The Abyssal Lord (DxD)

[Akeno POV]

There are some things I've come to realize since I woke up in this weird place.

At first I thought it was a dream, I thought that maybe after I lost at the rating game, my body couldn't handle the strain and I blacked out.

But that's obviously untrue. Dreams weren't this clear, they're usually vivid, obscure and full of unusual things that are a product of the imagination.

And more importantly, the dreams that someone experiences are theirs, made up of their own memories and subconscious thoughts.

But this wasn't mine. The woman in this dream wasn't me.

And after releasing that this wasn't me, and neither was this my dream, my brain regained its function and I began to analyze what was happening around me.

The first thing that I noticed was how heavily injured the woman in the dream was, black blood spilled from every orifice of her body, her long black hair was tainted with several black spots and burn marks, she looked so beaten up it's a miracle she's even standing straight.

And based on her situation, and how she was hiding not too long ago, it was obvious that was running from something, or someone in this case.

“Its honestly quite amusing that you thought you could even escape from me”

I also realized that the voice from before, that deeply amused voice that held malice that brought unconscious despair to my very soul, I knew it the moment I heard it, and the woman in the dream just confirmed it. 

This was Xeron's…no, the demon lord's voice.

The man claimed to be a demon, yet showed nothing but the nicest of attitudes, he claimed to be the vilest of them all, but showed nothing but goodwill since the moment I first saw him.

But I, along with everyone that has a decent brain just knew that he wasn't lying, he was truly dangerous, he truly was a monster, but hearing about something differs from actually seeing it first hand. 

And that's apparently exactly what I'm seeing right now.

'But, why me? And who is this woman that I'm seeing?’

I couldn't understand the reason why I'm here. Aside from me looking like this demon woman with only some minor differences, I truly don't understand why I'm seeing this at all.

That was the truth, I don't know who this woman is, and I don't understand why I'm here...but, something inside me tells me that I was here before.

'I…feel that this is somehow familiar, like some distant memory I can't remember…maybe if I could foc-...’

“So? Got any last words?”

I didn't have time to gather my thoughts, and as Xeron's demonic voice got closer and closer, I noticed a complete lack of amusement in his tone.

His tone didn't carry that playfulness he always carried now, and all I heard was irritation and malice. A malice so palpable and deep it was bone chilling.

It even affected me, and I wasn't the one experiencing this first hand. I can't even imagine how someone can experience such dark emotions without losing their sanity. The amount of pressure that I felt behind me was enough to squash even the mightiest of Satans to the ground, and the thought of all that was being directed at one individual was baffling to me.

“How could you say tha-AAH!”

And as if ignorant to the threat lying in wait behind her, the woman appeared less than concerned, she may sound quite weak and her voice may sound exhausted, but it didn't diminish the allure she held in any way.

But sadly, she didn't get to continue her sentence, not when she found herself being held up by the neck and slowly choking to death.

The demon looked straight into the woman's eye, his golden red eyes held no mercy or amusement, they bore into me with such intensity that I thought he knew that I was watching.

Which he obviously wasn't, which I immediately realized when he pulled his gaze away from ‘mine’.

“Before I kill you and absorb your soul, would you enlighten me about the reason why you're trying to kill me?”

Him holding the woman by the neck made me able to fully see his appearance, which unlike his human appearance, wasn't quite as welcoming.

His abyssal black hair wasn't black at all, but was instead a literal red raging fire that blazed straight out of his head. It fell to his waist and danced and twirled just regular hair would do in a breeze, but looked like a an inferno that was hotter than the hottest of erupting volcanoes.

Four huge pitch black horns that resembled crowns grew straight from his head, his mouth was full of sharp teeth that resembled those of sharks, his skin was full of dark scales that looked like that of dragons.

He wore full plated armor that covered his entire body but his face, and in his other hand he held a flaming greatsword whose flames rivaled that of his hair in intensity.

'I thought he would look like the servants I saw in his mansion, he said that they were his lineage so I thought he would maybe look like…Wait! Did he say she tried to kill him? She tried to kill that thing?! Is she stupid?'

I honestly didn't understand how can someone in their right mind try to kill someone called the Demon Lord Of Despair, it was like you didn't value your own life or something, but I heard from Sirzechs-sama that the great infinity dragon said that demons aren't incredibly smart, maybe she didn't think this through?

Silence reigned as Xeron waited for the female demon to speak her reason. I also wanted to know her reasons too, but she didn't say anything.

Her silence was honestly quite frustrating, I couldn't see the woman's face so I couldn't know what she thought, but looking at Xeron's increasingly annoyed face made me know that he also shared my opinion.

“Speak”

He let out what could only be described as a demonic growl, the intensity and loudness in his voice was so strong that it shook the entire cave, the flaming mass that was his hair, raged in crimson red, most likely portraying the intensity of his emotions.

I could feel the grip he held on the woman's neck tighten in real time, it looked so painful that I could see the woman's body shiver and tremble ever so slightly. But she still maintained her silence.

The light in Xeron's eyes brightened more and more, his rage could obviously be felt from a mile away.

But suddenly, as if it was all a lie, his anger slowly started dimming, his irritation felt like it was vanishing and was instead replaced with cold indifference.

“I guess you won't speak, a shame”

His tone stone cold, he slowly lifted his greatsword and was about to separate the woman's head from her shoulders, but just when his weapon was inches away from her, a hoarse voice was soon heard.

“y-you a-ask why despite knowing that w-we're demons. I-It's in o-our bloo-”

She didn't even get to finish her sentence, he immediately threw her body across the cave and into a wall like a rag doll.

She slammed into the wall with an impact powerful enough to pulverize anyone ten times over, the crater she left on the wall was so deep, she practically fused with it.

“Don't give me that crap, no demon would throw themselves at death this blindly”

His irritation seems to have come back at full force, if the sword that was suddenly aimed at the woman's neck the moment she fell back into the floor was anything to go by.

“What was the true reason, and know that any more bullshit will cost you your life”

After being slammed into the wall, the woman fell face first into the ground, it didn't take even a second for Xeron's voice to be heard from above her with his sword at her neck, but it seems that he wasn't going to kill her just yet, so she at least had time to slowly look back up again.

“If you intend to humiliate me, then there is no need, I have already lost and I shall accept my loss regardless of it costing my life”

“Heh~ how honorable of you. You spoke of being a demon, yet you act like the delusionals we conquer”

He appeared to be amused, but there was no way of confirming his true thoughts, especially when his sword didn't move an inch despite his quiet cackling.

“Did one of the three demon lords send you after my head? I knew they were wary of me, but didn't think they were this scared” 

‘Did he say three demon lords? Didn't he say that there were four before? I heard that that there was three and he was crowned the…oh'

So this is a vision from before he became the final demon lord, so this must be what he calls the Abyss. Quite the depressing place if I'm being honest.

Then did this demon woman come to kill him? It makes sense that the other demon lords don't want him to become another one, my guess is that he kills her and becomes one anyway. I heard he's the only demon king now.

“No, I wasn't sent by the demon lords. I have no affiliation with them”

‘…What? Then why are you here?!! She has to be lying, or stupid, most likely stupid’

Xeron didn't react much, but his face looked a little stunned as well, his eyes momentarily shifted to dark red, and after staring at the woman for a few seconds, they returned to golden red again.

“Mmm? That's true…but that just makes me even more curious. Why did you try to kill me then?”

‘She wasn't lying?! What the hell is wrong with this bitch?! And how the fuck did he know she wasn’t lying?!’

“...Can you read my mind?”

“No, just know that you're not lying. You're going to speak or not?”

‘What are you, an esper?’

“...Very well”

She slowly tried to get up from the ground with great difficulty, but every time she got close to fully standing, she would fall back down again from how weak she currently was, and after a few times of trying, she gave up.

“My goal is the same as yours, becoming a demon king”

“Quite the ambitious little girl you are dear, I guess you wanted my soul, correct?”

“Yes, and as you rank directly below the demon kings for now, my best shot at ascending was by killing you and absorbing your soul, and that leaves me with just the demon lords who are too busy fighting among themselves and conquering worlds to care about anything”

'I see, that's why she wanted to kill him. To gain power, but I guess she didn't account for him being so much stronger than her’

“Quite the game plan you have there Lathi, most demons don't usually have the grit to climb to power, they're too carefree to do that, which leaves my curiosity unfulfilled, would you care to help with that?”

“I have my reaso-”

A powerful kick to the face was what greeted her, and after being sent hurling at the wall once more, she fell flat on the ground.

He slowly walked in her direction and lifted her by the hair, and after being eye to eye, he sweetly reminded her of her place.

“Not the answer I was looking for Lathi, the next time would be your last~”

She obviously looked quite pained, I couldn't see it myself, but the sadistic smile that was plastered on his face just said it all.

It made even me squirm a little, and being attracted to a literal flaming demon was a first even for me.

I mean, I was honestly a little attracted to his human form, but this and that are different things!!

'The man is hot, like literally!!’

“...I hate it…”

She muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear, her voice was so quiet that even Xeron couldn't hear her.

“Hate what? Speak louder”

“I Hate Being Weak!! I despise being so weak that anyone could trample on my pride whenever they want!! I Hate it, I HATE IT!!!!”

With a sudden surge of force, she jolted upwards and unfurled her wings, and with all the remaining force she had, she lunged at Xeron's body with her hands bearing at him.

Her last ditch effort was for naught of course, the demon just sidestepped her attack and hit her with the flat edge of his blade, sending her tumbling backwards and now completely helpless.

And Despite being hit by the flat edge of the blade, it was still imbued with the Abyss’ most powerful flames, so it scorched a good chunk of flesh of her body and severely damaged one of her wings.

She was already on her final stretch, and after taking multiple hits from arguably one of the strongest demons there is, she started to slowly bleed out.

And now she sits there, slowly drawing her last breath among rubble and blood, all as a consequence of her own actions.

And as the sound of her death slowly made its way to her direction, she slowly looked up and stared at his face for one final time.

But not with fear, or weakness. But with a fearless smile.

“W-Weakness is a…*cough*…sin…s-so I'll never stop trying to pursue power.”

He crouched to her eye level and held her chin and stared straight into her eyes, his face was emotionless so I couldn't get a read on how she was looking right now.

But…somehow I can feel it, this intense loathing, the self hate and boundless anger…the feeling of being helpless…I knew it too well.

“If you leave me here alive…*cough*...No one can stop me, not the demon lords, not the primals…not even you”

She didn't run away or hide, she said that weakness is a sin, so she chose to get rid of her weakness, and despite that being her downfall, she faced it with no fear. 

‘She truly is strong’

Which is ironic really, because despite looking almost exactly the same as me…we don't have anything in common.

I’m not strong, I'm weak. 

I even continue to accept the fact that I'm weak, a helpless maiden that's waiting to be rescued, a liar hiding behind the facade of a charming and experienced lady while still retaining my innocence until now.

I couldn't even accept the death of my own mother, all I did was blame my own father in hopes of at least easing my guilt. But even that didn't happen, and to this day I still can't sleep at night due to the excessive guilt I feel.

‘I…I haven't even confronted him yet…even after my mother revived'

I am weak…I always knew…it's something I've always refused to believe…something that I hated with every fiber of my being…but It's true.

Which is why I hate this…am I being shown this to demonstrate what it's like to not be weak?

Is this my fate if I chose to pursue strength? If it's not, then why does this demon woman look so much like me? Why do I feel like I saw all this before?

'Why am I here?’

“You dislike being weak, huh”

In the silence that reigned in the damp cave, and in the dim light of the blood red moon that hung ominously in the sky.

Xeron's emotionless voice rang through the air like the grim reaper’s scythe. It contained no emotion, perfectly still with no fluctuations whatsoever.

But, that eerie smile he had plastered on his face, his eyes that sparked with a cold mocking light…it was dreadful.

“You dislike being controlled? Do you dread others deciding your fate? Do you despise the thought of your powerlessness?”

Slowly, his emotionless voice gained a hint of hysteria, it sounded like a deranged madman seeking solace through the pain of others, the sadistic glow in his eyes brought terrible promises of eternal agony to those who dared stand in his path.

He suddenly grabbed the woman by the jaw and forced it open, and removing a gauntlet of his hand, he bit his finger and drew blood.

The moment she saw what he was doing, she started thrashing around like her life depended on it.

But she got nowhere, and all that earned her was Xeron's cruel smile getting wider and wider as he started moving his bleeding finger into her mouth.

“N-No….NO!!!”

“Since, you like freedom so much. Why don't we see what happens when it's permanently taken from you, shall we?”

“Don't! Please!!! *cough* N-!!!”

“Drink it all down Lathi~ It'll give you the strength you always wanted~”

He held her down with brutish brutality, forcing her to drink from his blood with a crazed look on his face.

It was like he felt joy from tormenting her, that the thought of beating her down and drowning her in agony was the greatest of pleasures he had ever tasted.

“Many demons dream of being granted the privilege of joining my lineage, being my slave isn't that much of a price of you ask me”

After swallowing the drops of blood down to their last, the demon's body started to forcibly heal at a visible rate, but due to Xeron's hand forcibly sealing her mouth, she couldn't speak.

“How does it feel? To have your so-called freedom forcibly stripped from you while you're powerless to do anything about it?”

His sneer could only be called demonic, his mouth was split horizontally in a hideous laugh that showed how much pleasure he derived from her despair.

I could feel it, her agony, her hate, her loathing…to herself and to the demon that stripped her of her freedom. It was so powerful that I nearly consumed me…consumed her…consumed us.

“I fed you quite a bit of my blood, your body won't be able to handle it all at once so you'll faint, but when you wake up…you'll be truly one of my kin”

I could see the woman’s body shiver with hatred and disgust, the blood had healed a lot of her wounds so she had energy to attack him, and she did. She coated her hands in what looked like demonic energy and lunged what looked like a claw into his face…but.

“That won't work anymore, sweetheart~”

Something stopped her in place, like a barrier she could never get across, her attacks no matter how powerful they looked were blocked, she couldn't get a hit on Xeron's face, or any part of his body for that matter.

She continued to attack faster and faster, her strikes getting more and more brutal, but no matter how many she threw out, they all missed, but she didn't stop, she tried and tried…until she couldn't try anymore.

The relentless fury of attacks slowly started to calm down, her eyelids got heavier and heavier, her head started to spin more and more. And that's when Xeron lifted his hands off her mouth.

“I-I'll k-kill you”

“That's the fun part! You can't, you can't take your own life either! How exciting is that~”

Despite his monstrous appearance, he smiled like a child that got handed candy, and as he bore down at the nearly unconscious Lathi, his smile reached its peak.

All she could see was his cruel smile, it was as if he was mocking the pointless struggle of a useless animal. How she hated it.

That was the last thing she saw before she fell unconscious, as everything turned pitch black.

And when Akeno was suddenly surrounded by silence, she knew that the demon called Lathi had fallen unconscious, but at least she'll survive.

She also knew why everyone called Xeron the Demon Lord Of Despair