Requiem of Souls

Volume 7

Yours will be the largest coffin.

Chapter 1

High above, within the celestial realm, some entities began conversing amongst themselves. The one who is promised to harbor devastation and ruin lives within their world. A world of their own creation, set apart from the magic-less world of humans, where their power thrives and their might is absolute. This world now is endangered.

“Dementi,” said one of the old ones, “The Herald almost killed your chosen one, if it was not for your intervention he would have died then and there, what say you in your defense?”

The one addressed spoke back to the glowing hue of might saying

“My chosen was weak, unprepared and not ready, we should give him time.”

“Time? We don’t have enough time, the Herald grows stronger, fostered by Death, aided by powerful entities and had been given insight on how to unlock the seal. We need to destroy the Herald.”

“How will you destroy what cannot die?” spoke a blazing red hue with a feminine voice

None spoke at the statement by this new entity.

“And even if you find a way to kill them, They will still find a way to destroy what you built,”

“I say we don’t kill him.” Spoke a person, a tall looking man, sitting within the presence of the enormous globes of power, confident powerful and without care or hesitation in his eyes, just a look at his body and one would tell that he fought countless battles. A muscular looking man with golden hair that moved as if it was alive, dark blue eyes and wearing a golden armor that glistened in radiance from the light coming from these beings.

“Gilgamesh, what do you have in mind?”

“I am no god, unlike you, you 're unable to descend personally to the lower realms, but I can, you cannot harm the Herald unless he walks into this very room, but I am free to move wherever I want, why rely on a weak human to destroy another, send me, a demi-god to do it, and I will make sure that I will destroy him. If not, I will imprison him like I did to Kronos.”

“True, not even that titan was able to escape that prison, but he might still escape, might still find a way, as you know, his doings are true and will happen no matter what.”

“I have a better place to entrap him within, something far more frightening than the depths of hell, as you know he managed to leave, and he cannot be sealed like the gods, he must be locked down, and I know of a person that can help me with it.”

“What are you trying to do, Gilgamesh?” spoke Dementi,

“I grew tired of waiting. Eons of wait for something to happen, stuck here unable to do anything, this looks like a fun thing to waste time doing, so why not let me go?”

“I can’t, not until my chosen is dead, or is proven unable to grow more powerful.”

“Then give him to me, I will train him, and send him back, then, if he loses, I will go myself.”

“Hang on Gilgamesh,” spoke the first globe of power, “Tell us about your plan first, how are you to imprison him?”

“Simple, I will be asking the master of seals to help, he sealed hell itself, a lone man can not be much of a problem”

“You speak of Solomon, he will not aid you, not after what we did to him…”

“His hatred is aimed at you, gods of the upper realm, not me, I will find a way”

“Not until my chosen is given a chance, The title of heroism costs much of my essence to give to a man, I need to retrieve the essence I had given…”

“True,” said Gilgamish thinking that these divine think nothing of their chosen, only as given energy that needs not be wasted… a bunch of old cheap folk that argues over simple matters and would wage wars for even less…

“Where have you kept this man? The one you picked to be your chosen?” asked Gilgamesh,

“He is in the lowest level of this realm, unconscious, the might one needs to remain in this realm is far too high for what his feeble body can take right now, he needs to be strengthened more.”

“I will handle that then, I just hope he is worth the effort if not, I will take matters in my hands…”

“If he fails, do as you wish,” said the Orb named Dementi

Gilgamesh then disappeared from the presence of the globes, leaving them to care for their matters. To this, one of the globes, the red one began to decrease in size, until it had a humanoid figure. A tall woman, dressed in red and gold, earrings, bracelets and a tiara of pure gold, while her visage, though beautiful lacked any emotion as if she was a sculpture of a Greek goddess.

“What are you doing, Shiva?” asked the oldest one of the bunch, a dark orb that shines with a frugal glow.

“Nox, it never was your concern…” said the goddess of destruction

“You rarely take that form. Yet every time you do, bad things happen, do you intend to visit the lower realms again?”

“Yes,”

“I would advise you to reconsider, no matter how strong you are, getting to the lower realms risk you with death… do you still want to go?”

“I still want to, and I need not your concern lord of night. I am made for destruction. And my disciple suffered at the hands of the Herald, I want to see what kind of a man he is, what drove him to defy logic and fight against a god… staying here grants me no insight into his mind, so why remain.”

“You are far too dangerous, Shiva, the last time you descended, you were close to wiping out an entire race… I need you to know, the fewer the followers we have, the weaker we become. With this addition of a new blasphemous cult that denies our right over them based on the actions of that Herald, your actions will only serve to make the people lose hope in us.”

“I am unlike you, I rely not on the worship of people, I only need carnage and destruction to erupt throughout the world for me to thrive. Though worry not, I will make sure to remain unnoticed, I only need to know what he wants, we the gods cannot directly interfere with the dwellers of the lower realms, but we can still observe.”

Said the goddess as she vanished through space, though she wants to go down to the lower realms she still needs to handle some matters.

(Elsewhere a few hours after the battle at the capital)

Daiki POV

The captain commander ordered the army to make camp outside the city, and then to head back to their posts once all of this is over. I was asked to attend the king’s room to see what going to happen from now on, he was probably afraid that I might take vengeance on them due to the insubordination of the church’s faction, but I need not annoy myself with such trivia. However, I still decided to attend after knowing that he brought two from my list. Haru, and the Knight Captain Jarve.

I walked forward, with the girls at my side and into the palace, they didn’t seem to have anything to say for now. Though they still looked troubled, how come Yuji got saved? Something that even I would like to know. This only looks like those clichéd moments when the enemy you failed to kill runs away and comes back stronger… ironically, this was a bit similar to my experience, only I paid the price of strengthening up with my life.

Once inside the king’s hall, I saw many men and woman standing at the side. Nobility perhaps. They all looked terrified, yet unwilling or unable to speak nor move. The king had buds of sweat on his forehead. Three young men and an even younger looking girl were near him, His sons and daughter.

The first to speak was the king, that is after standing up from his throne and having the whole audience bow down in respect, all expect our party. A part of not knowing the right etiquette, but the bigger part of not really giving a damn about all of this. I even heard some people speaking about how rude of a gesture to not bow down in the presence of the king, but that was silenced quickly by another that said that the only one that holds true power in this room is the Herald and he is all right to not bow down.

“Merciful Herald, I beg thee not incur your wrath upon my people for the actions of one man… this is the tribute you asked for… I hope it satisfies you.” Said the king. then four guards brought two men in chains, Haru, and the Knight Captain.

“It is alright, your people did nothing wrong, they suffered enough from the tyranny of the divine, there is no need for further harm,” I spoke as I walked forward.

My head was covered in a veil so that no one would know who I am. I stood in front of the captain first. Yet before he would speak, his life was snuffed from touching his head with my right arm, he turned to dust in seconds.

The crowd began to scream from terror but they couldn’t move as the king ordered them to.

The merciful Herald he said? There is no mercy for this kind. However, the only respite he will have is that he will not be devoured by me. Why? Unlike the others, this man was following orders and needed not spare one such as me, but the heroes were from the same country, same world and same class as me. They needed not to do what they did.

I turned around to look in the eyes of Haru, a guy that I considered the closest thing to a friend then smiled. What he did was actually quite interesting, he smiled back.

“You bastard,” he said “I really thought you died that day…” he said

“So did I, but it seems that not even death can keep me down…” I replied.

“Make it quick then… there is no need for further pleasantries… I deserve what is to come.”

“So you know what you have committed?” I asked

“Yes, though I had no will over it, I still did those deeds…”

“Worry not, Haru,” I said then dropped down on my knees, looking straight into his eyes, and said, “I know of the fact that you were under a spell of the cardinal, and I know that you had no control over your actions. I also remember that you tried to help me that day, though weak, fat and incapable you still risked your life to help me.” I said these words as I turned my face to look Misaka that I could swear I know she was crying even if her face was hidden under her helmet.

“I also know that the heroes were under no such effect, they did those deeds on their own, they were not following the church’s command, no they were doing those actions based on their own beliefs and their own will. That is why they shall suffer. As for you, my friend, you are to be set free.” I spoke as I touched the chains on his hands and neck, making them crumble to dust.

The brand of the Herald has been willingly lifted

The soul of Haru Miyamoto has been spared.

Be thankful for that the Herald has granted you mercy, mercy that rare are the ones that shall be given.

“Bastard!” spoke the little girl, the daughter of the king “Why spare that man and kill our knight?! Why kill our soldiers and swear vengeance upon the hero, you are but a villain that needs to be killed! Father! Have that man hanged! He deserves to be he attacked the hero and wanted to kill him! He even killed his friend, he needs not be rewarded but be executed!”

Said the little girl to which her father could only order her to shut up.

I stood up, then walked towards the little girl, the guards took their arms and the king even stood in front of us, begging me with words like

“Please, spare her, she is but a little girl… she knows nothing of the world”

“I am not a little girl!” said the little girl

“I know, don’t worry,” I said to the king then bypassed him, after the king had ordered his guards to stay their hand.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“You don’t need to know.” She replied a bit of sassiness

“Very well then, little girl”

“I am not a little girl… my name is Camillia”

“A beautiful name,” I said “But listen Camillia, the heroes you know, the ones you read about in stories, the ones that help people and save lives, they are heroes because they earn it, they are heroes because they truly do what I want to save those they care for, to help in need and to sacrifice themselves for others those heroes however only exist in the world of tales and fiction, people that are long since dead… The one you met was but a liar, he killed his comrades, violated his friends and only does what he wants for his own benefit, he is but a hero in the name.”

“Lies!” said the girl

“You need not believe me, but tell me, the heroes in your story, do they not always defeat evil?”

“Yes, they always do!”

“Then how come he ran away when he failed to defeat me? How come he did not fight back, your heroes would fight to the last breath, however, this one, used his only friend as a shield to save himself from death… that is no act of heroism, that man is but a coward…”

The girl began to cry a bit but I spoke to reassure her

“You should never wait for a hero to come and save you, little girl… be your own hero and protect those that mean something to you… don’t believe in tales, make your own story,” I said then walked away asking Haru to follow me.

“King,” I said before leaving “ I shall be leaving to the demon kingdom, I repeat again, an envoy shall be sent to you… treat them with care, you don’t need to have more enemies, especially at this time.” I spoke then left the king and his entourage to their discussion. There is no longer a need for us to remain in this place.

The demon king should have unsealed the magic to send us back home by now, I hope it I actually capable of doing so, but I doubt it… I still need to fulfill my promise to Lilith too, she needs her country back… and only I can help her regain it.