Chapter 70: Dread it

"So, umu… I figured we'd split into two groups, and the group that is destroyed or surrenders first is the loser." Momonga explained to the two Peerages in front of him. "Afterwards we'll have an after-action talk and see what went well and what needs work. And after that we'll start more individual training and sparring."

He had come up with a 'training game' idea- A battle held between Momonga's, or rather 'Momon's Peerage' and 'Sitri Peerage'.

Although, in all honesty Momonga had thought that the battle would have required much more persuasion. 'I thought Sona would object, or I'd need to bribe her to have her Peerage train against mine, since I told her that she can say 'no' to me if she wants… Well, I suppose it all worked out in the end.'

The idea was simple: Both Peerages would set up roughly two miles apart from each other in a hilly overgrown part of Phenix territory that had been mostly left unkempt after the civil war in the Underworld two hundred years ago, which had caused a lack of Devils to maintain the uninhabited area. The battle would start once both Peerages had left the shared 'staging area', and they'd fight until one side was taken out. Afterwards Dominion Authority would resurrect the dead and Asia, Rias and whoever Sona had as a healer would restore the Peerages and they'd go at it again.

'...Hm, the loss of levels that was tied to [Resurrection] in YGGDRASIL doesn't manifest itself the same way here based on Saji's condition…' Momonga had some time to think while Sona was busy paling, dreading, and generally acting in a horrified manner after hearing the summary of the training and the two Peerages stood behind their respective Kings, glancing around the grassy clearing in the otherwise overgrown forest they had found themselves in. 'Either the resurrection doesn't reduce one's level here, or the 'weakening' manifests in some other manner. This will be a good experiment in repeated resurrections, as I'm fairly sure Sona's Peerage will incur more casualties than mine due to the fact I'll be participating in the fight as well… I'll just have to be a bit careful, just in case, and also hold back if it seems that Sona's Peerage doesn't have strong fighters- After all, the whole point of the exercise is to hone our team tactics and strengthen my Peerage, so it wouldn't make sense if I used [Nuclear Blast]. [Vermillion Nova] etcetera and possibly wiped out Sona's Peerage alone…'

He then thought about a quick read-through of the files he had requested through 'Lord Phenix', before the Peerages had left the family's castle-mansion. '...I know some surface-details about Sona's Peerage's [Sacred Gears], which they've revealed in their previous Rating Games… But still, they might have obscured them like I have, which means that information might be false...'

'Hm, come to think of it, I read from Sona's 'King' file that she had a dream to build a school for low-class Devils…' Momonga thought as Sona paused to hyperventilate into a bag as he kept watching her, and she seemed to struggle trying to come up with a strategy. 'That school might be useful for me. It'd help me both garner goodwill from the community due to philanthropy, and also have product placement in the school…'

"A-alright... " Sona seemed to figure out a strategy, adjusted her glasses, and slapped herself on the cheek. "I can do this, I can do this…. I can do this…."

Momonga was a bit worried as Sona seemed to hyperventilate even after her self-assurance. She, however, soldiered on and nodded to him, and finally created a teleportation circle that sent both her and her Peerage off to a location of her choosing that was within the assigned 'combat area'.

"Right, now then… we should move. Rias? Can you teleport us off to… hm, over there?" Momonga asked the girl while pointing at a spot on the map of the area he had acquired prior to the training. "It's unwise to linger. The training started the moment Sona's Peerage teleported off, since while they aren't allowed to attack us directly while we're still in the 'safe area', they can still set up traps and begin rituals..."

"Right." Rias seemed to snap back to reality from a daydream and cast a quick glyph in the ground that expanded to an intricate circle, and in a moment the whole Peerage had been whisked off to a hilltop with a fairly good view of the surrounding areas.

"Right, let's start. Find Sona." Momonga brought up his arm and put a 'tag' on the feathery crow-like Summon sitting on it so he could pinpoint its precise location, and then let the three-legged crow created with [Lead of Yatagarasu] fly off, 'searching for a raid boss', or if Momonga guessed the crow's 'ero-world' function right, 'searching for the target'. 'I can't use [Undead Slave Sight] on it since it's not undead, but I can use that tag in conjunction with [Planar Eye] to spy the crow's approximate location and its surroundings… which should be enough for Yubelluna.'

"Yubelluna, get ready. Others, to your positions. Gasper, it might be best if you sat this one out, so I'll have you teleported in later if we need you. Your power might… cause issues before we get you sorted out." Momonga advised and the Peerage took combat positions that Momonga had described to them. "Let's start- Yubelluna, prepare a saturation bombardment to this location…"

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Sona took a stumbling step forwards and sat on a moss-covered rock. "Haa… so this is how he plans to execute you... "

"Sona-sama? Orders?" Tsubaki regained her official attitude as the group entered a 'combat-state' and the rest of Sona's Peerage formed a circle around the two, waiting for orders.

Orders that never came.

"Sona-sama!" Tsubaki reached to shake Sona's shoulders, and then lightly slapped her as no response came. "Sona! Snap out of it!"

"It's useless…" Sona sighed in despair. "It's useless. I couldn't come up with a strategy for us to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. We can't possibly fight Him, even if He didn't have a Peerage to cover his back, and one that has more [Sacred Gears] than us, while also setting up the fight so quickly that I couldn't analyze their weaknesses or gather equipment, consumables or items to counter them... This is just His way of executing us, and then bringing us back time and time again, so you'll learn not to stand against him… through pain, humiliation, and ra-"

Tsubaki slapped Sona on one cheek, then another, and then the third time. "Snap out of it! Sona-chan! This isn't like you!"

"This situation… it's… there's no hope…" Sona's eyes were lifeless as she stared at Tsubaki. She then glanced up as she heard a faint whistle. "Ha… see?"

Tsubaki glanced upwards… and then the forest exploded in fire, shrapnel and mud.

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"Good hits, good hits…" Momonga observed. "It looks like phase one of the strategy works without a hitch. Yubelluna, how are you feeling?"

"I'm spent." Yubelluna noted as she lay on her back on the grass while dripping with sweat. "Hoo… Momon-kun's a slave driver… "

"Or Yubelluna-chan's getting fat." Xuelan poked Yubelluna's stomach, prompting a protest from the busty violet-haired woman.

"Am not! You try leveling half a forest for ten minutes straight and see how much your mega-thighs help with that!" Yubelluna protested. "Moreover, I no longer have a Queen Piece to boost my energy-efficiency and casting power!"

"You did good." Momonga reached down to pat Yubelluna's head, prompting an eye-roll from the woman and she got up on shaky legs.

"Right, but I'm done for a while now. I'll need to regain my energy." Yubelluna told Momonga while moving behind him and then hopping onto his back. "Forward, noble steed!"

"Pffft." Momonga exhaled air through his fleshy body's nose from the amusement. 'Not to mention that since I have technically infinite stamina and can carry her, this is not only helping my relationship but it is also optimal… Heh, good, good…'

"Grr…" Rias seemed a bit jealous as Yubelluna rubbed her breasts against the back of Momonga's head, but shook herself out of it. "So, assuming Sona's Peerage survived that bombardment, should we start our assault?"

"Yep. Xuelan, Koneko, focus on splitting Sona's Queen and Rook away, go!" Momonga directed the Rooks, and then turned towards the group of the three 'attackers'. "Yuuto, Irina, Xenovia, focus on someone other than a Rook or a Queen, and take them down one at a time- Go. Asia, Akeno, Rias, Ravel, follow me. Asia, Ravel and Rias will take position between me and Akeno after we reach the foe, take down anyone who approaches us."

The Peerage members nodded after receiving orders, and moved in unison.

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"Pha- khaaah!" Sona coughed blood as she turned over on the scorched ground. "Haa…" 'I suspected as much… He plans to kill all of us. Over and over again, until we're nothing more than subservient, obedient, mindless slaves to His will... We might as well surrender and accept our execution… But he told us to fight, so if we surrender, what horror will he unleash upon us next?'

A caww of a crow from nearby almost caused Sona to jump in fright, which didn't happen only because she was lying on her stomach in the burnt, blasted muddy clearing that had just minutes ago been a thick, overgrown spot in the forest.

She turned around to see a huge, eagle-sized crow landing on Reya, her Bishop. Or more accurately, on the dead, shredded body of her Bishop, and the bird began pecking at the girl's unseeing, milky eyes.

Sona could only watch in numb horror as the bird pecked the dead girl's eyes out of their sockets and swallowed them, and then hopped over to the girl's shredded stomach which had spilled her insides to the mud, and began pecking at them.

The caww of the crow mocked her as the bird turned to dodge a swift blow from Tsubaki's spear-katana, and then took off to the air.

"Reya-chan! No!" Momo, Sona's other Bishop, was clearly shaken by both the barrage and by her fellow Bishop's fate. A fate that the kind and caring white-haired girl seemed to be quite close to as well, if the bleeding wounds in her legs and back were anything to go by. "Sona-sama- argh! P-please, we need orders… Ngh…"

Momo turned to heal herself with her magic, although due to not having a dedicated healing [Sacred Gear] nor having truly mastered her power as a Devil, the healing she managed was only enough to render the life-threatening wounds to be less than fatal, and even that was only possible because of the fact she had a Bishop Piece to boost her magic.

"Ghaa… huugh…" Saji crawled out of a pile of rubbish that had formed from the shattered trees, mud and broken stone. The boy looked mostly fine, if one ignored his missing arm and numerous bleeding slashes and puncture-wounds all around his body from the shrapnel.

Sona just looked at him with unseeing eyes. 'So, He let Saji live, huh. What other punishment is He planning on levying against Saji?'

"Haa- hahaha…." Sona felt her mind going numb as her eyes went from one member of her Peerage to the other, noting how Tsubaki was leaning against her Katana despite being mostly alright other than having ruffled clothes, Tomoe being shell-shocked into numbness, and Tsubasa beginning to slowly crawl out of a crater of mud she had been flattened into while Reya was sitting in the mud with her knees against her chest and was rocking back and forth while bleeding from a deep slash in her temple. 'Is this what Ravel was saying? Why she sticks so close to Him? She accepts the pain, the death, the torture, and embraces it… Does accepting death make it more palatable, easier to fall in love with? Or did she fall in love with Him because of fear, fearing what He'd do to her and her loved ones if she didn't? She told me what He had done to her…'

The cold, insane laughter leaving Sona's lips caused her Peerage to flinch in shock.

"Ahahahaa…. Haahaha!" Sona coughed as her throat became overly wet from the constant coughing. Or perhaps the wound she noticed she had in her chest had something to do with it.

She reached to touch her chin to notice that her mouth and chest were full of blood after she had laughed so hard the wound had worsened severely.

'So, am I to die again? And again? Until I finally accept him, like Ravel does?' Sona knew that the Supreme Being could hear her thoughts- everyone's thoughts. Ravel had told as much, and the actions unfolding around Sona were proof enough of the theory's truth. 'Haa…And what will you do then? What dance will I play for you? Join Ravel in her insanity and become your second mindless sex-slave?'

A teleportation circle formed near the edge of the muddy battlefield and a group of Devils burst out of it, charging at Sona's disoriented Peerage like a storm of blades and fire.

Tsubaki tried to stand against it, stabbing charging Yuuto with her Naginata but was forced to instead block a vicious kick from Xuelan that sent the Queen recoiling. Tsubaki must have seen Momon raising his finger towards her, and she instantly unfolded her [Sacred Gear], [Mirror Alice] that could double any incoming attack's power and reflect it back.

However, Sona knew that the gesture was useless as Momon returned his hand to the side after brief contemplation, leaving him and Tsubaki in a standoff… Until Momon picked a pebble from the ground and tossed it at the girl, which was caught by [Mirror Alice] and had its power doubled and reflected back.

However, since a thrown pebble didn't deal much damage in the first place, Momon was left with a small bruise in his temple that healed instantly afterwards.

"Dammit!" Tsubaki cursed as her trump card had been seen through, and the Gear entered a cooldown after it had been used- After all, the [Mirror Alice] could reflect any attack, but at the flipside that any attack could mean anything from two planets colliding to the damage of a blade of grass landing on the mirror's surface.

Thus, she was the ultimate high-damage counter-assassin, but had a glaring flaw- One that anyone who knew of her ability could exploit by simply not attacking her with a high-damage attack when she had her [Sacred Gear] active.

'Ha, of course he'd know of that ability... Tsubaki's trump card, an ability that could knock even a Maou off balance and perhaps even take them out in one hit if they were careless… and the ability was defeated with a pebble.' Sona kept laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation while she was on her knees in the mud, and her Peerage fought and bled in front of her.

Tsubaki's head snapped to an unnatural angle as Xuelan delivered a vicious roundhouse-kick right to the black-haired girl's neck as her attention had strayed from the chinese girl due to using [Mirror Alice]. The kick snapped Tsubaki's neck and caused the girl to fall to the mud like a doll with its strings cut.

Ruruko, Sona's Pawn, had much the same fate as she tried to move towards Asia, only to be hit by an orb created with [Power of Destruction] that blasted a knee from under her, while a flaming javelin pierced the girl's skull and caused her to fall on her knees with her head snapped back and supported by the javelin that had curved and stuck to the ground behind her from the force of the throw, posing the now-dead girl on the mud like some sort of grotesque modern art piece.

Rias and Ravel, who had dealt with the Pawn, then returned to guard Asia, with the red-head staring at the unfolding fight with a bit of fright and shock, while the blonde one was merely smiling in her cruel, insane way at the bloodshed.

Saji attempted to reach Momon, but a swift strike from both of the two Church Exorcists that Momon had seduced and forced into his Peerage halted the boy's charge- Quite literally, as the hazelnut-brown haired girl had materialized a katana that cut Saji's legs at the knee with a single swing, and the blue-haired one brought forth a executioner's sword-like Holy Sword that bit into Saji's shoulder and almost split the boy in two.

Momo screamed as Akeno's lightning seared her flesh, leaving deep burns in the girl's already-wounded body, and turning the girl's scramble to get away into an electrocuted twitching and spasming in the mud while Akeno's normally elegant and amused face contorted into sadistic grin that sent shivers down Sona's spine. 'Ha… Does He have his claws in Akeno? She hid her true allegiances well…'

The tortured white-haired girl screamed at Sona, pleading for help, but Sona knew that she couldn't do anything.

Indeed, her defeat had been premeditated. Set in stone through psychological violence, through social violence, and now through traditional physical violence.

And so, Sona could only watch as her Peerage bled and died in front of her while screaming for help that she couldn't give them. 'Ha- hahaha… He already ensured my defeat by destroying my will to fight, robbing me of time to formulate a plan, and making sure that if I did somehow win or slight him, the torture he'd unleash upon me would break me entirely… and then He'd bring me back, only to do it again until I learned my place…'

Tsubasa stumbled as Koneko dived to hug her and in doing so kept her in position- And while Sona's Rook tried to peel Momon's Rook off her, Yuuto, Irina and Xenovia stalked behind Tsubasa and began stabbing her in the back, causing the tall blue-haired Rook to cough blood and fall, flattening Koneko under her as her last act of defiance.

Sona just chuckled at the sight. 'Ha… hahaha… And now is my turn, eh? In what way will you execute me, oh Supreme Being? What horror will you unleash upon me? What will you kill me with?'

"Concede, Sona." Momon walked to her. "Umu… Although... I think your Peerage might need more training than mine…"

"Hahahaa…. if the Supreme Being so says…" Sona reached to grab the nodachi that had fallen from Tsubaki's limp hands and had landed near her King. 'Ha… and He won't even bother finishing me off by himself… Are you saying I'm not worth the effort? That I should 'concede' myself?'

Momon seemed shocked at Sona's actions as Sona reached to dive the blade of the nodachi into her own throat, cutting it open from side to side.

"Hghuuuh…" Sona coughed blood as she fell on her back, Momon's shocked face burning itself into her fading thoughts. 'Ha… hahaha… you didn't expect that, did you? Or was this your plan all along, and your surprise merely an act?'

Her vision went dark, followed by her thoughts…

...And her body spasmed as she felt as if she was inflated like a balloon, followed by her regaining consciousness.

Sona turned around and threw up the rest of her stomach's contents to the grass next to her, noting that she was somewhere else than where she had died just now.

"Umu. Are you alright, Momo-san? Reya-san?" A mild, lightly concerned voice came from nearby. "Hm, I somehow had the feeling that our Peerages might be evenly matched, outside Kings anyway, but it seems I… miscalculated. I truly hope this won't leave a wedge between our Peerages."

"No, no! Not at all, it's perfectly alright, Momon-sama!" The flustered voice belonging to Momo caused Sona's blood to run cold.

'Of course… Phahahaha! Ha- hahahaha!' Sona felt her strength waning while she fought down the urge to laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation that had started to become clear to her, as she recovered from being resurrected in the 'shared staging area' while her other Peerage members had been already resurrected, from the looks of it. 'So, the rot spreads… I wonder, was this his way of converting my Peerage against me? I've already told them that He was the Supreme Being, and they believed me… but now, I've failed them because of my indecision while they believed in me, and he swoops in to show them a grand act of caring and compassion, making my accusations and words run hollow… He had already seduced Serafall and made my mother his unwilling pawn… Much like how he's taken away my public influence, my influence as a heiress of a Pillar family, and my credibility through the stunts He had 'me' pull during the Engagement Ceremony. And now he's taking away my credibility in front of my very own Peerage… Ahaahhaaaa! Ravel, was this what you meant?! How deep he'd sink his claws in whatever struck his fancy or invoked his ire? Is nothing enough?! Will you be satisfied with nothing less than taking everything I have, everything I love, everything I care about?!'

"Ah, umu… Saji-san. Please don't try to attack me from behind again when we're not actively training." A calm voice caused Sona to flop over to her back and then lift herself to a sitting position, allowing her to see Saji who had attempted to stab Momon in the back with a blade he had produced from somewhere, presumably with [Power of Imagination] based off the longsword's crude state. Momon had caught the blade with his hand, allowing the tip to pierce his palm and then grabbing the blade. "While sneak attacks can be a very valuable part of a combatant's arsenal, please consider the circumstances before you attack. You're part of Sona's Peerage so unprovoked attacks will reflect badly on both you and Sona."

Unfortunately, it looked like Saji was more than a little distraught, so Momon's words found little purchase in the boy.

"You monster! This training was nothing more than your attempt to humiliate Sona and hurt her! You- hguh!" Saji froze up and flopped to the ground like an off-balance mannequin.

"Hm, Momo-san? Could I trouble you to retrieve your comrade? He doesn't seem to be of clear mind…" Momon glanced at the girl who nodded her head and moved to drag Saji off. "Right- ah! Sona-san! I'm glad that you have woken up."

Momon spotted the girl, or rather decided to acknowledge Sona's conscious state, and walked over.

'Ha… So, He had Saji attack Him so He could paint Saji as mentally unstable, or something like that, and use Saji's 'unprovoked' aggression to paint himself as the compassionate, kind 'good guy' in contrast.' Sona felt like laughing at the master-crafted plan unraveling around Sona, tying countless seemingly random strands of fate to weave a intricate tapestry of lies, confounding, deception and guile like a dress around her body, constraining her and forcing her to move like a puppet against her will. 'And by acing 'powerful, but kind and compassionate' at the same time he muddies the waters of my Peerage's loyalty since my claims of Him being the Supreme Being will be 'proven' false by his act, and in turn, make my Peerage think that I tried to leverage their loyalty by lying to them about His nature though hinting to it- Which they'll likely think to be my attempt to get them to hatch that harebrained escape plan they came up, and in doing so try to get me out of the marriage contract with him by sacrificing my entire Peerage... Like if I was a tyrannical, desperate King… In other words, making my Peerage despise me.'

Sona held to her face and her shoulders shook. "Ha…. hahahaha…. Ahahahaha!"

She glanced to the side where Momon's Peerage were aiding the survivors and resurrected members of Sona's Peerage, and saw Ravel giving Sona a glance that practically screamed 'Hehehe, so now you know your place…'

'I can't win. It's like how Ravel said- there was never a time when I was in control of my actions.' Sona stumbled on her feet, an insane smirk plastered on her face. 'So, what act do you need me to play next, oh Supreme Being?!'

Momon reached Sona and pat her head. "Umu, Sona-san? Are you feeling alright? You spouted something odd before you, uh, conceded the match physically."

'Ha, so he desires to keep that knowledge hidden, then? I wonder if he's saying that he wants me to reveal it by trying to deny me from saying it? Are you expecting me to defy you again?!' Sona felt her head boiling from the layers of plot she tried to unravel. 'Ha, yet, you can see my thoughts so no matter what I did, it was in the palm of your hand. My screaming of your true nature would be seen as either me being a sore loser because my Peerage lost in such a pitiful manner, or seen as me trying to smear a hero and a champion because I was stuck with a marriage after avoiding one for so long. And hiding would be… what would that be? What plot does that serve? Do I want to find out, or do I have to?!'

Momon tilted his head at Sona. "Sona-san? You're making all sorts of strange faces… is everything alright? Ravel must have told you some odd things. Just… don't worry about those. Ravel's still recovering from getting captured and tortured, so she has some odd ideas every now and then. She needs some time to recover."

'So, I should keep it hidden? He already has Ravel spreading the knowledge of His true nature, and I should keep it hidden for some unknown purpose?! Does it have something to do with that Valkyrie that appeared yesterday?!' Sona felt her head spin from trying to figure out what level of plot she was currently on.

However, the layers and layers of plans and contingencies Momon weaved with seemingly no effort and without having his hands visible in the events that were unraveling in front of Sona were causing her head to start overheating. 'These strategies, tactics, plans upon plans… Ha, you truly match the name of the Supreme Being… So, what is my role? What is your plan for me?!'

"Sona? Listen, we can postpone the training for now if you're not feeling alright. I want you to be happy." Momon placed his hands on Sona's shoulders, rubbing them a bit in a reassuring way. "I might have overestimated your Peerage's capabilities, or underestimated mine. For both I apologize, and hope it won't cause a wedge between us."

Sona would have thrown up from the words, if her stomach still had something to throw up after the resurrection-induced vomiting fit. 'Ha- so you thought I was smarter? Someone that could match You?! Did my reputation as the genius of Sitri strike his fancy, and now you're telling me to step up my game- Or else? Ha- hahahahaa! Are you saying you're seeking a general, or a tactician from me? Someone to stand beside you and serve as one of your lieutenants, which is why you're tying me down with so many plots and plans to force me to serve you 'willingly', and without having the choice to disobey or betray you?! Are you saying you intend Ravel to be your personal sex-toy and prophet, while I would serve as an officer and as a strategist?!'

She felt her body go numb from the grand plan the Supreme Being revealed to her through small, seemingly caring words that hid His direct response to Sona's thoughts from all but her.

"Ha- hahahaha! Ahahahaa!" Sona felt involuntary laughter escaping her lips. "So- am I worth that much to you?! Do I have that potential? To stand beside someone like you?!"

"Ahem… Umu, yes?" Momon put on a facade of being confused. "You're my fiancee, after all. I'm not so despicable as to ignore the distress of my fiancee. You're safe with me, and I'll help you in whatever way I can, so don't worry. This training might have been a bit hasty, or perhaps even a mistake, but don't worry. We can salvage this- But I need you to work with me."

'Gha- ghahah haaa- 'Safe', indeed. Safe from making the 'wrong' decisions', because I am literally unable to make them when you make them for me and then influence me to do as you wish, no matter if I thought I had made the decision out of my own 'free' will, or not.' Sona chuckled. "Ha- So, what am I to do…. 'Lord'?"

"You can call me 'Momon', please." Momon sweatdropped a bit and glanced around himself, seemingly to check that the other members of the two Peerages were out of immediate earshot. "Again, don't believe Ravel's rumors, they are… quite outlandish. I'm not the Supreme Being."

"Yes, of course." Sona curtsy a bit, mocking clear in her posture and then motioned for Tsubaki and Momo to come over and listen, which was her last, petty way of getting back at Momon for all that he had done to humiliate and destroy her- the final pushback, forcing Momon to be even more careful with His words while speaking to her thoughts with deep meanings hidden in casual words. In other words, mild inconvenience which was the grand height of what she could achieve against the Supreme Being. "So, what atrocity do you plan on committing to me next? How will you force me to obey you this time?"

"Sona-san? You're quite hostile… I can understand that, though. After all, this training was a bit of a disaster…" Momon seemed to become depressed, which caused Tsubaki and Momo to send Momon a confused glance as they entered the conversation.

"Sona-sama? Momon-sama? Is everything alright?" Tsubaki asked, confused over the situation.

"Umu, I think so… Ahem, anyway, I have some good news that I think might brighten your day, Sona-san." Momon cleared his throat.

"Please, no, don't." Sona whispered as she glanced at Tsubaki who glanced back at her. "I- I didn't mean to inconvenience you… I was just… annoyed…"

"...I researched you a bit, because I wanted to know what sort of person my dear fiancee was since we didn't have a chance to get to know each other beforehand due to the haste of the arranged marriage, and found out that you were interested in building a common school for human-born and low-class Devils, right?" Momon explained to Sona. "I think that's a great idea, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to join forces with me to make that idea a reality? After all, I proposed the idea to Lord Phenix and he mentioned that if we integrate my little idea of selling Resurrections as a product to the Underworld to Phenix business, we could have funding to build and maintain that kind of school…"

'...Hng.' Sona fell on her knees from the coup de grace Momon performed to her in response to her words and her last, petty act of defiance. 'Ha- ahaah! And so easily, so simply, you took my dream, made it reality, and turned it into a nightmare… The school for common Devils, my dream, would be founded by Him… and used to indoctrinate the low-class and human-made devils into His cult, to His beliefs, and turn the Underworld's populace against itself… My dream of equality, of unity, turned into a tool for division and war…'

"...Ha- hahaha…." Sona felt tears streaking down her face uncontrollably, and they doubled as Tsubaki reached to hug her. "So, you'd do that, just like that? Turn my dream into a nightmare as well? Will you not stop until you've taken everything from me? I'll be your lieutenant, lover, slave, whatever you need me to be… just... stop tormenting me… Please. I'll promise I'll never go against you, ever, no matter what you do…"

"Umu… well, I figured, eh... " Momon seemed troubled. "I'll talk to you about the details later? But for now, I was wondering if it'd be a good idea to continue our training, but at lower intensity, possibly amongst our own Peerages and then see if we can repeat the group training later today? So, Tsubaki-san…"

"I'll look after Sona-sama, please don't worry, Momon-sama." Tsubaki turned to address Momon. Sona noted that her tone was almost warm when addressing Momon, causing shivers of fear and disgust run down her spine.

Tsubaki then turned back towards Sona as Momon nodded a bit awkwardly and then left the two alone, moving to talk to Koneko who was brooding and sitting against a tree. "Sona-sama… Please, tell me what's wrong?"

"Ha... You don't see it?" Sona asked while wiping her tears. "No, don't worry about it…"

'If I tried to explain my position to Tsubaki… Ha, it'd only serve to make the difference from the Momon Tsubaki sees and the Momon I claim him to be wider… And that difference would open a gap for doubt to come between me and her…'Sona shut up.

"Ahehehe… So, how are you feeling, Sona-chan?" The familiar voice of Ravel entered the conversation. It was clear that Ravel had noticed Sona's distress and had come to mock her. "How do you enjoy Momon-sama's gentle, compassionate love that he shows his close ones? How sweet is the poison when drunk willingly, and how bitter is the medicine when forced down your throat?"

"Ravel-sama, what are you saying…"

Sona raised her hand to stall Tsubaki before she could ask questions for which Sona knew the girl wouldn't want answers, if she learned the answers and the consequences of learning such knowledge. "It's alright. Leave us."

"...Very well, Sona-sama. Please, when you find time, I feel that we should talk as a Peerage." Tsubaki bowed to Sona in an official manner, leaving Sona alone with the one who had been seduced by darkness, and one who the darkness had already hammered to His desired shape and function. '...I have no options. Death will not release me, and insubordination I may direct at Him is already turned against me before I even execute my plans, while my loved ones are coiled with invisible wires of compassion and garrotte… Ha.'

"..." Sona breathed out after shaking for a while. "...I stand to serve the Supreme Being. What… What does He need from me?"

Ravel hid her chuckle into the back of her hand, but the look she gave to her made her fellow slave's amusement clear to see...

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