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(TPD) Chapter 37: Third-Generation Great King
🕑 Added 2025-01-22 09:55:58 +0000 UTCChapter 37: Third-Generation Great King
4 Years & 8 Months Post-Supremacy War.
The conquered city of Mortis had been fully converted into Devil territory—what remained of its resources and scrap had been fully scavenged, but the truly crucial technology that they were after, like Grigori's masking barriers, had been taken with the retreating faction. The only thing of mild interest they had uncovered were the sentinel cores, the rest of the comparably low-end tech being of little use to them.
Granted, when you had Ajuka Beelzebub on your side there wasn't really any concrete value in expending much effort in trying to recover left-behind technology, the Satan was always capable of making something better on his lonesome.
But whether Ajuka wanted to create what you wanted or not? That was the real challenge, Ajuka felt he had made enough contributions void of self-interest like the Evil Pieces and medical technology used in the Underworld's hospitals—now only things that managed to pique his intrigue were deemed of any value by him.
The territory surrounding Krovos was nearing complete conversion, the only issue being the "Wildlands" surrounding the area—which was home to a plethora of powerful Demonic Beasts and possibly even an Ancestral Beast that had been suppressed by one of the barriers around Krovos, a barrier that now had been disabled following the Fallen Angel's departure, thusly allowing the Demonic Beasts to roam free once again.
Until that area had been fully secured, Krovos couldn't be declared fully converted since the risk of citizens being eaten alive on their way to and from the city was still far too high for it to be opened up to the public, and handed to a Clan Head to manage. Like how Wilbert was currently in charge of governing Mortis.
The conversion of Valkorion wouldn't begin until Krovos had been completed either, effectively leaving the best for last.
However, converting the cities of their defeated opponent wasn't much of a concern to the higher-ups at the moment—especially Zekram taking the importance of today's event into account. An event that primarily held significance for the Bael Clan and its future.
The Ancestor had foregone her usual placid white dress in favour of a more royal set of attire—donning a dark purple intricately-decorated royal gown coupled with a gold breastplate, alongside a silver crown with bright-purple gemstones embedded in it, making her regal presence more potent than usual.
She was stood in a section of the estate reserved for occasions only of utmost importance—the Bael Clan's throne room which took the shape of an elongated hallway with a gilded vermillion carpet running from the entrance to the slightly elevated platform at the very back of the room where the throne itself stood. The exalted seat was curated from only the finest of silks and metals, a seat that only two individuals had ever rested on, one of them being the person solely responsible for the power it carried in the first place.
And as for the other? The word of mouth was he had simply been forced into early retirement by Zekram, and none amongst the Great King Faction dared to question whether that was the full truth or not—no one who valued their livelihood at least.
It looks like the guest of honor finally decided to show himself, Zekram mused while stood beside the throne, the highest rankings members of the Great King Faction who were in attendance all turning to face the door as they heard it creak open, a figure who none of them could believe was actually attending in spite of Zekram's prior notification stepping through with company.
He was an extraordinarily handsome young man who looked to be in his 20's with bleeding crimson hair that reached down to his shoulders—and ocean-blue eyes that carried a sense of warm empathy and ice-cold resolve within them. He wore white noble attire with purple lining coupled with extremely heavy plating, especially on the shoulder area that gave him a physically imposing appearance.
The members of the Great King Faction high-ranking enough to be invited to the throne room all felt the strong urge to start murmuring amongst one another, but their fear of displeasing Zekram prevented them from doing so.
The Crimson Satan—Sirzechs Lucifer was here, in the Bael Clan. It's strange, even though I know for a fact Zekram's more dangerous than any of these rodents combined, I find them significantly more repulsive than her. He didn't even glance in their direction, continuing down the carpet with Venelana and Zeoticus behind him until he reached the throne itself.
"Are all these theatrics really necessary?" Sirzechs asked her, looking over at the array of Bael Royal Guards that had been aligned along the sides of the carpet, all standing at attention as they patiently awaited Zekram's command.
"The Crown Princess herself showed up to your ascension, are you really one to be judging others based on theatrics?" She raised her brow, motioning for Sirzechs to stand on the other side of the throne. Creating the picture of the figureheads of both main factions within the Underworld, the Great King Faction, and Four Great Satans—standing next to each other with only the gilded seat in between them acting as a bridge.
A bridge for the future they had both promised to create.
Sirzechs breathed an exasperated sigh, recalling the memory. "She chose to come all on her own, you were the one who arranged the ceremony in the first place."
"Theatrics is all these people understand Lord Lucifer, if they were intelligent enough to grasp everything through my words alone then I wouldn't have bothered with all this—believe me," she looked down at the dress she was wearing, even though the sight of her screamed nothing but dignity and elegance to everyone attending, it made her feel like a child again—relative to her age.
"Then maybe you should've found better subordinates, I've never had this issue at Lilith." He grinned a little, never bothering to mince his words around someone he loathed as much as Zekram. Even someone as amiable as Sirzechs had his limits after all.
"Of course, I'm sure you'd do a splendid job of governing the Underworld without me keeping these people in their place." Zekram returned the gesture, knocking down Sirzechs' confidence. "Commoners also live on theatrics, that's why we implement things like Lucifer's Aileron and Rating Game broadcasts to keep them satiated. If you don't force feed those beneath you with the image of everything being perfect, their peace of mind will crumble."
He looked at her disapprovingly, "I see your choice of wording is vulgar as ever. People aren't as stupid as you seem to think they are anymore—times are changing, and now that enough mistakes have been made people are finally starting to see reason. Just because he's taking your hand and title, doesn't mean he's going to become like you."
She let out a dry chuckle, "You've lived for centuries yet you remain as naive as the day I handed you that title. If I wanted a carbon copy of me on the throne, then I would've simply taken it back for myself. This is the first time the Four Great Satans and Great King Faction are going to be on the same page, you should be rejoicing."
"I'm still opposed to the idea of you and him being wed," he narrowed his eyes—attempting to stare a hole through Zekram's forehead.
"You got married to the enemy didn't you? I actually think it's rather fitting that he follows in your footsteps, you should be flattered if anything."
"Enemy?" Sirzechs scoffed, "You dropped the facade of us being friends rather hastily." You'd dare compare an ingrate such as yourself to my wife? Old age appears to have caused you to forget the most basic law of the Underworld.
"I haven't dropped anything yet, we're not friends until he's actually sat down." She replied calmly, her eyes surveying everyone in the crowd—none daring to meet her overwhelming gaze head on.
Except for one.
She was a tall woman standing at roughly 6 '0 with a beautiful figure and light-red auburn hair kept in a loose braid with bangs reaching just past her eyebrows, and two longer side bangs that framed her face. Her eyes were a bright-yellow with multiple red rings outline them—giving her a noticeably unnatural appearance, and were haunting enough to cause even an Ice Queen like Zekram a significant amount of unease.
Her attire consisted of little more than a plain white dress shirt with a tie and black slacks, not that she needed an outfit to heighten how intimidating her mere presence alone was to everyone around her. Including the green and light-blue haired teenagers standing beside her, both of whom noticed the stared down going on between her and Zekram.
She's grown stronger, in more ways than physical. Zekram mused, refusing to break eye contact with Adaloth—Avalon's sister and Queen in spite of knowing just how much of a threat she posed. He made the right decision by pairing her up with Tiamat, but maybe he let her get a little too strong relative to the amount of control he has over her.
Although Adaloth had failed to make Tiamat into her familiar, the Dragon King actually ended up developing a sense of admiration and respect for Adaloth during their initial battle, offering to become her training partner to both help herself unrust and stave off the boredom she was forced to endure within the Familiar Forest where no creature strong enough to genuinely challenge her resided.
The arrangement had benefited both of them, with Tiamat regaining her old battle instincts and developing new techniques to deal with Adaloth, and the latter finally having a sparring partner strong enough to help her properly develop her battle instincts for the first time and train her control over her Demonic Power in a more active manner.
However, Tiamat was gradually starting to struggle to keep up with Adaloth's explosive growth—convincing the Dragon King that Adaloth would once again attempt to turn her into her familiar at some point in the future, a fight Tiamat would need to train until she collapsed for if she wanted to emerge victorious once more.
Zekram exhaled deeply, Grayfia probably doesn't have much left to teach her either, I'll have to tread lightly as she grows more refined. Adaloth was the textbook definition of a "double-edged sword" from her perspective.
"It never ceases to surprise me seeing how fast they're growing," Sirzechs commented, not sure how to feel about the fact that Adaloth had already matched his height despite only being 14. "You're not putting anything strange in their food are you?" He narrowed his eyes at her.
The quantity of food the twins were consuming at this point equaled that of 6 fully grown adults, leading Zekram to hire an entire team consisting of more than a dozen chefs solely to prepare their 3 meals a day.
"Must you find a way to pin every occurence onto me? They've been growing rapidly from the day they were born—you know that better than I do," she groaned, recalling how Adaloth would use her heightened figure to act as a border between her and the star of today's event while the three of them were asleep. I thought the notion of them reaching Wilbert's height was an exaggeration at first, but now I'm actually starting to become convinced.
She couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for Lars and Esdeath, despite them being around the same age as their King and Queen they were doomed to always look like children in comparison. Such was the cruel reality of the genetic lottery.
"Your Majesty," Albedo, Zekram's horned servant walked up to her. "The tailors are almost finished dressing him, he'll be arriving soon."
"Good, go make sure all the Royal Guards are in proper formation before he enters," she ordered—to which Albedo replied with a firm nod as before beginning her inspection. Let's make this quick, I can only endure wearing this frilly outfit for so long.
"You actually managed to get him to wear something formal?" Sirzechs was genuinely taken aback.
"I had to have Adaloth suspend him in air jail for some time to get him to listen, but we got there in the end." "Avalon Air Jail" was a technique only Adaloth was capable of using, that consisted of her grabbing him by the back of his collar and suspending him in the air like a kitten being carried by their mother—a technique that for some reason caused him to stop resisting the second it was deployed. Granted, landing the technique without him escaping beforehand made it an exceptionally difficult one to execute, the most effective method to date being to lure him with a Levi-tan figurine before going for the grab.
"That sounds about accurate," he heard concerning stories about Avalon's eccentric behaviour through Grayfia's reports throughout her stay in the Bael Clan. "I'm surprised though, I didn't think a perfectionist like you would appoint him as Great King for at least a century."
Zekram shrugged, "I'm still a perfectionist—but like Ajuka, he's quite the little genius when he actually puts his mind to something. Unfortunately, his addiction with Serafall's television show has distracted him from achieving his true learning potential." She spared a glance at Venelana, I thought I taught you better than to give your child unrestricted television access. Good grief, I should never have allowed the media department to run that ridiculous show in the first place. She worried about the future of the Bael Clan's finance allocation, apparently all of the allowance and money he had received alongside Lucifer's Aileron had been invested into Serafall's company which managed both the television show and all the merchandise she sold.
He quite literally owned 3% of the company through investment alone, not to mention that the number would've probably been higher if he didn't spend so much on Levi-tan merch. I'm definitely not giving him unrestricted access to the treasury. His account was managed by Pandorica meaning that Zekram couldn't view his balance without Ajuka's permission, but with her experience she could make a pretty good guess as to what his returns from investing in Magical Girl Levi-tan were.
Hint—it wouldn't be long before he could buy himself a mansion on par with the Gremory Household even after the clan had been promoted to Archduke with just his personal money alone.
"Speaking of little, how's Millicas doing?" Early on in the year Sirzechs and Grayfia had finally succeeded in producing an offspring, a boy who they had named Millicas—Avalon, Adaloth, and Rias's nephew. The Gremory family really does have exceptional fertility, hopefully that'll be the case for me and Avalon. I don't mind waiting, but the sooner I get started on raising a proper Heir the better. Sairaorg's tenacity is admirable, but I'm not that keen on having a Great King who does not possess the Clan Trait.
She knew Avalon wouldn't approve of Sairaorg being removed as Heir even in favour of his own child, that level of selfishness just wasn't in his nature, which is why she'd need to act both fast and carefully if she wanted her child to be Heir in Sairarog's place. Or in simpler terms, she'd need to resort to what she was best at—scheming. Removing Sairaorg outright isn't going to be possible, so maybe it'd be better to redirect his ambition elsewhere. The root of his motivation is his desire to be acknowledged—that's what I need to manipulate.
Talking with Sairaorg alone was also going to prove to be a considerable challenge, there were a few people Avalon kept his senses locked onto 24/7 in the estate; Adaloth, Zekram, Misla, Lars, Esdeath and of course—Sairaorg. If the two of them were suddenly in a room alone, he'd notice.
The corner of Zekram's mouth curled up a little. Luckily for me, the Great King will be needed elsewhere for some time. I'll use that opportunity to act, although, needing to rely on luck of all things to deal with my own husband does wound my pride to an extent—but pride on its lonesome serves no purpose unless it exists in favour of your interest. Even though the wedding hadn't commenced yet, the marriage contract between Zekram Bael and Avalon Bael had already been signed, legally making them husband and wife.
"He's doing fine," Sirzechs replied blankly, uninterested in conversing about his newborn son with Zekram of all people. You're just interested in seeing whether you can use him as a puzzle piece or not because he has me and Grayfia's blood, as if I'd tell you anything. He knew for a fact she just wanted to know if a sixth Super Devil had been born. "It'd be nice if he met his uncle and aunt at some point in the future," he said while side-eyeing her.
"I think that'd be nice as well," much to Sirzechs' surprise—Zekram agreed. "However, there's more pressing business his uncle and aunt need to attend to before that can happen, I'm sure you'd agree."
He sighed, "Are you sure about sending him instead of Serafall? As the head of foreign affairs this sort of stuff is kind of her specialty."
"That won't be possible, he'd turn traitor if he found out we were sending Serafall into harm's way."
"He does know she's a Satan and not just an actress right?" Sirzechs deadpanned.
"I cannot confirm nor deny that statement."
"Then why not just send her without informing him?"
"If her television show stops airing again he'll notice, and it's not like we can postpone this just so she can pre-record episodes beforehand." Zekram hummed, an idea popping into her head. "Although, maybe it'd be better to send Serafall alongside him—someone has to supervise him while he's up there after all."
He nodded, "I think that'd be for the best as well." Every word Avalon heard through the television was interpreted as gospel, if they met in person the Satan probably wouldn't experience any trouble managing him.
Creak!
The door leaning into the throne room opened once more, all heads turning to face the sound as Sirzechs and Zekram ceased their chatter, going through what they had both rehearsed in their mind in preparation.
A noticeably tense atmosphere had descended into the room, every member of the Great King Faction in attendance eager to make a good first impression—some of them shuffling in place as they adjusted their attire and triple-checked themselves to ensure their appearance wasn't anything but pristine. Failing to look good down, was practically a death sentence for their future.
The Royal Guards stomped their left foots, turning to face whoever was standing opposite to them and tightening their posture, their spears firmly planted onto the floor and tucked close to their shoulders.
A young man stood at the doorway, his head slowly planning the room to get a good look of everyone awaiting his arrival. It's all so extra, why can't we just send out an email or something and be done with it? His height eclipsed most in the room at about 6 '2, and his hair was similar to Sirzechs in both length and styling. The only main difference being the color, which was a striped mix of white and brown.
His attire consisted of a black blindfold that covered even his ears, and a strange choker-style device strapped around his neck, with wires that were connected behind his ears through small needles that served as electrodes.
He wore a long white and gold overcoat that reached down to his ankles, adorned with intricate patterns including the Bael Clan's insignia—and was made from only the finest velvet money could procure. The outfit was completed by a purple colored royal mantle draped around his overcoat, the coloring and embroidery of which resembles Zekram's dress to a large extent.
"There's no need to be so tense," Avalon's voice reverberated through the hallway, reaching the ear canals of every noble present. "You're all making this feel like a funeral rather than a coronation." He chuckled lightly, gingerly walking down the red carpet that led to the throne. Those observing him not feeling any sort of pressure crashing down onto their shoulders as he walked past them, the complete opposite of what they were feeling from Zekram.
Most weren't exactly sure what to make of it, while everyone was aware of his achievements in the field of battle and his standing, he seemed significantly more—approachable, than they had anticipated. Something they had never thought about Sylas Bael, and certainly not Zekram by any stretch of the imagination.
His pace started to slow once he neared his peerage, where he proceeded to turn to them with a warm smile plastered on his face, casually waving at them as if the atmosphere in the room went completely over his head. As if the Royal Guard and nobles in the room weren't dropping to one knee while he passed by them as Zekram had instructed them to do, and as they had done during Sylas Bael's coronation.
I bet Esdeath and Lars look super-duper cute all dressed up! I should take a picture of all of us together after this frilly event is finally over. He could feel Adaloth's gaze burning into him as he continued onward, but his smile didn't falter. Make sure you watch closely, you'll never be able to stand like this until you move on—just like I have. We died early for a reason, there can be no future until the past is dealt with. Avalon can never truly live until Adrian is dead, the same goes for you.
He reached the small flight of stairs leading up to the throne, standing still for a moment before walking up to face his wife and older brother.
Sirzechs frowned, noticing something about Avalon's condition. He's exhausted, he's doing a good job hiding it—but I'm surprised he's even able to walk straight at the moment. To gain the approval of an obsessive perfectionist like Zekram in such a short span of time, I can only imagine the amount of effort that endeavor required.
"Avalon Bael," Zekram spoke. "Kneel."
He did as she asked, dropping down and resting his arm atop his knee.
"You stand before us today in blessed light, to receive an honor only two who bear the blood of the Bael Clan have had bestowed upon them before. An honor that exists both to empower you and hand you a responsibility that requires a will of iron and heart of steel to endure. An honor that'll expect you to create a prosperous future for not only those above you, but those who stand beside and beneath you. The honor of being named Great King," the corners of Zekrom's lips curled up into a coy smile. "And the honor of being pronounced my husband."
Everyone attending shuffled in unison, quickly scurrying to put their palms over their mouths to prevent any sound from leaking out. Their eyes had all widened and their ears had all perked up, questioning if they had really heard what they just heard or if they were hallucinating.
Husband—had that word just really been uttered? Had the Progenitor of the Bael bloodline really just declared the Blindfold Devil as her husband?
Grit your teeth, express your anger, punch, bite, scream, shout, plot, scheme, manipulate. Fight as much as you want Adaloth, I will never give up on this second chance I've been handed. I'd sooner let you punch a hole through my chest, than hand over what's inside it to you.
"Do you accept this honor? And swear to uphold the responsibilities and duties that follow?"
"I do."
Zekram reached for the crown on her head, taking it off and holding it in front of her with both hands. "Then from this day onward, I declare you the third-generation Great King of the Bael Clan, as well as my dutiful husband." She placed the crown on his head, but Avalon didn't stop kneeling.
Zekram took a step back, and Sirzechs stepped forward—taking out a golden scroll with his personal seal inscribed onto it. "You've proved yourself on the battlefield, you've developed a peerage more than capable of taking on even the Underworld's top-rankers." They both knew that was a huge understatement, his peerage had three Super-Class beings in it including himself after all. "And now, you've gone on to assume one of the most important mantles of leadership. Strength, leadership, and responsibility—you've defined yourself through these three concepts, and earned the acknowledgement of all—including myself."
He lowered the scroll, to which Avalon reached out to it with both arms. "Therefore, as the Satan Lucifer and head of domestic affairs, I hereby promote you from the rank of High-Class, to Ultimate-Class Devil."
To anyone who hadn't understood yet, now the true meaning of Sirzechs being stood beside Zekram had been made clear. Avalon was being acknowledged by both old and new, his coronation was being backed by not only the head of the Great King Faction but the head of the Four Great Satans as well.
His ascension existed to unify both sides, to put an end to the clash of ideologies that had persisted between them ever since the end of the Civil War.
The rift—was finally closing. The familial bond between the people on the podium of which the throne rested had grown stronger through Avalon and Zekram's marriage, breathing life into the unthinkable reality of Sirzechs having Zekram as his sister-in-law.
"You will be expected to act as a role model and mentor for both the pillars of the Underworld, and the common populace we're sworn to safeguard, do you accept this responsibility?"
"I do, Lord Lucifer." Avalon finally stood up, taking a moment to gander at the throne before turning around, and slowly taking his rightful seat.
Avalon Bael had officially been crowned Great King.
I think all three of us are dying of embarrassment right now, Avalon grimaced, sensing the discomfort radiating off both of them which he shared as well. Alright, let's hurry up and get this fanfare over with. Before he could officially get to business, he had a sea of hungry nobles looking to get in his good graces that he needed to deal with.
"Lord Bael!"
"Lord Bael!"
"Lord Bael!"
"Lord Bael!"
"Lord Bael!"
One after the other, they all bowed their heads—their minds racing to figure out how they were going to navigate what was to come from this point onward.
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Here's the beginning of Volume 2 "Lord Bael", let's hope this doesn't take as long as Volume 1, I'm going to try my best to make sure everything is both fleshed out and clear, but not dragged out (to the best of my abilities at the very least.)
It's really tough to write a scene like this without overglazing your main character, but I'm just glad it's over—y'all have no idea how hard I pushed my cringe receptors through writing this.
Zekram seems to have something planned for Avalon already, so let's look forward to seeing what his first task as Great King is going to be!
Leave your questions, suggestions, and general comments below as per usual.
