Riser Phenex had been hospitalized for three days in the military hospital located in the Underworld, a specialized facility dedicated to treating devils who served in the ongoing war.
He was under the care of Le Fay Pendragon, a young prodigy mage whose presence in such a place felt both comforting and out of place.
Their relationship was difficult to define, ambiguous at best.
They were neither friends nor lovers, existing in a peculiar limbo that neither could fully articulate.
Le Fay was the one who had healed him, tending to his wounds and speaking to him during his most vulnerable moments.
Initially, he hadn't even recognized her; temporary blindness and deafness had robbed him of his ability to perceive the world properly.
To make matters worse, his sense of smell had been thrown into disarray, leaving him confused and disoriented.
His body had been devastated by a searing, blinding burst of holy light that had engulfed the battlefield, leaving him utterly weakened in every sense.
The war had exacted a heavy toll.
According to the reports Le Fay had shared with him, the number of casualties among devils and fallen angels was staggering.
The data painted a grim picture of loss and destruction, yet the war showed no signs of abating.
Neither side knew victory nor defeat, and the conflict raged on.
Riser remained confined within the hospital, alongside countless other devils who had suffered injuries as grievous as his own.
The war's key figures, however, continued to fight relentlessly.
Serafall Leviathan, one of the current Satans, had taken it upon herself to lead the devil faction in battle.
Her fury was unmatched, and she ignored the pleas for peace from the other Satans, who had grown weary of the bloodshed after witnessing the devastating number of lives lost.
Serafall, driven by a vengeful rage, was fixated on hunting down Kokabiel, the fallen angel who had sparked this war.
She led her forces into the territories of Grigori, the fallen angels' domain, and ruthlessly cut down their kind along with any church members who dared to oppose her.
The war, which had once been confined to the Underworld, erupted anew on Earth, in the heart of Tokyo.
Rumors claimed Kokabiel had been sighted there, and the battlefront shifted accordingly.
The Hero Faction and Yokai Faction allied themselves with Kokabiel, creating a tripartite alliance that surrounded and besieged Serafall's forces.
From his hospital bed, Riser Phenex could see the writing on the wall.
This was a disaster.
He couldn't help but wonder why only Serafall was taking decisive action.
Where was Sirzechs Lucifer, the strongest among the devils?
Why hadn't the Old Satan Faction, who would surely revel in such conquest, stepped in to support the war effort?
And what of Great Baal?
Their absence was both conspicuous and alarming, and it made him question the unity of the devil society.
He considered asking Le Fay about these matters but stopped himself.
How could a human mage, no matter how knowledgeable or resourceful, understand the intricacies of devil society?
She wasn't one of them.
He sighed inwardly, his musings tinged with frustration.
She didn't even know his real name.
"Adolf Riser… I believe your real name should be Riser Phenex, the Third Son of the Phenex Clan. I can't fathom why you ran away from home, abandoning your privileged life, and even leaving your beautiful fiancée behind—all for the sake of becoming a humble painter," Le Fay asked curiously.
Her delicate fingers meticulously peeled an apple as she fed him a slice with care.
He accepted the offering graciously, reclining against the hospital bed while gazing distantly at the room's pale ceiling.
"I've already told you, haven't I? I wanted to be a painter," Riser replied with a weary sigh, his tone tinged with resignation.
"Then why did you join the war?" Le Fay asked, her confusion evident. "Why not continue living in seclusion if painting was all you desired?"
Riser's gaze sharpened, his voice firm as he answered, "Because I am no coward. My home needs me. The Underworld needs me. I'm a devil—this is my blood, my nation, and my home. I will never allow those damn Crows to overstep their bounds and trample on our race."
Le Fay fell silent, absorbing his words.
After a moment, she let out a quiet sigh and spoke again, her tone softer, yet laced with determination. "So be it, then. If that's how you feel, I might be able to help you. You should know that the devils aren't united; even now, one of your own fights on the frontlines without any reinforcements to support her. Here's the deal, my beloved painter: I can introduce you to someone who shares your ambition. They want devils to rule the world more than anything else, but they loathe Serafall Leviathan with a blinding hatred. It's your choice. Will you stay here in this hospital, waiting for recovery and news that may or may not come, or will you rise and take action?"
Riser Phenex smirked, his lips curling into a confident grin.
"Let's go and meet them, dear Le Fay," he declared.
Throwing aside the blanket covering him, he forced himself to stand despite the difficulty.
His legs trembled under his weight, and his vision remained blurry, but the unyielding fire in his eyes refused to fade.
He had never been more motivated than he was at this very moment.
He would make the devils great again, reestablishing their dominion as a sovereign and supreme force in society.
Now or never.
Le Fay Pendragon nodded, extending her hand to him.
Without hesitation, Riser took it, and together, they vanished in a flash of magic, leaving the sterile confines of the hospital room behind.
Moments later, they found themselves standing before a massive gothic mansion, its towering spires casting long shadows under a blood-red sky.
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