Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.
Marathon (1/3)
Chapter 31
— Always keep your mind on the alert and don't trust the other high-ups too much. You never know who wants to use you as a springboard to climb —
Decius to Edzard in the Imperial Palace 202 4E
Issei felt uneasy seeing the leaders of the three factions gathered in front of him. Well, to be honest, he didn't feel uneasy only because of the leaders, since apart from them there were also several other people in the room. No, what added to his panic was that the entire building was completely surrounded by various members of the three factions, who were waiting for an order from their leaders and would start killing their enemies. Furthermore, each of the faction leaders had brought several people with them. He, the rest of the ORC and some student council members were representing the devils along with the Maous Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan, and the Gremory house maid, Grayfia Lucifuge.
Sirzechs Lucifer is a man who appears to be in his twenties. He bears a strong resemblance to his sister Rias, as they both have crimson hair, which he also wears long, and blue eyes. He currently wore a white noble robe with purple cuffs and a dark purple cape tied with a red gem brooch on his left shoulder. Serafall Leviathan is a beautiful woman with long black hair tied into two tails on each side using two fuchsia colored ribbons and her eyes are purple. Her body looks like that of a girl, but unlike these, she has big breasts. When Issei met her, she was wearing a magical girl outfit, but now she was wearing a dark green shirt with a pink tie and a long black skirt. Grayfia Lucifuge is a beautiful young woman who appears to be in her early twenties with back-length silver hair that features a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends, while the rest is loose and ends in twin braids. Her eyes are red. she wears a blue maid outfit with some white details.
In front of them at a round table were the other two leaders. Azazel, who had been dressed in a long burgundy coat with a V-neck and an open stand-up collar that opens at the hem. The long coat also featured two black belts around the waist and four black bands on each arm, two of the bands at the wrist and the other two near the elbow. He was wearing gray pants and brown shoes.
Behind Azazel's back was the Hakuryuukou, Vali, whom Issei had met a few days ago in a not very pleasant meeting where the white dragon emperor once again made fun of his weakness. Vali was a young man with silver hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a dark green V-neck shirt and a black turtleneck leather jacket over it. He also wears burgundy jeans with a silver chain falling over them and black leather chaps with three bands that go around his right calf, and black shoes with black buckles.
After seeing his rival, he looked at the delegation from Heaven. The leader was Michael. The leader of Heaven has the appearance of a handsome man with long blonde hair and green eyes. He wears a red robe with a gold cross in front of his white alb. He has gold shoulder plates with a white sash and a gold halo above his head.
Behind Michael's back were two exorcists, the first was Irina and the second was a female version of Freed Sellzen.
Finally, Issei's gaze landed on the last chair, which was empty. Looking back at all the leaders, everyone except Azazel was looking at the chair in a confused way. When he was about to ask about that empty chair, out of nowhere a light shone on the door of the room. All those present looked at the brightness and were on guard, because they did not know what was happening. The light shone brighter for a second and then expanded showing a square portal, which encompassed the entire door of the room.
Footsteps were heard, which became louder when several silhouettes came out of said portal. These people were Edzard, followed by Asia, Aika, Valerie, and Mittelt. Edzard was dressed in a black shirt with a gray vest and a black hooded trench coat. Also, he wore dress pants with mage boots, both of which were black in color. Asia was wearing a white blouse with a blue tie with a blue skirt with white lines at the end. A pair of white thigh high socks with a pair of black low heels. Aika wore her school uniform, but with the addition of a pointed black witch's hat. Valerie, meanwhile, wore a dark red Victorian dress with high-heeled black boots. And finally, Mittelt, who was wearing her typical gothic lolita outfit.
Almost everyone present was amazed by those who arrived, as there were people they did not expect to see in that group. To begin with, the ORC and the student council members were dumbfounded to see Aika there. Irina and Xenovia were shocked to see one of the most wanted people in the church. Azazel, for his part, looked with slight astonishment at his subordinate who he thought was dead.
"K-K-Kiryu?!" Issei yelled when he saw Aika.
The group stopped when they heard Issei yell. They all slowly turned their heads and looked at Issei, who started to squirm a bit as he saw that she had become the focus of the entire group's attention.
"Oh. Hello Hyoudou, Gremory-sempai, Himejima-sempai, Kiba-san, Kaichou, Fukukaichou." Aika greeted with a smile.
Still in shock, all of those mentioned raised their hands to greet Aika, but when they did, Issei yelled again.
"What the hell are you doing here, Kiryuu?!"
"It's not obvious, Hyoudou. I am here because I am part of the group that Edzard has created." Aika replied with a smirk as she looked at Issei.
"So, did you already know about us?" Rias asked looking at her kouhai.
"To be honest, I've only known about it for about five months."
"It seems they have questions. But it would be more prudent to end the pending talks. Then we can answer some questions for you." Edzard interrupted as he walked over and sat down on the empty chair there. He knew that this chair was for him, since Azazel mentioned it to him in a mail that he sent to his e-mail.
Edzard closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them he used his spell to see what was hidden. As he did so he saw the twelve black wings of Azazel, the twelve golden wings of Michael, but was shocked when he saw that the two leaders of the underworld only had one pair of devil wings each, as did the maid; however, he got another surprise when he saw the eight devil wings on the back of who could only be the Hakuryuukou, because in addition to the eight devil wings, he also had the same shiny wings as the armored guy who came when he killed Kokabiel.
In fact, both the appearance of the maid and the Hakuryuukou gave Edzard a big deja vu, as they looked a lot like Euclid and Rizevim respectively. That resemblance made Edzard decide to keep an eye on them.
"Hey Edzard. What are you doing?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard. "I feel a strange energy in your body. Also, your eyes changed color."
Edzard blinked and deactivated his spell. "Don't worry. It was just a spell to see some things."
"Oh. And what things did you see?"
"Just confirm who they were." Edzard answered as he began to look at the leaders. "The blond one is the leader of the angels, the red-haired and the black-haired I guess they are the leaders of the devils and finally the silver-haired guy is the Hakuryuukou."
Edzard's words surprised the devils, for they knew that Edzard had not been with them when Vali had introduced himself.
"You're right. It was thanks to this spell that I learned that you were a fallen one. That Rias was a devil and that the blonde was an angel." Edzard said as he looked at those mentioned.
After those words, the atmosphere fell into a heavy and uncomfortable silence.
"Well. It seems that this tense environment is not healthy for any of us. So why don't we just introduce our escorts?" Azazel said in a nonchalant manner as he looked around at those present.
"I guess you're right." Sirzechs said looking at the young devils behind him. "The young redhead is my little sister, Rias Gremory. Next to her are members of her peerage. The short-haired young woman is Serafall's younger sister, Sona Sitri. The person next to her is the queen of her. Finally, the woman dressed as a maid is a maid of the Gremory house and her name is Grayfia Lucifuge."
Edzard narrowed his eyes upon hearing Grayfia's last name and he wasn't the only one, as all of Edzard's group did, as they knew it had been someone with the same last name who had been making a deal with Marius.
'Just as I thought, that woman is Euclid's relative. That means the Hakuryuukou is possibly a relative of Rizevim.' Edzard thought as he looked at Vali.
"Well. I guess it's my turn." Azazel said with a smile seeing that Sirzechs had finished introducing the devils. "The young man behind me is called Vali and just like little Edzard said, he is the current Hakuryuukou."
Edzard frowned at being called that by Azazel.
After that, everyone's eyes fell on Michael.
"Nice to meet you." Michael said with a smile and calm voice. "The people accompanying me are Irina Shidou and Lint Sellzen."
All of the young devils flinched upon hearing the last name of the girl next to Irina. Although they weren't the only ones, because Edzard also felt uncomfortable, since that confirmed his suspicions that the subject he had murdered not long ago was Lint's relative.
'Looks like I'll have to talk to Lint after this meeting.'
After Michael's introduction, everyone's eyes fell on Edzard and his group.
"I guess now it's my turn." Edzard said with a sigh, then pointed at his wife with her finger. "Very well. I guess many here already know who I am, so I will introduce my group. First, my wife and mother of my first-born, who was called a holy maiden by the Catholic church, Asia Argento, who is the bearer of the sacred Gear Twilight Healing."
Asia smiled gently as she nodded at Edzard's words.
Those members and former members of the church who did not know about Asia's daughter looked at her in complete shock, as they knew that holy maidens were not allowed to marry, much less have children, since they were only supposed to live for God. .
"It's a pleasure to see that you are well, Asia Argento." Michael said as he looked at Asia with a sad smile on his face. "I am very sorry for what happened to you, but I can see that you have found happiness. That makes me very happy."
"T-t-thank you Michael-sama." Asia said between stutters, as she did not know how to react to the apology of who was the current leader of the heaven. "But you shouldn't worry. I understand why he did it."
Asia's words made Michel kindly smile and nod.
"Well. Continuing with the presentation. This is Aika Kiryuu. A young human who is a Magician and a student at Kuoh Academy." Edzard said as he pointed at Aika.
Aika nodded to those present while smiling.
"Magician?" Issei asked confused, because he had never heard that term.
"Yes, Issei. Aika is a magician. In short, in simple words, magicians are humans who can use magic to fight." Edzard answered when he saw the confused face of his friend.
'Weird. How come Issei doesn't know something as basic as that?' Edzard wondered as he looked at Rias out of the corner of his eye. 'Gremory, don't you know that having soldiers without information can cause them to die stupidly?'
"I see." Issei said with a smile as he understood.
"Excuse me, Kiryuu-san. But since when are you a magician?" Rias asked confused, as she had tested several of the humans at the academy and had never realized that Aika was a magician.
"Well. About five months ago, since that's how long I've been learning how to use magic." Aika responded by bringing her hand to her chin.
"That's a very short time." Sona said looking at Aika. "Who's your master?"
"I don't have any masters, since the only magicians in the group before were Edzard and Asia, but no matter how much I trained I couldn't adapt to the style of magic they used. So pretty much everything I've learned I've done mostly by myself using the notes of a magician that Edzard found. And I say almost, because Edzard was the one who helped me understand the things that I couldn't figure out on my own."
"I see." Sona said, looking away from Aika and resting her gaze on Edzard. "Edzard-san. Your partner has mentioned that you have a particular style of magic. could you show it to me?"
Edzard looked at Sona and was tempted to raise his hand and cast a spell, but decided against it because that would backfire.
"I'd like to show it to you, but I think it would be best if we do it later. I say if that's okay with you." Edzard said with a kind smile.
Sona nodded at that proposal.
"Good. So I'll continue with the introductions. The young woman here is Valerie Tepes, a Dhampir. And the wielder of the Sacred Gear Sephiroth Graal." Edzard said as he pointed at Valerie.
Azazel, Michael, Sirzechs and Serafall's eyes widened when they heard that.
"W-w-wait. Does she have the sacred gear with the same name as the holy grail?" Azazel asked between stutters, as he was surprised by Edzard's revelation.
"Holy Grail. What's that?" asked Edzard confused, because he didn't remember having heard that term.
"Edzard-san. The holy grail is the cup from which Christ drank at the last supper." Michael said looking at Edzard.
"Ohh… Are you talking about the guy who could walk on water that my wife told me about when we were in my homeland?"
Everyone looked at Edzard dumbfounded, because he was talking about an important figure in Abrahamic mythology as if he didn't even care. This caused a silence to form, which was broken by Azazel's laughter.
"Ha ha ha! The guy who walks on water." Azazel wiped away a tear that fell down his cheek thanks to the laughter he had. "I can't believe you called it that."
"And how do you want me to call him?" Edzard said. "After all, I am not a believer in the Christian religion."
"Wait. Aren't you a Christian?" Irina asked looking at Edzard in shock.
"That's right. I am not a Christian."
"But how is it that a holy maiden could marry you?"
"We got married because of the religion of my people." Edzard replied looking at Irina. But seeing that she was trying to say something else, he decided to cut her off. "If you're worried about that, I'm also planning to marry Asia in a Christian wedding."
That answer made Michael happy and reassured Irina, but it made Lint feel a bit strange, as she felt her chest tighten slightly.
"Now, I guess I should introduce the last member of my group." Edzard said as he pointed at Mittelt. "She is Mittelt and she is a fallen angel."
Mittelt placed her hands on the hem of her dress and lifting it slightly, bowed to those present.
"It's good to see you're still alive, Mittelt." Azazel said looking at his former subordinate and a mischievous smile appeared on his face when he saw a slight mark on Mittelt's neck. So he decided to joke with her. "I see you've been having a good time with Edzard."
Mittelt's face flushed as she could see Azazel looking at the hickey on her neck, which led her to remember the first time she had sex with Edzard. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about, Azazel-sama."
"ha ha ha! You really are someone amazing, Edzard. It shows that you do not waste time." Azazel said looking at Edzard.
Many of those present blinked in confusion, not understanding what Azazel was trying to say. However, before they could ask anything, the leader of the Fallen Angels spoke up.
"Edzard, it is good that you have introduced your diverse group." A smile spread across Azazel's face as he looked at Edzard. "But now I have a question for you. Who are you?"
Edzard looked at Azazel and a small smile appreciated on his face when he felt deja vu[K1] , for that was the same sentence that Hadvar had said to him before he was sent to the executioner's block.
Those present looked at Edzard confused by the smile he showed.
"I'm sorry, but that phrase has made me remember something from my past." Edzard said when he realized they were looking at him. Clasping his hands in front of his face, he spoke. "My name is Edzard Rolandson. I am a dragon slayer, vampire hunter, mage, alchemist, bard, blacksmith, historian, and writer."
Everyone's eyes widened at each of the jobs Edzard mentioned. Above all, what most caught everyone's attention were the trades of dragon slayer, vampire hunter, blacksmith, mage and alchemist.
"Well with everyone already introduced. Shall we start with this meeting?" Azazel said seeing that everyone looked at Edzard in amazement at the number of jobs he possessed. Although he was also amazed, he knew that he could get answers later, so he decided to continue with the meeting.
The leaders snapped out of their stupor and, nodding, began the meeting. Which started with Rias and Sona reporting on what had happened during the battle. The girls did not skimp on the information provided, since they included Edzard's participation and how he had killed Kokabiel without any difficulty after a battle where it seemed that both had been even in ability.
"And that would be the end of my report." Rias said as he finished telling what had happened.
"I, Sona Sitri, testify to the truth of this report." Sona said as she finished reading the paper Rias' report was written on.
"Very well thank you. It's enough." Sirzechs said looking at his sister with a smile.
"Thank you. Rias-chan, Sona-chan." Serafall said with a smile.
The way her sister said her name made Sona blush slightly and turn her head away in embarrassment.
While that was happening, Edzard had a hand on his chin thinking with concern, because he knew it was those zombies they had mentioned. 'First daedras who appear through a portal and now Soul Shriven. This confirms that it is Bal who is also planning to invade Earth.'
Edzard's musings were interrupted when he heard Serafall thank him for protecting Rias and Sona. Answering that it had been nothing, Edzard decided to pay attention to the talk and leave his musings for later.
"Now that we've heard what happened. I would like to know what you have to say, Azazel." Sirzechs said looking at Azazel.
"What do you want me to say. That idiot acted on his account." Azazel said without giving too much importance to his answer.
"So, you're saying you had nothing to do with what happened?" Michael asked looking at Azazel.
"That's right. I usually let my subordinates roam around freely." Azazel replied. "By allowing him to roam freely, I intended to find out what he was up to, as several of my agents had sent messages that he was up to something."
The leaders of the other two factions glared disapprovingly at Azazel, who simply pointed at Vali with the thumb of his left hand.
"I had instructed Vali to go take over and capture Kokabiel. He had planned to freeze it for eternity in the Cocitus, but in the end that won't be able to be done." Azazel said looking at Edzard.
"I'm not going to apologize for killing him, Azazel." Edzard said with a hard voice as he looked at the fallen Angel.
"Azazel, we are not blaming you for Kokabiel's actions. But because apparently he was not happy with your leadership." Michael said.
"Yes. Apparently, he was upset about what happened in the last great war." Azazel said with a smile. "To be honest, I'm not interested in a new war."
Azazel's answer plunged the hall into silence that lasted a few seconds, as it was interrupted by Serafall.
"So you're having trouble with your own men."
"You have no idea." Edzard said looking at Azazel and drawing everyone's attention. "I had to save Mittelt from some fallen angels who seem to be working for Kokabiel. In the end I ended up having her join my group to prevent her from being killed the moment she returns to the Grigori's main base."
"I see. So that was what happened. It was already strange to me that she disappeared, just like that." Azazel said and then looked at Sirzechs, Serafall and Michael "And it's hypocritical for you to say that, when you also have the same problem."
Azazel's answer made Serafall, Sirzechs, and Michael frown.
"That has nothing to do with this meeting, Azazel. The real…"
"We could stop having this boring conversation and sign the damn peace treaty once and for all."
Azazel's words caused the young devils to be shocked. But it made Edzard and his group look expectantly at Azazel's words.
"Starting a bloody war is the last thing we need right now. Above all, with what is happening recently in the world." Azazel said looking at Michael. "How are the humans of that town in Tuscany where that strange portal appeared?"
Azazel's mention caused Edzard and his group to raise their eyebrows in amazement at how it seemed that Azazel had managed to get information about that incident.
"How do you know about that?" Michael asked concerned, as he had ordered all his members to keep this incident as hidden as possible from the rest of the factions of the supernatural world.
"I have several good agents. But I admit that it was difficult to find that information and all I have been able to find is very vague information that does not answer my questions." Azazel replied as he looked at Michael. "Do you know where that portal went?"
"I only know what young Edzard told young Lint." Michael answered.
Everyone's eyes fell on Edzard. Many of them, like the devils, did it because they didn't know what was going on. Others like Michael, Azazel and Lint to get answers to some questions.
"I see. So you're involved again, Edzard." Azazel said sighing. "Don't you think it's time for you to tell us some answers?"
Edzard looked at the leaders and with a sigh decided to give them a bit of information, enough to make this meeting continue its course.
"It's okay. The portal is called the gate to Oblivion and it is a transportation device that allows you to travel through different planes of Existence."
"Planes of Existence?" Rias asked confused with the term used by Edzard.
"Yes, planes of Existence. This is the way my people call the worlds."
After saying that, Edzard gave them a brief summary of what existence planes were.
"So in short. Are those portals structures that allow travel to different worlds?" Azazel asked as his eyes gained an almost insane gleam at the mention of that.
Azazel's look made Michael sigh as he remembered that his brother could go a little crazy if he found out something he didn't know.
"That's how it is. But these portals also allow you to connect with lesser planes or pocket planes." Edzard answered and then sighed. "Now. If you want to know more about this. They will have to continue with the negotiations."
"Hey hey. Do I think or are you blackmailing us, Edzard?" Azazel asked in a cold voice.
"Do you think so, Azazel." Edzard replied as his eyes began to turn gold. "I just want them to continue with the negotiation so that I can answer his questions without having to worry about time."
The place began to tremble slightly as Edzard amazed Michael, Sirzechs, Serafall, Grayfia and the rest of those present in the room by fearlessly standing up to one of the leaders of the three factions.
"It's okay. I guess you're right." Azazel said dropping his aura and starting to look at the other leaders. "After all, if this meeting ended in a new war it would be bad for the world. do not believe?"
"I guess you're right. After all, those who started the war are no longer with us." Michael said sadly remembering the death of his father.
The reactions to what Michael said were immediate, as sadness appeared in the eyes of Asia, Xenovia, Irina and Lint.
'It seems that they have been told the truth.' Edzard thought when he saw the faces of the two exorcists.
"And thanks to that we can sit down and talk about the possible end of our senseless war." Azazel said looking at the other leaders. "However, three variables have appeared that are naturally out of our control. Two of them are very well known to us. The third, well, it's the biggest unknown we have. It's not like that, Sekiryuutei, Hakuryuukou, Edzard-chan."
The three mentioned looked at Azazel, who continued speaking.
"As we know, the two Heavenly Dragons have the power to change the world for better or worse. Also, every time they fight the maps have to be redrawn. It is because of that destructive potential that I would like to hear your views on the possibility of a peace treaty."
"I just want to fight strong opponents." Vali said as he leaned against the wall of the room and his gaze rested on Edzard for a few seconds.
"Heh. Luckily not, it takes a war to fight someone strong."
"I really thought you would say that, Azazel." Vali said with a smile on his face.
"Well. Sekiryuutei. What do you think?"
Issei put his hand to the back of his neck and started scratching it while putting on an awkward smile. "U-uh. The truth is that I don't know how to think about this."
Seeing that his friend didn't know what to say, Edzard proceeded to explain what would happen if there was a war.
"In that case, I'll explain it well so you understand, Issei." Edzard said as he closed his eyes. "Issei, if a war breaks out, you will be forced to leave your family as you start marching alongside other devils to fight at the risk of your life, just like your group did against Kokabiel. Every day you breathe could be the last, because you will never know if you will be hit by an enemy attack. You will hear the cries of pain and agony of your comrades as the air is filled with the smell of blood and feces from the corpses of both sides that begin to pile up. Also, thanks to that you will not be able to fulfill your dream of having a harem, because the only women you will see are very likely to be the women who accompany you to the military camps…"
Everyone listened in surprise as Edzard related what would happen in a war. Above all, the most astonished were those who were veterans of the great war as well as the devil civil war. None of them could understand how someone Edzard's age could know so well what was happening on a real battlefield.
"Now if peace is signed. It is very possible that you can get your harem, since it is in the seasons of peace that greater emphasis is placed on increasing the population, especially of the three factions, who lost a lot of demographic capacity thanks to the great war. So, in the end, you would have to have a lot of women to help rebuild the population. and thanks to the low fertility rate of devils, you may have to try several times for a long time to be able to sire a single descendant."
Issei looked confused at Edzard, since he had been lost since the moment he had mentioned the blood and corpses piled up in a war.
Seeing that Issei didn't understand, Aika, who was the one with a mind closest to Issei's, decided to tell him something simpler to understand.
"What Ed wants to tell you is that if there is a war you will die a virgin, but if there is peace, you can lose your virginity." A mocking smile appeared on Aika's face as she spoke again. "Did you understand Virgin-kun?"
"V-v-virgin-kun?!" Issei yelled with a red face as he understood Aika's mockery. "Damn it, Kiryu! Don't make fun of me, when you're a virgin too!"
Aika smiled from ear to ear when she heard Issei say that she was a virgin. So she, walking slowly, approached Edzard and wrapped her arms around her lover's neck.
Aika's sudden action made Issei's jaw drop, especially when he saw that Asia was just sighing in annoyance at what Aika was doing.
"Tell me, Hyoudou. Why do you think I missed all that week of school?" Aika asked mockingly.
"D-don't tell me…" Issei said in amazement as he took a step back.
"That's right. I spent a whole week having hot sex with my boyfriend."
"B-but he's married." Irina said with a blush hearing what Aika said.
"For the people of Edzard, having several concubines apart from your wife is normal." Asia replied as she hugged Edzard and sat on his lap.
"Wait. Did you say several concubines?" Lint asked looking with a blush at Asia and Edzard and the rest of his group. "That means that…?"
"So is. Besides me, Valerie and Mittelt have also become Edzard's concubines." Aika replied with an amused smile as she watched the reactions of those present.
The faces of the aforementioned blushed when everyone looked at them.
"Does that mean he spent a whole week having sex with you?" Xenovia asked as she stared at Edzard in amazement.
To avoid some misunderstandings from Aika's answers, Edzard decided to reply.
"That would be lying. The three of them were in a coma for a week after the first time we had sex." Edzard said pointing to Aika, Valerie and Mittelt.
Edzard's words amazed everyone, causing the girls to blush as hard as they could, as they didn't expect someone could achieve that with just one round of sex.
"Wait. Did you put them in a coma after their first time with you?" Azazel asked with blank eyes and jealousy in his voice.
"Yes. that's weird?" Edzard asked with a puzzled expression.
"Very weird." All the males present answered, except for Michael, who only smiled awkwardly.
"Well. Putting jokes aside." Edzard said looking at Issei. "What do you say Issei?"
Issei had fallen to his knees when he heard that Edzard had several lovers, since, to him, that meant his friend now had a harem. Crying tears of blood, he quickly stood up and wasting no time raising his right hand and pointing his finger at Edzard.
"I choose peace!" Issei yelled at the top of his lungs. "You'll see, Edzard! I will surpass you and have a harem greater than yours!"
They all looked at Edzard and expected him to respond by getting angry, but they were surprised when they saw a smile appear on his face.
"I want to see that, Issei." Edzard answered with a defiant smile. It's not that he was very interested in increasing the number of concubines he had, since no matter how much resistance he had, he was only one person and he couldn't give himself time to spend with all his lovers if they were too many.
Issei put on a smile just like Edzard's and spoke. "You'll see, Ed."
Those who knew Issei smiled when they saw the interaction between both friends.
Azazel smiled and looked at Edzard to ask him. "So, Edzard. What do you think about peace?"
"It would be the best they could do." Edzard answered leaving aside his smile and putting on a very serious and cold voice. "After all, what I'll tell you when the formalities are over will make you sigh and dance with relief that you won't be fighting each other."
"I see. I guess with the opinions of those outside the three factions it is better that we start to..."
Edzard's eyes widened in surprise as the scent of magic reached his nostrils. In less than a second, the environment had flickered. When everyone opened their eyes, they were shocked to see their comrades frozen. The frozen ones had been, Akeno, Sona and Tsubaki.
"W-what...?" Issei asked as he looked at Edzard and the rest of the girls in a gray energy dome.
"Looks like we've been attacked." Edzard said as his right hand held a gray orb, showing that he was the one who had created the dome that protected his lovers. "The assailant has stopped time."
Many felt a shiver run down their spine, as Edzard spoke in a very cold and deadly voice.
"Have they stopped time?" Kiba asked in amazement looking around. "But how have they managed it?"
"I do not know. But the ones who have not been affected are those with great power." Edzard said looking at the faction leaders and Grayfia. "I have protected my lovers with a barrier."
"Both the Sekiryuutei and I have been protected by our sacred gear." Vali said looking at Issei and then looking at Xenovia, Yuuto, Irina and Lint. "The three of them have been protected by their swords. But I don't know how she was able to resist the last one."
"That's simple." Edzard said deactivating the dome that he had created with magic. "She was protected by an artifact in her pocket."
They all looked at Lint in confusion, not knowing what Edzard meant. Lint was also confused, so she put her hand in her jacket pocket. When she took her hand out of it, she saw the coin Edzard had given her before saying goodbye to her in Italy. The small coin was a Septim, which glowed with multi-colored lights.
"That coin has a very special enchantment that increases the wearer's magic resistance." Edzard said drawing everyone's attention.
"I see." Vali said looking at Edzard as a smile began to form on his face.
Lint looked at Edzard and tried to say something to him, but at that moment there was a loud crash and a big bright orange circle appeared in the sky. In less than a second all the devils, fallen angels and angels that were protecting the meeting disappeared. From this circle appeared several people dressed in hooded robes. These subjects began to attack the building where the summit was taking place. Fortunately, the attacks were blocked by several defensive magic circles.
"Who are those guys?" Issei asked.
"They are magicians." Serafall replied as she pouted. "They don't know that the only magical girl here is me."
"How come those magicians got here?" Sirzechs asked looking at the magicians.
"That is easy. There is a traitor among our ranks, as only we knew of the meeting." Azazel replied looking at everyone.
Azazel's answer made everyone worry, as they did not know who the traitor was. However, any thought of it was stopped when the building shook again from the attacks.
"So those magicians are stopping time?" asked Lint looking at the magicians.
"What do you mean by that, Edzard?" Lint asked.
Several of those who did not know they knew each other, looked surprised at the familiarity with which the exorcist called Edzard.
"What you heard, Lint. They have not caused this." Edzard replied getting up from his seat. "The disturbance in the currents of time comes from another place. To be more specific. It's coming from a building in that direction."
Rias's and his servants' eyes widened in surprise when they realized that Edzard was pointing towards the building where the ORC hall was located.
"If not them, who is stopping time?" Michael asked looking out the window.
"It must be the Dhampir who is a member of Rias Gremory's peerage." Azazel said with his hand on his chin. "I guess they have captured him and forced him into his balance breaker. A very scary one if I am to say anything."
"Wait. Do you mean Gasper?" Issei asked.
The name spoken by Issei caught Valerie's attention, who started to walk towards Issei.
"That is very possible, since there are very few beings that can manipulate time." Sirzechs said. "So we must assume that Gasper-kun is in the hands of the enemy."
Kiba was about to say something, when he saw how Valerie approached Issei.
"Issei-san. I seem to have heard you mention Gasper's name." Valerie said looking at Issei with hopeful eyes. "By any chance, is the full name Gasper Vladi?"
Issei was amazed by the look Valiere was giving him, but managing to shake off his astonishment, he nodded and saw how the Dhampir's eyes began to fill with tears.
As tears threatened to fall from Valerie's face, the Dhampir was embraced by Edzard and the rest of the group. The hug lasted a few seconds, until Edzard withdrew and approached Issei.
"Ed, I know this might be rude, but why did Valerie-san start cry?" Issei asked looking at the mentioned one.
"Gasper is Valerie's childhood friend. She has been searching for him ever since she left the Tepes castle."
"No wonder his name was familiar to me." Rias said joining the conversation. "Gasper always talked about her when I had just reincarnated him as a devil. In addition, that he always showed concern about what could have happened to her. "
"We must free Gasper-kun from the control of the magicians, otherwise they can make him release more power to the point where it affects us all." Sirzechs said in a serious manner, drawing everyone's attention.
Edzard looked at the leaders of the factions and closing his eyes he used the power that he had as Akatosh's son and began to feel how the currents of time in the area varied. After a few seconds, he knew how the flow of time was changing. So, he spoke drawing everyone's attention. "I just found out how long it will take for the power to fully affect us."
Those who did not know of Edzard's origin looked at him in astonishment at what he said. They wanted to ask him how he could do that, but in the end they decided to leave the questioning for after the meeting.
"How long would that be?" Azazel asked.
"About half an hour." Edzard replied.
"So, knowing that we have half an hour at most to save the Dhampir, what's the plan?" Azazel asked.
"Oni-sama. I left an unused tower in the club room." Rias said looking at her brother.
"I see. You will try to use castling to teleport there." Sirzechs said.
"Castling?" Issei and Edzard asked confused, because neither knew what that word meant.
"Castling is a chess move that allows the king to change his position with a rook." Kiba said looking at Edzard and Issei.
"It is a good plan. But we can't send you alone." Sirzechs said looking at his sister with concern.
"Oni-sama. I can't stay calm when my family is under attack. Besides Gasper, Koneko is also there."
"Besides, she won't go alone. Since I'm going too." Valerie said approaching Rias and interrupting any retort that Sirzechs tried.
"She is right, Sirzechs-sama. I will also go and protect my king." Issei said approaching Rias, who looked at him with a smile on her face.
Sirzechs looked at Issei and with a smile he nodded. After that, everyone split up to prepare to leave.
Valerie walked over to Edzard and the rest of the girls.
"So you're going to go save your friend?" Mittelt asked looking at Valerie.
"Yes." Valerie replied with conviction.
"How do you plan to fight in that dress?" Aika asked looking at Valerie. "Unlike Mittelt, your fighting style is hand-to-hand, that dress will be a nuisance for combat."
Valerie looked at the dress and sighed, as she liked it very much, but she could buy another one later. After all, her lover was someone with a lot of money. So she, without a second thought, she took the hem of the dress and tore it in one motion. In the end, the skirt of her dress was above her knees.
"Here, Val. This might help you if you have to destroy something created by magic." Edzard said handing Valerie a scroll.
"Thanks, Ed." Valerie said taking the scroll. After that, everyone walked to where Rias and Issei were.
When they arrived, they saw that there seemed to be a problem. And it is that Valerie was not part of Rias's peerage and so she could not teleport with them.
"Issei. I want you to think about the entrance to that building." Edzard said approaching his friend.
Issei nodded and began to imagine the entrance to the old building when out of nowhere he felt Edzard put his hand on his head. Out of nowhere, he got a little headache. Fortunately the pain was so slight that it only made him move his eyebrows as a sign that he had suffered something.
"That's it." Edzard said as he stopped having his hand on Issei's head. Extending his right hand, Edzard used his shadowkey and created a portal to the building.
"Hurry. These types of portals are very striking and if I have it open for a long time they will lose the surprise factor." Edzard said.
Issei and Rias nodded and started walking towards the portal. Before leaving, Valerie walked up to Edzard first and she placed a soft kiss on his lips. After parting ways, she smiled at her friends and ran after the two devils.
The moment she crossed the portal, Edzard closed it.
"Hey Edzard, can't you open that portal to get us out of here?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard.
They all looked at Edzard and hoped that his answer would be affirmative.
"I do not think so. I tried to open a portal to the outside and I couldn't. It seems that something is blocking my shadowkey." Edzard said after trying to open a portal to Switzerland. And it is that the young dragon realized that there was something in the magic circle of the magicians, which seemed to cut off any type of teleportation other than that of the magicians.
"I see. It's a shame." Azazel said looking as the magicians continued to attack the building. "Looks like they're not going to shut up for a while. Vali, do something useful and go out and greet them."
"It's okay. I was bored after all." Vali said as he summoned the wings of his sacred gear and flew towards the magicians. When she was in front of them, he screamed. "Balance Breaker!"
[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker]
Vali's body was enveloped in white light, which dissipated to reveal Vali clad in white dragon armor with blue gems. After the transformation, Vali was attacked by the magicians, who released magic beams, which ended up being blocked by magic circles, which would appear and disappear quickly. After fending off the magicians, Vali quickly countered and eliminated several magicians with a spell.
"Those magic circles..." Edzard whispered to himself as he realized the shape of the magic circles, since those circles were the same as those used by Rizevim. Looking out of the corner of his eye at the others present, he realized that no one else had noticed. So, looking at his lovers, he spoke. "Aika, Mittelt."
Both girls looked at Edzard.
"Help the Hakuryuukou reduce the number of enemies there are." Edzard said, but then he walked over to them and whispered. "Guys, keep an eye on him, for I feel like he's the one who let the magicians into this place."
The girls looked at Edzard in amazement at that, but still nodded.
"Michael-sama." Lint said drawing the heaven leader's attention.
"Yes, Lint." Michael said looking at one of his bodyguards.
"I want to go help them." Lint said in a serious voice.
When Michael was about to say something, Irina also came over and said that she wanted to go too. She was joined by Yuuto and Xenovia's requests. Both Michael and Sirzechs ended up giving them permission when they saw that they would not back down.
"Well... Let's start with this!" Mittelt yelled with a smile as he made his wings appear.
The eyes of all the youngsters, Azazel and Michael widened in surprise when they saw the number of wings Mittelt had on her back. Since right now she didn't sport the three pairs of wings that she previously possessed, instead she now sported four pairs of black wings.
A pretentious smile appeared on Mittelt's face when she saw that Azazel and Michael looked at her in amazement, since they knew that she had only had one pair of wings.
"Looks like you've shocked them, Mittelt." Aika said with a smile. "I guess I must surprise them too."
After saying that, Aika created a magic circle and summoned a staff from it. This staff was a mixture between a staff and a spear. It was made of black wood and had a pale blue gem on the top end and a black double-edged blade on the other end. The surprise for the members of the three factions was the aura of the staff, as it was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Seeing that his lovers and the rest of those who would go out to fight were already ready, Edzard watched as Lint was the only one who didn't have a unique weapon, so he decided to do something for her. So, raising his left hand, he used conjuration magic to summon an item he had stored away.
"Lint. Take this." Edzard said as he tossed a cloth-wrapped package to Lint.
"Edzard?" Lint asked confused catching the object.
"It's a gift." Edzard said with a smile. "After all, it's not fair that Xenovia, Irina, and Kiba have unique swords and you don't, right?"
Lint's eyes widened in surprise and quickly opening the package, she saw that inside was a sheathed sword. The scabbard was black with silver accents. The pommel and guard were silver and the handle was covered with black leather. Taking the handle, Lint unsheathed her sword. As she did so, she saw that the sword had a single, navy-blue blade. Giving it a few quick flicks, she saw that the blade was very light and weighed almost nothing.
"Thank you, Edzard." Lint said with a smile on her face.
Edzard responded with a smile as well. The sword he had given her was a special weapon, which was enchanted with a new type of enchantment, which allowed a human from Earth to use it without any problem. Unfortunately, this sword was not yet complete and those enchantments were temporary.
'Maybe later I can update it when I have all the necessary information.' Edzard thought as he imagined what enchantments Lint could use.
"Well, let's start." Aika said seeing that Lint had equipped her new sword.
They all nodded and after those words, they went outside. Aika did so by jumping on various magic circles she had created, while Mittelt flew using her wings. Once they were both in the sky, Aika looked at Mittelt, who nodded and creating two pink light swords, began to fly at high speed, killing all the magicians who crossed her path.
Aika, seeing this, raised her staff and began to create several circles of magic, which began to launch several torrents of flame towards the enemy magicians. As she did that, she also created other circles, which created lightning bolts, which also began to hit the enemies.
Lint and the rest of the swordsmen jumped out a window and began running to kill the magicians on the ground. Lint's new sword slashed through magicians like it was nothing and she took advantage of that, along with her speed to attack quickly. Kiba did the same with his traitor's sword. While Irina and Xenovia fought in a duet after making up after Xenovia revealed to her friend the reason for her excommunication.
As they continued to fight and take out as many magicians as possible, Azazel walked up to Edzard.
"Hey Edzard." Azazel said calling the attention of the aforementioned. "How did you get Mittelt to have four pairs of wings in just five months?"
"What do you mean by that, Azazel?" Sirzechs asked.
"Mittelt was originally a low-ranking fallen angel who only possessed a single pair of wings." Azazel replied looking at Edzard. "Also, she wasn't the daughter of some high-ranking fallen angel, so leveling up in such a short amount of time is amazing."
Edzard just smiled and looked at the leaders. "I just put her through very strict intensive training."
Azazel was about to ask something else, but was interrupted when a yellow magic circle appeared in the middle of the room. From this yellow circle appeared a tall woman with glasses and a voluptuous figure. She had tan skin with long brown hair tied in a bun and had purple eyes. She wore a dress that was extremely low cut and had a high slit that exposed a large part of her breasts.
"Good morning, Maou Sirzechs-dono and Serafall-dono." The woman said with a smile as she made a mock bow.
"What are you doing here?!" Serafall asked looking at the woman.
"The descendant of the previous Leviathan, Katerea Leviathan." Sirzechs said.
"I bring chaos and ruin to this world..." Katerea said raising a staff and generating an explosion. However, this explosion was completely negated when a black dome spread out and completely consumed the explosion.
Everyone looked confused at what was happening, because they did not understand what was happening.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you kill them." Edzard said as he held out his hand.
"Edzard. What happened?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard.
"Dispel magic. A very useful spell that I hardly ever use, because I tend to forget what I know." Edzard replied. "Just like its name says, this spell can dispel any magical spell that comes into contact with the dome."
"Seriously. How can you forget to use such a useful spell?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard with blank eyes.
"I have no idea." Edzard responded by shrugging his shoulders and returning his gaze to the woman in front of him.
Katerea had a look of annoyance on her face as she saw that her spell had failed.
"What are you trying to accomplish with this, Katerea?" Sirzechs asked.
"The opposite of what this conference wants." Katerea replied. With neither God nor the original maous, this rotten world desperately trying to make up for the deaths of God and the four maous needs a revolution.
"ha ha ha." Azazel's laugh stopped whatever Katerea was planning to say.
"Azazel, what are you laughing at?" Katerea asked looking at Azazel.
"I find the combination of words you have chosen funny." Azazel said with a smile. "Normally those who say words like that are the first to die."
"You dare to insult me?" Katerea's power began to become visible as anger at Azazel's mockery showed on her face.
"Can I take care of her, Sirzechs, Michael?" Azazel asked as he walked forward.
"You can still save your life if you retreat, Katerea." Sirzechs said looking at Katerea.
"I don't think so, Sirzechs. You were a good Maou, but unfortunately you were not the best." Katerea said as she began to Fly.
"It's a shame." After saying that, Sirzechs together with Michael created a barrier to protect everyone from the fight that was going to happen.
Edzard watched as Azazel and Katerea flew away. While they were floating, the power of each one became visible in the form of auras.
Both enemies dedicated a few words to each other and after exploding their auras, they charged at each other. Katerea attacked with spells that took the form of black snakes. And Azazel dodged everything boringly.
"She is at a level far below Azazel." Edzard said looking at the battle. "But he's stalling for them to save Gasper."
"Despite the efforts of Mittelt, Aika-san, and the Hakuryuukou, our enemies continue to outnumber us." Michael said looking how his barrier began to be attacked from all sides by the large number of magicians that appeared. "I hope Azazel manages to defeat Katerea as soon as possible."
After Michael said that, everyone was shocked when the wall behind them exploded. Turning their heads, they saw five people appear.
"Looks like they made it." Edzard said with a smile.
Author's note:
To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.
And here is the first part of today's updates. The chapter ended up being a little over 25K words, so I divided it into three parts, the second and third have also been uploaded today.
Here you only see the most canon part of the conference. We also see that Edzard has given you some information, but he won't tell you everything until the third chapter today.
Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved or if you have any questions about the story. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.