Final Chapter: The End and the Beginning


It's not predictable anger or pain that's the worst, it's the "random," stuff he knew is coming, just never when. The random work on the mind was torture, elevating primal fear, decreasing logic and self-control. Danhauser Belial had a spoonful of this spinning around his world.

His family was also infected by the same symptom.

When he'd finished his one-sided fight against Shidou Touji minutes later his older brother — Diehauser Belial — showed up in the picture.

The Champion wasn't pleased by the news that Cleria Belial had shared with him, but he never asked for a minute of privacy to speak with Touji not even threatening him for attempting murder against his family. He merely grabbed Danhauser by the shoulder and took him back to the Underworld.

Jeanne and Yaegaki Masaomi were alone with the group of exorcists, but Diehauser didn't care what happened to them. Family comes first.

When he'd returned to the Belial State with his Peerage, cousin and brother. His mother had pulled him and Cleria into a bear hug, but what caught him off-guard was that his uncle, father, and Mephisto Pheles were in the main room. Mephisto had demanded him the full story right off the bat. He wasn't a Devil who liked to beat around the bush.

A "get to the fucking point guy" as stated by his father — Matanbuchus Belial.

His Peerage was patrolling the Belial Territory with Gilles de Rais taking the lead, an idea implemented by Mephisto himself. The heterochromatic Devil knew that Zekram Bael was making his way to the Belial Territory to finish what he'd started.

"That's pretty much it," Danhauser breathed out, his father squishing his shoulders with comfort, "Yeah. That's the whole story."

His uncle — Malacoda Malebranche — wiggled his eyebrows at Mephisto. "Think you can take care Zekky by yourself?"

"Maybe," Mephisto surly replied, "I know that assface like the cheek of my butt. But if he's going to bring one of the Four Great Satan as his meat shield… they're way above me."

"I can handle them," Malacoda gave a thumbs-up, "Serafall and Falbium aren't an issue… Ajuka and Sirzechs… I'll need my True Form to last for at least fifty seconds if they don't take me seriously."

Matanbuchus scowled at his brother-in-law, "Are you crazy?" He asked, shaking his head, "Don't answer that. But are you seriously going to fight against the Maou?"

"Fuck yeah I am!" Malacoda boasted, pounding his chest, "A Malebranche doesn't hide with their tail between their legs!"

"They're going to turn you into their sex toy, Coda," Mephisto sided with Matanbuchus, "I'm gonna put some sense inside Zekram's head and convince him to drop this bullshit."

"What if it doesn't work out?" Calcabrina Belial asked, worried, "Are we going to fight?"

Mephisto wore a straight face, nodding at Cleria, "Then we're sticking to Plan B. You know what that means, right?"

"G-give myself to the government," She gulped, "Y-yes. Got it."

Mephisto's heterochromatic eyes fell like an act of violence — a glare to disturb anyone's heart, "All of you get why we have to use this backup plan if everything is screwed, right?"

Danhauser fingers were jumping rhythmically — as if in spasm. His family was doing great masking their expressions, but they were also feeling the goosebumps over their skin.

Nonetheless, they rigidly nodded.

Everyone stopped. Pulsing from the floor was a strange, bright magic circle. It flickered as a familiar French Butler slowly materialized, "Bad news," It was only Gilles. Danhauser's Peerage probably in a safer place. He also had Gram attached on his back, "The Great King and Elder Naberius are coming. Lucifer, Beelzebub, Bedeze, Roygun, and that clown Rudiger are acting as vanguards."

Silence.

Malacoda ended the silence by clicking his tongue, "Fuck me. They're coming at us hard," He softly smacked Diehauser's shoulder, "Hey, Big D. We need calvary — think Ruval is up to it?"

The Champion passed a hand through his gray hair in desperation, "I don't want to involve him into this. He has nothing to do with our problems."

"Yikes. Guess I'm gonna call the whole Malebranche Clan. Dunno if they're going to be here just in time."

"I could call them while you distract them," Matanbuchus offered, "… While Barbariccia hates my guts, I think he wouldn't mind helping us out."

"Yeah, especially when my little brother hates the actual Maous," Malacoda heaved a sigh, "… He always preferred the Old Maou."

Mephisto shaped a magic circle next to his ear, "Tannin, get your ass on Diehauser's territory. We got trouble."

Diehauser was rendered speechless. He had a sort of hen-pecked look, "Why are you…?"

"Zekram fought in the Great War," Mephisto explained, "He was there when his own race died one after another — almost on the brink of extinction. I still remember the face he'd made when the children of the Maou still persisted continuing the Great War."

Matanbuchus snapped his fingers in understanding, "Like Sirzechs, he wants to avoid anything that could trigger a conflict."

"Bingo," Mephisto grunted.

"Damn," Malacoda whistled, "You weren't joking. You really know Zekky like the palm of your hand!"

"But why bring the two strongest Devils and those amongst the Top Ten?" Calcabrina asked, meeting the gaze of her oldest child, "… Is he trying to scare us?"

Diehauser nodded, "Yes, mother. He's pressuring us so we can give Cleria as soon as possible."

"And chop her head off," Mephisto finished.

Cleria felt a shiver run down on her spine, "Okaaaay. That was a little unnecessary..."

Diehauser turned to everyone, "Plan C. We'll fight fire with fire. "

"B-but what if they don't show hesitation?" Cleria mumbled quietly, "What if they strike back?"

"Then I'll step up," Danhauser's eyes flew open as the row of heads turned to face him. He awkwardly massaged his neck, "… I think I know why the Elders want to erase Cleria off the map."

Zekram planned all this because he was trying to maintain the status quo that both sides did not want to disturb. In truth, this turned out to be a cover story made by the elders because Cleria learned about the King piece and how they were using it to corrupt the Rating Games from the shadows.

But that was in the Light Novels — it was canon. Danhauser doesn't know if this Cleria knew about the King Piece. Sure, there were many that knew about its existence, but all of them considered the subject as an urban legend and no one brought it up since then — except the reporters that failed to call out why Diehauser had such immense power and a perfect streak of victories in the Rating Games.

Cleria never backed down, she'd fought to find any evidence of its existence and perhaps to clean the name of Diehauser. Danhauser didn't remember too much, but last time he'd read the Light Novels he'd believed that Cleria found out that Ajuka Beelzebub had a hideout somewhere in Japan. It had something to do with the Rating Games — Danhauser didn't recall too much about the details.

The point was that Cleria was terminated by the Government of Ars Goetia for sticking her nose where she didn't have to.

His plan was simple. If the two Super Devils were also on this, then Ajuka was also present. He was going to share everything with him. Luckily, Bedeze Abaddon and Roygun Belphegor — users of the King Piece — were acting as bodyguards, making this easier to show proof.

"And who said you can come with us?" Calcabrina folded her arms with a motherly look, "Gilles will teleport you back to your Peerage — where everything is safe."

"It's better if he comes with us," Mephisto intervened, "He and Diehauser are important for this plan to work out. Plus the brat said he has something that could benefit us. Given that Zekram brought the big guns, we should pull ours too."

Calcabrina scowled and her back stiffened. "Besides that, why does Danhauser have to come with us?"

"Society," Matanbuchus answered. "Diehauser is one of the most famous devils of not only Ars Goetia but the whole Underworld as well. He's inspired too many Devils to participate in the Rating Games and he's even considered a candidate of the next Maou when one of the currents ones leave their seat. If everyone finds out that Diehauser was killed then Ars Goetia would explode."

"… What does this have to do with Danhauser again?"

"In the aftermath of his first Rating Game, he challenged the Top Ten — face to face," Matanbuchus continued, placing both hands on the shoulders of his wife, "He became viral in the Underworld and probably a good amount of people are looking forward to his achievements."

"Plus losing two strong Devils would not benefit the Great King," Gilles added.

Danhauser pocketed his hands, "So, we're like meat shields?"

"It's either that or giving your cousin to the government," Mephisto snapped.

"I wasn't against the idea," Danhauser muttered, "Alright, I'm in."

It took minutes for Calcabrina's glare to soften, "I don't want any of my children to risk their necks," She clenched her fists, nails digging her palms. "But neither do I want Cleria to die. Fine, let's kick some ass!"

"The only ass that's gonna get kicked is ours…" Malacoda mumbled, earning a wack from his sister, "I mean! Yeah! Love! Friendship! Woohooo!"

Mephisto rolled his eyes and floated away with his chair, "Let's get this shit done already."

Everyone followed the elder.


Cleria Belial was lost for words. She could just stare into the doors that blocked sight of her heroes, and her heart fell silent.

Do something! Her brain roared.

But she couldn't will her legs to move.

As if stuck underwater, everything was slow and warbled as Matanbuchus Belial squeezed softly her shoulder, "Diehauser and the rest got this under control. We'll have to wait here in the meantime," He advised. But her mind was blank and her eyes wide as she stared longingly at the doors.

Matanbuchus never expected an answer. He comfortingly rubbed her back and joined her.

She had to say something! She searched her mind for something reasonable to say, but to her surprise, her heart answered for her, "T-thank you, everyone."


"Hey, Coda. If we somehow died, I have something to tell you," Mephisto Pheles said.

"Oh snap! Emotional speeches!" Malacoda Malebranche cheered, "Gimme! Gimme!"

"… Out of all the Old Devils, you're my favorite."

"Aw! Thanks, Mephisto — you're also at the top of my favorite list!"

"I still think you're the biggest cunt in history."

"Shaahahaha!" Malacoda laughed loudly, "You know the saying! You are what you eat!"

The Belial brothers and Mephisto stayed quiet.

"Heh," Gilles de Rais chuckled, "Well played."

Calcabrina Belial glared at his brother, "… Can you keep your perverse stuff for yourself? I don't want my children listening to your words — let alone repeat them."

Malacoda adopted a smirk, wrapping an arm around his sister's neck and pulling her closer, "Guess that makes my little sister the biggest dick in history, eh?"

Disgust shaped on her face — almost hatred — as her cheeks reddened with anger. She proved her strength by elbowing the ribs of her older brother, earning a painful gasp from him, "Dumbass."

"Oof!"

Danhauser Belial and Diehauser Belial made eye contact, smiling faintly. They knew it was just Malacoda poking fun over his one and only little sister. Diehauser and Cleria did the same thing over Danhauser.

Worst enemy and best friend all in one neat package.

"Alright! Laughing time is over!" Mephisto called out, glaring at the locked doors. The tension that had kept him up for hours straight melted into nothing. He grinned. "Ha! Tannin was here for a while."

With the adrenaline he had been fighting for all that time, half of it had washed away. Diehauser brought his head around, looking a little relieved than before, "Everyone's ready?"

"All of you better be," Mephisto peered over his shoulder, "Brat. I'll keep Zekram tamed while you pull out that card off your sleeve."

Dread crept down his spine like a careful spider leaving a trail of silk. Danhauser ran his hands over the greyish hair, almost yanking them out of his head.

He awkwardly gestured the exit, "L-let's jump into it."

When the doors cranked open, the only thing impeding them the view was the gigantic dragon with arms folded blocking the entrance to the uninvited guests.

Tannin glanced behind his shoulder and nodded, "Mephisto. Heard there was trouble."

Danhauser swore to spot Zekram Bael mumbling something under his breath — likely a curse.

Bedeze Abaddon, Roygun Belphegor, and Rudiger Rosenkreutz seemed to wish to be in a different place now that Mephisto was here.

They knew that trouble was coming.

"It's a long story, Tannin," Mephisto floated beside his Queen, "These donkeys are putting stress over my aching and flat ass."

"Yo! Sirzechs!" Malacoda gave the Crimson Satan a peace-sign, "Ready for round two?"

"Malacoda," Sirzechs Lucifer brought a hand up, attempting to halt him, "I'm not here to fight. Don't make things more complicated!"

Evil Tail shrugged, "Can't do," He flashed his biggest grin, "Y'all going after someone important to me. That ain't happening under my watch!"

"… Don't make me do this."

"…" Tannin towered the Super Devil. His red, slitted pupils unfazed but his face set hard, "You don't frighten me, Sirzechs. Now come — let the battle begin."

Gilles pulled out Gram while Calcabrina snapped her fingers to summon her trustworthy trident.

Sirzechs stood back, hands clenched but somewhat slack-mouthed.

The green-haired Super Devil scowled and readied himself.

The Champion nodded at his fellow Rating Gamers and took a stance, "No hard feelings. Hope you three understand."

"You… you don't have to do this, Diehauser," Rudiger implored as Bedeze and Roygun responded with the same posture — sweating a little.

Diehauser never replied back.

"… You idiot!" Elder Naberius at last snapped, guarding himself behind the three rating gamers, "… You're the head of the Belial Clan, act like a leader! You and your family are challenging the government and threatening two Elders! This won't go unnoticed!"

No one replied back.

Mephisto eyed each one of them and sneered, "I see you brought your shitty familiars for a walk, Zekram."

"I pray life is treating you well Mephisto," Zekram greeted, mildly annoyed. Behind that stony expression, there was anxiety, Mephisto could taste it, "I'm afraid I'm not here to talk with you. Now, can you please tell them to lower their stances?"

Mephisto chuckled dryly, "Not happening Zekram," His expression dropped to serious, "They told me everything."

"… Then you understand the dangers threatening the thin relationship of Ars Goetia and Heaven?"

"Yes, the 'pacifist' Great King planned to chop the head off someone — without listening to the part of her tale — to protect the status quo of Heaven and the Remaining Pillars."

"I wish there was a safer approach for this," Zekram admitted, "I'm afraid there's none. Now leave and take your Queen with you. You don't have the rights to involve yourself in politics solely aimed at citizens of the 72 Pillars. Same goes for you, Malacoda."

"The King piece is real."

The air was so brittle It would snap, and if it didn't — Danhauser might. No one spoke, what was there to say? Platitudes wouldn't cut it right now. Danhauser just came from Kuoh Town, where they also wanted to behead his cousin. Now he was catapulted in the same situation, but ten times worst.

He was tired of all this shit. He wanted to end this with lady luck clung on his side.

The expressions were as Danhauser had somehow expected them to be. The two Super Devils were bewildered. Those within the Top Ten — mostly Bedeze and Roygun — had their blood drained out of their faces. And Elder Naberius was sent reeling backward.

"Whaaaaat…!" Malacoda looked away from Sirzechs Lucifer to spare his nephew a face stuck in an incredulous expression, "You're shitting on me, right?"

"Well, that was fast," Mephisto grunted.

"And unexpected," Zekram clearly wasn't bothered by the revelation, "It's not surprising that you're well-acknowledged of the urban legend surrounding the King piece. The media has been pestering The Emperor since his debut," He paused with a frown, "… But the King piece is just that — a myth."

Danhauser knew that the Great King was just telling lies. However, he didn't recall if the Bael Clan was behind the usage of the forbidden piece just as Bedeze had implied in the Light Novels. He only knew the Old Devils were abusing of it.

Either Zekram was involved in the fraud of the Rating Games or he was just trying to perish the existence of the King Piece in fear of Devils pursuing it for evil deeds.

Diehauser regained his senses by shaking his head, "Dan. What are you saying? The King piece is not real."

"Yes," The first Naberius had his teeth clenched this whole time, glaring fiercely at the Heir of Belial, "… Just fake distributed information. Be silent, brat."

Before he could reply, Danhauser wilted under the gaze of the Super Devil — Ajuka Beelzebub. It wasn't just the cool blue eyeballs, it was the intelligence and power behind them that did it.

Seeing this on the bright side, Danhauser had captivated the attention of Ajuka — exactly what he'd needed.

Danhauser faced his older brother with confidence, "Trust me on this," His gaze switched to the Maou. "Satan Beelzebub. The Rating Games are corrupt. Many shady dealings go on behind your back and under your nose!"

Ajuka just stared at Danhauser open-mouthed. He closed his mouth, then looked at his shoes before glancing back up to catch his eye, "Go on," Was all he could say.

Roygun stood as if paralyzed from the neck up, unable to speak.

"That brat!" Bedeze yanked his tie — his favorite — and balled it up, "H-how does he…?!"

"Most of the members of the Rating Game Executive Committee are part of this fraud too. They use bribes, match-fixing, and such."

"…" Ajuka kept listening.

"Great King!" Elder Naberius glanced at Zekram, wide-eyed, "Remember why we're here! We are just wasting time!"

"…" Zekram remained silent, ears trained.

"Some Rating Gamers use the King piece even though they are banned — the higher-ups and the elderly devils are the ones behind these crimes!"

Rudiger shot Zekram a sideways glare, noting the elder wearing a frown of utter confusion and disagreement.

"Impossible," The Great King dismissed his arguments, "I've been keeping my eyes over the Old Devils for a long time. Never have I seen any suspicious move coming from them."

Zekram realized that it was futile to change Danhauser's view concerning the King piece. The Heir of Belial knew too much already.

How? That's another story for another time.

"That's right you brat!" Naberius pointed a shaky finger at Danhauser, "Shut your—!"

Danhauser obviously ignored them.

"Because of your absence, the grace of the Rating Game just turned into politics and deception!"

"… So you think this is why they want Cleria executed?" Ajuka finally said, "Because the Elders were worried that they were going to be exposed by her?"

"… Do you have any proof of this?" Zekram folded his arms, "Or these are just assumptions coming out of your head?"

"Unlike you, we have the evidence of your cousin dating the exorcist!" Naberius added.

Danhauser gestured with his head at Naberius, "… Those amongst the Top Ten. But apparently, you also had your share in this mess."

Roygun and Bedeze winced while Rudiger curved an eyebrow at the accusation.

Naberius thumbed himself, "Now I'm a suspect in this too?!" He cocked his head and laughed noisily, "Now why?! Because I'm part of the Old Devils? Know your place you insolent brat! Thanks to my generation you're not in a stupid war!"

"You're acting as if you were the victim."

Sirzechs took a step forward, hand raised, "This is getting out of—!"

"Why wouldn't I?! You're accusing me of something I have never done in my life!"

Danhauser almost scoffed, "Now say that again without sweating."

"I—!" Naberius stopped after accidentally locking stares with Ajuka — the latter waiting for his counter-attack. His mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish with no sound coming out.

He wasn't intimidated by the grey-haired heir — why would he? — but whenever Satan Beelzebub trailed his judgmental eyes from Danhauser to him made him spew gibbering nonsense.

"Naberius?" Zekram called out, "What's wrong?"

"…"

"Nothing else to add, Elder Naberius? Fine," Ajuka hummed before giving Danhauser the spotlight, "I'd heard enough anyways. You don't mind if I call you Dan, right?"

Danhauser shook his head. He was near to the point of nibbling his nails out, yet there was a light of hope keeping him steady.

"Dan, aside from the Old Devils, you believe those within the Top Ten are incriminated on this conspiracy?" He had to make sure Danhauser wasn't backing down, "You understand that you're involving your brother and your uncle on this mess?"

Little time he had to know the boy. But he was fine. He could look past the training tendencies that had kept him becoming the ideal next head of the Clan Belial. Not only is strength praised amongst the aristocrats, but also knowledge of how their governmental system worked.

Then again, he had no room to talk. He preferred to act like a hermit in his working station than fulfilling his role as a Satan.

"I hold not all of them are behind the corruption," Danhauser faced Diehauser and Malacoda, "Especially you two, right?"

"I'm still fucking confused," Malacoda massaged his forehead, trying to mitigate his headache, "But sure as hell I ain't cheating!"

The Champion — who was still dazed by the twist of events — nodded, "All this time I believed that the King piece was a legend invented by the press to pester us… that's how it is then? I understand. I swear in my name that I have never used it."

"My strength came from my body," Tannin grunted, "Not a King piece."

"In the end, words are just words," Danhauser sighed, "It's up to you to find the truth — Satan Beelzebub."

Ajuka stared intently at Danhauser, searching for any hint of deceit. He found none, "Great King, I want all the elders and the Top Ten to meet up in the capital of Ars Goetia — Lilith."

Zekram blew an indignant snort, "You can't be serious. There's no way this is real. If it was, I would be the first one to be aware!"

"They could've scheme behind your back, Great King," Ajuka pointed out, "Maybe not all elders are behind this plot, a few may have fallen off your radar and pulled your strings since then."

"Pull my strings?" Zekram's eyebrow twitched, "I don't think you heard me quite well. This is not real! It's impossible that they could do this without getting caught by me!"

Mephisto's small laugh won everyone's attention, "Brilliant! Now I see why you're acting like a fucking donkey! You're in denial!"

Zekram shot a slight glare his way at sticking his nose. There were times where Mephisto could become as obnoxious as any little brother. Today wasn't an exception, "Mind your business."

"… You may look like one, but you're not a dumbass Zekram. You can't see it thanks to that high horse of yours — typical of the Bael bloodline," Mephisto snickered and had a staring contest with Zekram, "You — who treats people just like pawns in chess — the Chessmaster himself, has been manipulated by his own pieces."

Zekram nearly dropped his noble persona and lunged at the heterochromatic devil. He was about spat out his words with ferocity in Mephisto's face. But stopped when a blurred object shot past his ear. He sharply wheeled around, "W-what?!"

"Shit!" Danhauser barely caught it like a baseball catcher. He perked up and glanced behind Zekram with the same facial expression as the Great King, "Roygun?"

The woman forced a wink, "Congratulations, detective," Her tone was calm, flirtatious even. But her heart felt like a bomb ready to explode, "You did it."

"R-Roygun?!" Bedeze stuttered, pale as a ghost, "Y-your….!"

"Your immense demonic power." Calcabrina whispered, eyeing at the second-ranked oddly, "… It's weaker."

Danhauser drew a sharp breath and unfolded his clasped hands.

The King piece lied on his palms.

"… It's real," The Champion breathed out.

The forbidden piece floated and left Danhauser's grasp. He watched as it reached Ajuka's direction.

Satan Beelzebub narrowed his eyes and shook the piece between his fingers, "Is this enough to prove Dan's testimony is solid?"

Zekram turned, but too slowly to be normal, "How…? When…? I-I've always…!" When he spoke his voice trailed slowly like his words were unwilling to take flight. His eyes had a strange sunken look that made even Mephisto uncomfortable.

Rudiger — who was quiet this whole time — spoke, "For such a thing to exist. Fascinating. Yet, disappointing."

Tannin just nodded.

Bedeze mind's was laid waste. He could only stare at the woman who sold them out, "… W-why…?"

"It has to be done, Bedeze," Roygun said softly, "Sooner or later we would get caught. We were just delaying the inevitable."

"B-but our fame! Ranks! Titles! WE LOST OUR PRESTIGE IN ARS GOETIA!"

"All gone," Roygun confirmed with a shallow sigh, "It was fun while it lasted. But Diehauser's cousin was about to die because of us… It's over."

The news passed through him like a hurricane. Everything he worked and struggled for, now laid in ruins. The third-ranked fell to his knees and punched the ground, tore the grass and cried out to the skies. He begged this to be just an illusion, but reality ignored his wish.

No matter how saddening Bedeze's scene was and how Roygun had the courage to confess her sins. Ajuka never had the heart to grant second chances as Sirzechs does, "You two — and those who shamed the Rating Games — won't get off with just a slap on the wrist."

Ouch. Roygun stuck with a dim smile, but her dismal eyes revealed her true emotions.

"…" Naberius had nothing to say.

Sirzechs parted his lips to speak, but a magic circle formed beside his ear, forcing him to swallow his words. A spell that surprised everyone. He waited for a second for the other end to speak up, but he would only hear their shallow breathing, "Who is it?"

[You should turn on your TV. Enjoy the show,] An anonymous, distorted voice advised before ending the call.

There was a moment where Sirzechs's face washed blank with confusion, like his brain couldn't work fast enough to digest the message from his wide eyes. His senses came back roughly when his childhood friend snapped his fingers close to his face, "Ajuka. Think you can connect us to a TV station with Kankara Formula?"

The green-haired blinked at his request but nodded slowly. He snapped his fingers for a second time and invoked Kankara Formula.

Everyone watched with mixed emotions as bright green visualizations of the equations ran in Ajuka's demonic energy appeared and circled around them, accompanied by electronic circuit diagrams of the same colors, "I opened more than one TV station. Just in case."

Shockingly enough, all of them had the same scene.

Someone was sitting on a spinning chair, facing away from the cameras recording him. Danhauser noted the background was surrounded by a dangerous miasma and elevator music — out of place.

"That," Malacoda trailed off and squinted his dark red eyes, "That's a live broadcast?"

The music halfway ended, [Shit! We're on air already?!] The chair swiveled around, revealing a mysterious figure wearing a Diehauser Belial mask with waved at everyone with enthusiasm, [Hello, underworld! I'm your host — Mr. Champion — and you're watching the most reliable source of news on the underworld~!]

Malacoda boomed a laugh while his sister smacked his head.

Diehauser blinked owlishly, "What."

"… Is this a jest?" Gilles asked.

"Who is this?" Zekram demanded.

Sirzechs furrowed his eyebrows, "I can't tell. His voice is distorted and that mask makes it harder to identify him."

Danhauser stayed silent, not knowing how to react.

[In the neeeews~!] 'Mr. Champion' drawled and tossed aside the stack of papers in his grasp, [Let's talk about the hottest topics of today! The evil side of the Rating Games and the biggest oopsie doopsie in history!]

"What did he…?" Zekram started to say, in regards to his insinuation against the elders and the rating gamers. This figure was about to bring to light the last thing he ever wanted to share with Ars Goetia. That could not happen! "How does he… How does he know about this?!"

They hacked into the TV stations to broadcast this out to the Underworld. How well did this figure understood his actions? The suffering, the chaos. The moment the residents had taken notice over the leaked information they'll go past the tipping point and into unstoppable anarchy.

[Both this sham-filled society... and the Top Ten who cheat in the Rating Games in the name of petty mischief... makes them the furthest thing from true sportsmanship.]

They watched as the reporter thundered his fingers and a King piece materialized on the table, [It's been confirmed with capital C! The infamous King piece exists! And it's been playing a vital role in all the matches of the Top Ten. They have been abusing it to strengthen themselves since their launch. The weak fucks!]

From this point, it was really obvious the motive of the self-proclaimed host. He was encouraging the barbarism of the people. He had no off-switch, only the most immoral were the victors and so he went on. Morality was for losers, winners were the ones who pushed the envelope. His revelation would dramatically shake the values of the Underworld and balance would collapse.

[The Old Devils, Bael and Belial Clan were not an exception! After all, those three are the highest authority of the remaining Pillars, aren't they? They can get whatever they want without facing consequences, am I right? They can break their own rules and get away with it as long as they don't get caught, am I fucking right?!]

"Bullshit…" Diehauser felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in his abdomen, "That's complete bullshit!"

As he got more into the broadcast and kept deducing who was the character behind the mask, Sirzechs ran interference, "Ajuka, is there any way you can detect the roots of the hijacked signals?"

The Chief Advisor for the Technology Department was the only one knowledgeable on this field.

"I was already on it. It's in the Phenex State."

Diehauser's eyes left from the screen, over to Ajuka so quickly, he cracked his neck, "It could be. Ruval's second brother is the boss of a media company."

[HOW DOES IT FEEL, REMAINING PILLARS?!]

He kept adding salt into the wound.

[THAT YOUR SO CALLED 'H-E-R-O-E-S' ARE THE ONES BEHIND THE FRAUD OF THE RATING GAMES?!]

Blood boiling.

[Spitting in all the young Devils that have appeared one after another!]

Ragged breath.

[Struggling at the forefront of the Rating Games who were defeated by untalented kings!]

And the next thing Danhauser was conscious of was the sound of sirens coming from the distance.

"Lilith and Agreas," Elder Naberius answered his doubts, "… their sirens. The damage has been done."

"… So fast," Calcabrina mumbled, awestruck.

[Oh, why? All of you are crying...?] 'Mr. Champion' tilted his head, [Don't! Laugh, go mad! We are in the fucking jungle now! Come, sharpen your fangs and reveal your tongues — my maddened brethren! INDULGE IN YOUR BEASTLY DESIRES!]

Sirzechs channeled a magic circle under his feet, "We still need to stop the residents from worsening the situation. Someone could get badly hurt or worse — get killed."

That ceased the plan to go after Mr. Champion and arrest him on the spot. Still, Ajuka asked, just to be sure, "What of the unknown person?"

Sirzechs was quick to shoot down Ajuka's idea, "What of him? Our job as a Maou is protecting our people from harm. They need our help more than ever," The Crimson Satan was still adamant to soothe the riot, "I'll take the lead and contact my Peerage and Serafall to assist me in Lilith. You take your Peerage and Falbium to Agreas."

As the redhead teleported, Ajuka settled his sight on the figure behind the mayhem bidding his farewell.

[This is it for today's news! I'm your host and you just watched the most reliable source of news in the underworld!] He imitated a gun with his hand and 'fired' to the audience. [Buh bye~!]

The image on Ajuka's projection became a mosaic of static noise. But quickly changed into photos information about the King piece, the monument where it was created, and a video that had the Belial Clan's heart racing.

Danhauser was horrified that the video being shown to the Underworld had Cleria and Yaegaki Masaomi as the protagonists. His breathing ragged and harshened. He gritted his teeth to stifle a tantrum. He could read all the personal information of Cleria and Masaomi as the video rolled in.

"Son of a bitch!" Malacoda exploded, "How did that fuckface get that video?!"

Zekram fired a glare at Naberius' direction, "That is the video you'd showed me before the meeting with Archangel Michael. Care to explain?"

"…"

"… We'll have a long talk after this, Naberius."

Naberius recoiled under the sharp gaze of the Great King, it was worse than an enraged panther.

"Talk my ass!" Malacoda growled, "Give him to me! I'll give him a free ride to Malebolge!"

"We got worse issues right now," Diehauser reminded his uncle. He wasn't opposed to the idea, though.

"I want each one of you either on Lilith or Agreas," Ajuka didn't want to hear ifs ands or buts from the Rating Gamers, "Especially you two. Later we'll discuss your punishment."

With that point taken, Bedeze and Roygun cowered from the Super Devil.

"You know what to do, Tannin," Mephisto watched from his seat the black clouds coming from the capital.

Now that everyone had set aside the dispute of Cleria and had a similar goal in mind, the seventh-ranked harrumphed, "Standing here won't make things quicker," Rudiger said after conjuring out a magic circle, "… Agreas or Lilith? Just say the word and I'll teleport you there in no time."

"I'll go to Lilith," Diehauser moved until he stood above the magic circle, "Malacoda and Bedeze are coming with me."

Malacoda just shrugged and Bedeze raised no objections.

"Then I'll handle Agreas with Roygun and Tannin," Rudiger bid them good luck and sent them away, "What do you have in mind, Satan Beelzebub?"

Ajuka looked at Danhauser, at the mother, then at the French Butler, "… It's better if you three stayed here. It's safer," Most likely a mob would come here to invade the Belial manor — Ajuka figured, "I'll send someone to keep an eye over your territory."

"It would be the best," Danhauser thought. It wasn't shocking if Ajuka had already imagined some devils expanding their rebellion over the Belial State.

"The case of Cleria Belial is far from over," Ajuka had to drop the unfortunate news, "But since the plot of the King Piece arose to be authentic… then maybe the government is willing to give her a chance to prove her innocence."

Danhauser could only hope that — after the turbulence had settled down — fortune would be at his side.


When Michael shook hands with the Great King, he thought that it was all over. That Shidou Touji and the other exorcists were going to handle things and return to Europe safely, and things would go back to normal.

But of course, it did not last.

"Michael!" A baritone voice called out, taller and muscular than the Archangel, but with matching blond hair and green eyes, "Plumes of dark smoke are rising from the walled Vatican City! Orders?!"

It all began when Shidou Touji and his subordinates went back to the Vatican Headquarters with empty hands and unfortunate news. He'd given his full report to a silent Ewald Cristaldi.

But the horde of curious exorcist began noticing someone was absent within the group — Saint Jeanne.

Where's Saint Jeanne?!

What happened to her?!

And Chaos-Edge Sieg?!

Those were their demands.

And one of the Cardinals replied, "Like the previous nuns and maidens, Jeanne has been excommunicated for sinning."

It all started with quiet mumbling before the exorcists showed flashes of anger, jeering and shouting. A cathedral window was smashed. Some of the nuns and priests panicked and dissipated as fast as they could — fleeing down the streets.

The Archangel could only watch with vacant eyes as the three Cardinals and Touji's group tried to stop the now mindless and dangerous mob.

Burning ancient and religious texts.

Looting relics.

Smashing windows.

Destroying the Lord's property.

This was what Michael tried to avoid.

Gabriel had tried to talk with Jeanne telepathically, but the former saint never answered the desperate call. Her whereabouts unknown even to those of Heaven.

The Archangel broke away from the screen and addressed the taller Seraph, "Uriel, make contact with the Great King. I wish to speak to him."

"But the Vatican!"

"I already sent Gabriel," Michael responded, "She's trying to build a connection with the Pope so he can bring the Strongest Exorcist back to the Vatican."

"Dulio Gesualdo," Uriel said aloud before nodding at his leader, "Make contact with the Great King, correct?"

"Please."

"It will take a while, you know that right?"

"I trust you."

No words were exchanged afterward. Uriel summoned his multiple wings and left Michael alone in the room.

The Archangel trained his stare back to the screen. He quietly watched the thick black smoke billowing upon the Pope's city.

The more he looked into the havoc, the darker his expression became.

For the briefest seconds, the golden halo above Michael's head flicked black.


Soon shouts and battle calls broke out, rising in volume, filling the air like thunder. They had lost all self-control. It was a riot. Pure and Reincarnated Devils alike putting their enmity aside for a similar cause. Anyone who tried to stop them was beaten severely.

Guards in heavy armor with their sturdy shields and helmets covering their head marched towards them in rigid formation. Instructions were given through loudspeakers and then the tear gas was unleashed.

Sometimes, the mob would return the tear gas back to their owners, but Bedeze Abaddon countered with the Power of Hole.

Diehauser Belial stood behind and started generating Worthlessness before looking up to his uncle in his True Form and falling down to the mob. When he landed, he turned the floor beneath him into Pitch Resin and sprouted multiples black tendrils out from his body, trapping out several rioters as they ran away.

Before The Emperor could give any kind of compliments, more rebels flared from a different direction. Diehauser shot out his Clan Trait when they came firing back, "They keep coming from left and right!"

"If only we weren't holding back!" Bedeze yelled back as he returned their foe's demonic power with his holes. He made sure to fire it close to their feet to push them away. He had already had issues with the Maou Beelzebub, he'd rather not stretched it toward the Great King, "Malacoda!"

Malacoda Malebranche rushed and waited for Bedeze to move his holes out of the way. In mid-air, his body grew and morphed into a huge Kraken, using his army of tentacles to snare the mad dogs.

Diehauser saw how Malacoda glued them on nearby buildings, "Good! If we keep going with this pace then—!"

A fireball impacted on Diehauser's head. It didn't hurt, it was like getting stung. But it left a clear message.

"SCUM!"

One male rebel shakily stood up and looked at them. No…. glared at Diehauser and snarled.

"Y-you were my inspiration!"

"That's why you never lose a match, right!?"

And slowly, more followed suit.

"You Top Ten disgraced the grandness of the rating games!"

"I always looked up to you!"

"I bet the Bael and Belial heirs are also users of the King piece!"

Words of disapproval came flooding in and the number of people joined the massacre.

"The Belial and Bael Clans are the ones behind this! They were spitting in our faces this whole time!"

"A member of the Belial Clan had a romance with exorcists of all things!"

A few even changed the subject for a worse one — the situation of Cleria Belial.

"Cheater!"

When someone pulled the trigger—

"Cheater!" "Cheater!"

"Cheater!" "Cheater!" "CHEATER!"

Enraged citizens joined the chorus to bash Diehauser — the Rating Game Champion. Those eyes that once looked up at him with admiration now looked down at him with betrayal. Years of respect forgotten in the hatred of a minute.

Thankfully, they were silenced by a wave of Pitch Resin crashed into them, followed by targets frozen in blocks of ice.

Seconds of tensed silence passed as a female figure landed in front of them. "This will stop them." The raven-haired woman swirled around, once her face full of childishness swapped by fear. It was Serafall Leviathan, "We need to hurry up! A horde broke into the Council!"

Just as Serafall invoked her wings, Bedeze and the guards soon followed.

Malacoda halted beside Diehauser and slid a hand over his forehead, "Phew! All these ice cream's flavors and the fuckers went for the salty one! Am I right, Big D?"

The Champion stood there, fatigue engraved on his worn face.

"… That fucking host had some charisma, eh?" Malacoda nudged him, trying to lift his nephew's mood with a joke, "Think he can talk to some goddess into giving him head too?"

"…"

"… Look, Big D. If you want you can leave. Bedeze, Serafall and I got this handled. Get some rest."

"I'm fine," Diehauser said while kneading his eyes, "I'm fine. A little caught off guard — that's all."

"… Alright, fair enough," Malacoda obviously didn't buy it, but conceded, "Just don't let them get under your skin."


Danhauser Belial shut the television off. It had been the same story all over again. The press either discussed the King piece and the 'influencers', the case of Cleria Belial or the television signal hijacking that'd occurred on the Phenex State. They'd named it: The Diehauser Belial Broadcast Intrusion — or by its acronym DBBI — because the unknown person was wearing a mask resembling the face of his brother.

From what he'd gathered was that the wannabe host had taken control over the station of the second son of Lord and Lady Phenex and had murdered the guards over the place, leaving alive Ruval Phenex's brother. The place was infested by a dangerous miasma, anyone who inhaled it would severely face the consequences.

Thankfully, the second son wasn't wounded, only tied up and with a gas mask. He was still sent to a hospital for safe measure.

The media wasn't journalism anymore — it was a puppet show. The stations gobbled up the worst of the worst, the more violent the better, anything for the ratings and views. Ratings and views meant money, lots of it. What pissed him off the most was how the journalists focused more on the Belial Clan — trying to paint them as evil incarnate. And the viewers were buying their propaganda.

It took days for the government to finally bring back balance on Lilith and Agreas, but the aftermath already left grievous wounds. It would take perhaps months to repair the damage. The citizen, however, were still crestfallen.

"He didn't have any other option," Danhauser heard his brother say from the sofa, "Either Ruval's brother helped him on using the stations or he would be gassed."

Danhauser scowled, "Shocked that they kept their side of the bargain."

"Ditto on that," Malacoda Malebranche brought his arms behind his neck with a sigh, "Think the Old Satan Faction was behind this?"

"I don't think so," Diehauser Belial knew that the Old Satan and the Anti-Satan Faction had been enemies since the birth of the first Civil War. It wouldn't be surprising if they were behind the anarchy just to lower their defenses. Then again, they never showed up.

"It has to be Satanael. The video they'd broadcasted of Cleria around the Underworld was in Kuoh Town," Diehauser and Malacoda noticed him wincing at that, despite his efforts to hide it. "Plus the date was just on the exact day when he toyed with us."

"At least they'd allowed Cleria to speak her side of her story," Diehauser quickly changed the subject. He slowly trailed his eyes over his cousin, "… Now we only have to wait."

Cleria groaned as her head throbbed, "It huuuuurtsss…!" She whined and accepted the wet towel from Calcabrina Belial, "Nobody wants to help me, and I'm dying!"

"You're not dying, Cleria," Calcabrina said flatly.

Since the only evidence they had were Cleria's memories, Diehauser had to resort with harsher — yet effective — methods. With the help of his bishop — Aleister Crowley — and the approval of Cleria, the bishop yanked her memories and locked them in a crystal ball, lending it to the higher-ups.

Apparently, Aleister took a lot of her thoughts to make sure she's saved from execution at the cost of a migraine.

Danhauser rolled his eyes, stole the wet towel from her grasp and placed it on her temple, "What a crybaby," He mocked her, "Gilles will return with my Peerage. Hang in there. When Valerie comes back, she will heal you in no time," He said soothingly.

Cleria pouted at him, "I'm not a crybaby," She muttered quietly to herself.

"Yes, you are," Danhauser heard her loud and clear.

As if on cue, the twin doors opened.

The Belial Clan were expecting Gilles de Rais with Danhauser's peerage at his side, not three political figures.

"Great King…" Diehauser looked at Zekram Bael, at Lord Bael, then at the Lord of Agares. He watched with rapt attention as they closed the doors.

Even Matanbuchus Belial had to rush downstairs after sensing the familiar auras.

"At ease," Zekram brought a hand up before anyone could stand up, "We don't have much time to waste since we still have to do crucial conditions for the maintenance of Lilith and Agreas," His expression hardened, "We came here for various reasons. We're going to announce the fate of Cleria Belial."

Lord Agares took a step forward, a sharp gaze putting them nervous, "Indeed."

There was no sound in the house to the point that Danhauser could hear everyone's heartbeat. Malacoda's posture even became somewhat intimidating.

Danhauser sat, unable to speak, foot tapping up and down like some dumb windup toy.

Lord Agares flashed a smile, "She's pardoned."

"FUCK YEEEEAH!" Malacoda pulled his nephews and niece into a bear hug and spun them around, "We fucking did it, you ugly rats!"

Everything became blurred as his uncle whirled them around. He heard cheer and laughter from everybody and barely saw his father embracing his wife tightly.

"S-stop!" Cleria laughed and tried to break free, "My head! I'm getting dizzy!"

As their uncle brought them down, Danhauser made the major mistake to glance at the three aristocrats.

"I'm afraid we're not done yet," Zekram gestured his descendant to step forward, "Lord Bael, would you kindly?"

Lord Bael stood face to face with Lord Belial, "Diehauser Belial," He paused, "You're stripped from your rank as well as the Clan Belial losing its high political position and privileges. You have a week to leave the manor and clear out your desk in your office within Lilith — you're no longer part of the Senatorship."

Diehauser was still as a statue, his mind unable to comprehend.

"What?!" his father intruded Lord Bael's personal space, "What makes you think you can take my son's territory?!"

"A High-Class Devil can't own territories in Ars Goetia," Lord Bael never backed down, "Only Ultimate-Class Devils can receive the rights to choose a part of Ars Goetia as their territory."

"My son helped you during the riot!"

"Elder Naberius was right back then," Zekram intervened and gestured at Diehauser, "Your oldest son almost waged a fight that could risk his life and the life of many others for the sake of protecting a single member of his Clan. He even brought up outside forces for his selfish cause." He turned to Cleria, "I think everyone knows your biggest mistake."

Cleria cringed.

"Whoa, whoa!" Malacoda jumped in, "I had a call with Mephisto and asked him if he could lend us a hand. If he didn't want to then fine. It's not like I was pointing him with a gun or something!"

"Plus it was our choice," Calcabrina added, "My son forced no one!"

"… He'd threatened two elders and he was a hair away from starting a civil war," There was a momentary flare of anger in Zekram's face as he settled with Danhauser, "… And because of your 'truce' with that Saint and your impudent involvement in political affairs between the 72 Pillars and Heaven. The Vatican was set aflame by their own people. Your actions were not far from restarting the Great War."

The Archangel already had told him everything. He'd always thought that Cleria survived and returned with her family. The face he had when in reality, it was Danhauser who'd almost endangered the pseudo-balance between the Three Factions.

He should take Cleria and finish what he'd started. But to their credit, they discovered the hidden factor of the Rating Games and during the mayhem, the mob was more enraged that the Top Ten 'lied' to their faces for years.

They want Cleria alive? Fine. That's their reward. They still had to pay for their childish behavior.

Lord Agares harrumphed, "If there are no questions then it's better if we take our leave."

Diehauser was lost of words. He could only stare wide-eyed as they calmly retreated.

"H-hold on!" Danhauser felt his demonic power rising up, but he kept it all smoldering underneath his horrified expression. "You… You can't do this to us. Y-you just can't."

He most likely sounded like a moron, but he had to said it. Danhauser didn't know why, but he still did it.

Zekram stopped to glare Danhauser behind his shoulder, "As you sow, so shall you reap," He said before walking out, "Good luck from here on, Clan Belial."

The Lords of Bael and Agares slammed the door shut.

"… W-what just happened?" Cleria broke the silence.

Malacoda punched the nearest wall, "We got Zekram'd."

Danhauser stared dead ahead, never lowering his gaze. White knuckles from clenching his fist too hard, and gritted teeth from the effort to remain silent, but no avail, "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!"

In the end, things didn't go as he'd planned.


Danhauser Belial always thought that the Clan Belial was one of the strongest back in the days of the Original Maou, hence he'd never pestered about the background of his family and focused more on strengthening himself through intense training. It was an ignorant and childish thought he had.

To keep it brief, the Housecarl kept making mistakes after mistakes in the past and they were rejected within the politics. His father —Matanbuchus Belial — was a devil with average abilities, but still fought nail and tooth to change everyone's view of the House with charisma. He succeeded and the Clan Belial ranked as King while he stood as the Head.

The Clan became more admired when Diehauser Belial participated in the Rating Games and turned into the next King of Belial. Sure, it wasn't as rich as the House of Phenex nor as famous as the House of Gremory. But it was considered one of the strongest in terms of strength and politics.

The manor where Danhauser had slept was Diehauser's territory after ascending to Ultimate-Class Devil long ago to expand the name of his Housecarl. But a week back the government wiped him out and they were forced to retreat back to the roots of the Belial Clan.

Where The Emperor grew up.

"Danhauser."

As he kept remembering when Zekram Bael kicked them out, his blood boiled.

"Danhauser?"

He wished he could at least punch the elder on the face for humiliating them — especially Diehauser.

"… Danhauser."

But he already degraded his family through his sins, letting vengeance manipulate him would worsen the situation.

"Danhauser," A voice whispered, not too far from his side. "We've stopped."

Danhauser turned his head to see Valerie Tepes at his side, her pale hand on his shoulder, looking back with those deep, red eyes mirroring concern. He glanced from his seat within the carriage, trying to spot either another manor or a castle, "Really? There's not a building around here."

"Well, there's a mountain blocking the passage," Siegfried noted. "… Maybe we have to walk from here?"

"And carry out all our belongings?" Ikuse Tobio slumped on his seat and groaned, "I know Devils have enhanced strength and stuff but still… I'm not feeling it."

Jin — who was inside the shadow of Tobio — howled.

"Why don't we just stay atop the mountain?" Bova Tannin suggested from the lap of the Dhampir, "Mountains are cool."

A sudden knock startled Danhauser, it was his brother with a faint smile, "Maybe you should get out and enjoy the view."

With mutual frowns, Danhauser and Siegfried opened the door of the carriage.

As one by one they jumped off the vehicle, they finally perked up in awe as the great mountain loomed before them.

"Amazing," Danhauser breathed out, eyeing the cold grey crevices. While the lower passes wore a cloak of greenery, the peaks were crowned with a headdress of snow and on the side, half of a building appeared to be inside the mountain.

Why did the mountain have a building?

Wait.

"Home, sweet home!" Malacoda nudged Matanbuchus Belial, "Man! It's been ages since we returned to your home!"

Matanbuchus released a nostalgic sigh, his arm wrapped around his wife, "That much?"

"That much," Calcabrina Belial looked up at the mountain, "It's good to be back at home."

"Wait," Danhauser had his eyes wide as he'd caught up with the adults, "Your house is the whole mountain?"

"No way…" Cleria gasped, also unaware, "I never knew you had a Mountain House!"

Matanbuchus chuckled at her excitement. He scratched his cheek. "For starters, it's not a Mountain House. It's just a mountainside house."

Bova released a roar of approval. "Epic! This is epic!" His eyes shined like stars as he kept praising their new home, "This is way better than any castle!"

"I know right?!" Tobio also jumped on the bandwagon full of hype, "So original!"

"So, this is where the legendary champion passed his whole childhood," Ruval Phenex gazed up the place with hands inside his pockets, "Don't know why, but it suits you. The house I mean."

Of all the Top Ten, Ruval couldn't aid in the siege in Lilith and Agreas. After he'd found out his brother was held as a hostage, he did his best to get inside despite the miasma. However, before he could put a shoe inside the gassed building, he put his brain to work and destroyed all the windows and let the foul air leave the media station.

After hearing the unfortunate news the Belial Clan had passed through, he settled to join them on their adventure while interacting with Cleria.

Diehauser cocked an eyebrow, "Why?"

The strongest heir shrugged, "You were always a man of simple tastes."

"Does a house inside a mountain seems simple to you?"

Ruval laughed, "For an arrogant aristocrat? Sure," He pointed at Danhauser's Peerage and Cleria, "For people like them? It's the house of their dreams."

"Mountain house!" Cleria cheered.

"Mountain houuuuseee!" Bova and Tobio joined the chorus.

Valerie stared blankly and Siegfried cringed.

Gilles de Rais clapped, "It's better if we move onwards," He glanced over his shoulder as maids and butlers stepped out of their rides, "This place must be filled by cobwebs and dust. I want each corner clean and gleaming!"

They all bowed and responded back.

The French Butler bowed cordially at his King, "Master, with your permission I will also assist in the task."

"Go for it."

Just as the Queen was about to sprout his wings, something burned within Danhauser's pocket. He carefully fished it. It was a flyer.

He scowled and spun it around. He'd never had the chance to spread flyers around Kuoh or Ryuukou Town. After all, he was more fixated on protecting Cleria and headbutting terrorists than fulfilling wishes from potential clients.

Then it struck him, "Gilles, wait!" Danhauser was quick enough to freeze him. He waved his flyer across his face, "I need you to teleport me back to Kuoh Town. It's an important contract."

"A contract?" Diehauser repeated, frowning, "Is it really safe to go there?"

"Most likely Touji left Kuoh. So yes, it's safe."

Even so, maybe a few troops were left behind just to spy over them and gather data now that Danhauser had become quite infamous. It wasn't wise to let him go away without at least someone watching his back. But he seemed adamant about going, "Okay, but I'll go with you," It'll take a while for his Queen to finish with the whole house. He could keep company to his little brother, "I need to stretch my legs anyway."

"Fair enough," Danhauser raised no objections, "Gilles?"

"Oui, oui."

"Be careful out there," Their mother called out, "Please."

Danhauser closed his eyes and felt magic embracing his body, followed by a state of nothingness and a warmer climate. If it wasn't for Diehauser patting his shoulder he would take longer to pop his eyes open. He warily looked around the abandoned house, by the looks of it this was the main room. He wondered why there was a window shattered, "What happened?" He wondered.

Diehauser kneeled and grabbed one of the many shards, "Who owns this house?"

"Touji," The Belial brothers quickly spun around as a familiar blonde walked from the kitchen, "It was his base of operations, but not anymore."

Danhauser noted her puffy eyes and messy hair. It'd been a week since he'd heard about her, "Uh, Hey," he greeted awkwardly.

"Hey, you," despite her dire appearance, she was smiling. She bowed at the Emperor, "Lord Belial."

Diehauser raised a hand, "Diehauser is fine."

"What happened Jeanne?" Danhauser went straight to the point, "… Why are you still here?"

"T-the Vatican banished me," Jeanne revealed, "I have sinned and therefore fell from grace. The whole Church now sees me as a heretic or witch."

Danhauser pursed his lips at the announcement. He knew something had stumbled upon her, given how the higher-ups wanted to erase her after defending a devil and Masaomi Yaegaki — a stray exorcist. "What about Masaomi?" He asked and noticed the scowl from Diehauser but said nothing.

"He left," She gazed down at her clasped hands, "I don't know where. I tried to convince him to stay or even keep him company but he said he was like a bad luck charm and… and…"

"… Why did you stay behind?" Diehauser asked.

As the devils stood towering above her, she let out a shaky breath, "… I-I summoned you for a reason," The dread and anxiety deadened her mind and body, "… I-I believe you still have an incomplete Peerage?"

Her comment was so out of character — so far from what he knew of her — Danhauser just stared at her open-mouthed. Even Diehauser's professional posture waned slightly, "Why?"

"I have nowhere to go," The blonde confessed, "I-I know I've fucked up many times whenever I interfered in politics even though it does not concern me. But I swear I'll change if you give me a chance, just… p-please, help me. I don't want to be alone."

He didn't know Jeanne for too long, but he liked her personality. She was good on his list. He wondered if it was because she was the inheritor of the soul of Joan of Arc that made her such a lovable and charismatic character in his eyes. After all, in his previous life, the French Maiden was one of his favorite historical heroines.

What would occur if he refused and left her here rotting? Most likely Cao Cao would seduce her a spot in the Hero Faction once the hero descendant became a terrorist. An encounter that would carry a lot of heavy drama that Danhauser wasn't sure he would deal with.

To an extent, the exile of Jeanne also laid on his shoulders. He knew that and he blamed himself because of that. If he hadn't built a partnership with Jeanne for the sake of luring the exorcists from Cleria then maybe none of this would have happened. He wasn't sure.

Was Michael taking note of this? Losing a saint that's capable of speaking to them through a simple mental connection? He didn't know if this was the Michael from the DxD canon. For all he knew, Danhauser could be in an alternate universe where the leaders of each faction weren't as goofy as shown in the Light Novels. It could be, the fact that Jeanne here was associated with the Church was a nod to his theories.

Maybe the Archangel was far too colder — and to an extent — the Seraphs too. Whatever it was, Danhauser had lost any respect he had harbored for the Heaven Faction.

Hesitantly, Danhauser looked up at his brother, wishing to hear his opinion about this.

The Champion shrugged. Jeanne wasn't a member of the Church any longer and wasn't affiliated to any other faction — yet.

Masaomi most likely didn't mind either. If he'd told her to stay here — in a Town under surveillance by Devils — then he approved of them. Unless he was expecting her to join Cleria's nobility rather than his.

He intentionally ruined her life, it's the least he could do.

"Hey, you hungry?" Danhauser saw her head tilting to the side with a puzzled expression. He gestured with his head to the kitchen, "You were there. Did you eat anything?"

She slowly shook her head.

"Great. Let's go then," Danhauser beckoned her to move closer, "I'll buy you something to eat. Maybe the hamburger restaurant is still selling. Wanna take a look?" He asked, smiling sadly as her eyes were filled with sullen hope, "I mean, if you're going to join the team, I should explain everything to you."

The look of joy in her face was kind of heartbreaking.


When Danhauser Belial had invited Jeanne and his brother to devour some hamburgers and kept her updated on the events that had transpired in the Underworld, he exploited the opportunity to think while pleasing his stomach. With the news he'd been slapped with, it was probably wise to think ahead.

Even if they were now living in a sick-looking house. It was that — a house. There were only seven bedrooms — each accompanied by its own bathroom. They were lacking space. The maids and butlers weren't an issue, they had their own settlements in the Belial State. They would just have to make their way here to fulfill their duties.

Even if Cleria Belial, Matanbuchus Belial, and Malacoda Malebranche were not staying, it would still be impossible to make room for Danhauser and his Peerage.

Diehauser Belial had the idea of expanding their house and going deeper inside the mountain. He also wanted to install a training space under the mountain. It would be cool to be in a room within the mountain, it made Danhauser feel as if he was in a secret base. Their father wasn't against the idea.

But taking a realistic view, it would cost a huge amount of money enlarging the house. Now that the Belial Clan had lost their status within the government, they lost ties with the Bael Clan and Diehauser was now unemployed, their saved fortune would slowly lessen.

There were three things that were keeping the House of Belial clinging to a rope.

Diehauser and Malacoda's participation within the Rating Games, but the devils now saw the Top Ten — even those who never resorted by wielding the King piece — as cheaters. Sure, there were a few that declined to classify Diehauser as such — the people living within the Belial Territory as an example — but it wasn't enough.

Matanbuchus' payment within the City of Dis. However, Ars Goetia suffered from hijacking by outside forces, unlikely they would permit outsiders now. It would be difficult for their father to send them a good amount of money. He didn't know if this rule would affect figures such as Malacoda, Tannin, and Rudiger.

Kuoh Town and Ryuukou Town by making contracts with humans, a basic technique that always benefited the Remaining Pillars. Unfortunately, it was a danger zone now that Satanael knew about their hideout and the Fallen Angel most likely was affiliated with Qlippoth.

Another option they could try was increasing the tax of the merchants and citizen of the Belial State — who were not facing difficult lives. It was a risky move that Diehauser firmly rejected.

All in all, they were fucked and converted into the laughing stock of the elite and the media. Which just furtherly pissed Danhauser more.

He refused to be seen as such. He didn't know if it was because of arrogance or greed, but he loathed how the government practically claimed everything from them. He didn't want to live in poverty.

Looking at the bright side, Cleria was still breathing. Sometimes he wondered if he was pissed by Zekram or to himself. He could've planned it better, but he allowed his instincts to control the commotion.

Lacking ideas of how to solve their upcoming financial difficulties, Diehauser had teleported them back to their new house after finishing eating. They were caught off-guard by two unexpected visitors sitting on the many seats of the house.

Diehauser's eyes were locked with the pink-haired woman, "Roygun," He greeted.

Roygun Belphegor cringed at his tone of voice but still gave a light wave, "Hey, Diehauser."

Danhauser looked around in case if Gilles de Rais was around. He wasn't. His Peerage, mother and father were absent too. Most likely his parents and Gilles were giving the reincarnated devils a small tour around the place. Meanwhile, Malacoda, Cleria, and Ruval Phenex were on the small barroom, pouring themselves a glass.

His cousin had her wide eyes solely focused on Jeanne, almost spilling her drink.

"Excellent, you two are finally here," Danhauser could only watch as Ajuka Beelzebub left his seat to approach them, "Beautiful, isn't she?" The green-haired waved at the walls made of glass. "I don't get to see her often enough."

Danhauser and Jeanne followed with their eyes — taken back by the sight. Up here, it's like looking down at the underworld. They could see the trees, the flowers, the lakes, and the Satan Territory — Lilith — from far away. Up here it's like standing on a giant's back exploring the underworld with awe.

"Beautiful," He heard Jeanne's whisper, "… The bible described the underworld so differently…"

"I was born from the Astaroth Clan as you can tell. I never attended school, all my knowledge comes from homeschool," Ajuka sighed, "Never could enjoy it until I was an adult, but... I still think of her as a part of my life."

Danhauser's gaze jumped from Roygun to Ajuka until he settled with the latter, "I don't mean to sound rude but," He trailed off, "It's rare for Satan to stop by."

He would understand if Ajuka were to stopover the Astaroth Clan since they were blood-related. But the Belial Clan?

"I came here for various reasons," Ajuka kept contemplating the scenery, "You were right. The Rating Game Executive Committee were also pulling the strings from the shadows. I personally took care of that issue."

Everyone felt a chill crawl on their backs.

"I'm here to pay my gratitude," Ajuka finally faced them with a gentle smile and snapped his fingers. In a flash, four King pieces were circling his hand, "Because of your cooperation, I had retrieved more King pieces and imprisoned the corrupters — one of them being Elder Naberius."

"The host has one of the King pieces," Danhauser thought, scowling, "It has to be Satanael… or worse, Rizevim."

Then again, what would they do with it? It's impossible for them to wield such an item. If you're already powerful then you'd exploded from the excess of power. They can't make copies because only Ajuka knows how to build one.

"Which begs the next question," Diehauser nodded at Roygun, "What are you doing here?"

Ajuka shot Roygun a disappointed glare, "… I decided to tone down their punishment after they'd helped out during the uproar. They're not going to face charges."

Roygun hung her head low.

"Aside from losing their rank, territory, and titles by the government of Ars Goetia. Bedeze, Roygun and two of the Top Ten are banned for the Rating Game. Forever," They slashed at him with betrayal. Ajuka parried with his vengeance.

"Four of the Top Ten were cheating…?" Cleria whispered to herself, looking at her own reflection from her drink, "That's awful…"

The Satan vanished the forbidden pieces and fully turned over the distressed Roygun, "Besides that, I have no clue what she's doing here. She was here before me."

"I brought her here," Ruval admitted after taking a zip of his poison, "… She wants to speak with you, Diehauser."

With an encouraging thumbs-up of Ruval, the pink-haired woman muttered something under her breath and stood up, "Since I'm once again a High-Class Devil, Ars Goetia took my territory. I have nowhere to go."

"Why not go back to the Extra Demons Faction — the Belphegor Clan?" Malacoda asked her, "I mean if a ride is what you need, I got ya covered."

She let out a half-hearted laugh, "Thank you, but they made it clear they don't want to see my face anymore," She gave a trembling shrug, "To summarize it. I was also shunned from my Clan for participating in the corruption."

Diehauser leaned on a wall, eyebrow cocked, "You said 'also'. You don't mean…?"

"Bedeze and the other two were also outcasted by their Houses," Roygun replied before playfully poking her tongue out at Danhauser, "Well, it's their loss! I don't need my Clan anyways. It's… it's always cool going solo. Right, cutie?"

Despite her 'chipper' attitude, Danhauser wasn't blind to how her features had twisted into a hollowed smile, tapping her foot impatiently.

"In a nutshell, you're asking to stay here," Malacoda earned a weak nod from Roygun, "Welp, Big D. Wanna adopt her?"

"… Why us?" Diehauser asked before giving his answer.

Roygun smiled, predicting the question miles away, "The Rating Games were part of my life," She gushed. "It's hard to describe how much it means to me. Every match I'd played, I had my heart shaking with excitement and wondering what is going to happen next… they'd filled my dull and boring life with adrenaline that I desired for so long."

Ajuka stared, "Nice emotional speech," He said, "You're still banned."

"I know," She muttered and dropped to her knees until her horns touched the floor, "Diehauser. You are the face of the Rating Games. You and your brother are the closest things I'll ever be to the Rating Games. Please, let me stay."

Diehauser lowered his hands, then in a second he passed them across his hair, "… You can't." He ended Roygun's hope, "There's not much space in this house and even if there was, I wouldn't let you stay here. You lied and insulted the whole underworld for years. I don't want to live under a roof with someone that marred the pride of the Rating Games."

He knew Roygun back in the early days of the Rating Games, he even had the chance to know her better throughout the battlefield. Even if Tannin disapproved her of lazy, carefree and nonchalant nature, Diehauser respected her personality. She wasn't a sore loser, a rare trait amongst competitors.

His view over her had changed slightly after the past events. He blamed Roygun, Bedeze Abaddon and those involved in the disrespect that circled around the Top Ten and how the media kept pushing the buttons. Nonetheless, he was sure she was still a nice woman that didn't carry evil intentions. She just acted poorly.

Roygun turned Ruval's way and hopelessly left the ground, chuckling humorlessly, "See? I told you. There's no way Diehauser would let me stay here."

"I feel bad for her," Danhauser heard Jeanne sympathizing for the pink-haired, "… I know how it feels getting disowned by your own people."

"Y-you can stay in Kuoh," Cleria blurted out, pulling the attention to herself. She drank her glass in a semi-awkward attempt to ignore the intense stares, "I-if you want, of course!"

While Cleria was thankful for her family standing at her side and doing their best to save her, Roygun also had a role in her rescue. If she hadn't recognized her mistake, then civil war would ensue as Zekram Bael had stated.

"… Are you sure?" Roygun asked carefully, somewhat surprised.

"Of course!" Cleria thumbed herself confidently, "You can keep Danny and I some company in Kuoh! It's gonna be a blast!"

"… I never agreed to this. But fine." Danhauser didn't mind having Roygun around Kuoh. Regardless if her powers were decreased after losing the King piece, it would make Satanael think twice before taking a step closer. He was surprised that Zekram hadn't taken Kuoh Town for himself.

Even Diehauser wasn't opposed to the idea.

Roygun laughed, relief washing her body, "I'm in your debt."

"Now that that part was solved," Ajuka drawled, "…. I heard you were fired from the Senatorship."

Diehauser grimaced at the reminder, "Yes, I'm still searching for a job."

"Search no more," Ajuka outstretched hand, "I want you to work for me."

He was the creator of the games and he left the basic management to the Executive Committee before kicking them out. As the game flourished, he became something like a hanger-on and stepped away from the thing he'd created. Yet — in spite of the prior incidents — he was still uninterested in personally handling the Rating Games. So, he opted to hire The Champion — it's a win-win for both parties.

Of course, he would pay a visit from time to time whenever the situation deems it necessary.

The smile Diehauser showed on the outside couldn't adequately reflect what he felt inside. He remained composed, that was great news, but there was just one issue, "Are you sure it's a good idea? What if the journalists go after you?"

Ajuka scoffed. "Let the sheep think what they want," He didn't give a single fuck — Danhauser thought, "I'm afraid your payment won't be equally as back when you were the Head Senator. Are you still in?"

Diehauser just grabbed his hand and happily shook it, "I don't know what to say, Maou Beelzebub."

"You can thank me by following me. You won't start today, but it's appropriate if you have a grasp of the installations," Ajuka nodded at Ruval and Malacoda, "This offer is extended to those from the remaining Top Ten as well."

Ruval shrugged, "Sure, why not? I had in mind giving Bedeze a tour around the Phenex Castle but mum can handle that."

Malacoda clicked his tongue, "Eh, I can't give you a full answer yet but I wouldn't mind tagging along."

"Perfect." Ajuka now trailed his eyes over Jeanne — the latter gulping at the cold stare, "… Given how a Saint is in the underworld I'll surmise that she was kicked out?"

"Y-yes," Jeanne stuttered, "I'm… I'm part of Dan's Peerage now."

"… I see. Keep your nose clean," Danhaser winced when Ajuka's intense stare devoured him, "How did you know about all this?"

He knew sooner or later that Ajuka, Zekram or someone from his family would interrogate him.

"… Whenever I stopped around Kuoh Town, I heard rumors of you making a game that was quite popular in the region of Japan," The heir explained slowly, carefully picking the right words. It was a half lie, he'd never heard people talking about Ajuka's game in Kuoh, he just read it in the Light Novels that citizen of Japan was attracted in this game.

"It's true that I'm making a game that piqued the interest of the Japanese audience, but it doesn't involve the rating games in the slightest," Ajuka pointed out.

Danhauser pursed his lips. "As you may know, I'd made a lot of enemies. From the Utsusemi Agency to the Hexennacht, both led by a Fallen Angel," He paused, hesitant, "… I heard from the leader of the Utsusemi — Hanezu Himejima — that you had a hideout somewhere Japan," Another small lie, Himejima Hanezu never knew about the Utsusemi, but since the latter was a Japanese, maybe he'd heard about this game and — to an extent — the secret base of the Maou? Maybe it wasn't that much of a lie, after all.

"Ah, that makes sense," He brought a hand to his chin, nodding to himself, "Given how the Fallen Angel Satanael was a former member of Grigori, they were sneaky enough to find my sanctuary."

Ruval eloquently narrowed his eyes, "It would explain why they also targeted the Clan Belial during the broadcast. An act of revenge after Dan kept attacking them."

Danhauser glanced down at his shoes.

"Whatever it is, I gathered all the data I needed. Thank you, Dan," Ajuka turned around and said to the rating gamers, "Now, if you three could please follow me…"

Danhauser didn't sense when the immense demonic power ceased to exist nor when the door closed — too captivated of the imminent future. He clenched his fist tightly. No matter if Ajuka took them under his wings, the Belial Clan was still mocked by the higher-ups now. It had been a week and Danhauser couldn't deal with the humiliation through broadcast writing.

He couldn't just sit with arms folded and act as if they weren't getting disgraced. He had to act now or never.

Danhauser finally perked up with a grim expression, "Jeanne, let's move."

The blonde was fast to follow, "W-where?"

"Just follow me," He had an idea. It was stupid, but that's all he had.

He just had to make a lot of calls.


"Wait! Wait! Wait! Hold on a second…! Parting ways?" Ikuse Tobio bore the facial expression of one unexpecting bad news, "Like a band?"

Valerie Tepes pursed her lips, "It appears so, yes."

"So unfortunate," Siegfried massaged his eyes with a sigh, "But why?"

Jin whined quietly.

"And two days ago I just joined the Peerage…" Jeanne mumbled.

It was silence afterward, no one dared to meet anyone's eyes.

They'd trained together each day and they were displaying results, but it wasn't enough. His team consisted of different fighting styles, from Tobio's usage of the scythe to Valerie's control over shadows. Danhauser Belial didn't know how to use a scythe or twist shadows or even wield a sword. He couldn't help them improve in their skills. Sure they had a good amount of time until canon started. But they were fighting terrorists head on, and the last fight they had was a Satan Class. Step by step, powerful figures were arriving.

Their progress was horribly slow, they were just wasting time. It was way better if a professional were the ones supervising their growth.

After awkward minutes of basking under the sun, Danhauser opened his mouth to speak, "Four years," He announced, shocking his peerage, "We won't be seeing one another for four years."

Four years. In four years the upcoming Devil Gathering will be inaugurated and the chosen heirs of Danhauser's generation will participate. Of course, it was just an approximation as stated by Cleria Belial.

"What the hell!" Bova Tannin finally snapped, "Why we have to do this?! We just have to train like we always do! Together!"

"Our progress is slow," Danhauser explained with a sigh, "… We almost lost our lives back there more than one time."

"Those times I wasn't there! I bet we could have won!" The dragon persisted, screams slowly turning onto faint whispers, "We… we can just double-up our training! Come on…!"

"… I'm so sorry, Bova."

Bova glared at everyone, "Don't tell me all of you are going to roll with it?"

"He's our King, Bova," Valerie didn't like the idea either, but orders are orders, "We have to obey him. He's trying to help us."

"… Maybe this is for the best," Jeanne agreed.

Bova growled and kicked the dust with frustration, "This… this is bullshit."

"Tobio," Danhauser summoned a bag and passed it, "You'll be waiting in Ryuukou Town where Azazel is going to take you to Nephilim."

Slash Dog fished something out of the bag, "A uniform?" He shook the garment for emphasis.

"Nephilim is a school designed by Grigori dedicated for those born with Sacred Gears." Danhauser clicked his tongue, "I couldn't enroll Valerie because of her being half vampire… it would freak out the other students," He even had trouble signing Tobio up since he was a reincarnated devil. Better get ready to become the center of attention.

Valerie brought a finger to her cheek and smiled satirically, "What a shame. And here I was looking forward to making more friends. Ehehehe…"

Danhauser refrained from rolling his eyes.

Tobio pondered aloud, "… Since Azazel knows about the Sacred Gears, maybe he knows a way for me to control my Balance Breaker, right?" He asked, hopeful.

Danhauser's realized Tobio wasn't raising any objections. Now all he had to do was sell his offer, "Obviously," Azazel could figure out a method — he's Azazel after all, "But he won't be your teacher."

Danhauser turned to Siegfried now, "Gilles will be training you."

Unbeknownst by them, Jeanne grabbed her head and hissed.

Meanwhile, the jaw of the silver-haired tightened. Newsflash— There's a strained relationship between Gilles de Rais and Siegfried. They weren't on good terms. Something that half of the Clan already acknowledged.

The next words almost made Siegfried trip over, "Gilles wanted you as his intern."

Siegfried folded his arms, "Did he tell you why?" He asked, curious and suspicious.

"… Aside from refining your swordsmanship, nothing else comes to my mind. You'll have to ask him yourself," Danhauser faced his rook, "You're setting back to the Dragon Mountain and training with your father."

"…" Bova said nothing.

He finally addressed the only females of his nobility with an apologetic look, "… I can't find anyone to train you. If you know who can help just say it."

"Actually I do," Valerie was quick to reply, "… I just need a word with your uncle or your father."

The gray-haired warily nodded and faced Jeanne, "What about you?"

"Can I just stay with Siegfried and… your butler?" Jeanne observed Danhauser's posture stiffening, "… I have to talk to him."

"He told me he didn't want to train you," And it wasn't a lie. While the Queen of his brother was relieved of hearing that Jeanne was still alive and distant of the Church, he didn't want to see her. He didn't know what the Frenchman had in mind, "The time will come."

"Damn it," Jeanne quietly cursed, "… Then plan B it is. I have to make a call… hopefully, it'll work."

"Worth a shot I guess," He pocketed his hands and hesitantly eyed each member of his peerage, "That's… that's about it."

"This is a goodbye I guess," Tobio mumbled out, kicking a random pebble, "It was great while it lasted."

No one was fast enough to share their thoughts. A soft whimper enabling them to do so.

Jeanne reacted first by gasping behind her palms, "Bova… are you crying?"

"I-I DO NOT CRY…!" Bova furiously rubbed his wet eyes, "This is just sweat! Eye sweat!"

The former saint smiled optimistically, "It's okay," She patted the dragon's knee comfortingly, "Just let it all out."

"S-shut up!" The dragon pointed a sharp finger at Danhauser, trying to look tough — not minding the 'sweat' falling from his cheeks, "Four years, isn't it? Fine! I still find this to be stupid but once I come back I'll kick all your asses starting with Siegtard!"

Siegfried scoffed at the remark, "You can try," He taunted, "Shitty rook."

"Shitty knight!"

"You know what? Fuck it! I'll build my own bar," Tobio announced out of nowhere, smirking triumphally, "So, if you guys — you know — wanna pay a visit… You're more than welcome."

Valerie lifted her brow, mildly surprised.

The brunet rolled his eyes in return, "Yeah, even you."

"We could use it as a meeting point," Siegfried suggested.

"Yes! I would love to know each one of you once we reunite!" Jeanne pounded her chest twice, followed by a peace sign, "Let's do our best, my homies!"

Valerie fiddled with her pigtail and averted her gaze with an elegant hmph, "Each one of you was alright — I suppose."

"Tsundere," Danhauser muttered.

"Pardon me?"

"Nothing!" He laughed off Valerie's cynical glare and had the confidence to smile, "This isn't a goodbye, more like a see you later. Don't screw up, idiots."

"Oh! Oh! Oh! I know how we should end this!" Jeanne brought her arms wide open. "Group huuuug!"

[No.]

"Aww…"


"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

Receiving the same consecutive question for the fourth time with Danhauser Belial while waiting for the train to come made her exhale, "Yes, I'm a hundred percent sure," Valerie Tepes responded assuredly.

It'd been hours since Ikuse Tobio left with Jin to Ryuukou Town, for Siegfried to join Gilles de Rais in the latter's territory somewhere in France and for Bova Tannin to stretch his wings and take off back to his father's mountain. Only the two blonde girls didn't find a teacher. After hours, Valerie had somewhere to go thanks to his father and uncle. However, it wasn't a place that Danhauser liked.

Danhauser tried to minimize his concern by pocketing his hands, "Valerie, I think you should take a seat and think—!"

"I already gave you my answer," She interrupted him, waiting for the train to come.

Danhauser scoffed, "You're not seeing the big picture here," He retorted, "You want to go back to your hometown — Romania. Where you passed your whole childhood in a fucking cell and where hybrids are looked down on." And since she's a female, it was an insult to the misogynic vampires for her to walk in the Tepes Castle.

"I appreciate you reminding me of my most treasured moments," While her words dripped with sarcasm, they held a little of truth. She'd met Gasper Vladi there, after all.

"Look, I'm just worried. Thanks to your father and brothers they almost destroyed you emotionally," He looked around for Jeanne's support, then he remembered she was in the mountain house doing her part, "Alright, I've got an idea. Let me have another talk with Azazel. It'll take a few days but maybe I'll convince him. Tobio can keep you company and maybe I could sneak up some bags of blood to sustain your hunger. Sounds good? No, wait! I've got a better idea! How about I —!"

Valerie rolled her eyes, yanked him closer and put a finger over his mouth. "I'm going to be fine," She said gently, "The Tepes Faction has a partnership with the Lucifuge District in the City of Dis — where your father and uncle work. If they wish to maintain that connection, then they won't lay a finger on me."

The weight lifted from his shoulders. She wasn't wrong. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to put his whole faith in the vampires just because Valerie brought a good statement. He was more than worried— he was afraid. Since the day Valerie had become a pawn, she had transformed into something else in his eyes. It was almost impossible to believe it's the same girl he met back when he had his fight with Rudiger Rosenkreutz.

He didn't want her to go back to square one and become the broken girl she was back in the Tepes Castle.

"You'll be fine?" Danhauser asked, double-checking.

"Totally," She squeezed his arm before building space between them, "I can't tell you why I'm doing this. But rest assured, I won't be slacking off during these four years."

"Alright, I believe in you."

Valerie had a lengthy and rough thought swirling around her head for weeks, the issue was how to undertake it and not make it awkward. In the end, it was better to go straight with it, "After your Clan got punished and marginalized, you seemed to take it very well. I thought you would be more depressed and cry about it," She said and noted the way his jaw clenched.

It was the reaction Valerie was expecting, but she couldn't help but blame herself for provoking this. She had an idea of how to lift his spirits up, but Cleria Belial proposed something else. It was a weird and simple gesture, but she vowed it would work out, Valerie just wanted to know why.

"… Tears are not going to make my Clan great once again. I have to act and quick," Danhauser said after a long silence, "Newsflash — I'm a dumbass. Being in the position I am, I should know better." as the future Head of the Belial Clan, his actions reflected the heart of the Clan, one wrong move and the House will be scorned, like now.

"Is this why you sent us to different locations to train? For the looming Youth Gathering?"

Danhauser strained a smile. "Yeah, but from what I've heard, it's very unlikely they'll invite me. Diehauser told me the underworld's going to change from here on, but I won't give up so easily," he said with clenched his fists, "I'll train harder and get my ass kicked by Diehauser along the way. I can't keep messing up like this. I owe it to my family and myself to do better than this because I'm better than this. I just have to give my all."

"… I can't get in that head of yours nor relate with you," Valerie admitted with a grunt, "Moving on. I had a word in private with your cousin before we left the manor."

Danhauser eyed her suspiciously, "… Okay," Whenever Cleria was involved, something pretty bad usually followed.

"I asked her if there was a way to cheer you up," She said, eyebrows furrowed, "Apparently there is. She proposed something else that I still can't fully grasp how that would make someone so thrilled. What I had in mind was offering you multiple wings but—"

"Wait, you can do that?" He asked before facepalming, "Of course she can… I mean, in the Light Novels vampires turned into dragons because of Sephiroth Graal."

"Ehehehe..." Valerie giggled. "So, are you interested?"

"Damn right I am!" He quickly spun around and waited for her to do her tricks, "Who wouldn't want more wings?"

Only cool people had multiple wings.

He felt her cold palms pressed over his spine, eliciting a chill out of him. What came next was warmness coming from the Holy Grail, all of it aimed at his pair of sheathed wings. It's like getting a tan on the beach.

"Done," As she took a step back, Danhauser immediately unfurled his wings. She watched the multiples wings with pride and admiration, "From time to time, they'll grow more as a symbol of your powers. How does it feel?"

"Amazing," Danhauser stretched his two pairs of wings and dismissed them, "Thank you, Valerie."

She averted her eyes somewhere else as she toyed with her hair, "Still… I-I can give you what Cleria had planned. I don't mind if it's you."

Danhauser frowned skeptically, now he had a bad feeling about this. Did his cousin take Valerie as her accomplice? "Really now?"

"Of course," She paused, "Also interested?"

Unfortunately, the raucous, metallic shriek heralded the arrival of the carriage.

"Uncle's here," Danhauser realized as the door slid open, revealing, in fact, Malacoda, "Hey, uncle."

"Little D," Malacoda Malebranche winked and beckoned the Dhampir to get inside. "Hop in, bloodsucker. We gotta go fast."

She hurriedly focused on Danhauser once more, "Be quick, what's your answer?"

Danhauser smirked a little, "You really are headstrong about this, aren't you?" He said, placing a hand over his hip, "Seriously, why?"

They stared back at each other for what seemed like hours until she finally grabbed her arm and rubbed it, dropping her gaze, "… Consider this as a way to express my gratitude for everything you've done for me."

"Superb. Corny stuff," Malacoda grumbled and dropped to the ground, tapping impatiently the floor with his barbed tail.

Danhauser ignored him and laughed softly at her words, "And how are you gonna repay me, Little Missus?" He teased her, "With a kiss?"

She never replied and leaned into Danhauser, placing her lips against his own gently. The purely chaste, asexual kiss, had his mind gone hazy — his body became stagnant at the sensation of her lips against his.

Malacoda deadpanned, "Did I just get third wheeled?"

Just as he was about to return in kind, she retreated with a look of discomfiture on her face. "C-Cleria told me this would motivate you," He saw the gentle flush of pink had arisen on her cheeks — it made her look vulnerable, "I'd never understood why that would stimulate someone… I guess I know now. D-did it work?"

Danhauser stared at her incredulously, "I don't think so," He breathed out, "Let's try again."

"Okaaaaaaay!" Malacoda quickly stood up between them, "Cringy romance is over! Se acabo! There's no way in hell I'll get third wheeled again by two horny brats!" He grabbed Valerie by the shoulders and dragged her to the train, tossing her belongings inside with his tail.

"Take care of yourself and Gasper!" Was the last thing he'd heard before the doors shut and the train slowly raised its speed, leaving the station.

Danhauser could only touch his lips and dumbly wave at the retreating transport, "My first kiss," His lips curled up into a triumphant grin, "Feelsgoodman."

He felt a pair of hands squeezing his shoulders, "Feels good, doesn't it?" A mature voice whispered close into his ear.

Danhauser almost fell down, inching away from the pink-haired woman, "Watch it! You shouldn't sneak up to a man like that!"

Roygun Belphegor snorted in amusement, "Sorry, kid," She lazily thumbed at the person next to her, "It was her plan."

He decided to spare a glance at the second figure and missed a heartbeat, "… Fuck."

Cleria watched with hands on her slim waist, her chest puffed upwards and a stupid grin across her face that promised torment.

That was a warning for him to run.

He took a step back, hand raised defensively, "Cleria, don't—!" His cousin tackled him into a crushing, almost bone-breaking hug.

"It worked! It worked!" she squealed, "My Danny finally got his first tongue kiss~!"

"Congratulations," Roygun winked at him, "Attaboy."

"G-get off me weirdo!" He struggled but finally shoved her away, his cheeks hot as he stood up, "We never tongued kiss you, idiot! It was just a simple peck on the lips with no feelings behind it!" He felt a small sting, but it was the truth.

"Liar!" Cleria dramatically pointed at him, "Lies! Deception! You two were literally melting while making out!" She wiggled her eyebrows and nudged his ribs, "I betcha were turned on~!"

"I wasn't," He denied, "Why you tell her to kiss me? Clearly, she never understood what she did!"

"Now she does!" Cleria huffed and folded her arms with a pout, "You're welcome, by the way."

"Why should I thank you?"

"For improving your relationship with your girlfriend."

Danhauser fought the urge to groan, "W-we're not… dating."

"Huh-huh," Roygun approached and gently lifted his chin, "Then explain why you have a mark caused by a bite? By the looks of it, it wasn't a one-time thing."

He pushed her hand and covered the bite, "She was hungry and I offered her my blood," He explained dryly, "Now can we get back home or are you two gonna keep ruining my day?"

Cleria smiled shyly and wrapped him into a soothing hug, "Not until I show you my gratitude," She whispered, "I never had the chance to thank you for what you did back there in Kuoh. You were amazing. Reckless, but amazing."

After seconds of hesitation, he relaxed and returned the gesture, "Well, that's what family is for, yeah?" They stayed quiet for a while, "…I'll clean the name of our Clan. I swear. I just… I just need some time."

"I know you will. You and Diehauser are the pride of the Belial family," Tightening her grip, her lips fought a mischevious smirk, "Y'know, you looked really manly as you left to stop Touji and his group… now I get why they call you Dan the Man."

He froze with his cousin still in his arms. He didn't dare to meet her eyes. "…H-how?"

Cleria laughed genuinely while separating from a baffled Danhauser, "Y-you thought you could hide it from m-me?! Everyone in the Clan knows about it! Diehauser and I never had the time to embarrass you after all the depressing stuff," She paused, grinning, "Dan the Man."

"…" Danhauser said nothing.

Roygun almost joined the laughter if it wasn't by her hand muffling any merry noise, "That's the worst nickname I've heard of!" She snickered, "Who came up with that? Malacoda?"

"…" Danhauser still said nothing.

"Oh my? Downcast already?" Roygun cooed and mockingly puckered her lips, "Perhaps another kiss will do~?"

"Hooray. Another teaser. Right, what I needed," He wished the earth would swallow him up at this point. Worst of all was the realization that Danhauser was going to live with two beautiful women in Kuoh Town. Under the same roof. Without his servants for mental support.

Then again, no one told him he would get away with it so easily. Plus, a lot of people would commit murder to be in his shoes.

He just had to suck it up and follow Valerie's motto to the letter — adaptability was the key.

He wondered how his teammates were doing.

"Is Diehauser back?" Danhauser asked.

"Yup," Cleria bobbed her head with a knowing look, "Let me guess, training time?"

"You know it," He stretched a little bit, "Can't waste more time anymore."

"Alright!" Cleria said with resolve, "Let's get ourselves beaten into a pulp!"

Danhauser's eyebrow went up, "… Are you going to train, too?"

"Well, yeah…" She fidgeted a little, "Not with Diehauser and you. I'll just slow you guys down."

"With who then?" He turned to Roygun, getting a 'nope' from her and realized something, "I thought you hated training."

"I asked your mother," Cleria replied, "It's just… I'm tired of being the princess in distress of the family. I know I can't keep up with you two, but, y'know…"

Danhauser laughed a little as Cleria glared at him, "Let's just get back home."

The two women raised no objections.


"Tired?" Ruval Phenex smiled at his sister, who jerked awake with a start, and stared weirdly at him.

"No, I'm fine," She yawned, rubbing her eyes fiercely.

"Are you sure…?" He poked her sweaty cheek lightly.

"Don't do that," She pushed his finger away and cleaned the sweat off her temple.

"Liar," He muttered, which earned a pout.

"I don't need sleep!" Ravel Phenex retorted, "I can't! Lord Danhauser needs me more than ever!"

That made the strongest heir sigh. The Diehauser Belial Broadcast Intrusion went obviously viral through the social media, Ravel had the dishonor to gawk at it. The fact that how the press kept throwing rotten tomatoes to the Bael and Belial Clan made the blonde lose her temper. She demanded to double up her training, Ruval was reluctant at first but accepted. She didn't last too long.

Ravel was extremely physically unfit and incapable, having no bodily coordination, a lack of stamina and surprisingly low muscular strength. Luckily, her prowess in magical arts was good. Especially her control over wind rather than her fire.

While he respected her determination to clean Danhauser Belial's name, as her eldest brother, he refused to let her die from exhaustion, "Devils need sleep too," Ruval protested, wrapping the blankets around her. He started to pet her head rhythmically, as she tried to slip from his grasp. "Go to sleep!" He kept smiling at her annoyed expression.

"Stooop!" Ravel whined, "He needs my help!"

Ruval ignored her.


Siegfried could only hear his own thoughts rambling for several moments after listening what Gilles de Rais had to talk about the elephant in the room.

"You heard me right. You're his right hand."

His answer stuck right at Siegfried's core, any hostility had been washed away from his body. He gawped to watch the butler approach and stab Gram on the floor.

He wasn't expecting the Frenchman that despised each bone of his body to put him in such a position.

"You're his first servant and he still hasn't acquired a Queen yet," He heard Gilles's explanation, drawing him back to reality, "I heard it even from the individual himself, always bestowing you leadership whenever he's absent."

Siegfried violently shook his head and took Gram off the ground, "That's why you're training me."

"More than that," Gilles sharp gaze wandered over Siegfried who was staring intently at the demonic sword, "Young Master is the target of threatening figures. I need you capable enough to hold yourself against potential enemies for the sake of Young Master."

The fact that Diehauser Belial couldn't come even when Danhauser Belial was in a critical situation proved how much they needed this intense training. Not even with Gilles' aid, could they turn the tables around in their favor. That's why Gilles liked the idea implemented by the Heir of Belial. Sure, in four years they won't become Maou-Class — not even Danhauser — but if they worked together, they could put Satanael in a tight spot.

But he was straying the subject now, what came next couldn't stop Gilles from glowing like a Christmas tree

"Aside from that, I've seen your file and my, my, so much black ink..." Siegfried's expression made Gilles chuckle, "I'm impressed. You made entire supernatural creatures 'disappear'. You are even categorized as 'hyper-lethal' by the Vatican Headquarters. There are only two Church warriors with that rating. One of them was able to corner a Cadre during the Second World War."

Siegfried's head quickly turned to the French butler, "… How?"

Gilles waved off his worries, "This information came from former workers of the Orthodox Church. It remains unknown how they were fired. What matters is how your achievements earned you fame and epithets between your previous peers and foes."

"…Where are you getting at."

"Every nickname tells a story, Chaos-Edge Sieg," Gilles grinned eloquently, "… All I am saying is that — personality-wise — we may not be different as I thought we were, heh."

A dangerous laugh fled from Siegfried's mouth, "Watch it, old man. Don't compare me to you, you sick bastard."

"Heh. Of course. Whatever helps you sleep tight tonight," Gilles also laughed a bitter one, "Now, any last questions before we begin?"

"… Why you didn't intern Jeanne?" Siegfried asked and noted how the Frenchman's expression switched from amusement to annoyance. He wanted to hear the excuses from the man who fought alongside the Maiden of Orléans — Joan of Arc.

"Why I didn't take Joan is none of your business," Gilles gave his cold response before summoning a sword, "This is where you'll live for the next four years. Some days I'll leave to do my duty as the butler of the Clan Belial. Whether you wish to train by yourself while I'm absent is up to you. Now come, show me what made you be known as 'Chaos-Edge Sieg'."

Siegfried growled and pointed Gram at him, "Fine. If this is going to help my master in any way then I accept your challenge, Bluebeard."


It was Ikuse's Tobio first day at his new school — Nephilim. The hallways seemed busier by students and a few adults that Tobio theorized were the fallen angels — their teachers. As he kept walking on the dark marble floors and white walls he now understood why Danhauser Belial hated attention so much. The crowds, the judgmental stares, and the murmuring were putting him on the edge already.

Then again, it must be their first time seeing a reincarnated devil accompanied by a huge wolf, a cute girl and the goofy Governor-General acting as their guide. Such sight deserved some attention from the confused students.

Tobio could only stare back both in awe and annoyance. His future workmates were wearing the same uniform he and Toujou Sae had. What engrossed him were the Sacred Gears few of them were displaying. A boy with a gauntlet similar to Siegfried, a girl who could weave shadows just like Valerie Tepes and someone who had a mirror floating at their side.

While they were weak compared to his Longinus, it was amazing to see so many Sacred Gear users sheltered in one place.

"Who are they?" One of them asked, snapping Tobio back to reality.

"New students?"

"Why is the boy releasing a demonic aura?"

"That animal is his Sacred Gear…?"

"He certainly is cute…"

Azazel laughed and Sae glared at whoever said that.

To their luck, the lunch bell rang and the students raced past them in an effort to get their lunch first and not be stuck on the queues.

"Huh, look at them go!" Azazel whistled, "And here I thought the food here was crap."

Tobio hunched his back and facepalmed, "Man, this is going to be a long day."

[What are you doing? You're making us look bad!] The voice in his head straightened him back, [That's better. A king should always walk with his head held high.]

"W-who said that?!" The brunet's head fiercely looked around, "Show yourself!"

[Tobio, over here,] Tobio's eyes darted to his own shadow, slowly taking the shape of a werewolf with red, glowing eyes. What the… [Hey.]

Just as Sae was about to reach for his hand, Azazel grabbed her shoulder — stopping her, "Leave them," She heard the man said, "Let's just wait for them."

"Them?" She tilted her head in confusion but received no answer from the Fallen Angel. Still, she complied.

Meanwhile, Tobio had his nose wrinkled in deep thought, "You're…" he snapped his fingers in realization, "Lycaon!"

[Yeah.]

Tobio accusingly pointed at his own shadow, or, rather, at Lycaon, "You son of a bitch! It's because of you I almost killed all of my—!"

[Stop talking aloud,] Lycaon interrupted him, [You look stupid.]

The brunet quickly zipped his mouth, but still held his warning glare, "What's your fucking problem? Attacking my friends for no reason!? I don't give a damn about the 'Lycaon madness'! You were doing great fighting Satanael until you lunged at boss and his peerage!"

[I never had an issue against our allies,] Lycaon retorted, [They just stood in our way. It's not our fault that they were close to our prey.]

The brunet frowned, "…Was boss your target?"

[Yeah,]

"…Why?"

[A king never bows to another king,] The werewolf quoted, [He's the King of a peerage we're forced to serve. We are the King of Wolves. If we're going to kneel before someone, then that person must be worthy to follow. Simple as that.]

"And your plan was attempting murder?"

Tobio saw the shadow nodding, [But we were defeated by him. He proved himself to be stronger than us.]

"So what now? Are you on the good side now?" Tobio scoffed at the thought.

The werewolf stared, [Four years isn't it?] The question made Tobio frown, but Lycaon didn't care, [Four years to master Canis Lykaon. Fine then. We will help. We will not cause harm.]

Tobio would expect to be relieved by the answer, but his snort showed his true feelings. "Why should I believe you?"

[Why shouldn't you?]

"Because you're batshit crazy!"

[False.]

"Weren't you the one who fed Zeus your own son?!" Tobio almost snapped. He had the time to search about Lycaon's background, what he'd found wasn't family friendly.

[Just a prank that Zeus took seriously,] Lycaon said in a matter of fact tone, [Besides, he brought our son back to life. No one was harmed that day.]

"… Not sure if you're trolling or not," Tobio waited for any excuse from Lycaon, only seeing his shadow molding back to normal, "And he's gone…"

Azazel pushed himself off the wall, "How did it go? Given your facial expressions, I don't think progress was any good."

Tobio massaged his temple, "Believe it or not. He said he won't cause any trouble," His answer shocked Sae and Azazel, "…He's also way different from what I expected."

He expected to Lycaon to be a psychopath, battle-maniac, speaking in a vulgar manner and mentally insane. What he'd received was something that reminded him a little of Bova Tannin. He was chill, blunt and somewhat laconic. Tobio felt cheated.

Then again, Lycaon could be putting up an act.

[We aren't.]

"Shut up already," Tobio grunted.

Azazel scratched his hair with a sigh, "Hard to believe given his past."

"I think it's better to put some faith in him," Sae suggested, "It makes no sense to hold a grudge on someone who's going to be with you for the rest of your life."

[Finally, someone with a working brain.]

Tobio folded his arms with a scowl, "…I'll do my best, I guess."

Azazel ruffled his hair, "Good thinking. Nonetheless, if Lycaon tries anything funny then we'll just have to counterattack," He swirled and left the group with a wave, "Gotta go! Don't start a harem, Slash Dog!"

"What," Sae said flatly.

"W-wait We don't know where to go yet!" That's when Sae tugged his sleeve to catch his attention, "Huh? What is it — oh," He saw they were behind a door. He didn't even try to read the plaque that was written on a different language — simply twisting the knob.

The classroom was so warm after the wintry chill they faced back in Ryuukou Town. It also held fewer desks and chairs to be considered a classroom. By its professional appearance, it looked to be focused for those who are already in university. Even in the Supernatural World getting graduated was important it seems.

Tobio's eyes fixated over the lonely man sitting on the teacher's desk, looking longingly at the picture in his hand, "Uh, hello?" He knocked on the door and the gruff-looking man alarmingly perked up, his sharp gaze made the new students flinch.

"A-are we interrupting or something?" Sae stuttered, "T-the Governor-General took us here."

Tobio saw the shock register on his face before he could play it with a welcoming smile. The black-haired man left his seat while pocketing the picture in his hands, calmly approaching them. "W-who are you?" Tobio only knew this was a Fallen Angel perhaps on par with Satanael.

The Cadre stopped and placed his hands over the brunet's shoulders, "I'm Baraqiel — Cadre of the Grigori," His smile extended slightly, "And most importantly, I'm your uncle-in-law."

The brunet was left stunned as the name bounced inside his skull. Even Sae couldn't speak properly.

Baraqiel chuckled at their reactions, "I wish to know more about my nephew-in-law, but we can save that for later," His expression hardened, "Azazel told me everything. Four years should be enough to make you a top fighter here in Nephilim and perhaps Grigori as a whole. The question is, are you ready?"

Shaking his head violently, Tobio bowed in respect, "We're under your care. Please, make us strong."

Jin howled.

And thus, Slash Dog was born.


Sweat trickled down Bova Tannin's scales as he'd blocked another strike from his eldest brother. He released a growl, cocked a balled fist, and punched his cheekbone, flaying his brother's neck backward like a willow caught in the wind.

The first son stumbled, nearly falling atop his second brother, "What the hell!" The eldest brother cried out, regaining his balance, "How did you get this strong?!"

It wasn't a big surprise that his brothers and father were impeding further passage to the Dragon Mountain. In truth, it was his father who wanted to meet him privately but the brothers hand something else in mind. A tactic that had backfired them.

"Intense training," Bova blew smoke from his nostrils and glared at the strongest dragon in the mountain — his father, "Bosshauser told you everything, right?" He cracked his knuckles, slowly regaining his stamina, "Let's get into it."

Tannin nodded at his other children, "Go back to the mountain, keep an eye on our people."

The first and second sons of Tannin shared glances before reluctantly soaring back to the mountain.

Finally, Tannin turned to his youngest offspring with folded arms, "Yes, he did. You don't seem to be happy about this."

Bova's shoulders slumped, "… Am I that easy to read?"

"Like an open book," Tannin said, "I'm your father. Now, tell me what's frustrating you."

"… Are we really that weak that we need help from other people?" Bova grumbled, slapping with his tail the nearest pebble, "Why can't we stay and become strong together as a team?"

Tannin hummed, catching on, "Does Danhauser Belial knows about this?"

"About what?" Bova frowned, "About how stupid his plan is?"

"No," Tannin shook his head, "That you miss them already."

"Me?! Miss them?!" Bova forced a laugh, puffing his chest, "Why would I miss them?!"

"Because they're your only friends, especially Danhauser Belial."

"T-they are not! A dragon doesn't need friends! They're just my rivals!"

Tannin refrained from rolling his eyes and cut the chase, "If you don't agree with him, then don't do it. Go back to Danhauser Belial and stay there. Just be ready to face the consequences."

Bova stayed quiet and glared down at his clenched fist. A dragon does what he pleases, that was how Tannin pictured the culture of dragons in general. Bova could just go back to the House Mountain and stay there with Danhauser Belial. But his king did everything he could to contact multiple figures to watch over their training and the peerage were doing their part by following orders.

Disobeying would not only disappoint Danhauser but shatter their friendship as well.

At this time, a beautiful blue-haired woman geared in a leather jacket and jeans walked away from a magic circle. The Dragons faced the new face.

"Granny!" Bova beamed up like a Christmas tree, "You're back!"

Tiamat smiled faintly and waved at the young dragon, "It's good to see you again, Bova."

"As I live and breathe," Tannin nodded at the Dragon King, "Long time no see Tiamat. I wasn't expecting a visit from you."

"Why? Am I no longer welcomed to your mountain, Tannin?" Tiamat cocked an eyebrow at the Dragon Meteor.

Tannin grunted, "Of course you are. But you always disliked mountains and open places."

"I always fancied caves," She agreed with a shrug, "Can't handle all the noise coming from the surface."

The purple dragon chuckled knowingly, "Only you can happily stay in your cave for days without venturing outside."

"I feel the liberty to do what I want in my cave."

"Like exercising?" Of all the Dragon Kings, Tiamat was the one Tannin respected the most. While she's the most introvert and greedy of the Dragon Kings, she was praised as the strongest amongst them. She kept pushing her boundaries through intense training. There wasn't a single day where the blue-haired would not be coated in sweat. She was the training-maniac of the Dragon Kings.

Tiamat nodded, "Like exercising," She gestured at Bova while pocketing her hands, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Right," Tannin addressed his hatchling with a stern look, "What's your answer?"

Tannin watched his son slowly drifting away, "I doubt you're here to fight, Tiamat," He turned around and walked back to the Dragon Mountain.

"Maou Beelzebub sent me here," Tiamat informed, following, "He's hiring the remaining Top Ten to administer the Rating Game Executive Committee. Interested?"

Tannin paused to spare her a confused look, "Huh. Caught me off guard," The dragon confessed, arms folded, "Is Diehauser in there?"

"Of course," She brushed a stray bit of pale, blue hair, "The Champion is going to be the President of the Committee."

"What about you? Getting promoted?" Tannin knew that Tiamat had a role behind the Rating Games. She was a secret judge and administrator. It was baffling how easily she easily shared him that secret, something that Tiamat didn't seem to care if he knew — neither Ajuka Beelzebub had shown concern on the matter.

"I'll be on the meetings as an honorary president," Tiamat replied with a sigh, "Mostly to keep the Maou Beelzebub updated."

"I suppose you want my answer now," Tannin heard Tiamat humming, "I guess I could—"

A roar interrupted their conversation. Tannin calmly spun around and effortlessly caught both upcoming punches, submitting the attacker on a knee. "…If you wish to take me by surprise, you should do it quietly," He rebuked his son.

"Only a coward would do that!" Bova tried to keep his ground by pushing all his weight to his father, but no avail, "A true dragon fights face to face…!"

"…Well said!" Tannin praised with a feral look as the ground beneath his son cracked. He headbutted Bova and punched his stomach. The impact made his child sharply cough and crash into a row of trees.

The two adults watched the rook unsteadily pick himself up, shoving away any trunk that laid atop of him.

Resting both hands on his knees, Bova drew shallow breaths, "I'll… I'll stick to Bosshauser's plan and surpass Albion and Ddraig," The dragon found himself grinning fearlessly, despite the blood from his mouth, "But first, I think I have a bone to pick with the Dragon Kings!"

Tiamat blinked owlishly and laughed softly, "Are you challenging us, Bova?"

"He is," Tannin's mouth twitched and Tiamat was quite sure he was fighting a smile. The Dragon Meteor released a roar and charged with his son quickly following suit.

Tiamat observed from afar the two beasts clashing with Tannin getting the upper hand. She knew it would take time for the two to vent off their fervor. After all, Tannin was a battle-maniac and his three children weren't so different from him.

"The apple does not fall far from the tree," She sighed and took off her leather jacket, tossing it aside. Punching the air a few times, she dropped to the floor and begun her push-ups.


"Jeanne, we're here," The farm truck slowed down and came to a stop, snapping the former saint out of her daydreaming, "Welcome home little lamb."

Jeanne switched her attention to the current scenery, so this will be her home for years. It felt nostalgic to return where her life in the supernatural began, no doubt when the time comes to go she'll feel a wrench to leave.

She glanced behind her shoulder as the humongous driver left the vehicle. Taking a cue from him, she unlocked the door and jumped down.

"Nothing has changed since I left," Jeanne noted the farmhouse was as tired as the landscape. It slept there in somber greys amid the green that had sunken into a bleak hue. Hay bales lie scattered and far ahead of the crop.

She felt an immense weight atop her head, glancing up she saw a hand big enough to twist someone's head off like a bottle cap. Its owner was a giant made of only muscles. Despite his inhumane and intimidating appearance, this old man had a compassionate and gentle heart.

This was the Cardinal Priest of the Vatican — Your Eminence Vasco Strada.

"Just as you left," Vasco ruffled her hair and thumbed at his trustworthy vehicle, "You go ahead, I'll handle your possessions."

Jeanne was about to protest, but the white-haired elder laughed fondly and waved off her concerns, walking to the back of his old truck.

Sighing, Jeanne moved onwards, resting one hand on the gate that blocked the yard, considering what lay inside. Either way, she'll stay here for four years and Vasco confirmed that nothing had changed since her absence.

She unlocked it and carried on, lost in her thoughts. She had returned once again to Europe, the exile of the Church notwithstanding. The fact that the Angels didn't lift a finger made her a worried mess, but Vasco assured her that nothing bad will happen to her. As long as she never approached the Vatican and the headquarters didn't find out about her whereabouts.

She stood at the entrance of the farmhouse, she kneeled and lifted the welcome carpet to pick up the key underneath. To her surprise, the key was missing.

"What…?" She gasped as the door suddenly opened by two familiar characters, "David? T-Touji?! W-what are you two doing here?!"

"I invited them," Jeanne spun to see Vasco stomping over the wooden steps, his expression now grim, "They told me everything you did in Kuoh… a lot of things arose while you were gone."

"There was a coup in the Vatican," David Serro said before Jeanne could react, "…The people were fed up and everything became chaos in a matter of seconds."

Jeanne covered her mouth, eyes wide, "Was… was it because I was exiled?"

"Yes," Shidou Touji nodded weakly, letting them inside, "…But also because there wasn't any update of the missing nuns, holy maidens and the mysterious disappearance of Chaos-Edge Sieg."

David winced but said nothing.

"Your banishment was the last straw that broke the camel's back," Vasco laid Jeanne's belongings near the entrance, "There were many wounded, but with the assistance of Dulio and his Longinus, we succeeded in calming down the mob."

David tiredly fell on a chair, massaging his forehead, "It was horrible and tiring," He mumbled, "Thank God that was it."

Vasco sighed, "Unfortunately, that's where you're wrong, David."

All eyes were set on the Cardinal Priest. Jeanne nervously gulped before asking, "W-what is it?"

Vasco had a solemn look as he separated from the group, "Joan of Arc is no longer a saint."

"What?!" Touji cried out.

"…" Jeanne wore a blank face, her eyes covered by blonde bangs.

"W-when did that happen?!" David demanded.

"During the outcome of the siege in the Vatican, there was a meeting between the Cardinals, the higher-ups and the Pope," Vasco climbed upstairs, "They had to formulate an excuse for your ousting. I downright refused, but... It wasn't enough."

As the Apex of Humanity disappeared on the second floor for untold reasons, Touji shook his head, displeased, "How could they?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," David muttered bitterly, arms folded.

"Now Joan of Arc is seen as a figure connected to the Devil," They heard Vasco's voice somewhere from the upper floor, "Belial to be precise."

David narrowed his eyes. "How convenient," He snarkily said, "How did they even figured out members of the Belial Clan were present in Kuoh Town?"

The only people who knew about the identities of the Devils were the exorcists working under Touji and Jeanne's bodyguards which consisted of David and Freed Sellzen.

After recalling of his previous deeds, Touji pinched his nose, "My report," He chuckled incredulously, "After Eminence Cristaldi dismissed my group, he told me to compose a report, regardless if the mission wasn't successful."

David opened his mouth — ready to curse — but stopped after taking a look over the silent blonde. "…Jeanne?"

Jeanne turned slowly and trained her ears for any comforting sound. Only her accelerated heartbeat. For the first time since the journey began her face was completely fallen — no mask of coping left. She bit her quivering lip, eyes wet, "A-again...! This is my fucking fault! I-I had to fuck it up!"

It wasn't about the fame. Jeanne knew it when she had a mouthful spoon of it the moment her existence rose in ranks. She disliked it. What she loathed most was how the higher-ups wrongfully blamed her role model, how the Vatican gave the cold shoulder over her heroic accomplishments for a single mistake she'd committed.

Touji and David could only remorsefully watch the sobbing girl wiping her endless tears angrily.

"I could only rescue this," The two swirled to see Vasco finally joining them, carrying something in his huge hands, "They quickly removed everything that belonged and depicted Joan of Arc from the Church. Her armor, alleged relics — everything about her was disposed... I'm so sorry."

"A banner," David nonchalantly studied the standard on the Cardinal Priest's grasp until his eyes widened in recognition, "T-that's the one that—!"

"Joan of Arc's holy battle flag that she kept by her side all her life," Vasco kneeled in front of the weeping blonde, offering the relic, "I want you to keep it."

She whipped her head back and forth between the flag in her hands and Vasco's wrinkled face, "A-are you sure…?" She sniffed out, "…E-even if I sold my humanity to the Devil?"

To prove her point, she sprouted her pair of bat wings and expected the gasps of horror and disappointment. To her surprise, she was proven wrong.

Vasco just smiled and mopped a long tear with one of his fingers, "Jeanne...If you come from God, I do not fear you …If you come from the Devil, I fear you even less."

Jeanne's emotions went through different phases of shock and happiness before finally setting with a confident nod, "I-I'll clean Joan's name. Whatever it takes."

"… Tomorrow we will begin your training," Vasco said after ruffling her hair proudly, "And since you'll be staying here for a while, I expect you to wake up early to help by harvesting our crops, grease up the equipment and tractors and other activities."

The blonde couldn't contain her excitement any longer and brought her arms upwards, "Fuck yeah, my dawgs!"

Everyone stared.

Jeanne paled at their judgmental stares and awkwardly fist pumped, "Um, I mean, h-hooray…?"

"… I see your old self is still there," Vasco muttered and left to the kitchen, "I'll handle the cooking. Later we'll unpack all your stuff in your new room."

"No one will know about Jeanne's presence in Europe. We're going to stay quiet about this," David vowed to them, "What happens in this house, stays in this house."

"Totally," Touji agreed.

"Grazie," Vasco said from the kitchen.

Jeanne gave a thankful nod before facing Touji, "… I don't know where Masaomi went," She responded, reading Touji's mind like an open book, "… I tried to stop him, but he ignored me."

"I see," Touji looked somewhere else. "I pray to God he's alright…"

"I'm so sorry," He regretfully said, "I never wanted to shoot you but…"

"It's alright," Jeanne smiled faintly, "Dan saved me there."

The name made Touji chuckled, "I never expected a Devil of all things to protect a saint and Masaomi. Maybe I was wrong… not all Devils are as bad as the Bible wrote them to be."

David's eyebrows went up as Touji kneeled, "Go on. You know what to do, Jeanne."

The blonde looked away from Touji to her own fist, weighing her options.

She flickered his forehead.

Touji blinked a few times before meeting her pure eyes.

She stuck her tongue out, "I told you so!" She chided him.

He swore he'd heard smugness slipping from her voice.


Valerie Tepes had her future all sorted out. She was going to sit still for decades on end and wait for her body to rot in her cell. She was convinced she was going to stay locked until she was old. She had accepted it. She was willing to embrace her fate. But then, like a guardian angel — straight out of a storybook — Malacoda Malebranche came along and brought her to the Clan Belial.

She'd never revealed her intentions of why she returned to Romania. Aside from the training that she vowed to Danhauser Belial, she wanted to fill an empty gap that clutched her from the insides whenever she'd watched the Peerage working harder. She did her part within Danhauser's nobility, of course, she did. She was the support of the team, healing and immobilizing enemies from afar.

"It all started when Danhauser found Gasper," She smiled a little at the memory but quickly frowned, "But still… It was me who should have rescued Gasper, not Danhauser," She was thankful of Danhauser's act of kindness. But in a way, he took her ambition. The only thing that kept her thinking she had a function in this world aside of holding three stupid Holy Grails.

She wasn't like them. They were training vigorously for something personal while she wasn't. She felt distant from her teammates and she despised that.

Maybe she wouldn't be fumbling if Malacoda hadn't rescued her from her prison. If she was still imprisoned, crumbling away where her purpose was simple — being Marius Tepes' rat lab for the rest of her life. Her cynical consciousness had believed that was the cause behind her birth until she met Danhauser. Since then, she became uncertain of her views and saw herself into an endless limbo.

She could only think that she's just like any other living being. One that you can find anywhere, worthlessly and frantically trying to stay alive. So just like they breathed their last breath, she guessed that she will surely perish as they did.

That's why — before her dying moments — she wanted to know.

"Just who the hell am I?"

"Keep staring, my beautiful daughter," A familiar voice cooed, "I may do a trick."

Regaining her senses, she glared at the man slouched on his throne. Her father — Draculea Tepes — donned in his black armor, stared back with boredom and amusement. Her eldest brother — Marcus Tepes — loyally stood at his side. In the Throne Room was filled by a lot of guardians and those modified werewolves, but before any of the warriors could react to her presence, her father dismissed them and quickly did they obey. Angering their King was a fool's gambit.

"I presume Matanbuchus explained to you why I decided to stay here?" Valerie asked after a cold silence, "Or do I have to do the honors, father?"

"Of course he did," Draculea sported a sardonic smirk, "You missed your old man, correct?"

Valerie scoffed, "Of course, father. Of course."

"Ehehehe…" Valerie cringed. She hated that laugh, "I'm just trying to lighten the mood. But yes, he told me you're seeking my guidance to become strong, is that it?"

Valerie nodded.

"Though, he never explained why you desire to become strong," Draculea rested one elbow on the armrest, his hand tucked neatly under his chin, "It must be quite the tale, after all, you're also a Devil now. Go on. Explain."

As much as she strongly disliked her father, she couldn't deny he was a powerful and smart king. His name was feared by the Carmilla Faction and possibly the Church. Then again, the fear may come from his way of torturing his adversaries. Not for something he's nicknamed as The Impaler.

There are Vampires that had shown abilities rivaling Ultimate-Class Devils or — extremely rare occasions — even Satan-Class are commonly known as Nosferatu. It was the highest rank a Vampire could achieve. Her father and the Queen of Carmilla were one of the few Vampires classified as such. The perfect teacher she could ask.

She defensively crossed her arms, "There's no need of a story," She spat out, "I just decided to follow him. That's it."

Draculea's eyes widened a little, "And here I thought he forced you to serve him," He was colored impressed, to say the least, "Now I'm really dying to know who this Devil is…"

"As if you didn't know who my King is," Valerie knew his father wouldn't push aside the fact that his Faction had lost their great power. At least he would collect information about her whereabouts.

"Just tiny bits," Draculea waved off her qualms, "All I know is that your King is the son of Matanbuchus Belial, isn't it?"

Valerie glared daggers. While she didn't reply directly, her body language did for her.

"Interesting. Then it means his relative must be Malacoda Malebranche," Draculea said aloud, mostly to himself. From the time he had stopped around the City of Dis — Lucifuge District to be precise — he'd heard that he was married to a woman named Calcabrina Belial — née Malebranche — sister of Malacoda himself.

The Devil who'd wiped out Marius and the many armies of modified werewolves and traitors. All by himself. Enough to earn his sincere respect of himself and members of the Tepes Faction.

Whoever Valerie chose to follow had the genes of a Belial and a Malebranche. He couldn't waste this opportunity. Draculea had to take advantage of this miracle.

With a self-satisfied smirk, Draculea slowly left his throne and shambled off to his only daughter. The more he neared, the more his appearance became ragged and poorly conceived as the skin around his face considerably became saggy and shapeless. He hunched his back until a pair of insectoid wings forcibly shot free.

Valerie could only watch in disgust as the 3-meter tall insect shed off her father's body and stretched his six limbs and a fearsome set of razor-sharp fangs with a mad grin. His resemblance didn't differentiate to that of a cockroach. Hence his epithet — Draculea the Cockroach.

Metamorphosis. That's how they named the transformation available only to Vampires — this was the 'True Form' of Vampires. Draculea and the Queen of Carmilla — Sheridan Carmilla — were the only ones with great mastery over it, capable of fully becoming an insect.

To classify them as Vampires was an insult. The King of Tepes and Queen of Carmilla were grotesque mockeries of reality beyond comprehension.

"I told you, didn't I…?" Her father cupped her cheek, his antennas playfully poking her face, "Stare and I may show you a trick."

As much she desired to smack his hand away, she couldn't. Metamorphosis made the user an insect or arachnid of darkness and shadows, thus making their body intangible. Only a Maou or Queen Carmilla could push her father under the webs.

Valerie averted her gaze as her breath hitched, "W-what do you want?"

"Your full honesty," Draculea forcefully turned her face back at him, "This… Devil, what does he mean to you?"

The question made Valerie instinctively touch her lips as the memory repeated right before her eyes.

Draculea witnessed her conflicted expression and snickered. Perfect. He finally freed her from his grasp and walked back to his seat, "We will begin tomorrow in the morning. Until then, get some rest."

Valerie violently shook her head and regarded her father with a narrowed eyes. Watching him snap his fingers as shadows around the throne room enveloped his monstrous figure until he was inside a dark cocoon. Seconds later, the shadows dispersed and revealed her father back in his vampiric form. How he wore back his black armor and cloak was a mystery.

"Marcus," Draculea addressed his quiet, eldest son, "Be a good son and take your sister to her appointed room."

The obedient son bowed in respect and gestured at the exit, "After you, Valerie."

"Such a gentleman," Valerie jeered at him after leaving, Marcus following suit.

The ambience between them was cold — they weren't even blinking — just keeping their eyes on the corridor as if it whispered secrets to them.

Marcus decided to speak, "I'm glad you're safe, Valerie," He meant it, "It's also great to see you somewhere else aside from your dungeon."

Her mouth opened to reply, but quickly zipped it and frowned.

"It's shocking you decided to join a Peerage," Marcus kept the conversation rolling, "After what you passed through, I thought you'd threaten anyone who would get close to you. You trust him."

Valerie glared at his direction, "It's the least I could do after everything he'd done for me," Her hard look unconsciously softened, almost bashful, "He… he became someone important to me." She'd think being a Longinus User would have given her terrible karma, but, Danhauser appeared.

"Great," The Dhampir inwardly groaned, "These honeyed words are making me vomit."

"So you do have a boyfriend," He stated, shocked.

"I have five boyfriends, and it is little business of yours," She said venomously and scowled when Marcus stared at her incredulously, "What now?"

"I said boyfriend, not boy friends," He slowly said for her to comprehend.

"… I'm afraid I can't see the difference," It didn't do the trick, apparently.

"You know what sex is but you have no idea what a boyfriend is?" Marcus laughed in disbelief, "You're being sarcastic, right?"

"Apologies, dear brother," Valerie sneered, "My whole childhood involved listening to Marius' concubines moaning from my dungeon and being forced to overuse my Longinus. Good times."

Marcus pursed his lips, "I'm sorry Valerie, I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"Too late."

Once again, it was complete silence that Marcus didn't dare to disturb. Luckily for the Vampire, they already reached their destination, "This is your room," He awkwardly gestured at the door, "Your stuff is also inside… If you wish to talk with someone, then my doors are always open for you, sister."

"I see."

"… Take care."

"Not even a day and I already want to disappear," Valerie grumbled on the spot, "… I'm trying, I really do. But I can't really open up to them. Just by looking at his face… it brings unpleasant memories."

Another reason she wanted to return to Romania was how Danhauser showed his affection to his family and the Clan returned the gesture in kind. It was a stupid and childish idea, she didn't even know why she was trying to give them a second chance after everything they had done to her in the past. She felt dumb. She envied Danhauser.

"I could just change my mind and stay with Gasper and Danhauser. No… He will think this means I miss him, of course," She sighed with annoyance, "He will be insufferably pleased with himself."

With that thought in mind, she decided to stay.

As she made it inside her room, she briefly studied her surroundings for the next years and hummed in acceptance, noticing her belongings already placed on the bed.

During her stay on the Tepes Castle, her father will teach her manipulating shadows efficiently. However, there was a problem.

"What about my Sacred Gear?" She sat on her bed and summoned her Longinus, "As much as I hate it… it would be waste not mastering it."

She had some expertise over the Holy Grail, but not sufficient enough. Her only option was the Nephilim school. Unfortunately, because of her race, it was impossible to save a seat for her. The thought of asking help from her family had repeated more than once inside her head but she immediately dropped the idea.

That's when she felt an evil presence watching her.

Her expression soured, she already knew this was a warning of the upcoming apparition. As she stared at her reflection within the Holy Grail, she blinked and saw the colors of the bedroom withering.

Valerie looked behind her, eyes fixated on her body lying on the bed.

"… It worked," She died. Her spirit was successfully transported inside Sephiroth Graal — albeit temporally. Whenever she desired, she could flee from the world of the death — the Secluded World — and go back to the world of the living.

Because of her fear of ghosts, she never used this spell. But maybe it was time to take your fears head on? Danhauser would — she thought.

"Show yourself. At once!" She demanded, looking carefully around the room, "I… I know you're here!"

Minutes passed and she received no answer until a cruel laugh ceased her bravery. Tides of darkness crept from the floor, stretching itself thin until it was an inch from her feet. Valerie's breathing came in gasps and she felt ready to black out, her eyes shakily following the darkness crawling from the wall and reaching the ceiling, devouring the whole room.

An aperture was breaching before her, and something was tumbling out. It was a grotesque void out of which tentacles and eyes appeared. It settled around the furniture, but there was more of it coming out. Those eyes were hypnotizing, intimidating and shiny. They were a mix of iridescent colors, like looking through a kaleidoscope.

"Hmm hmm hmm," It chuckled, "For a thousand years, bound in this prison. I have watched all Sephiroth Graal's predecessors. You are different from them, Jailer."

Valerie slapped away a tentacle — that happen to have eyes — which almost coiled around her wrist.

"… There is much talk, and I have listened through time," It spoke in a droning whisper, "Now I shall talk, and you shall listen."

While biting her quivering lip, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths, disregarding the inhuman growls, tentacles, and glares surrounding her. After minutes of silence, she confronted the eldritch nightmare, "I'm all ears."


Fin.

So, this is it everyone. At long last, we finished pre-canon and now we'll jump to canon.

Now, why I didn't kill Cleria. No, it wasn't because you guys wanted her to be alive. Was it necessary to kill her? Sure, it would be a good character development for those of the Clan Belial, mostly Danhauser. But I think the fact that Danhauser ruined his family's name was more than enough. Also, Valerie would bring her back alive.

I hate when an author (OC or not) introduce and then kills the character only to bring them back on the next chapter, making their sacrifice worthless and pointless. Let's be honest, if Cleria died, she would be brought back by Valerie, despite if it takes years for Valerie to master it, but it still left a sour taste in my mouth.

This is just my opinion (rant) if you guys like those type of stuff then then it's cool, and dislikesmy likes shouldn't affect yours in the slightest.

Moving on, I will change the name of my fanfic. This will be it's new name for those interested. Highschool DxD: Without Value.

Why? Becuse I like it and sounds cool in my mind, plus I like edgy stuff, lol.

Also, I want to share something else. The way I built the Peerage. I used animal motifs for each one of them, but I also gave them a color, flower/plant and so on. Here:

Danhauser Belial: (Dunno lol), Grey, Sacred Lotus,
Ravel Phenex: Hummingbird, Orange, Sunflower,
Siegfried: Great White Shark, Silver, Silberdistel,
Jeanne: Lamb, Violet, Lilium,
Ikuse Tobio: Dog, Black, Rosa Canina,
Bova Tannin: Crocodile, Purple, Antirrhinum,
Valerie Tepes: Noble False Widow, Red, Rose,

To end this Author Note I want to thank each one of you for following me on this bizarre adventure. Thank you so much. Also, in case I'm late once again, Happy New Year, everybody.

Cheers.


Belial of the New School Building

Life.0: Prologue