"PREPOSTEROUS! YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER TO BE ENACTING SUCH A MEASURE!"
This was the statement she had to listen to. A statement of which she had heard numerous variations of within the past 3 hours. According to her, she had counted that it had been said approximately 4,598 times.
Sirzechs and Ajuka stood dutifully behind her. Not that they could do anything. Emergency powers were part of the package they had granted her in exchange for them becoming the new Maou. Of course, they knew that granting her emergency powers wasn't for her but for them.
And those words that the former head of Belphegor had just uttered was the final straw.
Asmodeus opened her eyes after a few seconds of deep contemplation.
"I am exercising my emergency powers. Powers that were codified into the law upon the installment of the current Four Satans. And as such, I have respected the autonomy of the new generation. But now… I see fit to enact my emergency powers," Asmodeus said.
"I apologize for the words of my mother, Lady Asmodeus," a woman said.
She had cherry-blossom pink hair and a pair of curved horns on her head. The woman had a slender body with a well-endowed bust and a slim waist. She wore a black, high-cut formal dress with slits and metallic pauldrons to signify her headship.
"Roygun, you-"
"Do not embarrass our house any further, Mother." Roygun sent a steely glance to her mother, effectively silencing her.
"How are you… you insolent brat!? Am I really the only one here who believes that this is overstepping her bounds!? This washed-up old hag?" Roygun's mother yelled.
An uproar of voices all uttered a similar opinion. The older generation, particularly Zekram Bael, all sighed in disappointment and had slight looks of fear in their eyes.
Upsetting a Prime Demon was something, not even the current Four Satans would not dare to do. Asmodeus had raised the four into a formidable fighting force after all. Fear of their teacher was something they had not forgotten.
"Haaahhh…" Asmodeus's eyes glowed and she waved her hand.
In an instant, the wave of voices was silenced yet their mouths still moved. Their bodies, more specifically, the neurons connecting their vocal cords to their brains were now rendered inert.
"Jeez, you children are all so loud. Listen up, I will say this once more. If I hear any dissension, I will not hesitate to rewrite all of you into being more compliant," Asmodeus said, unleashing the full brunt of her demonic power.
In an instant, the moving mouths all snapped shut and the entire building shook violently. The room darkened as all the lights exploded under the force of Asmodeus's demonic aura. Her aura became the only source of light, bathing the entire chamber in a sea of violet-pink aura.
She's… threatening to use the [Taavah Shel Teveh] on them!? Sirzechs thought.
He had never seen his teacher be this serious before in his entire life. If she had been considering rewriting the entirety of their sapience, then she was being serious.
The threat was more than enough for the older generation to begin erupting in a sea of whispers.
"A- Asmodeus… are you sure that…"
"I will make good on my threat. Do not test me, Zekram," Asmodeus said.
Zekram nodded, feeling pity for the younger generation.
"As of now, martial law has been declared effective immediately. No one may go in or out of Devil Territory within the Underworld. I have notified the Great Evils of Reverie, Serenity, Senescence, Decimation, and Retribution of our situation and they have agreed to keep an ear to the ground. Any devil attempting to enter or leave Gehenna without proper authorization shall be detained without warning," she said.
No one dared to oppose her statement. Not when she displayed power like this. The Lord of Lust may have been the most nonchalant of her siblings but that did not stop her from stepping up whenever she needed to.
"This meeting is adjourned. You are all dismissed and…" she snapped her fingers and the cacophony of voices returned.
"Sirzechs. Ajuka. Gather Serafall, Falbium, Michael, and Azazel. And… Ajuka, call your daughter and her friend. I need to talk to both of them regarding our little… snake issue," Asmodeus said, walking past the two.
Sirzechs and Ajuka nodded before splitting up to perform their respective tasks.
The atmosphere of the Gremory Household was nothing but somber. The group was all crowded in Rias's room. They were silently waiting for a bone, a word, or any update on the situation at hand.
Rias sat next to the bed. Akeno had still not woken up but her occasional stirring and rhythmic breathing reassured her that she was fine.
Asia sat in the corner of the room, knees curled up to her chest. She had spent the better part of the past three hours sobbing in the corner, blaming herself for Issei's disappearance. And now, she had no more tears to shed.
The others sat scattered across the room. Yuuto sat on a chair, sharpening his sword while Xenovia paced around the chair. Koneko and Gasper sat silently, watching the others.
Seeing the Gremory Peerage acting like a bunch of puppets with their strings cut was painful to watch.
But then again, Mitsuki wasn't in any better position herself.
"Oi… Oi!"
"Huh? Sorry… what were you saying?" Mitsuki asked.
"Mii-chan, are you okay?" Irina asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Just… um, continue." she waved Irina's concern off.
Irina raised an eyebrow but decided not to pursue the matter.
"Nyaaa… you and the Red Dragon are attached at the hip," Kuroka commented.
"Shut up. Why are you here anyway? Didn't you try to kill us a while back?" Mitsuki snapped.
"Hey now, that was because you were all keeping Shirone away from me but now…" Kuroka glanced over at her younger sister. "At least I know this is the safest place at the moment what with the whole Khaos Brigade and Prime Demon debacle."
"Let's continue. The current situation right now is that Hyoudou is missing and none of us are allowed to leave the Underworld," Vali said, leaning against the wall.
"That much is obvious, White Dragon," Mitsuki said.
"You said something earlier before we left for the Rating Game. Something about a serpent?" Irina asked.
"Now's… Now's not a good time-"
"Then when is? Mitsuki, I'm going to be working with you for the foreseeable future. There can not be any secrets between us. Besides, I thought we were best friends," Irina said.
"I…"
"Does this have anything to do with Hyoudou's disappearance?" Vali asked.
"More than you think. Those devils we fought were… I'm pretty sure they're not members of the Khaos Brigade but rather another organization. I can't tell you everything until I get… well never mind that but I can at least let you know of the enemy. They are called Serpent's Seed," she replied.
"She did display some odd abilities when she fought. I doubt any of my abilities would be able to affect her," Vali said.
"My Precision couldn't read her either. It was as if she didn't exist at all," Mitsuki added.
"The big question is why were they here?" Irina asked.
Vali Team and Irina looked at Mitsuki expectantly, placing her on the spot.
"Um… er…"
"Or is this another need-to-know basis, Mii-chan?" Irina pressed.
"Ugh… fine. But only because we'll probably be working together… Serpent's Seed from what I know is this shadow organization that has existed in the annals of history for a long time. Every major event you can think of for the past century, no, even before that. The past 200 years have been the work of Serpent's Seed. The American Civil War… World War II… Chernobyl… the Eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines…" Mitsuki said.
"Those events have nothing in common with each other. There's no pattern to their activity," Irina said. "It's like they're just causing chaos for the sake of chaos."
"Yeah and now, they're after Aniki and Lily as well as other people like them. Humans created from the blood of the Origin Demon."
The moment the words left her mouth, Vali felt his blood run cold. Even Albion, within the Sacred Gear, clammed up and went silent.
"Origin Demon… as in Lilith?" Vali asked.
"Do you know any other Origin Demons?" Mitsuki asked sarcastically. "Though, we don't even know the purpose of why they were created or why they're taking them. All we know from our prisoner was that all they needed was one to trigger and the rest would follow suit. Aniki just so happened to be the lucky one."
Vali brought his hand up to his chin and furrowed his brow.
"This is all so strange. I can understand why Hyoudou. If anything, this Serpent's Seed must have the capability to detect Sacred Gears but why someone else? Did this Lily girl also have a Sacred Gear?" he asked.
"No. She was completely normal as far as we know," she said.
"Nyaa, looks like we have a mystery on our hands. Arthur, break out your magnifying glass," Kuroka interjected.
"Kuroka, take this seriously will you?" Arthur scolded.
"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Look at them. They look like a bunch of puppets with no puppet master. For someone who claims to love the Red Dragon, you seem to be content with sitting on your ass and letting Issei slip further away from you!" Kuroka called out.
Rias stiffened upon hearing her words. She abruptly stood up and marched her way over to the group. An aura of destructive energy leaked from her body and her eyes began to flicker.
"What did you just say?" Rias said in a low tone.
"What? You didn't hear me the first time, nya? You seem to be deaf and useless," she taunted.
"You bitch!" Rias charged at her only to be held back by Irina and Mitsuki.
"Rias!"
"Rias-san!"
"Say that one more time! Say that one more time you flea-ridden bitch!" Rias yelled.
"Rias, calm down!" Mitsuki said.
"Doing this won't bring Issei back!" Irina said.
"But it'll make me feel a hell of a lot better!" Rias growled.
"That's enough!"
Vali unleashed his demonic power, stunning everyone in the room into submission. A light silvery-blue flaming aura radiated from his body. His eyes glowed slightly as he looked between Rias and Kuroka. Seeing that they had quieted down, Vali sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Kuroka, don't agitate our hosts. As much as I'd love to see a fight between you and Rias Gremory, now's not a good time to do it. We have more pressing matters at hand," he said.
Rias's body slackened and Mitsuki and Irina let go of her arms.
She glared at Kuroka but said nothing. She crossed her arms and stood between Irina and Mitsuki, who were both looking at her awkwardly.
Mitsuki coughed and continued on. "In any case, let's gather what we know of the facts. The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth was interrupted by the Khaos Brigade, who were here to eliminate the Gremory Peerage along with the Four Satans. They used Diodora Astaroth as their key in exchange for Asia Argento.
"And then Hyoudou's Juggernaut Drive was triggered by the supposed death of Asia Argento… I presume?" Vali looked to Rias.
Rias bit her lip and nodded.
"That was when Akeno, who was possessed by Beelzebub, made her move and captured Aniki for whatever purpose," she said.
"But that begs the question," Irina said. "How did they get out?"
"Ingvild said that the Rating Game Dimension had been tampered with. The administrator access had been removed from her father and transferred to someone else," Mitsuki answered.
"Should we ask, Ingvild then?" Irina said.
Before anyone could answer her question, the door to Rias's room opened. Ingvild walked in with a haggard appearance on her face. Her hair was a mess with split ends everywhere despite it only having been three hours. She shuffled over to Mitsuki and laid her head on her shoulder.
Mitsuki smiled and brought her hands up, patting Ingvild on the back.
"There there… what happened?" she asked.
"I sat in the Astaroth Chair because Diodora died and Dad wanted me to begin doing the heir lessons since I'm supposed to inherit House Leviathan from Mom but… waah! Mitsuki! These old people are so loud and annoying! I swear! This is why Kazuha left House Belphegor, wasn't it? Roygun looked like she wanted to rip her Mom's head off!" Ingvild complained.
Mitsuki laughed awkwardly, rubbing soothing circles on Ingvild's back.
Kazuha.
She wondered how she was doing.
Ever since Kazuha had that long-term case to be Suzaku Himejima's bodyguard, she had barely seen a strand of dark brown hair from the Half-Devil.
However, her reminiscence lasted only a few seconds. Her face became serious and she pushed Ingvild away lightly.
"Ingvild, did they find out anything?" she asked.
Ingvild blinked before recomposing herself.
"Someone… tampered with the Rating Game Dimension but not in the way you think. There was no evidence of someone using a backdoor or any brute-force attempts. It was all done from the inside. Whoever did it had full access to the interface and was able to use it in such a way that even Dad had to analyze it for a while before being able to regain control but by the time he did…"
"Issei was already taken. Damn…" Mitsuki clenched her fists. "They have spies in the government?"
"I think so," she replied. "And… um… there's two things. Lady Asmodeus wants to talk to you and me. I'll tell you the other thing on the way," Ingvild said.
"Lady Asmodeus wants to see you two?" Rias raised an eyebrow.
Ingvild's comment had taken the others by surprise too.
"Alright… but why?" Mitsuki asked.
"I have no idea. Something about a snake infestation," she said.
Mitsuki nodded, having understood the meaning of her words.
"Irina, we'll talk more when I get back," Mitsuki said.
Irina sighed and nodded. "This was more than I hoped anyway. Good luck, Mii-chan."
Mitsuki nodded. Ingvild placed a hand on her shoulder and the two vanished from Rias's room.
The two reappeared outside of the Ars Nova. There was always a plethora of guards stationed outside of the Capitol Building of the Underworld. However, given recent events, there were more guards than usual.
Ingvild and Mitsuki walked down the cobble path, up to the door where Ingvild flashed an insignia to the guard.
The guard stepped aside and allowed them inside.
"Wow… using your dad's status?" Mitsuki asked.
"This is an emergency," she said.
"So what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?" Mitsuki asked.
The two walked up the stairs toward Asmodeus's office.
"Lily wasn't the only person taken in Kuoh. Taki told me that our satellites picked up two points of demonic energy but the battle between Sorin Sitri and Grayfia Lucifuge managed to mask the third. There was another person that was taken," she said.
"Two… Two Fallen in Kuoh? Aniki and…?" Mitsuki trailed off.
"Yozora. Yozora Izayoi," Ingvild pulled out her AS and sent Mitsuki the information.
Mitsuki activated her AS and opened the file.
Izayoi Yozora
DOB: 01/01/2004
Age: 18
Classification: Fallen Humanity
"This is it?" Mitsuki asked.
The details on the girl were sparse. Her parentage was listed as well as her address, health information, financial papers, and education status but beyond that there was nothing.
"There's not much about her. Her mother is dead as is her father so we don't have much on them. What we could get on the mom was that like the others, her mother made a deal with Serpent's Seed for something." Ingvild read the file alongside Mitsuki.
"Huh… she got into an accident?" she read.
"Huh? Oh… she did. It was a minor one. She got lost during a trip but nothing major happened. They only found her after a few hours. She was a bit dehydrated but beyond that, nothing," Ingvild said.
"It's like she just spawned out of nowhere." Mitsuki swiped the file away and deactivated her AS.
"Well, that's not the point. I was just updating you. But anyway… are you alright?" Ingvild asked.
"Huh? Why wouldn't I be?" Mitsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's just that Issei was taken and everyone is reacting outwardly except you. It's like you're not even fazed at all," she said.
Mitsuki looked down at the floor, stopping in her tracks.
"No one here is more affected by Aniki being taken than me," she muttered.
Ingvild looked at her friend, seeing the small shakes that were beginning to wrack her body.
"But… I can't let it get to me. Aniki is relying on me to save him. I can't let myself break down right now," Mitsuki said, composing herself and looking up at Ingvild with a smile.
It was a false and practiced smile. One that they had been taught to use to conceal any hint of negativity in situations involving needing to maintain a facade.
"Mitsuki…" she said.
"It's the only thing keeping me going. Please, Ingvild. Please… don't… don't pry into it," Mitsuki said, breaking her facade.
"Alright… but…"
"I'm fine. I'm fine really," she said, walking past her.
"I'm saying that you're about to walk past Asmodeus's office," Ingvild said.
Mitsuki blinked and noticed they had arrived outside of Asmodeus's office.
Ingvild pushed the door open and the two walked inside.
Whatever semblance of conversation there was before the two walked in died almost immediately. Mitsuki noticed a few people that she knew weren't there before during the first meeting.
Serafall and Falbium were standing next to Sirzechs and Ajuka, who were to the left of Asmodeus's desk while Michael and Azazel were to the right. Michael smiled at the two, causing a wave of calm to wash over them. Mitsuki had never met the Archangel of Light prior to now.
From what she knew, Michael was one of the first angels. He was the highest of God's Creations had absolute authority over Heaven currently. The current administrator of the Sephiroth Terminal and a veteran of two wars.
The power he radiated was equivalent to a God and a Satan-Class Devil by her estimates but…
She made a few signs to Ingvild.
He… He has a Divine Key like Irina? She signed, sensing the odd foreign energy located on Michael's person.
Ingvild nodded in response.
"Are you two going to tell us about your little conversation or do I have to read your mind for it?" Asmodeus asked.
The two froze and turned to face the Lord of Lust.
"Er… we just sensed Lord Michael's Divine Key is all," Mitsuki said.
Her grandmother had told her that lying before Asmodeus was virtually impossible.
Asmodeus nodded.
"L- Lady Asmodeus, why did you send for us?" Mitsuki asked.
Asmodeus closed her eyes before sighing.
"I called you here so we can deal with our little snake infestation. Ingvild, I did get pushback from your father from this but…" Asmodeus trailed off.
Ingvild sighed. "Dad…" she looked at Ajuka with a dry look.
"Your mom asked me to look after you while you were here in Kuoh, Villy," Ajuka said.
"Pfft… Villy…" Mitsuki covered her mouth.
"Y- You! DAD! DON'T CALL ME THAT IN PUBLIC!" Ingvild's face turned red.
"Ahem. As much as I'd like to continue this tender father-daughter reunion, we have more pressing matters. At 1700, the Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth began with Khaos Brigade making their move the moment the game started. At around 1745, the Ouroboros Dragon manifested within the field and was accompanied by Raezavan Lucifer. They were confronted by Sirzechs Lucifer and Azazel.
"At approximately 1800, Serpent's Seed was able to bypass the security encryptions and access the Rating Game Dimension of Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth. The forces consisted of my younger brother, Beelzebub, and a mysterious masked devil named Apollyon.
"While we were able to regain control, that did not allow us to react in time in order to prevent my younger brother from taking the Red Dragon Emperor for his own purposes," Asmodeus summarized.
"We went to intercept them but failed in stopping the event," Mitsuki said.
"Mmm, Vali Team also arrived around that time and we had some assistance from them in dealing with this but in the end, it was ultimately fruitless," Ingvild said.
"Around 1800, the seals we placed at the Hyoudou Manor were broken and it resulted in Lily Anderson being taken by Serpent's Seed as well," Mitsuki finished.
"That basically sums up their attack," Azazel said. "But to think they would use Khaos Brigade as a smokescreen in order to get in. That's pretty devious if you ask me."
"It's Beelzebub. Devious and cunning are two words that can be used to describe him." Asmodeus shifted her gaze to the two.
"Anyway, do you two have any questions before I give you your assignment?" she asked.
"Lady Asmodeus," Mitsuki began. "You know your brother well, right?"
Asmodeus nodded.
"If we're going to deal with him, we're going to need to know what you know. Miyo's intel was helpful but it doesn't paint us a picture. Rizevim's intel didn't even give us the whole picture and Blacklight's archives on Serpent's Seed are very vague," Ingvild said.
"That's understandable. Serpent's Seed was an off-the-record organization. Our mother authorized its creation during the Great War as a shadow paramilitary organization of the Gehenna during our war against Heaven and the Grigori. It was led by the Lord of Pride and First Demon, Lilith. Only the Prime Demons and whoever was in the organization knew of its existence. Even Azazel and Michael only have vague knowledge about it," Asmodeus began.
Michael nodded. "Mmm. All we know is that when we did finally figure it out, entire flights of angels and fallen were decimated."
"If Serpent's Seed is operating, I might have an inkling as to who its leader is but they haven't been heard from in over a decade. Beelzebub being its leader is also highly likely," Asmodeus explained.
"That piece of information isn't in Blacklight's archives," Mitsuki said.
"Or that piece of information is hidden behind a level of clearance. Even in our government, these four didn't learn of our race's hidden history until they became Satans. Even Zekram Bael is unaware of what lies in the Darkness of Devil Society," Asmodeus said. "Those who bathe in the light are supported by those who taint themselves within the shadows. That was the philosophy of Serpent's Seed. I should know. I was one of the Cardinals."
"Cardinals?" Ingvild asked.
"Serpent's Seed is a three-tier hierarchy. You have the Head at the top, the Cardinals underneath, and then you have the other operatives and their squad leaders. Chances are Beelzebub is either the leader or one of the Cardinals," she answered.
"Anyway, here is your assignment. I'm allowing you to assemble a strike team of five people aside from Ingvild to go and retrieve the Red Dragon Emperor. You may use whatever resources you have at your disposal at Blacklight and ours. I only ask that you don't reveal Blacklight's existence to them as per my agreement with your Grandfather," Asmodeus said.
"Agreement?" Mitsuki asked.
"Who do you think got Rizevim all that intelligence? Rizevim was acting as my representative to hand you all that intel on Serpent's Seed," she said, waving her hand.
"You've known," Mitsuki said, coming to a realization.
"Of course, it's hard not to when too many coincidences begin piling up in one spot. Of course, I wasn't sure it was Serpent's Seed until Taki handed me the intelligence he had on file for a trade," Asmodeus replied.
"So just five other people?" Mitsuki asked.
Asmodeus nodded.
"If you want to save your brother, moving in a small group should be far easier than sending an army out there. Besides, Gehenna is on lockdown. The less people that go, the better," she said.
"Fine." Mitsuki looked down and began to think. After a few seconds of contemplation, Mitsuki chose her five people.
"I'll choose Vali Team and Irina Shidou to go with me," Mitsuki said.
"Vali Team?" Sirzechs raised an eyebrow. "Not Ria-tan's peerage?"
"They're not in the right frame of mind for this mission nor do they have the skill set necessary for what we're trying to achieve. And Rias is… she's too emotionally unstable for this," she reasoned.
"And you aren't?" Sirzechs asked.
Mitsuki smiled bitterly.
Of course, she was. The boy she viewed as her brother had been kidnapped before her very eyes to God knows where. There was a storm of emotions swirling within her heart but unlike Rias, she did not allow it to impair her judgment. She trusted that she could control her own heart.
"Of course, I am but unlike your sister, I can think with my brain and not with my heart. If she were to go along, it would be a tactical blunder. Vali Team is full of professionals that have a background and skills in infiltration and Ingvild and I are trained in intelligence and counterintelligence. Both of these skill sets combined will make this mission flow much more smoothly," she said.
"I trust that I can make the right call in this situation. Besides," Mitsuki continued, "You know very well… what I'm going through right now, don't you, Lord Sirzechs?"
Sirzechs looked at her in confusion before one word came out of her mouth that caused him to freeze.
"Annalise."
"Alright, that's enough. Is that your five?" Asmodeus asked, interrupting them before they could continue.
"Yes," Mitsuki said.
"Good, you're dismissed," she said.
"Wait!" Mitsuki said.
"Mmm?" Asmodeus looked at her.
"Do you know a Devil named Apollyon?" Mitsuki asked.
"Apollyon? No, I can't say that I have. Why?" Asmodeus asked.
"She was with Beelzebub during the attack. She appeared to be a Gremory," she said.
"How interesting," Asmodeus replied. "But unfortunately, I don't know. Serpent's Seed was disbanded after our mother's death and after our sister left the Underworld. Whoever the rest of its current members are, I have no clue."
"I see…"
"And… about the Fallen. Do you happen to have a clue as to why Beelzebub has been doing this? There's no discernible pattern to any of their creations. They're all random," Mitsuki said.
Asmodeus closed her eyes as she began to think deeply about her answer. After a minute of pure silence, she opened her yellow eyes.
"I don't. All I can do is make guesses as to why. An army? Perhaps a way to create new Devils? Who knows?" she said.
Mitsuki nodded.
"We'll notify Vali Team and Irina to meet up at the Ars Nova. Then, we'll have a short briefing back at the Hyoudou House in Kuoh," Mitsuki said.
The leaders nodded and she and Ingvild left the room, leaving them alone.
After a few seconds of silence, Michael looked at his niece.
"You lied to them," Michael said. "You know what they're planning to do and who's at the head."
Asmodeus folded her hands and furrowed her brow.
"I know. I just prayed that it wasn't that…," she replied.
"So why didn't you tell them?" Michael asked.
"For the same reason, Taki didn't tell his granddaughter about the real reason Blacklight is only now getting involved. So she doesn't have a sense of urgency and can work effectively. You see, Blacklight and Serpent's Seed have had a very antagonistic relationship ever since the American Civil War," she said, standing up. "Yet, they've only dealt with them in the shadows. If they're reaching out after both organizations went radio silent for decades, that means that it is at a point where they can no longer do it by themselves."
"What does that mean?" Sirzechs asked.
"It means that they're almost done," Asmodeus said.
The first thing he thought when he opened his eyes was that the ceiling was not one he recognized. The ceiling of his house had been renovated and did not appear as if it had suffered through decades of no human maintenance. Thus, Issei concluded that he was most likely still in the Rating Game Arena after seeing the termite-eaten, water-damaged, moss-filled ceiling above him.
And as he oriented himself to his surroundings and to reality, a rush of memories came forward that caused him to gasp and fall forward.
A flash of bright light enveloped Asia, blinding them all. After a few seconds, the light faded, leaving nothing not even Asia.
"Asia…" Issei got to his feet and looked around frantically.
"ASIA! ASIAAA!" he yelled, walking through the abandoned building.
Another thing Issei had noticed.
Despite his desperation to find Asia, he noticed his surroundings had changed drastically. The abandoned shrine that he now remembered he was at was replaced by an abandoned general store. The smell of rotting wood along with the sight of abandoned shelves with cans that had bulging ends and an abandoned cash register cemented that fact.
But still, he yelled one name.
"ASI-"
His voice suddenly faded.
"Do you want to die!?"
Mastema? Issei thought.
"Shut up and calm down. Think. Do you really think Asia would be here in an abandoned dollar store?" Mastema asked.
Issei wanted to reply but the pressure Mastema was exuding on him caused him not to.
"Anyway, I've been waiting for you to wake up. Ever since you entered the Juggernaut Drive, I've been repairing your body." she manifested in front of him.
Issei moved his mouth to speak.
Mastema rolled her eyes.
Issei moved his mouth once more, hearing the sound of his voice come out. "Where… Where are we?"
"I don't know. Do you remember what happened after you entered the Juggernaut Drive?" Mastema asked.
"No… what is that?" he asked.
Mastema blinked and sighed.
"Nevermind. I think Ddraig will explain it to you later," she said.
"Right…" Issei said.
It was then that he noticed that he had not heard or felt Ddraig since he had woken up. Feeling a sense of dread creep upon him, Issei raised his left hand and tried to summon the Boosted Gear only to…
Summon absolutely nothing.
"Wha…"
"What?" Mastema asked.
"I can't… use the Boosted Gear," Issei said.
"What about Opposition?" she asked.
Issei raised his right arm. A flash of light encased his forearm, summoning the pitch-black gauntlet.
"That's strange. I can still sense Ddraig inside your body," Mastema said.
"Let's get outside first," Issei said, walking to the door.
"Right, let me catch you up. After Asia Argento vanished, you entered the Juggernaut Drive and tried to kill Shalba Beelzebub. But… you were stopped by Beelzebub, who was possessing your friend, Akeno Himejima."
"Akeno-senpai was possessed?" Issei asked.
Mastema nodded. "After engaging him in combat, Mitsuki and the others, assisted by Vali Lucifer, tried to stop Beelzebub but were kept back by a Devil named Apollyon. She's like the one in your report. The masked devil but in the end, they couldn't do anything and you were kidnapped," she said.
"So… this isn't the underworld?" Issei asked, pushing the door open.
Mastema didn't answer his question.
Instead, Issei was blinded by the light of a cloudy sun. The feeling was significantly different from that of the artificial space of the Rating Game and that of the Underworld. This was Earth.
The location he had found himself was an abandoned town. All the signs were in English and the housing did not resemble any of the houses he knew in Japan. The pavement was cracked and there were faint chalk markings scattered all over the sidewalk and asphalt. As Issei walked out, he noticed a billowing smoke in the distance.
"Where… Where are we?" Issei asked.
Michael
One of the Seven Archangels and the most powerful being in Heaven.
Michael wields the Eighth Divine Key - Hod.
He has inherited a throne meant for someone else. Yet despite that, he tries to emulate her to the greatest degree.
With a heavy responsibility, Michael remains steadfast, guarding Heaven's greatest secret.
A secret unknown even to Azazel and the Original Demon Lords.
[]
Blacklight File: Archive File #2943
File Name: Michael, Mikhael, Mikhail
A member of the Seven Archangels and Heaven's Current Administrator.
Michael is commonly portrayed in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic lore as Heaven's Chief Angel if extracanonical sources are not counted.
Being known as the Golden Angel that cast the Ha-Satan from Heaven, Michael boasts abnormally powerful strength greater than that of his fellow Archangels. It is believed that only Gabriel and Raphael are capable of rivaling him and only Helel surpasses him in strength. In the modern day, his strength has allowed him to equal the might of the Four Satans though it is unknown how he would fare against the True Form of Sirzechs Lucifer.
Wields a Divine Key.
"Despite not actively seeking fights, Michael should be treated as someone of a threat level equivalent to a God." - Lavender Helix
Anon-kun #1: Ah yes, there's a difference between the original Maou of here and in canon and that is that I buffed them. Considerably. This was only the base form of Beelzebub. He hasn't used the Qliphoth Form and he was possessing Akeno, which limits his full strength. We'll see Beelzebub fight later but for now, just know that the Original Maou along with Satan, Belphegor, and Mammon have been considerably strengthened. And... yes, I am basing the Shidou Family Style on Vergil... somewhat. I'm also looking at Rurouni Kenshin. Though, the Oborozuki-Ryu also takes inspiration from Vergil and Jetstream Sam as well as... I don't know if you play PGR, but Alpha too.
Time to clear up a misconception about Divine Dividing before the rest of you hop on this Anon's review in the reviews. Yes, Half-Dimension does not need physical contact but Half-Dimension works by cutting the size of living things and objects in half by compressing space around them. It doesn't sap power indiscriminately from the environment. Unfortunately, it wouldn't even work on Apollyon, who can't even be read by Mitsuki's Precision as an existing object. More on that later but don't just expect an ability that's first introduced to immediately be lined out for all of you including the weaknesses. Anyway, I'll stop talking before I spoil the entirety of Apollyon's skill set.
Anyway, we're almost to the point where this will mostly diverge from the other two. Please leave a review and subscribe and all that jazz.