"Always the dutiful student." Akagi said, smiling as she looked at Chloe's sleeping form, proud of how well she'd done in a contest of strength with the Demi-God. "She's come far since that fight in the rain. I can honestly say that I'm not only proud of you, Chloe, but you've truly exceeded even my lofty expectations." She said as she slowly stood up. "I knew you'd be able to clean this place out easily, but to have actually put away a Demi-God? I must admit that I'm surprised. My predictions showed that it was on the lower end of probability for you to eek out a win against someone like that. Of the fourteen million two hundred and sixty-seven thousand five hundred and twenty-one simulations I ran where you fought a being of power equivalent to Penelope, you only emerged victorious in around five percent of those scenarios." She laughed. "But I guess that's what I get for running simulations without complete intel."

{Halifax did mention that Korex's son was the leader of the Murder Cult, but I wasn't sure if he'd actually be here or not. I sent Chloe with the hope of testing her abilities and I was hoping that she'd actually cross blades with someone powerful enough to give her a run for her money, but his being here is strange now that I think about it. Demi-Gods are typically far too busy elsewhere to attend to such mundane matters like the admittance of a new member to a Cult, so either his appearance was a coincidence... No...} Akagi paused her thoughts as she looked at Remmy, who was still sitting on the throne, kicking her legs with a happy smile on her face.

"That's right..." Akagi said as she snapped her fingers and put Chloe into her shadow. "He mentioned that this girl was actually some kind of Spawn. A creation of the Murder God." She figured that Remmy was the reason why Deborian was here despite her original assumptions.

{If this girl is something special to the Murder God, that would explain why his Demi-God Son was here too. Chloe tagging along was merely an extra since the real goal was to acquire the girl.} (Akagi)

"But... Why wait this long?" Akagi asked no one in particular, her brow furrowed in thought as her countless overlapping minds zoomed through the countless possibilities.

{She was obviously known to Korex and the Cult, so why hold off on bringing her in until now? Was it a test? A trial to ensure she really was blessed by the Murder God? But from what Chloe mentioned before the bunny-girl seemed to be doing little more than random murders until she found her. And the timing seems off too. Chloe wasn't here more than a few weeks... It's too quick of a change of pace... Almost like...} (Akagi)

"Ah... I see..." Akagi laughed in understanding as she turned around, setting her eyes the flaming form of Korex himself standing in the wide open doorway, flanked by the two kneeling guards. "You set this up as a trap."

{Not bad, God. Not bad. I would've never pegged the slim chance that this was some sort of Divine trap to be the actual truth amongst the sea of other more likely possibilities. Just goes to show that even my predictions can be off the mark and that no matter how much I think I know, there's always room for surprises.} (Akagi)

"I would've been disappointed if you didn't catch what I'd done. I was certain that a being of your intellectual capacity would discern the true goal here, though I couldn't be sure you'd actually take the bait." Korex replied as slowly descended the staircase. "I'd heard from Gale that you had some interesting companions, so I figured that putting one in harm's way would increase the chances for you to appear." He said. His flaming skull could not smile but Akagi imagined that if it could that's exactly what he'd be doing right now if he could. "And well, here we are." He said, spreading his arms to the side dramatically and allowing his cape to flutter. "It's nice to finally meet you face to face, Demon Lord. Though I'm sure you already know me, I'll introduce myself. I am the God of Murder Korex and -" His monologue was interrupted by Akagi's blade slicing through his form.

"Tsk." Akagi clicked her tongue in irritation as his body reformed like a disturbed mist. "I guess I shouldn't be shocked that you've figured out a countermeasure. Good for you for being smarter than the average idiot."

{Annoyingly, he's not actually here, and that's not even an Avatar. Cleaver bastards, they're doing something similar to Sariel with an illusory body. How annoying. I suppose I should've expected countermeasures after I bumped off two others. The good news is that I'm confident that he can't actually do much offensively in that limited body, so he's no more dangerous than Elariel is currently.} (Akagi)

"Good try, good try. But sadly for you I'm not stupid like my siblings." Korex laughed as he shrugged off Akagi's attack. "There's no way I'd face you without ensuring my own survival and it was patently obvious that approaching you at anything less than full power would result in my swift death. You already saw to that idiotic huntsmen due to his inability to understand the difference in power while using an Avatar."

"So then, why are you here? You can't fight me in that form, so unless you want to have tea and chat about mutual interests, this seems like a waste of time." Akagi asked, contemplating whether nuking the local area to be safe was the best bet but scrapping that idea; deciding that hearing him out and dealing with his plan head on was the better idea. Especially since it may lead to an opportunity to be rid of another God if she played her cards right.

"To kill you... Is what I'd say if I was that muscle headed idiot Teiera." Korex shook his head. "No, I'm not so foolish to think that one lone God can take down a Demon Lord with brute force. Your kin showed me that such a thing is impossible. Vikes was truly a menace, you know? He terrorized this world for only a few short years and yet he nearly brought it to ruin. I shudder to imagine what you

could do if you so chose, and thus I've decided against fighting you directly."

{I didn't think she'd arrive this soon. I'd planned on using that Cat to lure the Demon Lord out for negotiations... I suppose its possible that she's bluffing and knew about my plan all along. Else why would she appear so quickly? It seemed as if she was watching her servant during the battle... Damn these schemes and plans. She's just as bad as Gale.} (Korex)

"Would the God of Murder not appreciate our kind? We simply exist to destroy." Akagi replied with a bit of snark. "Are we not similar enough to your little creation back there?" She said, pointing over her shoulder at the happy bunny-girl. "Hell, I'd say we should get along since all you care about is blood being spilled. Don't you want more skulls for your skull throne?"

"Its understandable that you'd think that, and I suppose many would share that line of reasoning but alas we run into a fundamental issue that makes out comparability zero." Korex said as Akagi imagined him putting on a pair of glasses to seem smarter and more intellectual.

{Acktually, we can't get along because REASONS!} (Akagi)

{You have the humor level of a child, you know that?} (Yumi)

{Must be a nice view from that glass house.} (Akagi)

"While I'll admit that we do share an enjoyment of death, your kind's enjoyment is a bit different to mine." Korex said, interrupting Yumi and Akagi's mental argument about who was more petty and childish. "You see, while I wish to enjoy the never-ending sea of blood being spilled in this world you wish to end such a glorious cycle."

"Ah, I see. We're cool until the whole ending your world bit gets in the way." Akagi laughed. “Can't have a world filled with strife if I nuke it out of existence.”

"That indeed puts a damper on things. After all, no blood can be spilled in an empty world and without life there can be no conflict." Korex nodded. "Though... Unlike Vikes, we may be able to come to an agreement. I have no real interest in fighting you if I'm being entirely honest and I think we can agree that there's nothing directly hostile between our interests. I'd be more than happy to work alongside you to take Gale down if you'd help me avoid the sinking ship that is this world." He said, surprising Akagi with his offer to betray the other Gods. “What do you say? You get an ally that can help you speed things up and I get to migrate to a world that will sustain me.”

"An interesting proposal. An interesting proposal." Akagi said as she paced back and forth. "However... I'm afraid that I'll have to decline."

"Unfortunate, but may I ask the reason why? I truly see no reason for us to be enemies." Korex replied. “Our interests are not necessarily divergent.”

"Two reasons," Akagi said, putting up two fingers. "One, you're a God that fundamentally doesn't jive with my entire mindset. I am an Assassin. I detest those who take part in random killings for pleasure."

"An understandable if regrettable position. One that I've heard many times throughout time." Korex nodded, seeming a bit sad but understanding.

"And the second one." Akagi said, her black aura erupting around her body as the ground began to shake. "The second one is because I refuse to let off ANY of the assholes who hurt my friend."

"You're friend?" Korex raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Ah, yes. What was done to Halifax was... Hmmm... Well, there's no point in debating further on the matter. You've made up your mind to hate us for our part in that situation, and I can see you've got no intention of listening to my reasoning or excuses." He shrugged not wanting to waste more time. "Oh well, I suppose this just means I'll do what I came here to and be on my way."

"Do you intend to fight me?" Akagi asked, the Black Sunrise forming in her hand. "I can assure you that even if I can't destroy your real body I'm more than capable of dealing with whatever scheme you've come up with." She said as she pointed the blade at him. “And I will find a way to kill you.”

"Perhaps, perhaps. But I don't think I'm too worried." Korex chuckled as his body began to dissolve into black mist. "You see, while you are quite powerful that aggression of yours will be your undoing. Vikes suffered from the same flaw, and it played an important part in his eventual downfall." As he spoke his mist body burst and completely blanketed the room in darkness. "You're a far more rational being than he was, but that may actually work against you in this case."

"What, are you going to bore me to death with all this monologuing?" Akagi said as she scanned her surroundings, not sensing any kind of poison or other chemical in the air. “I'll concede that I might kill myself if I'm forced to listen to your prattle for all eternity.”

"No, that would be Temchika's forte. She likes such droll methods of tortute." Korex said, seeming to recall an event like Akagi described. "But anyway, enough wasting time! Rejoice, Demon Lord, you shall destroy Enoris as you wish! Now rampage! Rampage and let your wild side run loose! Allow the monster within to burst to the surface!" He said as the mist surged like a tidal wave, crashing into Akagi who felt a strong attempt to intrude into her mind. Though rather than concern her, she merely smiled as he pushed into her psyche; allowing him to access and providing no resistance.

"Have fun in there..." Akagi said, her voice nearly a whisper. "But be careful. For you know what they say. When you stare into the abyss long enough it inevitably stares back into you."

_____________________________________________________________________________

Korex POV

As the Murder God required his bearings, he was greeted with the sight of swirling darkness in all directions. In the distance he could hear the sound of childrens' laughter, conversations between various people, yelling, and crying. All around him was a dark void that made it hard to see anything. It was a place that a normal person would consider so utterly alien and horrifying that they would lack the words to describe it. At times the darkness would peel back to reveal scenes from Akagi's past, memories both young and old. It was clear that this place was the most personal part of the Demon's mind, a place that made up the core of her very being and Korex had brought himself to the very heart of the Demon's lair of his own accord.

"Good, it worked." Korex said as he watched a version of Akagi from childhood get screamed at by Shima. "Now then, a Demon Lord should be no different from any other sentient being. All I need to do is cause a few tears here and there..." He internally smirked.

{And then we'll be fighting nothing but a frenzied animal. Just like Vikes.} (Korex)