Reborn to Devour: A Demonic LitRPG

My thoughts were halted by a flourish of their cloak. The white cloth billowed as though two feathered wings white as the driven snow would spread from their back and bathe the square in radiance. Demons around me began to call out towards the white-garbed figure, begging that they turn their blessed attention their way.

But, the angelic limbs did not show themselves. Instead, a small, refined clearing of the throat commanded the attention of those within the square.

“Thank you,” the white garbed person almost sang with a light, airy voice. “Welcome, children and friends, and thank you for coming here to attend our Great Changing. I know that there are new faces amongst us that were unable to be blessed by viewing our previous events, so allow me to formally introduce myself to all of you. I am Armaros, eleventh leader of Brunswick and the head of the fourth chapter of the Grigori. It is this latter position that I am employing to speak to all of you on this day.”

Armaros signaled and a group of demons in armor that shimmered with silver made their way to the stage. Their bodies were decorated in the crosses and Fleur de Lis that one would expect from the Crusaders of old.

“Today, we say goodbye to many of our brothers and sisters who have dutifully served for many years to ensure that Brunswick is the most prosperous and beautiful place in the Desolate Plains,” Armaros continued. “They will now serve under the banners of our great Savior in the higher realms. No doubt, their great service is the reason why many of you would have found yourselves here in the first place. But, do not fret, the departure of our proud soldiers today is only possible due to the appointment of these new recruits that have endeavored difficult “

A few demons off to the side waved towards the crowd. Each of them puffed out their chest with pride at the words that their leader had bestowed upon them.

“I will now call out the names of all that are leaving our side,” Armaros announced. “Brother Adalbert, Brother Ambrosio, Sister Angela, Brother Bernat, Sister Caroline…”

One by one, Armaros brought the demons to the center of the stage. They knelt before Armaros and held their hands above their heads. A glow of light escaped Armaros’ hand and snaked down to envelop the kneeling demon’s body. After a moment, the glow dissipated and the demon rose to their feet and moved to stand behind their leader.

About thirty demons underwent this ceremony. They watched in deathly silence. Not even a cough or a shuffling of the body was audible. Even the zealots ceased lacerating their own flesh to prevent interrupting the ceremony.

It was a suffocating atmosphere; the kind that made you feel like a freak for not following along with the rest. I could tell which demons were newcomers like me. We all looked at each other from across the seas of bodies to ask what the fuck was going on with our facial expressions. But, there were going to be no good answers until we saw this to completion.

“I encourage you all to give these exemplary members of our community a round of applause and to wish them well on the next stage of their journey,” Armaros prompted after the final demon was finished glowing.

The silence turned to a deafening applause as the applause was met with additional and unasked for screeching from the demons in the square. Yoshitsune looked like she was about to faint from surprise as her more finely tuned ears were assaulted by the sudden sounds.

“My friends and comrades of many years,” Armaros began as they addressed the demons they called. “I have offered you the final blessing I can give to help guide you through to the next part of your journey. There is nothing left here for you. Please, allow yourselves to feel the light of our savior and be gone from this realm of wretched sinners. Please, help our Lord conquer the upper realms and save us all.”

A chorus of demons screaming “save us” cascaded down onto the armored demons. They raised their hands to the sky and were struck with a flash of red light. In an instant, they were gone from this place.

“Our mortal world taught us that the old must always be replaced by the new,” Armaros stated as they stared at the place where the armored demons once stood. “Leaves fall off trees in winter to be replaced by new sprouts, water constantly flows, and the flesh of our children replace our own rotting husks to inherit the Earth. Much in that way, our old heroes will be replaced by new ones. I could introduce them now, but, I want their own deeds to have their names leave indelible marks upon you. Please, remember their faces.”

Proud new recruits paraded around the stage. They stuck out their chests and preened like boys at prom trying to get laid in order to try to make as much of an impact that they could on the crowd. Applause rained down on the new heroes and inflated their heads like balloons.

“Now, allow me to speak of another matter,” Armaros requested after the new recruits exited the stage. “It is a matter that I am sure dwells close to your hearts. The matter of salvation. For those of you that have listened to me before, it is a speech that should dwell close to your heart. For those that I have yet to meet, I hope that it manages to do the same for you.”

I crossed my arms, a sour emotion filling me like when you meet a used car salesman. However, I was intrigued by what salvation demons could bring. It was like your buddy telling you they had found a corpse to an undiscovered animal in the woods behind their house; you knew it was bullshit, but you still wanted to see it anyway.

“There are two things that those that dwell within this realm share,” Armaros asserted, raising two fingers for effect. “The first is that we were all once human. It may be hard for some of you to remember. When flesh is contorted and changed and the time that you spent down here far exceeds the time you ever lived as a person, it is easy to think of yourselves as always being a demon. You do not eat or drink or sleep. If it were not for my face, would you even remember what a person was supposed to look like?”

Murmuring spread amongst some of the older demons. It seemed that, to them, such words were a revelation. I myself, had not been dead long enough to forget. Even if I had, the memories the Follies dredged up were still relatively fresh.

But Yoshitsune seemed to be affected in her own way. Robbed of sight, she could not even see the human features on Armaros’ face. Her memory of others would continue to fade.

“The second commonality is that we had all erred in some way to find ourselves here,” Armaros continued. “Some gathered here can immediately recall the heinous actions they committed in life. Their assignment to this infernal eternity should not be of any surprise. I am sure that, to some, it is a designation to be proud of.”

A couple demons around stifled their reactions. Some hung their heads while others subtly smiled in remembrance of the horrors they inflicted in the realm of mortals. Most did not react at all.

“But, in my time as a member of this Church, I have heard many confessions from demons like you. When you recall the worst of your transgressions to us and confess the actions that brought you to us, I cannot help but feel as though they are lacking. Are these acts truly so great that you must reside here for eternity? I have met demons who are down here for striking a spouse a single time, for disciplining their child, for killing someone who was attempting to take their life first. Are these acts so deserving of such severe punishment? Was forgiveness always so difficult to obtain? You do not deserve this.”

I could feel frustration and indignation thrum around me. Did these people truly believe that smacking their wife was all that they had done? I could not help but feel that, even when there was nothing left to lose and no one left to judge you, people still tried to downplay their own roles in their damnation. As long as somebody else told them that they did not deserve to be down here. Something unfair had happened to them and, if they shouted loud enough, God would hear it and change His mind.

There had to be fairness, the guidelines given to us by prophets to live by, or else no one would make it to Heaven.

“The only conclusion that could be obtained was that there was something wrong with how souls were judged,” Armaros claimed. “God’s perfect system had been meddled with under our noses and we were none the wiser. That is why our savior, Mikha’el, blessed that they must forever be, upon seeing this injustice, descended of their own will to this heinous place to provide salvation to the deserving.”

Armaros paused expectantly for the adoration for the angel to echo throughout the square.

“We were given two charges by Mikha’el. The first was to create a place for all to live without worry of destruction and pain inflicted by the horrors that deserve to be down here. The second was to form an army to serve them in their conquest of the afterlife. When they succeed, we will all be set free to return to our rightful places in heaven. So, if any of you wish to join this crusade, please visit the Chapel.”

I imagined Armaros posing in front of a large poster advertising America’s Army and asking kids if they’d like to see the world. If my life hadn’t diverged a year earlier, that was going to be my plan to escape my life. I wondered if I would have felt the same way if I took my first life at a safe distance through the scope of a rifle. Would it have triggered the same feelings of excitement that damned me in this life?

Either way, I could feel the speech working. Those that were enthralled by this speech were not to blame. It was only natural that people would want to escape this shithole as soon as possible.

“But, we do not only seek noble warriors of the cross. Perhaps it is your wish not to fight. Do not feel shame, not every sheep in the flock is crafted with the same purpose and our order is full of the meek. Work the fields and the mines and give all that you can to us and we will ensure that you will live peacefully in this world until our savior succeeds in their conquests and frees us from the suffering of this realm.”

Then Armaros' eyes drifted upwards as they scanned the back fringes of the crowd. For a moment, I was certain that our eyes met, though it should have been impossible.

“For those of you that know in your hearts that you deserve this place, do not feel excluded. Through proper penance, Mikha’el will see your genuine efforts and save you as well. You might have noticed many people engaging in these acts of self-punishment. These sinners deserve praise for seeing the light and attempting to make amends. Please do so whenever you see them. Now that my little speech is over, I conclude our ceremony and wish you all a wonderful day.”

With a long applause, Armaros turned about and walked back towards the Chapel. We did not stick around to watch the rest. Kowal had led us with the early flow of departing demons. By how many stayed behind, I was certain that Armaros was about to obtain a great deal of new followers.

“Is such a thing truly possible?” Yoshitsune asked after we had gained a good distance away from the square. “Is there a path that would redeem your soul and allow you to leave this place?”

“No,” I answered flatly. “It is no mistake that we are down here and there are no ways back up. The countless warnings in life and the sacrifices made by the son of God would be meaningless if you could be redeemed after death.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kowal asserted. “If they conquer Hell and turn it into a Paradise for all, then what will there be to miss about Heaven?”

“Only if these are angels that fell willingly,” I said, mostly to myself. “If you believe in it so much, why have you not given all your XP to Armaros? I’m sure that your millions of XP would go a long way.”

“Don’t speak so loud. I make donations,” Kowal replied evasively with a hissing voice. “Let’s just go to the Inverted Tower so I can wash my hands of the both of you.”