Life.8: The Devil is in the Detail

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Vali considered himself someone with his head in the clouds, but his feet firm on the ground. He was blessed with the ability to keep his mind cleared and calm during dire situations, being a proficient combatant thanks his lineage, training, and his main and only weapon: Divine Dividing.

Befitting to lead his own group, especially when his bloodline belonged to Lilith and Lucifer, the proclaimed Mother and Father of All Devils respectively.

Who wouldn't follow a living miracle?

But, like any man and woman, he had his share of weaknesses.

When a fine soup of noodles was placed under his nose and his stomach was empty, the strong walls that kept his cool attitude stable would eventually crumble because of the scent.

And his dark secret would be revealed.

He was a caveman; he was eating noisily and slurping his noodle soup until there was nothing left. He absorbed his dinner that had taken hours to prepare and cook in a matter of minutes.

For a chef, the sight was nothing but praise and personal achievement. Tobio would always puff his chest in pride when someone joyfully wolfed the dish he'd cooked with his heart's content.

Unfortunately, the few prying stares were starting to peeve him. He would usually answer with a glare of his own, but whenever he focused back on his dish, they would once again focus on his back, invading his privacy. Don't get him started with their wrinkled expressions. What a way to ruin the mood. Didn't they like their food or something?

Thankfully, not all of them were invading his privacy. Rather, they were minding their own business.

"Is this the rumored Lucifer Clan Trait that no one knows about?" Vali heard his companion complain, the one behind this whole meeting in the first place, "suck noodles like a vacuum cleaner?"

He spared him a flat look. Danhauser Belial. A Devil he'd worked along with during the Utsusemi and Wizards of Oz scandal and hadn't seen since then. A memory that had burned at the back of his head was when they both fought, the victory ending in the palm of the gray-haired.

He'd trained harder since then. Hoping that one day, he would get the chance to fight and win.

Back on track, he was surprised when Danhauser suddenly wanted to meet-up after four years. He had an idea of how he got his phone number, whether from Tobio to Lavinia, or even the Governor-General.

Rather than feel suspicious about the whole set-up, he was curious about it. He had to accept the invitation.

"Did I do something wrong? Am I offending Kuoh's traditions?" Usually, whenever Tobio cooked him a dish and he wolfed on it, the brunet would puff his chest rather than eyed him oddly. Maybe Ryoukuu Town was carefree compared to Kuoh?

Danhauser smiled, waving at him assuredly, "Relax. I'm just pulling your leg. It's not really impolite or forbidden to slurp while eating ramen here in Japan. It's a technique to cool down while eating noodles after all."

Vali scanned his surroundings, frowning at the many heads averting their sights off their table, "Doesn't look like it."

"A hundred-percent, but times change. There's slang for it too, nu-hara," he responded and Vali blinked owlishly in return. Danhauser seemed to sense his confusion and detailed it, "Noodle Harassment."

"Noodle Harassment?"

"Noodle Harassment," Danhauser nodded, "The meaning of 'slurp is praise' is fading nowadays and foreigners usually struggle adapting to the… 'traditions' of a different country. So yeah, expect collective stares in public places from time to time."

Vali looked down at the perfect bowl of soup in front of him. Little droplets of the pork fat's oil shimmered on its surface, but he wasn't hungry anymore. "So annoying," he grumbled, pushing his plate away from him, "I even lost my appetite."

"Glad to hear," Danhauser trailed his gaze over the small pile of empty plates, "My wallet won't forget this act of compassion."

The half-breed rolled his eyes in return, "Anyway, what do you want?" before Vali could wipe his mouth on his sleeve, Danhauser placed, through force, a napkin in his hand. He accepted it, "I doubt this whole invitation is to spend time with me."

"That's one of the two reasons, actually," Vali looked up at his response, "It's been what? Four years? I just wanted to check on my favorite Hakuryuukou."

Vali narrowed his eyes, "I don't need anyone supervising me. I can handle myself."

"I mean, from the many talks I've had with Lavinia, one of them was to keep an eye over you," Danhauser recalled, "But, true. I even told her that you didn't need any babysitting, you're strong."

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, "You… you stood up against her…?" Vali repeated in a whisper, "How can you even casually talk and listen to her? Drop your guard around her?"

"Hey, girls love a good listener," Danhauser was staring at him oddly, "What's with the face? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Are you not afraid of her at all?"

The Belial heir curved an eyebrow, "Should I be?"

"Danhauser Belial. Her nickname, Demise Girl, is not for show."

Vali saw as the gray-haired slowly broke into a wide smirk, "Who would've imagined. The White Dragon, as well as descendant of Lucifer and Lilith, is shaking because a popsicle with a big, pointy hat pouted at him."

There were times and places to joke around, but this wasn't the occasion.

"I fear nothing. But that woman..." he briefly glanced behind his shoulder before leaning close to whisper, "… she scares me."

He envied Danhauser Belial, truly. To still keep his innocence. Only Slash Dog would understand what kind of person Lavinia was when you pushed her wrong buttons.

He shuddered to imagine what inhuman thoughts lied behind her mind. What dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty could she have?

[You're overreacting.] the creature inside Divine Dividing tried to reason with him. [She just pulled your cheek. Nothing serious.]

"… I saw the reflection in her eyes, the gaze of a predator," Vali insisted, "She planned to do more than that. That was a warning."

While the half-breed was in a deep discussion with the Heavenly Dragon, Danhauser had been eyeing him for a long time, "… Uh-huh." There it was, the naïve response Vali was expecting, "… I guess that's why you're constantly avoiding her aside from embarrassing you? Fine then. Guess this is my time to shine."

"What?"

"If Lavinia, for odd reasons that I still don't get, goes full ape on you, then hit me up," the gray-haired confidently thumbed himself, "I got your six, Shota Dragon."

If there were any signs of relief throughout the exchange, it was completely wiped out, "Don't call me that."

Back then, he didn't know the meaning behind the nickname and just shrugged it off since he didn't find it humiliating. But one of his teammates, Kuroka, cleared his mind from ignorance. Let's just say he wasn't happy about the discovery, especially when Bikou and Kuroka burst into laughter afterward.

"Keep dreaming," Danhauser laughed, "No matter how old or tall you become, you'll always be the Shota Dragon I met back then."

Somehow, the way he said that sounded nice.

But was he going to let it slide? No way in hell. He would back up.

Vali stared at him for a long second and said, "Man the Dan."

"Okay, first of all, it's Dan the Man. Not… not Man the Dan. At least get that right!" the fact that Danhauser spoke aloud and stood up, Vali knew he got the result he desired, perhaps exceeding his expectations, "Second… who? Tobio or Lavinia?"

Vali shrugged in return, "Azazel."

[Snitch.]

Still not taking his seat, Danhauser slammed a hand on the table, strong enough to rattle the empty plates and utensils, "Then Tobio told him… sometimes, I wish I could travel back in time and punch me a good one in the throat." He groaned, ignoring the perturbed looks he got from the restaurant, "… any chance I had with Penemue dropped to zero."

"Is it true?" Vali had to make sure of it, "is it true that you came up with that awful epithet? Why?"

Danhauser massaged the bridge of his nose, "It sounded cool at the back of my head, alright? I just followed my instincts."

"You clearly didn't think this through," Vali shook his head in disappointment, "a nickname makes you feel stronger. It fills you with confidence in the field of battle and lets you fight to your fullest. It also frightens your opponents."

Finally, the Belial took back his seat, "Well, I got none of that crap. It makes me wish the earth swallowed me whole. Or make everyone forget about it, but I guess I'm asking too much."

"It's too late for that. A lot of people know about it. It's written in history. You'll have to endure the humiliation until the end of time," he watched as Danhauser slumped on his seat and continued, "However I have a solution…"

Danhauser looked up, uncertainly, "I have a bad feeling where this is going, but what?"

Vali opened a bit his jacket and pulled out a notebook, small enough to stretch it wide open with a hand, "I'll repeat, the damage has been done and can't be undone, but I believe we can come up with good ones."

"Hold on a second," Vali watched as Danhauser looked from the book to his face, repeating the same motion time and again, "The hell is that?"

"A book."

"Yeah. No shit," Danhauser rolled his eyes, "I mean, what's inside the book?"

"Potential epithets for my rivals," Vali said with a matter-of-fact tone, "nothing new."

Danhauser blinked owlishly before chuckling, "And you're always carrying it with you? You seem to treasure it, are you not scared of losing it?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Vali frowned, "this is my second book, actually. The first one was stolen by unknown means. I don't even know who took it yet, but it was in my room the last time I'd seen it. A shame, I had all my phrases written there for future meetings..."

Vali's frown deepened once he saw the gray-haired holding back a grin, "Ooh. I wonder who's the thief…?"

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Danhauser then nodded at the small book, "Anyway, why would you even have a notebook for that? I can get writing sick nicknames for yourself. But for others?"

"It's kind of a mental-warfare type of thing," Vali explained coolly, "A foe is just a foe. Nothing noteworthy like the rest. A forgettable face. But a foe with a nickname is a worthy opponent. Fighting someone with a frightening epithet will make our battle legendary!" Vali explained, perhaps a bit excited than normally he was. "So I came up with multiple possible names in case someone of my rivals ever needs a suggestion."

Vali watched as Danhauser leaned on his seat, getting comfortable, "I think I'm going to regret saying this but… go on. Do your worst."

He began immediately. Muttering gleefully, Vali was flipping enthusiastically through the pages until he reached Page 27: Danhauser Belial's nickname — G through H section. He smirked, proudly after seeing his work finally being heard. He cleared his throat, "Let's not waste time, Danhauser Belial... or should I say: Gray-Haired Prince of Worthlessness?"

"Really," Danhauser deadpanned, "A bit cliché. Anything else?"

Vali nodded before searching for something better, "How about this one: Emperor of the Irregular Gray Spear Of Endless Pitch Resin?"

"That's a long-ass nickname."

"Gray Long Arms of Pitch Resin."

"… Maybe Dan the Man doesn't sound so bad after all."

"Gray Demon King of—!"

"Is there any nickname that doesn't involve my hair color?"

Vali grumbled, drawing his face closer over the book as he constantly thumbed through the pages desperately. He never imagined him to be this exigent, but he wasn't going to drop the towel regardless of the unsupportive attitude of his audience.

Swapping through the pages, he stopped on the R section, noticing the fresh ink of a particular nickname. The latest one. His grip over his book tightened as he said aloud,"… Red Dragon Emperor?"

Whatever Danhauser was doing was put to rest. His intense, gray eyes trailing over his. Staring at each other's eyes for a long moment.

"What happened in the meeting?" he asked.

"Take a guess."

Danhauser said nothing, but given by his expression, he already knew the answer, "You finally met him," he said, not expecting any confirmation, "Hyoudou Issei. And, by the looks of it, you're disappointed by the results."

"He's just so flat. I sensed his demonic power too. He's not prepared for our destined fight." Vali suddenly looked up, an idea dawning his head, "What if you take the Boosted Gear and become mine and Albion's rival?"

"Don't be a dumbass. That would kill him."

"So?"

"He's the student at my cousin's school."

"So?"

"He'd built a reputation in there, a bad one, but one nonetheless. People will grow confused by his absence."

"You can easily cover it up."

"Rias' big brother will get mad with us."

Vali flashed a fearless smile, "And we'll get a chance to fight him, right? I see this as an absolute win."

"He's going to one-shot us." The gray-haired picked up a stray noodle from the table and tossed it in his direction. He easily dodged it, "Besides, why me? He's your rival. Your problem, not mine."

The White Dragon folded his arms, "I refuse to see him as my rival," he firmly said, looking somewhere else, "… I had high expectations and received something so… low."

"Because he's a pervert?"

"I don't care about his perverse hobbies," Vali's attempt to keep things light was already waning. Was he trying though? "It's just his… lineage. It's just so bland."

From what Vali had read in Grigori, Hyoudou Issei was nothing but a weak human, not even a descendant of a mythological hero. His hair and eye color were the most uninteresting and common as well. Since he was a child, he went to school and passed each semester with mediocre grades. He had his parents supporting him since he was a toddler, his mother always cooking and doing housework as the father went out to work to earn cash to support his family.

And, even with the many and obvious flaws of their son, they were always there, watching his back, watching him grow as the person he became today.

Why? Why did someone like him have to be crowned as the Red Dragon Emperor? Why was his family was still being supportive after his glaring flaws?

[Did the identity of your rival affect you much?] his longtime partner said, [What's happening?]

"I think it's obvious," Vali replied through their mental link, "Or did you somehow find any redeemable qualities in him?"

[I'll hold my answer until I know him better. For now, I'm just curious,] Albion replied, [Ddraig for an odd reason found the boy interesting and different from his past users. I want to know what makes this 'Hyoudou Issei' distinct from the rest. Maybe he has something special that the other predecessors never had.]

Vali disagreed, but kept it to himself. He felt robbed. He desired a legendary fight against his destined rival, one where their blows would shake realms and many mythologies would write tales and songs about their duel. He didn't care whether he won or lost. Imagine his disappointment when today's Red Dragon Emperor was still nothing but a hatchling, a low-class Devil that couldn't invoke a magic circle as a means to teleport?

All this blood, sweat and tears he'd sacrificed in his training were for naught?

Sometimes, he believed he was born in the wrong era. An age where the Biblical God was dead…

Too soon… way too soon.

"We've beaten around the bush so long," Vali stated, putting an end to his negative thinking, "You said you invited me here for various reasons isn't it, Danhauser Belial? Then spill it. What's the second reason?"

Danhauser smiled in gratitude as a pair of waitresses picked up all the dirty dishes of Vali, "I'll be blunt with you," he started once they were alone again, "I need a hand. It has something to do with the Old Satan Faction."

In just a snap of fingers, his attention was solely focused on the gray-haired Devil, "Go on."

"How about joining their ranks?" Danhauser suggested, "backstab Azazel, cut all your friendships and conquer the world alongside Shalba and fight other pantheons?"

Vali smiled humorously, "Something tells me that won't be the case. You have anything in mind?"

"I do," Danhauser returned the smile, "Let's just say Shalba ordered me to fetch new members."

"Your Mastema persona, right?" Vali revealed, "I eavesdropped a bit when Azazel returned and conversed with his subordinates."

"Mastema is gone," Vali being well-aware of the rumors saved them time for the long-winded explanation, "The one who's doing the recruiting is Creuserey… it's another long story."

The Lucifer descendant was disinterest in the details. The smirk growing on his face was enough for an answer, "Fine. I'm in."

"… That was fast," Danhauser noted, albeit knowingly, "No questions you wish to ask? Nothing you want in exchange? Just like that?"

He laughed in return, "Danhauser Belial. You convinced me the moment you said 'fighting,'" he pointed out, "I've been dying for a thrilling fight since Kokabiel's betrayal… and now that I know my 'rival' is below average, I need to blow some steam."

He wasn't shy about the idea of joining Khaos Brigade throughout the peace treaty. Since things had been… still these past four years. The closest thing he had to a stirring fight was whenever he sparred with Slash Dog. And while there were signs of excitement the more the fights progressed, there was no risk at stake. Nothing to leave him breathless, to keep his heartbeat skyrocketing.

Tobio always stopped when the first pool of blood appeared.

So boring.

Peace was boring.

"A fair warning. You're putting your destiny in the cards here."

"I'm fine with it. I never had any interest in living for a long time. I just want to fight to my last breath."

"A certain blonde magician disagrees."

Vali's spine straightened, "L-let's stop talking about her, alright? She has nothing to do with this," he tried to look nonchalant, failing, "Is your peerage going to assist us as well?"

"No. They're going to stay to keep an eye around here while we are on the mission," Danhauser explained, "Your little group is going to lend us a hand. They wouldn't mind, right?"

Vali shrugged, "They won't. They'll listen to me," he eyed him suspiciously, "How do you know about my teammates? I never introduced you to any of them."

"Tobio knows to play the 'ex-girlfriend stalker' trope to a T."

"Hah… His skill to mask his presence is something to be careful of," there was no bitterness in his tone, he was amused, "Then I guess Azazel is aware as well. Fair enough. When do we begin?"

"Right. After leaving the restaurant we're good to go," Danhauser said, waving an arm to call a nearby waiter, "Just let me pay the bill and give a tip."

"So," Vali awkwardly cleared his throat, "while we wait, do you wish to continue? Searching for a fitting epithet I mean."

The half breed saw momentarily Danhauser opening his mouth but paused once he met his hazel orbs. Vali was confused by the abrupt silence. Danhauser looked hesitant and his expression was slowly softening, "Yeah, sure. Let's see what you have in store."

Immediately, Vali opened his notebook and resumed his hunt once again.

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Lying down on the couch, watching the television, was the world's sexiest Nekoshou.

She propped herself up on an elbow, lazily switched her twin tails left to right as if to rid herself of the gathering boredom that came out of nowhere, toying with the idea of making an escapade. It would be something dynamic to do, a break from resting on the couch and watching tv the whole day. Then again, Vali's orders were to keep an eye on the neighborhood in case something appeared to be 'off' from its usual and peaceful nature.

Sure, her Senjutsu techniques were efficient enough to help her detect the life-force of new entities from the couch. She already memorized the Ki of her teammates. Nonetheless, she believed she could've done her patrol ten times better if she was outside in her cute disguise, her cat form, placing magic circles that would blare off if any trespasser took the wrong step.

But at the same time, the sofa was comfortable.

She didn't remember much why Vali had to leave; her memory was a bit fuzzy you see. Usually, her mind drew a blank on anything that didn't involve or intrigue her in the slightest. At most, she could recall vaguely that he was going to meet-up with someone after a long time.

Strangers becoming friends once again. Adorable.

You couldn't blame her for her lack of interest. Kuroka had her share of problems that she was obliged to take care of first, like filling the black hole in her stomach.

And as a reminder, her stomach growled for food, making her wince. She tore her eyes from the screen to the floor, unfazed by the tide of trash that littered the floor before her. The thought of doing housework made her entire body feel as if it's chained to the spot. She refused to be disturbed by picking up her mess. This was her time, her peaceful, tranquil time in the living room.

Besides, Vali ordered her to secure the place from danger, not wear a maid outfit and make this house clean as a whistle.

She reached out for the nearest cereal box littered on the floor and peeked at its insides.

She 'nyaaed' angrily before flinging the empty box to the television. "Le Faaaay~!" Kuroka whined, it came out as a loud yowl, "Is food done yet?!"

"I-I'm almost done Lady Kuroka!" came the reassuring response from the kitchen, "Big brother is almost back from the store! Just a few more minutes, please!"

"Le Faaaay~!"

"Please hang in there!"

She buried her head on the pillow's couch and cried along with her stomach.

"Can you keep it quiet?" She felt a gentle hit at the back of her head, forcing her to perk and glare at the culprit. "You'll pull unwanted attention if you keep this going."

She regretted looking up.

Ladies and gentlemen, the most annoying Youkai in existence, Bikou Sun Wukong.

"What do you want?" she hissed, "I don't have time listening to you."

He tapped his shoulder with his staff, looking down at her with an infuriating look. "I want you to zip it! I can hear your whining all the way up on the second floor!"

"Cover your ears then," the Nekoshou growled, "Brainless ape."

"I already tried, but your cries are so high-pitched and loud," she felt her eyebrow twitch for a bit, "It's like listening to nails screeching on a chalkboard!"

Like he was the one to talk! His presence was like a fly buzzing around her ears that you could never swat.

"You want me to shut up? Fine. Go fetch some food then," Kuroka huffed, "My tummy is about to implode. I can't hold much longer."

"So? Ya want me to throw a party or what?" With an eye-roll, he thumbed over the corridor, "How 'bout you pick up your lazy ass and grab something from the fridge to distract your hunger? You heard Le Fay. Arthur's gonna take a while getting fresh merch."

"…"

"… The fridge is empty ain't it?"

Kuroka was shooting him the sour eye throughout the exchange but intensified. Tired of wasting breath, she sank her face on the pillow once again, biding her muffled, last words, "Your bloodline is the only useful thing about you."

To Bikou, that was a slap to the face, his twitching eye was a nod to his statement, "Yeah, well. Yer only relevant because of your huge ol' knockers."

"… the hell did you say?"

A fight could've broken out. They were ready and the change of atmosphere was evidence of that. Thankfully, their Senjutsu senses spiked at the familiar source of energy haunting the streets, putting any signs of a brawl to rest.

While they were glad that the life-force of a well-known Lucifer was slowly approaching the house, their readings told them he was being accompanied.

Hint: it wasn't their swordsman.

Even Le Fay, with an apron, had left the kitchen once her curiosity peaked, "That demonic energy…" she breathed out, "It doesn't belong to Lord Vali."

Once they heard the doorbell, they quickly gathered over the window, Kuroka opened a bit the curtains to remain hidden, but enough to capture the perfect view of two devils waiting for the door to be unlocked.

"Eh? Who's that?" Bikou narrowed his eyes, scratching his head with the tip of his tail, "I've never seen him before… but somehow his face looks familiar. Weird."

Le Fay tilted her head, "Is that the Devil that Lord Vali was going to meet in the restaurant?" she asked no one in particular, "… t-they almost look similar."

"…. Oh, shit. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this," Bikou paused for dramatic effect, "What if it's his half-brother?"

Le Fay stared at him, wide-eyed, "Y-you think so, Lord Bikou?!"

"I know it sounds crazy but hear me out, girls. They both look and dress edgy!" Bikou remained adamant, squishing his eyes to take a better look, "Same hair color, same 'cool' pose and both of them are equals in terms of demonic power. Yep, no doubt about it."

Le Fay turned back to the window, "Maybe… maybe you're right!" she exclaimed, "If we're going to have guests then I should make sure my cooking is great! Do you think his half-brother enjoys noodles like him?"

"Why he wouldn't? Maybe it could be hereditary between the Lucifers," Bikou theorized.

"They're not brothers. He has gray hair, nya," Kuroka corrected them, "their ki and demonic energy feel way too different to belong in the same family tree. Can't you read their life-force?"

The last remark was solely aimed at the fellow Youkai.

"No, we are not siblings," Vali's voice was strong enough to make them hop away from their spot, "Even less relatives. We are just... acquaintances. Can you open the door already?"

"He meant friends, by the way, he's just shy too admit it," the gray-haired chimed in. A pause. "I'm not edgy."

Le Fay gasped behind her hands, the two Youkais instantly focusing on her, "G-gray hair?! It has to be him!" realization dawning upon her, "The Devil that Lord Vali told us about! Lord Danhauser Belial!"

"Ooh," Bikou slammed a fist over his palm, "Belial, huh? That explains the familiar face. He's the little brother of the Emperor. Damn… earth is a small world…"

"Open. The. Door."

Kuroka looked back over the two devils, frowning. And released a bit of her ki to enhance her senses. There was something odd that stood out from him aside from his immense demonic power. His spirit was different from other Devils, but what took the cake was the spiritual energy concentrated on a certain part, on his forehead. It was blurry.

Her frown deepened and she increased her ki but nothing changed.

"What are you doing?" Bikou asked.

"Hush," clicking her tongue, she released all her life-force until the blurry image took shape.

She could feel something staring intently back to her. An eye.

Could it be…?

No…

No. Fucking. Way.

"A third eye…" she breathed out, eyes wide, "H-he has a third-eye…!"

Bikou curved an eyebrow, "Uh, what?" he squinted his eyes over the gray-haired, "I can't see shit," he eyed her oddly, "and can you put down the creepy stare? Ya look like you're about to suck him dry."

She whacked the back of his head, "Idiot. Use your Senjutsu for a bit!"

He did as she told him and after a few seconds, his mouth dropped open for a bit, "Oh, crap! What the hell?!" he thoughtlessly leaned forward, "Where'd he get that?! From his ass?!"

"I thought you had a clue," Kuroka said, "being the grandson of a Buddha comes with its benefits."

Bikou folded his arms, deep in thought, "Yeah, pops has one," he recalled, a look of confusion plastered on his face, "Pops has always been vague about everything he taught me, though."

"Is that so..."

"Yeah… but not everyone has one, you know? It's so… rare. Mostly Buddhas and some Hindu gods got one… apprentices of these two as well."

"It may be rare, but not impossible," she retorted.

Bikou grunted, "That's so damn unfair. I mean, look at us! We've trained Senjutsu for years and a Devil got a third-eye on a silver platter? I mean really?"

"It's obvious he knows Senjutsu," Kuroka pointed out.

Bikou waved off her observation, "What I'm trying to say here is that… maybe there's more about it?" he shrugged, "Maybe being a pro in Senjutsu isn't enough?"

"Maybe."

"He doesn't seem to know about it, either," Bikou hummed, "He hasn't unlocked, not yet at least."

Whatever. She wasn't gazing to applaud his initiative to learn Senjutsu, or for obtaining his own third-eye. What mattered here was his race. He was a Pure Devil, a member of the strongest Devil civilization. The Remaining Pillars. Ars Goetia.

The very same government that placed a bounty on her head at their doorstep.

He wasn't the first pure-blooded Devil she had stumbled upon, nor the last one. All those that'd express their desires to reclaim the heavy purse were already swimming with the fishes and kicking buckets.

The life of a stray devil was tough. Maybe humans and their weird folklore were right. Black cats were nothing but a bad luck charm.

But did she regret committing her first murder?

Fuck no.

Maybe Danhauser wasn't a bad apple, he was friends with Vali after all.

But she couldn't risk it. She had to go, maybe by tomorrow morning, he would disappear into thin air. Most likely he was passing through the town to–!

"Heard he made Vali sit back when they were kids," Her daydreaming was ruined by Bikou's statement, "Vali was even in his Balance Break back then."

Kuroka shook her head and opened her mouth to reply, but froze once a certain magician was gone, "Um, yeah. Where's Le Fay?" she asked, looking everywhere for the petite girl, "Wasn't she here with us seconds ago?"

"Was. She hurried to the door to let them in," the monkey Youkai glanced outside the window, missing her shocked expression, "Can't let boss and Mr. Third-eye catch a cold now can we?"

She had to bite her tongue once the footsteps neared and the three of them appeared before them.

"Fuck."

Vali folded his arms, "Where's Arthur?" he questioned, not beating around the bush.

"Big brother went to buy something," Le Fay beamed at the silver-haired teen, "We're cooking noodles while you were gone! We can serve you a plate once it's done if you want, of course!"

"Sounds delicious," Vali didn't think twice, "I look forward to it, Le Fay."

"We just left a restaurant with my half-empty wallet," Vali's friend reminded him, looking at him with disbelief, "And you're still up to eat more?"

"I always have space for noodles," their leader retorted dismissively, "especially homemade."

"At this rhythm, you're going to get wide and I mean wide," Danhauser commented, "You should stick with two glasses of milk a day two grow tall, never go full Tobio."

Bikou snickered, "Well, you gotta eat to keep your strength up, yeah?" he said before shooting him a thumbs-up, "the name's Bikou Sun Wukong, by the way. Bikou is fine."

Apparently, Bikou wasn't going to tell him about his third-eye.

"It's an honor meeting you, Lord Danhauser! I am Le Fay Pendragon!" the magician quickly chimed in, bowing her head, "The only magician of the Vali Team. I look forward to knowing you."

Danhauser curved an eyebrow, "Huh… somehow, I lost all of my manners. Let's change that," he cleared his throat, "As you already know, my name is Danhauser Belial. Nice to meet you."

Kuroka felt her body tense when his gray orbs landed over her. She never minded when someone drank her figure with their eyes, sex appeal was a woman's best weapon and she would gladly exploit that moment of distraction, but that wasn't the case here. His teammates knew of her reputation and how the world wanted her to pay her actions with blood. Weren't they suspicious of him? Even if Danhauser was a member of Ars Goetia?

They trusted him because he was friends with Vali?

Sure, together they could defeat him if he pulled any dirty tricks, that should soothe her. But it didn't.

And to be honest, she couldn't stop staring at his hidden third-eye. It was the first time she saw one up-close.

So unnerving.

She saw Danhauser opening his mouth, perhaps noticing the awkward silence between them, but halted halfway. His eyes wide as saucers, this time they were not focused on her, but rather, their surroundings. "What the hell happened here…?"

Hey, nice dodge.

But he had any rights to be baffled, the more she looked at the room, the more it reminded her of a jungle of uneaten food and textbooks. She saw as Danhauser began to wade through the mess. Empty cans of tuna scattered. The pillow she had thrown to Bikou surfaced from the sea of dirt, in the far corner of the room where the dirty dishes lived.

"W-what is this?!" Le Fay hadn't even seen the state of the main room, already noticing it. She covered her mouth, shocked, "I-I swear…! I-It wasn't like this…!"

Bikou tried to pat her head, albeit with struggle with that huge hat of hers in between, "Relax," he said assuredly, "We can clean up fast. Maybe Vali's friend can lend us a hand as well?"

"Danhauser Belial is the owner of this house," Vali bluntly said, "he once called it his summer house."

Bikou's tail froze midway, "Wait," he hesitated, pointing at the gray-haired, "His house? His summerhouse?"

Vali's sigh was enough for an answer.

"W-we can explain!" Bikou immediately put his mind to work to fish anything good, but could only squirm and dig himself on a hole. "Aw, fuck. It's Kuroka's fault."

Kuroka's jaw dropped, "What the hell!" she glared daggers at the snitch Youkai, "Are you seriously gonna blame a damsel in distress?! A true man would've taken responsibility!"

"Nice try. But this time, YOU take the bullet for the team! You were the only one stuffing the fridge into your mouth!" Bikou countered, gesturing over the empty containers scattered over the room, "This is all your shit! You're on your own!"

Kuroka tried to say something in return, but the gears on her brain got stuck.

They watched as Danhauser kneeled to pick something from the chaos and slowly stood up to face them.

He was holding laced panties.

The worst part? He was staring straight at her.

Oh, joy.

Le Fay wanted to explain, but the sight of kinky underwear made her a stuttering mess. Her face burned and her ears expelled steam.

There goes her last ticket to freedom.

"So, you're the one behind this mess?" Oh, it must feel good, didn't it? Just seeing that flash of alarm on her face, however brief it might be, Kuroka gambled her teammates and Mr. Summerhouse over here were satisfied immensely.

"Aw, shit."

"You're damn right 'aw shit'," she flinched at his raised voice, "I don't mind if you make yourself at home and left the fridge empty, it can all be replaced in a blink… but messing with my whole house isn't something I'll let slide."

She swore seeing muttering something silently, and she thought she could read the words 'just like Roygun' in his lips.

Kuroka grumbled, folding her arms beneath her large bust, seemingly not caring that her breasts were almost popping out from her kimono, "I know you must be pissed off about this, and you got the right to be so, but we all gotta eat right? Plus, you got good taste in food! I couldn't help it!"

Danhauser kept staring.

"So…" Kuroka fought the urge to yank her cat ears out of her head, "Okay, okay. Look. Nya. My bad, alright?" she tried to imitate the cutest pose she could fathom, "Will you? Will you please let me off just this once?... Nyaaa~?"

The awkward thing to ask on their first meeting, but you gotta do anything to get out of the hook.

Danhauser took his sweet time, rapping his shoe against the floor and studying her anxious face. The more time passed, the more her hopes decreased.

The third-eye only made it worse.

He didn't voice it, but his eyes were saying 'Why should I? What's in it for me?'

The fact the corner of his lip curled upward smugly was all the answer she needed. She had to see this from a mile, he was, after all, a Devil.

She had to make a deal with the Devil.

And thankfully, she had something to negotiate.

Faster than a speeding bullet, Kuroka drew closer and snatched the panties he had been holding this whole time before jumping back to the spot and turning around.

Making sure the owner of the house was still watching, she looked over her shoulder at him, flashing him with those golden-hazel eyes of hers.

She began the show. Bending over, she gave a perfect view of her squishy, tempting butt straining against her black kimono. She spreads her legs just a bit before giving her behind a wiggle, tail waving back and forth.

Le Fay covered her face.

Vali averted his gaze.

Bikou grinned goofily.

Danhauser wanted to look away, but his eyes refused, remaining locked on her movements.

She smiled at the sight and hike up her kimono to reveal her legs for a brief moment before slowly pulling up the panties, wearing them until they reached her sex.

Ugh. Now she remembered why she hated wearing these things. They were so uncomfortable. How could Le Fay get used to walking around with these her whole life was beyond her imagination.

Silly girl. Only if she knew the benefits of not wearing any underwear, like the good feeling when her kimono touched her private parts. And that risqué feeling of being found out can be… exhilarating.

Nothing wrong going full commando.

With that thought finished, she grabbed her undies with a crooked finger and pull them down before stepping out of the worn undergarments. She bent over to pick them up and turned around, a playful smile on her lips.

"Fresh out of the oven!" Kuroka reached out for his hand to forcefully place the warm underwear in his palm. She shot him a knowing wink, "Enjoy, handsome."

Nothing better but a good ol' whiff to reach Nirvana!

This time it was Danhauser's turn to be startled. He tried to say something but nothing came out. He was lost for words.

Gottem~!

But eventually, he managed to pull himself together by blowing air from his nose. He tossed the panties atop his palm and caught them as if to estimate their value and weight, "So, I guess my compliments go to the chef."

Hey, he got a sense of humor, nice!

"But," ah, there it was! Always the 'but' impeding the happy ending, "If you think I'll sell myself short with some panties and a nice view… then you've got another thing coming."

… Too perfect to be true.

"Lucky you, I do have something in mind…" he continued, "the big question is, how badly you want to clean your name?"

… A wretched feeling in her gut told her she wasn't going to like this a bit.

As for now, of all Pure Devils she had met, he was the most dangerous. The thought of him knowing who she was hadn't left her skull yet. He could wait for the right moment to make a move and reclaim his reward.

Oh, boy. The future was taking interesting turns. Hooray.

.


.

Le Fay was in critical condition. She urgently needed medical assistance, which made everyone worried, especially her brother. Apparently, she was suffering back pain caused by carrying the whole Vali Team on her shoulders.

Nyahahahaha!

Okay, lame joke. Got it. But she still had a valid point. The whole mess around the main room? Fixed with a wave of her wand. The noodles she finished cooking? Delicious enough to talk about it at home. Laundry? Soft as mama's love.

Oh, Le Fay, may life bless you with a handsome husband and many children~!

However, restoring the house to its prime wasn't the redemption Danhauser was offering. Far from it. He was an exigent, young man.

He wanted their help to deal with the Old Satan Faction. He gave them bits of his backgrounds, including his Mastema persona and even his participation within the Vatican Incident. Heck, he had a chit-chat with the Great King himself! Offering him support from the background.

It was as if Arthur read her mind. He as well wanted to know how they're helping on this. Danhauser replied vaguely with a 'lending us a nuke of sorts'.

He was something else. She found herself multiple times questioning whether he was dumb or confident to share something so private. What if a certain sexy, black-haired Nekoshou used such information for blackmailing?

That would be horrible~!

Of course, Ars Goetia wouldn't listen to her. Headless people couldn't speak, anyway.

She wasn't surprised when the Pendragon siblings didn't raise any objections, Arthur joined Vali to seek out a fellow swordsman capable of keeping up with him and the Sword in the Stone, Caliburn. Le Fay? She left her Magician School just to watch over her big brother.

Their background was interesting. Arthur was a member of a Church of England, where he learned his swordsmanship, while his sister studied in the Golden Dawn to learn magic stuff.

After that, she didn't know much about them.

She could taste the nervousness from Arthur, it was so relatable. While he had faith over Le Fay's survival skills, his brotherly instincts were flipping up and down.

What if Shirone…

MO

VING

ON.

Herself? She joined for… various reasons, actually. But what sold her was when her eyes lied upon the silver-haired. He was today's White Dragon Emperor and descendant of Lilith and Lucifer.

And she was looking for someone who could help her restore her race. Someone with strong genes, Vali was the perfect specimen.

Unfortunately, the teen wasn't interested in anything sexual other than bruises, much to her dismay. That didn't discourage her from staying since Vali could change his mind or find his rival, someone who could be Vali's replacement.

Other than that, she didn't care about the fights. They were meh. She would gladly skip them if the opportunity shows.

Then again, that's the whole purpose of the Vali Team, to fight strong opponents and excel in their previous forms with each struggling battle. She shoulda read the small letters on the contract before signing up in blood for the task. Right?

Well, not really. She wasn't against the goals of their group, she knew the consequences and embraced them. Plus, being hunted constantly by Devils and having someone watching your back didn't sound like a bad idea at all.

Overall, for operation Let's Kick Shalba's Ass? She was in.

However, someone wasn't digging this.

"Y-You're crazy!" Bikou was a battle maniac to the point where he would dive headfirst into a pit full of Satan-Class opponents, but he had a line he didn't want to cross, "Y-you know they're being steamrolled by my old man right?! Gramps is after them!"

While it may not look at it, Bikou had contacts. He was warned by the descendants of the adventurers involved in the Journey of the West that the Victorious Fighting Buddha was finally on the move after so many years.

What made her ponder was the reason behind the hunt, was Sun Wukong following Śakra's orders or perhaps a personal bone he had to pick with the Old Maou? Bikou told them they were the ones responsible for his kin's slaughter.

It didn't matter the motives behind it, the issue here was that Bikou wanted to keep a safe distance from his ancestor. They had some unpleasant history and Bikou wasn't the type to be the first person to admit his mistakes.

She couldn't blame him. Kuroka would also be afraid of a former Daiyoukai that could go tango-tango with gods.

"And?"

"And?" Bikou almost lost his step, stupefied that he had to further explain the problem, "And he's a monster! Haven't you read his tales?! Rebelling against Heaven, defeating the Bull Demon King, challenging the Buddha himself! All of his feats were before his Buddhahood!"

Danhauser curved an eyebrow, "I'm aware. I just don't get why you're so nervous," he genuinely asked, "We're not going to fight him."

"Wait," Vali frowned, already disappointed, "Are we not?"

Danhauser shook his head, "No way. He's going to destroy us. Bikou is right on this one, he's a monster."

Not for something; he's Śakra's vanguard.

Vali's face dropped but kept quiet.

"W-what if we stumbled upon him then?" Bikou stuttered, his heart rising, "What if he suddenly sees us?"

"Then we'll reason with him," Danhauser explained, "He's not going to kill us, especially when he hears our story and sees his grandson."

Bikou still seemed unsatisfied about the ordeal, he trembled as if the temperature dropped below zero.

That's when she decided to finally speak up, "What an embarrassing excuse of a Monkey king," she placed a hand on his shoulder, mocking him, "Look, if you're gonna suck your thumb and cry about it, don't sweat it. You can get behind me. But I ain't changing any diapers, nya~!"

Bikou instantly recovered his attitude, "Like hell I need your help!" he harshly shrugged off her hand and growled, "I can watch myself!"

Kuroka fought back a smirk, batting her eyes at him, "If you say so. My offer still stands, nya."

"With that aside," Danhauser drawled, eyeing them all with hat levelly look of his, "Who's in?"

Vali was the first to speak, "You already know my answer."

"If Vali isn't against the idea then I don't see why I should object," Arthur finally spoke, "It's been a while since I've tested my skills with Devils."

Le Fay nodded without hesitation, "I can't leave my big brother alone on this," she spoke with resolve, "I'll watch his back!"

Arthur tensed, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

"… Fine," Bikou reluctantly accepted, "Let's just hope we don't bump into him."

Kuroka just shrugged a shoulder. Even if she wanted to refuse, it was five against one.

But she could've at least played the devil's advocate. Just to test the patience of the gray-haired.

Damn it! Wasted opportunity!

Vali finally faced the gray-haired, "What's your plan?"

"Shalba is unaware of Creuserey's status," Danhauser began, "He thinks he's still alive thanks to my True Form. While in my Pitch Resin Form, I can look just like him… there's a single, glaring detail though."

Arthur rose an eyebrow, "Which is?"

"My voice," Danhauser massaged his throat, "That's the only thing that reveals my identity." His gaze trailed over Bikou and her, "Which one of you has better control of Youjutsu?"

Kuroka took a bold step forward, "My time to shine, nya~!" she did a playful swirl before winking in his direction, "How can I help, handsome?"

"Make my voice sound similar to Creuserey," Danhauser explained, "casting an illusion on me shouldn't be a challenge to you, right?"

She waved at him assuredly, "Piece of cake. It's gonna take me like what? Two or three minutes? No, less than that!" she boasted, "Just lay down and lemme do the tweaking, nya!"

"I'm under your care then," Danhauser turned to Vali, "You'll be on my side," he stated, "while on your Balance Breaker to hide your identity. Lavi told me you can keep your armor for a month approximately."

"I've been training hard since our last fight, Danhauser Belial," a dangerous gleam flashed through his eyes, "… next time, I'll defeat you."

Oooh~! The male version of a cat fight~! Kuroka loved when boys fought for her attention~!

"Talk is cheap, Vali," Danhauser stood his ground, looking down at the silver-haired, "If you claim strength, then prove it."

For a second, she almost thought they had to retreat the room before everything blew up. Vali surprisingly contained himself, "Look forward to it, then."

"A week," Danhauser said, getting back to the topic, "we'll wait a whole week, maybe more, for the sake of not making it suspicious. I doubt you can find a perfect replacement in a few days."

Kuroka felt his gray eyes clash with her golden ones, "Let's head upstairs," he suggested, nodding at the roof, "I want to make sure you are up for the task."

Whaaaaat.

"Hold on a second!" Kuroka puffed her cheeks, "Are you doubting my skills?"

"Better safe than sorry as they say."

"Gee. So much faith in good ol' me," she stuck her tongue out, "Fiiine… Lead the way then, nya!"

How exciting! She wondered what they would do privately in a bedroom. Alone. Surrounded by muffling walls.

Maybe have unprotected hand-holding?! How lewd~!

She had to give credit where credit was due. He wore his mask pretty well, it almost fell off, but he recovered quickly. Ten outta elven!

It was just a matter of time before he dropped the act and played his role in this game of chess.

Because there's NO WAY he didn't know about her. His parents should have told him horror stories about the evil Stray Cat that sleeps under his bed to devour his soul.

She betted his mind was already formulating ideas to take her on handcuffed back to Ars Goetia and claim the purse of coin. He was working with the Great King! Imagine how much political power his House must have!

Oh, Danny ~! Like all Pure Devils, you were an open book~!

Yet, Vali seemed to trust him. Earn the silver-haired's respect was easier said than done, the quickest way was to prove your worthiness in a one-on-one. You didn't have to even win, just demonstrate your potential, but he had high standards.

What to do, what to do…

Damn it. Why'd she always have to make the hard calls? At this point, her brain would roast at how fast it was running on the issue time and again, like a hamster running in its exercising wheel.

Ugh, fine. Danhauser said 'a week'? Enough time to make a better judgment of his character.

Honestly? Her expectations weren't high.

.


.

The artificial sun of the Underworld stood above the skies. Her rays cascading onto the world, bringing the scene into full view, adjusting the brightness and contrast. As 'Creuserey' stood on his left, he rolled his shoulders and folded his arms. His young body behind the silvery-white armor, Scale Mail. It was only to hide his identity from Shalba but it could also work in case everything went south. Two birds one stone.

Vali considered the landscape. It was far away from civilization; they couldn't see either Ars Goetia or the buildings of the Extra Demons. The whole surface was nothing but rocks with no green. Not the best sight but was far better than how the Bible portrayed the Underworld.

"How long will it take before they make contact?" Vali asked.

"In a few minutes," Vali had to congratulate Kuroka in modifying his voice, while he had no clue how Creuserey sounded, until now, he certainly sounded far different from Danhauser, "Don't grow impatient, Shota Dragon."

Vali grunted behind his helmet, shifting his gaze back to the horizon.

"… How about we fight?" Vali suggested, "to burn some time before Shalba Beelzebub eventually shows up."

"And risk getting us found? Hard pass."

"If its fear of damaging your disguise, then don't. You can repair it fast."

"And my voice? Kuroka or Bikou is not here, only us. I doubt you know Youjutsu."

"I'll take responsibility."

"No."

"Think about it."

"No."

Vali dropped the persuasion and kicked a nearby pebble to vent off. That's one thing he disliked about the gray-haired youth. Slash Dog and Lavinia described him as a man with a passion in training. A training maniac who would hone his powers to perfection.

Didn't he want to test how far he came to be by putting his life on the line? Feel the blood gushing from his mouth and stand victorious over his foe?

Or so much faith he had over his growth?

"Why even train if it's not to fight?" Vali voiced out his thoughts.

"To watch my family."

And then, the whispers of the landscape distorted... wrongly. He scanned their surroundings, readying himself to whatever the world threw upon them.

"Remember," Danhauser said to his left, "Let me do the talking. If he talks to you, just cryptic answers."

A single magic circle appeared a meter away from them. The color of orange devouring their surroundings before revealing one of the heads of the Old Satan Faction.

Shalba Beelzebub.

Vali heard Danhauser clicking his tongue. Possibly the fact that this Shalba was nothing but a hologram, deciding to hide rather than coming in the flesh.

[Creuserey,] he greeted half-heartedly, [It's been a while since our last talk, but I doubt you've contacted for some irrelevant chatter. Did you find someone?]

That's when 'Creuserey' finally gestured at him with a hand's sway, "Check it out. I believe we found the answer to all of our problems."

At long last, Shalba finally decided to spare him a boorish expression. It took his brain a half-minute to realize that before him stood the White Dragon Emperor. He recoiled at the sight.

Vali was annoyed. What's with the shocked reaction? Hadn't he seen the White Dragon Emperor standing beside 'Creuserey' during their brief greeting? How could someone miss Dragon Armor with shiny, blue jewels?

[… Unbelievable,] Shalba breathed out, still astounded by the finding, [To think you've found the user of a Longinus and one connected to one of the Heavenly Dragons as well… Impressive. Truly impressive.]

Vali could imagine Danhauser patting himself on the back.

[However. Even if you've found a powerful recruit, he's worthless against Rizevim,] Vali felt a hollowness had caught in his chest. [Perhaps he could be useful against the Monkey King, but Rizevim is a different story. While Sun Wukong is stronger, Rizevim possesses his special ability that nullifies Sacred Gears.]

To Vali, the world turned deaf in his ears. It began clawing at his throat. It would come like an impossible build up steam, burning him on the way out.

He could only hear in his head that maniacal laughter echoing in the back of his skull. The cries of a woman getting abused for his sake. And a coward beating them out of fear.

That was the breaking point of his patience. At that moment, Vali brushed past Danhauser and stood face to face with the hologram and said, "Where's the bastard?"

Shalba stared at the yellow eyes of his helmet, [Creuserey,] he called out without backing out, face wrinkled, [Tell the Vanishing Dragon to get off my face.]

"Where is he!" Vali furiously shrugged Danhauser's hand off his shoulder, "Where's Rizevim!?"

A pause. His heart burned, ripping its way out of his ribcage.

[… Oh? So you two have a history? What a small world we live!] Shalba cocked his head to laugh, [I can taste the hatred from the voice you have stored for that man. A relatable feeling.]

His skin prickled from the memories; his teeth clenched. He calmed himself as he realized that this was nothing but a hologram, impossible to strangle and force to spit answers.

[I find your anger amusing, but that's not enough,] Shalba said, [Rizevim is on another level. At this point, only gods or comparable beings can put him in his place.]

Ah, now he understood where this was going. How careless.

He was challenging him? Didn't he? Daring Vali to prove him wrong.

Fine. He would gladly give him a mouthful of it.

Be honored, Shalba Beelzebub. No one gets to witness the tenacity of a Heavenly Dragon and makes it out alive to share the tale.

"Albion," Vali called out his partner-in-crime, "I'll use Juggernaut Drive."

A long silence. [… Is there a way to change your mind?]

"No. I already made a decision."

[Then do what you must,] Albion said with a sigh, [Just tell your friend to keep his distance.]

Vali looked behind his shoulder, "Stay out of the way, Creuserey Asmodeus," he advised, "I'll use the full potential of the Vanishing Dragon."

He turned back to Shalba and took a deep breath before chanting, "I, who am about to awaken."

His armor started to glow, and the blue jewels of his Scale Mail flickered, whispers of different genders and ages could be heard from inside.

"Am the Heavenly Dragon who has taken the principles of supremacy from God."

The iron of his armor became scales. Teeth sharper than swords, claws larger than spears.

"I envy the 'infinite' and I pursue the 'dream'."

A wingspan of over twenty meters and the body of a behemoth. The gaze of an apex predator, a tail whose shock thrummed like thunder.

"I shall become the White Dragon of Supremacy."

Greedy, strong and wicked. The whispers intensified. Laughter. Cries. Roars. Louder. This was the body of supremacy.

"And I shall take you to the limits of the white paradise!"

[Juggernaut Drive!]

The White Dragon released a long roar to heaven, powerful enough to shake their surroundings and invoke cracks to the ground. He finished with a low growl, accidentally spilling smoke from its jaws.

His intimidating gaze fixated over the silenced Shalba.

[… Juggernaut Drive,] Shalba finally found his ability to speak, [A special ability rumored to lend power equivalent to Gods and Satans... in exchange of their sanity and life-span. Yet, you look rational enough to not kill Creuserey. Just who are you?]

Vali never tore his eyes from the hologram, urging Beelzebub's descendant to make a decision.

[I'll put you in a test, White Dragon. Conveniently, I've got a task in mind that only you can handle,] Shalba then eyed the Creuserey-in-name only, [You'll become my eyes and further test his strength. I presume it won't be an issue if you keep him accompanied?]

"…"

[If it's true that you are willing to fight by the goals of the Old Satan Faction then I need you to prove it! Or else you'll be nothing but a dog that can only bark!]

He could sense 'Creuserey' digging his nails into his palms, almost dropping his disguise on accident.

Of all things considered, Vali never predicted Shalba to jump on this request.

[Bring me the corpse of the Monkey King!]

.


.

What Danhauser just needed. Another wall, with the name of Sun Wukong written all over it, that they needed to bring down.

It was complicated, because, technically, he was a future ally, killing him would harvest future consequences. And his affiliation with Indra could pull out unpleasant visits.

He had to urgently search for a solution and once again stay on the lead.

So far, yet too close to victory.

When they'd returned back with the rest of the Vali Team and heard everything, Bikou was jumping around while Kuroka did her best to piss him off.

The only ones who remained calm were the Pendragon siblings and Vali. The latter was likely because of his social distance.

He was staring into nothing, locked in these thoughts. Kuroka could flash him and no reaction whatsoever.

"I'm surprised he even tied-up Creuserey on this mission," Arthur's voice startled Danhauser for a bit, "doesn't he care if they fail?"

He properly turned to him, "That's the whole point of the 'mission', to take Vali and Creuserey out of the map," he explained, "Shalba has the idea floating of Vali is working with Qlippoth and that Creuserey backstabbed them. He knows that we can't kill him."

"A suicide mission…" Le Fay whispered, keeping her staff close.

Bikou nodded firmly, "Damn right! Gramps is an absolute unit. Even in Vali's Juggernaut Drive, pops will kick our asses through and through!"

Vali remained silent.

"We get it. Your pops is a force of nature. Boohoo," Kuroka grinned, "How 'bout you say that without crying next time?"

"Shut up!"

"Nyaaahahaha!"

"Are you sure?" Vali asked, ignoring their bicker, "He didn't look suspicious at all. What if Shalba is putting me on a trial? To see how far will I go to join their cause?"

"And get himself a breather," Danhauser somewhat agreed. He massaged his temple, "you might be right. I don't know."

"Okay. Imagine you kill the Monkey King," Kuroka said, unfazed by the shocked expression of Bikou, "congrats, you got a dandy coat. Now what?"

Danhauser leaned on his seat, watching his fingers drum on the table, "Shalba keeps his word, throws a party and lets Vali join his ranks, only if we bring him the corpse, of course."

"And without Sun Wukong no longer pursuing them, they'll lead us to their main base," Vali continued, his tone darkening, "And find more clues about… him."

Danhauser inwardly cursed but said nothing.

"Hold on…" Bikou gulped, "You guys are not plotting to kill off my pops?" he eyed everyone with nervous laughter, "… R-right guys?"

Danhauser pursed his lips. His eyes traveling from the stuttering Youkai to the Lucifer trying to melt the table with his gaze alone. He knew Vali and Bikou would eventually become glaring issues, all thanks to their respective grandfathers. He took that bit of information as trivial and still pressed on.

He expected reluctance from Shalba but to eventually drop it after recalling the rabbit hole the latter was stuck in. Apparently, the descendant of Beelzebub was still exigent in his recruiting but was willing to offer a chance.

"We won't," Danhauser replied, slumping on his seat, "Don't worry about it. Even if we wanted to turn him into a rug for Shalba's foyer, he's strong enough to stomp us."

Bikou released a breath that he'd saved for a long time.

Kuroka hummed, "So…. Plan B?" she asked, "You must have a backup plan, right?"

Vali finally left his inner world just to glance at him. Knowing what kind of thoughts were perturbing the silver-haired, Danhauser didn't want to figure out what kind of torture he wanted to inflict over his grandfather, "Then how?" he demanded, almost desperately, "We can't just let them escape that easily!"

Danhauser knew Vali didn't want to kill Sun Wukong, but he didn't want this opportunity to slip away either. His childhood past was getting into him.

Here was the catch. If they somehow succeeded in infiltrating the main base of the Old Maou, they needed the Great King to move and react quickly, without giving Shalba and Katerea the chance to think twice. Unless their main base was just on the backyard of the Great King's castle, then it was impossible.

Especially when they could detect their presence from miles away and retreat fast.

He needed something to get the Great King's 'gathering force' ASAP.

"In the Light Novels, have they done anything similar?" Danhauser rummaged in his mind, searching for any useful glimpse, "Or at least anything close to it?"

He knew the Light Novels was a dead horse, that he should stop beating on it, but the main cast survived many outcomes against many antagonists, some of them whose powers were in the realm of the gods, that he hoped to fetch something out and exploit for his benefit.

Of course, most of their victories had a bit of plot armor written all over it, but not all of them. A few times they had to squeeze their brain to win rather than relying on sheer strength alone.

That's when Danhauser felt enlightened. He could picture a bulb resting atop his head and illuminating the whole room.

The Loki Arc.

Cao Cao.

He left his seat to retreat, "I'll be back in a sec."

"Whoa, whoa!" Bikou called him out, "Where are you going?!"

"To get ready," Danhauser said hurriedly, "I got something that could… no— that will work. I need the Great King to hear me out. In a few weeks, the Old Satan Faction will be gone for good."

Arthur curved an eyebrow, "Not that I dislike your confidence. But how?"

"By giving Shalba the corpse of Sun Wukong," Danhauser didn't take joy at the pale complexion of the Youkai, but he wasn't going to back out. Not now, not never, "If he wants Sun Wukong wrapped in a present box so badly, then so be it."

"L-listen! Hold your horses for a bit!" Bikou stared at him with betrayal, "You literally had just said—!"

"I know what I'd said! Just take deep breaths and wait. I'll eventually explain everything." He spun away from the perplexed Bikou to face the blonde magician, "Your magic skills. Just how good you are with them?"

Le Fay opened her mouth to respond, but her older brother intervened, "What kind of question is that?" he asked, chest puffed, "She exempted classes and was atop the board as one of the greatest students of the Golden Down four consecutive times!"

"She's pretty good, nya," Kuroka complimented, "Blonde, cute and smart! The perfect combo!"

"I-I can speak for me!" Le Fay stuttered before awkwardly clearing her throat, "… but yes, I have faith in my magic skills."

"Impress me. How many magic types you can swing with your wand?"

"A lot, actually!" she chirped and used her fingers to count, "I know White Magic, Elemental Magic, Fairy Magic, my favorite, by the way!" she stated before moving on, "Um… some of Norse but I didn't like it much… what else… Oh! Sealing, Summoning, Teleportation and—!"

"Awesome. That's all I need to hear," he interrupted her, "Ever pulled a rabbit out of your hat?"

"Figuratively or literally?"

"Both."

"I-I guess…?" Le Fay drawled, unsure, "what's on your mind, Lord Danhauser?"

"Something that will turn the tables in our favor. You won't do this alone, I'll contact Lavinia. Vali, think you can survive a few days with her constantly pulling your cheeks?" Danhauser teased the silver-haired, but dropped it once he got no reaction, "… she would gladly lend you a hand, Le Fay. She's amazing at anything involving magic."

Le Fay's eyes shined like stars, "T-the Ice Princess of Grauzauberer?!" she squealed, happily bouncing on her spot, "to think I'll have the honor to meet her in person and partner up with her nonetheless…! We could have girl talks, like sharing knowledge, magic circles and formulas! Yesss….! This is like a dream come true!"

"Girl talk? More like nerd talk," Kuroka muttered.

"I see Lavi has a growing fanbase in other institutes," Danhauser found her happiness contagious, "Good to hear. I bet she wouldn't mind working with a cutie either."

He felt the warning stare from the older Pendragon but ignored it.

Vali suddenly stepped up, "If its anything related to magic, then I can help," he offered, "Le Fay has taught me Norse Magic the past few weeks."

"You're a natural, Lord Vali!" Le Fay praised him, "Norse sorcery is a complex system that few can rarely master, especially in a short amount of time! You should be proud!"

"If the girls are not against it then I can't see why not," for the last time, he faced today's Monkey King, chuckling when the latter breathed out a curse, "Ever wished for a huge tattoo on your back?"

Bikou took a careful step back, "Uh, no. Not really, man."

"Too bad," Danhauser gave the Youkai a retreating pat, "You'll have one."

As he reached for the knob and made his way to the exit, he swore Bikou whispered something to Vali along the lines of 'he's fucking insane!' and 'who the hell he think he is to boss us around?!'

Either he forgot Devils had enhanced hearing or didn't give a damn.

The moment Bikou heard of his plan, he would eventually untwist his panties. He understood his anger, he didn't want to be involved in the death of a relative of his.

Maybe a part of him found his anxiousness funny.

Thankfully, Vali was there to keep everything in order. Unless he was still emotionally conflicted by his grandfather's news.

After this, he needed to have a private talk with Vali.

But for now, the Great King was first on the list.

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Time flew by, weeks seemed to be seconds.

Cracks grew deep in the barren, parched soil they stood. No more hospitable to the delicate seeds than a scorched rock. Should the four horsemen pass this way, the hooves of their magnificent steeds would surely make no impression on the ground. The clatter of the hooves would echo around the desperate landscape like music calling the people to their final rest.

The place lacked trees and grass. He would call it a desert, but far from it. Rather than mother's nature conjuring her wrath on this place, this was the act of Devils after the conclusion of their Civil War, just another scar of their battles. A wasteland.

At their feet, was the corpse of Sun Wukong. The Buddha that managed to cling on Shalba's nerve. But now? He paid for his consequences.

He never imagined Bikou's grandfather would be so small. He was around the size of Ravel, perhaps a bit taller than her.

As he expected, Shalba didn't believe it the moment he heard the news via magic circles. He wanted proof. He wanted to see the evidence. Thus, Dan—Creuserey obliged. Sending pictures of the corpse of the Buddha that had been clinging on their backs for a long time.

His reaction was obvious, Shalba had the expression of a child receiving a present at Christmas.

Katerea wanted nothing to do with the corpse. She wanted to dispose of it, turn it to ashes and hide the evidence.

But Shalba ignored her qualms. He saw it as a gift, he wanted to take it to their bastion. A testament of the strength the Old Satan Faction had within their ranks.

Overall, Vali had earned his spot.

At first, they sent out guards to scout the area. Danhauser had to glance at his feet and make sure the corpse of the bloodied Sun Wukong was still there.

Both Danhauser and Vali backpedaled a bit, allowing the captain of the party to kneel and check Sun Wukong's pulse.

A pregnant silence.

The captain of the platoon stood up, they proceeded, flanking them, moving in, weapons drawn.

It made Danhauser and Vali tense. Did they know? Had Danhauser's plans had been undone?

But the fools in armor were saluting. There was no menace to them, they were honoring them. They were congratulating them.

On their successful hunt.

They had freed them all. No member of the Old Satan Faction would ever fear the Buddha's wrath ever again.

The foundation-shuddering roar of the troops' masses drowned out any response Danhauser could have had.

The captain placed a hand beside his ear, reporting to his superiors. Meanwhile, the others stared at the White Dragon Emperor in awe and respect. No doubt astounded by the Scale Mail and immense demonic power enveloping it.

Vali nudged him and nodded to the skies. Two familiar silhouettes descending, flapping their multiple wings until feet touched the ground.

But Danhauser's eyes wandered to somewhere else, to the imposing gates of their main base. Too far, yet too close. It would've taken then around a seven-minute walk to reach its entrance and made their way inside. Half a minute if they preferred stretching out their wings.

The moment they landed, Danhauser felt his heartbeat quicken, but his shoulders felt weightless. Almost there.

Shalba's expression swapped quickly, from that of an excited child to his usual self. The demonic energy coming from Vali brought unpleasant memories and unfortunate news.

Who is this? His eyes seemed to ask, as he peered between them. Danhauser stared at his reflection in his orbs.

"Why is he releasing a lot of demonic power? Why does he even have demonic power?" Shalba this time decided to voice his concerns, "Is he a half-devil? You never mentioned his kindred, Creuserey."

Katerea narrowed her eyes, "You were hiding this from us?"

And here it was the big issue that sooner or later was going to be revealed. The family tree of the Lucifer Clan.

"And his demonic power," he studied the White Dragon from head to bottom, "It's weaker… but similar to Rizevim…" he slowly scowled at his direction, "Creuserey… what have you done?"

Still nothing.

"Do you have any idea what you've done, Creuserey?" Shalba repeated loudly, fists balled, "Not only have you masked the Hakuryuukou's identity from us, but you brought Rizevim's relative to our main headquarters! He could be a spy trying to uncover secret information!" he glared daggers at the White Dragon, his head about to explode, "You better have an explanation for this!"

Danhauser laughed, nodding to the fuming leader of the Old Maou. "It's over."

Silence fell between them. He saw Shalba and Katerea exchanging looks.

"What?"

He couldn't recall if it was Shalba or Katerea who'd said that, he just felt his lips shakily moving upwards, "This is as far as you will get, Shalba."

This time Shalba chuckled half-heartedly, "Now everything makes sense," he realized, "So that's how it's going to end? After so many years of working together, you decided to betray us. Brilliant."

"Brilliant," Katerea spat the same amount of venom behind her sneer.

Shalba massaged the bridge of his nose, "I never expected this day to come," he looked up, "It disheartens me that all you needed was a twist to the arm to swap sides. I expected more resistance from you, from someone who carries the blood of a Satan." he then gestured over the corpse, "And this… he's not real, isn't it? Neither of you confronted the Monkey King. It was just a ruse to get inside our fortress and give the coordinates to that excuse of Lucifer. Impressive imitation of Sun Wukong I must admit, I even bought it myself."

"Are you done with your little speech?" Vali asked, taking a stance, "let's go already."

"You cocky little shit, expected from your bloodline," Shalba snarled, "You think you are almighty because you can trigger Juggernaut Drive? Give me a break. You need to chant it to fully activate its effect, I'll cut your tongue before you can finish a sentence!"

Shalba snapped his fingers and the soldiers slowly circled them. Their demonic powers flaring. It was a group conformed of High-Class Devils to a few Ultimate-Class.

Danhauser believed they could win this fight. To end it here and now. But there was a single detail.

Danhauser nor Vali was strong enough to share the message. It had to be someone else.

"I'm willing to offer you a swift death Creuserey, just to commemorate your services for the Old Satan Faction prior to your betrayal, in exchange for your answer," Shalba paused, "Did I guessed everything right, old friend? Was that his plan all along? Or did I get anything wrong, Creuserey?"

"… You got one part of that wrong," He drawled, carefully using his foot to roll the corpse of the Daiyoukai until his back was facing the sky. A magic circle printed in his back, "I'm not Creuserey."

Vali immediately bent over a knee, activating the magic circle with his demonic power.

A flash of light-filled their surroundings, blinding everyone near.

If in the Light Novels, the Sitri-group could use their powers to lock up Loki and Fenrir in a dome, then Lavinia and Le Fay, experienced magicians with enough time, could do so as well.

If Cao Cao and Georg could summon Samael that was imprisoned in Cocytus, damn right they could summon their calvary.

The reinforcement that the Great King swore to lend, was finally here.

Zekram called him a One-Man army. Uncle Coda called him a Walking Nuke. There were no words to describe his true form.

The light slowly dimmed and there before they stood the familiar figure of Sirzechs Lucifer.

Immediately the troops aimed their most threatening spells and weapons, but the Super Devil remained unfazed.

"Shalba. Katerea." Sirzechs greeted with a lack of enthusiasm, "It's been a while."

No matter how cold he sounded, his voice heart-warmed Danhauser. It was music to his ears. The tension that had kept him up for weeks straight melted into nothing in a matter of seconds. Shalba and Katerea had nowhere to go, Sirzechs was here.

"Yes," Danhauser breathed out, "yes fucking yes."

"S-Sirzechs?!" Danhauser could hear Shalba's quickened heartbeat from here, "This whole time…! You were…?!"

Meanwhile, the corpse of Sun Wukong evaporated and gained a taller stature, taking the shape of the familiar figure of Bikou. "Finally!" he sighed in relief before jumping to his feet, "Hope my acting skills hadn't lost its touch."

"Yeah. Insane acting skills over there," Danhauser rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "You should sign up for porn industry."

"Heh, well, I'll think about it once I retire the Vali Team," Bikou dusted the red plates of his armor, "Got tired of looking like that old fart, though! Got a clue what it feels like to be so damn short and full of wrinkles?"

"Careful what you say," Danhauser warned him, albeit not seriously, "That's you in ten years."

Bikou looked like a ghost, "T-ten years?! Fuck off!"

"What proceeds?" Vali suddenly asked, looking at the back of the Super Devil, "What's our next move?"

"Now?" Danhauser turned back to Sirzechs, a soothing feeling caught in his chest, "Now we win."

Good luck in another alternate universe, Shalba.

After more painful minutes of awkwardness, Sirzechs casually trailed his flat gaze over each member of the Old Maou, until it stopped over the wide-eyed Shalba and Katerea.

"How have you two been?"

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Guest: He did use Gate of Babylon, against Dulio, but held back. And he will eventually recreate a power coming from Nasuverse, but it's a long way before we reach that part. The Malebranche won't appear on this fic since I've already made the Malebranche be a Housecarl.

Healing the Angels won't do it, even with Valerie's Longinus. It's more than a mere cold that the Angels are passing through. It's more complex than that. And if there's someone to blame for what Heaven is passing through, is no one but Jeanne.

Guest: Siegfried will have a power-up, a huge one in the future, but I don't think I'll give him Fafnir, maybe Jeanne will have it or Azazel will keep it. For Siegfried, I want to make him unique among the rest of the Peerage. I want him to be the "Ultimate Dragon Slayer" of the peerage, better than Danhauser and Tobio in terms of fighting dragons. And yes, Valerie technically can are his weakness with Gram, she's ten times stronger than her counterpart. Soon.

Killburn: Don't worry, we're slowly going to see Ravel and Dan interact. It's getting close :).

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Warning, LN spoilers incoming.

Things I want to clear out now. I've seen the spoilers of Shin 4 and I'm not impressed by the "ExE", regardless of how threatening they appear so far. They won't exist on this fic.

The "Malebranche" weapons are not going to appear on this fic either. I started this fic before Ishibumi decided it was a good idea to wank the Devil Faction more than it already was, ironic coming from me, I know, but still.

In exchange, another Pantheon will have their unique sets of god-slaying weapons. That Faction isn't part of the Biblical Faction.

Kuroka and Le Fay are in the harem, the former will join his peerage, too. Look forward to that.

Just kidding, they won't.

Got nothing else to say. Thank you for reading and support. Please watch yourself out there.

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Life.9: Embodiment of Destruction, Sirzechs Lucifer.