The Red Hand

"Hmmmmm..." Labrys hummed from atop a burning farmhouse, fresh from his feast on its inhabitants. "I sense a presence... A presence I haven't felt since...... Master..." As he stared out over the burning farmstead, he watched as the sky turned red and the familiar presence in the distance grew stronger.

{Lord Labrys!} Tanya's voice sounded through the Demonic Weapon's mind via the use of telepathy. {We've detected a global spike in some kind of dark power! Its covered the entire world in this reddish black darkness!}

"Yes... This power... It is undoubtedly that of a Demon Lord..." Labrys said as he looked at the darkened Sun above. "I have not felt so much of it for... So long..."

{Has Lord Vikes returned?} (Tanya)

"No..." Labrys answered curtly, discounting such a notion as impossible. "This power is similar to his, but it's not the power of my Master. It's much calmer than his ever was, and it lacks the chaotic nature that made his power so recognizable..."

{This power is more akin to a mighty river, calm on the surface but filled with raging energy below the glassy facade. Such a strange power for a Demon Lord.}(Labrys)

“And recall my Master was shattered. It would be impossible for him to return, as much as it pains me to admit that." Labrys hummed as he allowed the familiar yet different power to flow around him. Akagi's energy brought him a sense of peace, though it didn't last for long as he now had to contend with a different reality than he'd expected upon his awakening. "It would seem that my hunch was right, this Akagi... She is a true Demon Lord, kin of my Master. This power, I'd never mistake what it is. Different from my Master she may be, but a Demon Lord is a Demon Lord no matter how strange its power may feel."

{She's... She's really a Demon Lord? Just like Lord Vikes?} Tanya was taken aback by his statement, she'd presumed that Akagi was just a fool using the title of Demon Lord to scare people as so many others had done in the past. But to hear Labrys confirm that she was indeed the same kind of being as his Master was shocking.

"Do you doubt my words?" Labrys asked with an uncharacteristic chuckle. "I would understand if you did. A second member of my Master's race appearing on the same word shouldn't be possible, after all." His Master didn't speak much, but one of the things he had told Labrys was that Demon Lords were a one per world occurrence, so Akagi being here shouldn't be possible, at least not naturally.

{I would never doubt you, Lord Labrys!} Tanya yelled through the telepathy. {If you say that she's a Demon Lord then I believe you 100%!}

"Good, though this does create a problem for us." Labrys said as he hopped down to the ground, swinging his Axe at a nearby crate, smashing it to pieces and revealing a young boy cowering inside.

“H-Hel-” The young boy cried out, but was quickly silenced.

*SLICE* *WOOSH*

{A problem? Why is this a problem? Shouldn't this be cause for celebration? If a Demon Lord has truly come to Enoris, then fulfilling your dream will be all the easier!} Tanya's words made her sound excited, but there was a slight bit of hesitation in them that Labrys did not notice as he was too busy killing and eating the soul of the young child.

"While it is true that Demon Lords share a goal, the destruction of a world and all life within, that does not mean that we can so easily work with one." Labrys said as he started to walk away from the burning farmstead.

{I've heard this Demon Lord has subordinates that work for her, so isn't it just like how Lord Vikes had the Cult? Working together to destroy Enoris shouldn't be a problem.} Tanya said.

"I'm not concerned with that part. My Master was more than willing to work alongside mortals who shared his goal of world destruction, so it's not surprising to hear that Demon Lord Akagi has followers of her own..." Labrys paused as a ground of four heavily armed adventurers on horseback road toward him at full gallop. "Give me a moment, Tanya, a few insects have shown up and I need to exterminate them."

{Go show them what for, Lord Labrys, kyaa!} Tanya squeed.

"Monster!" (Male Adventurer 1)

"We finally found you, you bastard!" (Female Adventurer 1)

"It looks like we were too late to stop him!" (Female Adventurer 2)

"Everyone get ready! Four other teams have already been wiped out, so be on guard! This guy is a Class S monster!" (Male Adventurer 2)

"It matters not how many of you insects stand against me..." Labrys lifted his Axe, swinging it around behind him. "An insect will always be an insect." In a flash Labrys swung his Axe, creating a blast of energy that streaked toward the four adventurers. It was as fast as lightning and before they even had a chance to react, they were struck by his attack and sliced to pieces along with the surrounding landscape.

*BOOM*

"Though rejoice, for no matter how worthless your lives are know that your souls will fuel the fulfillment of my Master's grand plan. So allow me to extend the slightest bit of gratitude for offering yourself up to me." Labrys' Axe body became surrounded by a black aura as blood-curdling screams echoed out for a moment before ending abruptly.

{Kyaa! So cool!} Tanya squeed again.

"That was nothing compared to what my Master could do." Labrys flexed his hand as he took in and digested their souls. "And I still need time to recover my power and adapt this body to it, so my current power is a bit weaker than I remember." He smirked under his mask. "But luckily for us, this man had a great deal of darkness within his heart, so it's been easier than expected to twist his form for my use. You did a great job in finding this vessel, Tanya."

{Anything for you, Lord Labrys! I would've even given you my body if you desired!} Tanya was practically giddy to be thanked by the Demonic Weapon.

"It is best that you were not compatible. Otherwise, I would've lost a valuable servant." Labrys said as he continued down the devastated woodland road. "Your ability to direct me to locations with high-quality souls to consume has proven invaluable. I'm sure that you were born with that power for just this reason."

{I... It makes me happy to hear that my ability is of use to you, Lord Labrys.} Tanya blushed as she stuttered. She'd been hunted and exiled for her strange ability to sense souls and their power during her life, and it was part of the reason she joined the Demon Lord Cult in the first place. To hear that an ability that she once hated had garnered her the praise of the one she loved practically made her faint from joy.

"Do you have the next location?" Labrys asked her once she'd calmed down a bit.

{I... My readings showed that the Fortress of Galem has a high quantity of powerful souls. I think the Garrison Commander Nela is the one I detected with the most power, so consuming her will probably be your best bet.} Tanya answered as he flicked through the dozens of papers on her desk, each with profiles of important targets.

"Good, that's no more than a day's run from here, and with the chaos Demon Lord Akagi is unleashing it should make gathering power that much easier." Labrys said as he slowly began picking up speed, running down the road at high speed. "Hopefully it won't be much longer until my strength has properly recovered, and then..."

{Then we can go on the offensive!} Tanya said with a bright smile.

"Yes... But before then, there are a few more things we need before the hour of reckoning can begin." Labrys said with a bit of hesitation in his voice. He knew that fighting a direct battle against the Gods wasn't going to work. Vikes was an order of magnitude more powerful than he was and was still defeated, so he figured that it would require a more cunning plan to pull off what he could not. "Tanya, see what information you can gather about Demon Lord Akagi. I want whatever you can gather about her, where she came from, what her motivation is, and what kind of subordinates she has."

{Of course! I'll get the field team on that immediately! Are you planning on meeting with her? Working together would increase our chances of victory immensely.} Tanya asked, again with hesitation in her voice that the Demonic Weapon missed.

"Not yet." Labrys replied. "I need to know more about her before I do that. I suspect that Demon Lord Akagi may not have the same goals as we do, which could easily cause conflict between us. Thus, understanding her before we meet is mandatory. The last thing we need is to reveal ourselves only to be declared enemies and disposed of before we are ready. I doubt I can do much against a true Demon Lord, especially as she seems to be at least as strong as my Master."

{I'd like to recruit Enūma to help us, but at this point, that sister of mine may be a lost cause. I'd like to speak with her at the very least, but I suspect I know where that will lead us. After all, the last time we met...}(Labrys)

{Everything alright, Lord Labrys?} Tanya's connection had gone silent for a moment while the Demonic Axe had retreated into his own thoughts for privacy.

"I am fine, just thinking about some... 'Family' issues." Labrys brushed off her question.

{Family?} Tanya thought to herself. "Lord Labrys... He has a family?" She'd never heard of this before and was both confused and concerned by this revelation.