The Light Born in the Darkness (CH 46)

A/N: This story is rated M for mature content not suitable for children.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chapter 46: Counter Attack

Underworld [Extra Demon Faction Broaders]

Sirzechs scowled at the overwhelming number of Extra Demons assaulting his forces. If he were on his own, he could tap into his complete strength and resolve the situation in no time. However, with his allies by his side, he needed to restrain himself and strike with careful accuracy.

Nearby, his fellow Satans were in a similar situation, particularly Ajuka and Serafall, who were also strong enough to surpass a typical Satan. However, Falbium was having a comparatively easier time since he was considered the weakest among them and didn’t need to restrain himself as much.

Serafall was unleashing ice blades to freeze her foes, yet more continued to advance. Her thoughts were consumed with concern for her father's safety, but she couldn't abandon her post, especially with the formidable extra demon faction assaulting them.

"This isn't looking good, Sirzechs," Ajuka remarked while deflecting the elemental assault launched by their foes. "The extra demons reacted to our attack far too swiftly, almost as if they were anticipating our arrival."

Ajuka thought about his mother, who he was aware was having an affair with the leader of the Extra Demon Faction, who also happened to be his father. He wondered if she had informed Naruto about the impending surprise attack. Although he had taken precautions to keep her in the dark, he knew that as his mother, she would inevitably find out in her own way.

Falbium harnessed his earth magic to summon golems that would crush his adversaries. As he battled, his thoughts raced; it wasn't his abilities that made him formidable, but his sharp intellect. He was capable of devising strategies to overcome his enemies, yet in that moment, his instincts and years of experience were urging him to pull back.

“Falbium, what are your thoughts on our next move?” Sirzechs inquired of the team’s strategist, but was met with silence. “Falbium, is there an issue? What's going on?”

"I believe we need to pull back; this isn't the right course of action," Falbium responded, his face drained of color as he reflected on the situation, searching for a strategy to secure a victory. However, in every scenario, they faced defeat or suffered heavy losses, which would make them vulnerable to attacks from other factions.

"I would fully support that idea, but the barrier surrounding us prevents teleportation and confines us here," Sirzechs remarked. He had attempted to break the barrier, but to his surprise, his destructive abilities were ineffective. This realization prompted him to consider retreating; he was uncertain whether the enemy possessed a power capable of countering his own or if they were merely stronger than him, and he preferred not to discover the answer.

"Good dammit, get out of my way," Serafall shouted in frustration as she froze everything around her; she even froze some of her allies.

"Calm down, Serafall. This is not the time to lose control," Sirzechs ordered. He understood that she was worried for her father, but he couldn't have her killing their soldiers with friendly fire. "Ajuka, unfreeze them now."

Ajuka just sighed and did what his friend asked: he undid the effects of Serafall's spell, making their soldiers that were frozen look around in confusion.

Another thing that bothered Ajuka was that the extra demons they killed all had similar magical energy signatures. They were covered head to toe in armor, so he could not confirm his theory, but if he was right, they were in deeper trouble than ever.

Pillar Devil Territory

Mio and Maria, accompanied by an enraged army of Extra Demons, surveyed their targets—not just a single Pillar Devil clan territory, but all of them. This was the strategy that Naruto devised in the event of an assault by the Anti Satan faction. Rather than engaging in a full-scale war, they planned to confine the main enemy forces within a barrier crafted by Ophis, while the army of Extra Demons set about demolishing the enemy's homeland.

At this moment, the most formidable members of the Anti-Satan faction found themselves ensnared and engaged in a relentless fight against an overwhelming number of shadows. This situation was a result of the abilities of Mio's son, Rogue, who had harnessed an individual's shadow to generate a duplicate of them. Although this copy possessed all of their powers, it was not as strong as the original.

By utilizing their Rogue abilities, they ensured that their side suffered no losses while the enemies were either defeated or exhausted from relentless assaults.

"It's time for retaliation," Mio said with a serious tone, feeling conflicted about her actions since the pillar devils initiated the conflict by attacking them. "Are you all clear on your tasks?"

The troops shouted in unison, and Maria wrapped her arms around Mio, encouraging her to remain safe as they both took to the skies alongside thousands of other demons heading towards their destructive objective.

Across the underworld, members of the Extra Demon Faction launched assaults on the pillar houses located within the Gremory, Phenex, Bael, and Astaroth Territories, leaving no one unscathed.

Bael Territory

Within the Bael Territory, an ancient devil's curse lingered. He suspected that something had gone awry during the assault on the additional demon territory, as they now found themselves under siege.

"What's wrong with Sirzechs and those idiots?" Zakram Bael yelled in frustration as explosions shook his clan's land. "If you want something done properly, you need to take matters into your own hands."

Zekram left his clan residence and soared into the air, clutching a chess piece—a king piece that has been banned from rating games due to its unfair advantages, allowing its bearer to amplify their strength by as much as one hundred times.

"I refuse to allow everything I've created to be obliterated by a few extra demons," Zekram bellowed, channeling the energy of the king piece to enhance his strength. He soared into the sky towards his foes, unleashing a beam of pure destructive power that was a deep shade of black, distinct from the crimson black magic wielded by his descendants.

In Zekram's perspective, he considers himself the genuine leader of the Anti-Satan faction and the creator of the prestigious King Faction, which includes all the influential members of the ancient devil clans. He personifies the essence of being a devil, possessing immense power, cunning intelligence, manipulative skills, and above all, a deep-rooted evil nature.

"Die, you filthy wretches!" Zekram shouted as he mercilessly eliminated foe after foe, his might rendering them powerless. His aura radiated like a dark star of annihilation, unstoppable—until a formidable force collided with him, sending him crashing from the sky to the ground.

"Zekram Bael, due to your faction's aggression towards ours, you and your allies have been condemned to death," Mio announced as she soared through the sky, her devil wings spread wide and her devil gear activated through the choker around her neck, granting her the power of God-slaying flames.

Maria stood beside her, ready to support her sister in the confrontation with Zekram Bael. The enemy was typically formidable, and as she surveyed the battlefield in the Bael Territory, a smirk crossed her face at the sight of the chaos unfolding. Lord Bael, Zekram's son, was engaged in combat with members of their faction, and it appeared he was struggling.

Maria had tapped into her key magic to unlock her true strength. Though she appeared in her loli form, she was actually at her peak power. Her devil gear, consisting of two gauntlets, unleashed a torrent of flames—not just any flames, but ones amplified by the essence of the red dragon emperor.

"You filthy whores," Zekram bellowed as he stood up, his eyes burning with such intense loathing for Maria and Mio that it seemed they might ignite and perish. "I should have insisted on having the two of you put to death alongside your treacherous father."

Zekram recalled the two sluts women and their father, who had striking red hair similar to Mio's and was incredibly muscular, resembling a beast. This man had committed treachery against Lord Lucifer and was ultimately apprehended and executed. There was much discussion regarding the fate of his clan and family, but Lord Lucifer ultimately chose to expel the entire clan, while the traitorous daughters were assigned to serve the Satanchia clan.

Looking back on the situation, if Zekram had foreseen that they would continually cause him problems, he would have requested Lord Lucifer to eliminate them rather than forcing them into servitude.

"Here you go, Black Star!" Zekram yelled as he sent several small dark spheres of destructive energy hurtling towards Mio and Maria, both prepared to defend themselves.

"Gravity well," Mio stated calmly as she intensified the gravitational pull around the approaching attacks, causing them to decelerate to a near standstill.

"Dragon's breath!" Maria shouted beside Mio, inhaling deeply before unleashing a torrent of flames from her mouth that engulfed the spheres of destructive energy.

Zekram observed this with concern, as he understood that it was feasible to counteract destructive force if the adversary possessed greater strength or a more effective skill or ability. However, he believed that this situation was different, since he was utilizing the king piece, which was expected to elevate his power to that of super devils.

Then a realization came to Zekram "are those two as strong as a super devil or have a ability that's in that class," the ancient devil shook his head in denial "no that is impossible, super devils are rare and alone appear once in thousands of years, Sirzechs and Ajuka are just abnormalities."

"Gravity Crusher," Mio said as the ground around Zekram caved in, the ancient devil instincts kicked in and he avoided the attack in time and watched as the crushed earth get formed into sharp spears all aimed at him.

"Do you really think that would have any effect on me?" Zekram shouted, his destructive energy obliterating the spears the moment they made contact. "You'll need to step up your game if you expect to take me down."

"Dragon's Roar," Zekram recognized Maria's voice coming from behind him and realized he had fallen victim to a clever ruse. Mio's assault was merely a diversion, allowing Maria to sneak in and strike while he wasn't able to evade her attack.

The dragon's flames were more powerful than the assault Maria had unleashed before, wrapping around Zekram, who screamed in rage tinged with fear. Those flames appeared to drain his destructive power, yet the ancient devil was determined not to let them be his downfall.

Chapter End

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A/N: The Extra Demons Faction launches a counter-offensive as Naruto and his team had foreseen an assault from the anti-Satan faction or another group. To minimize their losses and strike at the heart of their adversaries, they devised a strategy aimed at targeting the enemy's home bases. The next phase of the conflict will unfold on various fronts, including Gremory and Phenex, among others.