The Red Hand

"From your tone, it seems you expected such a thing." Cheofla commented.

"Expected? Lady, I've been setting things up to get that exact outcome from the moment I got to this world." Akagi laughed darkly. "Do you really think that I didn't know that Gale would try a second invasion of Earth? That he wouldn't send more forces to create a connection? Gale actually being foolish enough to do just that was part of my plans from the very start. After all, destroying you lot was never the only goal of this invasion, and that idiot makes the perfect pawn." She grinned. "Though that's generally true for most people who think they have complete control of everything. They tend to be the easiest to manipulate, and Gale most definitely fits that description to a tee."

{And once again, the foolishness of the Gods will birth their own undoing.} (Akagi)

"Rehael is to lead an invasion alongside two other Demi-Gods. She's prepared an army of several hundred thousand undead monsters." Teirea explained the situation further. "Gale wants us to distract you long enough to allow her to establish a connection between the world and activate the ritual to transfer us."

"And once in a stable world, you'd all jump me." Akagi shrugged. "The Gods would fight the Demon Lord at full power, save the day, and endear themselves to the people of Earth. Blah. Blah. Blah." She said while making a mocking hand gesture. “What a wonderful happy ending that the room temperature I.Q. people would lap up without question.”

"Hold on a second. If Rehael is going to Earth, that's going to be a huge problem." Halifax said, with clear worry in her voice. "That monster will tear through people without a second thought, and I have no idea if Hishya can stop her. She's at least as strong as me, and that means Hishya is in for the fight of her life if nothing else."

{And if you factor in a huge army of monsters...} (Halifax)

"Meh, the Dragon can probably handle things." Akagi didn't seem worried and waived off her concerns. "Besides, there is a reason I've gathered up all the other FWO survivors that I could to the Kansai region. I'm sure things will work out if everyone pulls together with the power of friendship and extreme violence."

"Even still, I'll go help out. If Hishya and I fight her together-" Halifax's offer to assist was cut off by Akagi.

"Absolutely not." Akagi dismissed her suggestion harshly. "I need you here, and also, if it were not already obvious, I'll make it perfectly clear. I want them to handle this on their own. No deus ex sword girl coming to the rescue, thank you very much. That would ruin all my perfectly laid plans to get Earth to protect itself.”

"Yeah... But I still think that's far too risky. Akagi, you have no clue what Rehael is capable of." Halifax didn't back down. "Ask these any of those gathered here that have met Rehael and they'll tell you that Gale's cleaner is quite possibly the most dangerous thing the Gods have ever created, and that's coming from me, a being that was once a Demon sword that they mind wiped." She said while sending a glare at three Gods, Cheofla and Teirea's going went wide at her statement.

"You told her?!?" Cheofla yelled at Elariel. "Didn't we all agree never to divulge that information?!?"

"She heard that little bit of info from the closest thing to the horse's mouth that still exists." Akagi interjected.

"You found Labrys?" Cheofla's said, still in shock.

"Found, fought, beat, and then lost..." Halifax rubbed the back of her head as she laughed, embarrassed. "He told me everything, then I confronted Elariel and yeah.. Also, fuck you two for keeping it from me as well. Elariel might bear the brunt of my displeasure, but I still can't stand any of you assholes."

"There was no guarantee that you wouldn't revert back to who you were before the procedure, and as an existence that could kill a Demon Lord, we were quite wary of you." Teirea didn't feel remorse for the past and wasn't going to apologize. "You're lucky we didn't dispose of you once Vikes was destroyed; there were some who wanted just that."

"Dispose... You ba-" Halifax was about to erupt, but Akagi intervened to keep things from boiling over.

"Enough!" Akagi yelled, which made the entire room go silent. "I have no interest in hearing you all argue about something that didn't happen. Not to mention, Halifax, you have to admit that they're right." She said while locking eyes with the Divine Blade. "From their perspective, you were a threat. It only makes sense that they'd want to dispose of said threat. Regardless, this is not the time or place to have such an argument. Bicker about it once we've finished and you have the leeway to waste time." She said before returning her attention to the Gods. "What kind of time frame are we looking at? If Gale seeks to keep my attention firmly on Enoris by sending in a few sacrificial pawns, then I'd imagine it will coincide with the attack those rebellious Demon Nobles will launch."

"It will be a matter of days until he is ready." Cheofla answered. "He's directing the matter personally, and Rehael, as far as I am aware, is ready to go at any time. Gale has been gathering Power Reactors to fuel both her transport and the Ritual, and he seems to have found enough."

"And after everything he always said about how dangerous those things were." Elariel sighed. "I still believe we should go with my plan and avoid this confrontation altogether. You are risking a great deal, not only allowing Rehael to attack Earth but also giving Gale time to use the energy he's gathered."

"I am aware." Akagi understood the risk but had determined that the potential rewards were well work it. "However, there are things one cannot gain without taking risks."

"Teaching the people of Earth to defend themselves can be done without potentially risking a worst-case scenario." Elariel replied. "Do not allow yourself to become as conceited as Gale. Powerful you may be, but it is unwise to presume that nothing can go wrong."

"And I do not." Akagi answered. "If you think I'm doing all this willy-nilly, then you're even more foolish than I already thought. While I cannot predict everything, what I do know tells me that things are manageable. If I become concerned for even a moment about the situation, I will destroy everything and wipe it clean."

{And I'd like to avoid that since it will probably take an invasion like this to finally bring Kana out of her shell. I can imagine that I'll get an earful once this is all done, but she's logical enough to understand why it was necessary.} (Akagi)

"Even if you drive Gale back here, the fact remains that destroying him remains out of your reach unless you want to take this world with him." Elariel still wanted to sacrifice herself to open a portal, viewing that as the only viable option at this point. "Without Labrys, the only way to open a stable connection to the Heavens is by obtaining Reflia's cooperation or us."

{Well, not necessarily. There are always alternatives, one just has to be creative enough to find them.} (Akagi)

"Don't worry. We're approaching my deadline and if I can't crack the code by then, then you can detonate yourself so we can find out what happens." Akagi waived her off.

"Deto..." Cheofla's paused as she realized what Akagi was talking about. "Elariel, are you seriously considering-"

"It's the only thing I can think of that would work." Elariel cut her off. "You know as well as I do that this doesn't end until Gale is destroyed, and the only way to do that is for Akagi to fight him directly. I know of no other solutions, and neither do you." Cheofla may have been the Goddess of Magic but Elariel knew that she was entirely helpless when it came to spacial manipulation on the level necessary in this matter.

"Given enough time..." Cheofla shook her head. "No, it would take too long. Long enough for Gale to interfere."

"Even with all your understanding of Magic, channeling and manipulating Creation is difficult." Elariel said. "I highly doubt you could contain the sudden release of energy even if the three of us combined our power. Hence, why I've decided that deflecting it inward on myself during the moment of incarnation is our best bet. It wouldn't create a connection for long, but it wouldn't need to be for Akagi to deal with the threat."

The thought of a God ending their own life in such a way made Cheofla and Teirea uncomfortable. When Gods died, they didn't pass on like mortals and reincarnate, they vanished, which meant that if Elariel went through with her plan, she'd be erasing herself from existence. They'd long since accepted the need for the Gods to be destroyed alongside Enoris to prevent Gale from escaping, but it was a sobering reminder of their fate once everything was said and done.

"Getting back on track. Six Gods will descend to tie me up while the spooky Reaper attacks Earth so that Gale can deploy his golden parachute and escape this world. This will occur alongside a rebellion within the Demon Kingdom supported by various other mortal forces. That about sums it up?" Akagi asked the two Gods, who nodded. "Perfect."

{Its always nice when things go the way I want them to. I was growing concerned that Gale wouldn't actually take the bait, but it seems like he was easy to manipulate as I expected. By placing the Gods in a scenario where standing idly by guaranteed their demise he had no choice but to act; and he's done precisely the maneuver I wanted.} (Akagi)

“If that's the case I've got a small addition to make.” Akagi said before having a Ninja that was observing in the shadows summon the Twins, who seemed less than eager to interact with more Gods.

"Alrighty, I've got a mission for you two." Akagi's words made them perk up. "How would you like to beat up some Gods?"

"Is that even a question?" Zo grinned before cracking her knuckles.

"We'd do that even if you didn't ask us to, Boss." Ro agreed.

"Good answers. So here's how this is going to go down. You two are going to 'fight' these two over there." Akagi pointed to the two Gods.

"Alright." Zo said, summoning a baseball bat. “Can I break that woman's face?”

"Wait, not yet." Akagi laughed before explaining the situation to them, which, while they still found it entertaining, was less so since it meant that they couldn't kill their opponents. "The two of you will fight the two of them during the battle to make it seem like they're not throwing since we don't want Gale to get wise to the plan until its too late. I'll handle the other three in the meantime, and my adorable little Sister will handle the big, scary Angel back home while her happy lizard pet cleans up the minions."

{Hishya is going to love this!} (Akagi)

"You think Kana can actually defeat Rehael?" Halifax asked with a raised brow, thinking the idea absurd.

"Oh, I know she can." Akagi smiled.

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