Ichigo stepped through the folded seam of space and emerged high above Kyoto’s skyline, the city spread out beneath a low ceiling of clouds as a light drizzle brushed against his skin. He paused, shoulders easing as he drew in a deep breath, tasting the heavy summer humidity on his tongue, the air thick with the clean scent of rain and freshly soaked earth.
The sensation grounded him immediately, and he found himself lingering in it, rolling his shoulders and flexing his fingers as though testing the simple pleasure of existing somewhere tangible again. Leaving the Irameron behind felt like shrugging off a weight he’d been carrying. His body felt looser, even as his thoughts fell back into a more linear perspective instead of the chatoic cacophony of being a disembodied conciousness. He felt… real.
As he cast his senses around him habitually, miles beyond the city, he could feel Tiamat moving through the sky, and the realization that the gentle rain was her doing drew a quiet smile from him. He reached out along their bond, letting her know he had returned, and tenderness flooded back in response, her joy and affection spreading warmth around him like hot water running down his back.
With a twist of magic, Ichigo quickly dried himself and then teleported directly inside Yasaka’s office, the soft ripple of displaced air making her look up and, the moment his eyes found hers, a gentle strength swelled in his chest so suddenly it almost caught him off guard.
Yasaka’s face lit up when she saw him, and her chair scraped back as she rose swiftly and closed the distance between them, arms wrapping around him tightly as she pressed a tender kiss to his lips. Immediately, Ichigo hugged her back, reveling in the soft curves of his wife, inhaling the scent of her jasmine oils and shampoo. Lucifer, it had only been a day, so why did it feel like an eternity had passed since last he held her?
When she finally pulled back, still smiling, Yasaka looked up at him with open affection and said, “Welcome back, dear.”
DeARdeArDearDEArdaERdeaRDEAr
Ichigo flinched immediately, and he went ramrod stiff in his wife’s arms. That one word echoing so wrongly in his ears, near grating and disturbing.
He barely noticed Yasaka’s smile dim, but before either of them could say anything, there was the smallest twist of magic as Tiamat now stood in the room, a warm and welcoming smile on her lips as she reached out to him, and he could literally feel all of her love pouring through their bond as she said, “Beloved.”
BelOveDbeLOVedBELovEdbELOvEDbeloVEd
Ichigo jerked right of Yasaka’s arm and backpedaled away. His breath hitched and the noises of the world fell away save for this high-pitched whine that rang in his ears. His heart began to pound, and Ichigo suddenly felt lightheaded, his vision sharpened until only the faces of the two women whom he loved more than anything remained focused.
He could plainly make out the sudden worry and concern, plainly carved through their faces. Yasaka looked halfway between fear and heartbreak and Tiamat - as soon as Ichigo met those – emerald, glowing eldritch in the dark – sapphire eyes, his heart nearly leapt out of his throat, and he took several more steps back and reached towards the wall to settle himself.
As they both stared scared at him, fear and worry etched plan on their beautiful faces, he just couldn’t look away from Tiamat’s gaze, he just couldn’t stop the sheer existential terror. His Tiamat - how could he be afraid of his Tiamat? The other half of his mind? How could he-
The words spilled out unbidden, “Ophis sends its love.”
And immediately, Ichigo’s hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide in shock.
Wait… what? Did I just say… but how did I even…
And as he beheld the equal levels of horror reflected on Tiamat and Yasaka’s faces, Ichigo realized he was spiraling. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he closed his eyes and focused, forcing down that alien sense of dread he couldn’t, for the life of him, place.
As his heartbeat settled, and the fear receded from his veins, Ichigo opened his eyes, willing them to set firm and determined once again. No, if there was one thing Ichigo wouldn’t allow, it would be being ruled by fear. He had quite enough of that back when he was so afraid of Zangetsu in his Shinigami days, terrified of the inverse reflection of soul and what having such a violent spirit said about him as a person.
He was done with all that, he had moved on from living in fear.
Slowly exhaling through his nose, Ichigo nodded in Yasaka and Tiamat’s direction. “I’m okay,” he said quietly but firmly.
They both exchanged a quick look, but neither of them seemed quite assured.
Tiamat carefully stepped towards and gently placed her palm on his cheek.
“Look at me,” she said softly.
And he did, he locked gazes with those ocean blue eyes of hers and held fast, even as she searched his mind with careful concern. There was a barely noticeable downturn of her lips, and had he not known her so well he wouldn’t have ever caught the tiny movement.
But then her mouth pressed thin and her expression became grim.
“What is it?” Yasaka asked carefully, looking between him and the ancient Dragon.
Tiamat brushed her thumb gently across his cheek as she said plainly, “You have met the Infinite Ouroboros.”
And Yasaka’s eyes went even wider even as Ichigo stared confused at Tiamat.
Ichigo blinked at her. “…uhh, I’d like to think I’d be able to remember meeting Ophis. That last brush in the Fourth Dimension left one Hell of an impression.”
Tiamat’s mouth twisted sourly as her hand fell to her side. “I am certain. I can sense the Void’s touch in your mind, barely perceptible, but it is there.”
His brows knit heavy. “So why can’t I remember?”
Tiamat shook her head, “I can only surmise that it has wiped your memory, though I can see no gaps in your mind. But there is no doubt in me, there are strands of its power within you. And I suspect they were purposefully left there for me to find.”
Yasaka looked at her sharply. “The Infinite Ouroboros is trying to send you message?”
Tiamat’s lips pursed. “Perhaps, but if so, I am unsure as to what.”
Ichigo folded his arms and fell into thought. The idea of having met with one of the Divine Dragons and then having the entire memory of said encounter erased did not sit well with him. Bad enough Hades and the Soul King had essentially spirited him off into the Fourth World without so much as a ‘by your leave', but at the very least he retained that memory.
But then, why would Ophis kidnap him only to take his memory of the meeting. Could it have perhaps done something to him? Changed him somehow?
He voiced his concern out loud. “Do you think Ophis did something to me?”
Both the two women’s gazes flickered to him, and after a quiet moment, Yasaka reached out and put a hand to his chest. Meeting his eyes, she said firmly, “I’m going to send some of my chakra into you, it may feel unpleasant, but please don’t fight it.”
And almost immediately Ichigo felt the holy power of the Sun sear into his flesh and snake its way through his entire body as his wife’s hand glowed a sacred golden light. He scowled down at her; if he wasn’t so damn powerful, Yasaka would have turned him into a pile of unholy cinders.
“Unpleasant, my ass,” he said dryly. “You’re lucky I have such a high pain tolerance and ridiculous regeneration. I feel like I’m being microwaved here.”
“Darling, hush. It’s for your own good, like taking medicine. You’re such a child sometimes, honestly,” she said in an equally dry voice.
He rolled his eyes, but, nevertheless, stood still and allowed Yasaka to do her full examination. Part of being a High Priestess meant that she was also quite talented at healing and purification. His wife wasn’t just a highly proficient pyromancer, she was grade-A white mage.
The ridiculous comparison made his chest rumble in good humor.
“Ichigo, hold still!”
“Sorry, sheesh.”
After several agonizingly slow and uncomfortable minutes passed, the glow from her touch subsided and she pulled her hand away, biting her lip as her expression became contemplative.
“Well?” he asked with a single eyebrow raised.
She shook her head, “I could not sense nor detect anything different about you, not even in your Soul.”
“And what wisps of the Void were in your mind have already dissipated,” Tiamat said quickly after.
Ichigo nodded to himself. “So, in all likelihood, nothing happened to me? Or rather, nothing was done to me?”
“Nothing neither of us can sense,” Yasaka said, but then her expression turned shrewd. “But what of you, dear? Can you feel anything different or out of place?”
“Nope,” he said shaking his head. “I feel perfectly normal.”
And, outside of that sudden bout of existential dread, he really did feel entirely normal. Even within the deepest depths of his Soul he felt perfectly fine. And to double check he sent a quick probe to Zangetsu who confirmed the same thing. Yeah, Ichigo could sense nothing wrong with him. Fortunately, there wasn’t much that could elude Satan’s senses.
Unfortunately, Ophis was one of those things.
Ichigo let out tired sigh. “Why is my life like this?”
Yasaka gave him a sympathetic smile and closed the distance between them, hugging him lightly. And as he wrapped one arm around her and with the other one, reached out to Tiamat who tightly grasped his hand with a smile.
“You are not alone, beloved,” she said warmly. “You have us, and we shall lend you all our strength.”
“Besides,” Yasaka said wryly, “how many men in history can say they’re romantically involved with a Dragon King and Kitsune Empress? You’re life’s not that bad.”
Ichigo let out a chuckle. “No, I suppose it isn’t.” And to accent his words, his hand dipped from her waist and Ichigo gave her butt a playful squeeze.
“Kyaa!” Yasaka let out a sudden shriek and quickly swatted his hand away with one of her tails. “Darling!”
And at the same time, Tiamat’s glared at him as she pinched the back of his hand with so much strength that he felt a twinge of pain through even his Hierro. “It would seem we have spoiled you, beloved.”
Yasaka then slapped his arm, and pouted, “Just because we let you do… that, doesn’t mean you can suddenly turn into some depraved brute!”
He gave her a flat look. “Yasaka, please, I’m Satan. Depravity is literally in the job description. That being said,” and he emphasized the words to force a change in topic, “thank you. Both of you. For everything.”
Both their expressions softened considerably, and nothing more said because all of that was well understood among the three of them.
“What is your next course of action, then?” Tiamat asked.
Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo began going through his mental list once more. “Well, first things first, Amaterasu and I are long overdue for a conversation.” And immediately, Yasaka’s ears flattened to show her uncomfortable mood, not that he blamed her. “Plotting to push me onto an immortal seat since my before I was born is bad enough, but also shaping me into her weapon against her rivalry with Tsukiyomi? Yeah, there’s some serious words I need to have with her. After that, well, I’ll drop back into the Underworld and talk to Sirzechs and Falbium; I’m planning on heading to the front lines against the Old Satan Faction and Khaos Brigade. And not just me, I’ll be bringing Saviġuk and Humbaba and most of my Reavers with me.”
Yasaka fidgeted as she grabbed her own arms. “You mean to wage a full-scale war.”
He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “The faster this civil war ends the better. That way we can put our full attention on Khaos Brigade.”
She nodded understandingly but certainly didn’t look happy about it. And he understood all too well, if the situation was reversed, Ichigo would be loathe to know Yasaka was marching to the frontlines of the battlefield.
“Then there’s also the matter of the treacherous nobles in Infernity,” he said a beat later. “I’ve already had Meril send out a full summons. I can’t believe I have to point out that Satan isn’t to be messed with.”
“It’s a point you always have to make in politics,” Yasaka said astutely. “Ambition often leads to short sight and even shorter memory.”
Sighing to himself, he said, “I don’t know how you’ve been doing this for centuries, I’m not even in three years and I’m exhausted.”
She rubbed his shoulder tenderly and said sweetly, “You just need to learn to enjoy crushing the hopes and dreams of your rivals.”
“…you know, sometimes I wonder which one of us is actually the evil one.”
“She is not wrong, beloved,” Tiamat then said as she came to stand on his other side, hooking her arms around his. “Fear has its uses, particularly in keeping the lesser rabble down and trodden.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said with a grimace. And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder, how on earth did people enjoy being a bully? It was all so mentally taxing and draining. Was it too much to ask if he could spend the next century or two just gaming, training and having leisure time with his loved ones?
“But behind the circling hound,” and Tiamat’s voice suddenly dripped with baleful venom, “there is often a guiding hand holding its leash.”
Yasaka blinked at her confusedly. “…is there something I should know? Another enemy of yours?”
Ichigo opened his mouth, but hesitated. Not his enemy directly, but more by association, he supposed…
Tiamat let out a soft huff and said, “Tis an ancient story,” and she turned to Ichigo and said, “one you have no time to hear again. Be off and have your words with the Sun. I shall regale that old tale to Yasaka on my own.”
While appreciating the emotional depth of what Tiamat was conveying, still, he couldn’t help but tease her. “I think that’s the first time you’ve used her name.”
Tiamat rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. “Away with you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said smartly, and gave both of them a quick kiss on the cheek as he twisted through Space.
=======
Ichigo stood suspended in the open sky as the last traces of Tiamat’s rain dispersed, leaving behind a vast stretch of blue and the steady warmth of the morning sun as it climbed toward its noon apex. He exhaled slowly and slid both hands into his pockets, shoulders rising and setting square as he resolved himself for the inevitable emotional meeting that was coming.
His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to the last time he had crossed into Takamagahara: he had been furious then, justifiably so, about what he considered an egregious invasion into his private life. Only now he knew his life had never been private, not when it came to the Resplendent Sun of the Shinto Pantheon.
And not just that, the last time he had gone there, when Amaterasu had revealed the history of Izanagi and the desperately fragile nature of the Japanese afterlife, he had been a Devil. A monstrously powerful one, but a Devil, nonetheless.
But that was no longer the case.
Now he was Satan, a metaphysical station that pressed against the narrative of reality and warped the very idea of all that was sacred. Even if he himself consciously held back his infernal power as much as possible, there were some things that just couldn’t be denied. Ichigo, for all intents and purposes, was the enemy to the very idea of Heaven. And Satan stepping into Heaven, even the Japanese one, would not be without its ramifications.
Ichigo wondered, how many mortals down in Japan would feel that tug in their souls as his wrongness entered their paradise?
He let out a soft sigh, ignoring the wind as it pushed his messy bangs into his eyes. He suddenly felt very heavy, very… old.
He snorted to himself in a moment of self-deprecating amusement. That was the one thing in the Supernatural World he absolutely wasn’t… but he felt it. Damn it all, did he feel it.
He then tilted his head back and looked directly into the sun, letting its ferocious light wash over his open eyes, taking in each beam as it poured through the expanse of space and filled the Earth with warmth and life. All things his supernatural existence now opposed.
Well, always had, really. Shinigami were technically diametrically opposed to life as well. But, at the very least, they protected it and ensured the sacred balance between life and death remained. That was the startk difference between them and him, now.
As seconds stretched into a long, wordless pause, he finally spoke, his voice barely more than whisper.
“Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Silence answered him at first, but then the air rippled, light folding in on itself as a golden portal slowly bloomed into existence before him, waiting. And without another word, he stepped through.
He found himself standing within a familiar-looking garden, not the same one as his last visit to the Shinto High Heavens, but close enough that he knew for certain he was no longer on the physical plane.
Ponds stretched lazily between verdant islands, their waters catching and refracting radiant light until it danced across the surface. Beneath them swam koi fish of molten gold - whose silhouettes occasionally lengthened and shifted, momentarily resembling coiling dragons before settling back into fish once more.
Immaculate bonsai trees, floating in their jeweled bases, dotted through the garden. Their leaves were meticulously trimmed as they glittered like emeralds, each one scattering light over sun dappled paths. And above, the sky lingered in shades of dusky pink and soft gold, dawn caught eternally in the act of becoming, while pale clouds drifted past with unhurried grace. Plum blossom petals, pink and faintly silver, floated on the breeze. And the air was filled with the comforting scent of jasmine and ripe peaches.
As he took in all the splendor, he quickly deduced that this was not the same realm he had visited years ago: no, this wasn’t Takamagahara proper, nor the Fourth Dimension itself, but a carefully shaped sub-space perched on the cusp of time. In all likelihood, Amaterasu had crafted an adjacent realm to contain whatever backlash Satan’s presence would cause.
Which had already begun to happen within the single second it took for Ichigo to observe and infer all this. His sheer existence was already pressing outward, warping the sanctity of the realm as Satan’s demonic weight rebelled against its serene perfection.
The Serpent returned to the Garden.
Ichigo followed a cobbled path past raked sand gardens and gleaming stones until he reached the pond’s edge, where a simple stone bench waited in the grass.
There, a woman sat with her back to him, and even without seeing her face, the quiet majesty of her presence was unmistakable. Her onyx hair cascading down her back, bound with a phoenix-shaped golden pin, a pristine and white hagoromo drifting over her shoulders, threaded through with luminous starlight – and all of it sat inside the golden corona of the Immortal Sun.
And it was the simple sight of her, her mere silhouette, that touched the most primal part of his being. Even though it was just a distant memory now, such was the High Splendor of Amaterasu, the echoes of Ichigo’s humanity rang in his Soul.
It was always like this, whenever he saw her. The metaphysical remembrance of his parents’ bloodline recognized the divine center of their mythos. Recognized, and yearned for.
But that’s all it was now though: a memory.
And it was Satan’s steps that fell in a soft crunch across the grass, and it was he who softly sat next to her on that stone bench, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he mirrored her in gazing into the crystalline water.
Seconds ticked by, though up here, between the two of them, they could have easily been entire millennia. Because, ultimately, what was the measure of Time between Satan and Providence?
But he remained there, seated beside Amaterasu, his posture loose and unguarded, a quiet contrast to her flawless, upright composure.
And very deliberately, he kept himself from looking at her, instead, keeping his attention lingering on the pond before them, on the koi whose golden bodies shifted into dragons beneath the glassy surface.
The wind threaded through his hair, and he found himself absently noting how alive this place felt, how rich and saturated it was compared to the endless whites and tiled oranges of Soul Society. A fleeting thought crossed his mind - that if it were up to him, he’d plant forests there, pour lakes and carve rivers into its otherwise sterile-looking expanse.
But it was with that thought he sobered as he recalled the admission from the Soul King and Hades: every soul in both chthonic realms would lose their sense of self when the two realities merged just as their rulers had.
He broke away from that line of thinking though, that was was far off into the future. In the now, he returned to gazing calmly at the pond. And the irony wasn’t lost on him, the serenity he felt seated here in Heaven. Sirzechs would have an endless stream of jokes at his expense if he ever knew Ichigo’s mind in that moment.
But for all the tranquility he felt, it didn’t change what he was. Yet, he was being balanced in the moment - his corruption and destruction weighing equal and mesured as her radiance created and rebirthing it all anew.
“Look what you have become,” and Ichigo’s eyes became somber at the sheer quiver of emotion in Amaterasu’s voice. “Your very breath defiles the Celestial Planes. What mother can bear to watch her own child be rejected from Heaven?”
Ichigo folded fingers together, as he continued to gaze solemnly at the water, even as he gave a humorless laugh. “Wasn’t really my choice. But then, story of my life, isn’t it?”
The rebuke was neither subtle nor unwarranted, and a hefty pause followed.
“Can you truly blame Us for wanting to deliver you from this accursed station?” she asked in a faint voice.
“I’m not yours to save,” he said just as quietly, and out of the corner of his eyes, he could see her pale hands clench tightly as she crumpled her robes in her grip.
Amaterasu then gave a humorless laugh. “There is no true mother on this or any earth that would accept such words.”
The sky above darkened just a shade, and Ichigo recognized reality reflecting its shaper’s mood. Just like him, Amaterasu wasn’t human. But unlike him, she never had been. She didn’t love like humans did. Her love was a possessive and domineering one – she expected obedience and submission, and in return she would respond by pouring out her heart with affection and adoration.
It was such a simple and reasonable thing to understand, but a very difficult truth to acclimate to: human logic didn’t apply to supernatural beings.
And it was with that, Ichigo decided to no longer beat around the bush.
“You used me. You manipulated me and my very birth to fashion me into your weapon against Tsukiyomi. And worse, you lied to me. You made it sound so altruistic, that you were only doing it for the sake fixing a crumbling afterlife.” And even as he said the words out loud and acknowledged the absurdity of her plots and schemes, he felt no real bite or anger.
It vaguely reminded him of when Urahara had admitted to engineering the entire scenario with Rukia and the Hōgyoku. He hadn’t felt any real anger back then, more annoyance and vexation, and it was much the same now.
Thus, Ichigo asked, “How did you foresee this ending?”
“With your victory,” she said evenly, but there was still that trembling emotion in her voice. “You would have scattered his immortal essence so greatly that he would not be able to form again in the physical world for millennia to come.”
He nodded to himself, that made sense to him. He had enough confidence to say he was powerful enough to scatter Tsukiyomi’s essence through Time. And Amaterasy was most likely correct, it would take ages for him to reform a consciousness and reassert his existence back into the Fourth World. In the meantime, Amaterasu would continue to be unchallenged, and Ichigo would have more than enough time to grow and apotheosize into a new Soul King.
But that was no longer a possibility. As far as Ichigo was concerned, there was only one possible outcome now, only one single reality that all of the future would converge upon. And he would do everything in his power to ensure it.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, since the last time we spoke,” his voice tinged wistfully, “it’s that being a leader sucks. Being responsible for so many souls, so many lives... it’s a damn burden. One wrong decision, just one, and you can irreparably screw up so effing much. I get it. I don’t condone it, but I get it. You’ve done what you’ve had to do. But even for things as powerful as you and me, actions have consequences. And it’s time for both of us to deal with them.”
And at last, Ichigo looked away from pond and turned towards her, looking upon the what was easily the most beautiful Japanese woman he had ever seen. And as he gazed at her, at the side profile of her hawkish eyes and dark eyeliner accenting their sharpness, he could see the swell of unshed tears.
Slowly, Ichigo reached out and offered her his hand.
“I am sorry,” he said quietly. And he meant it; he genuinely meant it. “I really am. But I’m going to send your brother straight to Hell.”
And as soon as the words were out of his mouth, Amaterasu’s eyes widened as she sucked in a cold breath, and reality around them flickered out of existence, space-time no longer being held by her cosmic weight and for the tiniest sliver of a second, the two of them found themselves in the Void.
But quick enough, the Celestial Sun composed herself and they were once more seated on that simple stone bench. Slowly, she reached out and took his hand, her fingers threaded through his. Ichigo squeezed her comfortably, and as she gave a lone nod, acknowledging his words, the tears in her eyes finally spilled out and traced a single line down each cheek.
At the sight of her crying, he could feel that echoing memory of humanity in him swell again, tugging at his heartstrings. But for all the emotions she stirred in him, Ichigo was left with no choice.
Not anymore.
She had destined him to be Tsukiyomi’s antithesis, and the Celestial Moon accepted that adversity for the sake of his ambitions and designs. And sadly, for both the Sun and Moon, he wasn’t a simple human Soul anymore, he now carried the full metaphysical weight of a Crown Prince of Hell.
There was no going back for any of them.
Satan would have his due.
And in the process, the Shinto Pantheon would lose its Moon and Amaterasu would lose her twin. Because even in Heaven there were consequences.
She had no choice but to watch as her scheme ended in a far more violent fashion than she ever foresaw. And on top of it all, she’d have to be the one to choose her brother’s replacement within the Pantheon. The Shinto trinity needed to be complete, after all.
Still holding her hand, he looked up to see the celestial sky had passed into the night, but there were no stars nor moon in the sky, just a black canvas holding the endless dark. And several long moments passed like this, with nothing being said between the two of them, and the only sound being the occasional splash made by the fish in the water.
And in that moment, Ichigo had to hold back a mocking laugh as a bitter realization struck him.
This is what Satan does - bring despair wherever he steps, even in Heaven.
Amaterasu turned to him, her tears died but the stain of their trails still on her cheeks. And slowly, she gave him a heartbreaking smile, and in it Ichigo saw equal measure of resigned sorrow and lingering affection. With her other hand, she reached up and cupped his cheeks, gently stroking it with her thumb.
“Masaki would have been incredibly proud of the son she birthed.”
And it was with those words Ichigo found his heart lodged in his throat as her smile grew and the tears returned afresh in her eyes. Delicately, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his brow, her soft hair brushing against his face and impossibly, Ichigo found the sorely missed scent of his own mother.
His breath hitched as so many long-forgotten memories of her smile; her laughter and the sheer warmth of her presence came flooding into his mind.
And as Amaterasu pulled back, her hand still lovingly stroking his cheek, she gave him a sad smile as she said, “Even if We can no longer hold you, even if you are now far from Our light, know that you shall never be without a mother’s love.”
Before he could say anything else, his vision flooded with gold.
=======
Sutekh watched from his place on the Solar Barque, the vessel which passed through millions of years within the single turn of his eye. But then, such were the ways of the Undying.
From behind him, Khnum-Ra, the Eternal Sun of the Dead, sat unusually sombre and reserved.
"I told you, did I not?" The Ram-Headed Sun said, his voice echoing distant in the darkness of the Dead World. "Children never do as you wish. Dear Sister-Self, look at the price you must pay for your gambit. Only now you learn, even victory can be too great to bear."
And from beyond the darkness, the Wyrm Apep took form, hissing the dark lies of Duat, of its origin source. And Sutekh of the Red Sands raised his thundering hand, continuing the oldest myth, even as he prepared for a new Throne by his side.
=======
Ichigo sat upon his Throne in Yfel with one finger resting against his lips, posture still and contemplative as the demonic reality around him hummed beneath the combined weight of three Crown Princes.
A full day had passed since his conversation with Amaterasu, and though the Divine Matron’s words still lingered heavy in the back of his mind – and his heart - he had already forced them down, compartmentalized and locked away with ruthless intent. There were far too many things that demanded his attention.
He already had his fair share of sentimental moments with Tiamat and Yasaka the last several days.
Speaking of his two girls, he hadn’t divulged yet to Tiamat or Yasaka what was said between him and Amaterasu. Part of it was that need to keep his mind focused and deadly as he preemptively struck out against his seemingly ever-increasing list of enemies.
Another part was that he simply needed time to process those heavy emotions Amaterasu never failed to bring out in him.
And on that note, he swiftly broke out of said thoughts and turned his gaze to Sirzechs who sat upright on his own Throne, watchful and calculating. Falbium, by contrast, slouched precariously, his head dipping forward as he fought the ever-losing battle with sleep.
“…and to that end, I’ll be taking to the front lines with my peerage and my Reavers,” Ichigo said evenly.
“Brilliant! Less work for me!” Falbium replied at once.
Both Ichigo and Sirzechs rolled their eyes in unison.
“While I’d prefer the current lines retain their offensive push,” Sirzechs said dryly, “I suppose I can’t deny you your little revenge tour.”
“Yeah, okay,” Ichigo responded sarcastically. “The faster we put an end to Old Satan Faction, the faster the Three Great Powers can put their full weight against Khaos Brigade. Also, have we still not fucking announced that we’re at war to the public? People are kind of noticing the sudden spike in prices and the literal armies marching through the Empire! What’s the point of keeping it a secret?”
“I, uhh, kind of forgot…” Sirzechs said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
Ichigo stared incredulously before pinching the bridge of the nose. “Seriously? You are such a moron.”
“Hey! I’ve been busy too!”
“Never mind,” Ichigo said with a dismissive wave. “I’ll just do it myself.”
And before Sirzechs could respond. Falbium quickly cut in, “Speaking of announcement, Sera finalized the deal with the Fallen about certain merchants conducting business in our territories. Which means you finally have access to Malebolge and the River Cocytus.”
Ichigo immediately perked up as Hell itself thrummed inside the deepest depths of his Soul. Malebolge was the adjacent dimension of the Underworld that was most closely connected with the chthonic realms, the place where he and Sirzechs had negotiated access for during the Summit.
It was also where several Sinners had taken refuge, hiding from him and Hell. Unfortunately, because the entrance was located deep in Fallen territory, Ichigo was never allowed to go and collect those damned souls - not without triggering a war, at any rate.
“Oh, yes,” Sirzechs said suddenly, pressing the tips of fingers together as he smiled eerily. “There was something I wanted your cooperation on, Ichigo.”
He gave the older Satan a wary look. “Cooperation?”
“Quite, I have this plan, you see,” and Sirzechs usual emerald eyes flashed as red as his hair. “As we’ve learned, Khaos Brigade has been using long forgotten paths of to traverse through the chthonic realms, evading the watchful eyes of the living. However, with Malebolge being right on the border of the Dead Planes, what if we were to build a military outpost there, one with a relay station that can teleport directly into our territory?”
“That sounds remarkably stupid,” Ichigo said bewildered. “Why in Hell would we make access points deep into our territory, in Fallen lands, and worse, right where Khaos Brigade is strategically positioned to potentially take ov- oh. You want them to take it.”
Sirzechs gave a single clap. “There’s my brilliant protégé!”
Ichigo ignored his patronizing words and followed up, “You plan of having the teleport gates lead to specific places where our military will be lying in wait, aren’t you?”
“Exactly!” Sirzechs exclaimed with great relish. “We have a reliable insider to pass on false intelligence to Shalba and Crueserey, and ever since we captured Katerea and have heavily pressed the offensive, they are Hell bent on securing some sort of victory against us. They will not be able to resist the bait.”
“An insider?” Ichigo asked as his brows furrowed. “Who?”
“Do you recall Diodora Astorath?”
Ichigo tapped his chin pensively. “Wait, isn’t that the nephew Ajuka is constantly complaining about? The one who’s a huge idiot?”
Sirzechs nodded. “Indeed! Said idiot has gone and joined forces with Khaos Brigade! Ajuka has even confirmed Diodora has garnered a blessing from the Infinite Ouroboros itself. As such, this wonderful idiot of ours will soon pass on the very reliable intel that, officially, you are hunting Sinners for Hell in Malebolge. And unofficially, you are secretly building a military outpost to serve as beachhead for our invasion when we inevitably betray the Fallen.”
“And un-unofficially, and unknown, you are actually building a trap for the Old Satan Faction to fall into,” Falbium added through a yawn.
“…and we’re certain they’ll take the bait?” Ichigo asked a tad bit skeptical.
“Very certain,” Sirzechs said seriously. “Ajuka has calculated the future, and the outcome is all but guaranteed. Unless, of course, the Void decides to directly interfere, but so far it hasn’t shown any such inclinations.”
Ichigo felt an involuntary shiver. Direct interference, huh?
But he pushed aside that sudden discomfort and looked between his two compatriots and said, “Sounds like a plan then. I have some things to take care of in Infernity before I set out, so I’ll probably deploy with my Reavers by the end of the week.”
They both nodded and then Falbium added, “We should let you know, part of the agreement that Sera hammered out is that you have an official attaché during your Hell-infused incursion.”
“An attaché?” He repeated, brow raising inquisitively.
“Two Cadre, specifically,” Falbium clarified.
“Do we know who?” Ichigo asked further.
The Sin of Sloth shook his head. “They haven’t said, I’m afraid you’ll know when you arrive.”
Ichigo shrugged in response. “Doesn’t really matter, I have a job to do and I’m going to do it. That being said, do the Fallen know about the plan to build a not-so-secret teleport gate in their territory?”
“Sera and I have a conference call with Azazel and Shemhazai tomorrow, we shall bring it up then,” Sirzechs said.
“And if they refuse?” Ichigo asked pointedly.
Sirzechs gave a devilish smile. “I’ll nod my head and agree, and then we’ll go ahead and do it anyways.”
Ichigo gave another shrug. “Works for me. Anyways, I’ll see you both later, I still have a bunch of stuff to catch up on.”
And with that, he faded away and back into Infernity.
=======
Ichigo sat behind his desk in the quiet of his office when a sudden flux of information hit him all at once. He blinked as the memories of his avatar’s discussion with Sirzechs and Falbium in Yfel unfolded in his mind with perfect clarity. It took him less than a second to process every detail, but he set it aside just as swiftly, his attention instead given to his secretary across from him. Meril sat straight, with several neatly stacked documents held in her hands, her eyes sharp and professional.
“All summoned nobles have confirmed their attendance,” she reported. “However, two minor houses have fled Infernity within the last few hours. A Knight family, Valdros, and a Patrician family, Belicosa. Both minor houses of no consequence.”
Ichigo nodded at the information and wasn’t really surprised. What did surprise him was how few had chosen to run away. He honestly expected a few more traitorous nobles to try their luck and call his bluff.
“Given that they both absconded from their lands within hours of each other,” Meril continued, “we have sufficient reason to believe that they served the same master. We already have teams investigating their abandoned lands, trying to glean any possible information.”
“Doesn’t really matter who they serve,” Ichigo said dismissively. “Everyone receives the same message, Meril.”
She gave a sharp bow with her head. “As you will, sire.”
Ichigo leaned his cheek into one hand and then lazily tapped his finger against his desk twice. “Ecayd. Furia.”
The two Imperators manifested as towering figures, their forms hulking and inhumanly broad, easily dwarfing the room around them. Jagged plates of obsidian-black armor clung to their bodies like living carapace, layered and serrated, with glowing crimson seams running through the gaps like exposed muscle and veins.
Massive, curved horns rose from their helms in crown-like arcs, framing predatory skull-visages set with burning red eyes. Chains, half-melted into their armor, hung and shifted with every movement, while clawed hands bigger than Ichigo’s chest rested calmly at their sides, but burning with a savage demonic aura ready to rip and tear at a moment’s notice.
Meril scooted her chair an inch closer to him as the baleful energies and sheer, unadulterated hatred of the Ultimate-class Reavers poured over her.
Ichigo’s eyes flashed crimson as he said, “I want both of you to hunt down these families; take three Titans and a full retinue of their Lords. Furia, you'll hunt Valdros and Ecayd, you take Belicosa. Make sure to make it obvious to what happens to those that fuck around in Infernity.”
Both Imperators gave a stiff bow and promptly vanished from his office to carry out his orders.
And as the air lightened with the two monsters’ departure, Meril quickly adjusted her posture and gently tidied the stack of her papers in her hands. “W-well, it seems that issue will quickly resolve itself.”
“Hopefully,” Ichigo said, holding back his humor at her obvious discomfort of having been exposed to his Imperators. They were beasts on the upper end of Ultimate-class, and they were veterans of the Great War too – yes, his Imperators were tried and true monsters.
However, Meril then rose and gave a crisp bow. “If there’s nothing else, my Prince, I shall return to my own office.”
“Actually, Meril,” and she immediately looked up at him as he spoke, “can you do me a favor and check in with Gobdad? I have it on good authority that something happened to that dump – I mean my house, in Grevex.”
The good authority being that Ichigo himself was chiefly the cause of the newest misfortune that had landed squarely on the Sitri and Gremory heiresses and their peerages. Sadly, Ichigo was far too consumed with work to divide his attention and go tantalize the two teenage she-Devils. He’d have to save that particular brand of fun for another day, when he wasn’t so busy.
“Of course, sire. I shall do so immediately.” And with another quick bow, Meril took a deft step back and sunk into the floor via a magic circle.
Left on his own, Ichigo leaned back and, with a wave of his hand, summoned the magical interface that allowed him full access to the Satans’ personal network of information. Sera has forwarded to him the full agreement she had hammered out with the Fallen, and Ichigo had committed himself to knowing it fully inside and out so that there would be no surprises on his end when he finally did invade Malebolge and cleaned it out.
The last thing he needed was another disastrous international incident in his lap after they had just secured cooperation with the other members of the Three Great Powers and agreed to end the Cold War. Speaking of the results of the Summit, he still had to deal with the captive Katerea, didn’t he?
Gah! Why didn’t Sirzechs and others just deal with her themselves? He didn’t even hold a grudge against the Leviathan descendent, given how soundly he kicked her ass during the attack. No, the bulk of his ire was directed at Vali Lucifer and Tsukiyomi.
He was definitely going to beat the former into the ground while chucking the latter straight through the gates of Hell!
However, it was with that passionate, internal declaration, that Ichigo was broken from his vengeful daydreams as he suddenly received a call on his desk’s intercom. He looked down and blinked.
Meril? She was just here, not five minutes ago. What could it suddenly be?
He pressed the button on his intercom and said, “Yes?”
“My Prince… we’ve received a request for an audience.”
Ichigo frowned, Meril sounded oddly nervous. “So? Just schedule them like you always do.”
Which generally meant that the person requesting an audience was kicked two months down a waiting list. Because, outside of Sylvanna and Bennuides, Ichigo only had personal meetings once a week. Satan does not have office hours every day!
He had a life to live!
“Per your previous instructions, they are to be moved to an immediate availability due to their station.”
He instantly scowled and asked, “A Pillar Lord?” Which one of those assholes was knocking on his door to annoy him now?
“Well, yes. But not exactly, sire.”
Ichigo leaned back and frowned heavily. “Meril, who the Hell is it?”
“It’s the Demon Gremory, my Lord.”
=======
A/N: I am very happy with the response to Ophis in the last chapter. That was my first attempt at writing true eldritch horror and I'm glad it was well liked.
Amaterasu is a chellenge to write for me, especially because I try to keep her as close to ancient myths as possible (at least my interpretations of them). Yes, she's benevolent, but she's also quite capricious and tempermental and (at times) a little selfish. She is the divine head of a pantheon: she declares what is right or wrong, she decides what is moral and immoral. She is the divine judge. As such, she is narratively amoral because she is not bound to her own word, only others are. Rules for me, not for thee.
But she still feels love. A very, very powerful love. However, as Ichigo notes, it's a very possessive and domineering love, and it's contingent on submission and obedience. Ultimately, Amaterasu isn't human and she doesn't think or act like one. And for all her plotting and planning, she never once foresaw that the Son-That-Is-A-Tool would become even more dangerous than she is.
And oh? What's this? Gremory is now polietly knocking on the front door of Infernity? Bad enough Old Bael is causing Ichigo headaches, now Sirzechs' other Demon ancestor is rolling up. I guess that fascination with tempermental Orange-headed young men bearing Destiny is something of a family trait.