I'm back!
On with the story!
Issei's eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed…and immediately regretted doing so, dropping back down as every region of his body started aching.
He craned his head in his prone position, trying to get a good look around the room he was in.
He had been sleeping in a futon in a traditional Japanese room, complete with a tatami mat floor, bereft of any other furniture.
This…was definitely not his room in his Japanese style mansion.
Most likely, this was one of the many rooms in Takamagahara's main palace, judging by the sheer amount of familiar divine power in the air.
"Back again, huh?" Issei muttered to himself at the thought of being back in the home of his divine relatives.
His gaze dropped down to the futon he was lying in, and he blinked when he caught a head of black hair out of the corner of his eye.
He smiled when he realized it was Ophis, fast asleep, resting her head on her arms over his stomach.
He was surprised that his abrupt awakening hadn't woken her up too.
He gently patted her head, making sure not to disturb her slumber.
She would never deliberately attack him, but he had been on the receiving end of her attacks when she was suddenly shocked out of her sleep.
Odd, considering that she didn't actually need to sleep.
Anyway…what was he doing back on Takamagahara?
In fact, what the hell had he been doing before he fell asleep? Everything was a haze…
Then, he remembered.
The peace conference between the Biblical Faction and the Shinto Faction.
The attack by the terrorist organization Qlipoth.
The two Evil Dragons that had pushed both him and Vali to their limits, and inadvertently caused the part reconciliation between the past Sekiryuuteis and Hakuryuukous, as well as awakening a portion of Ddraige's and Albion's long thought lost powers.
And just when they thought the worst of it was over, the enemy leaders showed up to bring with them even greater despair.
Walburga, the current possessor of Incinerate Anthem. Euclid Lucifuge, Grayfia Lucifuge's younger brother who possessed power equivalent to hers. Rizevim Livan Lucifer, son of the original Morning Star and one of the three Super Devils.
And…Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian God of Evil.
And even the combined malice of the four of them could not compare to the one they intended to release.
Trihexa, 666, the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse, possessing power on par with the two Ultimate Dragons.
YHWH had sealed it away long ago just prior to the Biblical Creator's demise during the Great War, costing him his own divinity in the process.
Then, they fought.
Even Issei and Vali, and later, Issei, Michael and Azazel, working together could barely put a dent in Rizevim, only giving him superficial injuries that the son of Lucifer quickly recovered from.
The Shinto Trinity fought against Angra Mainyu, who had grown so powerful that even the three of them could barely match him, only gaining the advantage when Sirzechs joined the battle.
Serafall Leviathan fought Walburga, throwing opposing elements against each other, and the Lucifuge siblings clashed, showing the amount of power and skill that they had gained over centuries' worth of battles, annihilating the school grounds in the process, which Issei was sure that Sona would not be very happy about.
Things started going horrendously wrong once Issei, Michael and Azazel had been defeated, allowing Rizevim to join Angra Mainyu in fighting the Shinto Trinity and Sirzechs, ruining their advantage.
Then, the Yasakani-no-Magatama that Michael had returned to the Shinto Faction activated, allowing Issei to manifest a poor facsimile of his grandfather's Divine Avatar, and Issei managed to score the first clean and serious blow that Rizevim had taken during the entire battle.
Unfortunately, that also had the effect of pissing the Super Devil off to the point where he was going to kill him, and it was only with Ophis's timely intervention that he was saved.
And now, Qlippoth knew of Ophis's presence and affiliation with the Shinto Faction, and by extension, with the Allied Factions, and would definitely search for a way to counter her.
And as powerful as Ophis was, even she wasn't completely immune to the weaknesses that her race bore.
Few were the things that were actually capable of harming her, but they existed nonetheless.
Issei's grip tightened around the sheets.
He had lost.
He had lost!
How could he have lost!?
Was he not the grandson of the Lady of the Sun and the Tempestuous Spirit!?
Was he not the wielder of Futsu-no-Mitama, the weapon of Takemikazuchi and the First Emperor of the Land of the Sun!?
Was he not the current possessor of Boosted Gear, one of the 13 Longinus Gears, and the Strongest Sekiryuutei to date!?
Was he…not Ophis's chosen mate!?
How could the likes of a mere Devil, no matter how powerful, have beaten him!?
Sparks of black lightning and flames began to ignite in his palms, almost setting his sheets alight, had Ophis not woken up at that moment and broken him out of his angst.
Orbs of dark grey stared at him unblinkingly.
"…Issei…okay?" Ophis asked brokenly, expressing her concern for his wellbeing.
He gently patted her head.
"Sore as hell, but other than that, I'm fine." Issei replied with a wry smile.
"Everything except my pride, anyway."
"…Mm." Ophis responded before burying her head in his chest.
"How long have I been out?"
"Two weeks, give or take."
Issei looked up to see his divine grandfather standing at the door, a stormy, no pun intended, expression on his face.
"Get up."
"What?"
"I said get up, brat! We're resuming training right now!" Susanoo roared, an action that was immediately followed by thunderous rumbling outside, no doubt the result of the storm clouds that had gathered overhead, unconsciously formed by the tempestuous God.
"We lost! We lost to an upstart brat of a God and a bat-winged moron! We, the monarchs of this land!" Susanoo continued to rant, triggering even more rainfall, thunder and lightning outside.
Issei froze at the sheer rage on his grandfather's face.
This was not the playful mock anger that they showed to each other.
Susanoo was really fucking pissed.
And Issei felt the same way.
A scowl growing on his face, Issei gently lifted a lightly pouting Ophis off of him and rose to his feet, ignoring his body's protests.
"What are we waiting for?" Issei growled as he marched towards his grandfather, who nodded in furious approval.
The two of them made their way towards Takamagahara's expansive training grounds…
…Well, at least, they were going to.
But, they had barely taken three steps out of the room when they were knocked face first onto the ground by strong slaps to the back of their heads.
"Good grief. Why did Susanoo's temperament have to be passed down to you as well?"
Issei rolled over to see Amaterasu standing over them, pinching her temples as though she was having a migraine.
Beside her was her husband/brother, Tsukuyomi, with a deadpan expression on his regal features.
"Did you at least inform him of what has been happening since the peace conference?" The leader of the Shinto Faction asked as she fixed her youngest brother with a stern gaze.
"Tch." Susanoo clicked his tongue, which was all the answer they needed.
"Ha...Two days ago, the leaders of all of the Factions that were attacked by Qlipoth held a meeting to discuss what to do about Ahriman and his allies."
"A meeting? Between all of the major Factions of the world? And said world hasn't come to an end yet?" Issei asked incredulously, not a hint of joking in his voice despite his grandiose words.
The Factions of the world weren't exactly on friendly terms with each other.
The Egyptian Faction and the Biblical Faction had their notorious enmity from the time YHWH had crushed Ra and tormented Egypt with the Ten Plagues until the then Pharaoh had allowed Moses and the Israelites to leave his land unimpeded.
And it wasn't exactly the best kept secret in the world that most of the other Factions detested the Biblical Faction, the Buddhas, and the Hindu Faction, which held the largest number of modern day believers, causing a weakening in the faith that the Gods of other Factions received.
It was a miracle that they hadn't torn each other to shreds over these age-old grudges.
The Lady of the Sun, ever the image of poise and eternal gracefulness, rolled her molten gold eyes rather impetuously.
"With all the unresolved tension between the Factions and high tempers after Qlipoth's attacks, we already knew that it was a bad idea for us to go personally. We Gods sent powerless avatars instead." Amaterasu explained.
"Sure didn't stop old bird brain from picking a fight with Sirzechs and Michael though." Susanoo noted with a sneer that didn't seem to be directed to anyone currently present.
"Old bird brain?"
"He's talking about Ra." Tsukuyomi supplied.
"The Egyptian Head God? So, as expected, he still holds a grudge about the whole Ten Plagues affair, huh?"
"We had hoped that he would be professional enough to put his grievances aside for the sake of combating the greater threat, but evidently, he isn't that mature. Thankfully, Atem-dono had the foresight to send Horus-dono, who proved to be far more reasonable."
Issei vaguely recalled Atem to be the Progenitor of the Egyptian Faction, who had ceded his position as Head God to Ra before secluding himself a long, long time ago.
Well, the situation was definitely dire enough for a Progenitor to act.
"Anyway, as a result of our discussions, we have decided to form an Anti-Qlipoth team consisting of members from each Faction. This team will be given free rein to act within the territories of the participating Factions, and will be the main responders to Qlipoth's attacks."
"Those hardheaded traditionalists are actually letting outsiders into their territories? You sure you weren't talking to imposters?"
"Well, they were definitely rather unsupportive of the idea at first, but…we managed to persuade them."
"How?" Issei asked curiously.
When the Shinto Trinity suspiciously averted their gaze from him, Issei felt a pit of cold forming in his stomach.
"…What? What did you do?" Issei asked a bit more shrilly than before.
"…We…had to reveal Ophis's presence."
Issei stared at his divine relatives at the moment, unsure of whether to explode at them or not.
"You…essentially just put a giant target marker on Ophis's back." Issei said very calmly.
"Bah, she's the Infinite Dragon God. I'm sure she can handle a little bit of attention." Susanoo tried to sound flippant, but anyone could tell that even he wasn't too sure about that.
"I truly am sorry, Issei, but this was the only way to get the other Factions on board with us." Amaterasu said with a sincerely apologetic expression.
Issei breathed in and out, trying to suppress the surge of anger welling up inside him.
There was no way in hell that the other Factions were all smiles about Ophis's affiliation with the four Allied Factions.
Maybe some of them, those who advocated peace among the Factions, but most of them were probably plotting behind their backs.
They just kept up the façade, because her power was needed, both as a deterrent against Qlipoth, and in case the worst case scenario could not be prevented, and Trihexa was released.
However, they would definitely look for a way to deal with her while they fought against Qlipoth, and once the threat of Trihexa had been neutralized, they would show their true colors.
That meant that it wasn't just Qlipoth that Issei had to be worried about.
Essentially, the rest of the supernatural world had become their enemies.
Even though…Ophis didn't even have any interest in conflict in the first place, only ever desiring peace and quiet.
…There was no point in getting angry. He couldn't change what had already happened.
The only thing he could now was get stronger, strong enough to protect Ophis from anyone who wished to do her harm.
"…So, who will we be sending?" Issei asked evenly, trying to keep a lid on his anger.
"Issei, you and Susanoo, as well as my Aspect, Yasaka of the Kitsune Clan, will be our main representatives. I expect that the first meeting will be conducted soon." Amaterasu explained, eager to get the conversation back on track after the little detour.
Issei's mind conjured the image of a bewitchingly beautiful young woman with golden hair and eyes, a voluptuous figure, dressed in a miko's attire, with two golden-furred vulpine ears atop her head and nine luxurious flowing golden-furred tails extending from her tailbone.
Yasaka, a Kyuubi-no-Kitsune born of the main family of the Kitsune Clan, evidenced by their possession of nine tails since birth, the current leader of said Clan, as well as the current leader of all of Japan's Youkais, mainly based in Kyoto, appointed by Amaterasu herself, and was thus the current regulator of Japan's leylines, the largest of which lay beneath the ancient capital.
She was a direct descendant of Kazue, the first leader of the Youkais to be appointed by the Lady of the Sun, and the first to be granted an Aspect of Amaterasu's power.
As Issei had once explained briefly to Michael, several centuries ago, near the end of the Heian period, when the mortal realm and the supernatural realm had yet to be separated from each other, Youkais ran amok and tormented humans.
Takamagahara responded to the humans' plight by gathering benevolent Youkais, those who held no enmity towards humans, and entrusting them with the duty of suppressing their more belligerent kin alongside the Onmyouji Clans, led by Abe-no-Yasuchika.
Chief among them were Kazue, the then leader of the Kitsune Clan, and Nurarihyon, the leader of the infamous Hyakki Yakko.
Of course, at the time, the benevolent Youkais and Onmyoujis were heavily outnumbered by the malevolent Youkai, led by the Great Tengu, Emperor Sutoku, the king of Oni Youkai, Shuten-Doji, and the bewitching golden-furred, white-faced Kyuubi-no-Kitsune, Tamamo-no-Mae, who was incidentally the exiled younger sister of Kazue's grandmother, the leader of the Kitsune Clan two generations before.
Thus, to increase their combat prowess, Takamagahara granted them the three leaders the use of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan, Yata-no-Kagami to Kazue, the six Yasakani-no-Magatama to Abe-no-Yasuchika, and Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi to Nuraruhyon.
However, in addition to the Three Imperial Regalia, the Shinto Trinity also granted the three leaders a small portion of their powers, turning them into Aspects, conduits through which they could interact with the mortal world without leaving Takamagahara.
Kazue became Amaterasu's Aspect, Abe-no-Yasuchika became Tsukuyomi's, and Nurarihyon became Susanoo's.
The Great Youkai War of Japan, during which Abe-no-Yasuchika had met his end, upon which Tsukuyomi reclaimed the power that had been lent to the Onmyouji leader, ended with the benevolent Youkais' and Onmyouji's victory, after which the Three Imperial Regalia were returned to Takamagahara.
However, Kazue and Nurarihyon continued to act as Amaterasu's and Susanoo's Aspects.
Amaterasu then named Kazue the leader of the unified Youkais, and charged her with managing the powerful leyline that lay beneath Kyoto, using its vast power to veil Japan's supernatural realm from the mortal realm.
Since then, Kazue's bloodline had been charged with the same duty upon the passing of the previous leader, inheriting the power Amaterasu had granted her along with the position.
Yasaka was the eighth generation leader of the Youkais, and the one who currently acted as Amaterasu's aspect.
Being one of the only three Shinto demigods, Issei knew her, and her daughter and heiress apparent, Kunou, being something of an older sister figure to him.
But…
"Is that okay? Don't we need Yasaka-hime to remain in Kyoto to regulate the leyline and maintain the veil?"
Needless to say, Kunou was far too young and inexperienced to be taking up such an important role. Issei was almost twice her age, and he was still in schooling.
"It's not like it's something that only she can do. I'll perform the task in her place when she is not around." Tsukuyomi said.
Issei nodded to himself.
Among the Shinto Gods, Tsukuyomi was the one of the most proficient at manipulating the mystical forces. He was certainly well-suited for the job.
"What about the other Factions? Do we know who they'll be sending?"
"Michael-dono will be sending Dulio Gesualdo, the current possessor of Zenith Tempest and Griselda Quarta, the strongest female exorcist."
Issei had never heard of the latter, but the former, he knew a bit about.
Despite his young age, Dulio Gesualdo was acknowledged as the current strongest exorcist still in active duty, and was frequently sent to hunt down Stray Devils and other monsters.
"Azazel will be sending Baraqiel, Ikuse Tobio, the current possessor of Canis Lykaon, and your rival, naturally."
Issei nodded.
From what he had seen of the short interactions between Vali and Rizevim, the former held undying hatred towards the latter, and wanted nothing more than to see him dead, preferably at his hands.
And Ikuse Tobio…he was someone well known to the Shinto Faction.
He was a descendant of the Himejima Clan, one of the Five Great Onmyouji Clans that served under the Shinto Faction, making him a blood relation of Himejima Akeno.
Second cousins, if he remembered their family tree correctly.
He was the current possessor of Canis Lykaon, one of the 13 Longinus Gears, which had been sealed by his grandmother at birth using an ancient ritual, but was later released through unknown means by Azazel.
A few years ago, he had been pivotal in stopping and dismantling the Utsusemi Agency, an organization formed by exiled members of the Five Great Onmyouji Clans to destroy said Clans using the 'Four Fiends' Sacred Gears.
After that incident, he declined an offer to rejoin the Himejima Clan through marriage to the heiress apparent, Himejima Suzaku, and became an official member of the Grigori. Since then, he had been under the radar, only popping up every now and then, until now.
If he was as strong as the members of the Five Great Onmyouji Clans that had personally witnessed his power said…then, he was definitely someone Issei wanted to meet.
"Also, Vali Lucifer's friends, Arthur Pendragon, descendant of the King of Camelot, and his little sister, Le Fay Pendragon, will be participating as well."
Issei cocked an eyebrow.
The words 'Vali' and 'friends' didn't usually go in the same sentence.
The battle maniac probably didn't have many friends, and two of them were the descendants of the legendary wielder of Excalibur?
"Sirzechs-dono will be sending three members of his own peerage, Surtr Second, a failed copy of the Norse Fire Giant, MacGregor Mathers, the founder of the magician's organization, Golden Dawn, and Beowulf, a descendant of the original slayer of Grendel, along with Tannin, a former Dragon King, Rudiger Rosenkreutz, one of the Rating Games top 10 rankers, and Sairoarg Baal, the heir of the Baal Clan."
Now that was quite the roster. Three members of Lucifer's peerage, a former Dragon King, an Ultimate-Class Devil, and the heir of the Clan of the Great King?
Sirzechs was certainly taking this very seriously.
"Zeus-dono intends to send his daughter, Athena-dono, as well as a group of Greek Demigods, one of whom is a descendant of his own son, Heracles."
Issei blinked. The Greek Goddess of war tactics and wisdom, and a descendant of the legendary hero, renowned as the strongest of all Greek heroes? Interesting choices.
"Odin-dono will be sending Gondul, one of the oldest Valkyries, Rossweisse, her granddaughter, and a descendant of Siegfried, the original slayer of the Gigantis Dragon Fafnir, and the current wielder of the 5 Great Demonic Swords."
Even the highly secluded Shinto Faction had heard of Gondul, one of the premier magic users in the world who isn't a God. If her granddaughter had the same level of talent that she did, it would certainly help.
Issei wasn't too sure about the last member from the Norse Faction though.
Demonic Swords weren't quite as selective about their wielders as Holy Swords, but they generally looked for one or both of two requisites: talent and malice.
What did that say about someone who was capable of wielding not one, not two, but all 5 Great Demonic Swords, acknowledged as the 5 strongest Demonic Swords, at once?
Furthermore, while Demonic Swords weren't as selective as Holy Swords, all known Demonic Swords exacted some sort of price on their wielder, whether they knew it or not.
The price could be anything, but it was commonly either the wielder's life force, or their sanity.
Issei really hoped that this descendant of the Nordic hero was not some hot-headed, mentally unstable berserker, unable to discriminate between friend and foe, like the image his brain was cooking right now.
If the pacifistic Odin had sent him, then surely he must be a fairly reasonable person?
"Horus-dono…well, he's in a bit of a conundrum. Among all of the participating Factions, the Egyptian Faction is probably the smallest. It's because of their small numbers that they suffered the most during Qlipoth's attack. However, he does intend to at least send Sehkmet-dono."
Issei nodded. That was in line with what he had known beforehand.
Unlike most other Factions, the Egyptian Faction was lacking in numbers outside of their Gods.
The Greek Faction had their Demigods, the Norse Faction had their Valkyries, the Hindu Faction had their Asuras, Rakshasas and Yakshas, the Buddhas had several famous warriors, the Shinto Faction had Onmyoujis and Youkais, and the Biblical Faction was the biggest among all of the Factions.
The only fighters that the Egyptian Faction had were probably only their magicians, and while they numbered in the hundreds, the only ones who had mastered the extremely complicated Egyptian magic system to a degree capable of allowing them to match the powerful fighters of other Factions probably numbered less than two dozen. And likely, half, or maybe more, of them died during the attack.
And worse for them, most of their Gods were not suited for combat. The only ones he knew had any combat capacity were Set and Sekhmet, both war deities, Ra, who constantly fought against Apophis in the past, and Horus, who once fought Set for kingship.
No wonder they were in a pinch. Maybe this alliance was a boon to them, since the Anti-Qlipoth team would be the first responders to an attack, and they would be able to save their diminished numbers.
"Next, the Buddhas are planning to send the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Sun Wukong, his descendant, Bikou, and the Dragon King, Jade Dragon Yu Long."
Now those were some familiar and very famous names. Sun Wukong and Yu Long, the monkey demon-turned-Buddha and the Dragon King who accompanied Suanzang Xuanzang on his pilgrimage to retrieve Buddhist scriptures from India.
Both were exceptionally powerful, with Sun Wukong being able to match some of the strongest Gods in the world, and Yu Long being on par with Yasaka.
And a descendant of the Victorious Fighting Buddha himself? If he was anything like his ancestor, he would be a reliable fighter.
"And finally, from the Hindu Faction…Well, their choices are very troubling. They intend to send the Cao Cao, a descendant of the Chinese warlord, Georg, a descendant of the magician who formed a contract with Mephisto Pheles, and a boy named Leonardo. They are also possessors of True Longinus, Dimension Lost and Annihilation Maker respectively."
Issei's jaw almost unhinged itself. The possessors of three of the four High-Tier Longinus Gears were all members of the Hindu Faction?
And furthermore…
"You did tell them that Qlipoth is after True Longinus, right? Rather than having him join the team, wouldn't it be safer to put him under protection?"
"Yes, that is what we and the other leaders have been trying to tell Indra-dono, but that stubborn fool insists that he is not so weak that he would be captured easily, and considering that Ahriman is a God, the God-Slaying Spear would be the perfect weapon against him."
"Well…can't exactly argue against that, but does a human really stand any chance of defeating a God as powerful as Ahriman?"
"…Maybe 1 in a million chance. If he has obtained Balance Breaker…maybe 1 in 10000, if he's lucky enough to not be killed at the start."
Issei nodded.
There was a reason why there was no incident of a God being killed by True Longinus.
Sacred Gears were created to be used by humans, responding to their strong desires and emotions. The stronger the desire, the greater the degree to which the Sacred Gear responded.
However, no matter how great a human's desire was, the gap between a human and a God was just too massive.
Gods were capable of planet-shattering, reality-warping feats that humans didn't even have the capacity to dream of.
Even if a human possessed the legendary God-Slaying Spear, it didn't mean much if a God simply reduced them to a pile of ashes from the other side of the world, or from a different dimension altogether.
Humans were not capable of defeating Gods.
That was practically an absolute law of nature.
For a human to kill a God would require nothing short of a miracle, and maybe not even then.
"We are still trying to convince him to pull the True Longinus possessor out, but for now, it appears that he will be joining the Anti-Qlipoth team." Amaterasu concluded with an exasperated sigh.
The Lady of the Sun looked truly haggard, with her normally silky ebony locks looking slightly dried out, her tired molten gold eyes, and her usual radiance diminished.
Issei wondered just how much work the leaders had been doing in the wake of Qlipoth's attack.
"And now we have one more thing to worry about too…"
"Hm? What's that?"
"Sirzechs-dono just reported that he has received a missive from one of the leaders of the isolated Vampire Faction, asking for help from the Four Allied Factions."
"…And you swear that what you have told me is the absolute truth." Sirzechs asked the voluptuous black-haired woman with yellow cat-like eyes, two black-furred cat ears atop her head, decorated with an ornate kanzashi, two feline tails of the same coloration extending from her tailbone, dressed in a loosely worn black kimono tied with a yellow obi and golden beads, who was sitting opposite him.
"Yes, I would swear it on my mother's grave, nya." Kuroko, an SS-Rank Stray Devil that had been on the run for years, and the older sister of his little sister's Rook, Toujou Koneko, formerly Shirone, replied.
Sirzechs knew then that she was 100% serious.
Kuroka was flippant about many things, but from what he knew of her, family was one of the few things that she did not joke about.
The Crimson Lucifer was seated at an outdoor table of a café situated in the heart of Kuou Town, along with Azazel and Kuroka, cloaked and hidden from the perception of nearby humans.
It had been a big surprise to learn that Kuroka had been seeking refuge with the Grigori all these years, and an even bigger surprise to learn the truth behind the incident she had caused.
Almost a full decade ago, Kuroka had been an orphaned Nekoshou, along with her little sister, Shirone.
Her parents had died, her father just before Shirone had been born, and her mother in childbirth.
They grew up on the streets of Lilith, the current capital of the part of the Underworld ruled by Devils, barely getting by by stealing food from local stores and money from passing Devils.
Then, they were finally caught red-handed by Halia Dantalion, the heir of the Dantalion Clan of the 72 Pillars, and a prominent member of the Devils' society.
Instead of turning them in, or just outright killing them like most Devils would have done, Halia instead offered Kuroka a home for the two Nekoshou sisters in exchange for her becoming a member of his peerage.
Wanting a better life for her little sister, Kuroka accepted, and was reincarnated into a Devil using both of Halia's Bishop Pieces.
For a year, everything seemed to be fine. Kuroka was a Nekoshou, a species of Youkai that naturally excelled at using Youjutsu, and possessed considerable talent at using magic as well, making her a very powerful Devil.
However, one day, while trying to use the Senjutsu that her species was highly valued for being one of the few species capable of naturally using, she went berserk and slaughtered Halia and the rest of his peerage.
She escaped, leaving her little sister behind to be persecuted for her crimes, and killing any Devils who came after her, earning her the designation of an SS-Rank Stray Devil.
At least, that was what the official story was.
But, from what Kuroka had just told him, Halia was crueler and much more unscrupulous than he appeared.
The Dantalion Clan had always been known for their inquisitive nature, especially in the area of bodily modifications.
However, to learn that Halia Dantalion, who had always been thought to be a kind and fair master, had actually been conducting highly unethical and borderline illegal experiments on his own peerage to increase their power and force absolute obedience…it was certainly a shock.
Kuroka herself had been spared, because she was strong enough that she could stop him with contemptible ease if he ever tried to do the same to her.
Unfortunately, that led him to attempt to experiment on Shirone instead, trying to get her to use Senjutsu so that he could conduct research on it and harness its powers.
Kuroka had not gone berserk when she used Senjutsu like everyone believed. She had been able to ignore the malice and ill will that permeated the world because of her incredibly strong will power, but Shirone was just a child at the time, even by human standards.
If she had attempted to use Senjutsu at the time, she would have doubtlessly lost control and destroyed everything around her, herself included.
Thus, to save her little sister, Kuroka killed her master and the rest of the unwillingly obedient peerage, and was forced to go on the run.
Sirzechs had asked her why she had not taken her little sister with her, and she replied that unlike her, who was akin to an independent stray cat that preferred wandering around, Shirone was more of a domesticated house cat that needed a stable home.
She willingly left her little sister behind, knowing that she would likely be persecuted for her crimes, because she was certain that Sirzechs, as kind as he was, would surely save her from any injustice, and being the infamous siscon that he was, would leave Shirone in the care of his little sister, a member of the Gremory Clan that was well known for treating their servants like family.
It was slightly embarrassing that she had such a good grasp of his personality.
Now then…what to do?
Frankly speaking, he would like nothing more than to welcome her back into the Devils' ranks, especially with the crisis they were facing.
She was already stronger than most High-Class Devils, though Sirzechs hesitated to call her Ultimate-Class and put her on the same level as the Maous' peerage and the Rating Games' top rankers.
It would be reassuring to have her on their side.
However, he couldn't exactly just give her a full pardon, as much as he wanted to.
The Progressive Faction would probably be fine with it, but it was the Traditionalists he was worried about.
The Traditionalists highly valued Pure Blood Devils, and looked down on Reincarnated Devils as less than trash. If a Reincarnated Devil like Kuroka accused of murdering a Pure Blood Devil like Halia were pardoned of the crime, the Traditionalists would definitely cause an uproar.
Especially since Kuroka actually did kill Halia. She had admitted as much herself. Whatever the motive was, the Traditionalists would want to see her punished.
And the last thing Sirzechs needed right now was to give them an excuse to go running off to join up with Rizevim.
"Oh, Sirzechs, don't get us wrong. I didn't call you out here to listen to her story so that you would take her back. I just wanted clear the air, since I'll be sending Kuroka to join the Anti-Qlipoth team too." Azazel cut in, as though he had read Sirzechs's mind.
That…wasn't exactly a perfect solution either.
The Traditionalists would definitely take offense that the Grigori was sheltering one of their criminals.
Despite the treaty, the peace between the Three Biblical Factions was extremely fragile. Countless millennia of hatred would not dissipate in an instant.
The leaders were the ones who were most painfully aware of this.
An incident like this had the potential to break down relations between the Devils and the Grigori.
Still…conflict between Devils and Fallen Angels was nothing new. Sad as it was to say, all parties involved were pretty much used to it. And it was definitely better than having to deal with internal strife.
"…I understand. Thank you, Azazel." Sirzechs said to his fellow leader.
"Sure. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the other matter. Kuroka, you head back to headquarters first."
"Okay, nya!" The former Nekoshou said with a wide Cheshire Cat-like grin as she rose from her seat with a certain spring in her step.
"Lucifer-chin, make sure to set up a meeting between Shirone and me! I want to see how my little sister is doing!" Kuroka declared, clearly not giving him any room for argument.
"…Of course." Sirzechs replied, not quite sure how to deal with her exuberance.
"Okay, bye bye~!" Kuroka purred as the space around her distorted and warped, swallowing her into the discontinuity before it settled and returned to normal.
That wasn't a typical method of teleportation. Was it an application of Senjutsu?
"So, is it true, Sirzechs? Elizavetta Carmilla really sent you a request for help?" Azazel asked the moment Kuroka vanished from sight, his expression now very serious.
That was just how unusual the situation was.
The Vampire Faction, based in an isolated portion of Romania completely inaccessible to humans, was notoriously secluded.
At first glance, their society did not seem much different from Devils', but there were many glaring differences, the main of which was their complete and absolute disdain for all other species.
While proud and aloof, even the most traditional of Devils were willing to interact with other species if the situation called for it.
Vampires took it to an extreme. They took so much pride in their pure lineage that any Vampire with so much as a modicum of blood of other species mingling in their veins were highly discriminated against, treated even worse than most Traditionalist Devils treated their servants.
His little sister's first Bishop could attest to that fact.
It was strange that they would request for aid from another species like the Devils considering their incredible pride and arrogance.
Just what was going on with the Vampires?
A few centuries ago, an argument broke out among the Pure Blood Vampires over whether to follow a male or a female True Ancestor, Vampires which belonged to the oldest, royal Vampire bloodline.
Thus, a schism occurred, and the Vampires' society split into the patriarchal Tepes Faction and the matriarchal Carmilla Faction.
Why was the head of the Carmilla Faction asking for help?
"Actually…they only explicitly requested for one person. My little sister's first Bishop, Gasper Vladi-kun."
"…The kid with Forbidden Balor View? The one that your council ordered to be sealed away because he couldn't control it?"
"That's him."
Rias's first Bishop, Gasper Vladi, was the Dhamphir, half-human and half-Vampire, son of the head of the Vladi Clan, a Pure Blood Vampire Clan under the rule of the Tepes Faction, who escaped from years of constant abuse, and was subsequently killed by Vampire hunters who were lying in wait for any Vampire that left the safety of their territory. Rias happened to be in the area, and reincarnated him with a Bishop Mutation Piece.
On a side note, Mutation Pieces were rare Evil Pieces that only 1 in 10 Devils would acquire.
Evil Pieces possessed certain 'values' depending on the King's own power, the same type of 'values' that all living beings possessed, depending on their own power. For an Evil Piece to successfully reincarnate a being into a Devil, the 'value' of the Evil Piece used must be equivalent to or above that of the being.
As a King's power grew, so did the 'value' of their unused Pieces.
Pawns rated the lowest, Knights and Bishops were equivalent to 3 Pawns each, Rooks were equivalent to 5 Pawns each, and Queens were equivalent to 9 Pawns each.
For example, a certain Devil's Pawns' 'value' may equate to a theoretical value of 100 each, their Knights and Bishops equivalent to 300 each, their Rooks 500 each, and their Queen 900.
Furthermore, it was possible to use more than one Piece on the same being, using their added total 'values', though they needed to be of the same type. A Reincarnated Devil could not be a Knight and a Bishop, or a Queen and a Pawn at the same time.
However, if the one they intended to reincarnate possessed a 'value' of more than 1000, the highest 'value' achievable by aforementioned Devil by using both Rook Pieces, worth 500 each, naturally, it wouldn't work.
Mutation Pieces possessed 'values' that were much greater compared to their 'normal' counterparts. For example, in the possession of the aforementioned Devil, a Mutated Pawn Piece may possess a 'value' of 10000 or even 100000 compared to a normal Pawn's 100.
That was how his sister, barely into her teens at the time, was able to reincarnate Gasper despite him possessing a 'value' greatly exceeding that of her normal Bishop Piece at the time.
Of course, just because Rias had a Mutation Piece didn't mean she could control Gasper's power.
If anything, the fact that a Mutation Piece was required was proof that Gasper's power probably exceeded Rias's at the time, and perhaps even now.
Forbidden Balor View was Gasper's Sacred Gear, and presumably the reason why his 'value' was so high. It was a rare Sacred Gear that allowed him to halt the 'time' of anything and everything in his field of vision, provided that he had the power to do so.
However, years of physical and emotional abuse had taken its toll on Gasper, making him emotionally unstable, and thus, unable to control his Sacred Gear, which responded to strong emotions.
The littlest things would set him off and cause him to inadvertently activate Forbidden Balor View.
Eventually, it became clear that neither he nor Rias could keep it under control, and the high echelons of the Devils ordered that he be sealed away until Rias gained enough power to control him, or he learned how to control it himself.
"That's pretty strange. Why are they only requesting help from just one person, a half breed Vampire that they so detest, no less?" Azazel questioned.
He had a point.
Though they were opposing Factions, the Carmilla Faction had the same view on half breeds that the Tepes Faction did.
Why were they requesting the aid of a Dhamphir like Gasper?
Sirzechs did not think Gasper was all that strong. His Forbidden Balor View was strong enough to halt the time of most High-Class Devils, even talented ones like Rias, but those with enough power could completely shrug off its effects.
Did they know something about Gasper that they didn't?
"So, what are you gonna do, Sirzechs?"
"Hm…for now, it appears that the Carmilla Faction will be sending a messenger to explain the situation to us. Let's hold off on the decision until after."
"And when is that messenger coming?"
"It appears that they will arrive tonight, at Kuou Academy." Sirzechs replied, sighing internally.
Kuou Academy again? Kokabiel used it as a stage in his attempt to start another Great War, Qlipoth completely destroyed it in their attack not two weeks ago, and now, the Vampires wanted to meet them there? That school must have been constructed on cursed grounds or something.
Night fell over Kuou Town, and with it, came a tense atmosphere permeating the grounds of the mostly devastated Kuou Academy, closed right after Qlipoth's attack, giving the excuse of catastrophic structural damage to any normal person asking, which wasn't exactly a lie, where Sirzechs, Azazel, Michael and Amaterasu awaited the arrival of the Carmilla Faction's messenger.
The only part of the school that was still standing was the old school building, located far away enough from the main grounds to escape mostly unscathed.
Which was a good thing too. Otherwise, they might have lost the only bargaining chip they had at the moment against the Vampires.
Speaking of said bargaining chip…
"…Gasper-kun, the sun has set. I think it will be fine for you to come out of there now." Sirzechs said as he turned his head to look down at the ground to his right.
Or more specifically…the cardboard box that lay on the ground to his right.
Even more specifically…his little sister's first Bishop, who was hiding in the cardboard box that lay on the ground to his right.
The cardboard box shook as the Dhamphir inside shuddered.
"Hiii~! No need! I'm perfectly fine in here!" A muffled, high-pitched voice shrieked from inside the box.
Sirzechs sighed as Azazel guffawed, Michael chuckled, and even Amaterasu raised a hand to hide the smile that had formed on her lips.
It was a good thing that the old school building had survived, because Gasper had been sealed in one of the rooms.
Not so fortunately, the seals hadn't exactly done anything to stop Gasper from hearing everything that had happened during Qlipoth's attack, and since Rias, Sona and their peerages had been sent back and basically confined to the Underworld for the time being, no one had been around to check on him for almost 2 weeks.
The seals were set to release themselves at night so that he could freely roam the building while no one was around, and then reset themselves at sunrise, but being as timid as he was, he willingly stayed in his room at all times.
So, he was understandably jumpy when almost two weeks after the attack, Sirzechs and the others abruptly released the seal.
He accidently activated Forbidden Balor View, but the four of them were more than strong enough to shrug off its effects.
Sirzechs explained the situation to him, and Gasper had been more than a little apprehensive at having to meet Pure Blood Vampires after so long.
'Hysterical' was more like it, and it was with a considerable amount of time used on persuasion that he finally agreed to leave his room…with the cardboard box.
As a Dhamphir, he was not fatally weak to sunlight, garlic and holy objects like Pure Blood Vampires were, nor did he have an insatiable craving for blood, but he still did not being exposed to the sun, so he used the cardboard box to hide while the sun was still up.
That, and he was cripplingly xenophobic.
The moment he stepped out of the old school building and saw the devastation that was once the rest of Kuou Academy, he paled, shrieked, and tried to run back to his room, which necessitated yet another hour of persuading.
And now Sirzechs found himself here, trying to convince his little sister's Mutated Bishop to come out of his cardboard box now that night had fallen and their guests were sure to soon arrive.
A task that the other leaders did not envy.
Sirzechs paused when he felt a chill seep into the area, originating from right outside the gates of the school, somehow remaining mostly intact after Qlipoth's assault.
They were here.
He was momentarily confused when they did not approach any further, but then, he remembered that Pure Blood Vampires could not enter properties that they didn't have permission to do so.
With a wave of his hand, the massive iron gates swung open.
"Please, come in." Sirzechs spoke in an inviting, but powerful manner.
"My thanks for your kind invitation." A regal and young sounding female voice replied in response.
A young girl, who did not look any older than 10 or 11 years of age, walked towards them, possessing a doll-like appearance, with her porcelain white skin, pale blonde hair and glowing blood red eyes, wearing a dress like one would find on a high quality bisque doll.
However, Sirzechs was not fooled. He knew that beneath that youthful exterior lay a monster that was decades, maybe even centuries old, one whose kind regularly hunted down humans for food and sport.
His eyes flitted to the ground around her for a moment.
As expected, not even a hint of a shadow. A sign of a Pure Blood Vampire.
Behind her, a man and a woman with deathly pale skin followed, both releasing a cold aura similar to, but weaker than the girl's. Most likely her bodyguards.
The extent of the coldness was the only way to indicate a Pure Blood Vampire's power, for they were not actually alive, being little more than walking corpses, and thus did not release any 'aura' like living creatures did.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, leaders of the Biblical Faction, and the Lady of the Sun. I am Elmenhilde Galnstein." The girl greeted them as she curtsied.
Sirzechs detected just a little bit of disgust and fear that the girl was not able to disguise when she spoke Amaterasu's title.
Sunlight was fatal to Pure Blood Vampires, so he figured that meeting a Goddess that was the manifestation of their hated celestial object was rather unpleasant to them.
Sun deities were to Vampires what YHWH was to Devils.
If the Goddess of the Sun noticed, which she probably did, she did not show it, and simply continued to smile.
"Galnstein, huh? I remember that they're one of the top Clans among the Carmilla Faction. So, why is it that your queen wanted you to meet us so urgently after spending centuries in seclusion?" Azazel asked bluntly, which suited the rest of them.
They would rather not waste their time on something inane when the world's order was on the verge of collapse.
"I believe my queen said so in her missive. That we would like to borrow Gasper Vladi. Speaking of which, where is he?" The Pure Blood Vampire asked as she looked around, overlooking the rather conspicuously shaking cardboard box on the ground.
"…Quite a vague answer. Would you mind explaining just what is happening in the Vampire's world?"
"…A few months ago, a certain incident occurred that has caused a massive collapse of our society's values. We have been trying to stop any leak of information, but perhaps you have heard that the Tepes Faction now have a half breed who is also a Longinus possessor?"
Sirzechs frowned, as did his fellow leaders.
There had certainly been rumors along those lines drifting around, but…they were actually true?
"So, which Longinus is it?" Azazel asked.
Most of the Longinus were currently accounted for.
True Longinus, Dimension Lost and Annihilation Maker were all in the possession of the Hindu Faction. Dulio Gesualdo, the Church's strongest exorcist, currently possessed Zenith Tempest. Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing were wielded by Hyoudo Issei and Vali Lucifer respectively. Absolute Demise was currently in the possession of Lavinia, a magician that was a member of Mephisto Pheles's magician organization, Grauzauberer. Ikuse Tobio of the Grigori had Canis Lykaon. Incinerate Anthem was being wielded by Walburga of Qlipoth. Rizevim had somehow gotten his hands on Sephiroth Graal.
And while Zekram Baal had done everything he could to hide the fact, Sirzechs knew that Regulus Nemea itself, not its wielder, had been reincarnated into one of Sairoarg's Pawns.
Which meant that…the only Longinus Gears left unaccounted for were Innovate Clear and Telos Karma.
So, it was one of those two…
"I think you'll find this quite interesting. It's Sephiroth Graal."
Wait, what?
Elmenhilde's answer threw Sirzechs for a loop, though he made sure not to show it.
He and his leaders exchanged looks of hidden confusion.
What was going on? Rizevim showed Sephiroth Graal to them, there was no mistake about that. So, either he had extracted it from its former possessor, or its possessor was a member of Qlipoth.
However, if the possessor of Sephiroth Graal was a member of the Tepes Faction, then that meant…
"Ah, I see. So, that's why you purposely sought a meeting with the Allied Factions. To tell us that the Tepes Faction have allied themselves with Qlipoth." Azazel mused with a frown.
"Yes. We have heard of Qlipoth's attack on your peace conference, as well as the fact that Qlipoth is currently making use of Sephiroth Graal. Furthermore, our spies have reported sightings of men fitting Rizevim Livan Lucifer's and Euclid Lucifuge's descriptions going in and out of the Tepes Clan's mansion several times in the past few months. Would it not be beneficial to both of our Factions if we were to cooperate on this?"
"Hm…that's certainly true, but…just what does the Tepes Faction want with Sephiroth Graal? Vampires are basically already immortal, never aging and unable to be killed by most means."
At Azazel's question, Elmenhilde's face twisted into an expression of pure disgust and loathing.
"An absolutely immortal body. Not dying even when a stake pierces their heart, unaffected by the presence of holy objects and garlic, being able to walk under direct sunlight without consequence, not even needing to rest in their coffins to regain strength…that is the type of body that the Tepes Faction have been using Sephiroth Graal to obtain. It's not perfect, as they can still be killed, but it is much harder to do so than it was before. They are trying to become beings with no weaknesses. They have completely abandoned their pride as Vampires, and are even launching attacks on our Faction. We already have numerous casualties because of that. We cannot forgive them, and as real Vampires, we intend to execute those abominations." Elmenhilde spoke in a very cold voice.
"I see. So, the Carmilla Faction cannot accept the current Tepes Faction who have abandoned a Vampire's way of living and are attacking their side."
"Yes, that is correct."
"That, we can understand. What we do not understand is why you specifically requested for Gasper Vladi's help. Is he not one of the Dhamphirs that you Pure Blood Vampires detest so strongly?" Amaterasu asked.
Elmenhilde had frozen when the Lady of the Sun started speaking, but regained her composure.
"There are three reasons for that. Despite being a half, Gasper Vladi still possesses Vampire blood in his veins. We would like to resolve this situation with only the powers of Vampires. Second…are you aware of the power that Gasper Vladi possesses?"
"…Forbidden Balor View? What about it?"
"No, not his Sacred Gear. It appears that you are unaware…well, to be honest, we of the Carmilla Faction cannot be sure as well, since the Vladi Clan is under the rule of the Tepes Faction. However, have you never found the way they treated him very strange?"
"Well, he is a Dhamphir, and you have admitted yourself that you Pure Bloods don't like halves all that much. Isn't it obvious that he would be discriminated against?"
"Discrimination is one thing. However, the Tepes Faction was also very fearful in the way they treated him, as though they were not dealing with a half breed, but with a wild, dangerous animal. The reason cannot be Forbidden Balor View, for, as I am sure you are aware, those who possess enough power can resist its effects. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that Gasper Vladi, whether he himself knows it or not, possesses another power that caused the Tepes Faction to fear him greatly. We intend to make use of that power."
Sirzechs glanced down at the cardboard box, which had gone still.
A power…that could strike fear into the hearts of the proud Pure Blood Vampires? Did Gasper really possess such a power?
"…And the third reason?"
"The possessor of Sephiroth Graal. A half breed born to the head of the Tepes Clan. We understand that she and Gasper Vladi know each other. Her name is Valerie Tepes."
"What!?"
With a yell, Gasper burst out of the cardboard box, startling Elmenhilde.
"That's not possible! Valerie wasn't born with a Sacred Gear like me!" Gasper shouted, much more boisterous than Sirzechs had ever seen him.
So, this Valerie person was someone important enough to him that the mention of her name was enough to distract him from his normal timidity?
Elmenhilde looked between him and the cardboard box several more times with a boggled expression, probably wondering why he had been hiding in there.
Then, she cleared her throat and continued.
"There are those whose Sacred Gears don't awaken immediately upon their birth, but instead activate through a trigger of some sort. I'm sure you are aware of this. That is the case with Valerie Tepes. Her Sacred Gear awakened recently, and she's using it to help the Tepes Faction and Qlipoth."
"T-That's a lie…Valerie would never…!"
"Whether you want to believe it or not, that is the case. The Tepes Clan and Qlipoth are using Sephiroth Graal's power, but Valerie Tepes is still alive. That proves that her Sacred Gear wasn't extracted from her. The only conclusion is that she's willingly helping them."
Gasper fell silent, not quite believing it just yet, but unable to argue.
"How about it, Gasper Vladi? Don't you want to stop her? And better yet, isn't this a grand opportunity to take revenge on the Tepes Faction that mistreated you for years?" Elmenhilde asked with a goading smile.
Sirzechs immediately cut in, not willing to allow this to continue any further.
"That's quite enough. Even if he possesses Vampire lineage, Gasper-kun is now one of ours. Do you think that we will hand him over just because you ask it?"
"Naturally, I did not come here to offer only my words. I also have this." Elmenhilde said with a vaguely smug and triumphant tone.
She reached into her dress and pulled out a document, handing it over to Sirzechs, who perused its contents, his expression growing grimmer the more he read.
"…I see. An offer for a peace conference with the Carmilla Faction after they defeat the Tepes Faction and unite the Vampire race."
The other leaders' expressions grew dark as well.
"…I see. So, the official reason you came here is as a diplomatic envoy to offer a truce, huh?"
"Yes, that is correct. Our queen Carmilla-sama is quite saddened by the war that we have been having with the Church and the Grigori for so long, and wishes to call a ceasefire."
Sirzechs almost scowled.
How underhanded. They intended to have Gasper handed over to them by using this treaty as leverage.
If they were to refuse, their intentions for peace would definitely be called into question by the rest of the world.
"So, what do you say, Sirzechs Lucifer-dono?" Elmenhilde asked in a mocking tone.
It looked like their hands were tied…looked like, anyway.
Sirzechs gazed at his fellow leaders, silently asking them an unspoken question.
Azazel nodded immediately, looking rather irritated, an action that was followed by Michael and Amaterasu after a moment of consideration.
They had their answer.
"Sorry, but we will have to refuse."
"What!?"
"We thank you for the information you have so kindly provided us with, but we have judged your terms to be unacceptable. Thus, we refuse." Sirzechs spoke slowly, as though trying to explain something to a slow child.
"You…Do you have any idea what you're saying!? If you refuse, you'll…!"
"Our intentions for peace will be called into question? Hm, I wonder about that." Sirzechs said with a smile.
Elmenhilde adopted a look of outraged confusion.
"Well, I suppose the reclusive Vampires wouldn't know anything about it, but just a few days ago, the leaders of all of the major Factions of the world met and determined that Qlipoth's immediate neutralization was paramount. I'm sure that they'll be quite interested to know that the Sephiroth Graal possessor that Qlipoth is using is in the Tepes Faction. In fact, I'm sure they'll agree that invading the Vampire's territory to cripple Qlipoth is the ideal course of action. And if the Carmilla Faction is caught up in the battle and destroyed in the process…well, that would just be an unfortunate accident." Sirzechs said, his smile growing wider and infinitely more malicious, proving that despite being a generally nice guy, he was still very much a Devil, and their leader, no less.
If Vampires were capable of turning pale from blood draining from their faces, Elmenhilde probably would have turned even whiter than she looked right now. Alas, the hearts of Pure Blood Vampires do not beat, since they were essentially moving corpses, so Sirzechs did not have the pleasure of such a sight.
"You…You…!" Elmenhilde croaked out, pointing a trembling finger at Sirzechs.
"Of course, if you were to cooperate with us and agree to stay out of our way, I suppose we could make the extra effort to ensure that the Carmilla Faction is not caught in the crossfire. So, what will it be, Elmenhilde Galnstein?" Sirzechs asked, his normally blue-green eyes glowing with malicious crimson light.
It was in that instant that Elmenhilde realized why this man was chosen to be the successor to the throne of the Fallen Child of Dawn.
"Bwahahahaha! Did you see the look on her face!?" Azazel guffawed.
Elmenhilde Galnstein and her bodyguards had left, or more specifically, they had run away with their tails between their legs.
It was very, very foolish of the Carmilla Faction to try and leverage them with a truce.
The rest of the supernatural world had very low opinions of Vampires, much lower than even the general opinion of Devils and Fallen Angels, a result of countless centuries of arrogance, belligerence and wanton human hunting, combined with the emergence of truly heinous Vampires in the past like the Prince of Impalement, Vlad Tepes I and the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory.
In fact, the only Faction that Sirzechs thought would even protest the massacre of Vampires would be the Buddhas, and only because they were a peaceful Faction in general.
The supernatural world would not be sad to see the Vampires go. In fact, they would probably throw a going away party…right before slaughtering them.
"So, what should we do now?" Michael asked, and the atmosphere immediately became much more serious.
"Ideally, we should launch an attack as soon as possible, but…if Ahriman and Rizevim are there, it will be difficult for us to win. We would stand a much better chance if it was just one of them…" Amaterasu said, her brow furrowed.
"No, I doubt any of Qlipoth's higher ups are there. They're all probably running around the world, looking for a way to counter Ophis right now. If there's a time to attack, it would be now." Azazel said.
"I agree. We must launch an offensive as soon as possible. If we can get Sephiroth Graal out of Qlipoth's hands, it'll cripple them for a while." Sirzechs added.
"Still, if the Tepes Faction have been modified using Sephiroth Graal, and Qlipoth is involved, then…"
"…It's likely that they can mutate into Evil Dragon copies. They're weaker than the original, but not so weak that one of our average foot soldiers can take them on."
"Well, in the first place, I don't think we'll need a large force. Just us and a few of our stronger subordinates should be fine. Vampires aren't all that strong in the first place, even if they've been modified."
"Um…"
The four leaders turned as one to look at Gasper, who had spoken up.
"S-Sorry for interrupting, but…are you going to kill Valerie?" He asked in an uncharacteristically strong tone.
Normally, Gasper would have shrieked and gone back into his box when faced with the scrutiny of the four leaders, but this time, he stood his ground.
Valerie Tepes must be very important to him.
"…According to Elmenhilde Galnstein, Valerie Tepes is willingly helping Qlipoth. If that is the case, then we have no choice but to eliminate her. Stopping Qlipoth is of the utmost importance." Sirzechs spoke.
Gasper looked increasingly downcast as he took in each word.
"However…"
Gasper blinked and looked up at the now gently smiling Maou.
"The testimony of a member of the Carmilla Faction is more than likely to be biased. There is also the possibility that Valerie Tepes is being coerced into helping them. If so…"
"Yes, that has to be it! Valerie would never do something like this of her free will!"
"The question is, what do you want to do, Gasper-kun?"
"M-Me?"
"Yes. She's someone important to you, isn't she? What do you want to do?"
Gasper fell silent and looked down, his bangs covering his eyes for a moment.
Then, he looked back up straight into Sirzechs's eyes, and the Crimson Lucifer was almost taken aback by the sheer strength in them.
"I…want to save Valerie! She helped me escape from my life over there. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now. I want to do everything I can for her!" Gasper declared.
Sirzechs stared for a moment…and then smiled.
His sister's luck with peerage members really was incredible, much like his own.
"Alright then. Let's return and start making preparations. We will be invading the Tepes Faction's territory." Sirzechs declared to his fellow leaders, who nodded.
The fight to counter Qlipoth had begun.
And I'm done.
The Carmilla Faction's attempt to strong arm the Allied Factions ends in failure, and the Allied Factions prepare to invade the Tepes Faction's territory.
Next chapter, a clash in Romania, and Gasper awakens his real power!
That's all for now. As always, please read and review.