Arpious of the Planes



"There are these beings called Swan Maidens…." 

"Oh, that was one of my previous evolution choices. It was something like a sadistic swan maiden or something… I don't really remember, but it seemed pretty alright… not as good as the others, but just decent." 

"Well, they're not meant for solo fights. They're mostly beings who reside, living in only pleasure on their small but very active plane. Most are aware of its location, and you can kind of treat it like a… red light district… but across pretty much the entire plane." 

"Are there no rulers, or is it made just to have sex?" 

"There is a ruler, but she hardly does anything. People rarely try to usurp her throne as nobody would really want that place… It's a bitch and a half to take care of and even harder to rebuild if you destroy it while trying to take the throne."

"Okay… okay… okay… then, why am I going there?" 

"I want you to destroy the plane. It's troublesome for demons to get through to the upper planes because these swan maidens mostly work with the angels. They inform them of all our activities within the higher planes, and it sucks. It really sucks… but here you are, the perfect candidate that they'll never suspect." 

"And what do I get in return?" 

"You can top me for one night," She smiled, and as I blushed profusely from embarrassment, she burst out laughing. 

Ysal and everybody else lightly chuckled under their breath while I was forced to wallow in this embarrassment while the devil attempted to regain her composure. 

"I'm just kidding. Of course, I'll tell you the steps to becoming a great spirit. And I'll help your family manage the planes. I'm sure they have ambitions as well…." 

"That's not that bad of an idea… but I want something more selfish on top of that. I want the location of where the sirens live. I want to conquer them and use them to my advantage."

The woman stared at me for a few seconds, her grin only growing wider as she leaned back in her chair. 

"Unfortunately, that information is out of reach from me as of now. But I can tell you the information in a few weeks. They're hard to find and especially hard to negotiate with…." 

"Oh, no negotiation. I want to take the place by force, not by diplomatic means. They tried to kill my children and me, so they, of course, have some kind of reason behind them. And, to break that, I will need to make them fear me. Shouldn't be too hard with you supporting me, right?" 

"That was not in the deal," 

"How about we make it part of the deal? I mean, you're already helping us out. Why not help us out more? And… you are my wife now, aren't you? How about you assist me just this one time, and I'll repay it in the future." 

The woman's stern look soon softened, and as she lightly chuckled to herself, she looked at the two demon kings peacefully sitting at the table. 

"What do you think? Feel like getting out for a bit to stretch your legs? I mean, when was the last time your army saw action?" 

"No way you want us to help conquer some puny sirens. I'll give her at most a few hundred soldiers but not my entire army." 

"That's fine. Just let your soldiers warm up because if my beautiful wife completes her mission, we'll be heading straight to the front lines. We won't let them gather an army… we'll strike them as soon as their protection is gone." 

The two demon kings nodded, standing up and disappearing into flashes of green, their existence went from the location surrounding us. 

"Why'd they become so calm all of a sudden?" 

"Because they know not to piss me off while I'm already in a bad mood…." The devil smirked, slowly standing up and helping me out of my chair. 

As Ysal followed behind us, she looked at my fingers which were interlocked with the devil's, and frowned with a bit of jealousy. 

The devil looked backward, scanning Ysal's face and only widening her smile, making sure she knew I was hers as of now. 

"Let me show you a place," As the woman with red skin whispered into my ears, I suddenly saw my vision distort, and soon, I found myself atop some kind of tree. 

The leaves were black, and the trunk was a burgundy brown. We were surrounded by streams of lava dripping down from the top of this ravine we were currently in. 

"This is where I was born. I was born but a small worm demon and rose to my position. Yes, I may have been one of the first beings ever created, but I still earned my spot here. I earned where I stand right now." 

"Wait… you aren't a great spirit? I thought you were some spirit in disguise as a mortal or something?" 

"Nope. I'm really no different from you… but it is impossible for me to become a spirit. In exchange for ruling and protecting hell, I had to give up my chance to become a spirit. But, I feel like I made the correct choice." 

The woman turned towards me, her fingers unlocking from mine and slowly stroking my cheek, working their way down the side of my neck and to my shoulder. 

"Do you want to know how many times I've had this conversation?" 

I just shrugged, causing her to chuckle once again, letting go of my shoulder and bringing me in for a long hug. 

"Too many times. I've had thousands of lovers, but after seeing them die over and over again, I've begun to grow lonely. Even if I have a lover like you, and we know our relationship is purely beneficial, I can't help but feel lonely. So, if you survive this mission, I just hope you won't abandon me." 

"... Can I ask you a question?" 

"Go ahead." 

"How many people have you sent on this mission to eradicate the plane you are sending me too?" 

The woman lightly smiled, turning away from me. "Too many times…."