Absolute Depravity: Reincarnated with a lustful System

The men, however, were evidently not as thrilled about this scorched earth tactic, as there was bound to be an insurmountable amount of suffering that follows after. Even the generals stood frozen in place, uncertain whether Dominion had gone mad.

"But-"

"Don\'t even try," interrupting a complaining general, Dominion glared him down with his dead silver eyes. "I need these pesky demons gone for good, besides, what in the hell have you been doing in Scorchen Gaia with none of the demon lords in sight?"

The men flinched away, more than they did while fighting against the demon lords. None of them could dare question his authority, especially when the rumors about Atlas\'s death were still lingering in the air. Was it grief that drove Dominion? Or was it the fact that he\'d acquired a taste for power in his brother\'s absence? The soldier had no idea.

"Now, once again…" Drawing his blade, Dominion raised his bloodsword to the skies. "March!"

Following his command an angelic hymn resounded through the clouds. Growing louder by the second, the voices of numerous angels sang in pure harmony, heralding a grim future soon to be uncovered.

\'Mellicia\'s choir?\' Hearing the song, the soldiers could almost see their own future, lying amidst burning rubble with their limbs torn off and being feasted on by monsters. In service to their lord, they would\'ve happily thrown their bodies as shields, but with Atlas\'s situation being so dubious none of them knew exactly what they were fighting for.

That, however, didn\'t matter to Dominion for all he wanted was to strike down the last of the demonic army as he\'d presumed the demon lord to have been killed by Atlas before dying himself. His delusion reinforced by their absence in the Scorchen Gaia, Dominion lowered his blade to his army to threaten them further.

"God tier summon: Cerberus!" Opening a fiery portal above the men, Dominion dropped a massive hound of flame right in the middle of his army.

The three-headed hellhound drooled with bloodlust, and his presence alone was burning the armored soldiers around him. Flicking its ears, it looked down at the men and began growling through its gritted razor teeth. Overcome with fear, the mem finally marched forward, but not because of their loyalty to Dominion, but from fear of being turned into a meal.

Marching his men through the portal, Dominion led them directly to the hem of the Hestemian forest edging the kingdom\'s border. Leading the sudden charge, he wanted to be done with the demons by hitting them right into their core of operation. If he could successfully strike it down, then lacking any guidance the demons were sure to turn stray, making them much easier to take care of.

\'Margarette was it? The one orchestrating the wars in Haruki\'s absence?\' With a wide smirk on his face, Dominion held his sword firm. \'Let\'s bring you down and end this madness!\'

  ***

By the frozen gates of Laria, Haruki laid Moriyana\'s body into the ground. It was the very first place he\'d ever met her, and he wanted her to rest there for the rest of time. Marking her grave with a rose encased in a translucent film of darkness, he rested it over her.

"Are we done? That war you wanted is waiting for you in Hestemia," Klian muttered, standing right behind Haruki.

"You were talking about a portal opening, who is it?" Haruki asked, his eyes still fixed on the grave.

"If my nephew\'s predictions are correct then it\'s most likely Dominion," Klian replied.

Watching Haruki\'s back, he noticed him getting back down on one knee and reaching for something in his pocket. Taking his hand out, he revealed in his palm a bright red ring with an inscription of a monster.

\'A minotaur king\'s ring?\' Although Klian recognized what the item was, he couldn\'t possibly understand its importance.

"Portal…" Reaching under the snow burying Moriyana\'s body, Haruki put the ring on her ring finger. "This belongs to you, I made a promise after all."

Raising to his feet again, Haruki finally turned around to face Klian. Blinking his eyes, he quickly conjured a dark cloak with a long cape to mask himself and to keep his body warm. Taking hold of the fluttering cape, Haruki moved closer to Klian wrapped completely in the dark cape.

"Ughhh, you\'re much more difficult to be around than your sister," Haruki complained, but Klian only laughed in response. 

Without a second more wasted, the two were enshrouded in white light and teleported back to the Hestemian castle. Arriving by the gates, the sounds of clashing swords and screaming monsters were deafening enough to make Haruki cover his heightened senses. Klain on the other hand used a natural ear membrane in dragons to protect himself from the noise.

"Margarette?" Talking to her through hive mind, Haruki wanted to know more about the situation.

\'What?! Oh, it\'s you! Thank the stars you\'re here!\'  Her tone had taken an audible shift since her last chat with Haruki, but at the moment none of that mattered. 

"What\'s happening? And where are the soldiers?" Glancing around the barracks just by the gates, the lack of any demon guards was quite troubling.

\'It\'s Dominion, he\'s brought every soldier in the emperor\'s army to Hestemia, the only reason we\'re holding on is that only so many of them can pass through the portal at a time!\' Upon hearing her response, Haruki instantly knew what had to be done.

"Have Riley, Asuka, and Fay meet me above the castle sky, I\'ll take care of this while you direct the soldiers," tearing through the cloak with his wings, Haruki turned to Klian again before taking to the sky. "You…Make sure not to freeze our own soldier."

"No promises, I can\'t control the cold even if I wanted," Klian\'s response was somewhat troubling, but Haruki didn\'t have time to waste over it.

"Just join your sister, she must be around," saying that, Haruki flew up high.

Looking around the city from the sky, all Haruki saw was blood and carnage scattered everywhere. The army of demons and monsters was barely fending off the royal guards in the areas immediately under the kingdom walls. And from the looks of it, Margarette and the rest were gathered up in the townsquare rallying the troops in all directions the enemies were charging from.

"Unfortunately timing, but where\'s Dominion?" Unable to spot him, Haruki started to be a bit concerned.

However, noticing Riley, and Asuka flying towards him, he shook that thought out of his mind for a moment. Once they were floating in front of him he was slightly puzzled as to why Fay wasn\'t with them as well.

"Where\'s Fay?" He asked.

"With Stella, that girl was apparently trying to stop people from fighting, but Fay took her away in time," Asuka answered with a hint of worry.

"That\'s probably for the best anyway," Riley added, her arms crossed.

  "Forget it then," turning to Riley, Haruki continued his questioning. "Have you seen Dominion? We need to close that portal, and we\'re gonna need to find him for that."

"I haven\'t but if you let me use my spy skills, then I\'m sure I can find him without a problem," still bound by a promise not to use her skills due to Stella\'s blessing, Riley was eager to be let loose again.

Smiling to herself, she seemed ecstatic just thinking about getting to be a spy again. And although Haruki realized that sending her for the task could be problematic when the blessing was messing with her, he knew he had to take that bet to find Dominion.

"Fine, go and find him, but don\'t try to engage him, leave that up to me and Asmodia," hearing Haruki\'s orders, Riley didn\'t waste a second before descending down, to begin with her mission. 

"What about me?" Asuka asked, pointing at herself.

Shifting his eyes to her, Haruki pulled her closer by the arm. Placing his hand on her waist, he pressed their lips together, shocking the demi-fox demon. Her eyes sparkling with a sudden burst of joy, Asuka\'s heart began pumping faster than ever, and by the time the kiss broke, she was left panting with her hand clutching onto Haruki\'s arms for support.

"I need every bit of help that I can get, you should go and join Fay for now," even more confused by his words, Asuka looked up at Haruki from his chest.

As their eyes met, she noticed an unfamiliar glint of darkness in his eyes, it almost seemed as if their violet glow had gone completely black. Feeling much lighter, her eyes began to grow weary, but before her mind suddenly submitted to fatigue, she saw Haruki\'s gaze burning a bright mix of red and violet.

\'I guess sucking her levels out until she reached level one, stressed her body far too much.\' Taking hold of her frame, Haruki summoned a dungeon portal and dropped her into a room with a bedded floor and all sorts of comforts. Closing the portal just as quickly, he heard Riley\'s voice ring into his ears.

\'I found him.\' She said with an unhinged chuckle.

"Great," Haruki replied, readying himself to battle yet another god.

However, this time he had a far more potent strategy.