Demon: this was the name used to refer to beings from hell.

  Born of magical force, each of those beings lived to find their own purpose- whether it was power or serving someone they admired, it didn't matter, they would do anything to achieve their goal.

  They were not allowed to exist in the human world, but they could be summoned through sacrifice or special rituals. Demons were summoned by humans to be simple servants, but unlike the undead or spirits, they were not guaranteed to blindly obey their summoner. Some simply wanted a name, because without it they could not remain permanently in the mortal world.

  Once born, every infernal being found itself at the level of a Lesser Demon, and could only aspire to become a Greater Demon through its own strength. To further evolve, it needed to receive a name from someone.

  Naming a demon was a wicked and dangerous act; it wasn't the same as naming a child or a pet, but rather anchoring a living being to reality. Naming a demon allowed it to roam freely through the mortal world and unlock its evolution into an Archdemon.

  Academically speaking, Archdemon was the highest level a hellish being could attain, but only true experts knew this wasn't entirely correct. Demons could surpass that level and evolve in further ways.

  Evolution adapted itself to the personality and experiences of the demon in question: it could evolve into a Dark Lord or a Demon King, and so on. The possibilities were practically endless, based on the experience of the being itself.

  However, few survived long enough to reach even the Archdemon level. Younger demons were bold and careless about the consequences of their actions. As soon as they gained a little bit of power, they believed themselves as invincible creature, and consequently died against stronger beings.

  Among the various demons there were some that surpassed all the others in power. Ancient beings born with the universe itself: the Primordials.

  They were beings who did not follow the laws of normal demons and could essentially do whatever they wanted unchallenged, which is why they were so feared by any population, human or demi-human. After all, demons were not beasts or animals, but predators who had learned the human language. They had their own society, culture, and beliefs. But that didn't mean they possessed the same morality as humans.

  Demons had no parents; they called those born with them brothers, but only because they saw them as an extension of themself. Some can feel the sexual instinct, but lack the reproductive one; that was why it was considered impossible for a demon to have parents. Lesser Demons possess reason and speech, but lack the experience to understand human emotions and morality.

  -This was the simple difference between demons and humans: their vision of the world.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Grim and Gram considered themselves fortunate to serve one of the Ten Primordials; the Great Nightshroud Black.

  It was a tremendous honor, considering the Black Progenitor wasn't known for taking on subordinates. He was feared by all in Hell, and surviving after meeting him was considered a great luxury. His power was something that few could even understand.

  However, Black had not welcomed them because he was surprised by their strength or because he thought they deserved such an honor, but rather for their uniqueness: they were a rare specimen of symbiotic insectoid demons, after all.

  Grim and Gram were born as two entities fused in a single body, like two brothers who parasitized each other. They were not forced to stay fused and that did not make them any stronger, but they rarely split.

  Surprisingly, they didn't hate each other. This was another interesting curiosity about demons: siblings respected each other. There were exceptions of course, where siblings would battle each other for power or because one had stepped on the other's toe. Despite this, demons tended to view family members as an extension of their own being, and thus held them in high regard.

  The same was true for Grim and Gram; the two had been born together and had ascended to the rank of Archdemon together in just a year and a half. It was a great achievement, but even that hadn't surprised their master all that much.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “It seems she's here…”

  Gram muttered, looking at a mine in the distance. It was one of the many bases of a criminal corporation whose name he didn't know—he didn't care much about Earth's affairs. Humans were weak, and as such, they should be killed if they got in the way. It wasn't necessarily cruelty, only natural selection.

  "Are you sure? It seems like a strange place for a demon summoned by the voice of the universe. Perhaps she was captured by the humans?"

  Grim asked, moving his legs inside his belly.

  “I doubt it! Lord Black said she should be strong, like anyone summoned by the voice…”

  “You’re right, brother. But then, what did she come here for?”

  “She’s a demon like us, so she’s either looking for someone to give her a name, or is just out for a normal slaughter.”

  The two weren't entirely convinced by the situation. This woman had attracted Black's attention only because she was from another world, and it was clear that it bothered them. They had struggled to get the Black Progenitor's attention, and now someone had come along to steal their spotlight.

  “Do you think…We should kill her?”

  Grim proposed, clenching his fists. He was visibly irritated by the situation.

  “What are you talking about, idiot?!”

  Gram punched his brother in the head, which was sticking out of his pelvis, making him cry out in pain.

  “What’s wrong with you?!”

  Grim shouted, rubbing the sore spot.

  “What’s YOUR problem, you fool! Lord Black wants her alive! If we kill her, it would be a mission failure. Do you want to fall out of our lord’s good graces?”

  Those words gave him goosebumps. Falling from Black's good graces would be certain death. Knowing him, he wouldn't have chased them away, but killed them straight away. Grim and Gram were two powerful demons, but they had no chance against a Primordial, especially one of the three strongest in that category.

  Essentially, this mission was a double-edged sword: if the pair completed the mission successfully, they would earn Black's praise, which would allow them to live another day; if they failed, however, they would be torn to pieces on the spot.

  Normally, if a demon was killed it could be reincarnated into another body after a period of waiting, but if the soul of the demon in question was completely destroyed or absorbed, rebirth would be impossible.

  If we fail, we are so fucking dead!

  Having ascertained this, Grim shook his head vigorously, wiping sweat from his purple forehead.

  “N-No, brother! I don’t want to fall out of Lord Black’s good graces!”

  “Then stop talking bullshit!”

  Gram shouted back, snorting.

  “Now concentrate…Look there!”

  They were shown the entrance to the mine, where two figures were emerging. One was the demoness they were looking for; her red hair and wings were sure proof. But the other...

  “Who’s the big one?”

  He didn't know what to say to his brother. Lord Black had shown him only one image, and it was of the young girl. The pale-skinned giantess had not been named or even mentioned by their lord. That was more of a problem than it seemed. The mysterious giantess could have been a summon or a subordinate of the red-haired girl, so what were they supposed to do with her?

  The best idea was to capture both of them. If their master hadn't told them about a second figure, it might mean he wasn't interested, but the possibility that it was just a coincidence couldn't be ruled out. Ultimately, the best idea would be to bring both women to him and hope for success.

  The master won't complain about an extra package.

  With that in mind, Gram began to make his way towards the two women, who didn't take long to notice his presence.

  “Be careful, brother. They sensed us even though we hid our aura.”

  Grim whispered to him. It was a sensible thing to do- demons normally didn't hide their aura, as it was a symbol of their superiority and strength. However, they had to do so to avoid the risk of alerting their target; it would have been problematic if she had preemptively fled before they could talk to her.

  Despite this precaution, the two women had sensed them without difficulty. The giantess had even summoned a purple katana from nowhere, emanating extremely high magical energy.

  An enchanted weapon?

  Gram's eyes moved from the sword to its wielder.

  What an impressive physique...She doesn't look like a demon, though.

  Even though her body was covered by a dark jacket, the pale woman's physique was clearly that of a seasoned warrior. In all their years of life, they had never seen anyone more imposing and intimidating—it was certain that a punch from that creature would cause some serious damage. It was then that he noticed the contents of the small cage the two had behind them.

  A demi-human?

  It was a raccoon girl, and she was in terrible condition. Gram began to wonder why they were taking a therianthrope girl away. Maybe they wanted to sacrifice her for more power? It was a common way to empower oneself, and it was well known that demi-humans had more magical energy than humans, but...

  Why kill all the guards if sacrificing them was their goal?

  It was hard not to notice the various corpses on the ground. It wasn't something that surprised him too much, since he could have done something like that himself.

  The question was which of the two was eliminating the humans. The giantess could have easily crushed a man's head with one hand, but hers weren't stained with blood. The other girl's hair however, was stained—not too much- but enough to give Gram a clue as to who the killer was.

  It was a significant piece of information.

  Of the two brothers, Gram was the more cautious one. He would never fight a being he couldn't reliably defeat. The mere fact that the voice of the universe had summoned those two women before them was a worrying factor. He was confident in his own strength, but not in his opponent's.

  Attacking without knowing how strong they are could be a mistake…

  While he was thinking, he heard a shrill little voice speaking.

  “Um…Hirashi, who are these two?”

  “I don’t know, sister...Almodea.”

  Gram's eyes widened as he watched them talk to each other. He was irritated by their nonchalance, but something rang in his ears: the word sister. If the two were truly related by blood, even though he doubted it, then both of them had to be brought to Lord Black.

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  Almodea and Hirashi, two sisters...Well, one less problem! Now we have to figure out how to approach them.

  Attacking them blindly could have been a fatal mistake.

  “Hey! Who the hell are you?”

  Almodea asked, sounding almost bored. Meanwhile, Hirashi had made the cage containing the demi-human disappear.

  Gram clenched his fists, his ego extremely wounded.

  It seems like they're looking down on us!

  As if able to read his mind, the brother he had attacked to his torso began to writhe furiously, screaming and yelling like a child.

  “We are Grim and Gram! We serve the Black Progenitor, and are here because the Master demands you in his presence!”

  “Your master? Black Progenitor? What kind of villain name is that? Pathetic!”

  That insult was the final straw for Grim, the impulsive one of the two. Without further ado, he tore himself away from his brother, falling to the ground and spraying purple blood everywhere.

  “How disgusting!”

  “Shut up, little girl! Normally we're stuck together, but since my brother doesn't seem to want to attack you, I'll take care of it!”

  In no time, Grim began to grow, reaching the same size as Gram. Side by side, they looked identical. The only difference was the color of their eyes: the first one had green ones, the second one red ones.

  “Stop, brother!”

  The other ordered, trying to calm him down.

  “Attacking them without taking precautions would be a mistake!”

  “Shut up!”

  Grim silenced him with a shout.

  “Can you two stop arguing?”

  Hirashi interrupted them, standing in front of Almodea like a guard who is defending her mistress.

  “If you want to fight, I can take you both on…”

  “Are you crazy?!”

  The two laughed, knowing the other was talking nonsense. Defeating them both would be a feat even for the heroes of that world, and she wanted to do it alone?

  “Oh, no! I can fight too, Hirashi!”

  "Are you sure of it?"

  “Super-Duper sure! I'll take care of the red-eyed one, while you take care of the green-eyed one. We can also do the reverse!”

  “As you wish, dear sister…”

  Without waiting for a response from the two demons, Hirashi sheathed her katana and began moving towards some trees in the distance.

  “Whoever wants to face me, come forward…”

  Grim and Gram were astonished. Besides Black, no one had ever treated them with such disinterest.

  “Hey! We didn't say we agreed!”

  “Don't you want to prove your strength? What better way than a double one-on-one duel?”

  “Ugh!”

  “You Bastard!”

  Hirashi had pierced their egos. They had a mission, but couldn't bear such an affront. If one of the two refused, they would reveal that they considered the girls a threat. Furthermore, facing them alone would be advantageous—some beings might have an advantage in fighting in pairs, and perhaps the same was true for those two strange girls.

  For Gram, it could easily all be a trap to trick them into refusing the double duel and take them by surprise with a combined skill. They had to be very careful.

  “All right! I'll take care of that red bitch who insulted the Great Black.”

  Grim roared, clenching his fists.

  “You take care of the big-ass whore!”

  “Okay, okay!”

  Gram answered back, quite irritated himself.

  “I'm waiting for you…”

  “I'm here, I'm here!”

  Hirashi and Gram disappeared behind the trees, leaving Almodea and Grim alone.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Irritated.

  That was the word that characterized Gram's mood at the moment. His brother had abandoned him to make him fight a giantess of unknown strength. He wanted to refuse, but knew that his brother wouldn't let it go; Grim had always been stubborn.

  You idiot profiteer.

  Since Grim had fought Almodea, he would take all the credit. Black would praise him and perhaps even consider him the superior of the two. Gram couldn't allow that; he had to eliminate his opponent and then rush to his brother's aid, even if it wasn't necessary.

  However…

  There's something strange about this woman.

  …He didn't understand what it was, but Hirashi seemed anything but concerned about their duel.

  Could she be as bold as his own brother? It was possible- after all, it was clear she hadn't yet understood what she was up against. He was an Archdemon, an evolutionary rank few could obtain.

  His eyes shifted toward the woman in front of him. Gram couldn't tell what race she was, and that was a problem- since he might have used ineffective attacks and left himself exposed. She was definitely not a demon; she didn't emit the aura of a hellish being.

  Judging by her physique, she is probably a physical striker.

  Finally, the giantess turned toward him, unsheathing her katana, but with no apparent murderous intent.

  “My name is Hirashi. What’s yours?”

  The question surprised him. Asking someone's name before a duel was a warrior's thing; could his opponent be a pure fighter? Yet, he sensed a great strength coming from the katana she held.

  Is she a magical fencer?

  Unlike normal swordsmen, magical fencers were fighters who typically did not use the Battle Arts, infusing their swords with magic to unleash devastating attacks instead, that could penetrate unenchanted armor.

  Gram had to be careful; a magically charged strike would damage him badly, but was confident in his magical defenses. He could take a hit or two, if his opponent was at his level.

  “So? What’s your name?”

  “Why should I tell you?”

  "Because this is a duel. I'd like to know who I'm fighting, since it could be the last time we meet."

  “Okay, then! My name is Gram and I'm an Archdemon!”

  “An Archdemon, you said?”

  Hirashi brought her hand to the chin, rubbing it lightly. She didn't seem scared or surprised, more curious instead. This wasn't the reaction Gram had expected, and it worried him greatly.

  Does she not know what an Archdemon is, or is she just ignorant of my power?

  It had to be the latter. It was practically impossible to remain calm in front of an Archdemon, yet she seemed to be talking to a normal one.

  “Y-You’re scared, aren’t you? If you give up, I’ll spare your life!”

  “Why should I be afraid? Who has a broken voice is you…”

  “Hugh! Shut up!”

  Gram transformed his left hand into a sickle. It was the primary quality of insectoid demons like him: the metamorphosis of the body into weapons.

  “Prepare yourself! You will die here and now!”

  There it was, Gram's most fearsome ability, capable of overloading his body with dark energy, allowing him to move at the speed of light. A cautious demon like him would only use it in times of difficulty, but right now he wasn't in the position to allow himself the luxury of testing his opponent's abilities; Gram was certain that the other would defeat him if he did. He didn't have time for a prolonged fight, or to discover which attacks his opponent was weak to. He would end the battle right then and there.

  “Activation! Dark Fast-Shot! ”

  He raised his arm and lunged at the giantess with inhuman speed. If it hit her, he was sure he could end the fight with a single blow.

  However-

  Slash!

  Before Gram could really move, he fell into a pool of blood.

  W-What?!

  He tried to get up, but something wasn't right. Gram couldn't feel his legs or arms.

  I don't understand... What's going on? Is it some paralyzing spell?

  His eyes narrowed madly, and then he realized that all his limbs were severed except for his head. He blinked violently, his eyes looking around, widening so much that they seemed about to pop out of their sockets.

  Impossible! I can't be defeated so easily! It must be an illusion! I am an Archdemon...

  “Aren’t you even trying to react? Can’t you regenerate?”

  Hirashi's black boot landed before his eyes. Where had she gone? How had she managed to move faster than him without an ability? Gram tried to do as his opponent advised, but couldn't regenerate his severed limbs; something was blocking his healing magic.

  -He would have surely bled to death.

  “W-What are you?”

  He asked her, starting to suffer the consequences of the damage.

  "What am i?"

  His eyes met Hirashi's cold ones.

  Those eyes…

  They were completely devoid of hatred, anger, murderous instinct, or any emotion whatsoever. How could someone kill in such a cold, indifferent manner? Gram was an Archdemon; he couldn't die in that pathetic way.

  “I am an Eldritch Horror.”

  "A-An Eldritch Horror? B-But..."

  Gram was speechless. From what he knew, Eldritch Horrors were parasitic creatures from another world, that fed on anything to survive. This woman was completely different from any Eldritch being he had faced before. She was more like an insurmountable mountain.

  “No! I-It's not possible…It's not- “

  His words died in his throat as the bleeding started taking over his life.

  “Gram...May your soul rest in peace, even if you won't still have it for too long. I’ll remember your name, even if you meant nothing to me..."

  The pale woman's words were cold as ice and sharp as knives.

  "And, if you think you’ve been unlucky, just know that there’s someone in a situation worse than you right now.”

  She saw Hirashi raise her katana toward the sky, but she didn't swing it immediately. First, the giantess stopped and turned her head eastward, as if drawn by something.

  What do you mean? You...can’t mean that...

  He wanted to ask her that question, but the movement of his lips made no sound. Deep down, Gram feared the answer.

  “I am sorry, but being the one that is facing Almodea...Your brother will not have a painless death.”

  Gram eyes widened, terrified as he saw the purple blade glint in the moonlight. He opened his mouth to scream, but couldn't even utter his final prayers.

  No… Tell me this is a joke! Please…Lord Black! Save me!

  It was then that Hirashi swung her katana once again. Gram's mouth opened and closed for the last time, never to move again.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Left alone with Almodea, Grim began to look at her with contempt; she had insulted Lord Black and he would never tolerate that.

  “Eye of Vision."

  While he wasn't as cautious as his brother, he wasn't crazy. Thanks to that skill, Grim would be able to see his opponent's magical power.

  However-

  She doesn't have any?!

  -Almodea didn't seem to have any magical power in her veins; she didn't even have a lineage. In Grim's eyes, she was just a Lesser Demon at best.

  “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

  “Scared of you? What?! You're just a Lesser Demon! I'll tear you to pieces with my own hands!”

  “You are boring...”

  Almodea didn't wait any longer and spread her wings, vibrating in flight.

  “Yours will not be a quick death!”

  Grim saw her coming at him at high speed, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

  “Teleportation!”

  Thanks to the spell, he was now behind her. He transformed his right hand into a sickle and swung it at Almodea, but...

  “Huh?!”

  ...He missed her dramatically. The girl vanished from before his eyes as if she'd never been there in the first place.

  “W-Where did she go?”

  "Over here!"

  Grim made to turn towards the source of the voice- but was greeted with a resounding slap.

  “-Ouf!”

  That simple movement was enough to send him flying into a tree.

  What devastating physical strength! Could she be a pure warrior?

  Grim spat blood, staining his purple legs with the plum-colored liquid. He had never been hit with such force, especially by someone with practically no muscle mass.

  “Are you already defeated? Don't you want to give up? Maybe I can spare your life if you bow down to me-”

  “Shut up!”

  He shouted at her, standing up and swinging his weapon at the girl again- another miss. Again, and again and again.

  “How do you always manage to run away?!”

  “Maybe you're the one who doesn't know how to hit!”

  “Shut up! Shut up!”

  Grim blood began to boil. He was an Archdemon for god sake, he couldn't be treated like a clown by that little girl.

  “I will tear you to pieces and then give you to Lord Black!”

  He swung his weapon at Almodea, but she blocked it with the simple use of her hand.

  Her palm is harder than an armor?!

  Grim tried to pull the limb back, but the girl's grip was tighter than a pair of pliers.

  “A partial transformation enhanced by magic? Remarkable, no doubt about it!. Under normal circumstances, you would have eliminated your target, but—”

  A smile spread across Almodea's face as she tightened her grip on Grim's weapon, making it full of cracks.

  “-I'm a whole different story!”

  “Who you are?! How can you stand up to me, an Archdemon?!”

  “The real question is how you couldn't have realized you were at a disadvantage...”

  “W-What do you mean?”

  Grim couldn't understand what Almodea was trying to say. No one should be able to stand up to him like that, never the less a Lesser Demon.

  At that moment, a calm voice interrupted them.

  “-Haven't you done it yet, Almodea?”

  Even though they were locked in combat, they both turned to look at whoever had arrived. It was obviously Hirashi, but Grim taught she shouldn't be there.

  “What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Gram? Did you run away from the fight?”

  That his brother was dead or defeated was unthinkable, and that the woman had fled was the only plausible option. To support this, the white giantess didn't even have a scratch on her.

  “Escaped?”

  Hirashi shook her head.

  “No. I killed your brother and came here.”

  “That’s bullshit! You can’t have emerged unscathed from a fight with him.”

  “What can I tell you? It's the truth...”

  Grim took a step back, taking advantage of the fact that Almodea had loosened her grip on his weapon. Hirashi had to be lying, it couldn't be otherwise—if it was the truth, then it would mean that the woman could defeat him too easily, and that wasn't a feat just anyone could accomplish.

  “I’ll ask you again! Where is my brother?!”

  “I already answered you: he's dead.”

  “How can you think I believe this?!”

  It was then that Hirashi threw something in front of him. At first it looked like a sphere, but only when it stopped tumbling in front of him did he realize what it was. Grim was horrified at the sight and almost screamed at the top of his lungs; it was the severed head of his brother Gram. There was no longer any doubt; he was truly dead, forever.

  “How....How did you do it?!”

  “Do what?”

  “Don’t use that tone with me! How the fuck did you kill him?!”

  Grim didn't wait for an answer and lunged at Hirashi, fueled by blackest rage. He was a superior demon; he couldn't bear such humiliation.

  “Hey! I'm your opponent!”

  Suddenly, Almodea stepped in. Grim's blade pierced her left side, sinking into the flesh.

  What the hell?!

  He hadn't expected the girl to lunge at him that way, but something wasn't right: First of all, Almodea wasn't bleeding and didn't seem worried about having a blade piercing her stomach; secondly, Hirashi had remained calm, despite her sister having just been attacked.

  Nothing was making sense at that moment.

  “You're crazy!”

  “You say? Ah Ah Ah!”

  Almodea's laughter confused him. Grim had the upper hand; he had wounded her and was about to pull back his weapon to strike again, when...

  “Huh?”

  ...He couldn't pull the blade out. Instead, the girl's body seemed to regenerate around the weapon, engulfing it within the flesh. Grim began to feel his skin burning, as if something were melting it away.

  “L-Let go of me!”

  “Nope!”

  Driven by pain, he unleashed a flurry of punches with his one free hand, while the other was untied.

  “Let me free! Let me free! Let. Me. Free!”

  Blood began to spurt down Grim's face, but it wasn't Almodea's—it was his own. Grim’s hand was breaking against the girl's smiling face, which remained unblemished. It felt like hitting an indestructible wall.

  “You’ve become boring...Oh, well! I think we should end the game here!”

  “W-What?! What do you mean-“

  Before he could understand, Grim watched as Almodea transformed into a massive black substance, which began to engulf him like a tidal wave. This ink-like liquid was melting him like acid—he could feel his own skin burning and his eyes melting away. He couldn't even scream or beg for mercy. Grim would die right there and then, with no way to save himself.

  Or at least, there was a way out: reincarnation.

  His body was being destroyed, but his soul would return to Hell. There he would be reunited with his brother and inform Lord Black of what had happened, trying to gain his forgiveness. He would survive and have his revenge another day.

  This was the hope the demon named Grim was holding on to, however...

  “Oh! Do you think you can survive?”

  ...That girl already knew everything.

  “I see you can reincarnate! I'm sorry, but nothing of you will be left! Not your body, not your soul! So...Goodbye, Grim! You were boring.”

  With that, the last flame of hope in the demon's heart went out, along with his life.