(TPD) Chapter 41: Rizevim Livan Lucifer

Chapter 41: Rizevim Livan Lucifer

Amongst the 72 Pillars, there is one clan that acts as an outlier. A clan more revered than any other, yet one that refuses to take any part in the Underworld's affairs, even if an entire war were taking place around it. It wouldn't budge, it was home to one of the strongest Devils in all existence, yet that Devil showed absolutely no interest in using their power in any meaningful capacity.

That Devil didn't yearn for more territory, influence, power, or dominion. A Devil everyone feared, but also a Devil none had witnessed appear first-hand ever since the Civil War had concluded centuries ago. One of the strongest, yet solitary.

"Hahaha! Classic Levi-tan!"

The Lucifer Clan, the family that had once been under the leadership of the father of all Devils, Lucifer himself, prior to his demise during the Great War. The clan that had commanded the "Six Houses of Lucifer", which consisted of the Lucifuge, where Grayfia, Sirzechs' wife hailed from. Alongside the Satanachia, Agaliarept, Fleurety, Sargatanas—and Nebiros.

Although none of these clans were deemed royal bloodlines during their time, their connection to the Lucifer Clan earned them a great deal of respect and reverence from the rest of the 72 Pillars. Their status was actually once considered to be above the rest of the pillars, second only to Lucifer.

Obviously, that was no longer the case under the new government run by the Great King Faction and Four Great Satans.

"Razevan! Come watch this!" A mature woman sitting on the living room couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap called out. Her hair was a dark silver that curled down towards her shoulders, and bright hazel eyes. She sported an extraordinarily tall physique reaching probably around 6 '4, and appeared to be awfully blessed around the chest area, rivaling even Zekram Bael's proportions.

She wore exceptionally lavish noble attire with a dark-blue and white color scheme to match her appearance, the design of her outfit resembling Sirzechs to a degree, especially with the large pauldrons she had adorned.

And to top it all off, there was a bottomless, creepy aura that permeated around her. Filling anyone who gazed upon her with both a sense of mystique and unbearable dread at the same time.

Her name was Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the natural offspring of Lucifer and Lilith, and the first Super Devil to have ever been born. The Crown Princess of the Underworld herself, or former, since she had refused to ascend the throne.

"You're still watching that show?" The man who shared her hair and likeness grumbled from a distance, being none other than her son, Razevan Lucifer. "I don't get it, what could possibly be so amusing about something created by a false descendant?" However, her son didn't seem to share her laid back demeanor, opting for a more regal and stuck up one.

"I don't see the problem, if she's capable of making something this entertaining then she deserves to be a Satan!" She laughed, having decided to binge all 500 episodes of Magical Girl Levi-tan now that the show had gone on hiatus again as a result of Serafall leaving the Underworld for the time-being. "Come, you haven't spent any quality time with your mother for long enough." She patted the spot next to her.

Razevan sighed, pinching his nose-bridge. "Is now really the time to be focusing on something so trivial? You seem to have forgotten, but your grandson's still missing."

"Grandson?" She tilted her head, "I have a grandson?"

"Vali! Your grandson that awakened Divine Dividing!"

"Ohhhhh, Vali! Yeah, I remember him. Where is he? He can come watch Levi-tan with us."

A vein bulged out of Razevan's head, his frustration reaching a boiling point. "He ran away over 4 years ago! After you told me to abuse him so he wouldn't have the strength to rebel!"

"Sheesh, what kind of child shouts at his own mother?" She picked her ear, clearly not paying much attention to what he was saying. "Also, he was your responsibility to watch over—not mine. You're the one at fault for letting him get away, if you're so worried then you should go look for him yourself." Rizevim yawned, leaning sideways and throwing a handful of buttered popcorn into her mouth.

"He has a Heavenly Dragon! If he comes back with revenge on his mind then it'll be a problem for the both of us!" Razevan clenched his fists.

She scoffed, "Maybe for a weakling liking you."

"Would it kill you to take this seriously for just a second—!" All of a sudden, Rizevim stood up, making her son flinch, thinking that he had overstepped his boundaries.

"We have visitors," fortunately for him, he hadn't incurred his mother's wrath. She picked up her remote and paused the television, exiting the confines of her estate to greet whoever had been bold enough to encroach upon her territory.

I thought I recognized those presences, Rizevim grinned upon making eye contact with her visitors.

A woman with long, silky black hair with a purple flower ornament resting on her head had arrived. Accompanied by a man with long crimson hair reaching down to his shoulders.

"Well now," the corners of Rizevim's lips curled up into a shrewd smile. "I wasn't expecting you of all people to visit me, Zekram." She turned to face the crimson-haired individual, "And certainly not you, Sirzechs. Did something happen that I should be aware of?"

"Actually, we're hoping that you're more well-informed than we are at the moment." Zekram spoke, an uneasy feeling stirring within her as she faced Rizevim. Never having been a fan of the woman from the get-go, considering her to be little more than unhinged brute.

"Me? That's surprising, I don't recall being one to involve myself with your affairs." She hummed, narrowing her eyes at Zekram. "Oh well, you might as well come inside if you believe this visit to be important enough to warrant meeting me face to face." As it would seem, Rizevim was well aware of how Zekram felt while within her presence.

Zekram and Sirzechs exchanged a glance before following Rizevim inside, the sound of someone dropping their glass being the first sound they were met with upon stepping into the Lucifer Estate's living room.

They both turned to face Razevan, who was staring at the Satan and Ancestor with eyes so widened one would think they were about to pop out of their sockets. The younger Lucifer left at a complete loss for words, struggling to find the words to describe the shock he was experiencing.

"That's my useless son Razevan, he's getting pretty boring so I might just kill him off soon." She shrugged, gesturing for them to continue following her while ignoring the person whom she had just casually threatened to murder.

"Wait a minute," Zekram paused, looking at Rizevim's television. "You watch that?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to catch up before it starts airing again." Rizevim smiled, "I never knew Serafall had such a talent for media, you should give her some more funding."

"She has more than enough funding, trust me." Zekram sighed, recalling just how much money Avalon had invested into the show.

They stepped inside Rizevim's room, the woman not bothering to get herself an office since she was allergic to working. "So, what is that you wanted to ask me about?" She sat down on her bed, leaning back and making herself comfortable.

"The Malebranche," Zekram's posture stiffened, conveying the gravity of the situation.

Rizevim's demeanor shifted as she leaned forward. "I suppose I should've expected it to be something that serious if you mustered up the courage to meet me, but first, tell me what's going on to even make this a concern of yours in the first place. The Malebranche have been missing for quite some time after all."

"The Greek Pantheon is convening a meeting between the three factions in the human world, us included. They apparently have information regarding the Old Devils that disappeared and who we were unable to track after the Civil War, we're not sure how much information they're going to tell us, and to what extent. So we're hoping you might have something."

"The Greek Pantheon?" Rizevim rhythmically tapped her lower lip. "If we're talking Malebranche, then Harmonia must be involved." Interesting, it would seem like the world's starting to heat up again. Maybe there's something out there worth getting involved in again.

"The organizer of the meeting is in fact a representative of Harmonia," Zekram affirmed. She's more well-informed than I presumed.

"Well, if we're talking Malebranche. I'm afraid I won't be of much help, like the Lucifgue I wasn't informed of where they were being kept in the first place, nor do I know where the Nebiros have taken them."

Zekram and Sirzechs' shoulders slumped in disappointment, the former having expected that Rizevim's apathy in regards to the Underworld's affairs would result in her having nothing to offer.

"However, if we're talking about the Old Devils themselves. Then I might know a thing or two," her voice adopted a concerningly mischievous tone.

"I sense a but coming," Zekram deadpanned, understanding full well how Rizevim operated.

"But, I want something from you in return. It's not fair if I'm just giving out such valuable information for free is it?"

"Assuming your information is valuable as you say," Zekram wasn't the type to pay for something she didn't know the value of to begin with.

"I know who they're gathered under, the same person who prevented them from being discovered by Ajuka after the Civil War ended." Rizevim claimed, piquing both Zekram and Sirzechs' intrigue simultaneously.

"And in return for giving me that information?"

Since you're the one who decided to approach me, I might as well make you my gateway back into the world stage. Rizevim's grin widened, "I hear you got married recently." They flinched upon hearing her words, "I'd like to meet the man who managed to capture my dear friend's heart, that's all. A pretty good deal for you wouldn't you agree?"

"What do you want with Avalon?" Sirzechs furrowed his brow, uninterested in letting someone as vile as Rizevim anywhere near his little brother. All things considered, she was probably the only person in the Underworld he considered to be more of a threat than Zekram.

"Is that his name? Interesting. Like I said, all I want to do is meet him. That's a small price to pay in exchange for the information I'm giving you isn't it? Of course, if you don't want to give me that. Then you can just give me the Bael Clan instead, I'm someone who knows how to compromise after all." She said while quite literally doing the opposite of compromising, giving Zekram what was in essence an ultimatum instead.

And knowing Rizevim, she had a lot more planned than just a simple meet and greet. There's no way someone like her would settle for such a thing.

Even if she doesn't have anything malicious in store, which I sorely doubt, I don't think I want to know what kind of result having the two of them in the same room would produce. Putting both clearly mentally impaired Devils in the same room was a recipe for disaster.

And taking into account that Rizevim was now a Levi-tan fan? Zekram didn't even want to think about the headaches that meeting could lead to.

However, knowing who the Old Devils had gathered under was valuable information—information that she couldn't just pass up at a moment's notice, and certainly not for such a seemingly low price.

"If you want to meet him it'll take some time, he's in the human world acting as our representative for the meeting."

"That's fine," Rizevim stood up, puffing her chest. "I'll just go to the human world then, there's nothing fun to do around here anyway—so getting some fresh air would be nice."

"That's not a good idea," Sirzechs interjected. "If you go in person it might come off as exceedingly hostile since we already have quite a bit of our strength up there. Scaring the other two factions would defeat the entire purpose of the meeting."

Unlike Avalon, Rizevim was a universally recognized name even amongst the Gods themselves similar to Sirzechs and Ajuka. There wasn't a single person attending the event who wouldn't feel a cold shiver run down their spine upon hearing that she was present alone. Her strength had surpassed both Lucifer and Lilith from the moment she was born after all.

"Don't be such a worrywart boy, if the entire Greek Pantheon decides to shy away just because I'm up there then they won't be of much help to anyone regardless." Rizevim stretched her arms, breathing a hearty groan. "So? Do we have a deal?"

"I'd make you promise not to harm my husband in any capacity, but knowing you I doubt a promise would mean much."

"You know me so well," she pinched Zekram's cheek, causing the Ancestor to swiftly swat her hand away in turn. "The current person leading the Old Devils—" She paused, building up suspense in a childish manner. "—Is Euclid Lucifuge." She plastered on a devilish grin.

"Impossible!" Sirzechs blurted out, "Euclid's dead!"

Euclid Lucifuge, Grayfia's younger brother, and Sirzechs' brother-in-law by extension. Someone who was fiercely loyal to the ideologies of the original Satans, and had devoted himself to their cause during the Civil War. Fully intent on upholding his status as a Lucifuge.

But after the Old Satan Faction had been defeated, he went missing, and hadn't been seen till date—making most who knew him decide to presume that he had perished in battle like most of the people he had aligned himself with.

"He's most certainly alive and well, I saw him with my own eyes after all."

"Even if Euclid's alive," Zekram continued. "He doesn't have the necessary skill to hide from Ajuka, which means there's still someone else we've yet to take into account. Rizevim, you're hiding something from us aren't you?"

"No, why would you ever accuse me of such a thing?" She tilted her head, "More importantly, now that I've told you that it's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain."

---

Eikou Cram School wasn't the only abandoned area in Naoetsu Town, and it certainly wasn't the largest. That honor was reserved for Naoetsu's coastline, which was home to an ambitious land reclamation project that had been halted because of a lack of funding, either due to the town government's own negligence, or a simple lack of oversight and proper financing.

Scaffolding, cranes, dredging equipment, pipes, raw materials, you name it. You could find it there, though the security around the area was a lot more strictly enforced in comparison to the lackluster measures taken to keep people out of the cram school. If you had a sharp enough head on your shoulders, getting in wouldn't prove all that trickly as long as you found the right entrance spot.

"What's with the long face, Guillotine Cutter? Didn't get your beauty sleep yesterday?" A childish voice asked, belonging to a young man with medium-length blonde hair and sanpaku eyes, he wore a white uniform with pink lining, and the depiction of a red cross plastered on the side of his coat and collar.

On his back lay an enormous cross that looked far too heavy for someone of his stature to be carrying, in spite of the fact that he was doing so effortlessly, each of its edges imbued with razor-sharp edges that seemed capable of seamlessly tearing through flesh.

"I shouldn't need to spell it out for you—Episode," an aged voice replied, belonging to a significantly older man with hedgehog hair wearing a black priest's robe with a red scarf draped around his neck. He had one eye closed at all times, and his ears were pointed for some reason, giving his presence a sense of mystery and depth.

Instead of a bladed cross, he had a chained coffin on his back, the contents of which were apparently important enough to warrant applying a glaringly copious amount of sealing talismans all over its wooden surface.

"You still doubt the success rate of this mission?" The third and final member of their little group spoke, being a giant man that eclipsed both of them, boasting a height that seemed to exceed 2 meters. He wore an awfully stern expression on his face, and sported long, messy, diet gray hair that reached all the way down to his torso. "Even after we've already retrieved Heart-Under-Blade's fragments?"

Cutter nodded, "You should have your suspicions as well—Dramaturgy. We're working for Valper, and we're operating in a neutral zone where all three powers are supposed to be convening." He grumbled, looking up at the night sky that had been faintly illuminated by the yellow industrial lightning below. "Our chances of attracting unwanted company isn't exactly at an all time low."

"I don't think it's a big deal," Dramaturgy continued. "We hunted a Vampire, someone who isn't affiliated with the three factions. If anything, they should be thanking us for getting rid of it so they can have their little get-together in peace." He grinned, reminiscing on the hunt they had just executed in spite of it only just concluded.

"Even that isn't sitting right with me," Cutter breathed an exasperated sigh. "Heart-Under-Blade shouldn't have been that easy to defeat, she's a top-class Vampire that's been around for centuries. Yet, a rag-tag group like us managed to take her down. I find it suspicious, very suspicious. We're stray Exorcists, there's a reason Valper went behind the church's back to use us instead of normal means to go after Under-Blade."

He reached around his back, touching the surface of the coffin he was carrying. I don't understand, what could Valper even want fragments of a top-class Vampire for? And taking Under-Blade's reputation into account, did he even think we were capable of beating her in the first place? Was success even something he considered at all? Or did he expect us to simply perish here?

Valper Galilei—an Archbishop. That was the person who had assigned the exiled bunch their mission, a person Guillotine Cutter found exceedingly hard to trust, but someone who was definitely worth getting into the good graces of, especially with the amount of power and influence he held.

And with their status as Stray Exorcists, they really didn't have a whole lot of breathing room in terms of the options they could work with. If he really can get us pardoned, then all this trouble will be well worth it. However, I doubt something like that could ever come so easily.

"Would it kill you to stop brooding for one minute? Old man," Episode completely disregarded his elder's concern. "We've done what we came here to do, so let's just go back to Valper before your concerns actually end up coming to life."

"Yeah, let's—!" A sharp chill shot down Cutter's spine, causing him to snap backwards and looking up at the tower of scaffolding behind him. Not good! His singular open eye widened, beads of sweat forming on the surface of his forehead as he reflexively took a step back. Not good! Not good! Not good! A tremor ran through his hand, his fingers twitching and the hairs on the back of his neck standing upright.

"What's wrong?" Episode and Dramaturgy followed Cutter's gaze, eventually being met with the same sight as him.

"Hello," a calm voice greeted them, belonging to a figure wearing a pink hoodie, sitting down on a piece of scaffolding with his legs dangling in the air at roughly 30 feet. Someone who had shot a cold sliver of energy at Cutter, making both his presence and species known to him.

A Devil! Cutter grimaced, his concerns about one of the three factions present taking an interest in them had been proven confounded. And a strong one at that! It completely evaded my senses! But why did it let me know it was there beforehand instead of just killing me?

The figure hopped down, the nearby lighting making his features clearer, namely his oddly colored hair, and the blindfold he wore around his face. "There's no need to be so apprehensive, I'm not here to cause any trouble." He held his hands up, slowly approaching Cutter and pointing at the coffin he was carrying. "I'd just like to retrieve that, I'm willing to compensate you if need be." He smiled, doing his best to appear as amiable as possible.

Episode scoffed, finding the Devil's demeanor rather amusing. "Cutter, are you really going to let yourself tremble in the presence of a cripple? Old age must've worn down your spirit more than I presumed." He face palmed, believing Cutter's show of caution to be nothing but laughable.

"Haha, that's a rude way of putting it—but your friend has a point," the Devil reassured Cutter. "I'm no one to be worried about, and I'm certainly not foolish enough to challenge a group of Exorcists. Holy Power is quite the scary thing for us after all."

But Cutter wasn't buying it, he didn't have any concrete evidence to justify the level of apprehension he was showing around the hoodie-wearing Devil, but his gut feeling was something he had relied on to survive throughout his entire life. He wasn't about to start doubting it now.

"Do you know what's inside it?" Cutter asked.

"Yes, you're holding the fragments of Acerola's power. I'd like to retrieve them if possible." He clasped his hands behind his back, waiting for Cutter's response with an unnatural amount of patience. "Could we arrange some sort of a trade?"

Cutter took a deep breath. "If you know that we're Exorcists, then you should know that we aren't the type to be tempted by monetary gain, especially at the expense of our mission."

Episode let out a fit of stifled laughter in response, which earned him a harsh, silencing glare from Cutter.

"If you were normal Exorcists, then that argument would be valid." The uneasy sensation in Cutter's gut grew worse, "However—you aren't normal Exorcists are you?" He pointed at Dramaturgy, "That one's a Vampire." He proceeded to point at Episode, "And that one's a Dhampir. I don't recall the church taking in the same people they're hunting as Exorcists."

"Alright, I've heard enough." Episode chimed in, stretching his neck from side to side before brandishing his cross, wielding the gargantuan object with no effort whatsoever. "Let's just kill him and move on already!"

"Episode! Don't!" Cutter attempted to warn him, but his efforts were to little avail.

Like a frisbee, Episode threw his cross with all his might, a bright-yellow shine emanating from it once it left his hand as the Holy Power sitting inside it flared to life. The momentum of the cross endlessly picks up in an effort to decapitate the Devil in one swift motion.

"If you guys are doing this for money, then I can provide you with that." But the Devil didn't show any interest in the speeding object, merely sidestepping it with impossible speed and prediction while continuing to face Cutter. "How does ¥100,000,000 sound? Wait, you guys aren't actually Japanese though are you? Uh, what currency would you prefer? I can do USD as well." The cross crashed into the scaffolding behind him, causing the construction material to crash with a loud bang before the armament came hurling back towards the Devil like a boomerang.

"I don't really have anything other than that I can offer you though," the Devil scratched his head, effortlessly ducking below the cross as it flew back into Episode's hand. "I bought some Pokemon cards on the way here, so if you want those I can get you some, but I have a feeling that sort of stuff might be out of your age range."

Episode was left starstruck, staring at the Devil with indescribable shock. "What the hell?" He muttered under his breath, blinking repeatedly as if to confirm whether he was dreaming or not.

Had some cripple really just ignored his attack as if it were nothing?

Cutter and Dramaturgy were left just as slack-jawed, exchanging an equally nervous glance to one another as they contemplated their next move.

This Devil's out of our league, maybe it'd be better to just forgo this mission and accept the money. Valper's not someone worth provoking this guy for anyway, although I'm not sure how he's so unbothered by what Episode just tried to pull.

"What are the two of you just standing there for?" Episode scowled, his pride wounded by how easily his attack had been shrugged off. "Are you going to help me with this bastard or not?"

"That's enough Episode, you're outmatched. Just let it rest," Cutter urged him, and Dramaturgy gave Episode a look that conveyed the same intent. Take a hint already brat! If you want to make it out of here alive then just sit still and listen!

"Let it rest?" He shook his head, "You're both pathetic." Episode's body started to disintegrate, turning into mist as he disappeared from his position, seemingly vanishing into thin air.

That idiot! Cutter clenched his fist.

The next instant, Episode appeared right behind the Devil as if he had teleported, his arm holding the cross reeled back, readying itself to swing with all its Dhampir-enhanced might.

"What about you? You seem a bit younger, maybe you're into trading cards?" But the second Episode's body had manifested itself, the Devil was already standing right in front of him, their toes only millimeters away from one another.

However, the Devil made absolutely no effort to go for a counterattack. Watching as Episode fell on behind out of sheer horror, like he had just been jumpscared. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The Devil reached forward and grabbed Episode's wrist, pulling him back up on his feet before dusting him off. "There we go, all better."

"Uh, Sir Devil." Cutter anxiously called out. Even though he was incapable of comprehending why the Devil's patience ran so deep, he was internally thankful for it nonetheless.

"There's no need for the sir, you're clearly the older one here." He turned his back to Episode, giving the Dhampir the opportunity to launch a sneak attack if he so wished.

Cutter swallowed a gulp of saliva. "I don't understand why you're offering an exchange, wouldn't it be more logical to get rid of us all-together and just take Acerola's fragments back?"

"Why would I do that? This is a neutral zone, we're all friends here!" He plastered on a childish smile, causing everyone, including Episode who was standing right behind him to deadpan. Clearly—this Devil had some sort of mental problem. "So? About the offer?"

"We'll take it," Cutter nodded, neither of his peers making any attempt to stop him.

"Splendid!" Threads sprung out of the Devil's wrist, reaching forward and grabbing the coffin off Cutter's back, and putting something in his hand. "I'd suggest you guys leave as soon as possible, there are some pretty mean people lurking about that could discover you."

Cutter looked at his hand, his face scrunching up upon realizing what the Devil had put in it.

It was a card pack.

"Hey! Wait a minute—" Cutter looked up, only to find that the Devil had already disappeared. "...I thought you were going to give us the money." Oh well… At least we're still alive.

---

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