that Heaven had hid the fact that that Tyrant had been gone for quite some time stung. They could have gathered their forces and stormed heaven. Even the Archangel himself would have stood no chance but that chance was now wasted. Still, there was a chance, a small window to right all the wrongs that that person did against them.

“As if you add anything to the discussion Demon,” The skeleton hissed out as they found their voice. Glaring at them with their baleful red eyes, the god then said, “In fact, I think you’re the one who suggested having Tezcatlipoca take charge. What do you have to say for yourself?“

The white haired demon merely smiled at the accusation as he told them confidently, “Oh he didn’t fail,” It took Tezcatlipoca by surprise. Of all the people that could have come to his aid, to think it would be them of all people, “In fact, his loss actually helped us with our fight against him!”

There was a beat of silence from the gathered crowd before they exploded into shouting. It would take a while before the crowd could be wrangled back to a semblance of calm. As Hades got them all to quiet down, he then leveled a flat look at both him and the demon. “He succeeded…” the man said before demanding, “Pray tell how.”

Smiling wider, the demon replied, “Oh simple, now we know that he’s not a pushover. Now we see his strengths, how he reacts under pressure and how he would fight,” He told them as he started to explain, “God,” and Tezcatlipoca’s eyes widened in alarm at the man's casual utterance of their enemies name.

Crom Cruach, in an almost uncharacteristic look of fear in his eyes, shouted, “Don’t say his name!” but the devil in front of them all would just laugh.

“What? Are you actually afraid, Crom?” The man asked teasingly. Admonished, the dragon turned away as he pulled back from the crowd. Shrugging, the demon then continued, “As I was saying, God has always been weird whenever he wakes up from one of his little naps. He’d always be this overwhelming force of nature later on but for the first few years, he’s different… like a copy that’s not quite right. He’d act strangely and fight differently and he’ll carry on these traits until he has one of those naps and the whole process starts anew.”

It was one of things he learned that made the Tyrant all the more alien in his eyes. What kind of god would change in such a manner? It was an antithesis to what they were. They were symbols, living representations of ideas and dreams. To change was akin to die for what were gods but eternal? So to learn that the Tyrant constantly changed made him all the more revolting. How can such a being of constant death be so powerful?

Laughing, the man jested, “Why, I could still remember my dear old man raving about it, how hard it is to deal with the schizophrenic fuck. He’s almost like the little monkeys he adores,” Letting out a dramatic sigh, he then said, “My father always called God’s greatest strength, his human drive to rise from the ashes and ability to change but I call it his greatest flaw.”

Yet once more, he would be interrupted as one of his fellow gods, Angra Mainyu, jeered at him with a bored tone, “Just get to the point already. We don’t have all day, we have matters to attend to-!” only to choke as the man’s gaze fell unto him.

“Are you done?” The demon asked with an easy going smile on his face despite the fury boiling under his hateful eyes. As the lights flickered, his very shadows melting away into nothingness, he felt the man's presence loomed over them all, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as he asked them, “Are you finished? Are you done with your little joke because from what I see is a sad excuse of a god who didn’t even commit to the plan so if you are not going to contribute anything at all, you better stay quiet and Let. Me. Finish!”

Cowed, the Angra Mainyu backed down, averting his gaze from the man. Fixing his immaculate suit, the man continued, “Now where was I? Ahhh, yes, God.”

Turning back to his audience, he then said, “Now you might be asking, what does God’s mental illness, this flaw upon his mind, have to do with killing him?” there would be silence as all of them thought about it. Indeed, what does this have to do with anything? His enemy could change but that only made him more unpredictable than anything, almost human like in a way.

Seeing their confusion, the man smiled as he answered them, “I’ll answer you with a question, what is a god?” Holding his right arm to his side as a large baleful fireball formed in his hands, “Is it his power? The very idea that he represents and draws his strength upon?” He then stretched out his left hand as a mass of tortured souls formed, each trying to escape the grip he had, “Or is it the adoration that feeds them, the worship that some of you oh so crave?”

He then grinned as he crushed both, snuffing out the light that had bathed his city as he told them, “No, it’s neither of that. A god is nothing more than his mind and ego, the sheer will that binds the immense forces that drive them.”

Tezcatlipoca frowned as he mulled over his words. They rang true but he cannot fathom yet how this was relevant. How can this be his bitter enemy’s greatest weakness? As if taking delight from it, he let them stew before he laughed out. “You all still haven’t gotten it have you? God’s very mind, the core that you my divine all possess, the one true essence that is truly unique to you alone is flawed, it’s damaged, or rather it’s built as such. It. Can. Change.”

His eyes widened as he started to piece things together, “You can’t mean to say that because his ego can change, his mind… could shatter?”

“Ex-Fucking-Xaclty Tezctalipoca!” The man exclaimed as he gave him a wide smile, “See, this is the reason why I like you. You're smart my dude but for those who have yet to catch on, yes, God’s Ego is fragile in the literal sense. In his first few years after he wakes up, when he changes, is when he is at his most fragile and we’re fortunate that this time around, his current state is less tougher than all than the god that woke up to whoop my father’s ass!”

Spreading his arms, he then said, “God, in his current state, is hesitant. He might be bold and headstrong but it’s a mere act, a way to mask the indecision hiding under all that. Not only does he double guess himself but he doubts himself and that will be where we strike him.”

Clapping his hands, he then said, “Now we know where we’re going to strike him. Now we see his weakness, his own ego. If that is to die… then he will no longer be able to fight back,” With a bloodthirsty grin stretching across his face, he declared, “We simply need him to despair, to have his hope broken and his will tested. A few million people would do, a couple cities and maybe even a grand war to top it all off if need be. It is in this Khaos, when his resolve is at its weakest, we shall break him and that is when we strike him down.”

Tezcatlipoca felt a shiver of excitement in his spine. Yes… the man’s plan was merely the first part of a grander scheme. It was terrifying to see such cunning in a being like him but it was exactly what was needed for what they want. If they were going to kill the Tyrant, no God!, they needed to be this cruel and ruthless.

Gesturing him,the man told those that gathered, “Dear Tezcatlipoca here already showed that he can be brought down to his knees so why not a second time?” Yes, indeed, he saw it with his own eyes, how in a moment of weakness his enemy faltered.

Emboldened by his words, the crowd cheered and he himself found himself swept up in the fervor. Raising his palm, he called for calm, remaining quiet as he let the gathering’s energy die down a bit before he continued, “Now all we need to do is prepare. To gather our strength, to find targets, and to prepare to plunge the world into a bloodbath.” Laughing, the man said, “After all, is this world really worth living in if we are under God’s reign? Under his laws? When even those we call our kin bow to his will?”

“I do have to admit, maybe our strike now is a bit hasty but it did have its purpose,” The man admitted, bowing his head in apology as he told them, “So patience my fellow conspirators, patience. We’ll get him eventually.”

Tezcatlipoca nodded and so did the other gods, demons and dragons with them. Still, there were those who did not believe in his words, chief amongst them was Hades himself. Leveling a glare at the man, he growled out, “You might have patience but we certainly do not.”

Turning around, he walked off as he declared, “All I hear is a man trying to buy time. Until we hear a proper plan at hand, consider this meeting over,” before his form retreated into the shadows, leaving not a trace of him in his city. A few other dragons and gods left as well but the congregation remained whole with those that remained sneering at those that left. Even he couldn’t help it himself.

Shaking his head in mock dismay, the man jested, “Sheesh, talk about a tough crowd,” He then shrugged as he replied, “It’s not like we need him for any of the plans. His faction's inclusion, while helpful, is just icing on the proverbial cake we already have.”

Angra Mainyu, one of the man's biggest detractor, was quick to support him as he nodded and told them all, “Hades and the Greeks have always been high strung, especially after He knocked them out of Anatolia and most of Greece,” He then frowned as he reminded them all, “Still, we lost most of our soldiers, we need replacements.”

Nodding, the demon turned toward Tezcatlipoca. “Oh there’s no need for that,” he told the crowd as he gestured to the angels that had been hiding behind him all this time, “In fact, I think Tezcatlipoca has us covered there, right buddy?”

Quirking a brow, he turned to see the confused look that his pawn now sported. Shrugging, he then replied, “If he and his ilk is what you need, have at him. He has no use for me.” They had their use but now they were done.

The look of confusion was quickly overcome with despair as the man shouted, “You can’t do this! This wasn’t part of the deal! We did our part!” backing away, he pulled out a shadowy sword, his shoulders tensed as his eyes shifted between Tezcatlipoca and the Demon. “I pledge my allegiance to you!” the angel raged making Tezcatlipoca scoff.

With a snap of his fingers, the blessings that had been vested upon him were removed, leaving him nothing more than the rotten being he is. Now without his shadow cloaking, he could see the ugliness in the man’s twisted and deformed wings. They looked nothing like the wings of the Demon for what the mad had was rotten meat hanging upon a body frame. Fitting for a man's character.

“I have no use for someone so willing to betray their own creator,” He declared, casting him out along with his followers from his protection. Even now the creatures of the night came out from their hiding as the Fallen that had chosen to follow their leader huddled together, their backs against each other as the light they wielded shone brightly.

He simply shook at the pitiful sight. Against those that gathered, do these angels really think they can do something to change the faith that would now befall them? Roaring out in pain and anger, Kokabiel charged at them, madness overtaking what little thought was left in their mind.

“Euclid if you will,” The Demon commanded as a shadowy figure appeared from the shadows. Flicking through the pages of the great artifact, they stepped in between them before waving their hands. With a mere gesture, the great angel stopped dead in their tracks as they were bound up by chains. Digging into his flesh, snapping bones and twisting limbs, his cries would be drowned out as the fallen screamed joined their leader for they too were bound.

Their brokens bodies would soon be dragged into the shadows, their cries fading as their meeting place was finally rid of the filth that had stained it for quite some time. Smiling at his follower, the Demon then said, “Thank you~”

Looking over to Crom and his fellow dragons that had been watching in amusement, he then said, “You wanted an army? Well, it ain’t going to make itself! Crom, you know what to do.”

The evil dragon laughed as he gave the man a bow, “I thought you’d never ask.” With a burst of flame, the dragon would leave and so too would the rest of the dragons. With them, Euclid followed as well; probably too guide them to wherever they had kept those poor wretches.

Chuckling in amusement, the Demon shook his head. “Oh that horny dragon, I swear if he wasn’t hilarious, I would have just harvested him but he and his ilk have his uses,” he all too casually replied. Sometimes, Tezcatlipoca wasn’t even sure if the man was serious or not but it did not matter.

Clapping his hands, the man would then declare, “Well, this concludes the meeting for now!” There would be some murmuring as those that stayed mingled with each other only for the demon to scold them, shooing them away, “Well, go on! Are you asking for a feast? Go have your followers or companions make one for you! Go! Shoo! ”

Tezcatlipoca had to admit, seeing some of the gods scatter like rats was amusing but was too amusing was the demon that stayed with him in this city. Gritting his teeth, he growled out, “While Crom and his kin can be annoying at times, I don't appreciate how you act. I see that you’re all too eager to use others to your own machination and it seems that I am not excluded from such schemes.”

While he might have been swept up by the demon's speech earlier, he could not forget that the man was callous enough to use him for another purpose that he wasn’t given privy too. “I laid my life on the life, I committed and broke the covenant between the divines. I brought everything to the table and all that was for god damn reconnaissance!?” he hissed at the man.

He could understand the need for a testing strike but he was led to believe that this was supposed to be the decapitating strike that would put an end to the Tyrant's reign, not a mere opening shot to a long and protracted war. Sometimes, he wondered if the man actually had a plan at all.

His already frayed patience would be further tested as the man oh so casually slung his arms over his shoulder. “Tezca! Buddy, come now, it’s not all that,” The man reassured him, massaging his shoulder as he told them “I really intended for him to die there but I might have underestimated his luck. Why, where do you think Devils like myself gain their luck from?”

He snorted at the man's jokes but he wasn’t out of hot water yet. “You promised me his head if I were to follow your plans.” he hissed out. He followed it as best as he could but all it did was weaken him, temporarily at least. A few millions souls was hard to replace but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t replace them. It would be just tricky.

“We’ll get him eventually just like I promised. I just need a few more things to line up which I think you, my dear man, could help me with,” The man told him, making him groan in exasperation.

“What is it now? How many more hoops do I have to jump through to get things done!” he raged, feeling his temper flare.  

Smiling placatingly, the man explained, “We need a War God on our side and I think your sister is just the right person for what I have planned~”

For a moment, he felt horrified that she was to be added. It was already bad enough that he had to deal with his fellow gods of the underworld but now her? The man's explanation however would prove to be compelling, making him raise his brow for what he intended for his sister to play in the coming months. Maybe… just maybe he could just hold on a little longer for the reward that awaits him would make it all worth it.

So engrossed was he in his thoughts that he didn’t see the brief flash of emotions that washed his feature, one akin to that of a man delighting upon a puppet dancing to the tune of his strings. Maybe if he had just paid a little more attention, he would have noticed but it would not be and so he continued his role, not knowing what faith lay ahead of himself.

A/N: 

Surprise! It's a two-parter. It's a bit smaller than the usual chapters but combined it's one of the bigger one. Considering it's two separate scenes and the size, might as well split it. Definitely going to add some of my post chapter stories. Expect some Issei chapters... or maybe you have a particular character you want to see? Drop a comment below!