Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.

Chapter 56

— Scars are the mark of a warrior; they symbolize every battle that has been fought and survived —

Eitar to Roland

In one of the Sitri's hospital rooms, Edzard could be seen, who was sitting on a bench with his chest bare, showing his scars and a new wound, which was dripping a little blood.

"Uggg..." Edzard growled as he felt the wound on his chest being cleaned by a cloth, which was soaked in boiled wine to better disinfect the wound.

"Don't be picky." Asia scolded her husband as she finished cleaning his chest wound. "This would be easier if you would just let me use «Twilight Healing» to heal you."

"I know, but you also know like me that you would need to use a lot of energy to heal me. That's my curse, Asia, I don't want you to overexert yourself, you've been healing all the other injured during this farce of the rating game."

"I know, but..." Asia said with a sad voice as she cleaned the wound, and then watched as her husband began to use his own Magicka to heal himself. The ex-nun's gaze was fixed on the wound, watching as it slowly began to heal, until finally the flesh closed, but unlike her sacred gear, which healed wounds leaving the skin pristine, the healing with magic of Restoration left a scar where there was a wound.

"It looks like it's done." Edzard said when he saw the new scar that adorned his body. The scar was a very thin and soft pink color, it hardly seemed to have been lethal, but the truth was that the blade of «Ascalon» seemed to be able to easily cut through his skin, something he had not expected. "It is somewhat irregular, but it is not the worst I have had. I guess he makes me look tougher now, don't you think?"

Asia looked at her husband and sighed at his words, before going over to him and hugging him from behind. Her arms encircled his chest, thus giving him a gentle hug. That position allowed her lips to be close to his right ear, so she whispered something to him. "Tell me, Ed... have you ever thought about leaving everything here and going back to Nirm?"

Asia's question did not take Edzard by surprise, for he had had moments when he had thought about it, so, taking his wife's hands, he gently pulled her and spinning her in the air, causing her to end up sitting on his lap. After that, he brought their foreheads together and whispered a few words to her while he closed his eyes. "I would be lying if I said that there have not been times when I thought of taking them all and going back to Nirm, to live in that house in the Druadach Mountains again… but since the beings invading this world are daedras, I feel with the responsibility to help the natives defend themselves."

Edzard's words caused Asia to look at her husband for a second and then smile at him sadly, but at the same time she felt proud of him, since he had always been a person who helped others in whatever way he could. Although that could make them think that he was naive and that he could be very manipulable, the reality was further from that, since he knew when to say no to the requests that some people made of him. After those thoughts, the young hybrid brought her lips closer to those of her husband and captured them in a soft kiss.

The eyes of both spouses closed while they shared a simple gesture of affection between them, showing how much they loved each other.

That kiss lasted for a while, until they both needed to breathe, for which, freeing each other's lips, they slowly parted. When their faces were in front of each other, they smiled playfully. Unfortunately, that atmosphere was ruined when the door was opened unexpectedly.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing walking in like that?!" It was Mittelt's yell, which was heard from outside the room.

Through the door of the room, Rias and Sona entered, who were followed by their respective peerages and behind them were all Edzard's group, who did not seem very happy that they were there. The faces of the two devils showed that they were not in a good mood.

Seeing them enter, Edzard lowered Asia from his lap and getting up, he approached them, since it was more than obvious that they had come to talk to him. However, when he was less than a meter away from Rias, he quickly moved his left hand to stop Rias's right hand, which was aimed at his cheek.

Edzard's eyes were fixed on Rias, who was glaring at him with a lot of anger.

"May I know what you tried to do?" Edzard asked, feigning ignorance since he knew why she had tried to hit him.

"That's what I have to ask you!" Rias yelled as she tried to move her hand, but to no avail as she couldn't move it an inch. "If you consider Ise and Saji your friends, how could you use something as scary as that spell?!"

Rias's words were accompanied by a nod from Sona, who, despite not being as vocal, was just as angry as her friend.

"Rias-san, Sona-san…. If you could calm down…" Asia said, to calm the situation down, since it was obvious that they were so upset that they could do something stupid. Unfortunately, her words were not heard by Sirzechs's sister, who, seeing that she could not move her hand, caused her to be surrounded by the power of destruction.

Rias's action took everyone by surprise, especially her servants, who, seeing the stupidity their king was about to do, rushed to stop her. However, everyone, including Rias, stood still as statues as they watched the demonic power that made up the Bael clan's infamous ability dissipate, shocking everyone.

"Looks like you need to calm down a bit, Gremory…" Edzard said in a harsh voice as his left hand blew out a small amount of black smoke, which was the last trace of the use of the dispel magic spell. After the spell he used to stop Rias disappeared, Edzard let go of the devil's hand, which did nothing else, as he was still in shock from witnessing the power for which she was called the «Princess of Destruction» it was neutralized very easily.

Although he wanted to speak, Edzard decided not to for the moment, because what he had to say to Rias would not make sense if she was in shock and didn't pay attention to him, so he waited a few seconds. Luckily for him, the heiress of the Gremory clan managed to come to, something that left her ready to hear Edzard's words.

"Listen to me clearly Rias, this goes for you too, Sona and the rest of you as well." Edzard said, drawing the attention of everyone present who wasn't part of his group. "I don't have to reply to you, but I'm still going to."

The way Edzard had spoken to them caused the devils and Irina to feel a chill run through their bodies, for his voice was so cold that it gave the sensation that the very atmosphere was freezing.

"I consider you all my friends, so I will say this to your face." Edzard started, surprised Rias and Sona's peerages, along with their kings and Irina. "It is because of that affection that I have for them that I did what I did."

"W-w-w-what do you mean...?" Kiba asked, snapping out of the shock he had been in a few seconds ago.

"You are all people who have grown up in a time of relative peace, you have not seen what I have seen, you have not felt what I have felt." Edzard replied, who began to remember several things. "You have not heard the last words of the people with whom you shared a plate of food, you have not heard the curses that your enemies release when they die, you have not heard the insults of the families of the people under your command when their relatives do not return home, you have not seen families destroyed, children left orphaned, entire villages destroyed, women raped... No, you have not seen any of that, at least not yet…. So, unlike me, I want you to be prepared for when that happens."

Edzard's words caused everyone to look at him differently, as they began to understand why he had done that with Issei, Saji, and Sairaorg. The son of a dragon god seemed to want them not to go through whatever he had been through after the wars he had fought. However, as good as his intention was, they knew that this was not the way. So, already being somewhat calmer from their anger towards Edzard, but still shocked by the latest revelations that he had given them, they were about to give their opinions about it, but they were interrupted when someone beat them to it.

"I… I…" Rias tried to say, trying to apologize for trying to slap him, but to her surprise, he cut her off.

"Calm down..." Edzard replied, who began to walk away and walk towards where there was a table. Approaching, he grabbed a T-shirt and put it on, causing the newcomers to realize that he had been half naked. That revelation caused everyone to start thinking that something had been going on here, with Irina being the most vocal in reacting.

"S-shall we interrupt something?" Irina asked with a flushed face, imagining that he and Asia had been in a very intimate make-out session.

"No. you only came when my wife finished healing me." Edzard replied as he approached Asia and gave her a kiss on the lips, causing some girls to become jealous. "And about your apologies, Rias. I don't need them; you haven't offended me at all. In fact, I would have been offended if you hadn't reacted as you have. And Sona, you should be more expressive when you're upset. Sometimes it is not good to contain emotions."

After those words, Edzard passed between the group made up of various devils and a reincarnated angel. When he got to where his group was, he began to kiss all his lovers without an established order. When he finished doing that, he walked between Rossweisse and Ingvild, to whom he proceeded to give them little friendly pats on the heads. Finishing doing that, he continued walking towards the door and before leaving, he turned his head and looked at his family, including Rossweisse and Ingvild.

"Girls, I'll be out for a while. So, go back home and rest."

Edzard's words caused confusion in his group, so Rossweisse stepped forward to ask.

"Where are you going, Ed-kun?" the Valkyrie asked, causing confusion in the peerages of Rias and Sona, including Irina as well, who did not understand why Odin's former bodyguard called Edzard in such an intimate way.

"To walk for a while, Rose." Edzard answered, before looking at Rias and Sona. "Have they woken up yet?"

Edzard's question was answered with a nod from both Rias and Sona, who raised an eyebrow in confusion at the question.

"Okay, then I'll take them with me for a bit. I'll return them in a couple of hours. By the way, Asia dear, go see Marie, Yasaka told me that she is asleep, and she wants you to take her to her bed."

As Edzard finished those words, he left the room, leaving everyone who lived in Kuoh with some doubts.

The darkness of the night was being dispelled by the hundreds of lights that illuminated the streets and buildings of this place. The bustling city was full of taxis and private cars, which mobilized thousands of people from one place to another and on the terrace of a restaurant, which was located on the twentieth floor of the same, Edzard could be seen along with Issei, Saji and Sairaorg.

The four young men were dressed in black tuxedos, with different colored shirts and ties. Issei wore a red shirt while wearing a crimson tie, Saji, for his part, wore a blue shirt with a black tie, while the most extravagant was Sairaorg, who wore a purple shirt with a gold tie. Next to them was Edzard, who was wearing a white shirt with a black tie.

"I don't understand why we have to dress like that." Commented Issei, who looked at himself from top to bottom, since it was not common for him to wear this type of clothing.

"As unfortunate as it sounds, I agree with Hyoudou. Why do we have to dress like that?" Saji asked, looking at Edzard.

For his part, even though Sairaorg had the same doubts, the young devil didn't do it vocally, but simply looked Edzard in the eye and that was all it took for them to communicate.

Seeing that his companions on this evening were somewhat confused by their clothing, the young dragon decided to respond quickly, as it was more than certain that the dishes they ordered to eat would arrive soon and it was better to keep this conversation out of mortal ears.

"I really don't know, just that being dressed like this makes us look important in this place." Edzard replied with a smile on his face.

Edzard's words caused the three devils to look at him with blank eyes, since they didn't expect that answer. However, that was nothing compared to the next words the son of Akatosh spoke.

"They look good despite the reverent beating I gave them." Edzard said with an amused smile painting his face.

Those words caused the devils to have flashbacks of what had happened in the rating game, which in turn caused them to feel quite numb in their bodies.

"W-w-wait... W-w-was that you?" Saji asked, who was pointing a shaky finger at Edzard.

Hearing his friend's question, Edzard was about to answer him, but before he could say anything, the waiter who was serving them had arrived with their orders.

"I bring what you have requested, gentlemen." The waiter said as he placed some trays on the table.

"Thank you." Edzard said when he saw that everything, they had asked for was there.

"You're welcome, mister. If you want anything else, don't hesitate to call me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll retire."

When the waiter finished saying those words, he withdrew from the place, leaving the group of young people alone.

"Well…. Now, that he's gone, I'm going to answer them." Edzard said, taking his cup of coffee and bringing it to his lips, he took a sip, causing the bitter liquid of the espresso he had ordered to go down his throat. Although he would have preferred to have some beer, but that would not be possible in this country, since the minimum age for drinking alcohol is twenty-one. So, to his bad luck, he would have to settle for coffee. "Yes, Saji. The one who gave you that sovereign beating was me."

Edzard's declarations left the devils like stones since they had not expected those words. However, the first confusion they felt was quickly replaced by anger.

"Damn son of a-" Issei said, trying to insult his friend for having shown him something as horrible as the death of his loved ones, only for a sugar cube to hit his forehead, causing him to fall from his chair.

That scene could have been very embarrassing for Issei, but for his good fortune they weren't in the public area, but rather in a private area.

"Listen, Issei. You may be mad at me, but if you finish saying that sentence, I'll see to it that you can never have sex." Edzard said with a cold voice, causing everyone to shudder, especially Issei, who completely forgot his anger and put both hands to his crotch, trying to protect his little friend from Edzard's anger.

After those words, silence reigned for a few moments, after which Issei returned to sit in his chair and drink his drink, which was a vanilla Late. The other devils followed his example and took a sip of their respective drinks. These drinks were also coffees, but none were espresso. After drinking a bit, the three devils calmed down a bit. So, feeling calmer, they looked at each other and after nodding, Issei looked at Edzard again and asked him with a calmer voice. "I know it was a fight, but... Did you have to do that with our minds?"

At the surprise of the three devils, Edzard smiled wryly, after which he simply reached out a hand and taking about three different snacks from the trays, looked at the three devils.

"Before I answer your question, Issei. I will ask you a question. What do you think are the ways for someone to awaken a new power? Or what is the best way to make a person have what many call character development?"

Edzard's questions left them in silence for a long time, since none of them knew what to answer, so Edzard decided to do it for them.

"There are three known ways to obtain a new power. The first is the easiest, and is the way Sairaorg gained access to Touki, training to the limits and going beyond that. The second is a bit more complicated and has to do with lineage, since there are techniques and abilities that are transmitted through the genes. Finally, there is the third and most complicated of all, obtaining an increase in power thanks to some traumatic event, which forces the affected person to exceed his limits, either to save someone or for revenge."

Edzard's words finished shedding light on the reason why that rating game was created.

"I see…. So that's why…" Sairaorg commented as he looked at Edzard.

"So, you've figured it out." Edzard said, causing Issei and Saji, who still hadn't quite figured out what was going on, to look at him in confusion.

Seeing the confusion in his fellow devils, Sairaorg began to tell them what he had deduced from Edzard's words. With every word that came out of the Bael heir's mouth, the two reincarnated devils began to understand the objective of the rating game they were participating in.

"I mean, are you telling me that you played with our minds so that we could access a new power?" asked Issei indignantly, looking at his friend.

"That's how it is." Edzard replied frankly. "Although the initial plan was not to play with your minds, but to force you to awaken more power by placing you in a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, some events taking place at the same time proved that this was not possible, so in order for at least one of the secondary objectives of the rating game to be fulfilled, I was forced to use that spell on you."

The way Edzard mentioned that he was forced to use that spell made them see that apparently that spell was not meant to be used lightly.

"From the way you talk, you make me think that that spell is not meant to be used as you have, right?" Sairaorg asked.

"It seems that you are more perceptive than I thought, Sairaorg." Edzard answered, putting a smile on his face before continuing to speak. "The truth is that this spell was created after various studies with a single purpose."

"Which?" asked Issei, who felt that the answer he would receive would not be pleasant at all.

A cruel smile appeared on Edzard's face, something that chilled the blood of the three devils, since they had never seen him make such a face before. While that smile remained on Edzard's face, he responded to his friend's question. "Torture the son of a bitch who was the cause of my wife's excommunication."

The response that the devils received caused them to feel something that they never thought they would feel in their lives when they saw their friend… fear…. For the first time since they met him, they saw a new side of their friend, a side they didn't think he had, a very dark side from what it seemed.

Despite his fear, Saji decided to ask a question that he knew his companions had too. "Y-and… do you know who he is?"

"Yes, I know who is." Edzard responded quickly.

"By any chance, do we know who it is?" Sairaorg asked, having a hunch that he was a devil that Edzard was looking for.

"You don't have to worry, that bastard is already dead. I took care of it a few months ago."

That answer should have calmed the nerves of the devils, but to their surprise, that was not the case, rather the opposite, because they began to worry more and in their minds they all made the same promise: 'Never piss off Edzard to the point where he wants to get back at you.'

Fortunately, their gloomy thoughts were banished from their minds when Akatosh's son spoke again.

"Though, let's not think about it. Today is a day to celebrate."

The words spoken by Edzard caught the attention of the devils, who looked at him automatically.

"What do you mean, Ed?" asked Issei.

"Yes, what is there to celebrate?" Saji asked, followed by a nod from Sairaorg.

Hearing that question, the former imperial general smiled from ear to ear, which made the devils' curiosity increase.

"Well, there are two big news, both of which involve you." Edzard answered, trying to suppress a laugh, because he already imagined the faces of the devils when they find out. "The first thing before speaking, is that only the four maou and the leaders that make up the maximum power leadership of the Kuoh pact know about this, so not even Rias and Sona know, so you will be the first to know."

If the curiosity of the devils before was great, at this moment, after those words, he was in the heavens.

"Ed, don't have us with the anguish and tell us what it is, please." requested Issei, who wanted to know what was happening.

The Sekiryuutei's words were accompanied by nods from his fellow devils.

"Well, since you insist... the first news is that by recommendation of all the leaders of the pact, Issei, you and Genshirou will be promoted to middle-class devils."

Surprise was painted on the faces of the two devils, who were totally shocked to hear that.

"That?" both reincarnated devils asked in synchrony.

"What you guys heard, from tomorrow you will no longer be low-class devils, but you will be middle-class devils."

When Edzard finished confirming what both devils had heard, they were shocked for a moment, then jumped up and got up from their chairs and began to dance around the room.

"Yeah! One step closer to being a high-class devil and the next harem king!" Issei yelled with a big smile on his face.

"Yes, Kaichou will be more than pleased by this!" Saji yelled as he danced in happiness next to Issei.

As the reincarnated devils celebrated, Sairaorg looked at them with a smile, but it was more than obvious that he had some questions about the promotion they had received.

"It seems you have some doubts." Edzard commented as he looked at his friend.

"Yes, do you think you can answer them?"

"Sure, I don't see a problem."

"Thank you. I know that there are ways for you to rank up, but I don't know which one you have used for their promotion. Has it been the ratings games that they have had? Or what other method have you used for this promotion?"

"It has nothing to do with ratings game, but with battlefield achievements." Edzard answered Sairaorg's question.

"Battlefield achievements?" Sairaorg asked with confusion and curiosity, since he didn't know that there was a battle important enough for a devil to get such a prize as a promotion.

"Yes, battlefield achievements. Unfortunately, now all that information is classified, but as you can see something so big happened that both Issei and Saji have been promoted to middle-class devil. Although, the truth is that almost all of the devils belonging to the second year of Kuoh academy high school meet the battlefield experience requirement, the only thing that has barred that ascent is the individual power level of each of them."

"How complicated was that that happened?" Sairaorg asked, realizing that something more serious had happened than Loki's or Kokabiel's attack.

"A lot, but you won't have to stay in doubt for long. In less than a month or perhaps the full month, that information will be declassified. So, just wait a bit and you'll know." Edzard replied, before changing the subject. "Now, let's talk about the reason why I brought you with them. You remember I said it was a day of celebration, right?"

Sairaorg answered the question with a nod.

"Good, because right now I will give you the news that involves you…. Sairaorg, your mother has woken up."

Edzard's words left the devil of the Bael clan as stone, who did not know what to do or say, because his mind only repeated the same word repeatedly: My mother is awake...

After being in a state of shock for a few seconds, the young devil asked the first question that came to mind.

"How? No one could find a cure for that disease…. How is that possible?"

"That's easy, I was the one who cured your mother."

"What? …but… how did you do it?"

"I made it with a potion to cure diseases from my home world, which I modified to work on this disease." The son of Akatosh answered directly and truthfully. "The truth is that it was difficult, but I managed to do it. Although, it took me quite a while to make this cure."

"I-I see… a cure from another world…. So that's why…" Sairaorg whispered as he comprehended what was happening. When he understood everything, he looked at Edzard and asked another question.

"Edzard. I would like to know, why did you do it? What made you create that potion?"

Edzard looked at Sairaorg and after a few seconds, he decided to answer. "It was Rias's mother who asked me if I could do something to cure your mother."

"Venelana-sama?"

"Yes, her."

"B-but… when did she make that request to you?" Sairaorg asked in confusion.

"It was a while ago, after I killed Loki." Edzard replied, talking freely about how he had killed a god. This surprised Sairaorg, who began to become more aware of the power level of the person in front of him. "That day, Rias's mother told me about your mother and she asked me if I could do something. I told her that she might have something to help her, but that I would have to look into it. That was how after that, I asked her for all the information she had on that disease. Her response was to tell me that she would ask Sona's mother for all the information she had on the disease. When they gave me that information, I started experimenting and when I got a potion that might work, I gave it to your mother to drink."

Upon hearing that explanation, the young Bael heir spoke. "I know it's not much, but..."

"You don't have to thank me, Sairaorg. I know what it is to suffer to see one of your parents in such a state." Edzard replied, who saw that Sairaorg wanted to ask him a few more things, but he decided that it was better for the young devil to go see his mother. So, raising a hand, he cut off whatever Sairaorg was thinking of saying. "You don't have to say anything else, Sairaorg. The best thing would be that you go see your mother. Don't worry about those two, I'll take care of them."

"Thanks." Sairaorg said quickly, then got up and ran away from the place, to teleport to the place where his mother was.

When the young bael left the room, Edzard got up and walked where Saji and Issei were, because it was time for them to go out to celebrate their promotion and what better place for two devils to celebrate that they have risen in rank than in the city of sin .

The night sky of the Underworld was overcast, making the night darker than normal. In one of the most remote areas a meeting was taking place, between three factions of the Khaos Brigade. Said factions were Hexennacht, Nilrem and Qlippoth.

In a room of the palace that once belonged to Rizevim, the three leaders of those three factions of the Khaos Brigade were meeting.

"Welcome. It is a real pleasure to see you again." Mannimarco greeted, who was not trying extremely hard to act like the devil, because the way he spoke was similar to the way he expressed himself when he acted as the Arcane Archmage.

The leader of the Hexennacht, a woman named Walburga looked at the devil, not knowing who he currently was. Walburga was a woman in her twenties, with short hair. Said hair was adorned with various ribbons. Her outfit consisted of a purple gothic lolita outfit.

Walburga looked at Euclid and raised an eyebrow in a bit of confusion, since Rizevim's right hand was acting a little different than normal, but she decided not to say anything, since it was not something, she cared about.

"It's an honor to see you again, Euclid-sama." Said a man, whose face was not visible, as he was dressed in a magician's robe with a hood that completely covered his face.

"Where is Rizevim-sama?" Walburga asked as she looked at Euclid, who didn't flinch at all.

"Rizevim-sama is busy for now, so he won't be able to attend this meeting." Mannimarco replied as he looked at Walburga, trying to remember everything he could about this woman. After a few seconds, he was finally able to remember something about her. The woman in front of him was the leader of one of the rogue magician factions, as well as being a more than competent magician, if she was compared to him, though, she also had one of those renowned Sacred Gears. Said sacred gear was called «Incinerate Anthem», one of the sacred gears that were considered as one of the holy relics by the Christian church.

"I see, well, it's too bad." Walburga said before looking at the magician who had spoken previously. "I didn't know that Nilrem had a new leader."

"The previous leader died when we attacked Kuoh Academy a while ago." The magician answered quickly.

"Ummm… heh, heh, heh… it seems you guys are less powerful than you boast if you were defeated by a couple of kids." Walburga commented as she took satisfaction in mentioning the inferiority of that group of magicians.

The face under the hood soured, showing the feeling of annoyance the magician of Nilrem felt at being called inferior.

"Walburga, shut your mouth for a moment." Mannimarco said, releasing his killing intent and some of the power he had as an Altmer, causing his Magicka to temporarily merge with the demonic power of the devil body he now inhabited.

The Hexennacht magician felt a chill run through her body as her mind imagined various scenarios where she died. The magician's survival instincts kicked in, causing her to want to run away. However, before she fled the place, she felt the aura surrounding Rizevim's right hand dissipate, allowing her to return to her old self.

"Nilrem's magicians were caught off guard by an unexpected factor that appeared on the battlefield during the attack on the three factions meeting." Mannimarco said.

"Heh, a surprise attack by an unexpected factor. What, were they beings from another world?" mocked the magician, who didn't believe anything about that rumor that was spreading throughout the supernatural world, no, for her those magicians had been defeated by the young devils. However, what she heard in response caused her dismay and concern, but above all surprise.

"Yes, they were beings from another world."

"What?"

"What you heard, the meeting was attacked by two beings from another world, one of which managed to maim the leader of the Fallen with a single attack."

"W-w-w-what…?"

"Yes, what you heard. Beings from another world have appeared. A door to an unknown world has been opened."

"I see, that's why he's not here, right? He is preparing the plans to start his invasion of that world, right?"

Mannimarco looked at the magician, almost not understanding everything that came out of her mouth. The truth was that he didn't have all the memories that had belonged to Euclid. However, he did remember some parts of the plan that Euclid and Rizevim had been weaving.

"That's how it is."

"I understand. I suppose the plans were brought forward. So, we have to get that Dhampir to revive the dead evil dragons." Walburga said as she began to rant about the plan they had been planning for a long time.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait." Mannimarco said, drawing the mage's attention to him and causing her to stop her tirade instantly.

"What?"

"As you have heard, we cannot go ahead with the plans as planned from the beginning."

"And that for what?" Walburga asked looking at the devil in confusion.

"Because the beings of that world have turned out to be stronger than we expected." Mannimarco answered with a honeyed voice. "In addition to those two who appeared in the attack against the three factions, there was also a young man who was a native of this new world. The young man was strong, very strong by the standards of this world."

"How strong?" Walburga asked as she looked at Mannimarco.

Mannimarco did not respond verbally, instead looking at the magician that belonged to Nilrem. The magician looked at the "devil" and nodding, he began to narrate what had happened in the attack months ago.

Walburga's eyes widened from time to time, while the words of the magician from the other organization recounted what had happened. That narration lasted several minutes, minutes in which no one said anything, allowing the magician to tell everything. By the time he finished, Walburga was looking at "Euclid" in surprise.

"So... That pact has obtained a powerful ally, right?"

"That's right. The young Edzard Cumberland Rolandson is someone dangerous and powerful. At first, we did not know anything about him, but we have managed to contact a few sects of worshipers of beings called Daedras. These cultists confirmed a lot about Edzard for us, and the information provided is worrisome in many ways." Mannimarco lied, since he had not contacted any type of Daedric cult in this world, since he did not want them to know that he was alive, because if Bal found out, he would send armies of Daedras to kill him. "Besides, the young Dhampir is Edzard's lover, so she can be considered out of our league."

"Then, we can no longer continue with the plan." Walburga said, only to later see how "Euclid" shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Rizevim-sama has discovered a way to obtain the power necessary to resurrect the dead Evil Dragons."

"Which way?" Walburga asked, only to receive a sheet of paper with the answer. The magician's eyes focused on the sheet and when she read what it said there, she felt that her soul would escape from her body at any moment, because what was written there was a more than suicidal plan.

"Y-y-y-y… You're crazy! Do you know what you are asking for?!"

"Yes, but calm down. You will not bring those three objects." Mannimarco replied with a cold look on his face, but with an amused smile on his mind.

"What do you mean?" Walburga asked when she managed to calm her mind and her body.

"You and your faction members will go for one of the items. The Nilrem members will go for another and the Qlippoth members will go for the last one."

"Which one do I have to get?"

"This." Mannimarco said as he pointed to an item on the list on the paper.

When the magician saw what she had to look for, she sighed, since, of the three objects, the one that touched her had been the simplest of the three. However, while it was the easiest of the three, that doesn't mean it's super easy to get.

"How am I supposed to get it? Isn't he supposed to be an immensely powerful warrior?" asked Walburga, who felt a chill again when she remembered what Nilrem's magician told her, since what his magician colleague mentioned to her about him, let her know that this guy was at the level of a maou.

"Yes, it is true that he is powerful, that does not mean that he does not have weaknesses." Mannimarco replied, drawing Walburga's attention. When he saw that the magician was looking at him, the reincarnated Altmer handed her a scroll.

"What is this?" Walburga asked as she tried to open the scroll, only to be stopped by "Euclid". Seeing this, the magician looked at the "devil" and asked him a question. "That?"

"That scroll has been specifically constructed to be used against him. When you use it, all warriors within a hundred-meter radius will be able to fight it on almost equal terms. So, only Open it when you are about to fight him, otherwise, you will lose a unique opportunity to defeat him. The best thing you can do is use those idiots you gave them to drink that potion I sent you a few months ago."

The words of "Euclid" made the magician remember that he had given her a special potion, which would give her full control of the people who drank it and she had used that on the leaders of a group that had asked her for help. With that, she had taken control of that group, so they could be of help to her in this matter. Now, it was time to find out what the weaknesses of her enemy were.

The Hexennacht leader looked at the "devil" and asked the question. "You mentioned a weakness. What is that weakness?

A sinister smile appeared on Mannimarco's face, which scared not only Walburga, but also Nilrem's wizard. Ignoring what he was causing, Mannimarco opened his mouth and responded to his temporary ally. "His family."

Edzard's footsteps echoed throughout the passage, which led to his alchemy laboratory as its final destination. The last Dovahkiin's walking pace was leisurely, as he was in no rush to get to the place he planned to go. As he walked, his mind was mulling over what had happened after that rating game he had against the young devils.

'The Underworld press erupted into chaos when that game ended. That caused a super impromptu press conference to be held.' Edzard thought as he tried to remember what had happened, since he himself had been there, looking from the shadows at those gathered in that room to see if there were any possible spies or infiltrated enemy among the highest-ranking assistants.

Flashback

The room that was being used for the press conference after the rating game was a large room, which could easily fit more than a hundred people. The room was divided into three parts, the stand where the four maous and Azazel were, while in front of them were several chairs, in which the journalists were sitting. However, said room had an elevated area, a place where some noble devils were located, who were there to see firsthand the response of the maous and the leader of the Grigori for the rating game.

To the surprise of many, the rating game had maintained a very high number of viewers until the end. According to the calculations of the devil machines, nearly ninety percent of the devils living in the devil territory had watched the matches from start to finish. Although it seemed that showing the defeat of the young devils was somewhat disconcerting to the viewers, who thought that they would win, the reviews on the forums and Deviltube channels had been good, especially those regarding the final match between Issei, Saji, Sairaorg, Regulus and Edzard. However, not everything could be rosy, since there were several devils who were complaining about what was seen.

'In the end it can't rain for everyone.' thought Edzard, who was in one of the corners of the room, using an invisibility spell to see and examine the reactions of those present, not the journalists, but the nobles who attended. 'Many of the nobles in attendance are members of the «Great King Faction». This makes this meeting a special place, from which to get information about whatever these idiots are planning, as well as whether they are hiding other things.'

After those thoughts, Edzard looked towards the podium where he saw how the press conference began. Seeing that everything was about to start, he began to keep one eye on the conference and another on the nobles.

End Flashback

'In the end, the conference was good, especially the part in which they answered the questions.' Edzard thought, who smiled a little when he remembered that.

Flashback

"It seems that we are all here. So, let's start with the press conference." Sirzechs said, thus initiating the conference.

The moment he finished saying those words, Sirzechs and the others present at the booth watched as all the journalists began to riot, as they all wanted to be the first to ask a question. In the end, to avoid any excesses, Sirzechs singled out one of the journalists, who belonged to an independent newspaper.

"Good night." The journalist greeted, who received a nod from those present at the stand. After that, the young devil asked his question. "Lucifer-sama. You had already mentioned that there would be a two-day event to make up for the cancellation of the ratings game of the young devils, but the prior to the unveiling of this new type of Rating game was made something like the ratings game of the young devils, only on a larger scale. So, wouldn't it have been better to leave the game ratings of the young devils and then have done this without the need to cancel the first ones?"

The devil journalist's question caused the leaders present to look at each other for a few seconds, after which Sirzechs responded. "The truth is that yes, that could have been done. However, the cancellation of the ratings game was a hasty decision, so when planning this new event, we realized that it was unnecessary to do so. It was for this reason that we decided to hold that tournament among all the young devils, thus having more participants than in the original format."

When the current lucifer finished answering the question, he could see that the devil who asked it seemed satisfied, so he saw how he sat down and gave way to another devil.

"Maous, Governor General." Said the new journalist to then drop his question. "I would like to know… What was it that inspired you to make this new type of rating game? Since, as you can see, it is completely different from all the types of rating game that have been done so far."

Unlike the previous time, this question was answered by Falbium, who spoke clearly and without sleepiness, something amazing for him.

"As everyone knows, ratings games are simulations of battles, in which devils are intended to gain combat experience without the need to put their lives at risk, right?"

The question asked by the maou was answered with a nod from all the journalists present.

"So, like all battlefields, ratings games must change to adapt to new times. Therefore, looking at the current situation of what is happening in the world, we have been forced to create a type of rating game that makes the devils that participate have to fight in a group against other beings, but not against other devils. Also, from being forced to think on the fly, without having any prior information and forcing them to strategize together with people they don't know."

The answer from the current Asmodeus didn't seem to calm the journalist's curiosity, but before the latter could ask any more questions, another journalist got up and asked a question.

"From what you mention, Asmodeus-sama, these 'dungeon bosses' are designed to force devils to trust unexpected comrades, right?"

The devil's interruption caused the other journalist, the one who had been asking his question earlier, to get angry and grab his sleeve and pull him towards him. That act was the first of what would be an escalation that threatened to end the room in utter chaos. However, fortunately for everyone, Sirzechs managed to calm things down, returning everything to a slightly tense peace.

End Flashback

What followed from that moment were more questions, which were only questions about the system of the new rating game mode. Those questions were answered by Azazel, who began to give the technical details of this new type of Rating game.

The details were that the bosses and dungeons would be randomly generated, so no one would have to fight those beings that the young devils fought again. That answer caused a bit of disappointment in the journalists, but especially in some of the nobles who were on the balcony.

'Those nobles with a stick up their ass mentioned with disappointment that they hoped they could have a way for one of the devils that are in the top ten of the Rating game to face those beings to capture more profit for them, since it was more than remarkable to the naked eye that the top three ranked could easily take on those "bosses." Edzard thought with a little annoyance, as he felt that those third-rate nobles were looking down on his group. When he heard them talk like that, he was tempted to tell Azazel and Ajuka to turn that map back on so that he can kick the ass of the three ranked players from the Rating game, but in the end, he decided against it, as it would cause some problems in the devil faction, problems that were not required right now.

Thoughts about the press conference were interrupted when he got to the place he wanted to go. The place was neither more nor less than the cell where his parents were locked up. That cell was special, as it had been designed and built by Edzard himself, who had used several high-quality materials to create this containment cell. The door that led to the outside was like the door that was used in the well-known Nordic puzzles, that is, a door that had three mobile rings to place a password to open it. However, apart from the password, to enter the cell, it was necessary to use a special key, which only he possessed.

After putting the password and key in place, the three rings that were the locks on the cell moved until finally the cell was fully opened, allowing a view inside.

The interior of the cell was that of a common cell a simple stone room with a toilet, or at least that would be the case of the normal dungeons of the castle, because this cell was special, since it had hundreds of special runes, which served to keep their parents imprisoned.

When Edzard saw his parents, his heart seemed to sink to his stomach. The two adults were dressed in some simple linen robes, which were white in color. All four of their limbs were held in the shackles with which he had ordered Tiamat to restrain them when he imprisoned them. Those shackles were artifacts that allowed their parents to be unable to use Magicka, while also preventing them from using their full strength, otherwise they might have tried to escape when the servants brought their meals. In fact, the servants did not do that in a regular way, since that work was something, he did in person. For that reason, there was a tray with two plates of food in his hands.

When he entered the cell, he saw the room that was this. His parents' cell was a large cell, furnished with two very good quality beds, along with a table and chairs. The chairs, the table and the bases of the beds were made of stones, which were attached to the floor, because if they were normal furniture they would be used as weapons by his parents. So, letting out a sigh, Edzard walked around the cell and put the food on the table, before taking the two plates that were there earlier.

Edzard's eyes widened with a bit of surprise when he saw how both plates were empty. That caused a smile to appear on the young man's face, because until two days ago, his parents hardly touched their food, but now it seemed that they had finally reached the point where they subconsciously knew that they needed to eat in order not to die.

'As much as their minds are blank, their body still maintains its survival instincts… which is very clever, since a soldier without survival instincts is a useless soldier at times.' Edzard thought as he looked at his parents, who they were sitting on the ground, one in each corner. They looked back at him, causing their blue eyes to cause him considerable discomfort.

After seeing his parents for a few more moments, Edzard wasted no time and decided to leave while his parents were in a good mood. As much as it hurt him to see them in that state, he still had to keep his distance, since he didn't want them to try to fight him.

'It seems strange to me that they stopped after so few attempts to flee.' Edzard thought as he remembered that his parents tried to flee on more than ten occasions, the sixth attempt being the one that got them the closest to being outside the Palace. However, to their misfortune, those shackles prevented them from escaping to coldharbour using magic.

Stopping thinking about those moments, Edzard continued walking, but when he reached the door, he stopped abruptly, for he sensed danger behind him. Moving swiftly, he dropped the tray and empty plates. After that, he moved a hand and quickly stopped a fist aimed at his face. Said fist belonged to his father, who was in an attack posture of the martial arts of the imperial legions. Edzard frowned as he stopped his father, but couldn't say anything as his mother moved quickly and ran out of the room.

His mother's action caused Edzard to be surprised, since it was the first time that one of them decided to abandon the other. Scowling, the Dovahkiin was about to knock his father unconscious, but he stopped dead when he saw something. What his eyes caught were some little things shining after his mother's footsteps and it didn't take him long to figure out what that was. What shone were the tears that his mother was dropping, perhaps because of the sadness and pain that she was feeling when performing such an act. Seeing that made him want to stop her, but when he tried to move, Roland prevented him from moving. However, to everyone's surprise, lightning struck Selene, causing her to end up flying into her cell room.

After seeing this, Edzard fixed his gaze on his father and moving his arm made him come closer to him and placing magic in his other hand, he immediately paralyzed him. After that, he caught the body of his father and left it on the ground, and then ran to where his mother was. Being next to her, he also used the paralysis spell on her, then took her and put her on the bed. With his mother there, he saw that she was a little hurt by the attack received, so, moving his hand, he proceeded to heal her. When he finished doing it, he went to his father and took him to the bed to rest there.

With his parents already in their respective beds, Edzard decided to leave the cell. Picking up the tray and plates, he walked to the exit and when he was behind the doors, he closed the door and activated the lock. The gears in the lock began to move, and with every inch that closed, Edzard's heart grew heavy again. When the door closed completely, Edzard let out a sigh, which contained all the feelings he was feeling now. After that, a smile appeared on the face of the last Dovahkiin, who turned around and saw the person who had helped prevent his parents from escaping.

"Thank you for stopping her from running away, Rose." Edzard said looking at the young Valkyrie, who was dressed in her teacher's uniform, indicating that she had just returned from the classes she taught at Kuoh Academy.

Rossweisse looked at Edzard and nodded. She had just arrived at the palace from the academy and since she would have to stay reviewing some tests, she had gone to Edzard's laboratory to ask him for a stamina potion so she could work smoothly all night. So, it was thanks to that that she came just in time to stop Edzard's mother before she ran away.

"How are you feeling, Ed-kun?" Rossweisse asked with concern, as she knew that her friend always got a little depressed every time, he came to see his parents.

"I'm fine." Edzard replied with a smile on his face and then began to walk towards the kitchen to leave the tray and the plates.

Rossweisse frowned the moment she heard her friend answer. Before she couldn't have understood it, but now things were different, since having spent so much time together, she could finally see about the lies that Edzard could tell. While she couldn't see over all of them, she could see when he was lying when it came to his feelings, especially when it came to his negative emotions. So, when she saw him walk past her, she gave him a hug.

Edzard felt Rossweisse's arms around his waist and her breasts against his back. That action took him a bit by surprise, but when he was about to say something to her, she went before him.

"You shouldn't be carrying this alone… I know it's painful for you to see them in that state, but you should have more faith in yourself. You're working morning, noon, and night to save them, so soon you might. I have full confidence in it."

Rossweisse's voice and her words echoed in Akatosh's son's mind, dispersing the feelings of guilt and sadness that he had in his heart whenever he saw his parents. Putting a smile back on his face, the young dragon dropped the tray and plates for the second time that day and bringing his hands to Rossweisse's, he took them and gently separated them from his body. That action took Rossweisse by surprise, who felt a small pain in her chest, because she thought that Edzard was angry with her because of her words. So, not wanting him to get mad at her, she was about to apologize. However, the words she planned to say to him died in her throat as Edzard turned and gave her a hug.

"Thank you for those words, Rose." Edzard said as he hugged Rossweisse with a smile.

The Valkyrie's face flushed quite red upon hearing those words, which ended up causing her to stutter as she tried to answer him. Although Rossweisse's face was already red, this blush increased to atomic levels when Edzard brought his face closer to hers and ended up touching his forehead with her.

"A-a-a-a-a-a-ah…" Any attempt to speak of Rossweisse died in her throat, as she was so nervous that she couldn't even speak. Her heart was beating with great force, causing the blood to move at high speed through her body, which led to her vision beginning to blur. Finally, the young Valkyrie ended up falling unconscious, being caught by Edzard, who looked at her in bewilderment.

Edzard looked at Rossweisse for a few moments before finally putting an amused smile on his face as he shook his head at what had happened to his friend. When he finished denying, he carried the Valkyrie and after looking at the tray and plates, he decided that he would come back for them later, since he needed to leave his friend in her room first.

After walking through the halls of the palace, he finally reached the area that was the bedrooms. Once inside that area, he began to walk through one of the corridors and after going up some stairs he arrived at the place where the main rooms were. Walking down the corridor, he managed to reach Rossweisse's room. Opening the bedroom door, he entered it. Rossweisse's room was a spacious room, in which there was a double bed, a large oak wardrobe, along with a night table where a jug of water and glasses could be seen. In addition, in one of the corners, near the window that the room had, there was an oak desk, on which there were some documents. When he finished seeing said room, Edzard saw that as always it was very tidy, so he smiled and walked towards the bed.

When he got to the side of the bed, he laid her down gently, trying to keep her from waking up. When he saw her lying down, he began to undress her a bit so she can sleep more peacefully. So, he started by taking off her shoes and then he took off her jacket and when she was left with only her white blouse, he proceeded to undo the top two buttons of her blouse. Subsequently, he undid the button on her pants and then covered her with a sheet, as he knew that she would wake up in a few hours and it was still early, so she would be present for dinner.

The moment he saw her rest, a soft wind swayed the curtain and ruffled a few silvery locks of Rossweisse. Seeing this, he moved her hand and smoothing her hair gently, he saw that she put a peaceful and calm smile on her face. Seeing this, he also put on a smile and bringing his face closer to hers, he kissed her forehead gently.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Rose." Edzard whispered as he turned away and started to leave the room.

Night had already fallen on the human world, allowing the starry sky to be visible to everyone who was awake at that hour. One of the people who was awake at this time was Le Fay, who was looking at the sky from the top of a tall building.

"Ahh…. the day was fun. I never thought that Kuroka-sama could buy so much in such a short time." Le Fay said with a smile as she remembered that they had all gone shopping for clothes together, since they had no more clothes than the ones they were carrying. So, taking advantage of the fact that they now had a card with several million dollars, they decided to buy clothes and at the same time rent some good rooms in an expensive hotel for a change from their days of rest in caves.

'It was fun. Although… I think it would have been more fun if Ed had come too.' Thought Le Fay, who took out a book from a magic circle. Taking the book in her hands, Le Fay saw the cover of the book. The image that appeared on the cover was the face of a very old man, who had little hair. Although only the man's face appeared, the hand of that old man also appeared, since he was extending it, giving the appearance that he wanted to capture the reader. The name of the book read: "Tales of a hero, the Agent."

A smile appeared on Le Fay's face when she read that title, which showed that it was Edzard's second book. This book, unlike the previous one, had come to her as a gift, so she did not have to buy it. Also, she had obtained it days before it was officially released, so she was one of the first to read it. Although she had already read it more than twice, she had planned to read it again, because in each reading she found some new things that she had not noticed in the previous readings.

However, when she was about to open the book, she saw how a purple vortex opened up behind her. The surprise appearance of this vortex caused her to move quickly and extend a hand, conjuring a magic circle. The young mage's eyes narrowed as she saw a silhouette begin to walk towards her. Fortunately, when she recognized who appeared from the vortex, she calmed down enough to discard the magic circle.

"It's good to see you're back, Zakir-sama." Le Fay greeted cheerfully when she saw old Lilmothiit arrive. However, that joy died when she saw the face of the humanoid fox, because Zakir's face did not show any joy, only concern.

"Brat, contact the Dovahkiin." Zakir ordered in a gravelly voice. "Tell him I'll see him in a few days on the Italian Riviera, on a coast near La Spezia. Let him go alone."

Zakir's words aroused curiosity in Le Fay, who was tempted to ask what was wrong, but decided not to ask anything because she saw that the Lilmothiit's face was showing more seriousness than usual.

"O-o-okay... I'll tell him."

"Fine, thanks." Zakir said before starting to walk somewhere to spend the night.

Le Fay watched as the Lilmothiit moved away and taking a breath, she conjured a magic circle in her ear. When it shone brighter than when it was summoned, she spoke. "Hello, Ed-kun…. Yes, yes we are fine, thanks for asking. The truth is that I called you to tell you that Zakir-sama wants to talk to you."

Author's note:

To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.

And chapter 56 is ready, this chapter has taken longer than usual because not only have I had to postpone its writing for two weeks due to personal issues, but I also had to rewrite half of it, since I realized that I was repeating several conversations.

For the rest, with this chapter this arc ends and in the next one we start an arc that is going to be difficult to write and that will have several events happening in parallel.

Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved or if you have any questions about the story. Also, any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.