Fit for a Queen [Operation Civil Seize - Salvador]

Styn sat alone in a cold dark room. The chair he rested on was a full body affair, allowing him to lounge backward at a comfortable angle. His legs were likewise cradled and cushioned in plushy material. There was a clean sterile smell to his surroundings, which made sense since he was in the medical lab where he and reinvented himself. Or been reinvented, although the ones doing the tweaking had hardly achieved their lofty goals.

The Demon Knight sensed her before the door swung open. Lately he had found it much easier to detect spiritual signatures. Another side effect of the months of changes no doubt, a new found skill to go with his plethora of enhanced aspects. Demon eyes weren't the sort to flinch at sudden light, even if they did enjoy the darkness that much more. So it was that Styn found himself facing the lab coat covered form of Dr. Andras, the mad scientist herself.

Styn was not quite six feet tall, taller then average perhaps, but not in a way that stood out. His medium build accentuated his averageness, he wasn't quite slim, but fell short of heavily muscled. Dark green hair only an inch or so in length, could possibly be a dye job. Pale violet eyes, while a questionable fashion choice, were not outside cosmetic modification. Both ears came to slight point at the apex of their arc, something easily overlooked. His teeth might be a bit sharper then normal for a human, but they retained the same basic shape and placement. The demon's nails also came to a point and were thicker then common, but were by no means long talons or claws. All and all - discounting Za Koa which was naturally suppressed in this base form - Styn would go unremarked in most locations.

The Knight of the First Circle sported a dark green business suit, almost black outside of direct light. The pale violet tie was clearly meant to bring out his eyes, which were somewhat concealed behind a pair of gunmetal gray glasses with translucent bottom rims. Black dress shoes capped out the attire, with especial detail paid so that the combat boot soles didn't look out of place. Still the effect lacked a certain something. First of all, his white button down shirt was untucked, which his unbuttoned dark green jacket didn't quite conceal. His tie was loosened at least an inch, and cocked slightly to the left. His pants looked a bit rumpled and his shoes were scuffed. In addition his eyes had heavy dark bags under them and his stare was half lidded, giving him the appearance of someone tired or sick.

"Don't you have someplace to be?" The demoness spat.

"As a matter of fact I do, but I wanted to come back here one last time, reflect on the things that are different now, and be grateful for the ones that are not. What do I owe the pleasure of your company to? I thought the project was scrapped after my last session. Something about not being able to get this chair working anymore?" Styn taunted with a healthy helping of amusement coloring his voice. She had most likely suspected that he had something to do with the difficulties that the project was facing, but he admitted to nothing. He would never divulge that truth, let her choke on her suspicion

"You ungrateful little bastard! We made you a Lord among flies and this is how you treat us? Sabotaging the very process that created you so that we can't make another? Are you really so petty? Perhaps you're just afraid we'll do it right his time and you won't be needed any longer. As far as I'm concerned you're just a failure on the road to true greatness. We'll undo whatever it was that you did eventually," Dr. Andras said.

"You'll have to let me know how that works out for you. But first, can you remind me of how many demons made it even half as far as I did in the project? And since we're speaking of me? You're the ones who were playing god, maybe Touketsu took notice and this is his work," Styn said with a smile. "You're just mad that you don't have your very own Demon King on a leash. You certainly don't have a dead Demon Queen, and last I checked the loyalist faction that you represent is still powerless and ineffectual."

"Face it, the old ways didn't work before Queen Mana, and they aren't going to work even if you did manage to somehow seize the throne. As far as I'm concerned, the only reason you aren't all dead is because you messed up so spectacularly. The fact that you still think she doesn't know you're trying to kill her is mind boggling."

"I'm proud to say that Shadow Fall has only increased its battle power. Furthermore I'm just tickled to note that far from enforcing the element of chaos, you've instead actually managed to power up the order and structure of our race. Nice job Dr. Andras, your genius has contributed more then your fair share to the ever present war. The Andras family is finally redeemed," Styn said with a chuckle.

Styn knew the truth though. The project was a dead end, a complete waste of demon lives. Whatever miracle resulted in his creation wasn't going to be repeated. There were still so many holes in his memories, but that much he knew for a fact. The Dying Game was retired, demons would have to go back to gaining power in the traditional methods, at least for now. He had spent enough time taunting the good doctor though, it was time to be on his way.

As he swung out of the remnants of machine that had granted him his ascension, Dr. Andras had one final rant to get out of her system. "You're such an infant. Do you think that I don't know your secret Styn? You pretend to be such a human creature. You mime the virtues of an inferior race and scorn the foundation that your own power is built from. Maybe you've even managed to convince yourself that this is the real you, but I know better."

A sly smile spread across the demoness' face. "You're from a nobody family in the middle of no where. One of Archduke Hobgoblin's little project provinces. You're nothing but a child and have lived isolated from the courts, but eyes are everywhere Styn."

"Did you think that I couldn't find out about your ripper days? I have to admit that I found it hard to believe myself, but there might just be a real demon inside of you after all. I know mad beasts four times your age who don't have as much blood on their hands. Tell me boy, when was the last time you killed?" Dr. Andras practically purred the question.

Styn flicked a hand in the air ripping a hole in reality as easily as some would open a door. Pausing before entering the gateway he turned back toward the demoness. "I would be careful Doctor. This infant can rip your arms off and make you eat them. This child could reach into the heart of your black demon soul and drink your essence so deeply that you'd never find your way to hell. This boy might just wrap you so tightly in ancient demon magic that you spent the rest of your days trapped in crippling stupidity. "

"So before you say another word, think on this. Who would you rather be speaking to, this interesting story character you've heard about, or me?" Styn finished. He hadn't raised his voice. The Demon Knight had neither snarled nor scowled at the demoness. He hadn't stepped forward, raised his hand, or even cocked his head. A level stare and tone with his characteristic half smile were his weapons. He even reached up to adjust his glasses, although they never fell out of place.

Styn was the very picture of a mild mannered man, which was why he was almost puzzled when Dr. Andras actually remained silent, eyes widening with every word. Had that really been the first time he had been so frank with her? I guess she expected a different reaction, Styn thought as he stepped through the Kage Chokyo-shi.

Faintly there were the sounds of screams and the dull red glow of a city on fire. He was surrounded in a cacophony of chaos, but if his instructions had been followed then it would be far worse then just a noise. If his soldiers had managed to complete the plan, then Salvador would be a bubbling pot of madness. A simmering dish of insanity, just waiting for the finishing touches before being served up to the Demon Queen.

Waiting for him at his entry point in the city was Narisa Corson, a fellow Knight of the First Circle. She said nothing in greeting just looking warily out over the city as if expecting the hammer to drop at any moment. As a member of First Circle she had been here since the very beginning, and while not very strong for a Knight, she had a good head on her shoulders. More importantly she obeyed orders and was willing to take direction from Styn.

He hadn't made any real attempt to climb the ranks within Shadow Fall. Those below him in power - and there were now a vast array of such individuals - couldn't actually tell how powerful he was because of his Cloak of Shadows. Oh they could theorize that he was stronger then they were, but very few truly understood just how much more powerful he had become.

Narisa was one of the few who were hedging her bets on the estimate that Styn just might have reached a scale of strength comparable to a Demon Lord. Still without any sort of proof as to such a state, she remained nervous in obviously hostile territory. Styn didn't detect any particular problem areas in the city with his spirit senses, but some things should be vocalized. It helped to reinforce a proper flow.

"How has resistance been so far?" Styn asked.

"Nothing we haven't been able to handle. Compared to some of the other cities, this one is practically falling over itself to be conquered. We have yet to see a substantial threat or even anything resembling organization. Monsuta didn't exactly take care of this place very well," Narisa said with a brief glance toward Styn, before turning back to scanning her surroundings.

"Then again maybe they are just waiting for the big dogs to show up," she added.

Styn dismissed that thought with a wave of his hand. If strong foes came to oppose this particular attacking force, they'd soon find that they had bitten off more then they could chew. Queen Mana herself intended to dine in Salvador, trespassers would be welcomed with extreme prejudice. He was more concerned with the preparations. "Everything go according to plan?"

Narisa hunched down, finger lighting with a small flame of Black Inferno Blast. What the demoness lacked in power she more then made up for with control. A line of fire traced a vague circular shape in the concrete of the empty road they stood upon. "In the south we've got the bulk of the riots going on."

"Our agents infiltrated every major gang and criminal organization hours ago. The former hot bed of illegal activity in Salvador is now a frenzy of violence. As you suspected the humans in that area were quick to lose their minds at the slightest provocation. We've still got some people on the ground to keep things burning hot."

Another shape was traced in the road. "Over in the East we've got the pain clinics operating at full capacity. The industrial sector is being used to produce terror and agony on a scale not often seen in the human world. We've gathered up the captives and split them up among the warehouses as you had requested. If you listen closely you can probably hear their screams of hopelessness, and smell the reek of their voided bowls."

Styn didn't have to be a clever demon to know that there were certain weaknesses that were inherent in the normal structure of human social connections. He had found that the quickest way to break a man was to hurt a woman. The fastest way to stir a woman to despair was to harm a child. The most surefire way to obliterate a child's confidence was to destroy the men who were their only measurement of what power might be.

In that section of the city there were three sub sections. Large storage facilities were packed far far past capacity with either men, women or children. The sheep herded into these cages were kept in complete darkness, left to stew in their own filth, but silence was denied them. Around these buildings the true work was being put in. Each weakness was being properly exploited with its most effective counter. Styn suspected that after this long there were not very many in the East who were anything resembling sane.

A third shape was scrawled across the hard surface as the crude strip map of Salvador grew once more. "In the north its an unending party. The wealthy ignorant citizens of this fine city have been encouraged to throw any semblance of restraint into the wind. Its a gigantic orgy of drugs and sex, encouraged every so subtly by our own experienced succubi and incubi. While the effects no doubt feel temporary now, the addition of some of our special creations are sending these humans on a trip they will never be coming back from."

Styn couldn't resist a smile before speaking. "And what about the West? All is going well there?"

"The devote and faithful believe that its the end of days. They have been carefully guided toward their places of worship where they are in frantic prayer for their undying souls. Our agents are active in protecting them from any outside forces, and we've done a good job of keeping that area relatively peaceful. Most of them are mad with the belief that this is the act of some higher power looking out for their well being," Narisa concluded her report.

"You put the work in Narisa, thank you. How are you holding up personally?" Styn asked.

"Me?" The demoness snorted softly at the query. "I'm not you Styn, I for one don't like the humans. Messing with them is pretty fun actually. Being alone in the middle of the city was less enjoyable."

"Alright, you can leave the rest to me," Styn said, choosing not to respond to the implied weakness of his character. "Send out the signal to begin the next phase and get back to Shadow Fall Village. I want you to ensure that portals leaving the city are ready to go at a moments notice. We can be confident that things won't stay quite forever and we'd best be prepared for anything. Her majesty isn't exactly known for the peaceful venues she leaves in her wake."

An application of demon magic contacted the Knights at the other four locations. Orders were disseminated through multiple channels till no one really knew who was in command of the assembled strike teams. Styn could trust Narisa to maintain secrecy in this manner. There might come a time when the rest of his organization would know the truth about him, but that day wasn't today. So few remembered what his Za Koa signature had been like, and even fewer would be able to recognize how it had changed.

Styn shifted his gaze toward the ground once again. There were now four circles drawn on the road. in the center there was a much larger fifth circle. This represented the governmental buildings of Salvador. The cities true infrastructure and military might. Light riots and violence were sure to be present in this area as well. More then anything though, this area was filled with a sense of waiting. If there was going to be a fight it would be here, where most of the important buildings and trained personage were located.

The calm eye of the storm was overflowing with the bulk of the cities inhabitants. White collar workers who had been caught in the middle of their day and were huddled even now with associates and service industry professionals. This fifth circle was the largest and it was Styn's personal dish. Everything seemed in order so the Demon Knight felt no need to hesitate or put off the next stage, which was the unleashing of his true form.

The transformation consolidated his power instead of expanding it. The concentration and density of his physical structure was roughly the same, with a few distinct differences. From finger tip to elbow his arms were now encased in a thick bone white mass. It was as if his hands were now the claws of a beast at least three times his size. They were still five fingered, and smooth across the top, however the underside of every digit was now razor sharp. At the elbow, extending out like short swords, were two double edged bone white blades, one for each arm. The tips of those edges would just barely pass his shoulder blades if his arm was fully extended.

Gauntlets were only part of the new look. His legs from knee to toe were also encased in thickened, claw tipped grieves. In addition, across the knees were studded spikes, needle sharp, but blade thick. The thin strands of his hair warped and locked into rows of hooked barbs, although the hair at least maintained its green coloring. As his glasses dissolved into his face, the final transition would be the opening of this third eye. This opening was accompanied by ninety-nine other eyes similarly opening all over his body, although these were mostly hidden by his clothes. The change in his energy would be equivalent to a Shinigami's Shikai.

The one hundred eyes all over his form pushed outward, briefly holding the ability to phase through his suit as his full power manifested. Once separated from his body they rapidly multiplied tenfold, filling the air with one thousand quarter sized spheres. Neural pathways normally dormant came to blazing life within Styn's mind. His brain capacity dramatically increased to deal with the sudden sensory overload. There was a moment of disorientation which quickly passed. The Demon Knight's Za Koa signature increased in magnitude to be comparable to that of a Shinigami's Bankai.

He would need a substantial amount of power to kick off this next series of tricks. An instant of will triggered the special sigils on his feet and legs to flood his core with power. The Za Koa he held was pushed into overdrive as each symbol on the demon's body began to glow into the visible spectrum. Even the bone white gauntlets and leggins that appeared in his true form had a spattering of infernal red tattoos. The glow was hardly steady. Instead, it was the wild fluctuation of Shadow Burst, symbols pulsing rapidly. Styn was immediately three times stronger and would remain as such until the end of the boost.

The swarm of one thousand eyes rushed all over the city at unbelievable speed. Each bit of flesh was a fully functioning sensory organ, expanding Styn's ocular range to the entirety of the large central circle in a matter of seconds. One hundred of those eyes were evenly spaced across the entire area, holding specific and random seeming positions of fixed placement. The Demon Knight directed a river from the ocean of power residing within his core.

Those one hundred points became the focus of a wide area spell. A gigantic and sturdy dome of darkness completely encased the central area of Salvador. This massive expanse of utter black was miles in diameter. In the center of this construct, Styn took a moment to just savor the sensation. His eyes had no problems piercing this obstruction, and he was certain that Queen Mana would be just as much at ease. She had an especial affinity for shadows.

The assembled humans were not so blessed. This deep dead obstruction of sight brought out primal terror. The magical darkness was obviously abnormal, and no amount of false conjured light was enough to dispel its murky cloak. The mantel of complete obscurement was only turning on the stove. The boost that all demon's received from standing in such utter concealment would help with the next part though.

Five Hundred of his ocular orbs were in separate and more clustered formation throughout the same area. Gritting his teeth at the strain Styn reached out with his mind, taking in every angle and curve of the miles of space at the center of Salvador. The very fabric of reality was about to be altered, but first he needed an even deeper perception that even his perceptive eyes could achieve.

Although hidden by the Blessing of Darkness, each of these five hundred orbs started to submerge the area in Za Koa's influence. Had there not been a complete visual blackout, it would seem as if a fine rain of red dust was suddenly coating every molecule of space. This red cloud infused the very air, saturating it with Styn's Za Koa. This energy claimed ownership over city and brought with it an intimate awareness.

Another twist of will combined every aspect of Styn's power. The area under this dome of shadows warped. It was as if the center of the city itself became a gigantic portal into the demon world. The veil between dimensions groaned in protest and a wave of hellish miasma rolled over the city. It was as if Salvador was now a part of the infernal home that demon's were spawned from.

There was a palatable relief as Styn was bolstered by this demonic offering. While almost suffocating to the humans of Salvador, the Demon Knight hoped only to put his Queen at greater ease. He had stepped out of the kitchen a moment to set the table, getting the ambiance and atmosphere perfect for the fine dining experience that he had worked so hard to craft. The main dish was mere moments away from going into the fire.

Styn was left with four hundred eyes to work with. He was flooded with Za Kao from Shadow Burst. He was saturated with energy from standing in utter darkness. He was infused with the might of hell and ready to finally let the bewildered humans feel his touch. Four hundred overlapping fields of Reiatsu Drain smashed into the assembled populous. The gathered mass of those with even a spec of reiatsu was suddenly under this wide area assault.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Styn's face. Harnessing all of that rendered power - however insignificant - the Demon Knight linked to every human present. He then began the process of turning every man, woman, and child into a demon. The shocked masses had fallen where they had stood, helpless on the ground as this grave change began to sweep over their physical and spritual structure.

The twisting of their very being could strike them in any number of ways. Some would feel the blissful rise of demonic might as an intense and overpowering pleasure. Even as their bones twisted and their flesh reformed, these fortunate humans would revel in the chaos of their transcendence. Others would be wracked with horrifying levels of pain that made what those who were in the East experiencing look like the difference between a stubbed toe and a broken leg.

To many the transformation would feel like death. The cold clammy hand of the grim reaper coming at last to bleed the warmth from their blood, one degree at a time. This slow creeping sensation would leave little doubt that life as a human would soon be over. However those inflicted perceived their change, there would be very few indeed who's minds did not snap under the strain.

Salvador was filled with madness. A veritable feast was laid out for the Demon Queen. She could choose to sample the rage and madness of war. A shift in her perception would bring her the taste of fear and the madness of pain. For a sweeter flavor there was scent of lust and the madness of hedonism. The final circle was a fitting desert, the light fluffy puff cloud dreams of trust and the madness of faith. Styn had worked to provide a meal the likes of which his liege would not soon forget.

In the center of Salvator, as millions of humans slowly transitioned to demons, there was the madness of chaos. Every human life experiencing the ultimate breaking of consciousness in too many unique and complete ways for Styn to even imagine what the sensation would be like. The Demon Knight of the First Circle allowed himself a moment of triumph. Whatever happened next, he had done good work this day. However he felt about the sacrifice of a single human city, he had performed in excess of standard. In the sanctity of unending black, with all the comforts of home, dinner was served.