The Demon Lord is indubitably an intelligent presence - He had muscled and crawled and scampered through the ranks of the Underworld, and even as a Emberling He showed tenacity to even make a Great One show appreciation. Lord Ahriman - The Fires fuel His soul - has made great strides in the advances of Sheol unto Earth, even rivaling those decadent bastards in the Church! The apostates in the service of the Goddess are nothing but a cabal of villains, rogues, and those who so priggishly defend the former two! They so shamelessly appropriate the tenants of Demonhood and so utterly corrupt them under veils of "light", "restraint", "order", and other such nonsense. It is nepotism, preying on the disenfranchised and desperate, and little besides. We, on the other hand, offer freedom and true merit, and the Demons shall never once cease until ever last agent of light is likewise cast down. In our righteous crusade, Lord Ahriman leads as the forefront of this campaign, coming from our Demonic home of Sheol, Crux of the Underworld.
Yet like clockwork, every time there was the problem. Not quite the same problem each time, but ones so similar as to which their similarities could never be disputed nor refuted throughout Demonkind. Like the Deus Ex Machina of mortal tales, a mystical hero, prophesied to come from a far-flung land, would turn unto the Demons and from the Darkness usher in Light. Some even say it must be the Curse of Saint Zariah, but none expected her revenge to be so...persistent. They are each unassuming, fumbling fools who have bumbled before an unknown world and only spared a fittingly anticlimactic death by Her Clairvoyance. Her Guidance shall propel her champions - Her summoned sheep-in-paladin-dress, and whatever sorry whelps have been drugged by Her meddling - and their inexplicable machinations have thwarted the plans of even the most cunning of Demon Kings.
Well, to Heaven with that! Lord Ahriman did not muscle and grime and plot and plan his perfect revenge for some magical tart to come along and muck it up, all because some cooky, overzealous old crone gave him a magic sword! He has faced a foe far greater than himself several times before, and while he still sits upon his Obsidian Throne, the night shall not fade! He, in all his infernal preeminence, has done far beyond the simple squalor on his crawl to the top: He has studied - quite impressively - and in His findings has so ascertained his study a most intriguing pattern. Her Guidance is a persistent pestilence, but not one without reason. She shall summon weak champions with each one fallen, another to exact her reprise. The sorts by which find their way into our world have all been cut from similar cloth. They are foolish, vain, weak-minded simpletons, devoid of personality and so insufferably lifeless that those who might know better shall call them what they truly are: Mere puppets of Her Will. Yet, such base desires are easily thwarted, for so simple the promise of wine and women may just as soon deter his attention - and his loyalty. Lord Ahriman - in all His eminent brilliance - hatched a most cunning plot, and instead has convened a most supine corps, who shall likewise infiltrate, interlope, and hunt down these would-be "champions". A defeated foe might one day return tenfold stronger for nemesis, but a reconciled one is truly, utterly vanquished. And if they so love to lap the boots of Her Will? Well, we can sure teach them a thing or two on how to lick...
Heartbreaking, isn't it?
So, who wants to be an Isekai Hunter?
As perhaps slated by the introductory blurb - and perhaps the tags (insofar that anyone really goes about reading those nowadays...) - Heartbreaker is a different take on your usual isekai romp. You are not the isekai protagonist. You've likely lived here your entire life, in Anime Fantasy Land working in some appropriately relevant field as to ascertain something which is not a life of agriculture or servitude. Her Guidance is a vexing thing, no doubt...but that is why you have sought out the Powers of Sheol, isn't it? The idea of a pre-ascertained life is a...depressing, incarcerating thing, only predetermined to an uneventful life, from which one's eternal soul shall be likewise unceremoniously plucked from its rotting prison and likewise re-incarcerated in its next banal life. But, really, where is the fun in that? Fortunately, Lord Ahriman is quite keen to intervene the affairs of mortals, and is readily here to correct this.
Before you ask: Yes. It does deal with the usual assortment of anime tropes - on the receiving end. Her Clairvoyance gives your very annoying target a surprising amount of foresight and protection, but as with everything that involves plot armor, we should hope that you will be savvy enough to subvert the typical array of augurs our poor hero will be credo to. Not just anyone can be a Heartbreaker, and only the smartest, strongest, swiftest, and serendipitous of souls survive long enough to rightfully call themselves one who might subvert Her Guidance. Yet, any plan which involves an unresponsive enemy ceases to be such and instead turns into fantasy. Her Vengeance shall twist and thwart in turn while she eternally plots in turn, and on the fields of mortals shall engage the greatest battle of wits to ever grace the land.
Expect a usual assortment of absurdist horror and its friend in humor: The Immortals often have a - forgive the pun - demented sense of comedy, and so too when Those Above and Those Below shall clash in the fields of mortals, they shall likewise adapt to their senses. A more "gonzo" sense of humor should be expected - and expect a lot of comedic tropes in anime to be parodied.
Interested? Vunderfaal! Here's a Character Sheet template I made off of this morning's caffeine binge, if you're so engrossed.
I'll throw up an FAQ - as well as more setting details - when an actual OOC thread goes up. If you have questions in the meantime, religiously ping me until I get done with work and answer.
