" Remember," Lily said solemnly, clutching her magical plushie staff, "no kissing in front of the lava monsters."
Sakura, adjusting her coat, raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who asked for this babysitter, sweetie."
From behind them, Auntie Rei, a one-eyed hell-beast in a frilly apron, waved with claws that were also wearing nail polish. "I brought cookies made of despair!"
Lily fist-pumped. "Let's goooo!"
Ragna chuckled. "Guess we're not the weirdest family after all."
A swirling black-and-purple portal sparked to life in their living room, casting eerie shadows over the polished floors.
Sakura sighed. "Just once I'd like a date that didn't involve hellfire."
"Still better than that ramen shop on 6th street," Ragna said. "They didn't even let me use blood sauce."
With that, they stepped through the portal — and straight into the demon realm.
---
The hellscape had changed.
Gone were the bone bridges and torture towers. Instead, InfernaLux, the elite demon capital, now glowed with chaotic neon, soul-fueled arcades, and floating cocktail bars over magma rivers.
A flaming sign flashed: "Welcome to Club D3V1L – No Souls, No Service!"
Ragna and Sakura arrived dressed… semi-formally. Sakura had transformed her standard combat gear into a sleek black dress with high heels — the left one doubling as a retractable blade. Ragna wore an open-collared infernal suit that crackled with enchantments. His demonic horns glowed faintly crimson.
"Wow," Sakura muttered, eyeing a lava jacuzzi filled with demon influencers. "Hell's gone corporate."
"They call it 'lava chic' now," Ragna said. "Don't ask."
---
Their destination: The Ember Spire, a floating obsidian palace owned by Princess Vellatrix, heir to the Fire Ring and Ragna's… former flame.
Literally.
As they walked in, Sakura immediately noticed the décor: statues of Ragna shirtless, framed fan-art of "Ragna x Vella" — and a plush toy labeled "Maou Husbandu Edition."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "I hate her already."
A throne made of molten obsidian cracked open, and Vellatrix stepped forward: a tall, flame-haired demoness in a corset of enchanted bone, eyes glowing gold. Her tail flicked playfully.
"Ragnaaaaa," she purred. "You didn't tell me you were bringing… your human."
Sakura smiled politely. "Sorry. I forgot my leash."
"Oh, no worries," Vella said, holding Ragna's arm just a little too long. "I'm always happy to entertain old memories."
Ragna cleared his throat. "Vella, we came to negotiate. Not flirt."
Vellatrix pouted. "Then why did you wear the collar I gave you?"
Sakura's heel-blade clicked open. "He's married. With a daughter. Who can bend time."
Vella laughed. "And you're still insecure enough to threaten me with a shoe. Cute."
---
The diplomatic tension ignited when a group of elite demons questioned Sakura's right to be in InfernaLux.
Vellatrix smirked. "Let's put your little human hero to the test."
She snapped her fingers, summoning a hell-arena on the rooftop. "High-Heel Duel. One rule: no magic. Just skill. Winner gets to talk."
Sakura glanced at Ragna. "You owe me a real date after this."
He winked. "You kick her ass, I'll cook dinner all week."
Sakura stepped onto the platform, her blade-heel extending with a shimmer. Vellatrix's heels lit with flame.
The music boomed.
Spin. Parry. Kick. Dodge.
They clashed heel to heel — a ballet of fury and precision. The demon crowd roared with every strike.
Sakura pivoted mid-air, twisting to deliver a flying roundhouse with her bladed heel.
Vellatrix staggered.
"You're good," she spat, wiping blood from her lip.
"I'm a mother," Sakura said. "You learn to fight sleep, time, and tantrums."
With a final spinning kick, Sakura sliced through Vellatrix's heel, causing her to tumble backward into a lava-hot cocktail bath.
Sakura landed, heels intact. "Next time, wear flats."
---
Ragna helped Vella out of the pool as she hissed, steam rising from her hair.
"You always liked a strong woman," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You could've had an empire. You did have an empire."
Ragna looked at Sakura, who was dabbing sweat from her forehead with one of Lily's magical handkerchiefs (it had glitter and said "Bestest Mom" on it).
"I do have an empire," Ragna said softly. "I married the one who kicked my ass and makes burnt rice taste like victory."
Sakura rolled her eyes but couldn't help blushing.
Vellatrix crossed her arms, sulking. "Fine. I'll help you. But only because I want front-row seats when the Nine Rings try to kill you again."
---
Inside the Ember Spire's heart chamber, Vellatrix revealed key intelligence:
> "The Council of Nine Rings plans to open multiple rift points across Earth. You stopped one — under Tokyo Tower — but five more are planned. They want Lily. They want your bloodlines extinguished. You don't just have enemies anymore, Ragna. You have a war."
Sakura stiffened. "And the hero clans won't help us. We're 'traitors' in their eyes."
Vella smirked. "Guess it's just your cute little family… versus all of hell."
She handed over a glowing shard: a Hellcore Keystone — capable of sealing or destabilizing a portal permanently.
"Consider it a… wedding gift," she said.
Ragna and Sakura exchanged glances. They were in deeper than ever.
---
As they returned through the portal, soot-covered, sweaty, and smelling faintly of sulfur, they were greeted by chaos.
Lily was floating upside down, feeding Auntie Rei "marshmallows of silence." The apartment was upside-down. The ceiling was now the floor.
Lily grinned. "So? How was your date?"
Ragna sighed. "Lava baths. Heels. Ex-girlfriends. Betrayals."
Sakura slumped on the couch. "I stabbed a princess in the foot."
Lily clapped. "Did you kiss?"
Sakura blinked.
Then she kissed Ragna's cheek. "Yeah. We did."
Lily threw magical confetti. "Yay! Mommy wins!"
---
As they settled in, the shard from Vellatrix pulsed ominously.
Outside, in a forgotten alley, one of the Five Rift Points sparked to life. A pair of glowing red eyes watched the Maou household from the shadows.
The war had only just begun.
---
To be continued