"Okay, I need all of you to listen. This is a job of the utmost importance as our entire alliance depends on this. Team A will be Royal, under the command of Heir Sairaorg Bael. You are to head to A'Aru, home to the Egyptian Pantheon, and you are to investigate why exactly they have gone radio silent and to see if a peace treaty with them will be possible."
"Yes, Satan Asmodeus!" Sairaorg saluted with a nod, Saji, Issei, Xenovia and Irina saluting with him as Falbium gave a lazy thumbs up before turning to the other occupants of the room.
"Team B shall be Destruction, under the command of Heiress Rias Gremory. You will head to London, where an escort to the headquarters of the Golden Dawn will be awaiting you at the airport. Upon your arrival at the headquarters, you along with another member of the team will meet with the heads of the Golden Dawn, where I ask you to persuade them to join our cause."
"It shall be done, Satan Asmodeus." Rias spoke with a nod, Sona, Seekvaira and Samson nodding in agreement with her as Falbium gave a lazy smirk before turning to the final occupant.
"Meredith, I know you have some bad history with them, but you are also a former member and so I must ask you to go with them."
"It will be my pleasure, my Lord." Meredith said with a bow, Falbium giving a smile of thanks as he turned to view the room and nodded.
"Good. Now, I have given each captain four scarlet pamphlet is a communication charm to help me inform you of your progress. The orange pamphlet is linked to the one the other captain has and will summon the people holding one to the other in case of emergencies. Finally, the golden one is a summoning charm that will summon the other three Satans and I to your side in case anything happens. Do not worry as Lord Odin himself designed these along with Azazel and Ajuka, so they have been proof-tested rigorously. Now, go and show the world the might of our younger generation."
"Yes, Satan Asmodeus!"
"M-Man, does the boss feel this nervous every time he goes on a secret mission?" Issei asked with a slightly nervous smile as he paced around, Samson chuckling as he nodded
"Oh, definitely. He's just so used to ignoring it that he doesn't even know about it."
"Huh, adding that to the list of embarrassing stuff he wouldn't want to get out." Saji muttered out loud, to which the Rook just chuckled before turning as Rias and the others walked into the living hall of the castle.
"Are you all ready?"
"With the fate of the world on our shoulders? As ready as we'll ever be, I guess." Meredith answered with a shrug, Rias giggling before turning to Valerie, Koneko, Asia and a pouting Gasper
"I know you four want to go with, but look at it this way. The other members of Sona's, Seekvaira's and Sairaorg's peerage aren't going with us too so you all might be able to get along better during this time we're away."
"I still wanted to go with." Gasper grumbled and Rias gave an exasperated sigh as she knelt down before smiling.
"Then how about I bring you a souvenir back? To the both of you?"
"…I guess that's okay." Gasper muttered and Rias nodded before turning to the other two, who looked at each other before shrugging in unison.
"We don't really care, to be honest." Valerie said, Koneko agreeing with her as Rias rolled her eyes as Gasper gave them a mock-glare.
"There you have it! Do not worry, young Gasper! We shall return from our quests as champions for devil kind!" Samson exclaimed only to grunt as a frowning Xenovia elbowed him in the side.
"You mean as champions for our factions, devil?"
"I still can't believe you two volunteered for this mission. Don't you hate devils?"
"Azathoth showed us that not all devils are selfish, vulgar monsters that do as they wish to innocents and since we have worked together before, our Lord wished for us to lend our aid."
"Well, since the boss isn't here, thanks." Saji thanked her with a thumbs-up, Xenovia staring at him before she nodded and reached out to pull Irina back.
"Stop being seduced by that brown-haired beast."
"Oi! I'm talking to her, not seducing." Issei exclaimed and Xenovia just snorted as she walked out, Irina apologizing as she followed her teammate while Issei growled as he stomped after them.
"…I do not envy you." Rias said to Sairaorg only to sigh at his excited grin before her cousin turned to her.
"Good luck, cousin. Do remember that Isaiah is not with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Rias asked with her hands on her hips, growling as Sairaorg just patted her on the shoulders before walking out with a whistle, Saji following after them with a shake of his head before turning to the orange-haired guy that appeared in a golden flash next to Sairaorg.
"Ally?" Was all he asked as he looked at Sairaorg, who smirked as he nodded.
"Yep, a little something I've been saving for my real fight against Isaiah."
"Huh, okay." Saji said with a shrug as the three of them walked out of the building before the blonde sighed and Sairaorg chuckled at the sight of Xenovia and Issei arguing while Irina tried to stop the two.
"Is it too late for me to join the others?" Saji asked, to which the Bael heir stared at him before snorting as he walked towards the other three.
"Definitely. Now, let us go show the strength of us devils."
As the light from their teleportation died down, Team Royal looked around at the environment around them while Sairaorg hummed as he waited for their escort.
A sea of coarse sand spread out wide in all directions with a few boulders sticking out from the ground and one palm tree in the far distance. However, the one thing that attracted their attention were the six stone pyramids standing high above the ground, the largest having a golden point at the top while numerous run-down houses and temples were scattered at their feet.
"Man, this desert sun is way too bad for my skin." Irina whined as Excalibur Mimic warped from its bracelet form into an umbrella, turning to Xenovia as the bluenette just stared at her teammate before slowly putting up the hood of her white cloak.
"…She's not very smart, is she?" Saji whispered to Issei, who looked like he wanted to defend his childhood friend before letting out a soft sigh as he shook his head the moment she gave a sheepish giggle.
"No. No, she is not."
"While I do enjoy the banter between our factions, look ahead. We have company." Sairaorg's voice turned them away from their discussions and towards him only for their eyes to widen at the sight of a cow with pitch black skin that was covered in white stars, eyes that glowed with an iridescent hue and a crown of silver flames adorned on its head.
"Hello, young ones. I am Nut, Queen of the Skies & Heavens and your escort to Lord Ra, our benevolent ruler."
"It is an honour to meet you, Lady Nut. I am-!"
"Sairaorg Bael, heir to the now disgraced House Bael. With you are Genshirou Saji & Issei Hyoudou of the Azathoth peerage and Xenovia Quarta & Irina Shidou, personal attendees to the Lord Yeshua of Heaven."
"…It appears that information of us have already been known to the outside world." Sairaorg said with a smile and Nut let out a soft giggle that made the others at ease before they froze in shock as she spoke.
"Yes, but it is also because you are our second group of foreigners to arrive. I believe the first group called themselves Team Vali, if I'm not mistaken."
"Why did we have to fly? Wouldn't teleportation have been better?" Samson groaned as they walked out of the airport lobby, Rias, Sona and Seekvaira rolling their eyes as Meredith just patted him on the back.
"No, the MI6 have layered thousands of different runic patterns around the entirety of London to ensure no supernatural species can just teleport in without their permission. Not to mention that the Golden Dawn's headquarters is also in London and they have their own anti-teleportation runes as well."
"Put more simply, try to get in and you'll be disintegrated before you could even finish teleporting." Everyone's eyes widened and they spun around to see MacGregor waiting for them, an amused smirk on his face as he nodded to them.
"Lady Rias, Lady Sona, Lady Seekvaira, Samson, Meredith. I hope your flight was well?"
"I-It was. Why are you here?" Rias asked with a frown and MacGregor just looked amused as he raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I am one of the founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, so with my request, you all have been given the chance to have an audience with the current masters. I am here to escort you to them."
"Ah, that makes sense. Well, we are in your care, Sir Mathers." Sona said with a slight bow, MacGregor nodding before he turned to Meredith.
"As for you, you do know that your family has been alerted by MI6 and are currently waiting for you at the Golden Dawn HQ, correct?"
"I'm quite aware. Lord Isaiah may not have wanted me to meet them, but I can't always have him protect me when a problem from my past shows up."
"We'll be here to help." Seekvaira said with a soft smile as she rubbed Meredith's shoulders, Rias and Sona nodding in agreement and Meredith gave them a thankful smile.
"And if they try any shit, I'll blow their brains out!" Samson exclaimed with a feral grin, the others just glancing at them before MacGregor shook his head with a sigh.
"…I'm so glad I placed an illusion barrier around us. Anywho, let's get this show on the road."
"This..is quite the runic scheme." Sona said with wide eyes as soon as they all arrived at the Golden Dawn HQ, noting the hundreds of golden runes floating in a sphere-like formation all around the building and how every normal human that walked past didn't even so much as glance at them or the building.
"Ah, the old Nordic-Hindu runic formation." MacGregor spoke with a soft smile as he stared at the glowing sigils and Seekvaira glanced at him before speaking.
"I assume you were the one who made these, Sir Mathers?"
"Hah! If only, Heiress Agares. No, Secret Chief Woodman was the one who created the base runic scheme you see on the floor and Secret Chief Westcott was the one who perfected it. I merely updated some of the runic patterns with my own to further empower the ones they've already made."
"They must have been amazing magicians." Samson spoke with a grin and Rias was surprised as MacGregor chuckled while wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye.
"Amazing was an understatement. Sir Westcott was a runic genius that came once in a century. His patterns and formations…they were legendary. To be truthful, the only person I've seen that is as skilled as Westcott was when we were younger is probably Lord Gremory."
"And that's when you were younger?" Rias asked with wide eyes and MacGregor smirked as he nodded.
"Indeed. Secret Chief Woodman, on the other hand…now he was a true Archmage. Capable of unleashing hundreds of different elemental spells while still being able to cast defensive, reflective and supportive healing spells…the man was one of the magicians that I admitted to be on a completely different level compared to myself."
"I'd say you're pretty close to that level yourself with how much you've trained me." Meredith chimed in and MacGregor just smiled as he shook his head.
"I thank you for the praise, but compared to Master Woodman, I am…lacking for a lack of better words."
"Eh, agree to disagree." MacGregor just stared at the smirking Meredith before rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he started walking towards the large tower in front of them, the devils quickly following after.
As soon as they stepped into the runic barrier, their eyes widened as a monstrous pressure pressed down onto their shoulders before gasping in relief as the pressure disappeared, MacGregor frowning as the runic crests around him kept the pressure away while looking around.
"Ah, it appears we're not the only ones here." MacGregor's words drew everyone's attention out of their thoughts as they looked in the direction he was looking before their eyes widened in shock as a young man of Chinese descent and another bespectacled man dressed with a crimson cloak hiding his body looked just as shocked to see them.
"Cao Cao!" Rias growled as she stood up from the ground, Cao Cao just smirking at the black & crimson sparks of electricity rushing around her body as the True Longinus appeared in his grasp.
Meredith just frowned as Alphecca Tyrant's bracelet formed around her wrist just as a deep pinkish-purple fog formed around Georg, Samson grinning as he unsheathed Tyrfing and Nothung while a deep blue and a dark green magic crest covered Sona's & Seekvaira's hands respectively.
"Ah, Gremory. I see your attack dog isn't here to protect you like usual."
"He's on a break after having to deal with trash like you, but don't worry. I'm enough to teach you on the errors of your ways."
"Then, by all means, let's see you try."
"Enough!/ Enough!" MacGregor exclaimed as he flexed his mana, hiding his surprise at the second voice and the barrier that sprung up between the two opposing factions, Rias spinning to him surprise before sighing at the disappointed frown on his face.
"We do not go and start conflict on others' properties as we please. What would your mother say?"
"…Right. Forgive my lack of manners." Rias apologized as she dismissed her Power of Destruction, the others apologizing with nods as they dismissed their weapons while Cao Cao gave a smug grin before grunting as a broom smacked the back of his head with surprising force.
"Oi! What the hell was that for?!"
"You behave or else we're leaving right now!" A cute blond girl with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed with a cute frown as she floated in front of her, dressed in a blue sorceress' dress with a large blue hate and a matching cape with a broom floating besides her.
"L-Le Fay?" Meredith whispered in shock, the others turning to her as the blonde girl turned to her with a frown before her eyes widened as a happy smile spread across her face.
"Meredith?"
A/N: And there we are: The Start of the New Arc: Pharaohs & Wizards!
Next chapter, meetings & talks. For those that have read An Arctic Trident, you all should know how this split perspective is going to go.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova for ten chapters ahead on this story, seven on King of Hellish Gravity and seven of Perfection. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
And as always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!
