Chapter 402: It’s about to begin!
The room was spacious, decorated with velvets, black silver mirrors, and floating sconces that cast a soft, flickering light. Piles of luxurious fabrics were scattered everywhere—satin, demonic lace, infernal silk. It was a veritable battlefield of elegance.
In the center of the organized chaos, three imposing figures stood before an enchanted mirror that projected their appearances in their chosen outfits.
“Are you really going in black, Katharina?” asked Roxanne, arching a golden eyebrow as she twirled delicately in her pearly white dress. The long-tailed, bare-shouldered garnt shone like a full moon bathed in mist. A bold contrast for soone known for her fiery energy and impulsiveness.
Katharina, sitting with a glass of wine between her fingers, gave a small smile. Her red hair fell like a flaming waterfall over the dark fabric that covered her body in tight cuts and subtle details in crimson lace.
“Yes. Black. For irony. I shine brighter when I’m imrsed in darkness.”
She crossed her legs elegantly. “Besides… I want to intimidate.”
Ada, always the most restrained, stood, analyzing her reflection with critical eyes. Her black hair was tied in a braid that fell like an ebony snake over one shoulder. The red dress she had chosen was deep, intense—almost pulsating—with asymtrical cuts and details reminiscent of rose thorns.
“Red suits well,” she said, without raising her voice. “Passion, blood, and dominance. It’s direct. Discreet.”
She then glanced sideways at Roxanne. “Unlike the angelic white of our sunny sister here.”
Roxanne laughed, the sound light as bells, but there was a hint of mischief.
“Oh, please, this is pure provocation. They’ll expect sothing scandalous from … and they’ll get sothing pure. But… not innocent.” She spun once more, and the translucent fabric of her skirt followed in an ethereal dance. “Besides, we just need to focus on looking beautiful for our husband.”
“I agree,” said Ada, adjusting the skirt of her dress.
The door opened with a slight magical creak, as if even the wood itself knew of the presence that had just entered.
Raphaeline appeared in the doorway with an aura of unruffled elegance. She was absolutely stunning in her dark purple kimono, woven from spiritual silk, with a golden dragon winding across the back and sleeves as if it were alive—its eyes, embroidered with tiny demonic crystals, glowed with their own intensity. Her waist was marked by a black obi braided with tallic threads, and her burgundy hair was tied in a refined bun, adorned with small runic talismans.
She raised an eyebrow, almost smiling.
“Are you ready, or are you still pretending this is a fashion show and not the most dangerous political event of the last millennium?”
Katharina snorted with theatrical disdain. “You can do both at the sa ti, dear.”
Roxanne clapped her hands softly, as if ending a styling session. “At least soone ca ready to kill, figuratively and literally.”
Ada just looked Raphaeline up and down, then nodded, satisfied. “Isn’t that Grandma’s kimono? Wow, it was dusty. But it looks brand new.”
Raphaeline walked slowly to the center of the room, her steps echoing with steady grace. She stopped next to the enchanted mirror, which dared to project nothing but her flawless reflection. Her eyes examined each of the three carefully… and a hint of hidden pride shone in her gaze.
“Then let’s go,” she said at last, with the firmness of one who leads armies and traverses ages. “Vergil is waiting downstairs…”
anwhile…
In the skies beyond the demonic world, there was a place where ti seed to stand still, frozen between cosmic beats. It was a space so high, so sacred and rarefied, that no ordinary living creature could exist there. Unless it was an Ancient God… or a Primordial Demon.
Gray clouds stretched out like static oceans, interspersed with ethereal currents of power that sparkled in colors never seen by mortals. Forgotten stars slowly revolved above the vault, and echoes of creation whispered between gusts of biting wind. Below, far below, the Underworld glowed with the growing excitent of Walpurgis.
And on that throne of impossible altitude, floating above nothing, Sepphirothy and Sapphire watched in silence.
“They’re stirring,” Sepphirothy said at last, his eyes fixed on the Demon World, where magical energy was building like thunder about to break. “The seal is weakening… and Morrigan even said she would call so friends if the worst happened…”
Sapphire did not respond imdiately. A snowflake rested on her open hand and shattered into sparks of energy. “She can make the situation worse or better. It irritates that she just does what she wants without asking first.”
Before anything else could be said, the air tore like silk being cut, and a scarlet rift opened between the dinsions. Amon erged from it. His face was serene, but his eyes… his eyes burned. He was a little stressed about the Demon World and Walpurgis, but it was his duty.
“You are beautiful as always, ladies,” Amon said, landing gently on a translucent platform made of solid light. “I assu we are all gathered here because of the sa concern.”
Sepphirothy wasted no ti.
“Morrigan. Why did you let her do whatever she wanted in hell? Besides, we had to tell her to stop bothering us. Was that so kind of plan?”
Amon nodded, but his countenance carried a distinct gravity. “When you told about the empresses, it was before Morrigan appeared, so I ended up letting her do whatever she wanted, but it probably won’t be a problem. The problem is that there’s sothing worse.”
Sapphire slowly raised her eyes. “Explain.”
Amon crossed his arms and his voice sounded like restrained thunder. “I have spies searching the rubble of Astaroth’s forr inner circle. Those he exterminated… the so-called ‘Traitors’. So of them survived, or at least their ideals did. And they are reorganizing.”
Sepphirothy frowned. “That fucking useless bastard, didn’t he kill them all?”
“We destroyed the heads, yes,” Amon replied. “But not the roots.”
He gestured in the air and a magical, three-dinsional map of the Underworld appeared—with points of energy flashing around two distinct locations.
“My suspicions are reinforced by sothing much more dangerous,” he continued. “These points here… are exactly over the two sealing locations of the Dragon Empresses. They are not just magical foci. They are signs of ritual manipulation. Soone is trying to interact with the seals from the outside.”
Sapphire rose from her spiral, her feet not even touching the ground.
“Are they trying to free them? Or… control them from a distance? What a joke.”
“We don’t know, but apparently so,” said Amon, clenching his fists. “I’ve put my entire clan after them, so it should be resolved soon.”
Sepphirothy walked a few steps forward, looking down at the demon realm. “Resolve this quickly. I suspect Morrigan went after more ‘eccentric’ gods to call upon to fight the empresses. Wukong, Susanoo, and Kali would probably accept; they’re kind of… problematic. So let’s just be as careful as possible… Those dragons can’t appear in hell again.”
“We all agree on that.” Sapphire said, walking beside her as the teleportation circle appeared, “Let’s go, we need dresses and a bath.”
Sepphirothy looked at Amon and then turned around. “Let’s go.”
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