...

Saja mumbled softly in her sleep while her husband rested besides her, exhausted and feeling a bit more dead than alive if he was going to be honest with himself.

Granted, surviving a nightly bout with an ancestor was probably impressive in its own right, but still, he felt as if his... "ability" to function as a man had been overworked past anything nature had intended.

He stared blankly at the roof, simply wondering what would happen now... Everything passed by so fast for him. Once he had just been some slave, rummaging around and barely surviving in the utter darkness and cramped conditions his former mistresses and stable masters kept him and his fellow humans in.

Then, she came, and almost seemed to take an immediate fondness and compassion for him.

Probably because of his weird hair color, which was a natural purple, but she kept saying it was because of his optimistic outlook and work ethics.

The man squinted, wondering what his name was again. It was hard to remember the name his mother had given him before they had been separated early on in his childhood.

Leopole Aein?... No, Leopold Hein, I think. Gah, so hard to remember...

The Man sighed, unable to recall much else. Leopold it is then. Not like anyone really cares.

A soft rustle moved along the bed, before a large, feathered arm stretched over him, seemingly trying to pull him into a closer embrace.

Well... I guess there is someone who might, he thought, before sighing, wrapping his arms around Saja and falling asleep with her...

In time, daylight started to peek through the shades of the window. Not too long after, Saja slowly rose, yawning and looking around, still partially asleep. She wanted to just sleep, but she still had duties to attend to, and her new husband still needed things to be introduced to.

"Mmph... Come on sleepyhead. Let's get ready for the new day~!" Saja said, lightly rubbing her tail against her husband's face, nudging him awake.

Leopold grunted, shaking his head as he got up. "Is it daytime already? Time flies by fast it seems..."

Saja giggled before pulling him off the bed and lifting him up, getting Leopold wide-awake within the span of a few seconds. "Don't worry, sweetheart~! Just come along, and I'll show you how we typically start the day off~!"

And she certainly did show him, and how lavish it was!

To start the day beautiful, steaming spa, with the calming roar of a waterfall to freshen up monsters for the day, and wear such soft linens and silks for clothes.

To have a wondrous meal of assorted fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains for a filling, delicious breakfast easily more tasty than anything he ever had in his life.

To have so many books and activities available all day to spend his free time on when he wanted, as he wanted.

And all of this, with one as beautiful as Saja.

A dazed smile was on Leopold's face as this all transpired, until soon he found himself in Saja's throne room, absently sitting in one of the seats as she was busy answering various subjects, ranging from lamias, to harpies, to genies, and even the odd vampire.

Time flew by fast indeed, and soon he became fixated on a peculiar device sitting on a nearby table. When Saja wasn't busy at work, he soon approached her with the box-like device in hand.

"Saja, what is this strange thing? I don't know what it's meant to do," he asked.

"That?..." Saja took a closer look at the strange box, before she seemed to remember something. "Ah! That's a... 'radio,' as Tammy calls it. She said she engineered a bunch of them after tampering with technology salvaged from the angels and some weird pit in the oceans, so she decided to give it out freely among people outside of Yamatai for better communication, music, and news. Go ahead! Try listening to it, see what you like about it. Just make sure to listen to it somewhere else, alright? I don't want to be distracted while working."

He nodded, smiling as he decided to give it a try. He always wondered what kind of songs and musical pieces the monsters made.

Once alone in a private room, he placed the radio beside him, and eventually managed to figure out how to turn it on.

For a while, he sat and listened, hearing the various channels and topics on the radio, eventually coming to form an idea of how this odd invention was made; seemingly all of the channels were occuring at once, and happened as a result of some unfathomable, advanced science that the monster scientists and engineers in Yamatai figured out.

It both served to astound and terrify him that the monsters held such knowledge and power. If even a normal monster could have so much knowledge, then just how powerful and wise was Alipheese, their Goddess?

In time though, the radio seemed to blur into static, before coming to a strange broadcast...

...

"Gihihihi... Welcome back to Hell, everyone..." the gurgling of Sload could be heard as a door was opened in the distance.

"Sir Sload," a dainty and childish voice said, seemingly getting closer and dragging out a seat.

"Ah... the imp runt. What was your name again?... So-somethin' about gore and dead people..."

"No, that would be the magic practice I'm trying to advocate and pioneer," she answered.

"I... I-I think it was... Gurome Autiste, or somethin'. Right?"

"What? No, not at all! It was—"

"Wait! I remember now. It was Gurome Artiste! Funny, huh? You're real into dead people, and your name reflects that. Wait... Don't part of that name mean like... 'Gray,' or something?"

"That isn't my damn name, and yes, part of that made-up name of yours means 'gray...'" the imp muttered, before shaking her head. "Did you summon me here just to make fun of me or to actually provide something of interest to me and the world at large? You must realize that your last broadcast wasn't... well-received, by those who heard it."

"Eh, who gives a damn? I'm just fine tellin' the truth..."

"There have been rising rebellion rates since your last message."

"Don't care, just sayin' it like it is. Unless little Awipheese needs a ickle wittle lie to help her sleep at night? I certainly know people like Minagi or Kanon don't need the lie to sleep..."

"I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to provoke me," Gurome remarked.

"That ain't how the show works, darling. This is the bottom of the barrel. Nowhere to go but the dumpster that we call graveyards. Our only hope and untarnished grace is violence now..."

A sharp breath, before Gurome responded. "A remarkably witty segway into the main topic, you ugly, horrendous monstrosity of a human. Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Some papers were shifted and piled up. "Gihihihi... Calling the kettle gray are we? Fine, let's talk business. There are gonna be big changes around here soon. Deadly ones. Us humans don't like where we are right now, and we've been getting worse and worse as these thirty years rolled on by."

"Angels were all mostly imprisoned in Yamatai by the end of the 1st year. Humans lost most basic rights by the 5th year. Monsters allowed to brazenly rape and 'punish' humans in public by the 12th year. Humans can be considered property and put into absolute custody of monsters if they are deemed unable to take care of themselves by 15th year, with many strict definitions for what counts as 'being able to take care of oneself.' Law did not apply to monsters until the 20th year. Beelzebub population exploding, until a massive plague in 13th year caused a mass decline in their population and for all monsters in general, causing an economic depression that lasted for roughly 4 years. Human breeding program begins in 24th year. Law allowing human children to be sold separately from parents legally and publicly is allowed by the 26th year. 27th year, humans are no longer considered as 'culturally' or 'spiritually' developed as monsters. Currently I believe the angels in Yamatai are being... 'farmed,' for their feathers, limbs, and... 'fluids.'" Gurome's voice listed off various points of contention and incenses for humanity's fury, her own tone gradually becoming more and more disgusted as she went further on in the list of "laws."

"And some wonder why we call your kind 'monsters,'" Sload chuckled, seemingly chewing on something.

"... You could have eaten before I got here. I didn't need to see you eating a human brain, or any kind of brain really," Gurome muttered.

"Really? What's wrong wit—, hold on, bit got stuck in between my teeth..." Sload muttered, "... Right, where was I?... Ah, right. What's wrong with that? Don't some of your own kind, like them plants, digest humans alive and whole?"

"Well, yes, but at least they do it in a more... refined, manner."

"Can't be refined if your people never give me the chance to learn how to be," Sload countered, promptly making a loud chomping noise.

"Ugh... Really? If I was going to get brain matter on me, I would've brought my apron..."

"It don't matter. After all, you'll be guaranteed to have purer water for cleanin' clothes than I will for drinking for an entire lifetime."

"And this excuse of a life, where a convicted monster felon is treated as being more worthwhile than a human child, is precisely why you say humans are going to rise up, right?"

"I know it will, in fact, I'll ensure it will happen. You know the ALKQ5 Lust Fever?"

"That? It was a fever used by the Angels that drove monsters of the avian species mad with lust. It even affected Saja herself for a few hours or so before her ungodly immune system overcame it... But that virus has been long since cured after the Great Monster Wars was ended thirty years ago..."

"Gihihihi... You know, succubi contract all sorts of weird, interesting biological agents that just remain on them, dormant until they're ripe for harvesting... I stumbled upon this hidden gem while performing... experiments, on some succubi I attained. How I miss the taste of their wings... Just the right amount of crunch, and mhm, that webbing on their wings makes for a wonderful, wonderful soup~..."

Gurome shivered, before trying to put the image out of her head and asking, "Means of attaining it aside... So what? There are more than just harpies and other bird-type monsters out there... And by this point, the fever would only result in a massive loss of humans if anything."

"You say that like I'm going to use the virus itself in its... base, form. No, no... This but a mere catalyst towards human... enlightenment."

"Oh? How so?"

"Gihihihi~... It is almost ready for release into the public now with but a single, fleeting dart, so I guess the truth can be spilled. It will be quite, quite lovely... The infected will cause the virus to spread among humans through the air they breath alone, and it's been modified to induce feelings of rage and violence into its victims now, unlike the original ALKQ5 virus... Though, maybe it might have side-effects, or mutate into something else, so who knows~? A monster might get infected too~... Wouldn't that be just lovely to see!?"

A notable, nervous tapping was heard now. "I... I see. And why do you think you'll get away with this? You know that even if I were to keep my mouth shut about this; which I won't mind you, some monsters will get angry and want to... 'put the old dog down,' as one might say."

"You think I haven't anticipated that much from you common whores?" Sload hissed, "I am always moving. I may not have legs and be missing one arm, yes, but I have sense. You can track my broadcasts all you like, I'll be long gone before any of you fools find me..."

"And what about me, hm?"

"I know you're a damn coward," Sload shot out. "You would never even dare risk your life if you were outnumbered. You don't have the tits to do that."

"Coming from an obese, morbid slug of a man like you, that's filthy fucking rich!" Gurome screamed, before sighing, reserving herself. "My apologies. I did not mean to have an outburst at you like that."

"Gihihi. Not entirely your fault. I suppose I ought to not antagonize the 'dragon' sitting in front of me."

"Let us move onto a more pleasant topic, myes?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever... Last I hear from certain 'sources,' the four spirits weren't always what they were."

"You mean Ambrosia, Gaia, Gatanosoa, and Grimoire?" Gurome said.

"Yeah, them. Apparently they used to be known as Sylph, Gnome, Undine, and Salamander. Air, Earth, Water, and Fire."

"Well, any monster older than 35 knows that. After the Great Monster Wars had reached their conclusion with the destruction of Ilias, Micaela, and Lucifina, the Dark Goddess Alipheese had went out of her way to... 'corrupt' the original four spirits of the elements in order to ensure there would be no more powerful entities to contest or conflict against her ideals and worldview."

"Is that so... Interesting... I guess they're beyond saving at this point."

"Not quite. Even a Goddess like her would be hard-pressed to permanently stain one of the elements with her power, much all of them at once. One of them may return to normal eventually, but by then, I suspect Alipheese would just corrupt them once more. Besides... destroy one of them, and you'll cause nothing short of utter chaos concerning the element they once ruled over."

"I see... Well, when nature itself's been corrupted, what else is left but the cycle of life and death? Gurome, don't you have something interesting that you said you were working on?"

"Ah, yes. I call these three arts 'Necromancy,' for that deals with the physical dead, 'Spiritualism,' for that deal with the souls and spirits of those who have passed on, and 'Puppeteering,' for it involves dollmaking and other various arts that don't exactly fall into the categories of Necromancy and Spiritualism. I'm quite proud of what I have done with these new arts, and I am proud to say that I will be meeting the Goddess herself shortly after this broadcast in order to show her my handiwork."

"Or to report on me and my intents," Sload snarked, "But, to be perfectly honest, I am fascinated. There are a lot of dead bodies around after all for you to practice on. Most of them human. Am I to guess that's the reason why you haven't gotten nauseated by me yet, Gurome?"

"Yes... One gets used to the scent of death and the sight of viscera after enough failed experiments and exploding bodies. Still, you take the record for having the most awful stench out of everything I've seen, dead or alive... And for the last time, that is not my name, my real name is—"

"Anyways, do you mind detailing your little magicrafts Gurome?"

The imp seemed to hiss, before deciding getting him to acknowledge her name wasn't worth the argument. "Sure. Necromancy deals with the physical dead, as I've said, so things like skeletons, zombies, and other constructs are all possible. I've been able to forge crude zombies and walking skeletons with my craft, but with the few times I've worked on the bodies of monster felons, I've been able to almost completely revive them to what they once were, if not even more powerful!... In terms of physical power. Their skill and magic ability leaves much to be desired... Their intelligence varies. Sometimes I can only get a moaning, mindless drone. Sometimes I get someone capable of holding an actual conversation with me. It varies depending on what resources are available, as well as the quality of the body. Despite what some might think about lowly and pitiful zombies though, I find it is very useful for expanding medical knowledge; I have a strong feeling I could be a semi-competent battle medic even though I've never had professional training."

"Fascinating... And what of Spirit Speaking?"

"... Spiritualism, Sir Sload. Spi-rit-tual-ism," Gurome emphasized, Sload's constant disregard for her studies slowly grating on her patience more and more. "Regardless, a function of Spiritualism does include speaking to spirits and the restless dead. Most monsters can sometimes manifest as weak spirits bound to a certain place if they have a strong obsession or artifact barring them from the next stage in death. This applies to humans as well, though they are notably less... human, when they manifest. It also takes a significant amount of practice to translate the words of human spirits as well, due to how weak and feral they usually become. It should be noted that Ghost Girls are not individual ghosts. They are in fact many spirits, typically of humans, that congealed and fused around some darkness energy to become a new type of monster girl. It is quite interesting to see these Ghost Girls prowl and hunt for more spirits to assimilate into their collective..."

"Truly now? How curious. What of individual spirits, such as monster girls unable to pass on?"

"Monster Girl spirits? Even Queen-level monsters are relatively pathetic, only being able to manifest as a misty incarnation of what they used to look like in life and speak through the mind. They do make for good advisors and testing subjects though. I've also discovered that it is possible to give spirits some form of power. By... I suppose 'contracting' them is the best way to put it, they can use the summoner's magic power to give them the means to actually fight and impact the physical world. So far I have not discovered a limit to how strong a summoner can make their spirits, but it is certainly promising from what I've seen."

"And what of puppeteering?"

"It's my favorite magicraft if I'll be honest. Necromancy and Spiritualism are both fun and were the arts that caused my rise to fame, but I prefer to work on puppets in my spare time. I suppose the main thing is that dolls are built from scratch from any material, such as cloth, straw, porcelain, or something else. It takes no magic or life to animate these dolls for a short period of time, but it certainly does take a lot of concentration. If a doll is to be allowed to wander around freely or have a conscious, then some magic is required, but not nearly as much as Necromancy and Spiritualism."

"Is there a limit to what you can put on a doll?"

"No. Similarly to Necromancy and its zombies, you can make any kind of doll you want; you just need the concentration or magic power to animate it."

"Ho-hum. Fascinating. Well, buddy, you'll be having plenty of chances to experiment and put your magic to the test soon enough... I think that ought to do it for our broadcast. Any last words before you leave, Gurome?"

"None. I'll be departing for Hellgondo now."

"I see. Farewell then... And remember everyone. When you've hit rock bottom... What else to do, but do as the beasts would, and indulge in eternal, fleshy, gleeful, bloody violence? Gihihihihi~!"

...

Leopold paused, grimacing. A strange feeling of disgust grew inside of his stomach.

What on... Were those laws...Really...

It suddenly started to explain why his life had been the way it was before Saja came and saved him. Why almost all humans seemed to live so terribly while he never saw a monster in poverty. There never was some odd natural superiority or life just naturally being that way; the monsters stole humanity's rights and dignity, reducing them all to cattle...

But what was he to do about it... He was no hero after all. What could he do against so much as a normal slime girl, much less a demigod like Saja or Minagi, or Alipheese herself?

The glamour and joy of being able to live alongside someone like Saja began to bitter into a feeling of immoral decadence and depravity. All of this... probably made off the backs of Sabasan slaves, left to rot and wallow in mud and complete darkness while he and other monsters lived in grace and pretending at nobility.

Despair set in as he hung his head, and sighed.

A part of him conceded Sload's points, as vile and sickening the man was. There really wasn't anywhere to go from here but outright violence against their "rightful" owners.

What can a man do against them now but bite their tongue and die... he thought, disgust welling up more and more in him. Did Saja even really love him as a person?...

Doubt crept deeper into his mind as he pondered and thought, wondering if Saja would listen to reason and consider his appeals for at least better conditions and treatment of slaves within her domain.

Then again, she was an Ancestor. She and her sisters embodied the best of monsterkind's traits, most of which seemed to involve binding and twisting each and every person, especially men, to their will. She just happened to be more subtle and deluded about it.

And even then, who was to say that Alipheese wouldn't just make up some sicking lie about how this was the "ideal" coexistence between humans and monsters? That changing things and giving humanity a chance to develop was nothing but a romantic, idealistic dream that only worked within fantasies and dreams?

Even beyond the Ancestors themselves, the four spirits seemed to hold the same views from what he heard... Even if one could convince or defeat six direct children of the Goddess herself, how could one even approach the Monster Lord herself in Hellgondo when the embodiments of Air, Earth, Water, and Fire themselves agreed and followed her ideals? It was silly, preposterous, impossible.

Yet... Did they not say it was possible for one of the elementals to... "purify" themselves of Alipheese's corruption in due time? That she would have a significant amount of difficulty permanently scarring one of them?

Nothing they said seemed to imply that one couldn't at least speed up the process...

An idea began to form in Leopold's mind. Saja was fully willing to have him trained... If he consulted her some more and insisted on it, maybe she would cave in eventually and show him some tricks and make him into a true warrior.

And while that was going on, he could slowly read and educate himself, learn things like magic and certain philosophies that will be relevant to his future ideals, as Saja clearly did not care in the slightest about what he did in his spare time, much less when she was working.

Once that was done, surely it would not be much trouble to figure out a way to forcibly purify the Spirits and gain their help in destroying this corrupt system... After all, powerful as the Ancestors might be, what were they compared to the embodiments of nature themselves?

But then there was Alipheese, who seemed to handle them just fine... And what if the Ancestors were stronger than the Spirits anyways? What then?

He paused. He recalled a passing mention of an "Ilias" by Gurome, and how it sounded as if she was the reason Alipheese went out of her way to corrupt the Spirits...

Memories began to surface, and he recalled of how some particularly old slaves would recount stories of the days where this "Goddess Ilias" ruled over humanity, and how things were not always this way before the "Great Monster Wars." At the time it just seemed like fairy tales and wishful thinking to him, but it did seem to match up with how Sload and Gurome mentioned that humanity did used to live far more peacefully before Alipheese claimed dominion over the world.

So, there were two conclusions he had to make here. Either Ilias isn't really dead, or she is dead.

If she isn't dead, then surely she could rise again to save humanity and bring them salvation, he just had to figure out how to bring her back... But they said it had been about thirty years since her apparently demise, so she probably is dead.

And if she really is dead, then that proves Goddesses can be harmed, crippled, and eventually killed.

Which therefore means Alipheese herself can be harmed, crippled, and eventually killed.

She could not be as infallible as the monsters have preached all his life... She had to have corrupted those Spirits for a reason so soon after the wars were over and this "Ilias" was slain. Maybe she was scared of them combining their might and power?

Leopold's mind began to crawl out of the recesses of despair that he had been in earlier, and began to boil with spite and hatred. Why shouldn't he or any other human know these things!? What gave monsters the right to keep the true details of such important historic knowledge out of humanity's hands!?

He realized the answer was quite obvious— It's far easier and less violent to keep a dumb, ignorant human as a slave and make them believe that their lives are suited only for service, rather than break and try to snuff out the motivation and drives an educated and intelligent person might have! It was easier to stomp out poorly managed and petty rebellions over things like food or water, rather than deal with a full, widespread moral revolution over their basic rights to live as people rather than property!

So that's how it is... If I can pester Saja enough to train and make me strong while I improve my wisdom, I can eventually defend myself and learn magic, with which I can eventually purify the spirits. When I purify the spirits, then surely things will change somehow for the better? But maybe that's not how it'll work out... It's a good thing Saja has so many books available. Surely they will help reveal what my next plan should be... Leopold mused, slowly getting up and picking up the radio. He didn't care how long it took to improve, all that mattered was that he could improve.

For he knew from basic deduction from his memories and this new worldview that the ability for a human to improve in of itself beyond what was given to them at birth was something the monsters were terrified and desperate to keep hidden from their slaves, and to prove them wrong was already steps towards a brighter future in his eyes.

...

Elsewhere, within the white, eerily alien and advanced halls of a science laboratory, a succubus and kitsune wearing lab coats observed an angel being held within a chamber.

The angel had blue snakes for hair, six broken golden wings, a venus flytrap appendage for a left arm, a mass of pink tentacles for a right arm, and a mass of light-blue, scylla-like tentacles for a lower body.

She was notably bound, gagged, blindfolded, with more than a few... "devices" strapped to certain "areas" of her body. Parts of her appendages seemed to have been cut off, with two short, twitching stumps moving at her temples.

"Subject-94 appears to be healthy," the kitsune mused, typing down the exact details of her condition. "Limb regeneration is behind schedule. We'll have to wait before extracting more holy energy and angelic body parts from her."

"Pity. I recall a colleague here wanted to test what exactly causes the bitter, unlikable taste in angel livers," the succubus remarked. "Least her head feathers provided some insight into the difference between 9th Circle Angels and 8th Circle Archangels."

"They do appear to get more abominable as one goes up the ranks," the kitsune muttered, "More likely due to the Throne Angels of the 3rd Circle being responsible for choosing what they deem as necessary body parts for angels of their rank to perform their job."

"Or perhaps Ilias just got lazy? And even then, the Seraphs were at the top of their hierarchy and looked human for the most part."

"Perhaps, but we've yet to compare Seraph Eden's organs and body parts to the remains of her sisters. If what Ancestor Hiruko said is true, then Seraph Eden was supposedly quite hideous in her true form, even by angel standards."

"We'll figure it out when we capture her~... After all, her rebellion's numbers are thinning as the days go on. We'll have her locked up nice and tight like Ranael here in due time."

"Time will tell, time will tell. Hm... fluid production is lower than usual, especially concerning saliva and vaginal fluids..."

"Perhaps simply amping up the 'fun' will solve that? We need production to be meeting standards after all. Tamamo-no-Mae will not be pleased if she finds out an experiment is delayed due to resource shortage."

The kitsune shrugged, deciding to switch up the means from simple penetration to include electric shocks.

"That may bypass any dulled feelings or senses she developed over the months. We'll see if she needs something more extreme by next week."

"Indeed... Say, do you think we could forcibly impregnate Eggiel?"

"Subject-344? I doubt it. If it is possible though, then we won't have to fear a shortage of angels anytime soon."

"Think we could use a female slave to act as the 'fertilizer?'"

"If we can force 344 to accept and give birth through physical or mental means, then yes."

"Hm... What if we used a male?..."

The kitsune blinked, now genuinely pondering the same question as well. "A hermaphrodite angel may be possible. I believe it best if we used a human woman however, less chance for complications or the subject rebelling. We will use a human male when it is possible to do so."

The succubus and kitsune kept chattering, taking notes of how their experiment would go, before hearing the door behind them hiss and slide open, revealing another kitsune...

The two immediately kneeled upon seeing who was in the doorway, both simultaneously saying: "Mistress Tamamo-no-Mae!"

The Kitsune Ancestor giggled, fanning herself. "I presume all is as normal here?"

The kitsune nodded vigorously, "The subject is contained and her health has been checked! Other than changing the way she is stimulated in order to maintain production, nothing is abnormal!"

"Ah, so that's why she's being shocked. Last I checked, she was being forcibly drained once every two days or so," Tamamo remarked.

"N-no... That technique was switched out in favor of simple penetration nearly three months ago."

"Huh. Has it been that long? Dear oh dear, I should keep a better eye on these lowlier angels... I'm getting too fond of personally seeing to how the higher angels like Wormiel are treated out of a bias to see their pride and mind broken."

"It's not that important, Mistress Tamamo," the kitsune said. "The experiments we can conduct and knowledge we can attain from the angels' body parts are more useful in the end."

"So it is. Even then, past all the technology development and control over holy energy we've gained, this simple monitoring never does get old, seeing them suffer for what they did in the Great Monster Wars, acting so high and mighty to us~..." Tamamo cheerfully said, grinning from ear to ear.

The succubus soon spoke up after a silence had passed. "Mistress Tamamo... I wish to ask for your approval on an experiment I would like to run."

Tamamo perked up, "Hm? What is it?"

"I would like to attempt to research and find a means to forcibly impregnate Eggiel, in order to ensure we will never have a shortage of angels."

"Ho-hum... We'll have to see. There are already several other teams vivisecting and attempting to find out what makes Eggiel tick. You'll have to wait a couple of months before you can conduct your experiments on her when they're finished, assuming she's been sufficiently medicated back to health for another round of experiments when that happens."

Though the succubus looked disappointed, she still forced a smile and nodded, "I see... Thank you, Mistress Tamamo."

Nodding back, Tamamo took another look at Ranael, smirking at the angel's state before turning around, leaving the room, letting the two monster scientists continue their routines...

...

Eden and the other angels huddled together within their makeshift bunker, trying to hide and conceal their presence as much as possible while Morrigan was flying through the area.

Thankfully however, it seemed as if Morrigan didn't intend to really try and seek them out, simply flying by as fast as she could to Sabasa, until her aura vanished into the horizon... Perhaps she was just visiting and taking care of a task on her sisters' behalf, but they could never be sure.

Eden sighed, climbing out of the bunker, wondering what to do now... They couldn't possibly hope to attack any city as they were...

What would Micaela do in my situation? Eden pondered, thinking on how to continue fighting for her Goddess when all seemed lost.

Thinking back, she recalled a vague memory of Micaela often assigning smaller groups of angels to fight and raid smaller monster villages, as they were faster than bigger groups and thus able to outrun faster, larger monster militias and armies.

Well, she had been outrunning the entire world for about thirty years now... a small part of Eden thought they could afford striking out at the passing merchant caravans or a small frontier village...

But was it the smart choice to make?

At this point, most of our equipment is deteriorating... We have to find supplies soon or else we won't survive...

She bit her lip. Just one village, for the resources and food supply. Nothing more, nothing less. Killing monsters would just be a happy little bonus.

Now, how to organize a raid?... Where to strike?... Agh, so many things to take into account... How did Micaela make such good decisions and plans within minutes during the war? Eden thought, before deciding to send out the cupids to scout out for small villages while preparing her angels for a fight. She'd think up a strategy when she got a report back from the cupids...

...

A human slave sighed as he descended down into the muddy basement pits his masters typically kept slaves in, away from the more "civilized" and "fun" areas of the city above the ground. Another day of hard labor and being half-drained-to-death in Babylon done and over with.

He honestly wondered why he even tried at this point, why he bothered to keep being scared of the succubi and vampires' constant threats and whips. May as well just roll on over and sink into the mud by this point, as willing suffocating himself rather than inevitably suffocating anyways when he was a frail, weak old man was about as dignified a death as he would ever get.

Not like the succubi would care for some missing slave, they didn't even know his name.

Not like anyone would, really. Even among slaves, the only thing that mattered was just surviving for the day, and trying to look impressive and noticeable enough to get a quick, blissful death by Minagi's hands.

Joseph Pollux... Who cares about me as a person? he thought, I'm nobody in particular... Just a source of semen and manual labor...

A noise caught his attention, before he shrugged. Probably just another fight between slaves—

Joseph grunted in pain, muttering curses as he held his hand up to his neck, pulling out... a dart?...

He shook his head, feeling disoriented, before falling unconscious...

In time, he woke up to a new day and the same succubus slave overseer yelling at the slaves to wake up and begin working.

Eugh... Was her yelling always so damn infuriating? he thought, grunting as he lifted himself up and began trudging off to see what menial, pointless tasks were set out for him this time.

Oh joy. Taking out the waste. Couldn't they just call it "taking out dead bodies" instead? Certainly more damn accurate...

Hour in and hour out, piling up bags of ashes and dried corpses on a wheelbarrow, carting in and out of Babylon, constantly teased by succubi, constantly demeaned by vampires.

What did I ever do to deserve this? Why am I here? They ought to have a taste of it themselves... he thought, spite slowly growing in him.

In time, he came across a succubus monk. She was easily a head taller than him, with shining brass knuckles and a revealing, fancy gi.

"Hah... How pitiful. Couldn't they have made someone with a bit more flesh on them do this job? It's like telling a mangy mutt to go fetch a tree limb fit for a behemoth," she remarked. "Come on, move faster now. Seeing a weakling like you on the streets doesn't look good for the city."

... What did I do wrong? he thought, unable to do much but simply shoot a quick glare at the succubus mocking him before working on taking out the street's "waste" as per usual, noting a dull, loose part of the concrete nearby.

In time, that feeling of spite and anger kept growing and growing in him as he heard the succubus continue to goad and taunt him.

He grumbled, before the brief idea of killing her passed through his head.

For reasons he wasn't really sure of himself, he decided enough was enough, and went through with it.

He soon saw her back turned, presumably mocking some other slave, and wasted no time.

It was... oddly simple, really. For all that power and magic an average monster would claim they had and touted around so much, Joseph found that by just picking up the loose piece of concrete off the ground, and throwing it as hard as he could against the succubus' head would work almost exactly like how it would with any other human.

He walked towards the limp body of the succubus monk with a dull expression on his face, before lifting the concrete up once more, and smashing it down again, and again, and again, until he was sure she really was dead, feeling a vague sense of elation or... power, from it.

Joseph then kneeled down, and decided that he may as well take the brass knuckles off her, and then finally noticed that a few slaves were looking at him with absolute horror on their faces.

Unsure of what to really say, he just shrugged. "She and her kind were hateful and violent towards us our whole lives. Why can't we be violent to them too?"

The slaves looked at each other with fear, shock, and worry on their faces, before deciding to flee and run off...

Well... What to do now... he thought, before figuring he may as well go on. He was already a dead man, so why not take a few others down with him? After all, he was just a nobody doomed to die in the muddy sheds and basements of this city because of these whores and assholes. What could he do when it came to these freaks other than kill them? Talk nicely and hope they were nice back?

Author's Notes:

Back again. This time had a little fun coming up with Gurome's name.

Shiroi/Shiro - White.

Kuro - Black.

Shiro is obviously Shirome/La Croix, while Kurome would have been the more accurate translation of Chrome's name. Therefore...

Gurē - Gray. Gurome. I couldn't resist the joke. I am not sorry at all. Well, actually, that's wrong. I am sorry for those curious enough to look up guro.

Anyways... Some reviews to answer!

Fish on Land: Well... I suppose the premise alone makes it so that it can't be helped that Eden is stuck in this terrible situation. As for Leopold, well, people from Heinrich's family line do seem to have a tendency to get mixed up with Lamias...

Najee: Well, certainly good to know. I honestly didn't expect this story to get a whole lot of attention, so I will definitely try to keep it entertaining. And, in a sense, part of the story was made to deconstruct the fantasies people had about Alipheese I and how she didn't do anything wrong. Even when taking Paradox and all of its events out of the picture, a majority of monsters are definitely immoral until Luka finally achieves his dream, and Paradox fully confirms that letting Alipheese and the ancient monsters have their way with the world is perhaps even worse than Ilias winning.

As for Ancestors having "fun," well, we'll see. I may write that kind of scene, I might not.

mattguellec: Well... no promises are made concerning my competency and consistent writing, but I will try to keep it up!

ljkih6657: Denial is the first stage as they say. I can safely say from my predictions that someone with optimistic views like Luka won't be thinking that way for long.

Aaand that should wrap up all the reviews for now! Make sure to follow/favorite this story if you liked it, leave a review of your thoughts and input on the story down, and without further ado, I bid you all a good day!

(Also, I do want to mention that I was overjoyed when I saw this story, being tagged with Eden, hit three reviews. Mhm, sweet, sweet irony...)