Anomaly

by Rosenkreutz

He refused to believe in reincarnation, but that was long ago, in another life, in a distinct universe. Sent in a world where the strong survive, and the weak perish, made his skin crawl. Luckily, he knows this world—he knows the board, and he knows the pieces. Time to make a move. [Self Insert]

55. Top Dogs

Life.25: Top Dogs

Beta: Old man of the mountain/Darklord331

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Jeanne's rude awakening was triggered by a large tongue licking her cheek, covering half her face with drool.

"Charles, no!" A familiar voice cried out, "Bad! Bad horse, bad!"

Jeanne fluttered her eyes open, to see a shadow stand between her and a big horse.

The animal tried to reach down to either sniff or give her another good lick, but the shadow moved in time to intercept it. "Stop it, Charles!"

Jeanne tried to see through the blurriness of her gaze to identify her defender, but nothing. The voice was way too familiar, but somehow, she couldn't understand from where.

The horse eventually whined and turned away. It huffed and trotted out of the building.

Jeanne touched her face before pulling her hand back, grimacing at the multiple trails of saliva connecting her cheek and palm, "Yuck."

She passed her wet fingers on the ground, realizing that she wasn't lying on a bed.

Her whole body was atop a pile of hay.

Enough evidence to prove that this wasn't her bedroom, but a barn.

"... How much did I drink?" Jeanne groaned out as she pulled herself to a sitting position. "Where is everyone? Am I even in Japan?"

"Yes, but no."

Jeanne looked up again—only to have a helping hand block her view.

"Come on!" the silhouette encouraged Jeanne, "Let me help you up!"

The blonde hesitated, but eventually gave in, "Thank you..." Jeanne reached for the hand.

The former saint now away from the ground got a better look at her helper.

Same height as hers.

Hair like hers.

Eyes like hers.

If it weren't for the different wardrobes that reminisced about the Middle Ages, Jeanne would have thought she was looking through a mirror.

The other girl wore simple clothing from the past, fitting a farmer, and a cross across her neck.

Jeanne gulped. She didn't know why but standing in front of the girl made her feel anxious, despite the welcoming tone surrounding her.

Jeanne was surprised as well. She wasn't the type to grow timid when meeting new faces—she always made sure to match their enthusiasm.

Could it be that she's embarrassed about being caught inside someone else's property without their permission and in an awkward position?

Or because of their similitudes?

The girl seemed content to stay quiet, so she kept her lips sealed, giving Jeanne the opportunity to break the silence.

Jeanne, reluctantly, took the first step, "H-Hey..."

"Hi!" her clone greeted back, instantly.

"W-Who are you?"

"... I am you just as you are me," the girl, also with a voice identical to hers said, "I am Jeanne d'Arc..." the Original Jeanne flashed a radiant smile, "but to avoid any confusion, you can call me Joan instead."

The introduction struck her like a car to a deer—she didn't expect the blow to come even from miles away.

In front of her was the legendary heroine of the Hundred Years' Wars.

The very saint herself, Jeanne d'Arc.

Joan squeezed both of Jeanne's hands together, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Jeanne!"

"..."

"First off, I'd like to apologize," Joan continued, unfazed by Jeanne's shocked look. "The last thing I want is my existence intervening with your life. Hence why I did not introduce myself earlier."

Jeanne said nothing, still bewildered.

"Of course, my words contradict my actions as we are, well, here right now... talking," Joan sheepishly giggled. Her gaze became distant, "And after what happened four years ago too... when I saw Gilles after a long time."

Jeanne finally recovered from her trance, "G-Gilles?"

"A wave of emotions caught me by that time," Joan admitted, looking rather nostalgic, "I thought I was the only one still alive from my era... but it's a relief to find out that a familiar face survived the Hundred Years' Wars. I hope you can understand."

"It-it's fine," Jeanne stuttered out, "A-And why do you want to see me? I expected you to show up when Gilles is around instead..."

"To do this."

"To do wha—!" Jeanne's gravest mistake was looking up, giving Joan the clean opening she needed to jab her defenseless eyeballs.

The Rook fell back down with a shriek of pain, holding her face to protect her poked eyes.

"What is wrong with you?!" Joan snapped as Jeanne rolled on the ground, "Three. Three bottles of alcohol you drank in a single night! Are you aware of the consequences of consuming too much? Did you do any research beforehand?! That's an unhealthy amount, Jeanne! You should take care better of your health!"

Finally, the pain around Jeanne's eyes subdued as she remained still.

Joan, in return, folded her arms, looking at her Doppelgänger under her nose, "Do you have anything to say, Jeanne?"

Still lying down, she peeked at Joan through the gaps in her fingers and smirked, "I have no regrets."

Joan gasped.

"Oh, yeah!" Jeanne jumped back to her feet, "It was so good!"

Joan gasped again.

"It was so good that Imma did it again at the next party!"

"Jeanne!" Joan cried out, "You can't do that! I won't let you!"

"What just happened with you not intervening with my daily life?!"

Joan opened her mouth to argue but closed it. "T-There are exceptions!" the flustered maiden quickly regained her voice, "If it's something that puts your health unnecessarily at risk, of course I will berate your actions!"

"You're not my mother!"

"I will tell Vasco if you keep walking down this path!"

"Nice try! But he ain't here!" Jeanne looked fearless at first, but her doubts won over as she peeked over her shoulder before turning back nervously at Joan, "R-right?"

She tried to resist, but Joan couldn't help but break into a fit of giggles, "It's only us," she assured her, making the other blonde sigh in relief, "No animals, no humans, and no supernatural beings are here with us."

"Phew! Good to—hang on," That made Jeanne frown, "If it's only us... then what's up with the horse that just licked my face a few minutes ago?"

Joan stared.

Jeanne stared back.

…

"... We are currently inside your Sacred Gear," Joan revealed.

"D-Did you just ignore my question?!"

"As for why I am also here... After bidding my farewells to the world of the living, I was sent inside my Sacred Gear."

She absolutely did.

"Inside your Sacred Gear? I don't follow..." Jeanne stopped, eyes growing wide in realization, "You were the previous user of Blade Blacksmith?"

"Not really," Joan shook her head, "While yes, I also wielded the very Blade Blacksmith you possess right now, there were still many users after me as well. This Blade Blacksmith... houses my soul... that's why I'm here, talking with you."

"This is so confusing..." Jeanne massaged her forehead, "All this time... I always thought that I inherited your soul... that's what everyone said..."

Could it be that the same thing happened to the Original Heracles and Connla? After meeting their deaths, could it be that their souls were sent inside their respective Sacred Gears?

"If you want to look at it that way, then yes—you carry my soul," Joan nodded, "through Blade Blacksmith... the Sacred Gear that is on your hands now..."

From what she gathered from this conversation, it was the same way as the Heavenly Dragons were inside Booster Gear and Divine Dividing respectively.

But how? In the case of the Heavenly Dragons, they were defeated by Three Factions and imprisoned by the Biblical God on their respective Sacred Gears.

God of the Bible should've been confirmed dead since the Hundred Year's War.

Or at that time the Biblical God died?

Big doubt.

A glitch perhaps?

"Makes sense... I think," Jeanne gestured at her surroundings, "So... why does it look like this then? I expected an empty space..."

"I don't know," Joan shrugged, "about the mechanisms of the Sacred Gears... only the Lord God knows. My expertise lies in their usage within the battlefield, but I can't complain, this is a welcoming afterlife."

"I-I see..."

"But it's more than this!" Joan reached out to grab Jeanne's wrist, "Look!"

The Original Saint dragged Jeanne outside the barn.

"W-Wait!" Jeanne protested but didn't do anything to stop the saint from yanking at her.

As they stepped outside, Jeanne felt immense pleasure because of the peaceful and serene environment.

The village homes were siblings of diverse colors to one another upon that lofty land. The sun on the horizon just added the perfect touch to turn this place into a welcoming paradise.

She breathed in as brief memories while under the care of Vasco flashed before her eyes.

Wonderful times.

"It... it feels," Jeanne breathed out, "Nice. Great even. Where are we?"

"Domrémy," Joan said with fondness, "My home—a replica of how I remembered it before I left. I never grow tired of its sight."

"... Domrémy-la-Pucelle."

Joan tilted her head, "Hmm?"

"Your birthplace... it has been renamed after your nickname."

Joan blinked owlishly, "Oh," and turned back to the scenery, "Let's call it Domrémy for short, okay?"

"Sure..." Jeanne watched as Joan sat down on the ground and quickly joined her.

In silence, Jeanne then proceeded to hug her knees and shoot awkward glances at Joan.

There were times she tried to ignite a conversation about a certain topic, but hesitation somehow kept her throat tight.

"If you're at your wit's end, how about asking her how she feels?"

The annoying voice of Heracles echoed in her head, the lock that kept her torturing herself in silence.

"Aren't ya curious what Joan has to say about your screwups?"

This feeling. She hated it. The way she had to swallow back her words because...

Because...

"Is something wrong?" She snapped back to reality when Joan's voice broke her trance. She looked at her and found Joan was giving her a side glance before focusing back on her home. Her internal issues somehow slipped out, "You've been staring at me a few times, even acting oddly. I'm not making you uncomfortable, aren't I?"

"You're not!" Jeanne cringed at her cry that even Joan reacted by raising a brow. She lowered into a whisper, "Not at all! I just..."

"Be free to talk," Joan encouraged as she shifted her sitting position to face her properly—cross-legged. "You must have a lot of questions on your mind, I'll do my best to answer most of them."

Joan did her the favor of offering an invitation.

"With the predicament, I am currently in? Heh. I rather avoid him at any cost."

She shoved those memories away to push onwards. "A-actually, I do..." Jeanne took her time to find the right words to tackle the conversation, but nervousness won over her, and lost control of her tongue, "H-Hey... you see... what happened before... I'm sorry..."

Joan of Arc blinked at the unexpected apology. She just smiled at Jeanne, "It's okay, you're young. Next time, please don't drink to excess."

"Not about that!" Jeanne looked the other way, "I'm talking about your... current image."

Joan tilted her head, "My image?"

Jeanne nodded, awkwardly resting her chin on her knee, "It's because of me that... the Vatican stripped your sainthood..." she bit her lip as Joan's stare grew heavier to hold, "that all your achievements now are on the mud, and you are nothing but a heretic in the eyes of the Church. I-I tried thinking of ways to clean your name... b-but I'm not giving up! I-I need some—!"

"Jeanne... do you know what the cause of my passing was?"

"Burned... at the stake?"

"But why?" the true saint pressed, "why of all executions, they decided to burn me on a stake? For heresy. I've been also called heretic by the Catholic Church because I stayed true to myself."

Jeanne stared at Joan incredulously. Why was she speaking gently to her? Why wasn't she looking down at her with a glare? Where are the insults? The threats? The clenched fists?

Jeanne honestly didn't—!

"I-I don't get it," the blonde finally stuttered.

"Being called names again isn't going to cause me any distraught," Joan assured her, "Take comfort in your undoing. I, like you, have been punished for my choices. But much can still be achieved. The world still moves despite our falls, encouraging us to keep walking."

"... No," Jeanne watched her incredulously, "... Y-You're fucking with me, right?"

"Um. No. I'm not... effing with you."

"Then you're missing the point," Jeanne grabbed the sides of her head, hair shadowing her eyes, "No. No. No. You don't get it. You don't get it at all...!"

Worried, Joan reached to squeeze her clone's shoulder, "Then please, help me understand."

Jeanne's stare bolted right back at Joan, startling her, "Y-Your—!" she stuttered and jumped to her feet, "Your feats! Your legacy! All stepped on like a carpet because I was so fucking dumb in the past!" she snapped on her, looking down at the surprised clone, "How can you be so damn calm?!"

"Don't make me laugh! The moment you let that Evil Piece enter your body, all hopes to clean her name are gone! What comes after that will go downhill!"

Heracles taunts drilled into the back of her skull, serving as the perfect fuel to feed the fire.

"This isn't about me! It's about you!" Jeanne continued, "I made a promise four years ago. To bring your image back to a pedestal, but with each passing day, instead of being a step closer, it goes further away from my fingertips... And do you know why? Because I haven't done shit to fix it," her shoulders slumped in defeat, "Because I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do. I'm just... lost. Really, really lost."

"I'm scared of giving up," Her legs grew weaker, and she dropped on all fours. She gave the ground a frustrated punch, "Y-you should be mad at me, damn it! F-furious even... and yet!"

Joan let the silence comfort the downed blonde. Then she spoke, "Are you feeling any better?"

Jeanne laughed weakly and shook her head, "No..." she shut tightly her eyes to hold back the tears, "I must look pathetic right now, don't I? Shit... even I am starting to get annoyed by hearing my voice."

"Hey. That means you also dislike hearing my voice, you know?" Joan stood up and approached the girl on her knees, "Here," she carefully grabbed Jeanne. Once her successor was on her feet, she began to dust her off.

"... What are you doing?"

"Your clothes, they have some dirt on them."

"Please... just stop," Jeanne pinched the bridge of her nose, but didn't stop her, "you're making this worse."

Of course, Joan ignored her. "I disagree that you were dumb back then. You picked the right choice in that moment."

"Turning you a heretic? Was that the correct choice?"

"Yes, by making me a heretic," Jeanne looked up at that one, "To become a heretic because innocents live sounds better than keeping my sainthood because I left people to die."

Joan placed her hands on Jeanne's shoulders, "But I understand that none of this is what you want to hear right now," Joan pulled her into a hug, "Jeanne, I forgive you. And I'm so sorry you had to wait four years to hear this from me."

...

A shuddered breath escaped from Jeanne's lips, "Thank you," she finally returned the embrace, "it's been some time that..." she buried her face in Joan's neck as tears threatened to appear, "that my shoulders felt so... light."

"That's no good," Joan rubbed her back, "You can't leave your shoulders weightless, but you can't overload them either. You must find a new purpose... but the one you had sworn in front of Vasco and Touji, please put it to rest. Okay?"

"...Ok."

"Okay?" Joan repeated, firmly this time.

"Ok."

Joan pouted and separated from the hug. She grabbed Jeanne's shoulders firmly, "Okay?"

...

"... Okay!" Jeanne rubbed her eyes, "Okay! Fine! I'll do it! I'll fucking do it!"

"That's better!" Joan took a step back, "Are you feeling better?"

"Y-Yeah. I think so!" Jeanne breathed sharply and exhaled, "All good! I swear!"

"Good! I thought I had to poke your eyes again!"

Jeanne felt a bead of sweat travel down her face, "Ahaha..."

"... Well, it's time for you to go then," A sudden glow sprung behind Joan, and Jeanne used her hand to block the brightness, "They're worried for you Jeanne!"

"Wait! J-Just one last thing!" Jeanne squinted her eyes as the light became stronger, "W-what do you think of me becoming a Devil?"

"While you became a Devil, your demonic power, can be used for good—and you know this already." Joan sagely said, "If you come from God, I do not fear you... If you come from the Devil, I fear you even less."

Eventually, her surroundings turned white.

"I heard that before. But where..." Jeanne tried to recall her memories and gasped in realization, "Just... just how much do you know about Vasco?"

Joan just smiled, "Stay safe."

And then, the whole world was devoured in a white light.

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---

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With a sadistic smile, Valerie leaned on the bathroom's entrance, watching Jeanne and Danhauser share the same toilet to expel everything they consumed the previous night.

On his knees, Danhauser had his head inside the toilet as he puked. Jeanne, also on her knees and beside him, stared at him with impatient, puppy eyes as something threatened the back of her throat.

The French had to quickly cover her mouth and use her other hand to tug at his shirt and pressure him.

"Fuuck," The gray-haired pulled back with a groan, and Jeanne quickly took the toilet for herself like an ostrich burying their head in sand.

He took some breaths and proceeded to pat Jeanne's back, "There, there," He pushed back her blonde strands to keep them safe from getting covered in the toilet's water, "You're doing great. Let it all out."

"I must say," Valerie finally decided to speak up, "You two were the last people I imagined finding in this current state. Life has ways to truly surprise you each day."

Danhauser took his time to reply, "You've missed out on the party," he peeked over his shoulder, "It wasn't the same without my little Missus."

Valerie didn't know what it was, but she felt a tingle once he heard her using her nickname, "Oh, but it seems that you still had quite the fun," she noted, "I doubt my presence was needed yesterday."

"The party felt empty without the life and soul of the party," Valerie had to roll her eyes skyward at the wink her boyfriend fired at her, "Think about it. Instead of only Jeanne and me, we could've been the three of us sharing the same toilet."

Valerie scoffed, "Unlike you greenhorns, I do know how to handle my liquor," she boasted, "if my sources are reliable, you two became intoxicated after two or three glasses."

"Bullshit. We didn't even drink glasses, but whole bottles," he turned to Jeanne and gave her back a smack, "Tell her."

Jeanne pulled her dizzy face off the toilet. "Ugh... Can you please help us?" the Rook begged at the Dhampir, ignoring Danhauser. "Your Sacred Gear can fix us, right? Please, please, please use it."

Valerie pulled a thoughtful look, tapping her chin, "I could heal your hangover," she trailed off as her smile turned into a malicious grin, "But! I would rather stay back and enjoy the view. Who knows when will be the next I'll get to savor such a scene? It could be the last one as far as I know."

"Bitch!" Jeanne whined as she returned to the toilet, her voice came out as if she was in an echo chamber, "That's it! I will never drink alcohol ever again!"

[That's a lie] Fafnir sniped at her.

She chose to ignore the Dragon King once she realized, "Wait!" She looked at Danhauser with hope, "You can use Senjutsu to heal us, right?!"

Danhauser spat on the toilet, "Yeah," he confessed as he cleaned his chin with his arm. "What about it?"

"Whaddaya mean with 'What about it'?!" Jeanne mimicked his baritone voice, "Use it to heal our hangover!"

"But why? Where's the fun on that?"

"Fun? How is puking our guts out fun?!"

"Am I not getting through? Jeanne, little moments like this serve to strengthen our rapport," his eyes locked onto hers, "Believe me when I say this: I'm having a blast puking on the same toilet as you."

"T-The fuck are you talking about?! This is the third worst moment of my life!"

[You know you can treat yourself by making a sword that cures nausea, right?] Fafnir finally decided to assist her.

...

"... Shit, you're right."

Valerie fought down a growing smile, her red eyes locked on Danhauser's back. Maybe, for the briefest moment, Danhauser just wanted to completely detach himself from the real world. After all, a person with a working brain would instantly heal their hangover.

Her eyes continued to mingle in the Pure Devil, and unbeknown to the hybrid, her sight blurred her surroundings minus her target.

Valerie was conflicted and was a few steps away from growing worried.

Nothing changed. Nothing changed at all.

Or rather... it became worse. Much, much worse.

These signals her own body sent to her were triggered only when something happened to Danhauser.

Funnily enough, these feelings have been there way before they made it official.

What changed was that... after the confession... followed by the kiss she shared with Danhauser in that train in the Underworld.

These... things worsened.

She couldn't help but wonder what it was. Or why it only happened with him.

Whenever they talked. Whenever they slept together. Whenever they kissed.

This burning sensation erupted like a raging volcano every time.

Back then, she thought that maybe this would dissipate after their second kiss.

But it did not.

Danhauser did explain to her that it was because she likes him—but it didn't feel like this before the kiss.

He also confessed that the feeling was mutual, could it be that he was going through the same thing as hers?

But these lingering doubts twisted her thoughts.

Little by little, Valerie started to feel that she didn't like him anymore.

...

This is something else entirely.

Could it be that...

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---

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"— What do you think of him?"

Valerie stopped fixing his hair midway to look at the mirror in front of them, she easily met the pink eyes of Gasper. "Who?"

"D-Dan the Man," Gasper repeated. "What do you think of him?"

"Hmm," she pondered on his question, "He's a headache," she resumed treating his hair.

Gasper waited for his childhood friend to continue but seeing that the blonde wasn't adding anything else to the conversation, he spoke, "Is that it...?"

"He has the unique power to make me annoyed."

Gasper puffed his cheeks, thinking, "When you two met for the first time, did you two get along?"

Valerie laughed at that one, "Absolutely not," she replied, "I didn't trust him in the slightest bit. I heard a lot about Devil culture and its similarities with the Vampire one."

Gasper listened.

Valerie's gaze softened, "But never did he do something that could raise any alarms. Danhauser tried to make me feel welcomed."

"A-And then your opinion of him changed positively?!"

"No."

"A-Ah?"

"I began to think that he was even worse," Valerie scowled, "that he was trying to be friendly to make me lower my guard so he could turn my hope into despair... but..."

Gasper remained quiet, listening intently.

A smile began to grow on her face, "He found you. To me, that was enough proof to make me realize that he doesn't share the negative aspects of Devils and Vampires."

"I see! A-And what did you think of him after that?"

"Ah, that he's a headache."

"Valerieeeee~!"

"Ehehehe..."

...

...

...

"Do you love him?"

Valerie froze. "What?"

"Nothing!" Gasper felt small under the intense stare of Valerie and repeated, albeit meekly, "D-Do you love him?"

The female Dhampir frowned in deep thought while combing his hair. Only one of them could taste the silence that oozes in the room now. While the other remained unaware of her surroundings, unconsciously resuming her task as a single word echoed in her head.

Eventually, Gasper began shuffling uncomfortably by her absent gaze piercing the back of his head, "V-Valerie?"

"What is love?"

"E-Eh?!" Gasper was startled by the blunt question, "Y-You don't know what love is?"

"No... should I know what it is?"

"Umm," Gasper pondered, "I'm not sure either... but according to what people say on online forums... is accepting someone for who they are!"

"... I see," Valerie stopped treating his hair to reach for the spray. She shook it a few times, "It's for the best if you keep your eyes closed. I haven't used this before."

"R-Right!" Gasper took a deep breath before doing what he was instructed, "I'm ready!"

.

---

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"Little Missus?" The Dhampir felt her forehead being poked, "Planet Missus? You copy?"

She blinked away her stupor and felt an arm sneak around her waist, "Yes. Something wrong?"

"I don't know, you tell me. You've dozed off for a long minute," he squeezed her cheek, "All good? Or you're just falling in love?"

He leaned down for a kiss, but as their faces inched closer for the morning kiss that the Dhampir approved of, the awful smell of last night's decision reached her.

Her nose wrinkled and quickly shoved his head away with both hands, making him face the ceiling, "Wash your mouth first."

Still looking upwards, Danhauser laughed, "That bad, huh?"

"Badly," her words were like a punch to the gut as she lowered her hands, "It reeks of alcohol... and whatever you puked."

"Hell yeah! Now I'm good!" At Jeanne's sigh of relief, the couple looked behind to see the Rook finally joining them, in her hands a sword with the tip shaped like a cross glowing red.

Feeling better, she picked a chastising tone with a hand on her hip and her sword resting on her shoulder, Jeanne called out, "You two can be all lovey-dovey later! We gotta hurry up!"

"I know, I know," the heir separated from his girlfriend, "Luckily it'll be downstairs."

Valerie scowled, "What will happen downstairs?"

"You'll find out," Danhauser wiggled his eyebrows at Jeanne, "Take Valerie with you and keep her updated for me. I'll stick here for another minute or two."

"Eh? What's wrong?" Jeanne asked, concerned, "You're still feeling sick? I can make you a sword too to heal the nausea away!"

"Maybe make him a sword in the shape of a toothbrush instead?"

"Ooh. Morning breath! Sure! I can make a sword for that too!"

"Funny," Danhauser shot Valerie a playful glare who just smiled sardonically in return. "Don't worry, I can handle it."

Both blondes obeyed and walked away, but not before Jeanne cried out over her shoulder, "Okay! Just use lots of paste tooth! And mints!"

"Leave already!" Danhauser heard the blonde giggling and grunted—standing in front of the washbasin. The mirror reflected perfectly his now soured mood.

Just another morning in the chaotic, unpredictable life with his peerage.

And honestly? He wouldn't have it any other way.

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---

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"A-Are we there yet?" A blindfolded Ingvild asked for the nth time as she was carefully guided through the hallway.

"Almost there!" Standing behind the half-devil was Lavinia, looking over Ingvild's shoulder to make sure she didn't trip or bump into an obstacle.

"Here we are!" Lavinia and Ingvild immediately stopped. "You can now take it off!"

Ingvild slowly reached for her blindfold and pulled it—.

[SURPRISE!]

The purple-haired jumped and let out a tiny 'eep'. Now the blindfold on the floor, she saw all members of the Belial Peerage with a cake at the center.

"Ah?" Ingvild stuttered as her brain furiously overworked to—

Her train of thoughts stopped when Jeanne rushed to hug her tightly. The Rook rubbed her cheek with the Bishop, "Welcome to the peerage, Ingvild!"

"A-Ah?!"

Danhauser just smiled, "In case it wasn't plain obvious, the party is about you and..." he trailed his gaze to the only human in the room and winked, "you."

Taking notes from Ingvild, now Lavinia seemed surprised as well, "Me? But I am not part of the Peerage!"

"That's true," Danhauser nodded to the Belial symbol on the back of her palm, "but you're my pact magician now. You're an honorary member of the peerage."

Now it was the Magician's turn to be pulled into a hug, "Welcome to the team, Lavinia!" Jeanne exclaimed.

Lavinia blinked whilst unconsciously wrapping her arms around the fellow blonde. "Hah... well played."

"Sorry about the awful arrangement. This one was supposed to be the first party," Danhauser apologized, "but since the Vali Team was here..."

"We thought it'd be better to celebrate with them at a different party and keep this one for ourselves," Tobio added.

"So, without any further ado," Danhauser clasped both of his hands and looked over the two newest team members. "Welcome to the team, you two! Thank you for joining."

Ingvild felt awkward being in the center of attention, but managed to fire a timid smile, "Thank you..."

"Yes, thank you," Lavinia beamed, "Please, let's take it easy, okay? I bet everyone must be tired after yesterday's party..."

"Relax, we still got some energy left to spare. Alright everyone, line up!" Tobio instructed, each hand holding the necessary items to cut and serve cake, "I'm dying to see your reactions after tasting my cooking!"

Minus Danhauser, Siegfried, and Tobio, everyone got in a line for a slice, the first ones to get their portion being Ingvild and Lavinia.

Encouraged by the only human in the room, Ingvild took a bite of hers and her eyes glowed like a Christmas tree, "Tasty!"

Lavinia added. With a content hum.

Slash Dog just chuckled, "So... How many pieces left on the board?" he inquired as he gave the excited Jeanne a slice, "Only the Queen and a Bishop, was it?"

"Bishop is a given," Danhauser answered, "I just need to humble her big brother in front of thousands."

"Ravel, is it? Keeping in touch with her?"

"... Let's just say that her parents don't like the idea of me talking with her," Danhauser kept it simple. "After what happened to the King Piece Scandal... yeah."

"Yikes."

"But I've spoken to her in person," Danhauser quickly added, "Ruval lent a hand there. Just for, that I'll try not to hurt him too much on our match."

"That's cool of him," Tobio nodded as he gave Siegfried a piece of cake. "But if her parents don't want you to meet her, I don't think they'll find the idea of her joining your peerage thrilling either."

Danhauser closed his eyes to sigh, "... We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"What about the Queen? No one raised their hand yet?"

"Hey, that's true!" Jeanne chimed in after pulling the fork out of her mouth, "Literally looks like the Queen Piece will be the last person you'll recruit! You're doing it all backward!"

"Well, I asked nicely two people," Danhauser glanced at Valerie and Lavinia, "Both of them turned it down."

The Magician tipped her big hat, obscuring her embarrassed expression, "Sorry again..."

Danhauser turned over his girlfriend and expected her sardonic smile. Instead, he found her staring intently at her dessert, "Something wrong?"

The Dhampir looked up, "Nothing wrong," she returned her gaze over the cake, "It's just that this is the first time I had cake."

Danhauser's eyes softened and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You can bet it won't be the last one—you're going to love it."

"Of course she will, she's going to even lick her fingertips—I made it!" Tobio boasted, "Moving on... let's run an audition to find you a good Queen that ticks all your boxes. We could call it the 'Manhauser Queen Audition.'" Tobio placed his hands on his hips, "So, how you like 'em? You give me vibes of someone who digs older women."

"Does it have to be a woman?" Siegfried muttered to himself.

A smile broke on Danhauser's features once he saw Valerie expression lighten up after finally taking a bite from the cake. He faced Tobio with a 'really' look, "Why are you damn headstrong about this?"

"Because it's insane how the Queen post is still vacant after many years!" Slash Dog exclaimed, "Tell me a single Pure Devil that doesn't have an active Queen."

"Me."

"Doesn't count."

"Ravel."

"Doesn't count either."

"Cleria and Roygun."

"Nope."

"What the hell none of them count?"

"Unlike them, you're destined to be the Second Rating Game Champion! It's written! Where's the Right Hand of the Future Emperor?" Tobio shook his head, "We're getting off-track here. The point is you better find a subleader ASAP. Not only because that's additional strength for us, but because Sieg and I are growing tired of doing your grocery shopping."

"Speak for yourself," Siegfried scoffed, "Although, Tobio has a good point. Finding a potential Queen will increase the strength of the peerage—strength that we will need in the unforeseen future."

"... I just recruited the descendant of a Leviathan and made a pact with a Longinus User Magician to boot."

"And they are excellent additions," Siegfried pursed his lips, "but the more, the merrier."

Tobio suddenly snapped his fingers in realization, "You should get a badass familiar too!"

The heir kneaded his eyes, "Okay, fine then," Danhauser looked expectantly at the brunet, "If you touched this topic, then it means you have some people interested or at least, someone in mind."

"Uhh..." Slash Dog drawled as he tapped his chin, "What about... nah, I'm out of ideas."

Danhauser deadpanned.

"Don't look at me like that! Look, if the peerage was only about fighting other peerages in the rating games and climbing our way to the top, then people would be lining up to be part of the adventure... but since we not only do that but also risk our necks by fighting terrorist organizations..."

"The already small pool of candidates has become even smaller knowing full well the consequences of being part of the peerage," Valerie swallowed her cake with a content hum. "Drawing your last breath is not an issue when I have my Sacred Gear... but the process of dying tends to be painful... that's the horrifying aspect for many."

"Man..." Jeanne pouted, "That sucks..."

"So what if few people want to take the role of Queen?" Bova grunted, "Good. That means we culled the weak. Whoever becomes the Queen in the future, it'll be someone strong then."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but that's for the best," Siegfried agreed, "In the tight spot that we are in it's better to have fewer, but strong options than have many, subpar options. We don't have time for any greenhorns."

Ingvild looked up from her now empty plate, "What does greenhorn mean?"

"Inexperienced," Siegfried replied.

Ingvild bit her lip as she hung her head low, "I-I see..."

Realizing what he just did Siegfried flinched, "W-We can make exceptions, of course..."

"Too late man," Tobio watched as Lavinia and Jeanne tried to cheer up the half-devil, "too late."

"Nice job dumbass," the dragon said.

Siegfried glared at Bova as he put his empty plate down, "Don't act as if it didn't cross your head."

"It did, but I wanted to call you a dumbass anyway."

Siegfried felt his eye twitch as he faced the gray-haired, "I suppose the Queen Piece will be in standby then."

"..."

"Master?"

Danhauser broke away from his stupor, "What? Yeah," he confirmed, "Sorry, I dozed a bit there."

"But! But! You'll stay Queenless until that happens!" Jeanne exclaimed.

For an odd reason, her words felt like a sharp slap that stung his face, "Okay, that hurt," Danhauser never felt so much pain by words alone. "Don't say that again. Ever."

"No Queens?" Tobio added salt to the wound.

"It was an order."

"My bad, my bad!" a grinning Tobio brought his hands up in defense once Danhauser used the tone of voice he saved as King of the peerage. The brunet decided to change from topic, "Heard that you will visit the Entente."

"Yeah, I'm being summoned according to Azazel," Danhauser put his now empty plate down, "They have some regarding our fight against Cao Cao."

"Standing before the gods..." Siegfried trailed off. "Many hailing from other worlds..."

"And most of them part of the Top Ten," Tobio pursed his lips, "A sneeze of them wipes out a city."

Jeanne shuddered, "I wouldn't want to be in your feet."

"Why not? It's fun," Danhauser nodded at both Knights, "I'll be all by myself there. In the meantime, you two will be in charge."

"See what I mean? We need that Queen badly."

"Shut your trap and do your work."

Slash Dog saluted playfully, "Sir yes sir!"

Afterward, the peer group was divided into different small groups to socialize about different topics, drawing a faint smile out of Danhauser at the sight. They were all happy, and why wouldn't they be?

They won a life-and-death battle with ease.

No one died nor was heavily injured.

The peerage grew.

He made a pact with a Magician.

Everything looked great.

And yet, Danhauser couldn't help but feel unease. Unfortunately for him, their joy wasn't infectious enough to affect him as well. His mind couldn't help but replay all the skirmishes that brought them here, each of them a link in the chain of consequences wrought by his past decisions.

The difficulty of each event growing.

"If the peerage was only about fighting other peerages in the rating games and climbing our way to the top, then people would be lining up to be part of the adventure... but since we not only do that but also risk our necks by fighting terrorist organizations..."

"And now, must likely gods," Danhauser remembered lively the quarrel he had against Indra in Kyoto. He recalled how Indra ordered his son the order to open fire.

It was the second time he felt so much fear in his life—the first one was when Cleria was about to be killed by exorcists in Kuoh.

Could his peerage have won against the Son of Indra even with the Vali Team there as support?

Perhaps—but at what price?

His eyes shifted over Ingvild and Lavinia. The former wore a nervous smile as she tried to fit in while Lavinia giggled behind her hand at something that Tobio said.

Ingvild... even though he persuaded her to join his peerage to keep her safe, and he genuinely meant it, now seems like a terrible idea. She had no idea what they were getting into, no understanding of the next open can of worms.

Lavinia just came out alive after being brainwashed and likely tortured by the Hero Faction, just to once again be sent to the frail.

The threats they faced were ghosts from his past, and his team was paying the price, dragged into battles that weren't theirs to fight.

...

"They deserve better—all of them," the heir felt a pang of guilt on his chest.

His train of thought came to a halt as a gentle hand brushed against his arm, forcing him back to the present time. He shook his head and turned to be met by the concerned gaze of his girlfriend.

"Are you okay?" She softly asked.

Danhauser forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied as he ruffled her blonde hair, "Just thinking who could fit for the Queen piece."

Valerie stayed silent as she searched in his eyes for any cracks of façade, "... If you say so," she then leaned forward to sniff his face. She hummed approvingly, "Better."

Danhauser frowned, "What are you—?" He was cut short when the Dhampir stood on her tiptoes, capturing his lips with hers.

The Devil blinked owlishly once she pulled back, "Not that I mind," he passed his thumb over his lips, "But what was that for?"

"Your morning kiss," Valerie answered easily, "It was pending, remember?" her hand slipped into his, "Just remember, you don't have to go through everything alone. We're a team, you know."

Although her intentions were to comfort him, they only deepened the guilt eating him from the inside. "Yeah, I know," he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head as a way to express his gratitude for her support.

While wearing a mask, he walked to the group with Valerie to join the party. He laughed when others laughed and added to the conversation when the opportunity arose.

Everything to keep those thoughts away.

.

---

.

Danhauser never imagined the Entente building to resemble a conservatory of all things. The green garden full of colorful plants and trees of different pantheons and the addition of ponds and waterfalls is a welcoming sight compared to the bland and lifeless metal and glass.

It was like a park.

It was beautiful. But this was just the entrance.

The place wasn't devoid of life at all. Different races moved across it, either walking or flying, each minding its own world: Humans, Fallen Angels, Angels, Devils, Valkyries, and Grim Reapers.

And apparently, Youkai as well.

In other words, Yasaka was here too.

Where? Danhauser honestly had no idea.

And even if he wanted to brighten his mood by trying to get on the woman's nerves, it was for the best to go straight to where they will happen.

Danhauser passed through the security checkpoints and found a seat in the upper levels.

He should've given the conservatory a goodbye kiss because steel and glass were once again back on the menu.

Danhauser was currently where the representatives of each Pantheon made political moves. To see over all the history and political moves that may happen here could make Danhauser either stand in awe or disappointment.

But as for now. As his first time to be in a place where the fate of the world lies made stomach turn into knots. What situations could play out right now?

The chamber was spacious with floating platforms for members of the council to use while they headbutt. He was on his platform but in the background as a spectator. Until he's summoned, Danhauser will become the center of attention.

Honestly, this place reminded him of the Senate Chambers from the Star Wars movies, but smaller.

Perhaps he was a little early, as the hall was pretty much empty compared to the conservatory, but some seats were already filled.

He easily spotted the representatives of the Biblical Faction sharing the same platform.

The members in the room didn't honestly match what Azazel told him before—there were subtle adjustments in the staff.

Originally, Sirzechs supposedly represented Ars Goetia, but now it's Serafall who took the torch instead.

Heaven also swapped Michael for Gabriel for the role.

Sudden changes were most likely made to have the Crimson Satan and the Archangel focus on inner matters within their respective factions.

Besides, in Leviathan's case, she's in charge of foreign affairs. While her job doesn't precisely focus on antiterrorism groups, Serafall should be the best at communicating with other Pantheons amongst the Satans.

"I guess the same applies to Seraph Gabriel," Danhauser imagined that Gabriel played the same role for Heaven Faction. Else why her and not the other Seraphs?

Azazel was also there with the two women, sitting in the back with arms folded.

Danhauser spotted Yasaka somewhere else. She looked tense.

"I hope she doesn't forget how to breathe," his stare finally met a deity who proudly keeps the spot amongst the Top Ten—Hades. His clothes are like that of a Pope. Its empty eye sockets held a glowing red that had the same function as a pair of eyes.

On another platform was the Allfather Odin representing the Nordic Pantheon, accompanied by one bodyguard—a Valkyrie by the looks of it.

She shared a similar armor as Rossweisse but seemed to exude divine energy like the deities around them, her hair was light blue.

Even if she had an eye patch and a stern look, it did not make her any less beautiful.

The next one was a muscular tall man with orange hair and stubble. He donned a bored expression. His arm covered by Celtic tattoos was the hint he needed to guess the Pantheon he hails from.

A crow with piercing glowing, maroon eyes rests on his shoulder, vigilant.

The bird released an ominous aura equal to some deities currently.

"Most likely Lugh," Danhauser thought as he focused on the next one.

What caught his attention were her empty yellow eyes and fair smile. An endowed, tall woman dressed in a red sari occupied another platform. Her well-cared black hair reached her lower back.

Danhauser had no clue who that was but given by her attire, the hints led to the Hindu Pantheon.

As Danhauser looked at the last god, his lips thinned.

The last one was Śakra who was atop his vast white elephant.

Indra either hasn't seen him yet or couldn't care less about his existence.

This is the Entente. The Council—the leaders of the Supernatural World.

The sight of them together was terrifying. Whoever tried to make a terrorist attack on this building was looking for a death wish.

"Everyone," a familiar voice spoke at the center of the room, making his eyes grow wide, "It seems that everyone is here."

"Tiamat?!" From his seat, Danhauser looked at the dragon with a dumbfounded look, "Weren't you helping Diehauser in the Rating Games?! Just how much spare time you have...?"

"Your call, High Councilor," Azazel said.

"Very well. The council is now in session," Tiamat declared.

"This is it," Danhauser gulped while leaning back on his seat. "... Who can be trusted?" His gaze jumped from leader to leader. "Who will be the first traitor?"

Aside from the Biblical Faction and Yasaka, Danhauser still believed a member of the Entente was after Leonardo.

He had some candidates in mind.

"Let's begin our first order of business," Tiamat said whilst tapping on the screen of her platform, "File twelve. The Biblical Heaven requests further information about the participants of the Vatican Invasion... The Seraph Gabriel now takes the spotlight."

As Tiamat took a few steps back, the blonde moved to Tiamat's platform, now she was in front of everyone, "Thank you," the blonde said, "First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude for the support in these difficult times," she expressed her gratitude with a well-rehashed speech. "The Vatican City, a place that holds a unique position in the Catholic world, was destroyed, and its people also suffered the consequences of these evil deeds. Al—!"

Gabriel was cut short by a cough slipping from her lips. "I apologize," She cleared her throat, before continuing, "Although most participants who led this attack were officially punished with the help of Ars Goetia, there are a few figures who are yet to pay for their crimes. Amongst them are Walburga, Crom Cruach..." Gabriel's face softened for a split second, "... Satanael, and lastly, Níðhöggr. Amongst them, I'd love if the Norse Pantheon could fill us with vital information about the latter... whom to this date, remains unknown how it made it to earth."

All eyes darted to the Pantheon occupied by the Norse people.

"I understand," Odin tapped the butt of his spear on the floor, "Brynhildr, who I put in charge of this case, will share her discoveries."

"Thank you, Allfather," Brynhildr confidently stepped forward, chest puffed and arms behind her. She reported, "With all the vigorous investigation my squad did, we jumped to the conclusion that the culprit behind the appearance of Niðhöggr on planet Earth is Lord Loki."

"Shocking," Indra scoffed.

"Where was the last time Niðhöggr seen?"

"Náströnd," Brynhildr revealed, "After we slain the Evil Dragon, we tossed its corpse there. Somehow, it came back to life."

"How?" Gabriel asked.

"Or better yet, who brought it back to life?" Azazel followed up, "I doubt Loki knows any spell to revive someone."

"Then it had to be one of the Ugly Siblings," Lugh theorized, "and the only daughter of Loki's children—Hel. I guess father and daughter are teaming up to stir some trouble."

"It's in their blood, after all," Indra snarked.

"The thought did cross our heads," the Valkyrie Chief admitted, "But we quickly discarded the notion."

Lugh frowned. "Why?"

Brynhildr closed her remaining eye, "Because Hel was killed a long time ago."

"...What?" Gabriel's eyes were wide, "When did she...?"

"It's been many years already since her death."

"I expected many things," Azazel scratched his goatee, "But to hear that the Goddess of Death was killed...? Crazy stuff."

Lugh whistled, "Damn. Who gave the killing blow?"

"Lord Thor."

"Of course," Lugh rubbed the back of his head, "Thor must felt like shit after..." he shook his head, "Looks like I've been missing out quite a few things... that's what happens when I stop getting in touch with your brats, Allfather."

"How is Loki involved in this again?" Serafall wondered.

"Loki is infamously known for his shapeshifting," Brynhildr revealed, "what is so frightening is that he can turn into the perfect image of their target, to the tiniest detail. He could become a Devil, an Angel, a dragon..."

"And alluring mares," Indra added.

"That still does not explain how an Evil Dragon of planet Yggdrasil somehow ended up on earth," Azazel commented, "If he was exposed to the nothingness of the Dimensional Gap, he gets erased from existence."

"Through the bridge," Brynhildr replied.

Serafall raised an eyebrow, "Bifröst? Isn't it always monitored?"

"There's another bridge, Satan Leviathan," the Valkyrie revealed, "Gjallarbrú. The bridge that takes you to Helheim."

"A long time ago, I ordered it to be shut down permanently," Odin sighed, "But someone reactivated it."

"And not only that," Brynhildr clicked her tongue, "but made some tweaks to make it work similarly to Bifröst—and put earth's coordinates."

"And the rest is history," Yasaka muttered. "This is worse than I expected... if it's true that Loki is the one who manipulated Gjallarbrú, what if he is also on Earth?"

"And with his impressive shapeshifting skills," Indra cackled. "Oh, it'd be downright hilarious if Loki was in this room disguised as any of us right now."

Indra's comment caused the whole room to fall into a tense silence, eyes suspiciously roaming each person on the platform.

The Norse Pantheon was the only one who wasn't alarmed, "He isn't on earth," Odin assured them, "I believe that he's still on Yggdrasil."

"Are you sure about that, Allfather?" Serafall asked, unconvinced.

"Except for Asgard, he finds other realms not worth sparing a look at," the Allfather shook his head, "However, he disappeared days after the investigation began—somehow it reached his ears somehow. I heavily encourage you to look over your shoulder from time to time."

"We are as well, doing our best to track him," Brynhildr quickly added in assurance, "And hopefully get some answers from Lord Loki."

"... How can you take your eyes off someone like him?" Hades at long last, made his towering presence known, "Someone with powers like his who can freely roam, not only the many realms of your worthless ashen tree... but now earth? Is your eye truly the only thing you sacrificed?"

Brynhildr was ready to step and bark back, but Odin's hand on her shoulder. She stepped back, "Hades macte... you are correct, it was foolish of me to give him so much freedom," his gaze softened, "... but it's the least I could do for him."

"I don't care, outsider. Heed and carve my warning on the back of that thick skull of yours: if your blood brother, dares to turn the earth upside down for whatever foolish reason he has, then I will hunt him, eliminate him, and lock his spirit to the depths of my underworld."

Still acting as a spectator, Danhauser had to mentally agree with the Greek god. If Loki has the power to shapeshift, then he's the embodiment of distrust and bloodshed. He could pose like anyone and do something atrocious in the open to trigger a civil war.

Something bigger than the King Piece Scandal.

And given how the other deities remained silent about Hades' threat, they do seem to agree with him.

The Allfather just released a sigh before focusing on Gabriel, "This is all the information we managed to gather. I hope it, somehow, satisfied the Biblical Heaven."

"... Thank you," Gabriel closed her eyes, "Please forgive me for what I'm about to say next, but it did not. I can tell your Valkyries worked hard Allfather, but now, rather than clearing some doubts, I'm left with more questions. How did Niðhöggr come back to life? Why is it working with Satanael? Why did Loki transport an Evil Dragon to Earth? Was it truly him? What did we—."

Then, in the middle of her rant, Gabriel faltered.

A sudden sharp cough cut through her words. At first, everyone expected to be nothing, but it persisted and evolved harshly. Gabriel bent over and quickly brought a hand to do her best to muffle the rasping sound of her coughing, but it somehow, still awkwardly echoed around the chamber.

Danhauser frowned as the discomfort in the room rose. Azazel and Serafall, who were staring intently, simultaneously stepped to offer assistance, but the blonde woman quickly raised her hand." I-I'm okay!" she rasped between coughs.

It took a while, but the Seraph regained her composure by herself—but it was clear that she struggled due to the pained expression on her paler face. "I apologize," she managed, forcing a smile, the little show her body forced her to do, already exhausted her. She seemed ready to proceed as if nothing happened, but her health eventually convinced her otherwise, "Heaven will be in your gratitude if you could find more answers, Allfather."

Odin gave a bow of his head, "We'll do our best."

After giving her thanks to the other Pantheons, Gabriel stepped back to her spot beside the rest of the Biblical Faction. Danhauser watched how Azazel immediately ignited a conversation with her that resembled an argument with the way the blonde shook her head, refusing his demands much to the Fallen Angel's annoyance who just turned his gaze forward.

Tiamat stepped forward once again, "We shall proceed to the next section," again, the dragon typed a few words on her panel, "File thirty," she read aloud, "The Hindu Pantheon of Shiva's side has issued a formal request to resume about the matters of the previous session."

"Thank you," the only goddess in the room at last spoke up, "We'd wish to revive the case about the failed terrorist attack attempt over Kyoto."

"This again?" Indra asked, incredulously, "I thought everyone agreed to put this case to rest, including you."

"Some things simply do not add up, Śakra," the woman explained. "I want my doubts to be clarified."

"Then read the report again," Indra barked, "I know it's too much to ask you for someone like you but try reading it slowly and you may finally understand it."

"My, Śakra, this in unbefitting of you," she exclaimed, "I always pictured you as a man who sees the big picture. Mayhap, this whole time, I was severely mistaken?" she turned to Tiamat, "High Counselor, I'd love if our guest could clear these doubts from us," Danhauser felt the blood of his face drain out the moment her golden gaze moved to him, "if it's not too much to ask."

"Of course," Tiamat glanced over his direction as well, "You may come down now."

His body tensed when the dragon beckoned him to the Chamber floor. He stood up and walked downstairs, his brain overworking to have a clue what would happen next. He was blindsided.

Did he write something in his report that made some of them scratch their heads in confusion?

The hallway transitions to the massive, open chamber floor. He could feel the watchful eyes of the council.

"And now that the curtain rises," Lugh started.

"... a bat takes the stage," Hades finished.

"Now what is with you scurrying in the shadows?" the familiar, mocking voice of Indra rang in his ears, "Take a step forward. Let everyone take a good look at that handsome face."

He grunted but obeyed. Danhauser could only hear his footsteps echoing on the walls and his heartbeat drumming on his ribcage.

He felt intimidated standing in the middle of many powerful characters. Within this inner circle, the weakest was at most Satan-Class with the strongest possibly on par with a Heavenly Dragon.

No way could he win a fight against anyone in this room in his base form.

He expected Hades' gaze to weigh him with immense pressure, but surprisingly, it fell to second place. The glare that brought him to the edge was the crow accompanying Lugh.

He did his best to ignore it.

At long last, he made it into the center and looked up.

"Thank you for joining us, Danhauser," Serafall was the first to greet her fellow Devil with a smile, "and congratulations on your victory against the terrorists. I speak for us when I say that we look forward to working with you."

"I'll do my best to not disappoint, Satan Leviathan."

"It's been a while, Daniel," Gabriel greeted as well.

"It has," Danhauser simply said.

"Daniel?" Indra grinned to the Pure Devil, "Acquaintances already with the Holiest Woman? Truly, if words of this slip out from this room, you'll become the envy of the Underworld."

"..."

"After all, not everyone gets the honor to bear an affectionate nickname by the Most Beautiful Woman in Heaven."

"Daniel hardly sounds affectionate," the heir countered sharply, "My name is just so hard to pronounce that Seraph Gabriel had to come up with something easier."

"Oooh, my bad!" Indra mockingly brought his hands up in self-defense, "It was never my intention to hit a nerve—I never thought you two were going through something complicated."

"..."

"But that's normal," the god lowered his arms, but the grin remained in place, "couples can work out through dramas and become stronger than before~!"

"As much as I also love teasing the kid," Azazel decided to intervene, "it's time to get this meeting rolling."

"Just make sure Danny-boy keeps it in his pants around Pure Angels. You know what happens when a Pure Devil and Angel puts into practice the arts of the Kama Sutra, Aza-boy," Indra warned him, eyes shifting over the Seraph, "You should be aware of the repercussions... unless you're itching to star Armageddon 2: Electric Boogaloo?"

The Angel said nothing in return.

"Relax, Śakra," the Governor-General said, "None of that is happening again."

"Good," Hades spoke dangeroulsy low. "This bat of yours should wear his leash tighter... he's Enlightened after all."

Danhauser squared his jaw but kept quiet.

"I'll worry about my subordinates," Azazel said, "You worry about yours, alright?"

"Please, don't take everything Lord Śakra and Hades macte says to heart," Danhauser heard the only goddess speak to him, "they're pretty much like this with everyone they speak with." the black-haired woman bowed her head at him, "How do you do? I am the Goddess in charge of Mount Kailash."

"... wife of Lord Shiva," Danhauser realized.

Her smile seemed to widen by that, "Happily married to him, yes. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure is mine, Goddess Par—!"

"Mother Parvati," the goddess interrupted him, still smiling, "or if you prefer, you can just simply call me Mom, my child."

Danhauser blinked owlishly.

"Well, since Mother Parvati took the initiative with the introductions, might as well introduce everybody else," Azazel gestured to the other members of the Entente, "You already know Gabriel, Satan Leviathan, Tiamat, and Śakra," he focused on the other platform, "Over there is the Allfather Odin of the Norse Faction and Hades macte of the Greek Pantheon."

"Allfather, Hades macte," Danhauser nodded to both gods.

"..." The King of the Netherworld said no word—his glowing, cold orbs watching intently the young Devil. To Danhauser it felt like he was being judged by a statue—the eyes moved, but not the whole body.

Luckily the Allfather was polite to greet back, "Young man."

"By his side is The Strongest Valkyrie and the current Brynhildr," Azazel continued.

"Prince Belial," Brynhildr nodded with her hand resting on the pummel of her sword.

"And lastly, the youngest amongst the chief gods that gathered here—Chief Ollam Lugh."

"Hey," Lugh waved at the Pure Devil, "Drop the titles alright? —Lugh is fine," the god said before nodding to the crow on his shoulder, "Smiley right here is—!"

"CAW! CAW!" The bird cried out on his ear in return, making it grimace.

"Okay, fine, relax woman," Lugh grunted as the bird flapped its wings warningly. "Sheesh," he then flashed Danhauser an apologetic smile, "Don't mind the bird, she's shy."

"Now that the pleasant introductions are over," Parvati harrumphed, "You understand why you were summoned here?"

"Because of what happened in Kyoto," Danhauser responded, "The fight against the terrorists."

"Indeed," Parvati smiled, "You and your teammates are perhaps the newest recruits of the Entente, and already participating in tasks meant to be taken by veterans. The Governor-General rated your and your teams' skills very high. A fight against this 'Hero' Faction."

"You're strong," Lugh praised him.

Danhauser bowed his head. Being praised by any deity was something he could finally scratch off his bucket list. "Thank you for the compliment."

"But honestly," Lugh continued, "You got potential. To trade blows against the wielder of the Strongest Longinus that could turn a Satan into ashes... but the way I read about that fight it seemed to be one-sided from the start... what's your secret?"

Danhauser shrugged, "Training."

"That's it?" The lips on the Irish God's twitch after the Devil nodded but once, "Really? Damn, that's hilarious!" His laugh echoed across the chamber, "Sorry, sorry. You just reminded me of a certain dragon," slowly, a vicious grin began to take shape on his face, "Sirzechs and Ajuka seem to be lonely up here on the Top Ten. Looking to keep them company? Or take their spots?"

"Let's not stray from the main topic," Tiamat spoke up. "After the meeting ends, you may socialize as much as you want."

"Thank you, High Counselor," Parvati gave a bow to the dragon and faced the Devil, "Don't mistake my words as me looking to discredit your victory against the terrorists," she started, "You did wonderfully, my child. However, was it the right course of action to execute the leader?"

"He was a terrorist," Danhauser kept it simple, "and committed many crimes before our fight. He deserved what he got."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on that," Parvati simply said, "If you wanted to behead the leader of this Hero Faction, you could have waited until we interrogated him... we could've figured out if he was doing this on his own accord or working under someone."

Danhauser resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and bask on Indra's pale face.

"Foolish bat. You simply restarted everything," Hades hissed out, "by taking their lives you caused the Longinus to return to its cycle, searching for another user who could turn out to be worse than the previous ones. The wisest choice was locking them, as it happened to the Mist User who is now chained in Cocytus. Because of that, Dimension Lost will never find any other user."

"... These Longinus can destroy the world in the wrong hands. Is this how we want to solve things?" the Allfather stroked his long beard, "I must agree with Parvati and Hades macte, letting these tools return to the cycle was indeed a wrong move."

Azazel scoffed, "A threat to the world, or a threat to the gods?"

Odin curved an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

"Everyone, your concerns are well noted," Gabriel spoke up, "But there's a reason why Father crafted these weapons—everything He builds, there's a purpose behind it."

"Is that so?" Indra asked, "Then do enlighten us."

"To give humanity the necessary means to defend themselves against the supernatural world," the Angel explained, "A Twice Critical, on the right hands, is enough to kill a Satan-Class, but not transcendental beings... this is where the Longinus play their part."

"Was it also daddy's master plan to have half the Longinus roster under the possession of the Three Biblical Faction, especially the Devil side, all along?" Indra retorted.

"No one stopped any Pantheon to pick their favorite Longinus," Serafall shot back. "It is impressive how none of you made a move with many years as heads-up."

"I vouch for Satan Leviathan. Why none of the gods were interested in picking any Longinus to their ranks with all the benefits they possess is beyond me," Parvati commented casually, shooting Indra a side glance, "Or maybe some did?"

"If my actions were not of your liking, then I'm sorry," Danhauser intervened, "I simply chose the best option to quickly dispose of a big threat. If the next user of True Longinus shows to be as equally dangerous or worse, I'll handle them."

"You should never forget that miracles have limits..." Hades warned him, "And in the end, at that moment, what will you do then? You won't be so lucky next time."

"But I'll be stronger."

"Man, you guys are such a bore," Lugh yawned behind his palm, "Locking the Longinus away? Really? Where's the fun on that?" his green eyes jumped to the Greek god, "scared of losing your spot on the Top Ten to a Longinus User?"

"... If you don't have anything of value to share, it'd be wiser to stay quiet and let the adults speak, brat," Hades warned him, "Or at least, think twice before wasting your breath by spewing utter stupidity."

"And who's gonna stop me? You? If a toy makes you spineless... you just wait when you face me."

"That's enough." Tiamat intervened and looked at Danhauser, "This leads me to our next point of business. What happened to the user of the Annihilation Maker?"

Danhauser pursed his lips, "He escaped."

"But!" Azazel chimed in, "Right now, I sent some Grigori agents to capture him."

"And did you report this to a member of the Entente?"

...

"... Whoops."

Serafall facepalmed while Gabriel let out a sharp cough on her fist.

Indra wheezed out, almost slapping his knee, "Oh, Aza-boy! Aren't you so cute and silly~?"

Lugh snorted, "Cute? You think this guy is cute?"

"The cutest fallen angel in the whole world~! Isn't it adorable when the Sacred Gear fanboy forgets his role in the council?"

"Fine, fine! I get it! My bad!" The blond man huffed, "It won't happen again. Happy?"

"Governor-General," Parvati ignored his apology. "What will you do once you capture him? What are your intentions with the child?"

"I'll get the best trainers in Grigori to teach him how to control his Longinus," Azazel explained, "Given the report, it seems it's just a kid with a weapon to destroy the world—he needs someone to teach him how to use his Sacred Gear efficiently."

"And once the child mastered Annihilation Maker, will he become an agent of Grigori?" The goddess questioned him.

"... Yeah?"

"Tsk, tsk! See, that's my issue right there," Indra spoke up, "Hearing your plans leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Why should we let the Biblical Faction grow stronger with another Longinus?"

"... What?"

"I'll be the first one to say it: this Entente is destined to fall apart," Indra adjusted himself atop his mount's head, "But big, two questions are when and how. After we managed to defeat the Ouroboros Dragon with an asspull? Or someone in this room will turn out as a traitor? After we disband, power will naturally be divided... with the Biblical Faction leading the race. It makes me wonder... what will the Governor-General, Archangel, and Four Great Satans do with so much power in their hands...? Why do they need it anyway? Surely not world domination."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't compare us to our ancestors," Serafall glared daggers, "I can swear with my title and Clan name that none of the Four Great Satans have ever thought about conquering the world."

"Then why so desperate to catch all the Longinus?"

Danhauser who has remained silent, shuffled awkwardly by the intense headbutting between them.

Tiamat's voice shattered the silence, "I now open the floor to propositions."

"Cocytus," Hades quickly proposed, "Lock the Annihilation Maker to the Frozen Hell—I don't trust anyone in this room to wield a weapon capable of building armies."

Parvati fired him a look, "It's a child that you are suggesting throwing into the frozen lake, Hades macte."

"No matter one's station in life, the dance of death unites all."

"It seems to be the best option," the Allfather sided with Hades.

Tiamat nodded to Azazel, "Something you wish to add, Governor-General?"

Azazel grumbled under his breath, while scratching his goatee, eyes shut in concentration. "... Yeah. This is my counteroffer," he opened his eyes, "We'll send the kid to Cocytus. But! After four months, we will have another meeting here to discuss the release of Annihilation Maker and Dimension Lost, and again every two months until it's been approved."

"Four months is such a ridiculously short time period," Indra snorted. "No Cocytus prisoners released prepositions will be entertained for a minimum of a year. That seems more reasonable."

"... Has anyone forgotten what the Archangel mentioned in a previous meeting?" All eyes shifted over Yasaka, "Our true enemy is the Ouroboros Dragon—not us! Why do we insist on going after our throats? If we can't trust ourselves, then what is the point of the Entente? This is a race against the Entente and the Ouroboros Dragon, but instead of running forward, we backpaddle."

"Hmph," Indra folded his arms, "Very well. Four months and every two after."

"Tch," Hades clicked his tongue, but surprisingly, refused to say anything else.

"An agreement has been made, and now a vote will be taken," Tiamat declared, "The Annihilation Maker user to be imprisoned in Cocytus with the condition that he will be released alongside Dimension Lost on the stated date."

Each member of the Entente casts their vote at the proposition.

A minute passed and Tiamat continued, "Votes passed," she watched at her screen, "All in favor."

Danhauser could tell Azazel wasn't content with how this ended up but swallowed his pride—he just had to be patient. He spoke up, "Is there anything else I can help with?"

"Ah! Yes, just one last thing," Parvati spoke up with that motherly smile of hers, "Are you sure that everyone present at the fight is accounted for in your report, my child?"

"Absolutely. Everyone involved has been noted."

Suddenly, the silence that followed came heavy at him. The gentle smile the goddess wore slowly vanished. "Everyone?" she repeated, her tone neutral this time.

A brief flicker of unease and realization passed through him, but Danhauser steeled himself as his heart tried to break through his ribcage. Through the corner of his eye, Yasaka cast her gaze downward and bit her lower lip in concern.

And behind him, a certain King of Heaven burnt the back of his skull with his intense gaze.

As much as he wanted to weigh his options, his silence could turn into suspiciousness under the eyes of other members of the Entente.

As such, Danhauser met her eyes and responded with a clenched fist.

.

---

.

"How could you lie to the council?!" Yasaka snapped at him, her floating mirror beside her reflecting his sitting form. "You think that it went unnoticed by Mother Parvati? She knows you're not telling the truth!" The Kitsune's voice slowly dropped into a whisper, but the intensity remained there, "And you know who she was referring to."

Once the meeting ended, Danhauser stayed for a while, in which Yasaka quickly took advantage of to invite him to some tea in Kyoto. Naturally, after Danhauser accepted her invitation, he knew what he signed for.

The heir just remained silent, letting her vent off.

His silence made her flush in frustration, "When Indra ushed me. What were you two talking about?"

A minute passed and the gray-haired released a long sigh before placing his tea down, "Śakra wanted me to spare Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao?"

"The former user of True Longinus," Danhauser elaborated, making Yasaka gasp, "The man behind the attack over Kyoto. With that name, you can imagine that he's a descendant of the man of the same name."

"This whole time, they worked for Śakra," Yasaka said incredulously.

"I don't think he was supporting the terrorist attack over Kyoto," Danhauser added, "Although he could've prevented it."

"Exactly!" Yasaka exclaimed as the mirror moved aside to avoid her flailing arm, "Even if he didn't help the Hero Faction on the attack, Śakra could've put a stop to this with a simple order! He is responsible for this as well... and you're protecting him? Why?!"

"You didn't exactly tell the truth either," Danhauser ignored her question, catching her off-guard, "Your lie as well protected him, High Priestess... you shouldn't have done that. You... you should've just told them the damn truth."

With her as well protecting Indra, she simply tied herself in this problem as well.

"You idiot," Yasaka growled fiercely, "I didn't lie to protect him. I lied to protect you."

Her words felt like a slap to the face. His gaze softened when the Daiyoukai kneaded her eyes, "You didn't have to," he gently said. "This is not your responsibility."

"Yet I did," Yasaka sharply met his eyes once again, her voice trembling slightly, "Because I know if I told them the truth, you'd go down with Indra. And whatever the hell you're planning, whatever you think you're doing, I wasn't going to let you toss away your life because of him!"

He never averted his eyes from her glare. She was breathing heavily. He could see how her eyes flashed in anger, but also hurt and vulnerability. He finally revealed, "... I lied because no one else will keep an eye over Parvati."

Yasaka blinked, momentarily speechless, "What?"

"If I did, the attention would shift on Śakra, who just won't sit like a duck and accept any punishment," the heir continued, "He will fight back, tooth and nail, and most likely be defeated by the combined forces of the Entente... leaving Parvati, or rather, Shiva safe of his biggest threat."

Indra and Shiva can take pride that they alone can make the Heavenly Dragons cower in fear—only a small number could keep either of them at bay.

Sirzechs was the first candidate to cross his mind. But honestly, Danhauser preferred to have the Super Devil keeping an eye out for the Underworld instead—counting Hades of course.

A war against Indra would have brought a high death toll from both sides, possibly including some of the powerful figures of the Entente.

Would the survivors be enough to fight against Parvati if she or Shiva decided to make their moves now that Indra disappeared from the map? What about Ophis?

"What did Mother Parvati do to win your distrust?"

"Nothing. But her husband is the God of Destruction so..."

Yasaka shot him a flat look, "Satan Lucifer is literally nicknamed the Embodiment of Destruction, and yet, I can tell you trust him."

"I do," Danhauser rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "It's hard to explain but... I knew what kind of person he was before meeting him."

Perhaps not a good idea to reveal that reading about him in the Light Novels, and seeing his kind nature through the novel was enough to have faith in him.

[If it makes you feel better] Both Danhauser and Yasaka paled at the third voice joining them, [I believe you picked the best outcome.]

Danhauser stood up and scanned his surroundings, "Who—!"

"Lady Amaterasu!" Yasaka cut him off and immediately kneeled and bowed until her forehead was pressed against the wooden floor.

Danhauser blinked and finally realized that the gentle, yet commanding voice came from the floating mirror itself.

[On your feet, my Vanguard] Amaterasu ordered. [And greetings, Prince Danhauser. I am Amaterasu—ruler of Takamagahara. It's a pleasure to at last speak with the person that Yasaka always whines about.]

"Lady Amaterasu!" Yasaka gasped, "I—!"

[My... I will stop you right there] The mirror faced her, [Were you about to say that I'm lying?]

Yasaka bit her tongue, a flush shading her face, "N-not always..."

Danhauser had to snort at that one. He bowed his head to the mirror, "Well, thank you for being her psychiatrist—Lady Amaterasu."

[And I thank you for protecting Kyoto as well as my Vanguard and her child] the Kami said, [And I'm sure that Yasaka is as well deeply grateful of your support—else she wouldn't risk her neck on the Entente for you.]

"A pleasure," through the corner of his eye, he could see how uncomfortable Yasaka was feeling being the center of the conversation. He smirked, "And I would gladly save these two as many times as I need to."

[My, my. What a gentleman, but I am glad to hear that. Are you two perhaps—!]

"Your Highness," Yasaka muttered, ears twitching, "Forgive me if I sound rude... but your visit caught us off-guard... did something happen?"

[Not yet. I was eavesdropping on your discussion with Prince Danhauser... and I couldn't help but share my thoughts on this] Amaterasu cleared her throat, [As I said, I believe that lying was the best course of action, at least for the world.]

"And why is that, Your Highness?"

[... Have you two ever heard of the Trimurti?]

"It's rarely used to refer to a triad of gods from a Pantheon like Hades macte, Poseidon macte, and Zeus macte... but when someone says Trimurti... the first thing that comes into their minds is the ones from the Hindu Pantheon."

[Yes, that Trimurti.] The mirror nodded, [A group consisting of three gods considered to be the most notorious and powerful deities in the world—easily holding the three, highest spot of the Top Ten Strongest Beings in the World.]

"Brahma. Vishnu. Shiva," Yasaka whispered.

[The Transcended Machine. The Many-Faced God... The Destroyer.] There was a shiver in her voice, [Yasaka. You, Prince Danhauser, myself, and anyone you ask who is aware of the rivalry between Indra and Shiva... will always gamble that the latter will grasp victory. Indra is even aware of this, and yet, he isn't backing down.]

"And I suppose that this isn't only because he wants to protect his status as god of war," Danhauser muttered.

[Correct. It goes more than that. The ruler of Mount Kailash is gone—and Indra knows this.]

Yasaka felt her ears and tails drop in shock, "Is Lord Shiva... missing?"

[Yes, dear. Shiva hasn't been active for the past, few years and Indra wants to take advantage of this. What is worse is that the other members of the Trimurti have been quiet as well.]

"Then that's why Parvati is showing face during the meetings of the Entente. Is she doing so to make sure no one else finds out?"

[You could say so, but this an open secret by now, Prince Danhauser. All Pantheons, including mine, are doing their best from the background to find his precise location. There's a chance that some of them have pinpointed his position, such as Indra and Parvati, and have sent spies to keep an eye on them.]

[… We, the gods, are wary of them] Amaterasu admitted, [Because of their immense power, we doubt they were killed, but if they were, it'd be the talk of the whole supernatural world... many questions will surge such as...]

"What could possibly kill them?" Yasaka breathed out.

[Exactly] Danhauser and Yasaka heard the shiver coming from Amaterasu's voice, [We jumped to the conclusion that they are hiding from the public eye to plot... but not discard the notion of a bigger fish out there like the Ouroboros Dragon.]

"To plot?" Danhauser repeated.

[Or worse... meeting.]

"An alliance?" Yasaka looked worried, "If a god capable of destroying the world needs the help of another with equal, immense power... then it's natural they are planning something world-changing..."

[Supposedly they wouldn't dare to ally, they are on bad terms] Amaterasu revealed, [A relief to all pantheons, but that alone isn't enough to discard the notion from happening. A similar case, a war between two of the Trimurti is considered a terrifying crisis as well.]

Danhauser tightened his jaw, as the goddess continued.

[In my eyes, the Entente works both to defeat the Khaos Brigade and act when a member of the Trimurti does something out of their usual format.]

"Of course," his hand found his face, "We are opposing the Ouroboros Dragon already," Danhauser kneaded his brows, "might as well add Hindu Gods to that list..."

[… I will be honest. I don't think anybody from the Entente holds a candle against the Dragon God—it's a losing fight] Both Danhauser and Yasaka were caught off-guard by her pessimism, [... but against the Trimurti, we might be able to do something about it.]

"This is too much," Danhauser shook his head, "Fuck man! At a great time, this stuff just happens!"

[This is why I think your lying to the Entente was the best option] Amaterasu said, [The Entente, although they dislike each other, must be more united to survive these struggling times.]

"Your Highness, do you perhaps know what any of these three are plotting?"

[I'm afraid not] Amaterasu lamented, [The higher these monsters are sitting in the Top Ten, the harder will be to get in their heads. What we see is nothing but the tip of the iceberg, you can't tackle their minds. Their understanding of concepts such as "law" and "morality" is not equivalent to ours. They had transcended that system eons ago...]

Yasaka felt her throat tighten, "I-I see..."

[I will promise you this. When a Trimurti member becomes active, world-shaking events are certain to occur] Amaterasu prophesied, [... I must take my leave now. Your secret is safe with me, Prince Danhauser. Until then, you two.]

The glow within the glass disappeared and instead, the reflection of both Danhauser and Yasaka returned.

The room was swallowed by a vacuum of silence as Danhauser and Yasaka pondered on the Amaterasu's information at their own pace.

After a minute or two, he decided to break the ice, "More work for us, huh? High Priestess?"

Yasaka felt her shoulders drop "Yes. More work..." she released a sigh that even made him feel tired, "and less time with my daughter..."

Danhauser winced to that, "How is she holding up?"

"Thankfully, she's doing great," even after what happened, Yasaka managed to smile faintly, "... so fast, so fast my baby girl is growing..."

"Good to hear that," Danhauser pursed his lips, before deciding to take off. "Well then, I'll take my leave now. Thank you for the tea High Priestess and—!"

"Stop."

Danhauser froze in his kneeling position, "Sorry?"

Even the Daiyoukai was just as equally surprised as him, "... Are you in a hurry? If it's no issue, I'd like it if you could spare a couple of minutes."

Danhauser glanced at the door for a minute before shifting his attention to her, "Sure," he answered carefully as he sat again, "Something wrong?"

"... Okay," Yasaka took a deep breath to steel herself, "I want to say this," she cleared her throat, "due to my status... Kyoto Youkai expects a certain etiquette from me, and from you when you are within its walls. I cannot be open to you as... I'd like to be now."

"Oh?" Danhauser raised his eyebrow.

"... I have gotten to know you a little more, Prince Belial," her golden eyes never left him, they were so hypnotizing to look at, "While we are alone, I want to dispense with the formalities and court rules from now on."

"Ooh?"

"You have been a strong ally," Danhauser did notice how she carefully weighed her sentences, "And Lady Amaterasu was right... I cannot express with words how grateful I am as both the High Priestess of the Sun and as Yasaka... nor express my sincere apologies from my past... actions toward your person."

"Oooh?"

"In other words, if it's not too much, you can call me by my name," but she didn't backpaddle, "only when it's us."

...

Danhauser narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, "... For real?"

"Yes."

"For real, real?"

"Yes."

...

Danhauser decided to stand up and get closer.

Yasaka stoo up as well with a raised an eyebrow. The taller man stood before her didn't his hand rested on her bare shoulder and jumped slightly when Worthlessness sprouted from his palm. Even then, she didn't move.

"...Alright, you're legit," Danhauser pulled back his hand, leaving behind an emblem of his Household on her skin, "I thought you were Nurarihyon again using his transformations to tease me."

...

"I'm... I'm not sure how to react knowing someone is using my appearance for their mischiefs," she felt her ears twitch, "I hope, when Nurarihyon copied my appearance, you didn't have any... nefarious intentions and thoughts."

"Whoa, whoa!" Danhauser brought his hands in self-defense, "First. Despite looking like an exact copy of you. It was still Nurarihyon behind all that facade. An old, wrinkly man. Second, I—!"

Danhauser stopped when Yasaka released a small laugh and it was official, he loved the sound of her laugh, "Relax. I'm just teasing you," she shook her head while fighting down the small grin on her face, "Even though I shouldn't have... I couldn't help it."

The heir watched her carefully as his tensed body finally relaxed, "Hoh. Who would have thought that the High Priestess had hidden a funny bone this whole time."

"Oh, Danhauser. What you just saw is nothing but a pale imitation of my young self..." she said, somewhat longingly as the Belial crest on her shoulder finally disappeared, "I remember always getting in trouble when I was around Kunou's age."

"..." Danhauser stared at her for a long time. He heard from Magari that Kitsunes, and more likely their variants, were playful creatures—true tricksters able to prank people both asleep and awake.

Even though Yasaka was a Twelve-tailed fox, he just couldn't picture her tiptoeing behind her prey with an impish smile.

And according to her, the current Yasaka is nothing but a tamed version.

"And I apologize for Nurarihyon's harassments," Yasaka bowed her head his way, "The last thing you need to see is a woman with a gross, aging body tormenting you. I'll make sure to give him an earful the next time we reunite."

"Don't think too much ab—what?" her words finally registered, "Yasaka that's not true at—!"

"It's fine," Yasaka interrupted him with a weak smile, "Leave it like that. I already made peace with my appearance. No need to—!"

"I don't care," Danhauser cut her off as well, "Yasaka, you are a stunning woman. You don't look your age at all."

The Daiyoukai's eyes were trained over the Devil as if she was expecting him to burst into laughter. When nothing happened, she opted to look the other way with a scowl, "You're just mocking me as always," she huffed, "Aren't you tired of using me as your punchline?" she snapped, trying to sound dismissive, though her voice wavered just slightly. "Why do you find joy in always mocking me?"

Danhauser did a whiplash in return, he bit his tongue as his mind recalled previous encounters with her and winced, "I... I admit that I do enjoy teasing you, but my intention was never to hurt you—just playful banter."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Because I find your reactions adorable," Danhauser brought his hands up in self-defense, "That's it. The way you show some spirit, some spunk, or when your ears or tails twitch with annoyance for anything I did or said... it's cute."

"... Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'll say it once again," the heir lowered his arms and refused to let go of her eyes, "You're beautiful—and whoever told you those mean things? Give me their address and I'll go speak to them peacefully."

The single mother snorted at the last part. An awkward silence engulfed them as Yasaka's fingers nervously fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve —a rare sight from the Youkai leader. "Beautiful..." The word felt foreign to her.

She didn't know how to process or reply to the unexpected compliment, or how his words made her heartbeat go a little faster.

Her instincts told her to dismiss it, to write it off as another beaten joke of his, but the warmth coming from his soft gaze told her a different story.

Finally, she replied, "I... I can't say I necessarily agree with you... I've changed a lot... but thank you."

"That doesn't mean you're any less beautiful now," his counter made her heart race with a mix of surprise and embarrassment, "I mean it. I do think you're beautiful."

She averted her gaze to another direction so fast that Danhauser couldn't even react to it. She fidgeted with one of her many tails.

The way she glanced up briefly, but her eyes quickly went back to her tails when she felt unable to fully meet his gaze, which made his heart skip a beat. "So cute," Danhauser never expected in his life, he would see this side of the High Priestess of the Sun.

It was adorable, but also heartbreaking.

"You have a way with words..." Danhauser barely missed it but succeeded in catching her mumble, barely above a whisper.

The Pure Devil couldn't help but grin, "So I've been told," his grin doubled once he saw her facepalm and curse. "Does that mean that I'm finally breaking through your heart?"

Yasaka glared but the blush made it look harmless. "Don't press your luck."

Danhauser laughed at that, "... that doesn't sit well for me, you know?" she frowned and looked at him skeptically. He saw her confusion and elaborated, "That now I get to call you by name when we're alone, while you can't even do that. It's only fair that you call me by my name too, don't you think?"

Yasaka chuckled and let out a smile flourish on her face, "Finally, you see how unfair and one-sided it was for me," she joked, "If you don't mind, then I will drop your titles for your name instead, Danhauser."

"And you can even use it in private or in public too! That's a great deal, isn't it?"

After ending their conversation on good terms, they sat in silence, a comfortable, easy silence that wrapped around them like a soft blanket on a winter's cold.

For Yasaka, it's been so long since she could sit with someone and mess around.

.

---

.

This chapter wasn't worth the long wait, but I needed a reason to publish my author's note.

Seven years. Seven fucking years with this fic, that's crazy. Three more and we reach ten.

It isn't a secret that I'm no longer a fan of writing, as I previously mentioned, but now it's because my interest moved somewhere else.

But for an odd reason, my stupid ass one day decided to read my fic, only the author's notes. This story began in 2017 back when I was still at school as a brat, now I'm a young man with a job who still can't believe he graduated two years ago.

The more I read my early ANs, the more I wished I could travel back in time and slap my past self in the face.

But at the same time, I felt nostalgic. On how my younger self had that fire pumping him, the excitement on each Author Note as he summarised the chapters, and updated the fic quicker. Hell, he even replied to the reviews. But now? Not really.

Then I reached the Author Note on chapter 41 and felt sad.

I don't know how, but I want to bring that passion back. And I wish all those who enjoy writing or whatever hobby people may have, not lose it. It's scary.

You could say that, reading that AN in special helped me to return to this.

But it actually was my second hobby that brought me """back""".

Months ago, I decided to give it a shot at drawing. I'm not going to lie, I shamelessly started at first doing the AI art thingy, but dropped it afterward and bought a pen tablet and the software to draw instead after a friend convinced me to do a weird ass challenge. Never agreed to the challenge, but I accepted to draw.

Whenever I drew, my brain sometimes thought that it'd be cool to draw characters from my fic and DxD and recalled the idea I implemented in chapter 44 and rather than hiring an artist, I decided to do it myself.

That somehow gave me the power to go back to writing, albeit not in the same ardor as my younger days.

So, I'm back but not really.

On another positive (?) note, as proof of me now drawing my stuff, in case you missed it, go see the fic's new cover.

That's right, I made that shit.

In case the website hasn't updated it yet, go see my profile pic then.

GODTIER, huh? Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to do some sick doujins and publish them on Fanza in the future.

That cover is temporal, tho. I'm working on something better for the cover, but due to my skills being lackluster, it'll take a while. But be sure to keep your expectations low.

Now I wonder, what will happen first? My fic getting a new chapter, One Piece finally ending, or GTA 6 coming out?

Only one way to find out.

And one last thing, I've been asked a lot if I have any P4-tr3-0n. I do not, and not planning on making one for my fic. Go save your money or spend it on something that makes you happy.

Imagine donating to someone who updates 1-2 a year lol, that's a huge scam.

Anyway, thank you for reading. Fav follow or unfav and unfollow.

See you soon, hopefully.

.

---

Next Life: Welcome Back to Ars Goetia 2.0