"Gate C for Flight 19 from Rome to Osaka is now boarding. I repeat. We are opening Gate C for Economy Class for Flight 19."

She opened her eyes and looked at the 747 she was about to board. This was not how she pictured herself going back. This was not how she wanted to go visit her home. But… direct orders from Heaven were absolute.

"Irina."

Irina looked up and saw her companion looking at her.

She ran a hand through her short blue hair. Her yellow eyes stared into her own violet ones. She wrapped her white cloak over her black form-fitting vestment. Irina often wondered who designed those clothes. They were clearly enticing. She sighed and got up from her chair, stretching in preparation for the long arduous flight.

"Please make your way to Gate C for Japanese Airlines Flight 19 from Rome to Osaka."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it… Huh? Wait, Xenovia! Wait for me! I have our passports!" Irina yelled, running after her blue-haired friend.

"Focus on the image. Draw upon the sea of memories regarding that sword. Imagine it down to its frame. The mold used to make it. The hilt. What kind of embellishments did it have? Did it have gems? Was it a straight sword? A great sword? Did it have a foil because it was a rapier?" Vivi lectured.

Shin nodded and closed his eyes. The sea of memories that Vivi had mentioned was the memory bank she granted him access to when she began teaching him this power. He focused. In front of him, a series of pixels began to form a line, attempting to become a sword. After a few seconds, Shin opened his eyes and the pixels dispersed.

"Man…," Shin lamented. He fell on his back and stared at the ceiling of his room.

"You're not seeing it clearly enough. Ah, the memories. It's like teaching you how to make stuff all over again! You were just a little cute kid too," Vivi said.

"Oi. Pay attention. I'm trying here. Jeez, I feel like a Bronya being taught by an off-brand Welt. It's just that the memories of this sword are scarce and sketchy. Lancelot only used this blade once right?" he asked.

"Now that you think about it… yeah, he only used this blade for one battle but I was able to witness the sword in action. Secace, or Sequence, is known as the Sword of Binding or the Silent Sword. But… the sword itself is dangerous to use. Since it's an anti-magic sword, you might fall victim to it if you can't control its released form," Vivi said.

"Its released form?" he asked.

"Secace is known as… the Sword of Binding for a reason. Its released form nullifies all power around the user for a set amount of time at the cost of the user's own blood," Vivi said. "Lancelot nearly died using it so I hope you never have to encounter a situation where you need to use it. Now… enough with the doom and gloom. Get to making!"

"Vivi." Shin began tracing the lines once more.

"Yeah?" Vivi held her hand up and an apple flew into it.

"Have you noticed anything weird lately?" Shin asked.

"Weird? Weird how?" she asked.

"Yuuto's been acting weirdly around us. I asked him for his notes the other day but he just glared at me and walked off. Sophia said he was probably PMSing but…" Shin trailed off.

"He probably is. Or this is probably something for him. I noticed it too. When Rias and her peerage came to the pub the other day, he looked at me with so much hate but hid it behind that beautiful face of his. Seriously, handsome men will be the death of me," Vivi said, shrugging.

"Maybe I should ask Akeno. Akeno's known Yuuto for years so maybe she knows more than I do. I asked Issei and he said that he took Yuuto to our training ground to blow off some steam but he just left," he said.

"Hmmm? Akeno? Hehh. You've been talking to her a lot recently. Sophia too. But I get it. Spring has come for our little Shin. Rowan would be so proud. Akari would… be jumping at the thought of having grandbabies. All that's left is for your sister to split Japan in half to try and kill those two," Vivi said, placing her hand on her cheek.

"Oi, don't even joke about that! You know she can do it! All she has to do is…" Shin moved his finger towards the floor. "That and Japan and Korea get cut in half."

"Aw but she won't. All you have to do is say 'Onee-chan! This is the girl I love! Please give us your ble-'" Vivi ducked under the pillow that Shin had thrown at her.

"Come on, Vivi." Shin had a blush on his face.

"Oh? But you're right. We should really concentrate. Also, you have three hours before you have to head to the airport. Irina's flight should be here an hour after," Vivi said.

"Right. But… let me at least get this to form a complete sword before it dissipates," Shin said.

"Don't rush. You'll get there eventually." Vivi sat in the air before him, watching as the pixels began to form around Shin.

"I wonder how she's been. She's been radio silent for almost a week now. I… Huh?" Shin's eyes widened in joy. The pixels which had only been tracing a portion of the sword had managed to form the blade. He focused harder on the image of the sword, drawing it inside his mind. As he did, the sword's shape began to grow sharp and more defined. It flickered and began to project itself into reality. But as it did, the mental and physical strain of creating it hit Shin like a truck and he lost his concentration, forcing the sword to dissipate into harmless pixels.

"Damnit," he said.

"You almost got it that time. Keep going. In the meantime, I'm going to see how that cake Asia is making turned out," Vivi said.

"H-Hey, don't ditch me so you can go harass her! You're supposed to be helping!" Shin said.

However, it was already too late. Vivi had turned into a mist and slipped out from underneath his door. He sighed. Shin layed on the floor and stared at the ceiling. Time flew. It really did. Mere weeks ago, he contemplated just having a normal life. However, now, he could no longer see himself having it. Maybe he was never meant to have it.

And now he had people he wanted to protect like Akeno.

His brow furrowed. Akeno? Why was she the first person to come to mind? Oh well… I have to get stronger. For my sake and for theirs. Just in case we run into Her again.

Shin closed his fist. The cold merciless eyes of the monster called the Biblical God appeared in his head. He sat up, shaking the memory from his mind.

"Alright, time to get back to work." Shin closed his eyes and got back to training.

He yawned. Irina's flight had been delayed in Seoul and she said she'd be a few hours late. Shin sat in the airport lobby, staring at his phone. There were no new messages. He looked down to the bundle of black fluff on his lap. Ran snored silently, having gotten bored of waiting, and decided to just sleep. Vivi and Sophia had disappeared to the airport cafeteria to go get them some food while they waited.

"Still… I can't believe she's coming back," Shin said with a smile on his face.

Irina Shidou was for a lack of better words, his best friend. One of his best friends. She just so happened to date Issei no matter how they denied it. The two were more couple-like than an official couple as he always said.

"Hey, I got you what you asked. Mango Smoothie."

He turned to see Sophia holding the drink out to him. In her other hand was a mocha frappuccino. "Thanks," Shin said, taking the drink. "Where's Vivi?" he asked, noticing she wasn't with her.

"She went to the bathroom."

"Do water spirits need to go to the bathroom?"

Sophia shrugged and stabbed the straw through her cup. "So this Irina chick, you see her yet?" Sophia asked.

"Nah. Hey thanks for coming by the way. I didn't know you could drive so I planned to take the bus," Shin said.

"No problem. Rizevim taught me how to drive when I was 13. It was fun. Everyone on the Autobahn is insane," Sophia said. A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.

"Do you get along with your brother?" Shin asked.

"Yeah. You know, even though we're half-siblings. He never once saw me any differently. Mom and Dad said he had a few screws loose and he does. But… he always took care of me in his own way," Sophia said.

"Wow. When can I meet him?... wait, did you say half?" Shin had a confused look on his face.

"Oh, right. Yeah," Sophia rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "I'm only Lucifer's daughter. Lilith's my mom but she's not my birth mom. My birth mom is dead. Dad said it's okay for me not to feel sorry for her because… how can I feel sorry for someone I never met? Nevertheless, I'm thankful she gave birth to me," she said.

"What about Lilith?" Shin asked.

"Mom… sometimes, I feel like I'm never good enough for her. Maybe it's because I'm Dad's bastard child that she's so hard on me," Sophia said.

Shin remained silent.

"Hah, look at me being all deep and emotional. Sorry for dragging our conversation about my brother down," she apologized.

"Don't be sorry. Lilith is too hard on you. I get that you're not hers but she took the time to raise you. How can she put all that pre-"

"Please don't talk about my mom that way," Sophia said in a sharp tone that Shin had never heard before. "Even though Mom treats me like that, I know she loves me in her own way. And I'm forever grateful she took the time to raise the product of her husband's infidelity."

Shin looked at her sadly. "Come on, don't call yourself that."

Sophia smiled. "Come on. Let's not talk about this. What's Irina like?"

"Irina?"

"Yeah, I'm meeting her in a bit. Shouldn't I know how she is?"

Shin placed a hand on his chin. "Irina… Irina… Irina. Well, I can tell you this. Irina is just a bundle of positive energy… at the front. But that girl can get the one up on you if you're not looking. She's crafty or was. She always had a way to bail us out of trouble whenever we go into it.

"There was this one time when Issei had the bright idea of painting this bitch's car right? It's a vague memory but when we were seven, my mom said that we used to have this soccer goal out on the street that we used to kick goals into. Some guy ran it over without even stopping to ask us to move it. So Issei said we should get payback. He saw this thing that the high school kids did and that was draw dicks on the wall. But we didn't know the meaning at the time.

"So Issei got some sidewalk chalk and drew a dick on this guy's car," Shin said.

"No way. What? You know that shit scratches the paint and it'll be there forever unless you get your car buffed," Sophia said.

"We didn't know that though. But the guy found out and he immediately blamed us because A. we were the only kids on the street. B. he saw us with chalk. C. he didn't want to pick a fight with the school board. But guess what? He could never prove it," Shin said, raising his finger.

"What? How? You guys had the chalk," Sophia said.

"Because I left the box over at one of our classmate's doorstep and made it look like they had the chalk with them."

Shin and Sophia looked up to see a girl standing in front of them. She wore a white cloak that concealed most of her body from the neck down except for her feet. She had a blue carry-on trolley bag next to her. Her hair was chestnut brown, tied in twin tails with messy bangs framing her face.

Shin got up and walked over to her. The girl smiled and forgot about her luggage. She ran over and glomped Shin, hugging him tightly.

"Shin! It's been 84 years!"

"I missed you too, Irina," Shin said, smiling.

"Mou! Call me Rin like you always did," Irina said, pulling out of the hug. "Man, look at you! You've gotten taller since I last saw you!"

"It's been 9 years, Irina. The last time we saw each other was in Edinburgh when my family and I went to visit our grandparents," Shin said.

"Yeah it was that. Wait, hold on! XENOVIA! OVER HERE YOU BIG LUG!" Irina yelled, waving her arm.

Shin looked past her and saw a girl in a similar white cloak walking towards them, pushing a baggage cart. Underneath her cloak, he noticed that she wore a black form fitting leotard with belt straps underneath her rather large breasts and arm. She had fingerless gloves and black boots with thigh-highs that had straps at the end.

The girl named Xenovia tiredly pushed the cart towards them and just stood there upon arriving.

"Come on," Irina said, placing her hands on her hips. "Say hi like we practiced. I even bought you that Italian to Japanese dictionary."

Shin's eyes widened slightly. Irina was wearing the same thing underneath her cloak. Is she here… on work?

A small blush appeared on Xenovia's face. She opened her mouth. "H- Hi," she said. Her accent was very clear and present. "My name is Xenovia."

"Your Japanese is good for a beginner," Shin said.

Xenovia looked towards Irina for a translation.

"He said you did good," Irina translated.

Xenovia nodded.

"So who's this? Is this your girlfriend? Or is it that girl who's in the same peerage as Issei?" Irina asked.

A nuclear blush appeared on Sophia's face. "I- I'm not his girlfriend. I'm just his friend," she stuttered out.

Irina did not look convinced but shrugged.

"Knock it off, Rin. She can't handle being teased," Shin said. Though, he also had a small blush on his face.

"You're no fun. So, who are we waiting for?" Irina asked.

"Me."

Irina yelped when she heard the voice. She turned and saw Vivi standing next to her with a tray of coffees. "Coffee?" Vivi asked. Her blue eyes scanned her intensely before moving over to Xenovia. Vivi's stomach dropped into her bladder when she noticed the ever-familiar energy rolling off them.

"Jeez, you scared me. Wait… you're Vivi?" Irina asked.

"Yes. Yes I am. I've seen you in family photos and when you were just a small tyke," Vivi said, handing the tray to Shin.

"Nice to officially meet you. I'm Irina Shidou. This is my friend, Xenovia Quarta," she said.

"Well, Shin? What are we waiting for? These girls must be tired. Let's get them home so they can get some rest," Vivi said.

"Sure, come on. Sophia parked the car in the parking garage," Shin said.

"Shin. We need to talk later. These girls… something about them isn't right. Especially your friend. I think she's-"

We'll talk later. Let's get them home first.

The car ride home was silent. Well, almost silent, Shin and Irina had been catching up. The two went on incessantly about their lives. Irina complained about the constant heat in Italy while Shin complained about how Vincent's had recently won their third Michelin Star.

"Hey, how are Oji-san and Oba-san?" Irina asked.

Xenovia looked like a fish out of water. Her basic Japanese did not prepare her for this level of conversation.

"Oji-san? Oba-san?" Xenovia asked.

"My uncle and aunt. Shin's parents," Irina translated.

"You're related?" she asked in Italian.

"Er, no, we grew up on the same street alongside Issei. Our parents were all friends. Issei's mom, my dad, and Shin's mom all went to the same college together. Different majors though, Oba-san was…" Irina switched to Japanese, "What major was it, Shin?"

"Major? Kaa-san? She double majored in business and culinary arts. Touji-oji, I think…" Shin placed a hand on his chin.

"Papa majored in business too. I think Miki-oba was the only one who was different right? She majored in microbio?" Irina asked.

"Yeah. Miki-oba majored in microbiology. She works as a pathologist at the hospital," Shin said.

"I see. So basically that's our family," Irina said, switching back to Italian at the end.

"I can see why you wanted to come back. But Irina, you know that's not why we're here. We were sent by the Vatican because the three heads of the Three Major Powers sent us here. Remember why we're here. This isn't a vacation," Xenovia said.

Shin said nothing. He didn't understand a lick of Italian. But going off Xenovia's tone, it wasn't good. He sighed and focused on the road. Next to him, Sophia snored lightly with Ran asleep on her lap. He smiled.

Vivi, you wanted to talk? He asked.

"Not now," she replied. "I don't want you to crash."

After thirty more minutes of driving, Shin pulled up to the gate of his house. He pressed a button and opened it, pulling into the small parking slot. He sighed and turned off the car, getting out. Irina and Xenovia got out of their seats.

"Oi, Sophie. Wake up. We're home," Shin said, shaking her lightly.

"Huh? Wha…?" Her eyes fluttered open and she yawned. Sophia brought her sleeve up and wiped the drool from her mouth.

"Come on. Get to bed," he said.

"Yeah. Good night. Night you two!" Sophia said, carrying Ran with her into the house.

"Hey Shin. Where do we sleep?" Irina asked, pulling her bag from the trunk.

Shin walked over and helped the two. "I set up a room for you. You two can sleep in Nee-san's room while she's away. Just don't touch her stuff. Asia and I set up a futon in there. You two can play rock paper scissors as to who gets the bed," Shin said.

Asia? Is that his girlfriend? Shin, you sly dog… Irina grinned.

"Asia?" Xenovia asked.

"I know that grin and no, Asia is not my girlfriend. She's someone we took into our family recently," Shin said, leading them into the house.

"Really? Did Akari-oba's parents hound her or something?" Irina asked.

Xenovia looked to her for an explanation.

"Shin's grandparents on his mom's side are sticklers for tradition. Adopting someone would be tantamount to committing a blood crime," Irina explained.

"More blood purist bullshit then," Xenovia said.

"No, Kaa-san's parents didn't come here. I doubt they know. We just let Kaa-san and Tou-san know recently. They're still in Scotland by the way," Shin said.

"For that long?"

"Yeah." Shin opened the door to his sister's room, allowing the cool air of the AC to hit Xenovia and Irina in the face.

A relaxed expression appeared on Xenovia's face as she stumbled into the room. She turned to Shin and bowed as Irina had shown her.

Shin took a step back, surprised by her sudden action.

"Thank you," she said.

"Yeah, you're welcome." A smile appeared on his face.

"We'll get changed and you and I can talk for a bit. I think Xenovia's five seconds away from passing out," Irina said.

"I'll wait downstairs with food for you," Shin said.

She smiled and closed the door.

Vivi, let's go. We can talk while she's getting changed.

Shin headed down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. He turned on the stove and pulled a can of spam from the pantry.

Vivi appeared in one of the dining chairs.

"Those girls. Did you feel it? You have my power. You should've felt it. I could see it in your eyes. Your stigmata is reacting," Vivi said, looking at the back of his head.

Shin put his spatula down and turned to face her. His eyes were flickering blue erratically.

"I knew it. Those girls… they have those swords," Vivi said.

"But why? Why would Irina have such a dangerous weapon with her?" he said.

"I don't know but… that Italian girl said that they were here on work. And the only reason they would send a wielder of that sword here is because…" Vivi trailed off.

"You don't think," Shin said.

"I do."

He bit his cheek. So his gut feeling wasn't wrong. Irina wasn't here on vacation. She was here on work. But what would warrant sending her here of all places? And why was she armed with one of those swords? He flipped the spam, head full of tumultuous thoughts.

"There's also something else you should know," Vivi said.

"That girl. Irina. She has one," she said.

"Has what?" Shin asked.

"A contract. She is a Contractor and her sponsor is a powerful one. You might not have noticed but she radiated with the power of the Sun. There are a couple of Sun deities out there but I didn't recognize this one. This one was old. Older than me. Older than Lugh. Older than even Amaterasu. And it felt like…"

"Felt like?"

"Hers. The Biblical God's," Vivi said.

"Are you saying Irina's sponsor is that monster?" Shin asked, placing the two slices of spam into a plate.

"No. It just felt like hers," she clarified.

"Whatever it is, we'll look into it later. For now, let's not interrogate her and let her get some rest," Shin said. "I don't know about you but she came here just in time."

"I did?"

The two looked towards the stairs and saw Irina walking down in nightwear. She wore a baggy black shirt and short volleyball shorts. She skipped over to a chair, pulled it out, and sat down.

Shin smiled and placed the plate in front of her along with a bowl of rice.

"Ooh, spam and rice. How Asian of you," Irina said. She clasped her hands together and prayed. After a few seconds, she began scarfing down her food.

"Woah, slow down. It's not going anywhere," Shin said, laughing.

Vivi smiled, watching the two interact. Shin was right. They should save this for another time. She got out of her chair. "I'm going to turn in for the night. You two don't stay up too late. Especially you, Shin. You have class tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," Shin said, watching Vivi disappear.

"This is soo good! The food at the Church was so baad!" Irina said, burping.

"Jeez, does the Church not give you guys good food or something? I thought exorcist trainees were more well-fed," he said.

"Hmph! As if! Griselda-sensei said that we should remember that on the field, we might not have access to food like this so they had the bright idea to feed us slop," she replied, wiping a piece of rice off her cheek.

"So, are you excited?" Shin asked.

"Of course I am. Tomorrow, I'll finally give him my everything and tell him how I finally feel," Irina said.

"Thank fuck for that. I thought you two were going to skirt around each other forever," Shin said.

Fire flickered at the tips of Irina's bangs. She kicked his shin underneath the table, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Owww! What the hell!? You'd say it too if you had to third-wheel every ca- OW! Okay! I get it!" Shin said, feeling her kick his leg a second time.

Irina glared before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

"I missed this," Irina said, looking wistfully at her glass of water.

"Me too," Shin said.

"Shin… I'm home," Irina said, smiling at him with tears brimming at the edge of her eyes.

He smiled.

"Welcome home, Rin."

Istanbul, Turkey

"Ahhhhh!" a Fallen cried out in pain. Embedded in his knee was a superheated knife. He looked up, pain etched all over his violet eyes. Just how. How did they end up in this situation? They were elite Fallen serving under Kokabiel. They had four pairs of wings. Just how. How did this one woman easily slaughter their entire flight? A fear he never knew he could feel was overtaking his entire body, hijacking his body's basic functions. The smell of urine filled the dilapidated room.

The floorboards creaked as Akane leaned forward in her chair. She slapped his face, catching his attention.

"Focus. Focus right here. Eyes up here buddy or I'll pop your entire kneecap off. The Excalibur. Excalibur Rapidly. Where is it?" Akane asked. Her eyes were devoid of any empathy. Right now, the Fallen Angel before her was staring at a monster. An aura made of her bloodlust loomed behind her, engulfing the whole room in a suffocating pressure.

The other Fallen Angel, who was tied to a wall, stared in fear at this monster in human skin.

"It's… we delivered it! We delivered it at the drop-off point! It's long gone by now! Not even in Turkey anymore!" he cried out.

"Where is it?" Akane asked, twisting the knife.

"Agggh! Okay okay! Okay! It's in Kuoh. Kokabiel has it. He's in Kuoh!" the fallen said.

Akane narrowed her eyes. Kuoh? Tch. I need to tell Riser to watch out for Shin and Issei, she thought.

"Really? Well then, your bitch over there better confirm this intel," she said, getting off her chair.

"Go! Ask her! I'm not lying! I swear! I swear on my wi-" he began to choke. Akane wrapped her arm around his neck. He spat and gagged. His vision swam and then, nothing. His neck snapped and his head twisted in an awkward angle.

Akane stared down at the corpse emotionlessly. The tips of her hair, at her twin-tails and her bangs, began to turn red. The corpse was bathed in orange flames, instantly incinerating it from the inside out.

"You! You demon bitch! He told you what you wanted! I ain't confirming shit!" the fallen angel spat. She kicked and struggled against the chains binding her. Akane's shadow loomed over her, causing her to freeze.

"That's fine."

The fallen angel looked up and saw a smile on her face. Her eyes glowed ominously along with the highlights on her hair. "I believe him." She grasped the fallen angel's face with her hand. The fallen's hot tears fell on her fingers.

The angel began to beg to God for salvation but couldn't get a single word out. Her eyes glowed and flames burst from her eyes and mouth. She spasmed. Her screams grew louder as the flames had yet to burn her voice box. Her skin began to redden and cook, much like grilled meat. It shrunk quickly, crushing her trachea and her voicebox, and silenced her agonized screams. Her eyeballs melted from the intense heat and her blood evaporated inside her body. Each of her organs was frying and boiling within her body, shrinking due to being deprived of fluids. Her nerves were eventually burned, relieving her of the pain but she could feel the pressure in her lungs building up. What remained of her boiling blood was filling her lungs, causing an intense burning sensation to erupt in her chest. The hair and feathers on her body were incinerated instantly. After several agonizing seconds, her flesh blackened and the fire died out. The life had long since left her and she had been dead three seconds into the cremation.

Akane removed her hand from the face of the dead Fallen. As soon as she did, the fallen's body crumbled to ash. She casually pulled out a napkin from her pocket with her other hand and wiped her left clean.

"They're in Kuoh?" Jingwei asked, sitting in the corner. Akane's actions didn't faze her in the slightest.

"Yeah." Akane pulled her phone out of her pocket.

Riser❤️

She clicked his contact and dialed his number.

"*yawn* Yeah?"

"Hey, babe. Did I wake you up?" Akane asked. A soft smile appeared on her face.

Jingwei had a deadpan expression on her face. "If I were a stranger, I'd be shocked that you could brutally kill two Fallen like that and act like a lovestruck girl."

Akane ignored her.

"No, it's fine. It's good to hear your voice. I miss you. The bed feels cold without you," Riser said.

A blush appeared on her face. "I miss you too. I want to go home so I can see you again."

"Hey, it's almost our 3 year anniversary. I was thinking of going to that aquarium in Kuoh you told me about," Riser said.

"I'd love that… wait, I need to tell you something important," Akane said.

"What is it?" Riser's tone had changed.

"Look after Shin and Issei. Possibly Irina too. I know the Vatican might send exorcists to deal with something there," she replied.

"Vatican?" Riser asked.

"Yeah. The Excaliburs are there and so is Kokabiel. I'm heading home right now," Akane said, walking towards the door.

"Right. What should I do other than watch these three?" Riser asked.

"If I don't get back in time, call the Maou," Akane said.

"Right."

"I love you. Be safe. Don't do anything stupid okay?" she said.

"I should be saying that. But yeah, I'll stay safe. I love you," Riser said.

Akane smiled and ended the call. "Come on."

"Where?" Jingwei asked.

"Home."

"Wait right there, young lady."

Akane and Jingwei turned to see Brahma waiting for them next to the door outside their apartment.

"What is it now, Lord Brahma?" Akane asked.

"The Tenka Seisai is in Kuoh," Brahma said.

"Tenka… Sei-!" Akane's eyes widened in recognition. "I know. Why do you think I'm heading home?"

"You know what that means. First, Lucifer's daughter. Now, her. Shamash and Mot are awake. That means it won't be long for the others to wake up," Brahma said.

Akane stared at him, waiting for him to get to the point.

"By the others, you don't mean…?" Jingwei said.

"Yes, the old Gods of Canaan are waking up."

Stigmata

These have had many names through history.

But these are proof of a higher being's favor upon a mortal entity.

[]

Mot

The Ancient Goddess of Death who has lived for countless centuries.

It is said that she is from a Pantheon long forgotten and destroyed. She observes the fates of humans and greets them at their promised end.

In other words, at the very last moment of your life, she is your one and only friend, understand?

She is the older sister of the one they call God and the rival to Fertility and Ocean. She loves wine and fast food.

[]

Shamash

The Lamp of the Gods and Goddess of the Sun.

It is said she is from a Pantheon long forgotten.

She is said to be the incarnation of the Wrath of El and emits a radiance that rivals a supernova.

Those who garner her favor and affection are granted the infinite destructive power of the Sun. Yet few survive to ever fully utilize it.

Here we are at the very end of the chapter! Thanks to everyone who's been reading so far and thanks to Another_Jojo and Antydethy for helping me out on Discord with the chapter! Much love to you guys!

Anyway, we're moving along with this arc now. Akane is heading home. Irina and Xenovia have finally shown up. It's almost Issei's birthday. And yes, Sophia is not Lilith's biological daughter. She is a product of Lucifer's one-night stand and was raised by Lilith after her birth mother died. This and the stuff at the end is stuff that is being set up for later. Kokabiel is still the main focus of this part of the arc, because as I will mention once more, I combined the Holy Sword and Peace Treaty into one arc. It has something to do with what I mentioned back at the end of the second arc.

So, I want to know. Since we're in the third arc of the story, I'd like to know who your favorite characters are so far. I might share results in a later chapter sort of like a popularity poll.

And with that, I shall once again ask for reviews! Your words are what give me the motivation to continue writing this story. So with that, I shall see you all in the next chapter. Remember to have a great day or not, the choice is yours.