Lawgane - Sera will definitely join the Jaegers

15

"We're home!" declared Kuroka as the group entered the estate.

It was almost midnight when Masamune and the others returned to the estate. From what Sera and the others said, he and Kuro were knocked out from their fight with Loki for almost a week, which means they haven't been home in almost a week.

Rumbling came from upstairs. Masamune looked up to see Mihiro, Elise, and Anna running down the stairs.

"My Lord!" cried the maids as the jumped to the ground.

"How are you going to go to Asgard for a week and not inform us!" cried Mihiro.

"If it weren't for Lady Leviathan, we would have freaked out!" cried Anna.

"I've missed you all so much!" cried Elise.

From the top of the staircase, Yukimura and Susanoo came down. Susanoo flew over and gripped Masamune's shirt, pulling him closer to her. "You little bastard…You went to Asgard and killed Loki…without inviting me? You've got a fresh set of balls don't you?"

"It was last minute," said Masamune. "Sorry Susanoo, but I didn't think you would still be here."

"This place is much more interesting than I thought," the goddess hovered on her cloud as she crossed her arms. "Yukimura informed me of this faction you plan to form. The Jaegers was it? Consider me your ally then."

"L-Lady Susanoo are you sure?" asked Sera. "You're a key member of the Shinto Faction. Lady Amaterasu would-"

"My sister's ideals don't concern me," sighed Susanoo. "Besides, what kind of goddess would I be if I were to follow orders?"

"Glad to have you Susanoo," said Masamune. "This is Rossweisse, everyone. She'll be staying with us from now on."

Yukimura walked forward and bowed. "A pleasure to make you acquaintance, Lady Rossweisse."

"Likewise," Rose bowed.

"Prepare a room for her Yukimura," said Masamune as he wobbled to the stairs. "It's been a long day, I think I'm going to turn in."

"For me too," said Kuro as he climbed off Kuroka's back.

"Gabriel and Sera," said Masamune. "Will you two be staying as well?"

"H-Heh? I don't know…" said Sera.

"I'm not talking about for tonight," said Masamune, apparently much to their surprise. "Well, I'll let you think on it. See you all in the morning."

…

Masamune stood in the backyard early the next morning. He had gotten plenty of rest and his magic was restored. Since absorbing Loki's essence, he's usurped Loki's Authorities. That was great and all, but there was one Authority that seemed particularly useful.

Masamune held out his hand and imagined it. Six golden magic circles opened up and shot out golden chains. Masamune walked forward and examined them. It were Enkidu's chains, without a doubt. Made from Divine Steel, the same properties as Kuro except more purified. It can even restrain the gods. But this wasn't right…Enkidu's Golden Chains aren't of Nordic origin, they were Mesopotamian of origin. The comrade of the king of the Mesopotamian gods, Enkidu. How did a Nordic god get his hands on this power?

"Those are Loki's chains, aren't they?" asked Rose as she walked out to join him. "I've never seen them up close."

"They didn't belong to him," said Masamune. "How did a Nordic trickster god get his hands on a Mesopotamian god's Authority? It doesn't make any sense."

"It's no use to think about it now is there?" asked Rose. "What's important is that he's gone, and Asgard is safe now."

"I'm afraid this isn't over Rose," said Masamune.

"Huh?"

Kuro opened the doors to the backyard. "Master! The meeting is about to start!"

"Time to work for a living," said Masamune.

Masamune gathered in his study along with the current members of his faction. Kuro, Kuroka, Rose, Susanoo, and even Mihiro were present, and for some reason Sera and Gabriel were here as well. He had though that they went home last night, but turns out that they had spent the night here.

A brand new round table was placed directly in the center of the study that replaced the couch and coffee table. At the head of the table was Masamune, acting as the leader of the Jaeger faction. Several magic circles opened up and the leaders of both the Devil faction, the Angel faction, the Nordic faction, as well as the heads of Devil families appeared and sat around the table. This was a rather convenient way of meeting, seeing as all of them were either in Heaven, the Underworld, or Asgard.

Sirzechs, Ajuka, Lord Gremory, Lord Sitri, Lord Phoenix, Michael, and Lord Odin were all present.

"Masamune, looks like you're okay," said Sirzechs. "Your little fight in Asgard caused quite the commotion you know?"

"Honestly," Ajuka sighed. "To think that Lord Odin requested your assistance, but to slay a Nordic god and usurp his Authorities?"

"I take full responsibility for what happened," said Lord Odin. "Loki was my responsibility as the All-Father."

"Well since Masamune has the support of everyone here," said Michael. "I'm sure everything will be alright."

"And besides that," said Lord Gremory with a smirk. "Your faction sure is growing, and mostly women too? Masamune you dog."

Masamune smiled awkwardly. "Well, I thank you all for convening nonetheless."

"So why did you call us?" asked Lord Sitri.

"Loki was working with a new faction," said Masamune. "He had access to a Divine Weapon, the Longinus."

"Ah, the True Longinus," said Lord Gremory. "I've been meaning to inform you all. It seems that there's a faction forming, and there are members with Longinus type Sacred Gears."

"Sacred Gears?" asked Kuro.

Just then, the doors to the study opened as Dulio walked in. "Oh? Has it already started?"

"Dulio, perfect timing," said Michael. "Did you get the information?"

Dulio nodded and walked over to Masamune's side of the desk. "It appears that members of the Church are working with the Khaos Brigade. Our fears are coming true, Lord Michael."

"Khaos Brigade? Sacred Gears?" asked Masamune. "Someone please explain."

"Sacred Gears are miracle machines, to say at the least," said Michael. "Father implemented them to be born into humans and human hybrids. They're weapons of great power and can work miracles, however there are 13 that are specifically powerful."

"The Longinus type Sacred Gears," said Ajuka. "They're exceptionally powerful Sacred Gears with the capability to kill gods. Dulio here happens to possess the second strongest of the Longinus types, Zenith Tempest."

"N-No way!" cried Kuro. "Were you always this much of a hotshot pigeon man?"

"Who are you calling a pigeon you stupid cat?" growled Dulio, before getting his stuff together. "Anyway, it appears that the church forced Shidou Touji to gain information on Masamune by having Arashikage Mihiro be a spy by threatening the life of her father."

"I see…" said Mihiro. Gabriel took her hand and smiled to cheer her up.

"After the threat was neutralized by Masamune and Mihiro stopped reporting," said Dulio. "They informed the Khaos Brigade, which led to Loki making a move. He acquired the True Longinus from it's current owner, Cao Cao, in an attempt to kill Masamune."

"Why would they want to kill him?" asked Lord Phoenix. "He's not a threat anymore since forging an alliance with all of us right?"

"It's deeper than that," said Masamune. "They wanted to kill me because they don't need me anymore."

"Need you? For what?" asked Sirzechs.

"Trihexa," said Masamune to the shock of everyone in the room. "The Khaos Brigade, this faction that Loki was working with, plans on breaking all 666 seals of the Trihexa and unleashing it from Purgatory."

"H-How do you know about that?" asked Gabriel.

"I had only told you about Trihexa, but didn't go into detail," said Michael. "How did you find out about all of this?"

"The Great Red told me," said Masamune.

"So not only is the Trihexa not a myth," said Sirzechs. "But the Great Red, the Dragon of Dragons, even warned Masamune about it."

"Why would they want to break the seals?" asked Sera. "If the Trihexa is free, won't it destroy the world or something?"

"Great Red said that it'll swallow the Earth whole and move on to the next world," said Masamune.

"But then," said Lord Sitri. "Why would they want to kill you?"

"Originally it was my presence on this world that broke 10 of the 666 seals," said Masamune. "He said that I was the only one with enough magic power to break all of the seals, however that isn't the case anymore."

"He's right," said Dulio. "There's been many reports of strange artifacts and relics falling from the skies."

"The Khaos Brigade hopes to find these Divine Artifacts, and use them to break the seals," said Masamune. "They're all from my world, and hold an untold amount of power. Most of them have already been lost from this world, but my trip to Asgard confirmed it."

"The Rosary," said Lord Odin.

"The Rosary of Amethyst is a Divine Artifact that turns reflects the owners will," said Kuro. "In the hands of someone consumed by emotion, they can virtually rewrite the world and change everything."

"Which is why I've decided to leave it on Asgard," said Masamune. "With the All-Father there, it's as safe as anywhere to keep it."

"But then, what about the rest?" asked Sirzechs.

Masamune sighed. "That's why I've called you all here today. I want you all to leave the Divine Artifacts to my faction."

"You want us to what?" asked Sera as she walked to Ajuka's side. "What are you planning on doing?"

"You're leaving, aren't you?" asked Lord Gremory.

"W-What?" asked Sirzechs.

Masamune nodded. "There are countless Divine Artifacts out there, stranded on a new world. They're essentially living sentient objects with wills of their own. If humans find them, it could be disastrous. Which is why I've decided to set out and find them all."

"You can't be serious!" Lord Sitri slammed the table. "If they really are dangerous, then it'll take everything we have to locate them."

"Locating them won't be much of issue," said Michael. "Their mere presence disrupts nature itself. Natural disasters or irregular weather patterns. Finding them is easy."

"But once I find them," said Masamune. "I can store them away. Enkidu's chains are infinitely long, which is why they're held in a parallel pocket universe that the chains themselves have created. I can store them there where no one can reach them. I believe that no one should."

"That means…" said Sera.

"How long do we have?" asked Odin. "Until this Trihexa is awakened."

"Without these Artifacts," said Masamune. "Maybe 8 years, 10 at most."

"A decade to find a way to stop it huh?" the All-Father stroked his beard. "This will be quite the task."

"While I find the rest of the Artifacts," said Masamune. "I would like the cooperation of the factions here to find a way to halt the breaking of the seals. At the very least…without the Artifacts, the Khaos Brigade will be forced to turn to me as their means of doing it. That way, we can stop them then and there."

"This is a far bigger issue than I originally thought," said Michael. "While I do trust you to keep these Artifacts safe and away from reach, what do you all think?"

"Masamune's hands are as capable as any," said Ajuka.

"I agree," said Lord Phoenix.

"As do I," said Lord Gremory.

"So you'll be gone for almost a decade," said Sirzechs. "A long journey to find these Artifacts, huh?"

"Brother," said Gabriel as she stepped forward. "I would like your permission to go with Masamune."

"Oh?" asked Michael with an uncharacteristically sly smirk. "What spurred on this sudden interest?"

Gabriel suddenly look flustered. "I…I just…" She cleared her throat. "I just want to see more of this world brother. I believe I'll be able to see more of this world with Masamune, a side I haven't seen since Father created this world."

Michael smirked and crossed his arms. "I see. I can't very well stop you now can I? I'm sure Griselda will be able to handle your workload while you're away."

"I would like to go as well, Lord Michael," said Dulio. "I feel oddly motivated to do so."

"I never thought I'd see you of all people so motivated, Dulio," said Michael. "What am I going to do? My sister the Archangel and my Ace both want to leave."

"I-I apologize my Lord," bowed Dulio. "I realize this is selfish, but I-"

"Oh it's no problem Dulio," said Michael. "Just make sure you don't lose this sudden fire in you."

Dulio smiled before walking to Masamune's side and held out a fist. "Looks like I'll be a Jaeger, at least for now."

"Welcome aboard," Masamune returned his fist bump with a smile.

"Rossweisse," said Odin. "I'm assuming you will go as well?"

Rose buckled but straightened her posture. "It is a knight's duty to follow her master."

"Oh my," said Odin with a smile.

"A God Slayer, the Nemean Lion, an Archangel, a nekomata, the Zenith Tempest, a Valkyrie, and it seems you've even snagged Lady Susanoo over there," said Sirzechs. "This might turn out to be quite a powerful faction."

"Serafall…" said Lord Sitri. "Will you go with him as well?"

Masamune looked to Sera. She took a deep breath and balled her fists before walking over to his side. "Yes, I will go as well."

"W-Wait a minute Sera," said Sirzechs. "You're a Devil King! You can't just-"

"You'll take over her position, won't you Lord Sitri?" asked Lord Gremory, being a manipulative old man.

Lord Sitri sighed. "Looks like I don't have a choice, do I? Serafall, just make sure you take care of yourself okay?"

Susanoo flew out from behind the group on her cloud. "Rejoice commoners! The birth of the next great and powerful Jaeger Faction has taken a giant leap towards the future!"

"Can it!" Kuro jumped up and grabbed Susanoo's head. "You can't call these guys commoners!"

"I apologize for her," sighed Masamune.

Ajuka giggled. "It seems you've really made some wonderful friends, Masamune."

"This is quite the faction," said Lord Gremory. "I wonder if you had all of this in mind when you threatened war just to take in members of any faction."

Masamune smiled. "I couldn't have expected any of this, Lord Gremory. I'm rather fortunate to have met everyone here."

"When will you leave then?" asked Lord Phoenix.

"Well hopefully by tomorrow morning," said Masamune. "I would like to get a head start on some of these Artifacts. There's several out there in mind that can prove to be disastrous."

"I see," Lord Phoenix held out a hand on the table as a magic circle manifested a black box with a phoenix engraved on the lid. The table began to turn until the box was in front of Masamune. "These are Phoenix Tears, capable of great regeneration. You may not find much of a use for them, but consider them a token of our alliance. I sure will miss you on your journey."

"Thank you very much Lord Phoenix," Masamune bowed his head.

"I suppose that concludes our business here," said Odin. "God Slayer, Jaegers, I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Masamune." Odin's body vanished along with his Nordic circle.

"Gabriel, Dulio, I hope to see you again after you return," smiled Michael before he vanished with a bright light.

"Farewell, God Slayer," said Lord Phoenix before vanishing into a magic circle.

"Goodbye for now, Serafall," said Lord Sitri. "Your mother, sister and I will very much miss you."

"Goodbye for now, Father," smiled Sera.

Lord Gremory, Sirzechs, and Ajuka stood up and walked over to them.

"I can't believe you're really leaving," said Sirzechs. "Seems like just yesterday that you were fighting that hydra."

"Time sure flies huh?" Masamune shook his hand. "I'll see you in a few years."

"Sera, you'd better keep him out of trouble you hear me?" asked Ajuka.

"Oh shut it already," sighed Sera. "As if Gabriel and I are gonna let that happen?"

"Oh? When did you two get so close?" asked Lord Gremory.

"It's a rather…long story," said Gabriel.

"Lord Gremory, Sirzechs," said Masamune. "Please give my regards to Lady Venelana, as well as Rias. I won't be seeing her for awhile, so I hope she doesn't hate me."

"By the time you come back, she'll grow up to be a powerful Devil," said Lord Gremory. "You might be surprised."

Masamune smiled. "I look forward to it."

"Lord Sirzechs," said Kuroka. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it Kuroka?" asked Sirzechs.

"Can you take care of Shirone for me?" asked Kuroka. "As much as I want her to come with us, she'll be safer here with you."

Sirzechs smiled. "Don't worry Kuroka, I'll take her into my house as if she were my own. I'm sure Rias will come to like her as well."

Kuroka smiled and nodded. "Thank you…very much."

And with that, the three of them vanished into a magic circle. Masamune jumped into his chair and leaned back. "It's over…finally…"

"It's beginning to look a lot like the Jaegers, isn't it Master?" asked Kuro.

Masamune smiled. It was nothing like their old team, but it wasn't right to compare them. An Archangel, a Devil King, the Zenith Tempest, the goddess of storms, a nekomata, a Valkyrie, a Nemean Lion, and a God Slayer. This was definitely not a team to laugh at.

"M-My Lord," said Mihiro. "Is it alright…if I come with you as well?"

Masamune stood up and faced her. "Is it really alright with you? Wouldn't you rather be here with your dad?"

Mihiro shook her head. "I'll surely miss him, but my place is with you my Lord."

"You can't refuse her when she's so passionate, can you?" asked Rose as she placed a hand on Mihiro's shoulder. "I see potential in her as a knight."

"This is definitely a powerful team," said Dulio as he crossed his arms. "I can see myself forming a trio with Kuro and Masamune."

"The Zenith Tempest, the Nemean Lion, and the God Slayer huh?" asked Susanoo, smirking with amusement. "Now that's a team I would love to face head on."

"Okay aside from that," said Kuroka. "Do we even know where we're headed first?"

"Kyoto," said Dulio. "It seems there's been a revolt in the Youkai Faction because of a certain sword."

Masamune sighed. "And there's one of the Artifacts I was worried about. It's Caliburn, isn't it?"

"Right on the money," said Dulio.

"Alright everybody," said Masamune. "Get some rest and make your peace, say your goodbyes to your families. We won't be back for quite awhile."

…

Kuroka and Rose had never been to the Gremory Manor before. Kuroka had always thought that Masamune's estate was big, but that assumption got popped when she saw the Golden Palace in Asgard…and now the Gremory Manor. She always knew that the Gremories owned an enormous amount of territory in the Underworld, roughly equaling the main island of Japan, but this estate alone was…

"I can't believe how big this place is," Rose gulped. "It's almost as big as the palace."

"W-Why are you of all people shocked?" asked Kuroka.

"This place is so big," said Shirone as she squeezed Kuroka's hand. "Am I really going to stay here?"

Before Kuroka could answer, the doors to the manor swung open. Out to greet them were Lord Gremory, Lady Venelana, and Sirzechs. Shirone instinctively ducked behind Kuroka at the face of new people.

"Kuroka," said Sirzechs. "Rossweisse, please come on in."

"We can't stay for long I'm afraid," said Kuroka. "We're leaving in a few hours so…"

Sirzechs smiled saddenly. "I see…"

From behind the Devil King, a small red headed girl poked her head out. She looked practically identical to Lord Gremory and Sirzechs, however with Lady Venelana's warm smile. This must be Rias Gremory.

"Hey Big Brother," said Rias. "Is she the new friend you told me about?"

Shirone poked her head out from behind Kuroka.

"Be nice Rias," said Sirzechs. "Shirone is a bit shy you see."

Rias ran over to Shirone and held out a hand. "I'm Rias, it's nice to meet you." She declared with a smile.

Shirone looked to Kuroka with lost eyes. Kuroka got down and rubbed her sister's head. "I'm going to be away for a while with Masamune, so you have to stay here until then okay? They're my friends so you'll be well taken care of."

"Are you going to come back?" asked Shirone. "And Big Brother too?"

"Of course we will silly," Kuroka hugged her, holding everything in. "I'll always come back. So you have to be strong and make friends okay? Rias is a nice girl, I know you two will be the best of friends."

Shirone nodded and took Rias's hand. "Shirone…Nice to meet you."

Together, the two girls ran inside the manor, leaving the adults outside.

Lady Venelana raised a hand to her cheek. "To think that Masamune would use two Bishop pieces on you so early. He's made so many friends hasn't he?"

"Thank you, Lady Venelana," bowed Kuroka. "By the way my Lady, Masamune wanted me to ask if it was okay for Yukimura and the maids to return to the Manor. With everyone gone, they won't have much to do for a few years."

"Of course it's okay," replied Lady Venelana. "They're welcome back at anytime."

"Kuroka, there's something I should tell you," said Sirzechs. "Most of the Underworld still sees you as a criminal, who almost killed her master and fled. I wanted to ask your permission to-"

"Do what you have to, Sirzechs," said Kuroka. "If it means Shirone can have a peaceful and quiet life growing up, then my life is a small price to pay."

"Kuroka are you sure?" asked Rose. "That would mean Shirone's entire perception of you will be altered. She'll think you're a criminal."

Kuroka balled her fists. "It'll be okay…Please," Kuroka bowed. "Just take care of my little sister. She means more than the world to me."

"You don't have to be like that Kuroka," said Sirzechs as he helped her up. "Of course, we will take her in as one of our own."

"That girl might make a fine member of the Gremory family one day," said Lord Gremory with a smile. "By the time you all come back, she'll be a strong girl."

Kuroka smiled. "I leave it in your hands then, Sirzechs, Lord Gremory."

"Have a safe trip you guys," waved Lord Gremory before he and Lady Venelana walked back inside.

"Be careful out there you two," said Sirzechs. "Who knows what sort of Divine Artifacts are out there."

"We'll be okay Lord Sirzechs," Rose tossed an arm up on Kuroka's shoulder. "We'll make sure Master doesn't get in too much trouble, and I have quite a lot to learn from him."

Sirzechs smiled. "Well then, give my regards to Masamune. I won't be seeing him for awhile."

Kuroka and Rose nodded, bowing as the Devil King closed the doors to the Gremory manor. The two began to walk outside the domain of the manor so Kuroka could teleport them out.

"We're really doing it," said Kuroka. "We're really leaving for almost 10 years."

"Don't tell me you're having a second thoughts," said Rose.

Kuroka shook her head. "I'm Masamune's Bishop now, where he goes I go. I just didn't think I'd be able to meet so many people in only a few weeks. And now we're all leaving on a journey together."

"I'm really looking forward to it," said Rose. "It's rare that I ever get to visit a place outside of Asgard. This will be my first time fully exploring Midgard."

"Well we'll just have to focus on keeping Masamune out of trouble," Kuroka opened a magic circle. "I just hope the others don't start up anything."

…

"Did you make sure to pack everything? And remember to keep up your training okay?" Sera's father continued to nag her despite her giving the same response every single time.

She stood in his office with Sona sitting on the couch. Sera walked over and picked Sona up in her arms. "I got it father, don't worry. I just came to say goodbye."

"You're really leaving, Sister?" asked Sona.

Sera nodded. "I won't be back for awhile, but I'll bring back a lot of souvenirs for you okay?"

"Okay…" Sona gave Sera a hug before walking towards the door. "Goodbye Sister."

Sera waved goodbye before facing her father once again. "Father, I'm leaving it to you and the others to find a way to stop the breaking the seals."

"We'll do all we can, rest assured," said her father. "You lot just make sure you round up all of those Artifacts. How many of them are there?"

"According to Kuro-Kun, there's over 200 loose right now," sighed Sera. "This might turn out to be a pain in the ass if I'm entirely honest, but we'll definitely do our best."

"You've certainly changed, Sera," smiled her father.

Sera raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," he got out of his desk and walked over to her, giving her a surprise hug. This was rather odd…She never took her father to be an emotional type of person. She returned the hug nonetheless. "Be safe out there, okay? We'll miss you."

"I love you too father," said Sera. She then opened a magic circle and prepared to leave. "I'll see you soon."

…

Masamune opened a magic circle and swallowed up all the luggage that everyone had packed. There were 9 total people going on this little adventure, which meant a ton of luggage.

"Man your new Authority sure is useful," Dulio chuckled.

"A parallel pocket universe huh?" asked Susanoo. "Indeed it might prove to be quite useful."

"I still don't see why you're going with us Susanoo," said Kuro. "Don't you have responsibilities as a goddess?"

The goddess crossed her arms and laughed hysterically. "Anybody who knows me, Nemean Lion, knows that I never do any work."

"That's something you want to hear from someone who'll be helping us find world ending artifacts," sighed Kuro.

Masamune took a look around. As of right now, everyone here was a member of his faction. It definitely wasn't what he had in mind when he found the resolve to do this, but everything worked out nonetheless.

Yukimura brought over a bento wrapped in cloth and handed it to Mihiro. "You be sure to watch Lord Masamune's back out there, okay? And don't forget to keep up with your training. No slacking now."

"I'll be okay father," smiled Mihiro. "Don't worry. When I come back, I'll be a fully established shinobi."

"I have no doubt," He pulled his daughter into an embrace. "I know you'll grow up into a fine woman when I see you again."

Masamune walked over and extended Yukimura a hand. "I'm sorry to leave you with such a monumental task, Yukimura."

"Don't worry my Lord," Yukimura shook his hand. "I'll find out all I can about why the Church is working with the Khaos Brigade, as well as any information I can on the Brigade as well."

"I'll leave it to you then," said Masamune with a smile.

"Where are we headed first, Munecchi?" asked Sera as she and the girls walked over.

"Egypt," said Masamune. "I would like to deal with Caliburn in Kyoto first, but there's a more pressing matter we have to get in Egypt."

"We're passing up an opportunity to go to Kyoto…so we can play in sand?" asked Kuroka.

"You stupid cat," said Kuro as he crossed his arms. "There's a more powerful Artifact in Egypt."

Dulio nodded and opened a magic circle in his palm. It displayed an image of a staff with an orb at it's tip. The tip split into four panels that opened up to reveal a glowing green gem.

"Cosmic Eclipse," said Masamune. "This Artifact is an incredibly dangerous weapon if in the wrong hands."

"But it's just a green orb, right?" asked Mihiro.

"This green orb," said Kuro. "Destroyed the entirety of Europe overnight, and left it a scorching inferno. It killed nearly a third of the human population in the span of 12 hours, including a God Slayer."

The tension in the room suddenly grew intense.

"It was originally developed as a farming tool," said Masamune. "Demeter and Hestia created it to ensure that farmers would have enough sunlight for an entire year to grow crops so no one would starve. But the village that the it was entrusted to was raided and it was stolen."

"I've tracked it to Egypt," said Dulio. "But even then I can't narrow down it's exact location."

"If you guys want to go to Kyoto, we can just split up," said Masamune. "Dulio, Kuro, Sera, Rose and I can go to Egypt. Gabriel, you take Mihiro, Susanoo, and Kuroka to Egypt. Kuroka can teleport us to you once we're done."

"That's as good a plan as any," said Gabriel. "I would rather not spend too much time in the sun."

"As long as I get to kill something, I have no complaints," said Susanoo.

Masamune placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "I'm trusting you to keep her out of trouble."

"I can almost say the exact same to you," Gabriel sighed before smiling. "Don't worry about it."

"I've never been to Egypt before," said Rose. "I wonder if we'll get to see the pyramids."

"Alright then," Masamune said as he opened the doors to the estate. "We're off."

"Good luck and be safe on your travels," said Yukimura. "I'll see you all when you return."

…

Sirzechs and Ajuka stood by the cliff face of Masamune's estate, looking out into the city. It's only been a day since they've all left on their journey and it already feels like everything's changed. The estate's been vacated, with the remaining servants returning to his mother's household and working at the manor. All the decor and furniture were still present, however Sirzechs wanted to keep it nice and tidy until they return.

"Will you stop moping around?" asked Ajuka. "We've got a pretty important job in front of us too."

Sirzechs sighed. "The Khaos Brigade…"

"We still have no idea what they are or who they've been working with, aside from the Church," said Ajuka. "As it stands, we don't know anything."

"I'm glad that Lord Odin is speaking with other mythologies to form a united front," said Sirzechs. "It feels like we're going to need it in the days to come."

"The Trihexa," said Sirzechs. "Great Red…I'm worried that Ophis might poke her head out from the shadows soon."

"It wouldn't surprise me." said Ajuka. "You know how she is."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. Sirzechs and Ajuka retained their footing, however a powerful pulse of magic energy spread out through the ground.

"W-What the hell?" asked Sirzechs.

"Behind us!" pointed Ajuka.

Sirzechs turned around to see the estate being ripped open. Protruding from the ground and springing to life, was a giant tree. It grew with an unnaturally fast pace, soon enough the branches were vast and expanded enough to cover part of the city below in shadows.

The two Devil Kings faced the tree. It's roots had planted themselves all over the house, leaving not a single trace of the estate behind. Sirzechs could see strange plants being grown from the ground all around the base of the tree, producing strange fruit that didn't look like any fruit he had ever seen, on Earth or the Underworld.

"Something's coming," said Ajuka.

Emerging from a ball of light, originating from the tree, a woman clad in a long white dress with a silver chest plate and shoulder guards walked towards Sirzechs and Ajuka.

"Who are you?" asked Sirzechs. "Identify yourself!"

The woman continued until she was directly in front of the two, and held out her hand. Suddenly, a book formed from a glow of light and rested in Sirzechs's hand. It was heavy and thick, with brown leather wrapped all around and a strange symbol carved onto the cover. Like a crescent moon with what looked like a slice of a fruit.

"I'm just," said the woman. "The goddess of wisdom."

"Athena?" asked Ajuka.

"The seeds have been planted," said the goddess. "It won't be long now. I wonder," she walked forward and stared off into the city. "Who in this world, will have the courage to pluck the forbidden fruit."

With that one vague question, she vanished. Sirzechs and Ajuka exchanged multiple looks of intense confusion, before their focus turned to the book.

"As if we didn't have enough to deal with," sighed Sirzechs. "Masamune sure picked a great time to ditch us."