Dragon Emperor of the Heavenly Storm

by dragonliege242

There's an endless number of universes, each differing from each other depending on the choices we make. In most universes, Hyoudo Issei would have grown up to be a weak, untalented pervert by the age of 17. But, in this universe, Issei's fate is changed by a small difference in his life at the age of 6. Strong!Smart!Demigod!Non-perverted!Issei IsseixOphis

7. Life 6: For Want of Peace

I'm back! This chapter, we deal with the rest of the supernatural world's reaction to Qlipoth's rise.

As a reviewer pointed out to me, I completely forgot about the Egyptian Gods, though how I managed to do that is a mystery to me, considering that one of them is one of the Top 10. So, the previous chapter has been edited to reflect the change.

Unfortunately, that also means that I have to leave out the Celtic Gods, but I personally don't think it's a big loss.

On with the story!

---

A week had passed since Qlipoth's attack on the peace conference, and the world was in turmoil.

Well, technically, it always was, but it was in even greater turmoil than ever before, thanks to the actions of a certain Super Devil and a God of Darkness.

It was his fault, Sirzechs would constantly berate himself. If he had managed to kill Rizevim all those years ago during the civil war, they wouldn't be in this mess right now.

But, he had screwed up when it mattered most, and now, the world was under a great threat, one greater than any other before.

Trihexa, 666, the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse. A being so obscenely powerful that only Great Red and Ophis, the two strongest beings in existence, were capable of actually fighting it, and had taken all of YHWH, one of the strongest Gods' power to seal away, leaving him so drained that he had even lost his divinity, which led to his death in the Great War.

And that seal was on the verge of being broken by Qlipoth. One of the greatest evils was about to be unleashed on the world, because Sirzechs didn't have the balls to finish Rizevim off back then.

But, he would atone for that sin. He would stop Qlipoth from breaking Trihexa's seal and kill Rizevim once and for all, even if it cost him his life. That was the only way he could atone for the horror he had inadvertently caused.

*WHACK*

"Ow!" Sirzechs cried out in pain when he received a sharp blow to the back of his head.

He turned to see Ajuka Beelzebub, formerly Ajuka Astaroth, the current Beelzebub, one of the current Yondai-Maou, the former heir of the Astaroth Clan, one of the three Super Devils, and Sirzech's longtime best friend.

He was a tall man with handsome features, possessing slicked back olive green hair and light blue eyes, dressed in ceremonial robes and armor very much like Sirzechs's own.

"What was that for, Ajuka!?" Sirzechs exclaimed, protesting his best friend's rough treatment.

Ajuka looked at him, disapproval written all over his face, making Sirzechs somewhat feel like a child being admonished by his mother for a little prank he had pulled.

"I can practically hear you thinking. Knowing you, you're probably blaming yourself for this mess, aren't you? Probably something like 'If I had killed Rizevim back then, none of this would have happened.'

"…Well, it's true, isn't it? If Rizevim were dead, he and Angra Mainyu would never have met. They wouldn't have gotten the idea of unleashing Trihexa to defeat any opposition in their conquest of the world. Hell, if they never met, Angra Mainyu's plans would probably have never come to fruition, lacking the power to oppose the world's strongest. If only I had killed Rizevim back then…"

*WHACK*

"Ow!" Sirzechs cried out once more when Ajuka hit him again.

"Stop thinking about the past. As powerful as we are, even we aren't capable of changing what has already happened. Rather than beating yourself up for something that happened in the past, focus on what you should be doing now in the present. If you feel guilty about letting Rizevim back then, then make sure you properly finish him off the next time you meet." Ajuka said.

"…I know. That was my intention from the beginning." Sirzechs said with cool conviction.

Ajuka sighed, causing Sirzechs to blink.

"W-What's with the exasperation?"

"You really aren't getting what I'm saying at all. True, defeating Rizevim is important and all, but don't obsess over it to the point where you lose sight of what's truly important. You have family and friends waiting for you to come home, right?"

"Ajuka…" Sirzechs said almost mournfully.

Ajuka was right. He had his parents, his little sister, his beautiful wife and an adorable son, not to mention a wealth of friends, all standing at his back. As long as they still needed him, he couldn't afford to die yet.

But, Ajuka on the other hand…he had friends, Sirzechs being the foremost among them, but no family. Or rather, he had a very strained relationship with his family.

Unlike the Gremory Clan, who always supported family no matter what, and had encouraged Sirzechs's ambition to become a Maou and make the Underworld a better place, the Astaroth Clan had not been as supportive when Ajuka, wanting to help his best friend with his ambitions, announced the same intentions. The Astaroth Clan, like some of the remaining 72 Pillars, coveted the power they once had in the days of old. Thus, they wished for Ajuka to become the next head of the Clan, wishing to use his incredible power for the sake of their own prestige. After all, Maous basically renounced their original names and were no longer considered members of their Clans on record.

When he defied the Clan's wishes and ascended the throne of Beelzebub, he had basically burned all the bridges with his family. Most of the Underworld did not know this, since both parties still acted cordial to each other when meeting in public, but otherwise, there was basically no contact between them.

His eccentricity and social awkwardness helped to mask it well, but Sirzechs was well aware of the pain his best friend felt at the loss of his family, which was the reason he had been throwing himself into his work.

More than Sirzechs, Ajuka was far more at risk of dying on the battlefield through assisted suicide.

Sirzechs could not possibly let that happen.

"…You too."

"Hm?"

"Don't go getting yourself killed. Don't forget you have your peerage, Serafall, Falbium and me. None of us have any desire to see you die, so you better not run and get yourself killed." Sirzechs said, concern evident in his voice.

Ajuka stared at him for a few moments before smiling.

"Don't worry. I don't have any intentions of dying either." Ajuka said, looking very amused.

"Now then, shall we go in? The other leaders are probably already sick of waiting. They are quite busy."

The two of them were standing outside the Maous' meeting room, reserved only for the most important and urgent of situations.

The threat of a being on the level of the True Dragon being released by a group hell-bent on world domination, led by the son of the original Lucifer and a God of Darkness, probably qualified.

Due to the chaos erupting throughout the Underworld after news of Qlipoth broke out, Serafall and Falbium were busy trying to keep things in order, hence their absence.

The two Maous were not the only attendees of this meeting. The Underworld, both the Devils and the Grigori, Heaven and Takamagahara had spent the better part of the past week setting up a communications system between the three realms so that the leaders of each Faction could convene without having to leave their respective territories.

The aforementioned fiasco had generated so much chaos that they found themselves unable to leave their realms, which had necessitated this.

They would be finalizing the terms of the treaty and also discussing their plans to deal with Qlipoth, as well as the responses that Heaven and Takamagahara had received from the other affected Factions.

"The meeting will start in 5 minutes, so let's get seated already." Sirzechs said as he began to push the door open.

"…Thanks, Sirzechs. Really."

Sirzechs blinked when he heard Ajuka whisper under his breath, barely letting him hear it.

"…What are friends for?"

---

"So, how's the state of your Factions at the moment? Needless to say, the Grigori's a mess right now." Azazel asked the other Faction leaders 'present', looking more harried than ever before.

The communication system set up between the three realms caused the leaders of the other Factions to appear as holographic images in each other's meeting room, so it didn't feel too different from an actual conference.

"Chaotic, to put it simply. Heaven's in an uproar after learning of what had led to Father's death, and that the son of the original Lucifer is planning to render his sacrifice meaningless." Michael reported with a tired expression.

Gabriel, a voluptuous woman with curly blonde hair, dressed in white robes, and another member of the Four High Seraphs, the leaders of the Ten Seraphs and of Heaven and the Church in general after God's passing, was sitting next to him, looking just as exhausted as her oldest brother.

"Chaotic doesn't even begin to describe it. The entire Shinto Faction is in a panic after learning of the confirmation of the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse's existence, and that Ahriman is leading an organization to release it. I wouldn't be surprised if even Chichiue has heard about this by now." Amaterasu said as she rubbed her temples. Her alabaster skin had lost some of the radiance that came with being the Goddess of the Sun, signifying just how tired she was.

Her brothers were seated on either side of her. Tsukuyomi looked just as beleaguered as his sister/wife, while Susanoo just scowled at everything in general.

The reason why Shemhaza and Baraqiel, the other two acknowledged leaders of the Grigori, Raphael and Uriel, the other two High Seraphs, were missing from the meeting was probably the same as Serafall and Falbium: they were too busy trying to calm their people down. It was a miracle that all of the Shinto Trinity was able to make it for this meeting.

The other leaders blinked at the mention of the elusive former leader of the Shinto Faction, the Primordial Shinto God of Creation and Life. No one had seen him since his three children, the Shinto Trinity, had taken over as the leaders.

"Izanagi-no-Mikoto-dono? Isn't he missing?" Sirzechs asked out of curiosity.

"No, he just retreated to a secluded part of Takamagahara after passing the torch onto the three of us. He doesn't wish to be disturbed, so we leave him to his own devices as long as he doesn't do anything stupid. " Tsukuyomi explained.

"Bah, who cares about that shitty old man anyway? He just threw all of the troublesome crap to us the moment he had the chance and then ran." Susanoo grumbled, his mood seeming to worsen at the mention of his father.

"Susanoo…though he didn't play much of a role in our lives, he is still our esteemed father. Please show some respect." Amaterasu admonished her youngest brother, but even she did not look like her heart was in it.

"No, on that point, I have to agree with Susanoo. He may have been our progenitor, but he has never been a father to us. He simply left us shortly after creating us and assigning us our domains. There's no need to concern ourselves with him, not when we have so much on our plate already." Tsukuyomi said coldly, agreeing with his younger brother for a change.

It appeared that animosity for Izanagi ran quite deep among his children.

"T-That couldn't be helped! After all, at that time, Chichiue had lost Hahaue…Izanami-sama to the curse of Yomi! He was lost in his grief!" Amaterasu said, defending her father half-heartedly, while remembering that Izanami-no-Mikoto, Izanagi's wife, the Shinto Primordial Goddess of Creation and Death, wasn't actually their mother.

"Yeah, because abandoning your children after losing your wife makes so much sense." Susanoo drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, causing Amaterasu to flinch and fall silent.

The room was filled with an awkward silence after that, no one really knowing what to say about the Shinto Faction leaders' overly dysfunctional relationship with their father.

Sirzechs…was torn about the issue. If Grayfia were to die, he would be crushed, that was for certain. However, he certainly wouldn't abandon his son because of it. Not to mention, Grayfia would find a way to haunt and kill him from beyond the grave if he ever dared.

Speaking of his wife…

"Sirzechs, what about on your end? How are the Devils taking this?"

"Not well. The Progressive Faction and the Traditionalist Faction are exchanging blows over Rizevim's and the Old Maou Faction's actions, trying to shift the blame to each other. The Progressives are blaming the Traditionalists for letting the descendants and followers of the Original Maous live in the first place, which they are insisting is the cause of the current crisis, while the Traditionalists are blaming the Progressive Faction for encouraging the discrimination against the Old Maou Faction which led to their discontent and defection. We Maous have been caught in the middle of this conflict. And because of Euclid's involvement, Grayfia has been placed under house arrest under suspicion of aiding Qlipoth in secret." Sirzechs explained, a dark expression surfacing on his face as he talked about his wife's partial incarceration

Currently, the Devil's society could be broadly categorized into two main, opposing Factions: the Traditionalists and the Progressives.

The Progressives, or the New Maou Faction, were made up of the Devils who had been born after the deaths of the original Maous, when the children of the deceased aforementioned Maous tried to take over their parents' roles and only ended up helping to run the Underworld to the ground, which prompted the rebellion of the New Maou Faction and the civil war. They were the main supporters of the current administration. Because of the losses sustained during the civil war, the Progressives hated the Old Maou Faction with a passion and encouraged active discrimination against them, exactly like what the Traditionalists had accused them of.

The Traditionalists consisted mainly of the Devils who had been born back in the era of the original Maous and still subscribed to their ideology to a certain extent. They rejected many new concepts that the Progressives supported, such as the Evil Pieces and the Rating Games. The only real difference between them and the Old Maou Faction was that they had been happy to overthrow the old administration after the deaths of the original Maous, or were at least neutral on the matter. However, despite that, because of their similar ideologies and friendships/alliances with each other before the civil war, the Traditionalists were against the mass execution of the Old Maou Faction and supported the decision to spare them while stripping them of most of their original authority.

A prime member of the Traditionalists was Zekram Baal, the first head of the Great King Baal Clan, and Sirzecchs' own ancestor. Even now, he possessed more authority than even the Maous, and could be said to be controlling the Devils from the shadows. Sirzechs wouldn't be surprised if he had been helping the Old Maou Faction behind their backs.

Sirzechs supposed that both sides had valid points. If the Traditionalists had agreed to execute the Old Maou Faction like the Progressives wanted, they wouldn't have rebelled.

If the Progressives hadn't encouraged active discrimination against the Old Maou Faction, then probably only the most zealous and fanatic of them would have joined Rizevim.

However, neither solution would have solved the main problem: Rizevim himself. Even the entirety of the Old Maou Faction put together did not pose anywhere near as much of a threat as the third Super Devil. He had already escaped by the time the civil war had ended, so he couldn't have been executed, and his current actions had nothing to do with the discrimination against the Old Maou Faction, but something he had decided to do on a whim.

The conflict between the two sides was completely pointless in Sirzechs's opinion. After all, the Old Maou Faction had been decimated, by Rizevim himself no less, by mutating them into inferior copies of the 7 Evil Dragons. The only thing the Allied Factions had really done was put an end to the things that were once the members of the Old Maou Faction.

Maybe that was why the administration, which was still mostly composed of Traditionalists, some of whom were especially rigid, despite the Maous' and the Progressives' best efforts to the contrary, had decided to put Grayfia under house arrest. They were pissed that their former allies had all been killed, so they simply wanted someone to blame. They couldn't pin it on any of the Maous without major backlash from the public, and Rias, Sona and their peerages' involvement in the affair was tenuous at best. So, they decided to go for Grayfia, whose little brother was apparently one of the masterminds behind the attack. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that she was Sirzechs's, a Super Devil and the most popular among the Yondai-Maou's wife and they did not want to incur his wrath, she probably would have been thrown into a top-security prison or even executed by now.

It irritated Sirzechs to no end that his wife was being blamed for the actions of her brother and the madmen he had chosen to follow. After all, Grayfia had believed Euclid to have been dead up until he had proven himself otherwise last week.

But, there wasn't much he could do to help his wife at the moment. If it were only the administration he were dealing with, he could have forcefully pushed for his wife's exoneration, but the details of the affair had already been made known to the public by the Traditionalists in a cunning move.

Now that the public learned of Euclid Lucifuge's involvement, there had been a considerable amount of dissent towards Grayfia, along with rumors that she had been deceiving Sirzechs and aiding Rizevim through her brother ever since the civil war. Even the progressives held a level of suspicion towards her.

At this point, there was probably no way of clearing her name short of arresting Euclid and forcing the truth out of him for everyone to hear.

"Haa…in the end, even after making peace with each other, when a crisis occurs, people always look for someone to blame, huh?" Azazel said with a sigh of exasperation.

"…Enough of that matter. What about the responses from the other Factions?" Sirzechs asked to change the topic, looking at Heaven's and the Shinto Faction's leaders, who were tasked with contacting the Factions that were attacked by the Evil Dragons.

"The Olympians are furious. Zeus and Hera can usually keep them under control, sometimes needing Poseidon or Hades to help, but being attacked so suddenly and having so much of Olympus destroyed by an external party has really wounded their pride. They're basically calling for blood and even Zeus is having trouble running damage control. They don't seem as concerned with the fact that Qlipoth is trying to release a Great Red-Class monster as they are with avenging their pride." Tsukuyomi started.

"Valhalla is in a similar situation. The Asgardians are demanding answers, and with Odin-dono's weakening, he's unable to stop them. Thor and Loki are not helping matters, as they are the ones rallying the Asgardians into this frenzy of theirs. Unlike their father, both of them possess monumental pride, which, much like the Olympians', has been wounded." Michael said with a troubled expression.

"The Buddhas and the Egyptian Gods thankfully seem to realize the danger and are already organizing their forces in preparation for future conflicts with Qlipoth. As for the Hindu Gods…" Tsukuyomi explained, trailing off when he started to speak of the last of the affected Factions.

"What about them?"

"…It was odd. The one who answered us was not Indra, like we had expected, but Shiva." Tsukuyomi revealed.

The other Faction leaders reacted as expected in response to this news: shock. Izanagi may have been elusive, but not nearly as much as the Hindu God of Destruction and the true head of the Hindu Faction, who had not made a public appearance since even before the Biblical Faction's Great War.

"The God of Destruction personally answered? That is certainly odd. He usually leaves diplomatic affairs to Indra-dono, or even Brahma-dono or Vishnu-dono on occassion." Sirzechs commented.

While most weren't on good terms, Factions made contact with each other once in a while, and the Hindu Gods were no different. However, it had never been Shiva handling these matters. It was usually the de facto leader, Indra, or on rare occasions, the other two members of the Trimurti.

"Yes, but what was more disturbing was that Shiva already knew of Qlipoth and Trihexa before we even contacted him."

Now that really got everyone's attention.

"What!?" Azazel yelled in shock, almost falling off his chair.

The other leaders were not quite as dramatic in their reactions, though it was clear that each of them were as shocked as the others.

"Shiva-dono already knew of Qlipoth's and Trihexa's existence?"

"Yes, that is apparently the reason why they were not as badly affected as the other Factions, even though the Evil Dragon that attacked was the strongest."

"However, to know of the attack before it happened...could it be that the Hindu Faction is in league with Qlipoth?" Ajuka asked.

"…It's certainly possible, but I think it unlikely. If it were any of the other Factions except the Buddhas, I would not hesitate to agree, but right now, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. Receiving that much faith, most of the Hindu Gods should not have any reason to be dissatisfied with the current state of the world, unlike the other Factions who have suffered a massive decline in worship over the centuries."

"Then, how is it that the Hindu Gods came to learn of the attack before the fact?"

"Hm…My guess is that Shiva had something to do with it. Despite being called the God of Destruction, Shiva possesses a wealth of powers unknown to even other Gods, as do the other two members of the Trimurti. There is a reason why all three of them are ranked in the Top 10." Tsukuyomi spoke.

"…And, what did Shiva convey in response to our missive?"

"…Nothing much, simply that he was already aware of the situation and that the Hindu Faction was ready to counter Qlipoth at any time."

"I see…Very well then, what did the Factions say in response to the second missive?"

"The Egyptians and Buddhas are receptive to the idea, the Hindu Gods seem to be as well, but Olympus and Valhalla…well, with most of the pantheon in a rage and the massive infrastructure damage, the head Gods don't feel safe leaving their realms just yet." Michael said.

"…Well, I suppose that's true. Even if it's the proposal of a conference to discuss the current state of affairs and decide what we should do about Qlipoth, they can't exactly leave their homes in a mess either. So, I guess there's really no hope for a conference anytime soon, huh?"

"No, if it's just a conference, something like that can be easily set up. For Gods, anyway." Amaterasu commented.

"…Ah, avatars, huh?" Azazel realized.

Avatars weren't quite the same as Divine Avatars.

Divine Avatars were constructs created from divine energy that Gods could use to channel a greater amount of their true power than their Divine Vessel form was capable of holding, though it was still less than their full power. Gods manipulated it directly, either through mental commands, or actually physically entering the Divine Avatar itself to take control.

Avatars were a bit different. If it had to be compared to another concept, it would probably be closest to Astral Projection. However, it differed from Astral Projection in that instead of the entire soul leaving the physical body, only a small, powerless portion of the God's soul was split off from the rest and temporarily given physical form to fulfill whatever task the original had set for it. That way, the original and the Avatar could operate separately until the latter had completed its task and rejoined with the former, allowing the original to experience what the Avatar had.

The Avatar possessed all of the knowledge and experience that the original had, but only up until the point when they were split from the original in the first place. And thanks to the nature of their construction, they could not do anything other than what the original had split them off to do in the first place. Useful for keeping them from going rogue, but in return, that fact combined with their lack of power made sure that they had absolutely zero combat potential.

Perhaps that was for the best in this case. With tempers running high among the Factions, it would be a benediction that the Gods wouldn't be flinging compressed natural disasters and planet shattering attacks at each other in the middle of a conference.

"Yes. If each Faction leader sends an Avatar, it's possible for them to attend the conference and still remain in their realm at the same time."

"Then, has a date been agreed on? Ideally, the conference should be held as soon as possible. We do not know when Qlipoth will strike again." Michael stressed.

"It probably won't be anytime soon. Now that Qlipoth knows that we have Ophis on our side, they'll be scrambling to find a way to counter her before they make another move. Needless to say, there are very few methods to stop the Infinite Dragon God." Azazel countered.

"Ah, speaking of Ophis…how are Issei-kun and Vali-kun? Have they recovered from their injuries?" Sirzechs asked, remembering the current hosts of the Heavenly Dragons and how they had been wounded in the battle against Qlipoth.

"Vali is fine. His wounds were light in the first place. He's just pissed that he wasn't able to do more than land a few punches on Rizevim." Azazel replied.

"As for Issei…neither he nor Ddraige have regained consciousness. However, his wounds are healed, and his reserves have been restored, so he should awaken in the next few days. On the other hand, we cannot say the same for Ddraige."

"That's...kinda bad. Without Ddraige, it might not be possible for him to access Boosted Gear's full range of abilities." Azazel, the leading expert on Sacred Gears after YHWH's death, said.

"Worry not. Ophis is constantly checking on him, and reports that his condition is not permanent. He has simply exhausted his power, and will awaken once it is fully restored. It is only because his power is so great that it's taking longer than expected. He estimates that at his current pace, Ddraige will regain his full power in a month."

"A month, huh? I wonder if Qlipoth will really remain in the shadows for that long…" Michael lamented.

"Is there no way to hasten the process? For example, Ophis could do what she did to Issei-kun and supply Ddraige with her power…" Sirzechs suggested.

"That wouldn't be a problem…if Ddraige weren't sealed in a Sacred Gear. I think it's obvious, but Ophis's power is so great that if she were to try to channel her energy into Boosted Gear without constraint, she might damage it, or even destroy it, which would only succeed in ejecting Ddraige's vulnerable soul into the material plane, and kill Issei in the process." Azazel interjected.

"And even if Ophis were able to restrain her power, Ddraige's awakening would not be instantaneous, though the duration would certainly be shortened considerably. Plus, doing that may interfere with Boosted Gear's functionality instead. While they are both Dragons, Ophis and Ddraige are decidedly different beings. The bulk of what Ddraige would have would be Ophis's power, and not his own, and while that may potentially cause new abilities to awaken for Boosted Gear, conversely, it may also prevent Issei from using its original abilities, which he has already grown accustomed to." The Viceroy of the Fallen Angels continued.

"In other words, the only thing we can do is wait, huh?"

"Well, it's not like we intend to rely completely on the Heavenly Dragons' powers. We couldn't call ourselves leaders if we can't solve our problems with our own abilities. Rather than fretting over those two, let's just do everything we can first. When is the earliest date that we can hold the conference?" Azazel asked.

"It's a bit abrupt, but it should be possible to hold it tomorrow at the earliest. The problem is where we are going to hold this conference. I don't think I have to say this, but with the heightened paranoia of four out of the five other affected Factions, it won't be possible to have it in one of our realms." Michael answered.

"In other words, we need a neutral ground, huh?"

"Even though it's been reconstructed, Kuou Academy can't be used, since it sits in Japan, the territory of the Shinto Faction and a place where the influence of the Biblical Faction is considerable…" Sirzechs commented.

"Similar arguments can be made for virtually every country in the world. The only real neutral ground that immediately comes to mind would be…the Dimensional Gap." Amaterasu said.

"Not possible. We might be fine since we'll be there in person, but powerless Avatars don't stand a chance of surviving the sea of chaos in that place, not without proper defenses."

"In that case, why not construct a pocket dimension in the Dimensional Gap, like the Rating Games grounds? With proper spellwork, it should be possible for it to hold out against the sea of chaos for the duration of the conference, and if a representative is sent from each attending Faction, there should be no question to the neutrality of the venue." Ajuka proposed.

"I see…that's certainly feasible. It may delay the date of the conference a bit, but it's certainly better than heightening the paranoia of the other Factions any further."

"Mm. Then, it's settled. The conference will be held in the Dimensional Gap. Send the missive to the attending Factions, and have them send a representative to oversee the construction of the pocket dimension. Time is of the essence. Before Qlipoth reemerges, we have to make our move first." Sirzechs declared, bringing the emergency meeting to a close.

---

It was a lot easier said than done.

There were two reasons why not a single Faction was able to claim dominion over the Dimensional Gap.

The first was because that the Dimensional Gap was too unstable to be used. While the Dimensional Gap, as its name suggested, served as the divide between dimensions, it was unbelievably difficult to construct a dimension inside the sea of chaos that filled the place. Naturally occurring dimensions were akin to an island, like how the Dimensional Gap was the vast ocean that surrounded those islands. The only difference between the analogies was that the Dimensional Gap typically did not interact with the dimensions like how an island experienced high tides and low tides, not without interference from another source.

However, artificially created dimensions were like very poorly constructed wooden houses floating on the ocean's surface. The ripples of unstable distortions within the Dimensional Gap would tear any artificial dimension apart, no matter how well constructed it was.

The Rating Games grounds, an artificial dimension constructed and anchored in a part of the Dimensional Gap that was metaphysically close, but still separate from the Underworld, was able to stay intact for so long was because it was regularly maintained by its creators, and even then, the maintenance had to be performed almost once a month. Considering that the Rating Games grounds was constructed centuries ago, one could easily guess just how high the number of times it had to undergo maintenance was.

The Rating Games were an integral part of the current Devils' society, which was why the grounds were maintained despite the trouble they had to go through to do so, but it was simply not feasible for the other Factions.

The other reason was Great Red.

Not a single Faction wished to come face to face with the almighty Guardian of the Dimensional Gap itself. The True Dragon was the singular reason why the more ambitious Factions did not attempt to use the Dimensional Gap, which was connected to every dimension in existence, to invade other realms, which was a contributing factor to the fragile peace currently being maintained in the world.

Even Ajuka, who was the Devils' representative to oversee the construction of the artificial dimension in which the conference would be held, felt slightly nervous as he thought of the possibility that the Dragon of Dreams would pass by the area of the Dimensional Gap they were using and potentially attack them. As strong as he was at his full power, he would not be able to dent Great Red. His Kankara Formula, erroneously thought to be capable of rewriting any phenomenon, could not affect a being of Great Red's level. And he was fairly certain that the True Dragon would be capable of shrugging off any Dragon-Slaying attacks short of the Dragon Eater, Samael, itself, and even that was a bit of a stretch.

There were a total of 8 other representatives present, one from each of the other participating Factions.

From the Grigori, there was Armaros, a Cadre. He was not much of a fighter, which was why he was overshadowed by the more famous Fallen Angels like Azazel, Shemhaza, Baraqiel and Kokabiel, who all stood on the frontlines of the Great War until the Grigori's retreat. However, he was the head researcher of Anti-Magic, and thus, was the greatest expert on magic in the entire Grigori. It was only natural that he had been chosen to oversee this.

The representative from Heaven was a surprise to outsiders. It was the only female among the Four High Seraphs, Gabriel. Despite having the personality of an airhead, her knowledge of magic was completely unmatched by anyone else in Heaven, even her brothers.

From the Shinto Faction was Omoikane, the Shinto God of wisdom, a wizened old man with white hair and golden eyes. The Shinto Faction did not make much use of magic outside of Onmyoujutsu and Genjutsu, and they did not have a God that specifically ruled over the dominion of Magic. However, Omoikane was known as a God that even the Shinto Trinity turned to for counsel, and being a God of wisdom, could make use of his domain to understand the process and provide directions.

The most famous of the representatives was probably the one from Olympus, a beautiful woman with glossy black hair, equally black eyes and pale skin, and one that the other Factions had pretty much expected. Hecate, the Greek Goddess who ruled over a number of domains, the most famous of which was magic. Being one of the, if not the premier magic user in existence, it was only natural that Olympus would send her.

The representative from Valhalla was not a God or Goddess, much to the surprise of the other Factions. Instead, it was one of the most famous Valkyries in existence, Gondul, an elderly woman with silver hair, blue eyes, and a certain vigor to her that did not match her physical age. While not a Goddess, her skill with magic was such that her reputation had reached even other Factions.

Hailing from Mount Sumeru was the world famous Suanzang Xuanzang, the monk who had journeyed to India to retrieve Buddhist sutras alongside Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and Yu Long under the orders from the Supreme Buddha. Successfully completing their task after many trials and suffering, he and Sun Wukong ascended to Buddhahood, Sha Wujing became an Arhat, Zhu Bajie became an alter cleanser and Yu Long gained his status as one of the Five Dragon Kings. He had vastly matured both physically and mentally since his younger days, taking the form of an elderly old man dressed in Taoist robes, with a far more expansive knowledge of magic than one would expect.

From Aaru came Thoth, the ibis-headed Egyptian God of knowledge and magic among other domains, fulfilling a role much like Omoikane's. While not the principal God of magic in his pantheon, he was the one who was sent, since the other Gods of magic were the Queen of the Pantheon herself and the one who was said to be the personification of magic in Egypt. Both were too important to be sent on such a risky venture, so Thoth volunteered himself instead.

And finally from Mount Kailash was Dhatr, the Hindu God of health and magic. Much like the Shinto Faction, the Hindu Faction made little use of magic other than in rituals, but it was still an important enough part of the Faction for there to be a God ruling over that domain. He was in the form of a shaman with black hair and clear whitish-blue eyes.

Together, the 9 representatives from each Faction watched as the men they had brought with them, each specializing in spatial manipulation, slowly put the conference venue together while also watching out from threats from each other and from third parties. If Qlipoth was able to catch wind of the conference between the Biblical Faction and the Shinto Faction, there was no way that this much larger conference would escape their notice, even if it was being held in the Dimensional Gap. They really needed to flush out the traitors in each Faction quickly.

The tension between them could be cut by a knife. Each kept an eye on the rest, critically scrutinizing each other. Even the representatives from the Biblical Faction and the Shinto Faction, which had come to a truce, stared at each other warily. Some grudges were just hard to let go of so soon.

All eyes were on Ajuka especially, since he was one of the infamous Super Devils capable of ranking in the Top 10 at his full power. He could practically smell the fear radiating from all of them, the representatives from Heaven, Grigori and the Shinto Faction only slightly less potent than the rest.

The only exceptions were Suanzang Xuanzang and Dhatr, though he had already expected that. He doubted there was much these days capable of flustering the monk-turned-Buddha, and the Hindu Gods were just plain unflappable.

The current Beelzebub sighed. It appeared that they still had a long way to go before their ideal of peace could be realized.

Something that couldn't be done until Qlipoth was dealt with.

"Ajuka-sama."

Ajuka turned his head to see one of the Devils who had come to set up the artificial dimension kneeling on one knee atop nothing before him.

"What is it?"

"The construction of the artificial dimension is going slower than initially projected, but so far, none of the representatives have raised any complaints. And also…"

"Yes?"

"...Our scouts have reported a powerful presence approaching this area, and it appears that the other representatives are receiving similar reports."

"An attack by Qlipoth? Or could it be…" Ajuka trailed off, immediately thinking of the all-powerful Guardian of the Dimensional Gap.

Then, he discarded the idea. If it was Great Red, all of them would have felt its presence approaching them, without exception.

So, was it Qlipoth after all?

"…Very well. Continue your work on the artificial dimension. I will take care of whatever it is approaching us."

"Understood." The Devil bowed his head and flew back to the glowing white sphere that was the artificial dimension in construction.

"Now then…" Ajuka muttered to himself as he faced the direction the presence was reportedly approaching from.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the other representatives doing the same.

He frowned momentarily. If it was really Qlipoth, then that was cause for concern. The conference had yet to be officially announced. The only ones who knew about it at this point were the leaders, those currently present, and the highest echelons of each Faction. Did that mean that there was a traitor that high up in one of the Factions?

Maybe even…right here, among them?

He shook those thoughts out of his head. He had to focus on the tangible threat first.

He reached out with his senses.

There was certainly something approaching them, and it wasn't just one or two. There were 5 distinct presences coming towards them.

The first wasn't as noticeable as the other three, but Ajuka noted that it possessed as much power as a reasonably talented High-Class Devil. However, it was doubtlessly human.

The second felt ancient, older than Ajuka was. It held traces of divine power, and possessed power as great as an Ultimate-Class Devil.

The third felt similar to the first, just more potent. Probably a familial relation. But, it possessed power that matched the second's. A human that possessed the raw power of an Ultimate-Class Devil? That was rare indeed.

It was the fourth and fifth that really caught his attention. They did not feel alive, meaning that they were probably not from a living being. And both of them felt Holy in nature, the fifth more potent that the fourth, so much so that even Ajuka could feel his Devil instincts reacting to it. Could those be Holy Swords? But, all of the Holy Swords should be in the possession of the Church. All, except…

Ajuka started a bit as he realized what was approaching them.

It was at the same moment that the owners of those presences came into sight.

It was a bit of an odd sight. What was approaching them was a golden transparent sphere of energy. Inside the sphere was a young teenage girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, a slightly older bespectacled teenage boy with similar features, holding a western sword in his hand, and another sheathed at his side, and finally, a massive stone golem.

Ajuka's attention was immediately drawn towards the two swords the boy possessed. He had never encountered those particular swords before, but with the power they were releasing, there could be no doubt to their identity.

The western sword, silver with golden markings, sheathed at the boy's side could only be Excalibur Ruler, the Holy Sword of Subjugation, the last, missing Excalibur fragment that was lost during the Great War, said to possess the power to control all things.

And the sword he was holding, looking even plainer in appearance, but releasing a far greater aura, as well as the source of the barrier that protected the two humans from the sea of chaos, could only be the Strongest Holy Sword, the Holy Emperor Sword, otherwise known as the Sword in the Stone, Caliburn.

However, unlike Excalibur, Caliburn had always remained in the possession of the descendants of its original wielder, King Arthur, the Pendragon Household. For this boy to possess it…he had either stolen it, or…

The sphere came to a halt right in front of Ajuka.

The boy wielding Caliburn smiled.

"Greetings, Ajuka Beelzebub-dono, and the representatives from the Factions around the world. My name is Arthur Pendragon, descendant of the King of Camelot. This is my little sister, Le Fay Pendragon, and her familiar, Gogmagog." The boy, bearing the same name as his world famous ancestor, greeted as he smiled and bowed, his little sister following closely behind him.

Ajuka's eyes flitted over to the golem for an instant. He recognized that name. It was the name of a legendary giant from British folklore, a golem mass-produced by the faded Celtic Gods, but was abandoned and thrown into the Dimensional Gap with the rest of its copies after being deactivated.

So, there was one that was still working, and it was now the familiar of a human?

"Well met, Arthur Pendragon and Le Fay Pendragon. As you already know, I am Ajuka Beelzebub. Is there a reason you are here?"

'While bringing such dangerous weapons' was the part that was left unspoken, but made clear to all present.

Arthur simply continued smiling, even as those present geared up for a fight, some subtly, and the rest, not so much.

"There's no need to look so tense. I'm here at the behest of my friend, the Hakuryuukou, Vali Lucifer." Arthur revealed.

Ajuka blinked, but nodded. Vali, being one of Azazel's subordinates and someone directly related to this whole fiasco, would know of the construction of the artificial dimension.

Ajuka also noted that Hecate, Gondur and Thoth had suddenly become even tenser than before.

It was already made clear to the other Factions that the grandson of Rizevim Livan Lucifer was a member of the Grigori, and was dead set against his grandfather, but it appeared that the mere knowledge of their familial relation was more than enough to arouse suspicions from the other Factions. No doubt, to the other Factions who had not personally witnessed the current Hakuryuukou's sheer hatred for his grandfather, Vali was at the top of the list of suspects for leaking information to Qlipoth. It was only natural that they would be suspicious of anyone affiliated with him.

The other representatives did not seem as affected. Suanzang Xuanzang and Dhatr remained as unflappable as before, Armaros was a fellow member of the Grigori and knew Vali longer than the rest of them, and Grabriel and Omoikane had probably been informed of his circumstances beforehand by their leaders, who had borne witness to the Hakuryuukou's animosity with his grandfather.

"He expected that you would be having trouble constructing this artificial dimension of yours, so he asked me to come help you." Arthur continued, either not noticing the suspicions of three representatives, or simply not caring.

"Oh? And he believes you can help?"

"Of course. As long as I have this." Arthur answered as he held up Caliburn.

"The Holy Emperor Sword, Caliburn. As you know, it possesses the ability to manipulate spacetime. If this was used, it would make your job much simpler, wouldn't it?" Arthur asked.

He was right. If Caliburn was used as a medium, they could speed up the construction of the artificial dimension by a good deal, possibly finishing before the previously projected date of completion. Furthermore, it could also bolster the dimension's defense against the sea of chaos.

The problem was whether the other Factions would allow it. Gabriel, Armaros and Omoikane, the three other representatives from the Allied Factions probably wouldn't raise any objections. Suanzang Xuanzang and Dhatr probably wouldn't either as long as they could keep an eye on him.

But, the aforementioned three would be a problem. Would they allow this? Or would their prejudice against Vali Lucifer cause them to object?

"So, Maou Beelzebub-dono, would you like my help?" Arthur asked again, still smiling.

Decisions, decisions.

---

"Well then, shall we begin?" Sirzechs asked.

He was seated at a large round table in the center of an ornate room.

Naturally, he wasn't the only one there.

On his right was Azazel. The Viceroy looked much more serious than ever before.

On Sirzech's left was Michael. The High Seraph looked rather tired, likely a result of having to maintain order in both Heaven and the Church. Out of all the Factions, Heaven and the Church was probably the one that feared the release of Trihexa the most, seeing as it was one of the great destroyers recorded in the Book of Revelations.

To the Seraphs' left was the Avatar of Amaterasu. She looked the same as she did during the Kuou Conference, but far more tired and possessing none of the original's power.

To Azazel's and Baraqiel's right was the Avatar of Indra, the Hindu Faction's de facto leader. He appeared as a dark-skinned man with a bald cut, wearing sunglasses, a casual getup complete with a Hawaiian shirt and a necklace, holding a sort of double-ended club, his symbol of power and weapon of choice, the Vajra. He certainly didn't look the part of a leader, but everyone present knew that that appearance belied the power of a God who ranked in the Top 10.

Though Shiva had been the one to answer the missive, it appeared that neither he nor the other two members of the Trimurti had any intentions of showing up.

To Indra's right was an Asian man with a broad build, long ears, deep blue eyes and a jewel adorning his forehead, wearing long robes. His expression was serene, as though completely untroubled by the chaos of the world. The Supreme Buddha, Gautama Buddha himself. His Avatar, anyway.

On the right of the Avatar of the Supreme Buddha was a falcon-headed, dark-skinned man. The Avatar of the head of the Egyptian Gods, the Sun God, Ra. As expected, the tension between him and the Seraphs was almost palpable, seeing as how the deceased Biblical God had once completely crushed Ra in a show of force during the time of the Ten Plagues of Egypt. He was probably feeling pretty smug that the God who had once humiliated him was now dead while he was still alive.

On his right was an old man with a broad build, dressed in a white toga, wielding a thunderbolt-shaped spear. The Avatar of the King of Olympus, Zeus. He looked just as haggard as Amaterasu, probably from trying to quell the unrest that had erupted throughout his Faction in the wake of Qlipoth's attack.

On the Lord of the Sky's right was an equally elderly man with mismatched eyes, dressed in old ceremonial robes, with a much thinner build than the King of Olympus, holding an ornate spear. The Avatar of the King of Asgard, Odin, with his weapon, Gungnir. With the way his shoulders were drooping and the dark circles around his eyes, he certainly looked his age. He was probably going through the same kind of trouble that Zeus was.

As agreed by all of the Factions, in order to keep conflicts to a minimum and heighten security, only a single leader and a single subordinate was allowed to attend the conference.

Behind each of the leaders were said subordinates.

Standing behind Sirzechs was a black-haired, brown-eyed man dressed in the traditional uniform of the Shisengumi, the special police force founded during the end of the shogunate period, a sheathed katana at his side. He was Okita Souji, Sirzechs's Knight and the famous former Captain of the 1st squad of the Shinsengumi. When he was on the verge of death after contracting tuberculosis, he managed to summon Sirzechs, who appeared in the form of a black cat and reincarnated him into his servant with his two Knight Pieces.

Usually, it would have been Grayfia with him, but since she was currently under suspicion of treason and under house arrest, naturally, she couldn't come, so Sirzechs brought the one among his servants who was least likely to start a fight.

Standing behind Azazel was a middle-aged, gruff-looking man with black hair, a matching beard, red eyes and a muscular build, dressed in dark robes. One of the Grigori's Cadres, Baraqiel, who gained his infamy during the Great War as the user of Holy Lightning. He also happened to be the estranged father of Rias's Queen, Himejima Akeno.

Behind Michael was his sister and fellow High Seraph, Gabriel, who had a serious expression on her face, contrary to her usual cheery, air-headed self.

Behind the Avatar of Amaterasu was the Avatar of her loyal attendant, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, the Shinto Goddess of the dawn, mirth and revelry. She was famous for having been the one to lure Amaterasu out of Amano-Iwato when the Goddess of the sun had hidden herself away from the world. She was a black-haired and blue-eyed woman with beauty that could rival even Amaterasu's, dressed in a red furisode with sakura patterns.

Behind Indra's Avatar was an equally dark-skinned man with black hair, red eyes and two faces, holding onto a javelin. The Avatar of Agni, the Hindu God of fire, and one of the most important Gods in Hinduism.

Behind the Supreme Buddha was the Avatar of Suanzang Xuanzang, this time dressed in more ceremonial-looking robes.

Behind the falcon-headed Egyptian God of the sun was a God with a similar looking head, one of a hawk. The Avatar of Horus, the Egyptian God of the sky, and the acknowledged King of Egypt after his father, Osiris, the God of the Egyptian Underworld's murder by his own brother, Seth, the Egyptian God of Evil. Though Ra was the leader of the Egyptian Gods, he was one who worked behind the scenes, while Horus was the one officially known as the king, but not quite a figurehead either. It was certainly rare to see both the true king and the official king in the same place.

Standing behind Zeus was a woman with long black hair and grey eyes, wearing gleaming Greek battle armor, and holding a spear. The Goddess of wisdom and warfare, the daughter of Zeus and Metis, Athena. Likely, she was one of the few Olympians who wasn't completely up in arms about the attack on their abode, which was why Zeus had chosen to bring her.

And finally, standing behind Odin was a handsome young man with long blonde hair, electric blue eyes, scarred skin and a stump where his right hand should have been. Tyr, the Norse God of combat, justice and heroes, a son of Odin, who had lost his hand when binding the God-Slaying Wolf, Fenrir.

Those were the sole attendees of this conference, all standing in this room, located in the sole building contained within this artificial dimension that had been completed ahead of time thanks to the powers of Caliburn.

The Greco-Roman Faction, Norse Faction and Egyptian Faction had initially objected to Arthur Pendragon's assistance, but they could not deny the results.

The dimension was stable, and with Arthur Pendragon enveloping the dimension in the same protective sphere that he had been using to traverse the Dimensional Gap, there wasn't even a hint of the sea of chaos of the Dimensional Gap slowly tearing away at its metaphysical walls. It was quite the work of art, though it was unlikely to last more than perhaps a day once Caliburn's barrier was removed.

But, that was fine. After all, they were only going to use it once, and hopefully never have to do so again.

"…"

No one verbally responded to Sirzechs, mostly because they were too busy having a Mexican standoff with each other through eye contact, as though the first one to break off their gaze had something to lose.

Sirzechs sat back in his seat, his hand coming up to his forehead to rub his temples to sooth his migraine.

This was going to be a very long day.

---

The first to break the painful silence in the conference venue was Amaterasu. Among those present, she had the most positive image among other Factions, though it was mostly through virtue of her radiant beauty than anything else.

She began by thanking the other leaders for attending the conference, and then got straight down to business, reporting the losses Allied Factions had suffered during the attack by Qlipoth's main force. It was a bit of a risky move to reveal their vulnerability, seeing as how each Faction was currently at an uneasy ceasefire state with each other, but they had agreed beforehand that it was necessary to gain their trust.

She then went on to report the announced ambitions of Qlipoth, which, while touched on in the missive, had not been explained in full detail just yet.

Qlipoth's possession of Sephiroth Graal and Incinerate Anthem, their revival and mass-production of the 7 Evil Dragons, their intention to release Trihexa in order to defeat all of the Factions around the world and take over completely, the claim that YHWH had sacrificed almost all of his power and divinity to seal the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse away, Qlipoth's intention to use the 3 Holy Relics to break the seal, and how Crom Cruach, the strongest of the 7 Evil Dragons, had been sent to Mount Kailash to retrieve True Longinus, the only Holy Relic not already in their possession.

At the mention of Rizevim's claim that the possessor of True Longinus was a member of the Hindu Faction, all eyes turned to Indra, who continued to lounge in his seat without any other visible reaction.

"Hmph, is that so? Well, I'm happy to report that the kid is fine. The Eclipse Dragon cleared off the moment he sensed Shiva approaching. Or rather, someone ordered him to. Well, that God of Destruction of ours didn't actually do anything other than tell us that they were coming though." Indra answered the unspoken question with a wide grin.

"So, it's true that Shiva really knew of this Qlipoth's assault beforehand." Zeus said, not sounding like an accusation, but as a statement of facts.

"Well, the Trimurti have plenty of powers that no one else knows about. That really didn't surprise me at all." Indra said casually in response.

"Shall I continue? As I have said in the missive, the leaders of Qlipoth are Ahriman and Rizevim Livan Lucifer. The power of a Super Devil armed with an ability that allows him to negate the powers of all Sacred Gears is certainly dangerous, but it's Ahriman who concerns me. Just a few centuries ago, he and the rest of his pantheon were relatively insignificant. Any of us could have crushed them by ourselves. However, his powers have now grown to the point where he was able to press my brothers and me by himself. He claims to hold the same level of power as Shiva himself." Amaterasu continued her report.

There was more than one snort of derision at the last statement, to which Amaterasu smiled wryly.

"Yes, I have my doubts to that particular claim as well, but it is true that Ahriman is stronger than before. If it were only a matter of his raw power increasing, it would still be easy to deal with him, but he has found a way to use the Concepts he rules over to create a barrier capable of completely negating almost any attack. Any attacks capable of breaking through that barrier will be negated once he adjusts the ratio of the Concepts he used. So far, the only attack I have seen that can unconditionally break through Ahriman's Concept-infused barrier is Sirzechs Lucifer-dono's Power of Destruction."

This time, all eyes went to Sirzechs, who was rubbing his chin as he remembered the battle.

"Ah yes, come to think of it, Angra Mainyu did say something along those lines. How my Power of Destruction's innate Concept of Annihilation was of a higher authority than any of his Concepts." Sirzechs commented.

The leaders of the Factions who hadn't been at the scene all gained enlightened looks and nodded.

"Among all of the Concepts in existence, Annihilation is among the highest level, greater than even the Destruction that Shiva rules over. Only Creation is capable of matching and negating it. It's no surprise that Ahriman couldn't stop it, even with all of the Concepts of Darkness and Evil he ruled over." Odin noted.

Annihilation was different from Destruction. Destruction was a broad Concept, with many lesser Concepts under it. At its lowest, perhaps the only sign of it would be a tiny, unperceivable scratch, and at its greatest was capable of causing catastrophic damage. Destruction was basically the power to damage something and make it lesser than it had been before.

By human definition, Destruction was the act of causing so much damage to an object that it no longer existed, or was irreparable. However, that was false. After all, that was the human definition, the way that weak, powerless, short-sighted, narrow-minded humans viewed the world.

Destruction could be reversed even at the highest level, using its equal and opposite, Restoration, because all of the components that once comprised the target still existed in the material plane, no matter what form they took after Destruction had been applied. For instance, when a forest burned down, the trees did not simply vanish. They had been converted into a variety of products, such as ashes and gases. In other words, all that had once comprised the forest still existed. Yes, at that point, it would take a craftsman with the unattainable skill of a God or an actual God to put it back to the way it was, but the fact remained that the Restoration of the object which Destruction had been applied to was still very much possible.

Annihilation took it to the next level and, as its name would suggest, annihilated an object to the point where the entire object or components of it no longer existed. Restoration would not work because, like how a puzzle could not be completed without all of the pieces, an object could not be restored to the way it was before if even one component no longer existed on the mortal plane.

Even Creation, considered to be Annihilation's equal and opposite, was not a perfect counter to Annihilation's effects. To perfectly counter Annihilation, one would have to somehow bring what no longer existed back into existence, without a single discrepancy from before it was rendered into non-existence. That was something that not even a God was capable of doing, for not even a God could enter the realm of non-existence to reclaim what was lost.

Creation did not bring back the non-existent component. Instead, it could be used to create an identical component out of nothing that could be used in place of the old component. There was absolutely no difference between the new component and the old one that had been rendered into non-existence, not even to the most meticulous and divine of observers. However, it did not change the fact that the new component and old component were separate entities. Thus, even Creation could not be said to be a perfect counter to Annihilation.

Normally, not even the concept of Annihilation used by a lower being could do much to a higher being who stood far above them, Rias Gremory's failed attack against Kokabiel being a prime example, because they could not bring out Annihilation's full potential, but Sirzechs at his full power ranked in the Top 10, possessing power that even the strongest Gods could not offhandedly dismiss, and fully capable of bringing out Annihilation in its greatest form.

It was no wonder that Angra Mainyu could not find a way to counter it. He was a God of Darkness and Evil after all. Creation was not one of his domains.

"If that's the case, you shouldn't have had much trouble against Ahriman. Why did you not kill him there and then when you had the chance?" Odin asked, directing a piercing gaze at Sirzechs while carefully keeping any hint of accusation out of his tone.

"…Being in the middle of a human settlement, even with the barrier surrounding the battlefield, I was unable to take on my true form and use my full power without killing any and all humans nearby. Of course, he wasn't using his full power, since he didn't bother to assume his Full Divine Form either, but overcoming a God's divinity is not something that I'm capable of doing without my full power."

"Pft, a Devil protecting humans? Ridiculous. If you had simply used your full power and killed that little gnat, we wouldn't even need to have this discussion." Ra snorted derisively, a visible puff of air blowing forth from the olfactory organ on his upper beak, his voice dripping with sarcasm and hostility.

"Ra-dono, are you suggesting that I should have simply forgone the safety of an entire town to kill a single enemy? Horus-dono, surely you do not agree, being a patron of humanity?" Sirzechs immediately objected to Ra's callous suggestion and appealed to the other Egyptian God.

"…Unfortunately, Sirzechs-dono, I would agree with Ra-sama in this instance. It is because I am humanity's patron that I agree with him. The emergence of the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse would doubtlessly cause far more deaths among humans than you would have incurred with your full power. It may be cruel, but the sacrifice of a few would have guaranteed the safety of the rest of humanity." Horus said objectively, his tone completely neutral, holding none of the animosity of his fellow leader.

Sirzechs grimaced, but did not protest. Horus's argument was completely logical, without a single hint of bias.

"Adding on to that, this 'Qlipoth' wouldn't exist in the first place if it weren't for Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Sirzechs Lucifer, being the current leader of the Devils, is it not your fault for not keeping your kind in check, that we are in this mess in the first place?"

"Ra-dono, Sirzechs-dono cannot be blamed for Rizevim Livan Lucifer's actions. He has always been in conflict with the Current Maous, and fled from the Underworld the moment it looked like the reign of the Old Maous was about to come to an end, and did not reemerge until Qlipoth's attack." Michael immediately defended his fellow Biblical leader.

"Hmph, excuses. If you couldn't control him, then why didn't you just kill him? Surely a 'Super' Devil like yourself wouldn't have had any problem with just one opponent? And what about Heaven or the Grigori? Surely there were many opportunities to kill him during that Great War of yours? What other use is there for your Holy powers if not to kill Devils?" Ra continued to attack, this time expanding his focus to the rest of the Biblical Faction as well.

At this point, even the other leaders were beginning to frown at the zeal of the head Egyptian God.

"Ra, please refrain from making personal attacks on the Biblical leaders because of past events. Even we Gods are not capable of changing the past. We are here to discuss what we should be doing right now, in the present." Amaterasu cut in.

Ra turned an unhealthy shade of puce visible even under his feathers as he processed the veiled insult, the mostly true implication that he was only attacking the Biblical Faction because of his spat with the deceased YHWH.

"I agree with sunshine over there. We can play the blame after we avert this crisis. Unless of course, you think we can stop Ahriman and his groupies by making them die of laughter from watching us squabbling like clucking chickens." Indra said with a sneer towards Ra, placing extra emphasis on the last word.

The falcon-headed Egyptian God started shaking in anger in his seat at the double insult, but thankfully, the Supreme Buddha cut off whatever outburst he was about to make.

"In that case, what do you suggest we do? Even if each Faction were to prepare for another attack, Qlipoth's offensive capabilities are simply too diverse. There is no way to completely counter them." The Supreme Buddha brought up one of the problems that they would face while fighting Qlipoth.

Qlipoth's initial assault on the various Factions had been conducted by a single Evil Dragon and hundreds of their copies each. In other words, once the Factions had gotten used to their powers, it was easy enough to force them back. However, even then, each Faction, not counting the Hindu Faction, had taken great levels of damage that, while not catastrophic, had almost crippled their infrastructure.

And that was only a taste of Qlipoth's true power. They did not know who the members of Qlipoth were, aside from Ahriman, Rizevim, Euclid, Walburga and the Evil Dragons. Who knew just how numerous they were? There were surely many people in each Faction that were unhappy with the current state of the world and had joined up with them. If they really had a finger in every pie, it meant that their combat potential was not only massive, but diverse, so much that a single Faction, would have difficulty countering each and every single one.

"We have considered this problem as well. We have come to the conclusion that in order to counter Qlipoth, the power of a single Faction is not enough. However, we also cannot expect all Factions to mobilize and leave their territories unguarded. Therefore, we propose that a team, composed of powerful and trusted warriors from each Faction, be formed for the sole purpose of fighting Qlipoth." Sirzechs said, getting to the crux of the matter.

That certainly got all of their attentions.

"Oh? And exactly how would this team do that?"

"Our proposal is that this team be given the right to enter any of our territories to counter Qlipoth in the event of an attack. Naturally, this team is not meant to function as a single unit, as that would not allow them to counter Qlipoth should more than one location be attacked at a time. Rather, the closest members of this team will respond to an attack while the rest will remain on standby in the event of another simultaneous attack." Amaterasu said.

With the sole exception of Ra, who looked like he was on the verge of an aneurysm, the other Gods nodded.

"You all can't seriously be considering this!? That is nothing more than giving outsiders a foothold in our respective territories! I will not allow this travesty! " The falcon-headed God of the sun immediately spoke up.

"Ra."

The Egyptian God froze for an instant as he turned to regard the suddenly, paradoxically, frosty Shinto Goddess as she called his name.

"If you have no intention of contributing meaningfully to this conference, then leave. I'm sure you possess the utmost confidence that Aaru can defend itself against Qlipoth without assistance." Amaterasu stated with a cold glare, finally reaching the limit of her patience with the riotous God.

Ra twitched once, and then abruptly rose from his chair, which fell backwards with a clatter and stormed out of the room.

The moment the door shut behind him, Horus replaced the chair and sat down in it with the closest thing to an apologetic expression that could be shown with an avian head.

"My apologies for Ra-sama's behavior. I had a feeling that it was not a good idea to bring Ra-sama anywhere near the Biblical Faction, but I had hoped that he would be able to set his grudge aside for the greater good. Please let it be known that Ra-sama's opinions do not equate to Aaru's views as a whole." Horus said, directing an apology to the other leaders, but more to the Biblical leaders.

"There is no need to apologize. Can we assume that you will be speaking on behalf of Aaru in his place?"

"Yes. Atem-sama sent me in the event that Ra-sama was unable to negotiate properly."

"Atem huh? So, even your creator God, who left Aaru's affairs to his brethren and went into isolation, is worried about this." Zeus commented as he looked at Horus.

"Of course. Trihexa is a monster beyond monsters. Even the most elusive of the Top 10 would start to move if there is even a chance of it manifesting."

"Which brings me to my next point. What is to be done if Rizevim Livan Lucifer, or Ahriman himself participates in the attack? While I'm sure that the son of the original Lucifer does not possess the power to challenge an entire pantheon of Gods, Ahriman is a different story, if we are to believe his claim that he now possesses power on par with Shiva. And in the worst case scenario that we are unable to prevent Triehxa's revival, what can be done? Can anything be done?" The Supreme Buddha asked, bringing up the absolute worst case scenario that none of them wanted to even think about.

"Hmph, it's obvious, isn't it? If Trihexa is released, we're all screwed. Even Shiva says he doesn't think he would be able to win against that thing." Indra said with a pessimistic scowl.

The leaders of the other Factions seemed to agree with him. There was a huge gap between Great Red and Shiva, despite all of the God of Destruction's immense power. There was no conceivable way for Shiva to win by himself against a Great Red-level monster. It might be possible if all of the Faction leaders were to band together, but it was not a sure thing, and would definitely incur an unbelievably high number of casualties on their side.

They turned to look at Amaterasu, as though hoping that she, or the Biblical Faction leaders, had a solution.

"…Naturally, we would like to prevent the worst case scenario. Rizevim stated that Trihexa is currently sealed at 'The World's End', the resting ground for realms that have met their end. It is likely to be heavily guarded by Qlipoth, but if we can break through, we can reinforce YHWH's seals and make it harder for them to unseal Trihexa. At the very least, it'll buy us time to pick off Qlipoth's members one by one."

The other Faction leaders nodded uncertainly, seeing the logic in the plan, but not really feeling confident in it.

"However, in regards to fighting Ahriman, and to the worst case scenario in which Trihexa is unsealed, we have a trump card, which also happens to be the reason why we are certain that Qlipoth will not attempt another attack anytime soon, especially if they are already aware that we are having this conference."

They perked up at that.

"And what exactly is this trump card?" Odin asked for them.

"…The Infinite Dragon God, who is currently allied with…no, that's a bit inaccurate, currently a guest of the Shinto Faction." Amaterasu revealed.

Ophis's presence had been left out of the missives that had been sent out, to keep an ace up their sleeves to be used in precisely a situation like this.

Still, Amaterasu hoped that they were not being overly presumptuous and that this would not backfire on them. Despite her fancy words at the Kuou Conference, Ophis's alliance with the Shinto Faction was so tenuous that it might as well not exist. It was only because of Issei's presence that Ophis even acknowledged their existence.

Still, judging by the way the Gods had jolted in their seats, they had gotten the intended results.

The first to recover from their shock was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Supreme Buddha.

"The Ouroboros Dragon…may I ask how you have managed to accomplish such a feat when others have tried and failed for countless millennia?"

"Well, we didn't actually do anything. Ophis took an interest in my grandson. That's all." Amaterasu explained, though deciding to leave out the part about Ophis claiming Issei as her mate. That was a whole other level of awkwardness that she really didn't want to get into.

"Your grandson? Ah, the current Sekiryuutei. To garner the Infinite Dragon God's attention…your grandson must be quite an outstanding young man." The Supreme Buddha noted.

Amaterasu really hoped that her smile didn't look nearly as strained as she thought it was.

But, awkwardness of the situation aside, it looked like the other leaders were looking a good deal more hopeful than before, and certainly more receptive to their ideas.

"Now then, shall we begin our planning and negotiations then?"

---

Sirzechs sighed, partially in exhaustion, and partially in relief.

Once the conference was over, the artificial dimension was dismantled, and the leaders returned to their own realms to begin preparations.

Each Faction had already chosen who they intended to send to form the anti-Qlipoth team.

Michael was sending Dulio Gesualdo, the strongest exorcist as well as the current possessor of Zenith Tempest, the acknowledged second strongest Longinus Gear, and Griselda Quarta, one of the strongest female exorcists of all time.

The Archangel mentioned that he originally wanted to send Vasco Strada, the former exorcist who held the title of strongest before Dulio, or Ewald Cristaldi, the once premier swordsman of the Church, capable of wielding 3 Excalibur fragments at the same time with no problem. However, both of them were currently high-ranking officials in the Church, and were both needed to help maintain order in the wake of the Kuou Treaty and Qlipoth's attack. Apparently, the former had even said that with their aged bodies, they would only end up being hindrances.

Sirzechs almost laughed out loud at that. Vasco Strada was a monster in human flesh. He was the legendary exorcist who had been the previous wielder of Durandal, said to have been closest to matching Roland, the original wielder in power and skill. He had singlehandedly beaten Kokabiel down during World War 2. Even now in his old age of 87 and bereft of Durandal, Sirzechs felt that he was still capable of one-sidedly destroying any of the Ultimate-Class Devils and their equivalents in the other Factions, except for the Yondai-Maou's peerages and the Top 5 of the Rating Games, and a few more notable Devils.

Azazel had chosen Baraqiel, Vali Lucifer, and Tobio Ikuse, the current possessor of the Low-Tier Longinus, Canis Lykaon, in addition to Arthur and Le Fay Pendragon, who were loosely affiliated with the Grigori through the aforementioned Hakuryuukou.

There had been objections raised by some of the other leaders pertaining to Vali's participation, but they had managed to convince them that Vali had no loyalties to his insane grandfather and was even aiming to kill him himself.

Sirzechs chose to send Tannin, the legendary Dragon from Arabian folklore, a former Dragon King turned Ultimate-Class Devil and one of the Top 10 Rating Game players, as well as Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the 7th ranked in the Rating Games, and Sairoarg Baal, his own cousin and the heir of the Baal Clan, who was predicted to ascend to the highest ranks of the Rating Games the moment he was of age despite not inheriting his Clan's Power of Destruction.

The other leaders had questioned why he was not sending the other Rating Games top rankers, and Sirzechs had deflected them as best as he could. He could not possibly let others know of the darkness that surrounded the Rating Games.

Sirzechs also intended to send his peerage. Not all of them, but he intended to send his Rook, Surtr Second, a failed clone of the original Norse Fire Giant, his Bishop, MacGregor Mathers, one of the most famous magicians of all time, second only to the likes of Merlin and Morgana Le Fay, the co-founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the oldest and most influential magic associations still active, and his Pawn, Beowulf, a descendant of the legendary Geatish hero. Countering Rizevim's Sacred Gear Canceller was the reason he had painstakingly gathered non-Sacred Gear possessors for his peerage after all.

Zeus chose to send his daughter, Athena, as well as a number of Demigods, including a descendant of the legendary Hercules.

There had been reservations about letting other Gods into their territories, but it was agreed upon that now was not the time for such nonsense.

Odin was sending Gondul, as well as her granddaughter, Rossweisse, a rising star among Valkyries, and Siegfried, a descendant of the Nordic hero with the same name, and the wielder of the 5 Great Demonic Swords, Gram, Nothung, Balmung, Dainsleif and Tyrfing.

It had been a surprise to Michael that 'Chaos Edge' Siegfried, a former exorcist who had defected just two years ago, taking the 5 Great Demonic Swords with him, was now a member of the Norse Faction, but had chosen not to make an issue of it at this critical moment.

Horus was in a bit of a plight as to who to send. Unlike most of the other pantheons, the Egyptian Gods did not have Demigods. In fact, aside from the Gods themselves, Aaru did not have many fighters, which was why they had suffered the most during Qlipoth's assault. However, he assured that when it was time for the team to assemble and meet each other, he would have someone ready.

The Supreme Buddha named Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha who had journeyed with Suanzang Xuanzang, his descendant, Bikou, and one of the Dragon Kings, Yu Long. It was certainly heartening to have two of the five members of the legendary pilgrimage to India.

Indra's choices had been a shock to all of them. He had named the True Longinus possessor, Cao Cao, a descendant of the Chinese warlord who had borne the same name during the era of the Three Kingdoms, Georg, a descendant of the magician, Georg Faust, who had formed a contract with Mephisto Pheles, a legendary Devil who led the magician organization, Grauzauberer, and also the current possessor of Dimension Lost, a High-Tier Longinus, and Leonardo, the current possessor of Annihilation Maker, the other High-Tier Longinus.

The other leaders had protested the first candidate. One of Qlipoth's main goals was to acquire True Longinus, the last of the Holy Relics, after all. Rather than having him join the anti-Qlipoth team that would surely pit him against them, he should be protected.

However, Indra just laughed off all of their concerns and protests. He claimed that Cao Cao was not so weak that he would be captured so easily, and being the wielder of the only weapon capable of outright killing Gods, he should be a natural choice against Angra Mainyu.

The other leaders weren't exactly convinced, but they dropped the matter for the time being. Once Indra got an idea in his head, it was next to impossible to convince him to let it go, as they had experienced many times over the past few centuries, much to their exasperation.

Finally, from the Shinto Faction was, unsurprisingly, Issei. Without his presence, there was basically no hope of getting Ophis to help out. And aside from him, Susanoo also intended to join, along with Yasaka, the current leader of the Kyoto Youkais.

It was quite the roster, but Sirzechs wondered whether it would be enough to stop Rizevim.

The current Lucifer blinked when a small magic circle appeared on his desk.

From it, a tiny hologram of Azazel appeared.

"Sirzechs, I need to talk to you about something. I was meaning to tell you earlier, but we've all been a bit too busy."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember the SS-Rank Stray Devil, Kuroka?"

Sirzechs grimaced.

"A bit hard not to. She made herself quite memorable."

Kuroka was a former Nekoshou, a rare breed of Nekomata, possessing talent in both Youjutsu and Senjutsu. She was reincarnated into the Bishop of a certain prominent High-Class Devil, but she went berserk and killed her own master and the rest of the peerage and escaped, leaving behind a little sister.

She was immediately hunted down, but she easily killed any Devil who was sent after her. Thus, she was designated an SS-Rank Stray Devil, and never seen again.

Why was Azazel bringing her up now?

"There's more to her story than you think. Meet me in the human world. I'll explain there. Bring Grayfia if you must, but try to keep this on the down low." Azazel said before the magic circle disappeared right after.

Sirzechs blinked again. Well, that certainly was strange. But, if Azazel was serious about it, there must be something going on.

Sirzechs rose from his seat and prepared to leave when a rather inconspicuous letter on his desk caught his eye. How long had that been there?

His eyes widened when he saw who it was from.

Elizavetta Carmilla, one of the Vampires' leaders.

---

"Hmph, an alliance? With the other Factions? You must be joking. Father Odin can't seriously be considering this?" A silver-haired man with harsh blue eyes said to a blond man with green eyes.

"I admit, the Biblical Faction has a lot of guts suggesting this, seeing as it was one of their kind who was one of the masterminds behind the attack on Valhalla in the first place. However, since it's one of those damned Super Devils, even we can't afford to be careless. Those monsters are strong enough to kill even Gods like us." The blond man replied.

"Thor…you can't actually be supporting this?" The silver-haired man asked.

"We don't have a choice. I'm pissed off too, and no doubt, there are some in the other Factions who feel the same, but the threat of the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse is just too great. You understand, don't you, Loki? Even Ragnarok will seem like child's play compared to the chaos that thing could bring about." Thor, the Norse God of thunder among other domains, replied.

"…Tch!" Loki, the Norse God of trickery and deceit, clicked his tongue and stormed out of the room.

"…Throwing a tantrum and running out of the room, huh? How juvenile. For all of his supposed maturity, he's really just another spoiled child beneath."

"…The problem is whether that spoiled nature of his will end up being detrimental to us."

"You were here, Tyr? Well, I suppose you're right. Even though Father tells us to treat him normally, there's no way we could possibly lower our guard after knowing that he's the one prophesized to destroy us. Well, supposedly, he and Fenrir will be chained up before Ragnarok actually happens, but fate has a way of working against Gods. It's only natural that we prepare for the battle at any given moment." Thor spoke to the one-handed God who stepped out of the shadows.

"Your Mjolnir to kill Loki, and an enhanced Gleipnir to bind Fenrir, Siegfried's Gram to kill Midgarsormr…Though, we still don't have a way to counter the Jotuns, Surtr or Garm."

"Yes, those three certainly are troublesome. But, what worries me even more is the interference of external Factions."

"…You mean Qlipoth?"

"That's right. Loki might be one of their spies for all we know."

"I see. Is that the real reason you're supporting this alliance. Basically. Wouldn't it be nice if someone else were to avert Ragnarok for us?"

---

"Odin and Thor…those damn fools, rolling over for those outsiders…! And they still call themselves Gods!?" Loki raged as he slammed a fist into the wall next to him.

"You seem frustrated, Loki-dono."

Loki blinked and turned around to see a man with long silver hair not unlike his own and grey eyes, dressed in a suit, appearing from a magic circle.

He was definitely not a member of the Norse Faction

"And who might you be?"

"My name is Euclid Lucifuge, Loki-dono. I have a proposition for you."

---

And that's the end of this chapter. Definitely not my best work to date, but diplomacy has never been my thing.

As you can see, the anti-Qlipoth team that is known as DxD in canon has a different roster, though it should be fairly obvious why. Rias, Sona, their peerages and others like Irina are considerably weaker than they were when DxD was formed in canon, so they weren't considered. This may change once they're stronger.

I did not add Seekvaira because I have no idea what her and her peerage's powers are, other than her Queen being able to turn into a Dragon.

Sairoarg is still because even at this juncture, he's still an overpowered badass, even without his Balance Breaker.

Azazel is still currently the leader of the Grigori, so he can't actively join the team, so Baraqiel, who is still a Cadre, took his place.

I found a way to add the Vali team and most of the Hero Faction into the story. Probably not the most eloquent way, but the best one I could think of.

And naturally, the other Factions are sending in their own members too. One of the problems I had with the canon DxD was that other than Sun Wukong, Yu Long and Cao Cao, the other Factions did not send in any members despite the severity of the situation, i.e. the possible clash between Great Red and a monster of equal power that would destabilize all realms. So here, the major Factions are all sending in members.

This is where I need some help. I can't think of who to send from the Egyptian Faction, because like was stated above, the Egyptian Faction doesn't have any Demigods, and I can't find any Gods who are strong but not head Gods like Ra, Atem, Osiris, Horus, Isis, Set, etc. Suggest who should be sent to me, and I'll take your suggestions into consideration.

Next chapter is the Vampire Faction's debut.

That's all for now. As always, please read and review.