There was a battle in the Arena.
An unscheduled one, for a change.
However, what made it problematic was…
"...How exactly did this happen, Sebas-san?" Demiurge adjusted his glasses with his forefinger while sighing quite hard.
Sebas's forehead was dripping with sweat, even if his face was stuck to its usual stoic expression and the butler was holding his hands behind his back in a classic 'waiting butler stance'. "I requested Shalltear-sama's presence at the Arena at the behest of Lord Momonga, as I requested the other Guardians as well, Demiurge-sama."
"Did you perchance speak to Shalltear about the… event that you were asked to oversee by Lord Momonga? The same that you told me about?" Demiurge looked quite defeated, and Sebas had to concur.
"I did. However, I-"
"HHRRAAAAAGHHH! YOUUUU DAAAMN COOOOOOWWWW! I WILL RIP YOUR TITS OUT AND TURN THEM TO A GRILLLEEED CHEESEEE!" A shrill, unnaturally guttural screech echoed around the arena and cut Sebas off mid-sentence. "HOOOWW DAAREE YOUU SEEDUUCE LORD MOMONGA WITH THOSE SACKS OF FILTHY FAAAT! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOUUUU!"
"YOUUU DARE GO BETWEEN THE LOOVE BETWEEN ME AND LOORD MOMONGAAA?! I WILL CREMATE YOU AND TURN YOUR ASHES INTO A DIAMOND FOR MY WEDDING RING, AND FORCE YOU TO LOOK EVERY TIME AS LORD MOMONGA AND I CONSUMMATE OUR LOOOVEEE!" An equally guttural, if somehow more disturbing screech responded to the first one.
The two vaguely female forms were twisted by rage and aura of something truly foul while they wrestled at the center of the Arena, one looking like a humanoid leech clad in gothic lolita outfit and the other looking like a insane humanoid that had wings, sharp teeth and unnaturally wide mouth, while her amber eyes shone with disturbing energy.
"Haa… However, it seems that the hour is due soon. In which case- Aura, Mare, could I request your help in getting Shalltear and Albedo separated from one another?" Demiurge turned towards the pair of teenage-looking dark elf twins, out of whom the skirt-wearing one was shaking in his thigh-highs and his pants-wearing sister was munching on dried plums while watching the battle unfold in the arena.
Aura dropped her dried plum as her head registered what Demiurge had asked. "Er… Y-you want me to go between those two? Really?"
"S-s-s-scary, Albedo-sama looks like she's snapped…" Mare hid behind his gnarled staff and squatted a bit to make himself look smaller, and then let a small eep as he realized that by doing so he had let his skirt ride up his thigh. "Uu…. sniff…"
"Really, now. Don't worry, if you two grab Shalltear then Cocytus and I shall grab Albedo." Demiurge clapped his hands together. "Cocytus-san?"
"Of. course. This. sort. of. behavior. is. unacceptable. when. we. are. readying. ourselves. to. present. ourselves. to. the. Supreme. Being." Cocytus pulled a big wooden mallet and wooden bat from his inventory. "I. have. heard. in. the. legends. of. these. weapons. being. used. to. force. overly. lustful. people. to. calm. down. Let. me. go. in. first."
"Very well, I shall be right behind you." Demiurge followed Cocytus, who charged the squabbling pair while activating all charge-related abilities the insectoid warrior had available to him.
And then there was a pair of 'bonk' sounds.
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"Uuu… owie-arisu…" Shalltear was sitting in a 'seiza' pose in the sand of the Arena while cradling her head. Small tears threatened to fall from the corner of her closed eyes, and there was a considerably huge bruise and bandaid on her head.
Albedo was on her knees beside Shalltear, in much the same state and position except that her black wings twitched occasionally.
"Now then…" Demiurge adjusted his bow-tie a bit while Cocytus put his pair of weapons away. "I have heard from Sebas that there may be an infiltrator among us. Or indeed, in Nazarick. Why have we not entered a lockdown already? Also, where is Victim-san?"
"I ma ereh (I am here)." A ethereal sound of words spoken backwards entered the Arena and Demiurge glanced at the last Guardian who entered the arena- That was, outside Gargantua who was not so much a 'true floor guardian' than a potent Golem that had been set to guard the Fourth Floor. Not that it'd be able to even fit in the Arena even if it could come to the Sixth Floor's Arena.
The floating half-formed fetus with horns made of branches and a halo of pure white floated gently in the air before coming to a stop beside Mare, who whimpered a bit and squirmed as Victim turned to greet Mare.
Demiurge, naturally, knew that Mare was quite glad to see the fellow Floor Guardian and that of the twins Mare had been designed to be skittish and wary, whereas Aura had been designed as the exact opposite, and thus Mare's cowardly outward acting was not at all offensive to any of the other Guardians.
"It was Lord Momonga's order to not lock Nazarick down, and instead send out scouting parties. I gathered a group of undead and wraiths from the Third Floor and sent them to scout around, but…" Albedo bit her lip a bit while she answered Demiurge's question. "It seems that our enemy was faster than us."
"Elaborate, please." Demiurge asked while Shalltear harrumphed.
"You could have just asked me to gather the undead from the levels that I oversaw! Did you desire Lord Momonga's praise so much that you'd bypass a Floor Guardian?!" Shalltear grumbled while bunching her arms, but not loudly enough to interrupt Albedo's explanation.
"It seems that the gates of Nazarick have been shut by some sort of force-field. I attempted to strike at it, and ordered the wraiths to keep hammering at it, but the force-field was unyielding." Albedo explained. "It is my belief that some sort of Super-tier magic or similar effect has been used to seal Nazarick's entrance."
"Your World-Class Item was unable to break through the seal as well, I take it?" Demiurge glanced over Albedo's body. "However… I don't see it upon your person? Where exactly is [Ginnungagap]?"
"I…" Albedo's face turned red from shame, causing Demiurge's apprehension to grow. "I… lost it… It was stolen alongside Lord Momonga's gear and memories."
"...Hm. Yet, had you entrusted the task of sending scouting parties to Shalltear who reigned floors one, two and three, do you believe she would have been able to send the scouts out faster?" Demiurge noted while lifting his glasses a bit.
Albedo paled to the complexity of a sheet of paper. "I… Ahem… Yes, I imagine it would have been slightly faster if Shalltear organized the scouting patrols. Are you saying that…"
"Indeed, had you followed the Supreme Being's orders to the letter, it is possible that we might have been able to prevent Nazarick's entrance from being sealed." Demiurge's voice was soft and velvety, but failed to hide the rising anger within. "This is all too… coincidental."
"What. are. you. saying. Demiurge-san?" Cocytus's mandibles clicked together, and it was clear that the insectoid knew what Demiurge was implying even without him saying it.
Yet, he did. ""Could it be… That Albedo was behind the thievery of the Supreme Being's gear?"
The Guardians drew a shocked breath in unison and turned to look at Albedo who began to shake while looking down.
"A-Albedo, you…" Even Shalltear was shocked. "You… You'd betray Lord Momonga just like that?!"
"I recall from Sebas's description of the events that Albedo was closest to him when the crime happened." Demiurge continued. "Is this correct, Sebas-san?"
"It is." Sebas bowed slightly. "Yet, I did not see Albedo-sama commit such an act. I shall interrogate the Pleiades if any of them saw Albedo-sama do anything suspicious."
"It was not like that, I was… I was… Lord Momonga's affection, it was too much for me… A base, vile woman like me couldn't resist his charm, specifically when he got rid of his clothes and stood up to look at me with eyes burning with desire…" Albedo's calm speech turned considerably less calm as her shame became clear for the other Guardians.
Indeed, in mere seconds droplets of tears fell to her lap. "I… I failed to keep an eye on [Ginnungagap] at that moment, and that must have been when the thief took it from me. And… When I was about to tell Lord Momonga about the theft, he turned towards me with such manly motions that my heart felt like it would burst… and… And I failed to tell him of my failure… My failure has turned into a double-failure, and I tried foolishly to redeem myself by taking on the task of organizing the scouts… When in reality I should have known better and merely instruct Shalltear to do it, as such was my role as the Guardian Overseer."
Albedo flopped down to a prostrating position towards Cocytus. "I have failed… sniff… as the Guardian Overseer, I have failed the expectations of the Supreme Being due to my base nature overtaking my sense of duty. Cocytus-san, please, once the Supreme Being arrives here… Can I please ask you to be my executioner? I would end myself to be rid of this shame, but I fear I would fail even in that…"
"Very. well. But. only. if. Lord. Momonga. orders. me. to." Cocytus was clearly troubled by Albedo's words, but nonetheless pulled out a sharp yet flat-tipped executioner's sword from his inventory and held it in loose grip, while also grabbing a half of a tree-stump from somewhere and rolling it towards the prostrating Guardian Overseer so that Albedo could put her head against it.
Shalltear looked at Albedo with an odd look that was victorious, gloating… And also more than a bit afraid and panicking. "A-Albedo, h-ha, indeed, this is my victory. I shall take care of Momonga-sama's every want and need, while you feed the worms-arisu!"
"I am glad. Please take care of Lord Momonga." It seemed that Albedo's laconic answer caused Shalltear more than a bit of panic, however.
"A-amu-arisu… That is, ahem…" Shalltear fidgeted on the spot, as if she couldn't understand what was happening.
A gale of darkness seemed to come from somewhere and the Guardians turned around in unison to bow towards it, sans Albedo who was holding her head against the tree-stump.
Indeed, at the entrance of the Arena of the Sixth Floor stood a skeletal creature cloaked in dark blue robes, and flanked by a maid.
Lord Momonga had arrived… And he was wreathed in dark energy that sent all of the Guardians to their knees in an instant from merely bowing.
That was, until the Guardians heard a quickly approaching pair of footsteps and-
Kling!
A clink of a sword landing somewhere rang in the Arena, making the Guardians lift their heads in surprise.
Demiurge's eyes widened in surprise as he saw that Lord Momonga had charged in and had knocked Cocytus's executioner's sword out of his hand.
The insectoid warrior was clicking his mandibles rapidly in shock and terror as Lord Momonga was giving him a intense glare while a violent aura seemed to waft out of him in vast excess!
'W-what?' Demiurge shook on the spot from sudden fear-
"Albedo- Are you alright?" Lord Momonga went to his knees beside Albedo after Cocytus had taken a step back in shock, and helped the woman to her feet. "What happened?! What is going on here! Sebas!"
The butler who had been standing to the side and back of the Guardians, as befitting of his role as mere servant, snapped up to his feet in an instant without being able to hold back his temple from sweating. "Lord Mo- Ahem! Lord Issei! Albedo-sama requested Cocytus-sama to be her executioner for failing the Supreme Being twice in a row!"
"Hrm…" The glare that Lord Momonga sent to Cocytus could have frozen even ice, and Cocytus's carapace had turned from light blue to white in an instant under the glare. At least, before Cocytus fell to his knees and prostrated towards Lord Momonga.
"I. do. not. understand. lord. Momonga. Please. forgive. me." Cocytus's mandibles clicked multiple times to convey the haste of his speech.
"...Albedo." Lord Momonga's tone was quiet and worried, making Demiurge suddenly afraid that he had been mistaken in his initial hypothesis regarding Albedo's suspicious actions. "Talk to me."
"My lord, please punish this foolish Guardian Overseer who failed her duties thrice over…" Albedo's eyes were glazed over and lifeless… At least, until Lord Momonga reached to put the back of his hand against Albedo's temple.
"You're speaking nonsense. Please come back to your senses."
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Issei was bluffing quite hard as he realized that he had acted out on impulse. 'I saw that onee-sama on the chopping block and that insect-guy with an executioner's sword in his hand! It was as if they were getting ready to chop Albedo's head off! But… What if…'
Indeed, while Issei had stared down the huge insect-guy (mostly because he had gotten close to it and frozen in sudden terror as on closer inspection the insect-guy was actually quite terrifying and Issei was effectively unarmed), he had realized that Albedo was a Fallen Angel- And therefore, the whole spectacle might be justified. 'Raynare acted innocent at first as well, and then when my guard was down, she struck with all her might… Don't tell me that this was another such case, where these guys had caught Albedo mid-betrayal and were about to execute her like Rias-buchou executed Raynare?'
Issei felt a wave of terror run down his body as he contemplated the possibility that he had gotten roped up by yet another Fallen Angel and was about to get betrayed again…
However, unlike Raynare who was begging for her life after being confronted by her crimes, Albedo was begging to be punished while looking quite miserable, making Issei hesitate.
'Rias-buchou… I need your guidance! Not to mention, Albedo-oneesama has such a nice pair of breasts that I… I feel as if my heart is wavering-' Issei's self-control failed and he looked down at Albedo's breasts- And instead of betraying a look of cold hatred or vicious mockery, Albedo's face betrayed a feeling of abject shame and her eyes began to water once again.
"T-that my lord would look at this failed Guardian Overseer in such an intense, loving manner…" Albedo sniffed out. "Lord Momonga- Lord Issei, please punish me, I am not worthy of this kindness…"
'...Somehow I don't see Albedo betraying me like Raynare. Although, I should still keep my guard up just in case. Now then… Er, that stare-down of that insect-guy might not have been the best first introduction but I should probably try to figure out who these guys are.' Issei's head felt a lot more serene after staring for a while at Albedo's breasts, allowing him to make more rational decisions as if he was experiencing a post-breast clarity.
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"You're speaking nonsense. Please come back to your senses."
Demiurge froze in terror as he realized that Lord Momonga's words were not meant for Albedo, but rather, a indirect message to Demiurge. 'Lord Momonga must have known what was said here, as Albedo's state is a clear indication, and thus he must have known it was my theory that drove Albedo into accepting her fate as she is aware of my intelligence and knows that she cannot fool me! However! 'You're speaking nonsense, please come back to your senses'- Albedo has failed Lord Momonga, this is objectively true, but my theory about Albedo's suspicious circumstances- I thought Albedo had gone to arrange the scouts in order to deliver Lord Momonga's stolen gear, memories and [Ginnungagap] to someone outside Nazarick under the guise of orders that she should have just delegated instead of carrying out on her own, but if Lord Momonga says that 'it is nonsense, please come to your senses'- Of course! My reasoning was incorrect because… Because Albedo was also mind-controlled into going to the first floor while Lord Momonga's memories were taken!'
'Of course, Lord Momonga must have already done his own investigation separately from ours, and must have realized who the real thief was, even if he has lost his memories during the attack! In other words, he knows the identity of the attacker and is telling me that it is not Albedo- In other words, Albedo was framed and I foolishly took the first bait that was offered to me!' Demiurge shook in shame and amazement over the swift and decisive actions of the Supreme Being, while he spent the moment consoling Albedo and ensuring her that she still had a place among the denizens of Nazarick and that she was still loved, doing both at the same by doing something as simple as standing in front of her and staring at her breasts as if transfixed. "Lord Momonga-"
"I'm Issei. Who are you?" Lord Momonga turned towards Demiurge after seemingly drawing his red-glowing eye-dots from Albedo's breasts and leaving the woman in a shaky yet glad state.
"Lord Issei. Indeed, it is as you have deduced." Demiurge knelt down to one knee. "I take full responsibility for falling to the string of crumbs that were left for me to figure out by our enemy, and likewise I take responsibility for accusing Albedo for a crime she was framed into. She is indeed innocent of the crime of stealing your equipment and memories."
"I don't know about the memories, but I'm pretty sure that the person who stole my gear was that Phenix idiot when he stabbed me in the chest…" Issei seemed to focus a bit on Demiurge's appearance. "Hm, are you a devil?"
"Yes, my lord, it is as you have deduced. I am an arch-devil to be specific." 'Ah, I see.' Demiurge nodded internally while bowing deep externally. 'As expected of our lord- Even without his memories he has managed to find out exactly who has stolen his equipment. However- Stabbed in the chest? There might have been a larger battle that was fought in the throne room- No, that cannot be. Sebas and Albedo would have been able to interfere in that, and one cannot carry out hostile spells and abilities while under effect of [Time Stop]. In other words, the stabbing was metaphorical. Which means, this 'Phenix' is not one of us, as in that case our lord would have used the phrase 'stabbed in the back'. This implies that 'Phenix' is a foreign entity.'
Demiurge noted an irregularity in the theory, however. 'But how exactly did they get to the Ninth Floor without anyone noticing, and where are they now? The blockade of the first floor was erected while Albedo was delayed, which implies that the enemy has likely left this place already ahead of Albedo. In that case, our first concern should be breaking the blockade. I[Ginnungagap] would be the obvious choice as it is both a World-class item and capable of breaking large areas and seals, and the enemy has cunningly stolen it as well. This implies a high degree of knowledge of our items and their abilities, which is worrying as I am under the impression that the Supreme Beings hid the knowledge of the World-class items in their possession under the highest secrecy…'
'There are not many who'd know which items we possess and what their powers are exactly. And all of them betraying us would constitute a 'stab in the back' instead of 'stab in the chest'...' Demiurge felt as if there was some sort of clue that the Supreme Being had given him, but which he had not grasped yet as the line of thinking seemed to reach a dead end.
"Do you have affiliations with Gremory house and do you know Rias Gremory?" Lord Issei asked, making Demiurge rack his head for a moment.
"I do not know either. However, if Lord Issei wishes for me to find out about them, I shall not leave a single page unturned nor a single person uninterrogated as to their whereabouts." Demiurge admitted after coming to a conclusion. 'House of Gremory? I see… Is that a guild? Rias 'Gremory', hm, Lord Issei might have picked clues left behind by the attacker, and is providing me with the information necessary to track down the attacker… 'Phenix', 'House of Gremory', 'Rias'... However, what exactly is the relation of the name of 'Issei' in this context? Lord Momonga has lost his memories, but instead of resuming with his old name, he re-named himself… Ah- of course. If our enemy knows of Nazarick's defenses well enough that it can infiltrate all the way to Ninth Floor and steal the World-Class item we'd need to break out, then it makes sense to change one's identity into something not found on Nazarick's roster of Supreme Beings.'
Demiurge realized the application of such knowledge. 'That would leave our enemy uncertain of who exactly the 'new person' was, and they would investigate as any 'new information' would drive them to paranoia after presuming that they knew all about us… And thus they would be caught in our trap when they returned to the scene of the crime! Sasusga, my master! Truly, you are worthy of the title of Supreme Being for having crafted such a web of cunning plans with such slight and minute touches…'
"Ahem, Lord Issei, if I may be so bold…" A cough came from somewhere nearby and Demiurge glanced at Sebas who had coughed to his gloved fist. "As our lord has lost his memories, might I suggest that the Guardians introduce themselves to our lord? As far as I am aware, he was unable to recall anyone but Albedo."
"Ah… Yes, that would be good." Lord Issei nodded his skeletal head a bit. "Hm, I know Albedo and Sebas, but the rest of you… Please tell me your names and what you do here."
"I… Am. Cocytus. I. serve. Nazarick. as. the. Floor. Guardian. of. Fifth. Floor. of. Nazarick." Cocytus spoke from where he was still prostrating towards Lord issei, with his head held firmly against the sand while the ground around him had started to freeze up.
"U-um… I'm Mare…"
"And I'm Aura! Mare and I guard the Sixth floor! Or this place!" Aura looked quite proud.
"I ma mitciV. I draug eht htthgiE roolF (I am Victim. I guard the Eighth Floor.)"
"I, of course, am Demiurge. I guard the Seventh Floor of Nazarick."
"I am Shalltear Bloodfallen, and I guard floors one, two and three-arisu." Shalltear curtsied deeply… And Lord Issei stared at Shalltear a bit.
One of Shalltear's fangs was a bit visible from the corner of her mouth while she shook on the spot from the intensity of the stare, a hopeful look on her features…
The moment stretched-
Shalltear shook a bit while a pair of small tears formed in the corners of her eyes in growing realization-
Demiurge held his breath, feeling as if something was about to give-
…And then Lord Issei seemed to sigh like an old man.
Shalltear broke under the stare and under the sigh that was like that of a disappointed old man. "...Yes, my lord. They are padded…"
"Why?" Lord Issei made a grand gesture towards Shalltear, as if he was grasping something at roughly chest-height. "Why do you do that to your body, Shalltear-san?"
"I-It's because… Albedo has big breasts and…" Shalltear seemed quite shaken while she put her hands on her 'breasts', which were roughly the size of her head if combined.
"All breasts are beautiful! Large breasts, small breasts, huge breasts, itty bitty titties, there is no man alive or dead who can't appreciate the beauty of breasts no matter how big or small!" Lord Issei seemed to be quite serious about it, making Demiurge a bit confused as to what exactly lord Issei was talking about, while Shalltear's expression froze to quite an interesting one.
Indeed, Shalltear was gripping the chest of her dress with a desperate hold, almost as if she wasn't sure if her ears were hearing correctly and she was shaking a bit.
"Indeed, to cover breasts with pads is a crime against breasts themselves- It is like covering the world's most beautiful garden with a tarp to make it more homogenous instead of admiring its unique beauty!" Lord Issei opened his arms wide while making a small pirouette, causing Shalltear to tear up a bit. "Do the right thing, Shalltear-san! Let your breasts' beauty be known to all, and free them from the facade of pads!"
"M-my lord… Yes! H- haaahn-arisu!" Shalltear's expression was quite determined and she put her hands into an opening in the neck of her dress, and after a brief moment of exertion-
The pair of pads were held victoriously in the air.
Albedo let a small snicker… Before Lord Issei turned to send Albedo an intense glare. "Do not mock Shalltear-san for her courage to reveal her beautiful breasts!"
"Ah- Of course, my lord! I apologize, Shalltear!" Albedo moved to face towards Shalltear in an instant.
"I… feel so free…" Shalltear looked like she was floating and had a peaceful expression while rose petals began to fall around her. "Lord Issei… has accepted me for who I am… Ah, I can feel my still heart beating…"
Albedo sent a flat stare at Shalltear for a brief moment… Before smiling in a bit intimidating way. "Lord Issei's heart is still mine. After all, Lord Issei requested to grope and fondle my breasts, unlike yours."
"Oi, do you want to fight-arinsu?" There was a vein pulsing on Shalltear's forehead.
"I can see a solution to this- Shalltear, let me grope your breasts." Lord Issei interjected into the conversation before it could turn to blows.
"Issei-sama-arisu?!" Shalltear breathed in sharply while slapping her hands on her mouth, and her eyes were suddenly wet with happy tears. "Yes! Of course! I accept!"
Meanwhile, Demiurge had an epiphany- 'Ah- Wait, of course! Now it all makes sense-!'
"Guardians! Draw your weapons!" Demiurge whispered, instructing the Guardians to assume fighting positions as they had laxed their guard at the crucial moment- Aura had an odd expression while she was staring at Lord Issei, Mare was patting his chest a bit while having a strange expression, Cocytus had tilted his head while his forehead was still against the sand, and Victim had been… floating above Shalltear while showering rose petals on top of Shalltear for a visual effect?
"Demiurge. are. we. under. attack?" Cocytus asked while Shalltear and Albedo froze as they must have overheard Demiurge's whisper, while Lord Issei kept up his act as if he hadn't heard anything- Which told Demiurge that he had deduced Lord Issei's intention correctly through the metaphors and subtle hints that the Supreme One had given the demon during the speech.
"Be silent- Our lord has set this up perfectly, we need to merely do our part! Lord Issei has gathered all Guardians into this Arena and re-created the scene that had happened in Ninth Floor- Except this time with Guardians instead of Pleiades to safeguard it! Even Lord Momonga's decision to rename himself as Lord Issei was in preparation for this-!" Demiurge half-whispered, half [Messaged] his words to the Guardians who looked to be clueless of what was going on, almost as if they hadn't been listening to Supreme Being's words- Or worse, had been listening but had understood nothing. "If the thief is in Nazarick, then our lord has set us to our positions like pieces on a chessboard- Our lord is about to lure the thief out of hiding so we may smite it down with our combined might! Cocytus- That sword that our lord knocked off your hand? See- It is pointing to the direction of the entrance of the Arena, where the enemy must come from! Arena's system prevents any challenger from entering or leaving this place unless they come through the entrance and leave through the exit- It is the perfect place for an ambush! Meanwhile, Lord Issei is about to lower his guard to engage with Shalltear like he did with Albedo, which makes it prime opportunity to strike at him, and even his name was changed so that the infiltrator can't tell who of the Supreme Beings is here, turning their own intelligence-gathering against them by making them think their knowledge is incomplete!"
Cocytus froze still as if the insectoid warrior had just now realized that the seemingly hostile stare-down at the start of the meeting had been just for a show in case they were spied on, and the real message had been the discarded sword pointing at the entrance.
"Right!" "Got it- Shalltear, leave this to us!" Mare and Aura whispered quietly while Lord Issei was approaching Shalltear.
"I- I think I got it! Watch me, Albedo!" Shalltear's face gained a healthy red hue and she began to shake like a maiden meeting her prince, all the while Victim kept pouring the rose petals down on the vampire from a bucket while floating above her.
Albedo bit the hem of her dress in anger in order to not lash out… Before she clearly realized that under normal circumstances it would be her who would be getting her breasts touched by the Supreme Being, but as she had objectively failed the Supreme Being, her punishment was to not be the one whose body was showered with affection this time.
Albedo sent Demiurge a look and Demiurge nodded to Albedo, both of whom had by now deduced the genius of the Supreme Being's seemingly random actions tying together at the end to create an elaborate ambush for the unknown infiltrator.
Sebas read the mood as well, and while the butler's pose was as calm as ever, his eyes were focused on the Arena's entrance while his face was utterly determined, and it was clear to Demiurge that Sebas was determined to redeem himself of his earlier failure.
Shalltear buffed her chest up proudly, even if it was barely an A-cup by now that the pads had been taken off… And Lord Issei stopped in front of Shalltear so that he stood in front of her.
Two bony hands were lifted up…
A drop of sweat ran down Sebas's temple while his gaze hardened on the Arena's entrance…
The forefingers of the skeletal hands were straightened…
Demiurge's vicious smirk widened as he imagined what kind of torment he'd force upon the unknown thief for its transgressions…
The hands approached Shalltear's chest…
Albedo's dress had gained a hole as the woman was biting hard on the hem of her dress while staring at the entrance in abject rage and emotional torment over her just punishment…
Shalltear drew a deep breath and closed her eyes…
Cocytus's entire body tensed up while a gust of freezing mist escaped his mouth and his insect-like eyes gained a red hue, all four of his arms now bearing the most devastating blades that he had in his arsenal…
The two skeletal fingers touched Shalltears's breasts.
"Iyaaanh-arisu~"
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A penguin waddled about.
Eclair, the (not actually) Rule of Nazarick waddled towards it's goal with all due haste and dignity required of the True Shadow Ruler of Nazarick.
"Wark. Indeed, I heard that Sebas-sama ordered all Guardians to come meet the lord of Nazarick on the Sixth Floor…" Eclair pulled out a comb and checked that his toupee was immaculate. "Indeed, it is finally time for me to usurp the fake rulers and assume my rightful place on the Throne of Kings!"
"Wark, wark…" Eclair waddled forward… And froze.
The penguin realized that he was staring at all of the Floor Guardians of Nazarick, as he expected.
However…
"EEEEEEEHHHH-wark?!" Eclair felt as his body lost all it's strength in an instant from the sheer amount of killing intent that not so much radiated but blasted out of the Guardians. 'D-do they not realize that I am the true ruler of Nazarick after all Supreme Beings have left- um.'
Indeed, there was a small problem in Eclair's plans.
Namely, that Lord Momonga was standing in the middle of the Guardians.
"Ah. Indeed. I should have foreseen this. My, I feel as if I've been foolish not to consider this. After all, the weakest link of the chain is always the one that breaks it." Demiurge corrected his glasses with his forefinger as if in deep thought, but his crimson eyes shone brightly through them to reveal their crystalline nature. "In retrospect, the motive makes sense, and explains how the actual thief got into the Ninth Floor so easily. Indeed, you were always quite forward in your goals, so your betrayal wouldn't be so much a stab in the back, but a stab in the chest- Right, Eclair-san?"
"Um-wark, there is a misunderstanding here somewhere-wark, I'm sure that we can talk it over-wark-" Eclair got into his third sentence…
Before all of the Guardians went all-out.
.
.
There was a legend passed from that night onward among the fauna of the Sixth Floor of Nazarick, of a time when they could look at the sky and see a flying penguin who turned into a star.
.
.
Issei sighed in a depressed manner inside his head as he realized that he, indeed, couldn't really feel anything from groping breasts. 'I thought that maybe if I tried someone else's breasts than Albedo's then the situation might be different… A control-group of one person is pretty unreliable after all…'
And then he looked around to see that where there had once been a gated entrance to the Arena, there was now just a giant crater.
'Eh?'