| “ | Death's vastness holds no peace. I come at the end of the long road. Neither human, nor devil... All bends to my will.
— The Demi-fiend
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” |
Naoki Kashima, better known as the Demi-fiend, is the main protagonist of the Japanese role-playing game Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. A Tokyo high school student transformed into a half-demon by Lucifer after the apocalypse, the Demi-fiend finds himself in a position to decide the fate of the world.
On the day that Naoki and his friends went to visit their teacher in the hospital, an apocalypse called the Conception was brought on by a cult, transforming Earth into the Vortex World. In the ruins of Tokyo where demons roamed freely, Naoki encountered Lucifer, who granted him the powers of a demon. The Demi-fiend embarked on a journey to discover the nature of the Conception and the intentions of the various factions seeking to recreate the world.
The Demi-fiend developed his powers and swayed various demons to his side in order to survive. He encountered the surviving humans, including his old friends and his teacher, and learned about their desires to control the coming recreation in accordance with newfound ideologies. Meanwhile, Lucifer encouraged Naoki to grow his powers, seeing the boy as a potential weapon against God.
Events culminated in all the remaining survivors reaching the Tower of Kagutsuchi, where the fate of the world's reincarnation would be decided. Depending on the Demi-fiend's choices, the world could be reshaped by the design of one of the Reason-bearers, remain as the Vortex World forever, be restored to its pre-apocalyptic state, or be destroyed permanently in rejection of God's control over reality.
Battle vs. Blackheart (by Laquearius)[]
In the furthest reaches of the apocalyptic desert that once was the Tokyo Metropolis, a massive gray tower rose out of the blackened sands, reaching toward the sky through the hazy air. In the tower's hollowed interior, a single gray block levitated upward, pulsating with red energy as it carried its passenger to his destination. Standing on top of the rising block was the figure of a young man. The spike emerging from the back of his neck and the glowing tattoos that were clearly displayed on his shirtless body starkly marked him as something inhuman, hardly different from the innumerable demonic denizens that now roamed the wastes outside. In a former life, he was known as Naoki Kashima. The new world knew him only as the Demi-fiend.
The block finally leveled with a new floor and came to a halt. Frustratingly for the Demi-fiend, this floor looked scarcely any different from the countless floors he had already traversed. There was nothing more to do besides struggle onwards toward the destiny that awaited him at the tower's peak. The boy stepped forward toward an enclosed hallway that lay before him with a groan, eliciting a soft giggle from the tiny winged woman that was perched on his shoulder: Pixie, the playful spirit.
A handful of figures suddenly emerged from the hallway as Naoki approached - members of the pale-skinned and raggedly clad race known as the Manikins - and dashed past him, terrified looks on all their faces. A small part of him admired the bravery of the Manikins for choosing to climb the tower, but he couldn't forget the truth that they were the weakest of all of this world's beings. They had neither the strength of body nor of spirit to survive the coming rebirth. There was no future for them in any possible world and Naoki had no time for them.
Naoki bravely marched onward, prepared to face whatever monstrosity had made the Manikins flee. The corpses of countless demons that had opposed him already littered the tower's many floors, and he knew this one would be no different. Soon, the Demi-fiend’s next opponent came into view from the hall’s shadows: a massive demon, several times his own height. It was humanoid only in the most basic sense. Its pitch-black body was covered in spines, from the top of its head to its spindly arms and its long tail. The demon was perched on a ledge, resting its head on its fist as it contemplated its surroundings. It quickly fixed its red eyes on Naoki as he drew close.
"Greetings, demon," the demon murmured. "I will say, this is a most fascinating little world that I've found myself in. So full of potential and so full of sin! Yet completely lacking in direction."
Naoki stared the newcomer down. "Move," he commanded coldly. "Or I'll move you."
"You’re a firebrand, aren’t you, boy?" the demon responded. He stepped down from its perch and sauntered closer to Naoki, causing the Demi-fiend to raise his fists in response, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Yes, I see your mind!" the creature growled haughtily. Pixie fluttered up off from Naoki’s shoulder and stared defensively at her master’s new enemy. "You fancy yourself the leader of this world, false demon? The shaper of its fate?" the fiend mockingly asked. "My name is Blackheart, the son of Mephisto and rightful ruler of Hell. I will put your ambition to the test!"
Blackheart reached forward and unleashed a surge of spikey tendrils that shot out from his palm. The Demi-fiend leaped backward out of the tendrils’ range, allowing the demon’s attack to strike only thin air. The boy then quickly clasped his hands together and channeled his energy before unleashing a blast of concentrated flame. The fiery beam burned away the tendrils to ash and even scorched the Blackheart himself, but he simply laughed as his arm regenerated and all signs of his injury quickly faded away.
Blackheart responded to the attack by snapping his fingers, summoning a small flash of hellfire in between the two combatants. Naoki instinctively held up his hands to protect himself. When he lowered them, Blackheart was gone from sight. With a cackle, Blackheart reappeared just behind Naoki, ready to attack again, but the Demi-fiend was already prepared with another counter. He quickly weaved a spell, summoning one of the many demons he personally commanded to defend him: Albion, the primeval giant of Britain. Blackheart’s swung both of his clawed hands towards Naoki but was startled to see them sink into Albion’s gelatinous body. The giant made a deep gurgle and struck at Blackheart with his club, knocking the demon away from its master. Pixie then made her move, weaving a spell of her own that manifested several bolts of magical lightning that struck at Blackheart from the ceiling, causing him to grunt and stumble backward. The Demi-fiend was still not finished with his counterattack and he summoned a third demon: Futomimi, the prophet of the Manikins. Futomimi took action immediately, rushing towards Blackheart while simultaneously casting a spell to strengthen his next blow. Futomimi attacked with a powerful double punch that created two deep impressions in Blackheart’s flesh.
These attacks also had no lasting effect, as the marks made by Albion, Pixie, and Futomimi quickly vanished from Blackheart’s body. The demon stood tall, only determined further by Naoki’s sudden resistance. “So, you command followers of your own? They are no match for the might of the legions of Hell!”
Blackheart suddenly grew in size, becoming so large that his head nearly reached the ceiling and casting a shadow over all four of his enemies. Both of his arms morphed into a mass of writhing tendrils that spewed forward, sending them all grasping and clawing at the Demi-fiend and his party. The tendrils passed through Albion’s body to no avail and Naoki leaped backward while Pixie fluttered out of reach. Futomimi was not so lucky. Caught up in Blackheart’s overwhelming grasp, Futomimi was dragged back into the demon’s grasp, held aloft by his indomitable strength. Blackheart's free hand transformed into a serrated blade and messily sawed off Futomimi’s head in one quick motion. He tilted the Manikin’s body, letting the blood gurgling from the stump splatter out onto the ground. To the Demi-fiend’s shock, the fallen blood began to move on its own, forming into the symbol of a pentagram.
“Behold my minions!” Blackheart screeched. The air of the hallway was pervaded with the pungent smell of sulfur when the floor that the pentagram was on split open, revealing the top landing of a fiery staircase that reached all the way to the deepest bowels of Hell itself. Out of the infernal portal climbed a veritable swarm of demonic beasts. Among them were tiny ravenous and chattering goblins, giant worms with gaping toothy maws, and red devils with wings and horns and pitchforks in their hands. The Demi-fiend was undeterred; he gave a nod toward Albion, who quickly responded to the new threat by releasing a wide blast of concussive force in front of him that knocked back the first wave of Blackheart’s demons, sending dozens of them crashing into each other and tumbling back down the staircase to Hell. Blackheart, whose massive frame overshadowed the battlefield that the hallway was quickly becoming, stood chuckling to himself on the other side of the portal. He made no movement, simply watching as the hampered demons were quickly replaced by countless more, allowing Naoki’s party only a few seconds of reprieve.
The Demi-fiend used this opportunity to summon a new demon to replace the fallen Futomimi: Lilith, the seductress of Eden. Lilith giggled and gave the serpent that rest on her shoulders a stroke before she led her team’s next attack with a snap of her fingers, unleashing a storm of lightning bolts against the encroaching army. Pixie followed suit and launched forth a massive blast of holy magic, instantaneously reducing a slew of demons to ash in the overwhelming light. Naoki and Albion then rushed forth to defend the spellcasters, with Albion swinging wildly with his club as Blackheart’s minions tried in vain to damage him and Naoki hacked away with a sword formed of pure demonic energy. Dozens and dozens of demons fell in the seconds that followed, efficiently struck down by the coordinated attacks of the Demi-fiend’s party.
Blackheart's laughter ceased and his eyes narrowed. With an impatient growl, he took a hasty step forward before disappearing and reappearing directly behind Albion. The demon raised a hand wreathed in hellfire, ready to burn out the giant’s soul in one swift motion. Naoki immediately leaped to his comrade’s defense, hacking off Blackheart’s arm with a single swing of his sword. Blackheart simply chuckled and then brought his other hand at his real target. From Blackheart’s palm emerged a magical sphere, which rapidly grew in size as it approached Naoki. Unable to react in time, the Demi-fiend was swallowed up by a transparent sphere of demonic power that hovered up into the air.
Enraged, Naoki unleashed a series of furious blows against the walls of the sphere, rapidly slicing with his sword and striking with his fist in a desperate attempt to break free and rejoin his companions in the battle. Outside the sphere, the tide was turning against the remaining trio in the face of the overwhelming numbers of Blackheart’s minions. For every goblin that Pixie blasted away with lightning and fire, another three took its place. For every devil that Lilith’s serpent sunk its fangs into, another was ready to lead the charge. For every worm that Albion crushed underneath its club, one more would slither up out of the hellish portal. The trio was forced back to back, unable to coordinate without the guidance of their leader and simply operating on instinct like wild animals.
In the blink of an eye, Blackheart apparated on top of the bubble, staring down on Naoki with his burning red eyes. “That’s quite enough struggling on your part, boy,” he mocked. “Now, let's see what's inside that head of yours!”
The world around Naoki began to fade into blackness as Blackheart probed the deepest reaches of his mind, with every one of the young man’s thoughts and memories laid bare. “My, just look at you!” Blackheart’s voice echoed. “You put on such a strong facade, with all this pretending about being the shaper of the new universe. But your true heart is little more than that of a frightened child. Who wouldn’t feel that way after everything they know and love was obliterated in an instant?”
Naoki’s eyes widened as memories and feelings from the past began to rush through his mind. He suddenly saw himself walking to school through the streets of Tokyo on a peaceful spring morning, flanked by two of his favorite people. The trio of friends smiled and laughed with each other as they enjoyed the dawn of a new day.
”All that talk of strength and power? Do you think it will save you? That if you pretend to be strong you won't be scared anymore? You're so very wrong. Let me remind you further of your past.”
The scene of the Tokyo streets faded away and his two friends turned to face him, smiling brightly. “Chiaki and Isamu. You three were inseparable in the old world. You talked together, you laughed together, you supported each other... and then you killed them. You did it without hesitation or remorse, like carnivore slaughtering its prey. They were your friends and you wiped them out, leaving behind no trace of their existence. Do you even care to remember them?”
"They were weak!" Naoki shouted in defense to the booming voice that seemed to come from every direction at once. "Their Reasons were weak. To break free of the cycle of rebirth... I had no choice!"
"Liar!" Blackheart's voice shrieked. "Your excuses only serve as proof of your weakness. Look at you. You're even worse than scared. You're alone. The demons you command and cooperate with, they’re just tools to you.” Naoki couldn’t take it anymore. He fell to his knees, clutching his head as he desperately tried to force out this demon that had burrowed so deeply into his mind, bringing up all the feelings that he never wanted to feel. “Even Pixie, that sweet girl who smiles at you and encourages you every step of the way,” Blackheart continued. “You’d discard her in an instant if you thought it was worth it. You have no one and it’s going to kill you. You're dying of loneliness."
Naoki barely had time to try to shrug off the emotional assault that was ravaging his mind before Blackheart's voice spoke another name: "Yuko Takao." The Demi-fiend froze at the mention. He ceased his struggle and let the darkness consume his thoughts as guilt and anguish began to permeate his consciousness.
"She loved you, Naoki. You knew that. She made a mistake and was all alone. She was afraid and she needed you." Blackheart's voice grew louder. "You could've brought her back. You could've brought it all back!"
Dark pictures flashed through Naoki's mind at a terrifying speed. He saw Ms. Takao's face over and over again in a hundred different ways, but always racked with guilt and loneliness, screaming his name as the darkness came to swallow her up forever.
“But what did you do? What did you do!?” Blackheart yelled accusingly “You snuffed it all out forever! Why? Because some demonic freak told you to and promised you power? You had your chance and you squandered it. You'll waste your existence away constantly fighting, never having what your heart desires, always thinking of the possibility you destroyed because of your own pathetic weakness. Do you know what that makes you, Naoki Kashima?"
The last of the images burned away, leaving only the blackness of a savaged consciousness. Then two glowing red eyes pierced the darkness, their evil light seeping deep into Naoki's soul.
"It makes you nothing."
Naoki screamed.
In the reality of the Tower of Kagutsuchi, the Demi-fiend’s loyal followers were fighting on, even as their master lay comatose within Blackheart’s trap. Lilith was covered in scars, scarcely having the strength to lift her arms and cast her spells. Pixie’s body was broken, collapsed in between Lilith and Albion after one blow too many. Albion was the only one left still standing tall, having powered through the few demonic attacks that could affect his otherworldly body.
Blackheart leaped off of the sphere and stood back, content with his work, to watch the closing minutes of the battle between his minions and Naoki’s. Soon, he was certain, the three remaining demons would be ripped to pieces and Naoki, his spirit broken, would be easily manipulated however Blackheart pleased. He chuckled as he waited for his plan to come to fruition.
But instead, the sound of cracking glass reached him and he spun around, shocked by what he saw. The Demi-fiend was somehow on his feet again, his unstoppable determination miraculously keeping him fighting even after all the mental torment he had just experienced. The tip of the teen’s energy blade had pierced the membrane of the magical sphere. Naoki yanked out his sword and struck again, shattering the sphere into thousands of tiny pieces. The Demi-fiend fell back to the ground and stuck the landing. Lilith smiled brightly, pleased to see their master return to the battle. Even Albion made a delighted gurgle.
The Demi-fiend quickly weaved a spell, surrounding Pixie’s fallen body with a green light. She was instantly revived from her deathly state and happily fluttered upward, overjoyed at the return of her leader. The Demi-fiend then clapped his hands together, dispelling Albion and giving the giant a much-needed rest from the battle. Simultaneously, Naoki summoned a new demon in his place: Metatron, the attendant to the infinite. The metallic angel descended in a blaze of light and clasped his hands together covering the battlefield with holy symbols. The symbols burst and the entirety of Blackheart’s army turned to dust in a single flash of light. The hellish portal then sealed up, leaving no trace of it having ever been there at all.
Enraged, Blackheart rushed forward towards the Demi-fiend, eyes flaring in anger. “Die now, weakling!” he shrieked and snatched up Naoki by the neck before any of the party could react. Holding Naoki aloft, Blackheart prepared to take his head off in the same manner as he had done to Futomimi. He reformed his energy blade and jammed it into Blackheart’s chest, stunning the demon long enough for Naoki to break free of his grip and return to the ground. Blackheart roared and unleashed an omnidirectional blast of demonic energy, knocking Lilith unconscious and forcing Pixie and Metatron out of the air with its sheer force. He then charged again with his arms outstretched at the stunned Demi-fiend. The Demi-fiend reacted just in time, raising his blade and impaling Blackheart through the abdomen, but it did nothing to slow the demon’s charge. He pushed the Demi-fiend back at breakneck speed, rapidly approaching the back wall of the hallway without slowing down.
Blackheart’s sheer momentum smashed through the outer wall of the Tower of Kagutsuchi in an explosion of stone, sending both demons plummeting towards the desert below. Naoki furiously wrenched his blade around inside Blackheart’s body as the earth below rapidly approached, desperately doing as much damage as he could as Blackheart clasped his hands around Naoki’s head.
The pair then struck the ground, sending up a massive cloud of dust and debris. Both demons remained on the ground for only a brief moment before shooting to their feet and staring each other down through the sandy air. “You should know when to give up, boy,” Blackheart snarled. “I’ve seen everything there is to see in that stubborn head of yours. There is no future for you here! There is only Blackheart!” The Demi-fiend was silent, simpling glaring at Blackheart with smoldering eyes and heaving heavily.
The Demi-fiend prepared to summon his sword again but Blackheart was too fast. Naoki rushed to defend himself as both warrior's fists collided in a rapid bout of fisticuffs. Blackheart’s great size and superior strength quickly proved themselves and overwhelmed Naoki’s weaker blows, but the Demi-fiend nevertheless continued the brawl, persistently striking at Blackheart’s devastating blows as bruises and cuts peppered the boy's body. Eventually, the Demi-fiend’s dogged resistance proved futile and Blackheart knocked him back to the ground with a powerful cross aided by sharpened spines that suddenly emerged from Blackheart's knuckles.
Blackheart slowly approached Naoki’s bruised and bloodied form. He too heaved heavily; Naoki’s weaker blows were quickly regenerated but the battle had nonetheless left him taxed. He morphed his right arm into an executioner’s ax and raised it above Naoki’s neck. “You refused to have your spirit broken in life. That was your mistake,” he mocked. “Soon you will be with me in Hell. And the real torture is just beginning!”
The instant that Blackheart began to bring his blade down onto Naoki, an enormous serpent wrapped itself around him, binding his wrist to his neck. Shocked, Blackheart struggled to pry the snake off of him before a barrage of lightning bolts struck him from behind. Lilith, having recovered from her earlier wound, landed softly in the sand behind him. Then Pixie joined the assault, tossing a bomb of holy magic into the back of Blackheart’s head. Finally, Metatron arrived, setting the ground underneath the demon ablaze with the fire that once burned on Mount Sinai.
Reinvigorated, the Demi-fiend shot to his feet and cast his own spell, causing the sand beneath Blackheart to shift and shake until the ground split open, unleashing a blinding blast of demonic power. He kept up the spell, summoning blast after blast of power from the depths of Gaea itself. Meanwhile, Metatron increased the power of his fire, causing them to burn so high and so bright that Blackheart’s body was imperceptible amid the flames. The demon screamed in fury from within. Naoki then prepared the coup de grâce, allowing demonic energy to fill his body before he finally unleashed a beam of matchless power from his eyes. The beam passed through the flames and struck Blackheart’s heart. An enormous explosion rocked the landscape.
When Naoki came to, he was lying on his back on the slope of a massive crater so deep that it reached past the sand and into the bedrock. All that was left of Blackheart was a smoking mound of vitrified sand just in front of him. Pixie and Metatron hovered over him, having patiently waited for their leader to recover. Lilith was crouching down just a short distance away. A wave of revitalizing energy passed out of Metatron’s body, filling all four demons with new strength and vigor. The quartet then turned their attention back towards the Tower of Kagutsuchi and the long trek ahead.
As the Demi-fiend trudged forward through the sandy landscape, Blackheart’s words echoed deep within his mind. He would never forget what he had been told that day, and no matter how many eons passed in Lucifer’s new world, his soul would never be at ease again.
Winner: The Demi-fiend
Expert's Opinion[]
TBD.