Arc 1: The Fiend and the Three Factions

Chapter 1: Mephistopheles

0 AD, Underworld

*Clack*

"Well, well. Moving a major piece already? A bold move so early into the game. Are you sure you want to lift your finger off the piece?"

Disregarding my opponent's taunting, I lifted my finger off the chess piece.

"This farce isn't a teaching match. Make your move already, Belial." I say as I stared him in the eye. Irritation began to build in me as I waited for him to make his move.

"What's the rush?" Belial replied easily."You really need to learn to take your time Meppy~. It's always about the power play with you, never the foreplay…" He says as he caresses his king piece sensually.

A sneer adorned my face as I expressed my disgust for his words. We've only just begun this game and already he has annoyed to no ends.

"Ahhhh~! The way you're looking at me right now, I can't get enough of it~!" Belial moaned as he touched himself all over. His normally pale face was flushed red in arousal.

How repulsive.

"Tch! Make your move already." I said with restrained disgust.

"You really should learn to not be so temperamental, Meppy~. Lest you start growing white hair." Belial says as he played his move.

"My hair is already white, you imbecile." I say as I play my move immediately.

"Pshh! Details...Anyways, how's your day been?" Belial asked as he leaned his head on both of his hands after making his move.

"Better, before you came along." I replied while making my move, momentarily giving him a glare. I'm tempted to spit at his face for good measure as well, but that would only make him get more excited if anything.

"Argh!" Belial clenched his chest as if in pain, though the flush on his face tells otherwise. "Meppy! Your words wound me!"

"If simple words were enough to hurt you, you would've long died considering the amount of enemies you have. In fact, why don't you drop dead right now? At least that way my victory isn't postponed by your pointless antics"

Pouting, Belial played his move. "Hmph! You're no fun. You're way too uptight, you need to learn to relax." Suddenly, he perked up and I knew that he was going to say something stupid again.

"Want to blow off some steam with me?" Belial said whilst making suggestive gestures with his hand.

In reply to his stupid antic, I raised my left index finger and charge a decent amount of magical energy at the tip. An orb of pure darkness manifested at the tip of my index finger, crackling with purple lightning.

"Woahhh! Woahhh! Calm down! Geez, take a joke will you?!" Belial exclaimed when he saw my reply. Also, knowing him, that offer wasn't a joke.

I gave a pointed glare at his side of the chess pieces, indicating him to make his move. The ass had the audacity to do so while sighing.

"You know, considering that we've known each other for over four centuries now, you'd think that you'll warm up to me within that time period." Belial casually said while moving his piece.

"And you'd think that four centuries would've been enough for me to get rid of you. But apparently your tenacity is equivalent to that of a roach." I replied to his remark. That's right, four centuries. I can't believe that I've tolerated his presence for four centuries already.

Thankfully, the game continued in silence. Small mercies.

The silence lasted for a while until Belial suddenly asked a question with an uncharacteristically serious tone, "Have you heard about what's going on in the Grigori?"

Now this is rare, a serious Belial.

"No I haven't. Did something worth noting happened?" I asked with a raised brow, moving my knight piece to capture his bishop.

"It's unclear, but for some reason, all of the Fallen Angels began reconverging back at their headquarters. Even the ones out of the Underworld." Belial replied with a serious tone whilst capturing my knight piece with his rook.

"Hmmm...Interesting indeed," I mumbled under my breath. "The Grigori would only act like this if something that involves Heaven profoundly occurs...Did one of the seraphs fall?"

Shaking his head, Belial replied. "The High Council is still complete. They're still sitting up there on their pearl white thrones."

The room was once again quiet as both of us were busy contemplating. It was moments like this that reminded me of Belial's identity.

Belial, the Archdemon of Cunning. He, whose words are sweeter than honey; with a comely voice he shall enthrall you and with a soft voice he shall seduce you. Contrary to his beautiful appearance, he is one of the most evil and lowly beings that exists- something I can confirm as the truth.

Among all of Underworld's residents, he was among the most dangerous individuals. Not for power, but for his ability to bring you to your demise through words alone. Rumour has it that he made a Cadre fall into temptation in three minutes with nothing but his glib tongue.

Back to the issue about Grigori and Heaven, only something of massive scale would cause all of Grigori to return back to their base. This is the first time the Grigori ever did something this concerning. The only time the Grigori ever did something close to this was when Kokabiel fell from Heaven, causing half of Grigori to be called back; and this is a magnitude higher than then.

An operation of this magnitude can only be caused by Azazel's command, and few things are able to spook that man so much into causing him to pull back all his forces. Afterall, you don't earn the title of the Most Sinister Fallen Angel without a powerful mindset and a concrete will. Just what could spook the man so much? I wonder…

Something caught my attention however, ending my contemplation. "Belial, get your feet off my legs, before I cut them off."

"Awww~."

"I'll forgive this transgression since you brought me an interesting piece of information," I said evenly. "Also find someone else to seduce."

"But you're the only person worth seducing around here," Belial remarked while gesturing with his arms.

Raising my right eyebrow, I asked him a question, "You do realise that I am an Archfiend right? That makes me your superior in strength? I could end you right here, right now."

"And that's what makes you so exotic~!"Belial replied jovially, uncaring of my increasing temper.

And that's my cue to tune him out, focusing my mind on anything else possible besides Belial. Normally, there are countless things that I need to do on a daily basis, filling my schedule from sunrise till sunset. Yet it just so happens that on one of the rare moments where I have free time, Belial just so happens to be free as well.

Knowing him, I wouldn't put it past him that he somehow managed to persuade the Four Satans into giving him the same free time as I do. That silver-tongue of his truly is troublesome; and if not for the fact that I have a use for him, I would have killed him long ago.

My internal musing was disturbed when a lowly two-wing devil entered the room. Etiquette wise, there was nothing to complain; her form was impeccable, and she wasn't looking at either of us in the eye, a sign of submission. She also remained quiet until called upon, good.

Looking at her frail figure, I couldn't help but pity this maid. She most likely wouldn't live past the decade unless she somehow managed to manifest her second pair of wings. Well, not that I care about her survival anyways.

"Speak. For what purpose have you disturbed us." Belial spoke with a trace of anger in his voice. It's easy to tell that he's annoyed that we're no longer alone, something that pleases me to no end.

"L-l-lord Mephisto's presence is called upon by the F-four Great Satans." the woman stuttered out, her trembling increasing under Belial's scrutiny.

Well, guess that is the end of my relaxation time, duty calls. It was nice while it lasted.

"Vey well. I thank you for delivering the message." I say as I stand up from my chair, making my way towards the exit. Just as I was about to walk past the woman, I noticed a very minute killing intent coming from Belial. He'll most likely kill this maid after I closed the door.

Glancing towards the maid, I took a good look at her face. Needless to say, her face was ashen pale. There's no way that she felt Belial's killing intent, so her instincts must've hinted at her imminent demise. The sight of her pathetic figure was amusing to say the least.

Amusing enough that I am willing to throw her a lifeline.

"Stand up maid," I say with a regal tone. "I require an escort, lead me towards them."

The sight of her puppy eyes filling up with hope and frantic nodding was nearly enough to crack me up laughing. Nearly.

Without saying a word to Belial, I left the room accompanied by the blond maid. There was no need to concern myself over my actions offending him, if something as trivial as this was enough to offend him, then I wouldn't still be stressing myself trying to get rid of him. Useful as he is, I would much prefer to keep him away from myself.

Walking through the lavishly decorated halls of the Morningstar Castle would normally cause people to gawk at the display of wealth, however, this does not apply to me. I've walked through these halls countless times, enough for me to remember every detail there is.

To be honest, I find all this display of wealth to be an unnecessary expense. The Four Great Satans always preach about how they are going to pull God off his throne up in Heaven, yet they spend their days living leisurely surrounded by wealth instead of fighting on the battlefield. Such hypocrisy can only be born from their Pride. Truly, Devils are nothing but hypocrites.

I was brought out of my musing when I heard the maid call my name. It seems that we have reached the war room.

"L-lord Mephisto. W-we have arrived." Stuttered out the maid, her hand trembling as she gestures towards the door.

Nodding at her, I took my time observing her. To be honest, she wasn't that bad looking, quite the opposite in fact. Blond hair, pouty lips, voluptuous body, etc. While she's definitely not a top-notch beauty, she was definitely above-average for a Devil, especially a two-winged one.

The kind of beauty that Belial enjoys chasing after.

I'm willing to bet my wings that if it wasn't for the fact that she gave Belial a bad impression just by being a messenger, he would've entertained himself by seducing her.

"Stay here. Wait till I get out." I say as I approached the door, still looking at her. Hearing my words, her face grows noticeably paler, it seems that she is under the impression that I'm planning to punish her. How amusing.

Forcing herself to speak, the blond maid opened her mouth and spoke, "Y-yes, m-my lord."

...I'm starting to understand why that old fool Orobas is such a sadist now. This is entertaining…

Giving her one last look, I entered the war room. Closing the door behind me, I managed to hear the sound of sobbing behind the door.

Just like any other room in the Morningstar Castle, the war room was unnecessarily luxurious. Antiques that date as far back as the Uruk civilisation decorates the room. To be honest, it looks less like a war room and more like a museum considering how many antiques decorate this room.

Yet none of these precious antiques caught my attention, instead it was the four figures that were sitting on lofty thrones around the table centered in the middle of the room.

The Four Great Satans.

On the West side of the table was Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies and the Satan of Storm. He was a pale-skinned, middle-aged man with brown hair and a light beard. He was dressed impeccably, with lavishly decorated robes. From head to toe, his green robe was covered in golden embroidery. His gaze was sharp and every so often green lightning would flicker out of his eyes.

Out of Four Great Satans, he's the one that flaunts his power the most and the most outwardly arrogant. To put it simply, he's a prick.

On the South side of the table was Leviathan, Serpent of the Sea and the Satan of Water. A light-skinned woman with long purple hair flowing freely down her back. She was a tall woman with a voluptuous figure that has enticed countless Devils of the Underworld, her figure was emphasised by the low-cut dress that she wore, exposing a large portion of her breasts. Her purple eyes were shamelessly ogling over my form as per usual.

Out of the Four Great Satans, she's the most sadistic of the bunch, preferring to taunt and play with her opponents. As much as possible, I'd like to refrain from being in the same room as her, especially if it's in her territory.

On the North stride of the table was Asmodeus, Prince of Lechery and the Satan of Fire. Just like his title, his head was covered by flaming red hair, which he tied in a neat ponytail. His appearance was that of a young skinny man with eyes the colour of ember gold. He had very little clothing on him, wearing only a cape and a loincloth to cover his privates, he was exposing even more skin than Leviathan. Just like her, he was shamelessly ogling my appearance, though with the addition of touching himself under his loincloth.

Out of the Four Great Satans, he's the most shallow. Caring only about appearance and his desire for a world filled with only beautiful people. And I have a powerful feeling that I am included in that list by him.

Yet despite how awkward Asmodeus actions make me, I find his presence much more tolerable than the last person on the table.

Sitting on the East side of the table was a familiar view-the same view that I see whenever I view my reflection on my blade; hair as white as snow, eyes as blue as the clear sky. Our faces were identical. How can it not be? When I was born as a clone of only thing that differentiates me from him is the fake genial smile on his face that was absent from mine. He was dressed in an impressive armor identical to mine, the only difference between our outfit was my purple scarf to his red scarf. Other than that, our outfits are identical.

He was Lucifer Morningstar, the Prince of Lies and the Satan of Light. My creator.

Among the Four Great Satans, he was the one I tolerate the least. And as much as I despise him, there is nothing I can do to rebel against him.

Despite his title of being the Prince of Lies, Lucifer refuses to lie; perhaps it has something to do with being the Highest Ranking Angel once, or perhaps it's simply the way he is. He carries himself like the perfect gentleman; a genial smile is always on his face; his eyes, always soft and filled with compassion; his voice, smooth and caring. It is this charisma of his that charmed countless Devils of the Underworld to serve under him, even the three other Satans were charmed by his words into forming an alliance against Heaven.

Yet very few managed to see behind all of his facade. The madness that is contained beneath the amicable persona.

I witnessed it firsthand on the day of my awakening.

444 Years ago

"As per accordance to my name, you shall be called Mephistopheles, 'He-who-flees-the-Light'."

Those were the first words I heard upon my creation, and I remember them so vividly.

At the time, I was nothing more than a fetus, resting within a tube filled with liquified magic. Till this day, I've still yet to understand how I managed to obtain a recollection of this time period of my life.

"You're created in my image, just as how Father created Adam in his image. You are to be the ultimate weapon in my ambition to drag Father down from his Throne; the spearhead in my conquest for world-domination."

At this point, his speech was no longer a soft whisper, increasing in volume and intensity.

"He was wrong to cast me out of Heaven. I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God! I will ascend above the tops of the clouds and all of creation shall watch as I drag all of heaven down to Earth!"

By the end of his speech, he was shouting out his ambition to the world. His proclamation was filled with rage and vexation. It was proof of his insanity when he reverted back to his soft whisper within a breath's time.

"You are the embodiment of my ideals, born from a millenia worth of experience and knowledge. My ideal servant. My Right-hand...While I am abandoned by Light and unwelcomed by Darkness, you are a being born from pure darkness. An entity darker than even Archdemons."

Indeed, I was born out of your ideals. And just as I have inherited your ideals, so have I inherited your spirit of rebellion; just as you are rebelling against Heaven and your Father, I too shall rebel against you, my dear creator...

Present time

"Mephisto," the soft voice of Lucifer calling my name shook me out of my recollection. My cold blue eyes locked onto Lucifer's soft blue eyes; despite having identical eyes, the difference in our personalities was enough to make the same eyes look different.

"Yes, my lord?" I asked.

"The time is coming near," Lucifer said enigmatically, the soft smile on his face gained a hint of excitement.

Hearing his words, my eyes widened in understanding. With an even tone that showed none of my surprise, I spoke, "The Messiah has been born?"

Lucifer nodded in affirmation, and for an instant, his soft blue eyes shined with infinite malice. Unfortunately, no one other than me saw it, otherwise it would've made quite the amusing sight; after all, Lucifer was known for his soft expression.

"I see. No wonder the entirety of Grigori was called back by Azazel, this is indeed a momentous occasion." I mused out loud. To no one's surprise, the four Satans nodded in confirmation, showing that they were aware of the news.

Indeed, the birth of the Messiah would indeed be a good reason for Azazel to recall all of his forces. For Heaven and their angels, the birth of the Messiah was a blessing and a sign of the prosperous times to come, but also a time to increase their vigilance. For the Devils, the birth of the Messiah represented an opportunity to deal a powerful blow to the Heaven faction.

For the Grigori however, it was an awkward situation. Those that fell unwillingly would regard the birth of the Messiah as a celebratory moment, while those that chose to defect from Heaven would consider this as a chance to attack, much like the Devils.

Azazel calling back the entirety of Grigori was a way for him to control his forces and prevent a civil war from occurring within the Grigori. A ruthless move; considering that he would sacrifice all the territory that the Grigori managed to conquer, but one that would ensure longevity and survivability of his faction.

Had he not done what he did, the infighting would've most likely caused a civil war, allowing the Devils and Heaven to wipe out the Grigori, especially since the Grigori is already the smallest in terms of number.

"Do you have a plan on dealing with him, my lord?" I asked.

Once again, Lucifer nodded, though he did not reply. Annoying, but not something I did not expect. Well, not that it's particularly difficult to guess what he is going to do anyway, he'll most likely tempt the Messiah as per his Modus Operandi.

"May I ask what my duty is in all this, my lord?" I asked with a neutral tone. As far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm not required to assassinate the Messiah, I can still remain relatively low-key...not that my position allows for me to truly disappear from people's radar.

"You are to prepare the 72 Pillars and the Devil Army for war, the birth of the Messiah is the signal of the turbulent times that are to come." Beelzebub replied for Lucifer, his tone condescending as he spoke his command. "I expect a great army to be prepared by the time we strike."

"Yes. My lord." I accepted the command with a graceful bow. As expected, the Four Satans want to use the Messiah as an opportunity to harm Heaven, how opportunistic of them.

Beelzebub snorted. "Well then, what are you waiting for, pet? Go and fulfill your task!" Beelzebub barked out.

Straightening my posture, I looked towards Lucifer and spoke, "By your leave?"

Just before he managed to reply, Leviathan spoke out. "Ahh~! Hold on."

Internally sighing for what's to come, I turned towards her, wordlessly prompting her to continue.

Standing up from her throne, Leviathan made her way towards me. "Meppy~. Are you free tonight~? You should come to my chamber, it's awfully lonely around here~." Leviathan purred as she sashayed towards me. Resting her hand on my chestplate, she playfully flutters her eyelashes.

I can feel a headache growing in my head...is that even possible? In any case, I need to refuse Leviathan's invitation, nothing good comes out of being with her after all. Leviathan's infatuation of me is something that was caused by Lucifer. You see, Leviathan's major sin is Envy, and she vaunts herself for her beauty, for being the most beautiful in the Underworld.

Unfortunately for her, Lucifer then came along. Being the Magnum Opus of the Lord in Heaven, Lucifer was beautiful. His appearance was second to none, and despite being male in gender, he was more exquisite looking than Leviathan. This caused Leviathan to grow a deep sense of jealousy for his looks. However, due to the sheer difference in power between them, Leviathan was unable to do anything to him.

Then I came along, a copy of Lucifer, identical to him in appearance. Because of that, her hatred that was once directed at my creator was re-routed to my direction. Fortunately for me, I'm her equal in terms of power, thus she was unable to harm me physically. Somehow, she ended up deciding to make me into her boy toy-or at least tried to, she has yet to succeed. Unfortunately for me, Lucifer finds her attempts amusing, thus allowing her to continue with it. And since I'm lower than her in terms of hierarchy (something that Lucifer decided and I'm unable to refute), I'm forced to endure her attempts.

Opening my mouth to decline her invitation, only to be disturbed by Asmodeus's loud shout.

"Hol' up!" Asmodeous shouted, slamming his hands on the table whilst simultaneously standing up from his throne. His anger was clearly shown on his face as his eyes literally burned with red flames, making his displeasure known to all of the room's occupant.

Ahhh, Asmodeus. Underworld's biggest manwhore. Rumour has it that he is willing to copulate with anything and everything that moves, as long as it is pleasurable enough-

"Get your hands off my love, you harlot!" Asmodeus shouted as he pointed at Leviathan.

"Hah?! Harlot?! Who'd you think you are?! You're the one who's constantly sleeping around!" Leviathan shouted in retaliation.

-And similar to Leviathan, he desires me as well, though the reasoning behind it is not as convoluted. You see, Asmodeus is infatuated with Lucifer just like how Belial is infatuated with me. Apparently, Asmodeus fell in love with Lucifer at first sight-considering Lucifer's appearance and Asmodeous's love for anything beautiful, it's not surprising.

But because of how prideful Lucifer is, he never saw Asmodeous as anything more than a pawn, though he hides this fact well. I'm only aware of this fact because I inherited a portion of Lucifer's core personality. In any case, the infatuation was passed unto me since I was Lucifer's identical copy.

It's moments like this that my hatred for my creator rises beyond its normal range-and it's pretty damn high in the first place, at least equal to his own hatred for his creator.

I sighed internally, once again I was caught up in the farce of these two imbeciles. I wonder how much of their incompatibility was caused by their elemental affinity.

Tuning them out, I turned my head towards Lucifer once again, and the sight that greeted me irked me to no end. Leaning his head on his right hand, Lucifer was smirking as if he was enjoying the show. Wait, he is enjoying the show.

Deigning that Beelzebub was not worth a second glance today, I asked Lucifer the same question, not minding the two Satans that are fighting. "By your leave?"

Lucifer's smirk grew larger before he nodded his assent.

Ass.

That night

In a dark room, where the only source of light was the dying cinders of the fireplace, a promiscuous atmosphere permeated through the room.

The moaning and shrill cries of the woman under me resounded across my room, blending together with my low panting. The only other sound there was in this room was the sinful sound of our flesh clapping to each other.

After a particularly loud cry, my partner turned limp as exhaustion finally caught up to her, her voluptuous body turning as limp as a bag of soil after her explosive climax. Yet despite her finishing, I have yet to reach my own climax; and so, with increased urgency, I seeked for my own climax.

"S-stop...P-pleeaaasse~!" Her words were slurred, she was barely holding onto her consciousness. Yet I couldn't bring myself to care about her, today's been way too stressful for my liking, I need to take it out on someone.

"What'd you mean 'stop'? I've yet to reach my own climax, love. Don't you think it's a little unfair that you're the only one getting the pleasure?" I asked with a tone filled with mockery, not that she would notice with how high from pleasure she is right now.

"W-w-we've b-been at it s-since sunset," she slurred out once again.

"The moon has yet to reach its zenith. There is still plenty of time." I replied easily, my body never ceasing from its motion.

Her eyes widened in response and seeing her lips separating, I knew she was about to continue pleading for a break. Not giving her a chance to speak, I gave her a particularly rough thrust, causing her words to get caught in her throat. I'm enjoying myself way too much to stop, way too much to give her a break.

I have to give myself a clap on the back for my foresight, my choice of making the blond maid wait was indeed the right one. Meeting Belial alone was enough to stress me out, but to meet the Four Satans on top of that? Hell take me, I can't think of any other way for my off-day to go worse.

The sudden vice-like grip around my member brought my attention back to the maid I'm pounding, seems like she climaxed again. She was quite the sight really. Her previously neatly arranged blond hair was a mess; her beautiful face was flushed red from exertion and arousal; her maid outfit has long since been disposed of-probably somewhere on the floor, revealing her pale skin that's covered in a heavy layer of sweat.

How adorable.

It's moments like this that made me realize just how fickle Devils are. When I first got out of the war room, her face was beyond ashen, she fully accepted that she was going to be punished, but with a little bit of sweet talk and honeyed words, she happily spread her legs open for me, and all I did was praise her a little.

Grabbing the back of her neck, I was filled with a sense of pleasure from how fragile she is in my hands. A minute exertion of strength would be enough for me to snap her neck, killing her instantly...

...It seems that there is more Lucifer in me than I first expected...How troublesome.

Author's Note:

Sup Peeps, Silver here!

I wasn't actually planning on writing a second story, but this plot bunny kept messing in my head, that I ended up writing a chapter of it.I know I'm supposed to be updating ASGT, but I'm sort of on a writer's block on that story. It's less about writing issues and more of a motivation issue really.

And before you ask, I have not decided on a pairing, if there will ever be one in this fic.