The Lost World

The Lost World Ch. 5

In a grand castle, built exclusively for the purpose of housing a delegation of demons from seven different worlds, there were eight of these demons hanging out in one of its numerous rooms. This room was a sort of armory/arena. The room's purpose was to allow the demons from each world to spar peacefully. To be honest, aside from the bar, it was the most popular hangout for all of the demons.

Every now and then, one of the eight demons would leave and a new one would enter, changing the number from eight to nine to four to even fifteen.

"So, Isterzas, what were your first impressions of the Lord of Lust?" One of the demons, the Studiose of Gluttony posed this question to the one known as the Spite of Envy.

Isterzas was relaxing on a large amorphous chair. After hearing the question from her peer, she thought about it for a second before replying. "What happened between me and the Dignity of Pride is as general knowledge to everyone here, so why bother asking me, Oraol? Everyone should know how our fight was interrupted."

"That's exactly why I'm asking. What do you think of the Lord of Lust? I mean, the previous one was such a mystery that not even his closest subordinates or children knew much about him. Yet he chose such a young demon as his successor."

"Quite an enigma, huh?" Added another demon randomly. This one happened to be the Debility of Sloth.

Isterzas snorted on the interjection. "Nobody asked you."

"Now now, that's quite an unladylike thing to do, Isterzas. You won't find a husband that way, though I certainly don't mind..."

Rolling her eyes, Isterzas went back to what she was talking about before. "This Lord of Lust, Rainer I believe his name is. As young as he is, it seems like he has already grasped the great power unique to a Ruler of Sin. I can't comment much further except that... Well, he has no sense of danger."

"Oh, do I sense some sort of admiration in your voice?"

Isterzas frowned upon hearing Oraol's sentence. "Rather than admiration, I feel like his aura of Sin is affecting me."

"Ah, I see what you mean. Rulers of Sin have especially strong sinful auras compared to us normal demons, but you must be saying that his is even more unique?"

"Oh, are we talking about my cute Rain Rain?" Another voice, and a rather sultry one at that, entered the room.

"Ah, if it isn't the Seduction of Lust. How are you these days, Asmodea?" A fifth demon in the room, the Control of Greed, who had just finished engaging in a friendly match against the Resentment of Envy, welcomed the newcomers to the room. "As for your companion, I do not believe we have met..."

A green demon, walking next to Asmodea, revealed a big smile. "I'm thinking of relinquishing my life as a recluse, so here I am: A loyal subordinate of the Lord of Lust, Emiel is my name and I am honored to be giving my name to such an intriguing beauty such as yourself." Emiel emphasized the cheesiness of his line while bowing dramatically.

"Uh... Okay..."

"I know you probably don't want to reveal any details which could have negative effects in the future, but would you mind whetting our curiosity about this new Lord of Lust?" Asked the Studiose of Gluttony, Oraol.

"Yea, I heard he fought one of the invading Archangels, how did he fare against one?" This question came from the Resentment of Envy, he was always curious about anyone and anything, often asking for the details of even the most trivial people.

"Ah... I was not there in person, and nobody was able to spectate the fight either, so no one knows the results of the fight." Asmodea looked back on the battle. She was somewhat depressed over the matter of not being able to participate thanks to the Angel Safe barrier.

"Oh man, you should've been there! Although I couldn't witness it close up, I managed to get a good look from a distance!" Emiel interjected with an excited tone. He began gesticulating and reenacting with an odd vigor. "Rainer- Ah, the Lord of Lust... Well, first he engaged in a messy close combat fight with the Archangel, knocking her all over the place with his skills. Then he blasted her back to damn Heaven with his magic! It was amazing!" Then with a playful smirk, "Oh and I'm kind of exaggerating."

"""""...""""" Everyone listing in on Emiel deadpanned the green demon while he took it all in stride with a shrug.

"EVERYONE!" A loud shout pierced the entire room. Currently, the ten demons in the room all swung their heads in the direction of the newcomer in the room, a Naga.

Naga were one of the two humanoid races taken in by the Waters of Wrath along with the Mermaid species. In fact, this Naga was also known as the Enmity of Wrath. Compared to the two all-female races taken in by the Lands of Lust, the Naga was actually an all-male race. And contrary to belief, the Mermaids held both males and females, or Mermen and Mermaids. It was similar to the unimportant structure of the word 'Human'.

"A duel... A duel! Between the Warmaster and Lord is about to take place!"

The information from the Enmity of Wrath was expected by some and unexpected by others. In reality, the demons present all roughly understood the personalities of each Ruler of Sin from stories and thus all knew that it was highly likely the Warmaster of Wrath would duel the new Lord of Lust. They just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Well, looks like the mystery may be enlightened a bit, eh Spite?"

"Yea..." Isterzas looked on in wonder as a bunch of demons and humanoids flooded in, presumably to watch the duel take part in this room.

Demons of all colors, even two black demons and one white demon, entered the room with vested interest in watching the duel. The sparring room was rather large, in order to accommodate the purely ranged minded, it was a roughly one hundred meter square room with relatively few decorations.

Finally, the participants of the event everyone was looking forward too entered. First came the Warmaster of Wrath, Abaddon. He walked in with a fierce gaze and confidence in his step. Seconds behind him was the Lord of Lust, Rainer. Everyone noted his relaxed expression and laidback way of moving, it completely contrasted the determined Abaddon.

"GO RAINER!" "KICK HIS ASS, DARLING!" "Master is superior..." Comments from Asmodea, Nerissa, and Aureal were the forefront of a fountain of cheering from the Land of Lust's representatives.

Possibly threatened by the show of loyalty, the representatives of the Waters of Wrath flaunted their own voices, cheering on the Warmaster of Wrath. Upon hearing these cheers, Abaddon slightly blushed, but it was too faint for anyone to notice except for Rainer's keen senses.

Rainer almost burst out laughing. The simple act of blushing did not suit the one known as the Warmaster of Wrath.

Rainer had been informed of the contents of the duel. Formal duels which put an emphasis on not being too destructive were a best of three format. These rounds could be anything that could present a winner. The loser of each round chose the type of contest the two would partake in the next round. In the past these rounds consisted of simple magic or melee battles, contests of speed or perception, the depths of their wisdom and knowledge, and many more. Also, a simple test of luck chooses who decides the format for the first round.

In fact, the previous Lord of Lust participated in one of these duels against the previous Warmaster of Wrath and purposely lost every other battle. Why he did that was so that he chose seemingly frivolous contests that had nothing to do with the term 'duel'. The contests the Warmaster of Wrath that time chose was a martial battle and a race to see who reached the other side of the world in a literal straight line through the crust and core of the world they were one (which was the Waters of Wrath). In contrast the previous Lord of Lust chose an eating contest, a staring contest, and a game of hide and seek (he won the two latter but lost the eating contest). In the end, the Warmaster that time won, but he wasn't particularly pleased with how the duel progressed.

The two Rulers of Sin faced off. First off was the test of luck to decide who decides on the format for the first round. "It is my understanding that one of the members of the Pillar of Lust has a unique ability which is completely objective and probability based. We will use that to for the beginning." This wasn't a request, but a demand.

Some of the demons in the room marveled at the audacity of a Ruler of Sin attempting to command another Ruler of Sin's subordinate. Perhaps they thought that the senior Ruler of Sin was attempting to enforce himself as the "Elder which should be respected by the junior."

Rainer tilted his head, slightly confused for only half a second. "Oh, I get what you mean. I guess if Zazie doesn't mind then it's okay." Rainer almost forgot about the unique powers of Zazie's tarot cards.

Each of the twenty-two cards of the major arcana held a unique power, though that didn't mean they could all be used conveniently. Zazie silently walked over to Rainer upon his beckoning, unperturbed that all eyes were on her. Precisely because of her cards, Zazie could be counted as one of the most powerful in this room (not counting Rainer and Abaddon). Even though the most powerful of all the seven Circles of Sin were gathered here, Zazie had confidence in her ability.

Some recognized her from the time she showed off in the decade's tournament several decades back. She won effortlessly and spectacularly and gained a position in the Pillar of Lust upon the previous Lord of Lust's invitation.

"..." Zazie wasn't much of a talker except to those she directly knew. She placed her fingers upon a seemingly random card of her deck. "...Wheel of Fortune." She tossed the card in the air and the faces of both Rainer and Abaddon appeared on opposite sides of the card (on a side note they resembled what they looked like if their portrait was a part of a set of stained glass).

Everyone stared at the card as it flipped and gyrated in mid-air while it fluttered to the ground like a leaf. When it finally hit the floor, everyone attempted to see which face landed face up. Faster than anyone could see (though neither Rainer nor Abaddon were paying attention). Zazie picked up the card and pointed at the Warmaster of Wrath. "...You will be choosing the format of the first round." She deposited the card back into her deck and melded with the audience once more.

"And?" Asked Rainer, wondering how the first round will play out, though he had some ideas.

"Everyone should be able to guess how I want this to start, let's decide the first round with our fists and feet." Abaddon slammed his palms together and rubbed them as if he was about to enjoy a sumptuous meal.

"Rock-paper-scissors?" Rainer added in intentionally being a bit snarky and sarcastic.

Rolling his eyes and snorting, the Warmaster of Wrath took a stance like something out of a martial arts movie.

"Guess not". Rainer did the same, getting into the stance he always did when he fought with his bare hands.

"The first to be knocked out for a single second or more loses; surrendering is also an option for loss. This fight must remain within the boundary of this room and may not cause excessive destruction. You may both now begin." The Governor of Greed who had just now entered the room voiced the rules for the fight, the other two Rulers of Sin quickly nodded in agreement.

And so the fight began.

...

Who would attack first? Everyone simultaneously thought this in the audience. "Satan is a hot head. Of course he'll attack first." "Agreed, this Asmodeus seems a bit subdued and reserved... Odd for a Lord of Lust." "You're all ignorant. It's always the reserved ones who're most deadly. Haven't you ever read a book?" Several conversations were created among the audience, though they were careful not to break the tension and stayed as quiet as possible.

"Aaaaand... Now." Asmodea rolled out her words, as if counting down when the battle would start. And right when she said "Now", Rainer surged forward like a great wave.

Rainer slammed his foot on the ground as he burst forward, resulting in him flipping sideways through the air. His leg wheeled around with him and followed the trajectory he was aiming for, smashing the ankle down on the Warmaster's right shoulder.

Abaddon blocked the kick with his wrist and smacked it away in a display of exceptional strength. He planted his feet on the ground, to act as a sort of fulcrum for his left fist which he brought in to his stomach. He then shot his fist out like a magnum bullet, aiming for Rainer's body.

With feline agility, Rainer brought in the leg which was following behind and shoved it onto the incoming fist. Rainer pushed himself off of the fist like he was vaulting in a circus act and back flipped through the air meters away from his initial position.

And they continued on.

In the audience, the representatives of the Land of Lust began conversing. It was rare to see such an interesting matchup, and they devoured the contents of the battle.

"They are both clearly impressive in their own ways. It makes me wonder how my old Parish even thought we could take him out back then." Reginald acknowledged his old assassination group's foolishness while simultaneously acknowledging his old target's power.

"Hmmmm, where did our cute little Lord ooooof Lust learn tooooo fight like that innnnn the first place? ♥" Little Rouge asked out loud to anyone who had the answer.

"...Lauren or Asmodea should know." Mentioned Zazie.

"I don't know myself; I wasn't really involved with Rainer until he initially became the Lord of Lust."

Lauren was careful in choosing her words. The fact that Rainer was once human was not a well-known secret nor did those who knew it wished for it to be known. Other than Rainer and herself, the only ones who knew Rainer used to be human were Asmodea, Nerissa, Aureal, and Zazie. Only those closest knew the secret, not even the other members of the Pillar of Lust knew this secret.

Instead, the mere fact that Rainer lived in the human world for a period of eighteen years was a completely different fact. One known by the majority of higher ups in the Land of Lust and a select few like the Princess of Pride and Shah of Sloth. Even the Archangels knew this fact, though they did not like it due to an agreement between them and the previous Lord of Lust. What exactly that agreement entailed was a complete mystery other than it allowed Rainer to live until he was of age to become the Lord of Lust and that Asmodea would watch over him until then.

"Well, I guess I should shed some enlightenment upon Rainer's apt skill." Asmodea was thinking about what to say as she used her arms to hold up her considerable bosom. She was quite large after all in that department.

"Oh? Do grace us with story time!" Emiel emulated a child as he clapped his hands with mock glee.

Ignoring Emiel, Asmodea continued. "Rainer barely had any time with his parents. They died while he was young and he was forced to live in an orphanage for a time. He had no other relatives close enough to take him in, and he was too young to make any choices then."

Nerissa put on her most attentive face and paid as much attention she could. Aureal had a blank expression, but it was easy to tell that she was honestly paying attention. Zazie and Lauren had similar expressions, though both unique to their facial structures. Everyone else listened with equal interest. Rainer had declined to speak about his past, and had asked Asmodea to not reveal anything if she could help it. In fact, Asmodea was reluctant to even reveal what she was doing right now.

"Rainer was a very antisocial child and was rejected by the other children inside the orphanage, not that he cared. In order to fight back against the loneliness, he often left the orphanage against his guardians orders and ventured into the city's interior of which the orphanage was located. Eventually, Rainer's innocent exploration found him in a rather unpleasant area. This city was not a seemly one and was wrought to the core with the human underworld's stench. You could call him lucky for not finding himself in a more hostile area."

Asmodea paused to check out Rainer spinning around, trying to hit Abaddon in the back of the head with his elbow. The large black demon ducked and grabbed Rainer by the elbow, tossing him over his body across the room. Rainer landed with a roll and re-positioned himself with breaking a sweat.

"Where Rainer found himself was a sort of underground arena where humans fought without regard for their safety to the enjoyment of the spectators. Sometimes people even died in this arena and the floor was always stained with blood. In any case, the main participants of the arena were quite friendly with one another; generally the ones who died were newcomer rookies or veterans to the arena. Over time, Rainer visited this arena more and befriended some of the fighters of the place. It seemed they considered Rainer a sort of mascot, as he often tried to emulate their various techniques. They taught Rainer some of their moves and Rainer copied others and gradually he memorized all of them to the point where anyone at or around his age wouldn't be much of a match for him. It is quite amazing really, his aptitude for martial prowess is prodigal."

Though some of the parts of this story were familiar to those present, the majority of those listening had never heard of this facet of Rainer's past. In ways, they all considered Rainer more mysterious than the previous Lord of Lust. Even Caetorum somewhat wanted Asmodea to break Rainer's order to tell them all more about his Lord's past.

"Almost like an origin story out of some bad superhero comic..." Mused Lauren as she shrugged while returning her attention back to the ensuing fight. Minutes had passed, and if she had to guess as to when it would end, it would be soon.

Those present noted the contrast between the styles of combat both Rulers of Sin took. Abaddon was like a stalwart tower, yielding to no one. He kept his position resolute and had an impenetrable defense. Whenever Rainer entered his reach, Abaddon moved his arms in order to block and counter, not giving in once.

Rainer, on the other hand, was the paragon of aggression, an angry hornet. He attacked and attacked like, moving all over the place like a fly. One might think that Abaddon was the more skilled of the two considering he blocked every attack of Rainer's and didn't even budge an inch, but it was quite the opposite. It was the fact that Rainer never relented in his assault that Abaddon didn't acquire a chance to attack. So far, he could only attack via counters, the momentum belonged entirely to Rainer.

'I should have attacked first... Fuck!' Abaddon cursed within his mind. If he attacked first, he probably could have stopped the onslaught that came when he defended. As this was a purely martial prowess focused round, no magic was allowed. Although not once did Abaddon regret his decision to make this round based on martial prowess.

Rainer smirked cockily. He rushed his fist forward in a straight punch. Abaddon grabbed onto the arm, intending to pull Rainer in and attack, but then he realized that that was exactly what Rainer wanted. In other words, this simple movement Abaddon brought him into Rainer's hastily concocted trap.

Rainer ignored the fist on his arm and retaliated with both of his hands grabbing onto the same outstretched arm. He jumped up, twisting his body around his opponents arm as if it was a monkey bar. This resulted in a sickle movement where Rainer's feet slammed against the back of Abaddon's head, forcing it downwards. Abaddon was unable to shift his head. If he did, it would simply make it easier for Rainer's feet to kick his head down. Just before they fell, Rainer pulled on the arm he held tightly, wrenching it behind Abaddon's back.