MLII:TB P5- "Morning Star"

"Morning Star" is the fifth and final Part of "Miracula Luxia II: The Bond".

It was released on 18.09.2021.

## Plot

Adam and Akira have managed to hide in a safe place, away from the chaos that is happening outside. However, Akira's stepfather is still trying to take his daughter back. Soon, he is going to find them and it is clear that they will not be able to defend themselves when he attacks them.

Fortunately, a small group of Jared's allies, led by his ever-faithful ally and friend- John Braveheart, have responded to his call and are now on their way to fight the evil man and protect the chidren from him.

The end of this battle is coming near. Soon, one of the groups will prevail.

*But who is going to be blessed by the Goddess of Victory... and who is going to be condemned by her?*

## Story

As Akira's stepfather fights Jared, someone rushes towards the battlefield to help him out.

Just as he is about to be stabbed by him, the person manages to block the attack and push him back.

Jared stares at his savior for a second. After realizing who has just risked their own life to help him out, he smiles.

"Thank you, dad."- He says- "I knew that I could count on you."

Aleks looks back and nods.

"Keep your eyes open, son."- He says to him- "We're not out of danger yet."

The man laughs as he parries Aleks's attacks.

"Call as many family members as you'd like, Jared Kaos."- He says triumphantly- "No matter whom I have to face, I will kill them. And then, I will kill you *and* your pathetic son!"

Aleks looks at the man and gasps.

"Wait!"- He exclaims- "I know you!"

The man raises his eyebrow.

"Why, of course you do!"- He responds- "I am the most infamous leader that has ever existed! The cherry on top of every cake! The savior of every man and demon in this dark world!"

Aleks shakes his head.

"Lucifer Griffin. You may not know me, but I do."- He says- "You have always caused mischief and I will never forget the time when you almost killed my entire family. My hatred for you is absolute and I will destroy you. I will finish you off at all costs and I will not make the same mistake that I made before! Never again!"

Lucifer stares at Aleks for a few seconds, surprised. His smile does not fade away from his face.

This gives Jared the chance to slip away and find a better position. Aleks nods at him as he slips off into the shadows to the left.

"Hmm. I think that I remember who you are."- Lucifer says- "Your name is Aleks Kaos. Correct?"

Aleks nods.

"It is."

Lucifer laughs.

"How interesting!"- He says- "So, you are a part of this pathetic family? This will be even more thrilling that I anticipated. It means that we can finish the battle that we started many years ago!"

He sighs.

"Sure. I made a mistake back then. I spared you and allowed you to return to your family. I gave you a second chance. I was a fool."- He continues- "But now, I can fix it and redeem myself in front of my allies. I can become a revered demon lord once again!"

He points his weapon at him and grins.

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Kaos."- He says- "Allow me to show you how much I hate you and every single member of your family."

He charges and manages to catch Aleks off-guard. He pushes him to the ground and tries to stab him in the chest, but Aleks does a backroll and avoids the attack before he can be hurt.

"You can only prolong the inevitable. Not escape it!"- Lucifer exclaims- "Soon, your soul will be *mine*!"

As Lucifer tries to murder Jared's father, Jared himself manages to sneak up behind him.

"You will pay for everything, Lucifer."- He whispers- "You will pay."

Just as Lucifer turns around to look at something, Jared pounces on him and stabs him in the neck.

"Gah!"- Lucifer exclaims- "You insolent fool! How dare you sneak up on me like this?!"

He pushes him off and tries to stab him, but Aleks manages to grab him by the neck and forcefully slams his entire body into a nearby wall, shattering it and falling into a completely abandoned shop.

As Aleks and Lucifer continue to fight, Jared wonders what he can use to gain the upper hand.

At that moment, he sees a pair of small daggers on a nearby counter and reflexively grabs them and drops his own weapon.

Without thinking twice, he rushes forward and tries to plunge both weapons into the half-demon's head.

Unfortunately, Lucifer is already well-prepared for this surprise attack. In a matter of a single second, he envelops himself in a black, magical shield and sends Jared flying into a nearby wall.

As Jared tries to get up and fight back against this mysterious arcanic force, Lucifer turns around and points one of his fingers at him.

This gives enough time for our hero to see that he is not entirely human. His fingernail is much longer than it is supposed to be and his fingers are more... mishappen, to say at the very least.

"Your cheap tricks will not work against me, pathetic humans!"- He yells- "Now, prepare to feel my wrath!"

Suddenly, Jared's body stops moving. He falls to the ground, motionless.

"Jared!"- Aleks says- "Child! Are you alright?"

He glares at Lucifer.

"What have you done to him, you fiend?"- He yells- "What have you done to my son?!"

Lucifer turns around and laughs.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's alive, but he won't be moving his body for, say, five or six hours."- He says- "And you're about to experience the same suffering! Nothing more... and nothing less!"

Just like Jared, Aleks falls to the ground in a matter of a few seconds, unable to move his body.

"Can't... move."- He whispers- "Adam... Akira... please stay safe... "

Lucifer glares at the helpless Jared.

"Right now, I'd like to kill you on the spot, while you're unable to do anything. I'd like to make you pay for killing my wife and taking my daughter away from me."- He says to him- "But I think that I'll just chase them until they yield and I can make them pay."

He grins.

"Rest assured, my friend. I already know where they're hiding. I will find them in a matter of minutes."- He continues- "And they won't be able to go *anywhere*! Nobody will be able to save them!"

Jared slowly shakes his head.

"My son... will... defeat you."- He whispers- "Rest... assured... of it."

Lucifer laughs.

"Now that's what I'd like to see!"- He exclaims.

He turns around and leaves the two of them alone.

Fortunately, Lucifer's magic quickly fades away after his departure. Soon, both Jared and Aleks are able to move again.

"This is horrible! He's going to kill them both!"- Aleks says to his son- "What can we possibly do to save them?"

Jared shakes his head.

"At this point, he is too far away for us to catch up with him."- He says- "But do not worry, dad. I still have a plan in mind."

He pulls out a small phone from his left pocket.

"And if we are lucky, we might be able to send someone to help them out."

He quickly dials someone on it and listens closely for a response.

Sure enough, the recipient responds almost instantly.

"John, my friend. I am glad that you responded to my call."- He says- "I am afraid to ask, but I need your help. It is very urgent. In fact, it will be a matter of time before disaster occurs."

"Sure thing, buddy. I am always eager to help a friend in need."- John says- "What do you want me to do?"

Jared sighs.

"Adam and Akira are in danger. They are hiding in the ruins of a tower not far from the city. And they are chased by an old enemy of ours- Lucifer Griffin. He wants his daughter back and it will be a matter of time before he gets there and kills them both."- He says- "I know that you are much closer to them than I am right now, so can you please gather a small squad of brave warriors and go there before he can reach them."

John makes a reassuring noise.

"You can count on me, Jared."- He says- "I will find them as soon as possible and I will protect them as best as I can."

Jared nods and smiles.

"Thank you, John."- He says- "Me and my father will be joining you very soon. Do not let this fiend reach them."

He ends the call and looks at his father,

"It is time, dad. Steel yourself and get ready for a long and hard battle."- He says to him- "The children need us and I do not want to let them down."

Aleks nods.

"Go ahead, my son."- He says- "I'm right behind you."

Meanwhile, Adam and Akira wait in the ruined tower, hugging each other as they think about the trouble that they have gotten themselves into.

"I am so sorry, Aki."- He says to her- "If me and my dad hadn't stayed with you, your mother would still be alive and your crazy father would not be chasing us like a bunch of petty criminals."

Akira shakes her head.

"Don't be ridiculous, little brother. You and dad did so much to protect us."- She responds- "Had you failed to come when we needed you the most, neither of us would have survived this ordeal."

Adam shakes his head.

"Still, I regret the fact that I openly challenged your stepdad. It is clear that he wants me dead for taking you away from him."- He says- "He is a very scary person and I fear that I may fall victim of his unstoppable rage."

Akira shakes her head again.

"No, you are not!"- She exclaims- "You mean so much to me. You are like a white pearl in this jet black world. And I'm sure that many more people think the same way."

She clenches her fist.

"My stepfather is an absolute madman. He will stop at nothing to destroy those who dare to bring light to our dark family. And don't think that he will ever be able to change. It's the fate that he chose for himself and all of us and he's not going to listen to anyone, let alone his own family."- She continues- "I may have loved him once, but I was fooled. I trusted him and I made a huge mistake."

She angrily stares at the sky.

"And if he thinks that he can harm my real family in any way, he's going to pay dearly."- She says- "I assure you, dear brother. No matter how confused I may get in this battle, no matter how unsure I may become in my own actions, my hatred for this evil man will always prevail and I will always protect you from him. And I'll always make sure of it."

Just as Akira says the last sentence, the tower's front door suddenly opens. A large man busts into the building.

"They're here, sir!"- He says to someone behind him.

Then, he tries to apprehend both children. However, his luck runs out as Adam pulls out his weapon and stabs him in the chest.

As he falls to the ground in front of them, a small group of bandits enters the tower and surrounds them.

A few seconds later, Lucifer appears as well and approaches them.

"Bad girl. Did you really think that you could escape from your daddy?"- He says to Akira- "Well, too bad. It seems like there's nowhere you can go. And now, I hate to say it, but you are trapped. You can't escape."

He grabs her arm and forcefully pulls her back.

"Fortunately, you're going to escape maximum punishment. You're only going to get a hard beating."- He says- "As for your little friend, it's going to be much worse."

He grins.

"I'm sorry, kid, but you're going to watch something really gruesome."- He continues- "And I want you to watch every second of it."

Akira shakes her head.

"You monster!"- She yells as she tries to break free- "Why? Why would you do this?!"

Lucifer slaps her.

"Know your place, little one."- He says- "I'm your parent and I'm the only one who knows what's best for you. So be quiet and be the little quiet sheep that you've always been. It fits you well."

Akira glares at him.

"Dear father."- She says quietly- "You should know that every fearful sheep can become a fearsome wolf. It's only a matter of time before you're forced to watch this metamorphosis in front of your very eyes."

A few moments later, she notices that her stepfather's lackies are getting close to Adam. Their blades are drawn.

"Adam!"- Akira yells- "No!"

She tries to break free again, but her stepfather holds her hostage.

"No! Leave him alone immediately!"- She screams- "I will kill you! I will kill you all!"

The bandits don't listen to her. They point their blades at Adam and prepare to kill him as he tries to defend himself from them.

Just as they are about to make their move, the tables turn in the favor of our heroes. Suddenly, each one of them is shot in the back by mysterious assailants.

"No!"- Lucifer yells- "My servants!"

He angrily looks back and gasps.

John and his warriors bust into the tower and attack him.

This gives Akira a chance to escape from her bindings. She leans down and bites her stepfather on the arm, nearly ripping a large chunk off of it.

When he stumbles back, she draws her weapon and slices him in the neck.

Just as she thinks that he will bleed to death, however, his wound seals in a matter of seconds.

"Nice try, dear."- He says to her- "But you should know that you can't kill me. Not like this."

He draws his weapon.

"And I won't give you the chance to try again."

He charges at her, but is stopped by two of the warriors as they shield her from his attacks.

"Run, children!"- John yells- "We'll take care of this freak!"

Adam and Akira realize that they have no other choice. They run towards the second floor, not looking back.

"Come back here, weaklings!"- Lucifer yells and tries to catch up with them.

However, John and his warriors stop him before he can have the chance to do that.

"Nice try, villain."- He says- "But you can't escape from the omnipresent hands of justice anymore!'

Adam quickly climbs the stairs, not daring to look back and knowing that Lucifer is after them. Akira is closely behind him, making sure that they are not going to be attacked from behind.

Soon, they reach the highest floor of the tower which is, surprisingly, still entirely intact. They open a door, carefully closing it once they are on the other side and arrive on the roof- possibly the final destination that they will ever see with their own eyes.

"If only the rest of the tower were so pristine."- Adam says to Akira.

She nods.

"I agree."- She says- "This place needs to be repaired as soon as this madness is over."

They sit on the floor, waiting for John and his allies to take care of Akira's evil stepfather.

Five minutes later, both of them hear footsteps. They are heading this way.

"Maybe Mr. Braveheart has defeated him!"- Adam says- "It is a wishful thinking, but I have feeling that I am right!"

Akira nods.

"I hope so!"- She exclaims.

Unfortunately, their hopes are soon crushed as the door opens and Lucifer appears in front of them.

He grins and throws John on thr ground.

"*I think that I know what he's done to him!*"- Akira whispers to Adam- "*My father has the ability to paralyze mortal humans whenever he wants. I think that this is the case with Mr. Braveheart.*"

John weakly looks up at them.

"Children."- He says, his voice barely audible to them- "You're on... your... own."

He slumps to the ground and falls unconscious.

"Mr. Braveheart!"- Adam yells and tries to help him out.

However, he is soon stopped by Akira.

"No. Stop."- She says to him- "It's a trap."

Adam turns to her.

"He needs our help!"- He says- "We need to-- "

Suddenly, they are bombarded by a barrage of fireballs.

Barely avoiding the attack herself, Akira hides Adam behind her and draws her weapon.

"Father. Stop this madness *right now*!"- She yells at him- "I know that you came here for me. You've got nothing to do with those people!"

Lucifer shakes his head as he takes another step forward.

"Once again, you're completely wrong, dear daughter."- He responds- "Those people are responsible for the death of your mother. You saw it with your own eyes back there. And they're all going to die. No exceptions."

He grins.

"Don't feel bad, though. Their fate's already sealed."- He continues- "You can't do anything to make it otherwise."

Akira points her weapon at him and prepares to attack.

"Watch me!"- She yells- "I'm going to seal *your* fate instead!"

She charges at him, but is quickly pushed away.

Soon, she is forced to fend off the incoming bandits as Lucifer turns to face Adam.

"Your father was a fool. He wasn't there to protect you when you needed him."- He says to him- "And look what happens now! You're alone and afraid!"

Adam draws Demonslayer and points it at him.

"I may be alone, but I am not afraid at all. Especially of evil people like you!"- He replies- "I am going to make you pay for messing with our family! And then, we are going to take Akira into a family where she will be loved much more than she is right now!"

Adam's words madden Lucifer even further.

"Argh! Shut up! Shut up! Shut **UP**!"- He yells- "Only I deserve to have this girl! I won't let anyone else corrupt her with their idiocy! And I will *kill* them if they try to separate us!"

He points a clawed hand at him.

"Mark my words, I will kill you *before* anyone can save you!"- He continues- "I hope that you're ready to die, you foolish child. Because your time has come!"

Suddenly, he rushes forward. His speed is remarkable, much better than the one of our young hero.

Realizing that his fate has already been sealed, Adam becomes unsure whether he will be saved in time or not. Still, he decides that he will fight back and that he will not show a sign of weakness, even if this is his final battle.

He swings his blade at him, hoping that he can land a lucky blow and disorient his enemy.

Unfortunately, Lucifer's speed proves to be too much for him. He swiftly avoids the boy's attacks and throws him back.

As Adam tries to get up, he is pushed further by Lucifer. He is now near the ledge, close to falling down from the massive tower.

"Just so you know."- Adam says calmly to him- "If you do manage to kill me, your troubles will not be over. Far from it. Once my family finds me, they will seek you and eventually avenge my demise. Your fate will be the one that is sealed. Sooner or later, you will pay for what you have done."

Lucifer grins and shakes his head.

"Maybe your family will try to kill me. But rest assured that they will fail."- He responds- "Soon, they will all fall down. As for you, your death will be a very painful one. Soon, you will fall from this tower. You will die a broken boy. A wanna-be hero who's never managed to achieve his dreams. Who watched them get shattered in front of him during his final moments. There's no salvation for you! No light! No hope for rescue! This is the end of the line and you know it well!"

Adam shakes his head and points Demonslayer towards him.

"I may be a child, but that does not mean that I cannot fight back!"- He yells- "If this is the day when I must meet my impending doom, I am going to face it with dignity! I am going to fight for my life until every single bit of energy within my body is gone! I will never surrender until the very end. So stand back, because I am coming for you!"

Having said that, he charges and attacks Lucifer. His motivation restored, he is more than determined enough to fight back against his powerful attacks.

The sound of clanging blades fills the air as both sides fight for their lives and try to undermine each other until one of them falls down.

It is an even fight. Their forces are equal. Nobody is sure who will win.

But, unlike Lucifer, Adam is a little boy. He is not trained in the arts of fighting just yet and has a lot to gain in the years to come... if he survives.

Soon, he shows a sign of weakness. This gives the half-demon a chance to retaliate and attack his enemy.

Due to his fierce blows, Adam almost trips. Fortunately, he falls on his knees and stands his ground as Lucifer tries to push him off.

"You stand no chance, little one!"- Lucifer yells at him- "Give up and accept defeat! Don't make me angry!"

Adam shakes his head.

"In your dreams, vile fiend!"- He yells and charges.

Soon, he manages to headbutt Lucifer in the stomach.

As the half-demon yells in pain and stands back, Adam points his blade at him.

"Up until now, I did not know who you are. What you have done."- He says to him- "But now, I know it very well. You are a monster that is hidden under a thin layer of human skin. A worthless tyrant who commands his minions to do his bidding and forces them to fight instead of him. An apathetic parent who does not care about his own family, no matter how hard he tries to fool everyone else into thinking otherwise. You let Ms. Minamino down. You let her die. Your actions made Akira grow mistrustful and hateful of everything that you have done for them. In our eyes, you are no different from the pure-blooded demons that live in the Underworld. There is no change. No difference. All of you are the same and it is clear that you have no qualities that can differentiate you from them. But even if you did, both sides of the coin will remain unchanged. You are a pure-blooded monster, a demon who is looking for an excuse to break free and wreck havoc upon this world. Nothing else!"

Lucifer's scream interrupts him.

"That's enough!"- He yells- "So what if I am indeed a demon? What will you do? Make me pay for my crimes? Get real, kid. You can't hold a sword properly, let alone fight someone as powerful as myself."

He looks back at Akira and grins.

"And my daughter will always love me, no matter what happens next."

Akira shakes her head and watches helplessly as her stepfather takes a step forward.

"Now, it's time for you to-- "

"Freeze, demon!"- Someone yells behind him.

Lucifer turns around, alarmed. He sees who has just arrived and gasps.

On the floor near the door, all of his demon and bandits servants lie dead. And in front of them, Jared and his allies stand near Akari and stare at him.

Jared himself is pointing a bow at the half-demon and glaring at him as he prepares to shoot an arrow at him.

"This is the end of the line for you, Lucifer."- He says to him- "Get away from my son and come face me instead. I know that you want to finish the fight that we started, so why don't you go ahead and fight me like the man whom you think that you are?"

Lucifer lifts his hands in the air and smiles.

"Go ahead, then. Give me your best shot."- He says- "However, it won't be enough to save *either* of them."

Jared stares at him and watches as he approaches what looked like a pile of bundled ropes from a distance.

With a single swing of his clawed hand, he sets whoever was bound there free.

Soon, everyone recognizes the person who was with them all this time.

"Meggy!"- Jared yells- "Are you alright, dear?"

Meggy looks at Jared, but soon looks down. For some reason, it looks like she has lost all of her faith and is now a hollowed shell of her former self.

Adam does not react. Instead, he approaches Akira and whispers something to her.

Meanwhile, Jared and the others watch in horror as Lucifer transforms in front of their very eyes.

Soon, a large demon is standing in front of them. It is a terrifying creature, a wall of pure muscle that is able to eviscerate anything and everything that dares to stand in its path.

"Ah. I am finally free."- He says- "Now, where were we?"

He looks back at Meggy and smiles.

"Oh, yes."- He continues- "My prisoner."

He swings his blade a few times and points it at her neck.

"Well. How does it feel, great hero?"- He says to Jared- "How does it feel when your own family's going to fall apart? And, believe me, I can make it happen in just the blink of an eye."

Jared stares at Meggy for a second. He sees the fear in her eyes, the trembling of her hands.

Yes. It is clear that Lucifer has done something horrible to this poor soul.

"You... you have broken her."- He asks him- "Why did you do that? Why did you try to harm someone who has done nothing to you?"

Lucifer smiles.

"I assure you that your wife's completely fine."

He turns to her and grabs her by the neck.

"Speak!"

Meggy trembles and looks at Jared. Her eyes show a worrying amount of fear.

"It's okay, dear. Don't worry about me."- She says- "Run away with Adam. Give him the future that he deserves, even if it means that it'll be without me. I don't want our entire family to end like... like this."

She said the last sentence with intense sorrow. Tears start to fall from her eyes as she continues to speak.

"All of you deserve to live."- She continues- "Just go. Forget about me and live your lives."

Jared shakes his head and grasps his blade tight.

"I refuse to let you down, Meggy!"- He yells- "I am going to rescue you and bring you back home! I am going to fix the flaws that this fiend created and make you a loving and caring mother once again."

Lucifer grins as he listens to Meggy beg Jared and the others to leave, while Jared tries to convince her that everything will get better for her.

"*Fools! Absolute **fools**!*"- He says to himself- "*Look at them! Look at how pathetic they are! I would gladly listen to my servants laugh at them, if they were still alive.*"

He looks at Akira.

"Come to me, my dear."- He says calmly to her- "Join your favorite daddy and watch the downfall of those so-called "heroes". "

Akira takes a step forward.

"No, Akira."- Aleks says- "Don't trust him!"

Akira takes another step forward.

"Akira, I know that you love your father, despite everything that he did to you."- Aleks continues- "But this is not the right time to be playing with fire like this!"

Akira looks back at Aleks and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, grandpa."- She says to him- "I'm so sorry. I will sin, but I hope that you can forgive me."

Aleks watches in horror as Akira joins her father. He tries to get Jared's attention, but fails.

He glares at Lucifer as he pats his daughter on the head.

"Let the girl go."- He says to him- "She doesn't want to be with a parent like you. Do not force her to make wrong decisions."

Lucifer raises his eyebrow.

"Says who?"- He asks.

Aleks continues to glare at him.

"Says a person who loves her and is ready to do whatever he can to protect her from the evil in this world."- He says- "Unlike you, filthy criminal."

Lucifer grits his teeth.

"Watch your tongue, old man."- He says to him- "Because I'm going to cut it off very soon."

Aleks nods.

"Very well. Kill me, if you must. Disrespect me. Throw me into the darkest depths of the Abyss itself. I am ready."- He says- "But I want to know something first."

Lucifer raises his eyebrow.

"I'm all ears."- He says- "Say your piece and prepare yourself for complete destruction."

Aleks nods.

"You claim that my son is the one who killed Akari."- He says to him- "Is this true?"

Lucifer nods.

"Well, I found evidence that points to someone who is much closer to her."

Lucifer looks at him, confused.

"Oh yeah?"- He says- "And who might this person be, if you don't mind me asking?"

Aleks glares at him.

"I may not have evidence in the form of an item. But I did learn something from one of your kind. And it is more valuable than thousands of them."- He responds- "On the way towards the tower, we managed to find one of your servants. He was running towards your secret base to inform the others where Adam and Akira are, but we intercepted him. We interrupted him and asked him about a small emblem that Jared noticed on the wall shortly after Akari died in his hands. Out of fear, the poor thing revealed everything that we needed, hoping for us to spare him. We did not."

He looks at Akira.

"The thing is that I didn't want Akira to know until it becomes absolutely necessary."- He says- "But now, I can see the barely controlled rage within her eyes. I can feel her heartbeat getting faster, even from over here. And I understand how angry she is. How much she hates you, how much she despises you for everything that you have done to her and her mother. She deserves to know the truth about this mystery and I cannot hide it anymore."

Akira gasps. She listens closely as Aleks begins to speak again.

Lucifer panics and tries to cover his daughter's ears.

"No, Akira! Don't listen to this man!"- He says- "I'm the only one that you can trust! I'm your only friend in this world!"

Akira ignores him and continues to listen.

"Akira, my dear."- Aleks says to her- "The demon who came to attack you, the one who killed your mom... he did not do it on his own accord. A single person, a bloodthirsty leader forced him to do it."

Akira raises her eyebrow.

"A... person?"

Lucifer shakes his head.

"No. It was an accident!"- He yells- "The demon wanted to kill Jared and his son, not your mother! He didn't mean to do it!"

Akira looks at Lucifer.

"Father?"- She says quietly- "What in the world are you talking about?"

Aleks nods.

"Yes. It is true. And I cannot hide it."- He says- "The one who is responsible for your mother's death... is the one who is standing beside you."

Akira looks at him, shocked.

"Akira, don't listen to this person!"- Lucifer yells- "Their entire family is nothing more than a bunch of liars. Nothing more!"

Akira is not able to control the rage within her body. Not after hearing what happened to the dearest person in her life.

"So this is how you thank us for accepting you into the family! For trusting you with our lives!"- She screams at him- "I will never forgive you for this, stepfather! Never!"

Lucifer looks around, horrified. The secret has been revealed and everyone is glaring at him.

"It is all over, Lucifer."- Aleks says to him- "You lied. Cheated. Harmed your family. Fooled your subordinates that you're a good and respectable leader. You made the entire world your sworn enemy. And now, you will get what you deserve. There is no way you can escape the sacred hands of Justice!"

Lucifer shakes his head and draws his blade.

"You. All of you."- He says- "How dare you fill my daughter's mind with lies?! It was Jared who killed her and this is the truth! I saw her kill him with my own eyes from a distance! You can't fool me!"

Jared shakes his head.

"You are completely wrong, Lucifer. I would never kill the girl that I have loved for so long. Even Meggy knows how much I still love her, how much I care about her and her daughter."- He responds- "As for you, I can see that you are not a good man at all. I was expecting Akira's father to be a good, brave, determined, respected man who cares about his all family. But all that I see here is the pathetic remnants of a formerly revered leader of a huge organization. A broken man who has nothing to lose, who will do everything that he can to drag the entire world down with him as he falls into the ceaseless void. And, after hearing what you did to cower your daughter into submission, especially when you told that demon to attack and kill all of us, I will say that I hate you. My hatred for you burns like a wildfire and I will burn you down into the ashes that you deserve to be!"

Lucifer grits his teeth as he swings his blade at him.

"I will kill you, Jared Kaos!"- He screams- "I will kill you and your entire fami-- "

Suddenly, he feels the touch of cold steel as it enters his body through the back and pierces his heart as it emerges on the other side.

He looks back, shocked that someone is trying to kill him.

He sees Adam.

"This is what you get for killing Ms. Minamino! You did so many things to crush her and now, she is dead because of *you*!"- He yells- "With this attack, I want you to feel both her and my rage as it pierces through you like a lightning in the sky. So, die and never return!"

Lucifer laughs weakly.

"You really think that such a weak attack can kill me, Adam?"- He asks him- "You have to try harder than that."

He tries to attack him, but it is revealed that the sword that Adam pierced him with mere moments ago is Demonslayer.

As the bane of all demons slowly (and painfully) drains the strength of Lucifer, he stumbles back and falls to his knees, barely able to keep himself from falling.

"No. You can't defeat me."- He says- "You *won't* defeat me!"

Akira approaches her stepfather and glares at him.

"Lucifer Griffin, or so they claim that you are."- She says stoically- "You dared to harm us. You disrespected us. You treated us like trash on the road. You ignored us when we needed you the most. But, most importantly, you always made my mother cry. But we still loved you. Mom saw you as a good person, despite how evil it is clear that you are. And I saw you as a decent father, despite every insult that you used against me. We had a mostly quiet life... until you dared to send one of your *pathetic* servants to attack us and get rid of both me and my mom for good. That moment, I drew the line to all of this nonsense. This chaos. I came to realize how much I've always hated you. How much I've always wanted to get rid of you and live a new, quiet life. And now, I know that I have been right to think so. All this time, I wanted to be a better person. I wanted to be a hero, not a villain. I wanted to help people and assure them that there are still heroes in this world. But you prevented me from chasing all of my dreams. You stopped me in my tracks and led me toward a road to ruin. To armageddon. However, everything is going to change very soon. My mother may not be here anymore, but you failed to kill everyone that I love. I still have my other family. And they are much nicer and kinder than you will ever be to me. They will help me reach the bright future that I've always dreamed about and they will always stay by my side. Unlike you. Even though I will still have nightmare of how you used to torture us and remember them with disgust and anger, I will still strive to be a better person. Much better than you. And, unlike you, I will help those people instead of thinking how to make their lives a misery. I will protect them from evil, heartless people like you. And I will make them *happy*!"

She takes another step and unsheathes Demonslayer from his ribs. She grabs him by the neck and stares into his eyes.

"A-Akira. Sweetie."- He says to her in his most reassuring voice- "You're not going to do something like this to your daddy. R-right?"

Akira shakes her head.

"Maybe the old Akira wouldn't do that. Perhaps she would have told me to stop and give you another chance, despite every single truth that both of us just heard."- She says- "But I am a different person now. The weak, fearful and dependant Akira that you remember is long gone. She's replaced by a confident and determined young heroine. And the first thing that she will do... is to get rid of the faulty piece of the puzzle that she calls Life, the one that always broke her heart and wanted to make her give up on her own dreams."

She takes a step closer, towards the ledge.

"So farewell, so-called "stepfather". "- She finishes- "Go back into the deepest depths of the Abyss from whence you came... and leave my family *alone*!"

Suddenly, she plunges Demonslayer deep into his throat and watches as he struggles to fight back.

Then, angered that he is still alive, she pulls the weapon out and, using only one of her hands, throws her father off the tower and watches as he quickly falls down.

Lucifer tries to curse his stepdaughter and her family, but all that comes out of his voicebox are a bunch of loud gurgles and barely audible hisses.

Soon, he plunges to his death, never to be seen again.

Akira turns around and sees that Adam is staring at her. She hugs him and he hugs her back.

"I'm sorry, little brother. I'm sorry that you had to witness all of this."- She says- "You did not deserve to get in so much trouble."

Adam smiles.

"It does not matter, Aki. It is all over now."- He responds- "Your evil stepfather is gone. You have defeated the one who has plagued your mind with lies and showed all of us that you are worthy of bearing the surname known as "Kaos". You are an amazing heroine and I love you very much."

Akira's eyes fill up with tears as she hugs her brother again.

"I love you, Adam. And I will never stop doing so!"- She exclaims proudly- "All this time, I saw you only as my friend, a person for whom I didn't care very much. But now, times are going to change. We're going to be together and always stand side by side until our final moments. We will be eternal and rise into the skies like Phoenii. We will illuminate them and bring light and joy into this dark world!"

Jared smiles, approaches Adam and Akira and hugs them.

"The Kaos family is whole again. And it is all thanks to both of you, children."- He says- "I love you very, very much."

He turns to Meggy and smiles.

"Come on, Meggy. Akira might be my child, but that does not mean that she is not yours."- He says to her- "She is your daughter now. Come here and show her as much love as I am right now!"

Meggy smiles, approaches them and hugs both her husband and her children.

"My faith in our family has been restored. We're safe again."- She says- "They tried to kill us, but they failed, because we are *united*!"

She turns to Akira and smiles.

"Welcome to our heroic family, sweetie."- She says to her- "I may not be as much of a good mother as Akari once was to you, but I promise that I'll try my best to fill that gap and make your life into a paradise."

Jared smiles and looks at his daughter.

"Akira. As the head of our glorious family, I formally welcome you and allow you to stay with us."- He says- "We all know what you went through. All the troubles that you were forced to face. All of the people who looked down at you and saw you as nothing more than a leaf in the wind. Nearly every person around you, even ones from your family, thought that you are a broken child who is unable to make its own decisions. Who has no chance to survive in the dark realm that we call our world. But today, you showed them that you are not afraid. You showed them that you are worthy of being called a hero and that you are not determined by your father's actions. Today, the world will learn about your noble deed and start to see who you really are. The real you that has been hidden under all of the ruins that you used to call your life. From now on, you are a part of our society and you will see that you are not alone."

He bows down to her.

"And I will promise this."- He says- "As long as I am still able to fight, as long as I still have even the tiniest spark of life in me, I will protect you from evil. And I will gladly give my life to keep you alive, if that is what must be done."

Everyone else nods.

"And it is the same for us!"- They say in perfect unison.

Akira smiles. Her eyes fill up with tears.

"I see."- She says- "Mom was right. Even when she's not here, there will still be people who will always love me. Who will care about me and respect me. Who will always see me as a good person and will make my life better. A new family that will show me the right way towards the future."

She bows to them.

"Thank you, everyone."- She says- "From now on, we shall fight together and achieve our goals... as a family!"

Everyone nods.

"It seems like everyone agrees with you, my dear."- Jared says to her- "Now, I can see that you need some rest after all of those struggles. How about we get out of this place and go to the new place that you will call home?"

Akira nods and smiles.

"I agree. And I will be proud to call it so."- She says- "Lead the way, daddy."

Jared smiles and kisses her on the forehead.

"I know that you have heard this a million times, but I will say it again."- He says to her- "I love you, Aki."

Akira smiles.

"I love you too, dad."

A few minutes later, everyone gets out of the ruined tower and heads towards the Kaos residence.

Just as they leave this mysterious place behind, Akira stops and heads back. Adam and Jared follow her.

She approaches the place where her stepfather fell down and checks the ground for any signs of him. Sure enough, he emerges from the nearby bushes and tries to attack her.

"He is... still alive?!"- Adam says, horrified- "Impossible! No one can survive a fall from such a great height!"

Akira shakes her head and points at him.

"Look closer."- She says- "He's not among the living anymore. Or, more precisely, not the way he used to be."

Adam looks closer and realizes that his sister is right. Lucifer is not alive anymore, but his body is still standing up. Despite the fact that he is gone.

"He is one of them now."- Jared says to Adam- "We may have killed him, but not quite."

Adam nods and looks at Demonslayer. He closes his eyes for a second and listens to the undead's growls as it gets closer and closer to him.

"Lucifer. I will never forgive you for what you did to Ms. Minamino."- He says quietly- "You made us angry. And you paid the price."

He sighs.

"I can feel it. Part of your soul is still within your undead self, struggling to break free. Trying to get killed so you can move on."

Suddenly, he opens his eyes.

"But I will not let you off the hook that easily!"

He charges and, before either Jared or Akira is able to stop him, he swiftly beheads the undead Lucifer and watches coldly as his head falls on the ground.

Without thinking twice, he sheathes his sword back into its place and grabs the head with both of his hands.

Although he just cut it off, it is still alive. Still growling at him.

"Soon, this will serve as a memory of a time long past."- He says- "A remnant of a true nightmare that will remind us of who we are and why we are here. A dark soul that will be trapped within this world for all eternity after paying the huge price for its crimes, serving its eternal punishment and staring at every person with great hatred."

Jared takes a step forward and looks at the undead head of Lucifer.

"So this is what happens when you behead someone who is still undead. How interesting."- He says- "Very well, Jared. We shall mount Lucifer's head on a pole, to serve as a grim reminder to us and everyone in the city that there is always evil roaming its streets, no matter how hard we try to eradicate it."

Adam hands Lucifer's head to his father and joins Akira in walking back towards their home- the new Kaos residence.

"Little brother."- She says to him as they get close- "I know that a lot is on your mind right now. I don't want to trouble you further, but I have a question for you."

Adam smiles.

"Of course, sister. If it is for you, I am always ready to give an answer."- He responds- "What do you want to know?"

Akira looks up at the sky and smiles sadly.

"Back then, I told you that I love you. Very much."- She says to him- "My question is- do you love me as much as I love you?"

Adam smiles. In a moment, he has the right answer in his mind and is ready to say it to her.

"I love you, big sister."- He says to her- "And I always will. No matter what happens next."

Akira raises her eyebrow.

"Is this a promise?"

Adam nods and smiles.

"Yes, it is."- He replies- "I will love you until the end of time. And that... ***is a promise***."