"ATTENTION!" Cao Cao's voice echoed in the gathering hall, tens of thousands of soldiers snapping to attention as I nodded in thanks to my right hand before turning to the divisions that was chosen for this mission
'Man…this is a rush.' I thought with a smirk as I looked down at Hassan & Siegfried, the two nodding at me and I smiled as I nodded back before turning to the rest of the divisions.
"Divisions 1 & 2! I thank you all for gathering on such short notice and I must inform you all that this mission is one of the utmost importance! With Rizevim's declaration of war and Diehauser Belial's betrayal to the enemy as well as revealing secrets that the common populace did not know, the Underworld has been thrown into disarray with flames of revolution & rebellion being stoked by the Old Satan Faction!" I began speaking, noting how some of them looked happy at that before I continued.
"Now, while I like killing a devil as much as the next one, they are now our allies and we of the Huntsmen Organization help our allies in their time of need! That is why Divisions 1 and 2 will be sent to the Underworld to help the current regime to soothe the common devils' rage and make sure that a civil war does not break out! If there are those of two that do not wish to undergo this mission, you are free to leave and no one will fault you for it as most of the Organization's members know how bad the devils were in their past!" I said, waiting for about thirty seconds before smirking as no one moved despite how some were frowning.
"I thank you all for accepting my orders despite how much some of you hate to do so! However, you will all be happy to know that the devils are banned from asking any of you to join their peerage and if they keep on insisting to do so and/ or try to force you…they will be declared S-Class threats and be eliminated without prejudice!" I announced, rolling my eyes with a smirk as cheers echoed through the hall.
"Now, while you will all be under the command of Sirzechs Lucifer, your captains are above him in command and Cao Cao here will be joining you all as the highest point of command. If Sirzechs gives you all an order and the captains or Cao Cao say otherwise, you follow their orders without delay! However, that doesn't mean that the captains are allowed to issue unnecessary orders or orders that would cause issues with the devils, understood?!"
"YES SIR!" They all exclaimed, making me smirk as I nodded before I felt a sense of giddiness as I lifted my right hand, a sea green glow covering my hand before I grinned as large portals of the same colours appeared in front of the divisions with a smaller one appearing in front of Cao Cao.
"Now go! Represent the name of the Organization with pride and complete your missions to the best of your capabilities!"
"SIR YES SIR!" The Divisions and their captains saluted before starting their march through the portals, making me nod as I turned to Cao Cao, who raised an eyebrow.
"Remember, this is a test to see if you're ready for the role I wish to give you."
"If you told me what role that is, I would be a little more happy." He said, to which I just smirked as I shrugged.
"Now, that would be spoiling the surprise, wouldn't it? I know that the devils killed your parents and you're still pissed about that, but keep the hostility to a minimum."
"I know, I know. Be polite but distant and if they try any shit, kill them and inform you or Sirzechs."
"Try not to kill them if they're just irritating. Wait until they throw the first punch, okay?"
"Of course." Cao Cao said with a smirk as he made his way through the portal, leaving me to let out a sigh as I looked at the last of the army disappearing through the portals.
"That's what I'm afraid of."
"Lord Commander." Isaac's voice came from behind me and I blinked as I turned to see him standing at attention.
"Yes, Captain Newton?" I asked with a smirk as I dispelled the portals, chuckling as he sighed before speaking.
"The leaders are waiting for you in the meeting room."
"Ah right. Today's the first war meeting. Thank you, Isaac. Why don't you keep an eye on the activities of the Organization while I'm stuck dealing with old cronies?"
"I have to admit I do not envy you, commander." Isaac said and I just snorted as we walked out of the gathering halls.
"Believe me. If I knew it was going to be this stressful, I would have declined on the spot."
"Zeus. How's that scar on your back doing?" I heard Crom Cruach ask as I entered the meeting room, sighing as I saw sparks forming in the corner of my uncle's eyes before he smirked.
"Depends. How's the scar on yours?"
"Just peachy. Still stings a bit whenever I see your ugly mug."
"I suppose I can say the same for every time I have to breathe the same air as you."
"Uncle, no goading Crom Cruach into a fight when we're not in Olympus." I said with a sigh as I sat down next to him, not surprised to see both my uncle and Crom Cruach looking disappointed at not getting to fight while Odin just shook his head.
"The Divine Wars occurred nearly three thousand years ago and still, you all hold grudges for what happened."
"You're one to talk. Whose the one who sent Hell and her army of undead to try and take parts of the Netherworld from us?"
"Who was the one who sent Ares and Hephaestus along with their armies to try & capture the dwarves of Nidavellir only for them to repelled by Thor?" Odin asked back with a raised eyebrow, to which Zeus just whistled as he turned back to me.
"So, where are the others?" Zeus asked, making Odin roll his eyes as Crom Cruach snickered while I just shook my head.
"Sirzechs won't be able to attend as he's going to be too busy with trying to keep war from breaking out between the devils. Amaterasu is also not going to be attending as she has to quell the flames of rebellion between Susano'o's subjects and the other Shinto gods. Michael and Azazel on the other hand shouldn't take too long as they are just busy gathering the rest of the other leaders."
"What other leaders?" Zeus asked with a frown before he was answered by a familiar voice that opened the door to the room.
"What? Did you expect you all to be the only leaders that wish to stop Rizevim from destroying the world?" Shiva asked with a smirk as he walked into the room, dressed in a pair of satin pants with his feet & chest bare as a golden crown sat lopsided atop his head.
"Great. I have to deal with you." Zeus grumbled with a sigh, making Shiva chuckle as he nodded at Odin, Crom and I while taking a seat next to the Norse Chief.
"Not just him, Thunderbeard. We're here too." An elderly balding man with white hair and elongated earlobes spoke softly as he walked into the room with a wooden cane, dressed in a green jumper over a white shirt, a tattered blue overcoat over that and a pair of dark pants with his feet bare.
"Well, as I live and breathe. Has the Jade Emperor finally decided to grace us with his presence?" Odin asked with a smirk, to which I heard the Jade Emperor chuckle as he sat down next to Shiva.
"I would have ignored the message, but when Azazel sent the message of Trihexa being unsealed, I didn't have any choice. A world with you idiots is far better than having to fight that thing."
"Well said, Lord Jade!" A voice exclaimed and as we all turned to look at the voice, I was surprised to see a well-built young man about the same age as me with long golden hair styled into dreads and no pupils in his eyes. Dressed in just a blue coloured robe with golden hoops on his elongated ears, he looked ecstatic to walk into the room as the Jade Emperor let out a sigh.
"You are?" I asked and the man looked surprised as he turned to me before a look of realization appeared in his eyes as he smiled.
"I heard that Gilgamesh got a new replacement, but I didn't expect you to be this young if I'm being honest. The name's Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama if you want my birth name or Tathagata like the old man calls me."
"I thought the Buddhism Faction was a part of the Chinese Faction?" Odin asked and the Emperor snorted at that before he answered.
"As if. This idiot doesn't like anyone having control over him or his sages so he decided to make his own little faction away from everyone." He said, making everyone turn to Buddha who shrugged with a smirk before sitting down next to me.
"So, how is being the leader of such a big organization as yours?" He asked, to which I chuckled as I shrugged.
"Not as bad as I expected, but I have to admit it's been a rough week since I took charge."
"Tell me about it. The old man made being a leader look easy, but when I tried it, it was far harder than you would think."
"Oi! Why am I the old man when you're nearly triple my age?!" The Emperor exclaimed with a wave of his cane, the other gods looking amused as I smirked and Buddha waved his hand dismissively.
"Eh, you're old as shit while I still look like I'm in the prime of my life."
"If I knew you were going to be here, I would have stayed at home." A deep voice spoke as an Enochian teleportation crest appeared on the floor before Azazel, Michael and two other men appeared in a flash of light.
The first was a tall, well built man with tanned skin and deep green eyes, dressed in a white off-the-shoulder tunic, white shorts, a thick golden belt and sandals. However, his head was a surprise as it was the head of a blue falcon, his pupils dilating and constricting in rapid succession as he scanned the room.
The second was a rotund man, his belly peaking out from under the short, rough tunic he had on while dark grey breeches were barely held up by a multitude of black belts.
"Ra? You finally decided to get down from your golden throne?" Zeus asked with a smirk, making the falcon-headed man snort as he plopped down on the seat next to me, the rotund man sitting down next to him as Azazel sat down next to Odin with Michael sitting down in between him and Zeus.
"When the fate of the world is at stake, I know how to put aside old feuds to work together."
"Who's the kid?" The rotund man asked with a hiccup as he pointed at me while reaching for the wine in the middle of the table, to which I just smirked before answering.
"Theseus Richards, Supreme Commander of the Huntsmen Organization and the current owner of the building you're in, Lord Dagda." I said with a smile as I snapped my fingers, Dagda frowning as the wine disappeared before shrugging as he leaned back in his seat.
"So, the King of Heroes actually retired?" Ra asked, to which I chuckled as I nodded.
"Yes, Lord Ra. Apparently, he's currently deciding to live out his retired life with his friends in the Hindu Faction."
"More like he's being a pain in the ass. I swear I had to fix my training ground six times in the last week alone because he and my son wants to keep on sparring for no apparent reason." Shiva grumbled, making the others chuckle before I cleared my throat as I turned to Azazel.
"What about the last one?" I asked and he sighed as he shook his head.
"Ahura Mazda says that while Trihexa is a threat, he can't bring himself to work with the one who killed his counterpart." He said and I sighed as I shook my head.
"He should have told Angra Mainyu not to try and attack Atlantis for shits and giggles." I said with a grumble, Uncle Zeus nodding along as the other gods just shook their heads before I shook my head to clear my mind.
"Anyway, it's time to start the very first war meeting."
"Without me?" My eyes widened at that voice as I turned to see Yasaka walking through the door, my girlfriend smirking as she picked up a chair that was standing near the door before walking towards me.
I just smirked as I moved my chair and let her sit down next to me, Yasaka making herself comfortable as the other gods raised an eyebrow at her.
"What are you doing here?" Azazel asked with a smirk, his eyes not even wavering from her chest before he gave a nervous chuckle as he saw me looking at him, Yasaka giving a soft giggle as she shrugged.
"As the head Miko of Amaterasu-sama, I have been sent by her to attend the meeting in her stead while she and Tsukuyomi-sama are busy with quelling out the last of Susano'o-sama's supporters."
"Wait, we could do that?" Odin, Azazel and Zeus asked in surprise before grumbling as Michael and Theo smirked at them.
"That's why we didn't tell you guys, because knowing you three, you would be stuck in a brothel than be in this meeting."
"And they call me lustful." Dagda chimed in with a smirk, chuckling as the three leaders just huffed while Ra let out a disappointed sigh.
"Am I the only one who has matured from his earthly desires over the few millennia?"
"You can start acting like that when you stop blasting Anubis every time he even tries to peek his head out from the Dead Lands." The Jade Emperor spoke with a smirk, to which Ra just looked up at the ceiling with a frown as Buddha snickered.
"…These are supposed to be the strongest beings in the world?" Theo asked as he turned to Yasaka and Shiva, the priestess giggling as Shiva just smirked.
"Welcome to the 'Power makes you senile' club. We have meetings every century."
"…When I asked Theo for help, I didn't expect this much." Sirzechs spoke with wide eyes as he stared at the giant army gathered outside of his castle, thankful that it had a city-sized front yard or else it would have been completely crowded.
"When the Organization sends help, we make sure that the help is more than enough to take care of the problem." Cao Cao answered with a shrug as he stood next to Sirzechs, both Hassan and Siegfried shaking their heads as they stood off to the side while Connla & Valerie just smirked amusedly at each other.
"Well, thank you. Do you need a moment for you all to gather yourselves or can we begin?" He asked, to which Cao Cao just turned to the captains who nodded.
"We can begin whenever you want." He answered as he turned back to Sirzechs, who smiled as he nodded before turning to the gathered soldiers.
"Hello there, everyone! I know that most of you are used to hunting devils and you loathe having to take orders from one, but I do not blame you! However, I ask of you today that you help this devil in stopping a war from breaking out and stopping innocent devils from losing their lives! I plead this to all of you! Will you help me?!"
"YES!" The soldiers chorused, making Sirzechs smile as Cao Cao smirked.
"He really knows his way with people." The human said with a smirk as Hassan snorted.
"He's the Devil. A silver tongue is natural to him."
"You make it seem like a bad thing, Mr. Sabbah." Sirzechs said with a smirk as he turned towards them, to which the Division leaders were surprised to hear the assassin let out a chuckle as he shook his head.
"On the contrary, the right words can get you into a better place for assassinating your target. If anything, I'm commending you for it."
"I thank you for the praise. Now, I wish to know. What are the specialties of your Divisions?"
"Rizevim! This is lunacy!" Diehauser exclaimed as he quickly rushed after Rizevim, who just let out a giggle as he continued on his path through his castle.
"Yes! That's what makes it so exciting!"
"You want to attack Heaven when it's at its strongest?! That's not exciting! That's idiocy!"
"Be careful how you speak to me, boy." Diehauser froze in his tracks as Rizevim stopped and turned to him, his malicious smirk & the sadistic gleam in his eyes completely gone as a look as cold as the freezing waters of Cocytus were now directed at him.
"Just kidding! You know I wouldn't hurt you, right Didi?" Rizevim asked with a quick switch back to his joker facade, beads of sweat dripping down Diehauser's forehead as he watched the Super Devil turn to face him.
'Damnit! I got tricked!' Diehauser thought nervously as he watched Rizevim walking towards him before the man stopped right in front of him.
"Now, I'll be a good friend and ask you to explain why it's a bad idea."
"A-Ahem! Just the thought of attacking Heaven while they're currently on full war protocol with the Vatican is a bit hasty in itself as they will be on the lookout for any kind of army or assault. That's not to mention the fact that most of the Four Great Seraphs, the Ten Seraphs and their personal Brave Saints will be there preparing themselves for war and the fact that you want to attack them with just yourself and five thousand normal soldiers."
"Well, who said anything about attacking?" Rizevim asked with a smirk, Diehauser frowning in confusion at the question as the Devil just chuckled and turned to walk.
"Oh, and Didi? Next time you want to write a letter to your mom, ask me if you can. We wouldn't want you to wake up with a dagger in your skull, now would we?" Rizevim said with a sweet smile as he pulled out an envelope from his coat before burning it to ashes, a cackle escaping his lips as Diehauser just smiled and nodded.
'Sirzechs…I hope you're ready.'
