Chapter XXXVII


Kokabiel was conflicted.

On one hand, he was furious, blood boiling as rage unlike anything he had felt since the end of the Great War pumped through his heart, leaving a painfully enervating sting as it burnt him from the inside out. So great was his fury that the man had gone from frowning, to scowling, to sporting a demented, warped smile.

Why shouldn't he smile?

Why shouldn't he laugh?

Somehow, despite the best of his efforts to remain uninvolved with the local incidents and allow Penemue to take the lead in this ill-begotten diplomatic effort, the 4th Cadre was forced to step down from the perch he'd secluded himself to in this heathen, devil infested putrid stain of a town in order to deal with his brother's little pet experiment.

Which threatened to make all their efforts here meaningless.

"You lost track of him?"

And Azazel, as always, just seemed to have the perfect excuse.

"I sent him on a mission to unearth some ancient civilization or another, even tossed out the possibility of some ancient evil super weapon being there for him to fight. I didn't expect him to somehow find out and take a flight to Japan."

Gritting his teeth, Kokabiel stilled his tongue. Despite his seniority, Azazel was still very much a difficult brat to deal with.

Had been even before the Fall.

"Do we at least know how he found out? Shemhazai was adamant about maintaining complete secrecy on the matter to avoid this exact outcome."

The Governor General grimaced.

"Oh he is very angry about it and asked that I allow him to investigate the leak and deal with it in whatever way he deems appropriate. Really, I can't help but pity whoever it turns out to be."

Kokabiel didn't share the sentiment.

Whoever defied Shemhazai's order knowingly put themselves up for punishment. How his brother chose to deal with them… they probably deserved it anyway.

"Well, I told Vali to leave."

Azazel leaned in with an amused quirk to his lips.

"And how did he respond?"

"He ignored me, obviously. Saying some inane tripe about his destiny and that he would leave after questioning Campione in regards to his rival."

That prompted a laugh from his brother.

"Hah! He doesn't know that Campione is the Red Dragon Emperor! Talk about a tough break, huh?"

Kokabiel rolled his eyes.

"Obviously I didn't inform him about it. The last thing we need is another associate of the Grigori attacking a Campione right after my subordinates were enthralled to attack him." It was also a tiny way to get back at the silver haired brat for making a mess of their plans and ignoring a Cadre's orders.

White Dragon or not, he was still one of their associates.

"Hmm. That's for the best, I suppose. Especially since a battle now would be very inconvenient. Your subordinates, by the way, had to be taken to Cocytus."

That actually got his attention.

"I personally confirmed their health before they were teleported to the Underworld." His eyes narrowed, the Fallen Angel unable to keep his suspicion to himself. "What inane experiment did you subject them to?"

"Me? Would I do such a thing?"

His brother's smirk was… just false enough that Kokabiel couldn't help but tense up. Azazel had many, many flaws. But he was a good brother.

"Yes. Especially if you thought it would heal them."

That got a sigh.

"Unfortunately, it didn't actually have anything to do with that. While the curse remained active we were ready to provide palliative care. Prevent their bodies from being overstressed or their minds from giving out. Then, they just started melting."

"So you had to conceptually freeze the curse?"

"It's stopped the progress so far."

His wings rustled, displeased at the news. Though he did have to admit that was a clever solution to a problem he doubted anyone would have been able to solve.

'Peons are too fragile at the best of times. And with how few in number we are, we lack the ability to just ignore losses, no matter how insignificant they ultimately are.'

He was… pleased by this outcome.

"Thank you." Grinding the words out was a chore, but he managed them, not at all appreciating the two finger salute from his idiot of a brother. "I'll need to call in reinforcements to keep our strength up. Unless Team Slashdog is available?"

"No. Actually, if you can, would you send Penemue to check on their families? Tobio has been out of contact since I sent him to Korea and I want to make sure nothing has gone wrong."

"You don't think he's in danger?"

"Not more than usual."

"Tch. Humans are like roaches. That particular brat will probably make it through."

"I like to think of them more like mayflies. Just thankfully marginally longer lived."

Kokabiel hung up their call, deactivating the scrying orb and leaning back in his chair.

Yes, he was furious.

But at the same time… Kokabiel was elated.

For in this very city there existed the potential for making his dreams a reality. A dream he had thought all but out of his reach unless he happened upon the perfect storm of circumstances and a good plan. A possibility that seemed to grow more likely by the day as the pressure mounted inside Kuoh.

The Devils, the Church, the Fallen, even that Demon King and now the White Dragon.

Everything lined up so well… all they needed was a spark, a nudge in the right direction, and the world would soon be ignited once again by the flames of war.

It was tempting.

So tempting.

But Kokabiel stayed his hand, perhaps because he didn't like the thought of going along with whoever thought they could just use the Grigori for their own schemes. Perhaps because in some way, he still wanted this to be his choice, to be done as he willed it.

He was not afraid of death, certainly not death in battle. But this insult was grievous. And the arrogance of a gnat who thought to use an Immortal Son of God as a catspaw would be punished. Not just for his sake, or the sake of his siblings, but for the sake of every angel everywhere - in the highest of Heavens or the lowest of Hells.

They would not be forgotten!


"Hey, mom, I've got a question."

"Yes honey?"

Issei found himself rather terribly conflicted. So when his mom looked up from where she was trying her hand at mapo tofu he needed a moment just to think.

"Take your time, Issei." Her eyes crinkled and the small streak of silver in her hair stood out to him. It was tiny, maybe a dozen hairs in total, but it just… seemed noticeable. "Sometimes figuring out what you need to ask is as important as asking."

"No, no. I know what I need to ask."

She cleaned her hands on a towel, tutting at how the sauce had splattered a bit, and turned to keep working.

"Well… I know. But I'm not sure I want to."

"So it's about a girl?"

He winced.

"How do I know if they, well, don't like me? Or if I upset them. Maybe a lot."

"Your date was interrupted." She nodded, one spatula held in a hand that seemed… more fragile than he remembered. "But that's ok. Aika's a good girl, she'll understand. Or at least I hope so. I do want grandkids and most people don't have a shot at a soul mate so easily."

"Oof. Come on. You don't need to rub it in."

She laughed, voice a little husky, a slight scratch to it from where she smoked before marrying his dad. For some reason, it wasn't just a quirk at the moment.

"No, no. I promise you, that girl isn't the sort to play games. If she says she's sick, she's sick." Grunting when the tofu started to fall apart, she rushed to save their dinner, before, once the pot was cooling on a back eye, turning back to him. "I'll tell you what. I've got some stock I just made up. Why don't we make some soup for her and you can take it over, ok?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, thanks mom."

"You don't need to thank me yet. I said she wasn't playing games, I didn't say she wasn't upset. No lady likes having her first date interrupted by work." Her tone softened and she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "But don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand. Maybe even appreciate that you rushed in to save the day."

"Ah. Actually. You and dad still aren't thrilled about that, are you?"

"And why should we be, son?" His dad walked in, Yinghua quietly following behind him, looking a little nervous. "You're our boy. Hero or no, and forget that demon king nonsense, you should be… interested in girls, if a little less so, and playing video games. Not having to deal with curses and mind control. Or memory wipes."

There was a smidge of frustration in his father's voice and the man pursed his lips before shaking his head, simply holding up a finger to Issei.

"The truth of the matter is that you're risking your life to help people. We may not be best pleased, but don't think we aren't going to support you, got it?"

Something inside of him melted, a sort of weight relaxing as he blushed and nodded his head.

"Got it. So, how did the mind control resistance training go?"

Now it was his father's turn to blush, pat him on the shoulder, kiss his mom, and then walk off without another word.

"You got him to do the chicken dance?"

Miki smirked when the young man they'd practically adopted simply handed over a cellphone.

"And recorded it, as per the Lady of the House's instructions."

His mother began to chuckle evilly, smirking and giggling and laughing as she finished seasoning the almost eye-wateringly spicy tofu and minced pork.

Literally.

Yinghua's eyes were watering-

"Oh, you crying little buddy?"

A sniffle.

"No. Just the peppercorn."

Deciding to let that slide, he just gave Yinghua a pat on the back and had to ask him a few questions pertinent to the goings on of his parents. Safely outside of the kitchen, of course.

"So, uh, chicken dance?"

"Elder Brother's father is very good at resisting commands he does not like."

"But?"

"Anything he finds funny, he will do. Even with simple hypnotism."

"Maybe I should move that bit of my training up a little."

Yinghua shook his head.

"The mind of a Campione is proven to be quite difficult to influence, never mind the fact that it would take a direct infusion into the inside of the body to establish the spell, you would require something on the level of an authority to control a Campione for any length of time."

That felt… oddly specific and very detailed.

"Has someone… tried it with Luo Hao?"

The young martial artist grimaced.

"It is an old story, merely a cautionary tale regarding hubris. I believe it was some type of Love God who attempted to gain control over Master back when she established the Five Mountains Cult. To my understanding, his hold over her lasted all but an hour before it broke."

Issei winced, knowing just where this story was headed.

"She killed him, didn't she?"

"Obviously. Our initiates are still required to clean the stain she left on the courtyard till this day in lieu of punishment."

Yikes.

"The more I learn about her, the more I wonder how the hell I survived that fight." Because it really felt like she should have pulverized him if she were treating that fight seriously.

"I would banish such thoughts from your mind."

Great, now he was an open book.

"I mean, am I wrong?"

"Elder Sister accepted you and treated you as a worthy adversary at the end and yet you survived. She struck you with the full Divine Might of Vajrapani, a singular blow with which she could render the bones of mountains into dust, and Honorable Brother survived and then excelled in his task against the false Monkey King."

Heh, okay, when he put it like that Issei had a hard time not thinking of himself as some big shot hero.

But maybe he should be careful with that.

'Who knows whenever the next one is gonna show up.' And if what he'd been told of the other Campione was true, that could be sooner rather than later.

And that was when Yinghua kicked him on the shin.

"Oww! What was that for?!"

The younger boy huffed.

"For ignoring your junior's advice! Now, we must tend to the dishes before Lady Miki grows displeased, and this Lu Yinghua would rather avoid that heavenly tribulation."

Issei found himself truly relaxing.

There were a few worries on his mind, and he would be checking on Aika soon enough, but right now things were ok. On top of that, dinner was ready, no one was calling him, and his mom had his vase sat in the windowsill. A few lilies simply resting in it.

The white marble was smoothed out on the bottom, but he'd twisted the rest into a smooth spiral. With long, broad lines curved in the inch thick material, he made sure it would be easy to clean. And that the inside had an opening wide enough to fit a hand in!

So it was the little things coming together, with the younger boy happily answering any question Issei came up with, no matter how small or inane.

Mostly he was just glad Yinghua had been doing really well.

Apparently he was getting along with his classmates and had mentioned that the Devil who showed up had, had an HCC escort and hadn't objected to his presence when the man returned for a second presentation. Those pamphlets having just been part of the promotional material the Devil had made up.

'It's still a bit odd to offer to give people an Isekai sort of item and then change their whole species.'

But….

But he could also remember how his dad had crows feet these days.

Something that hadn't been there before Dusa-Chan.

"Ah, blah, ah, she used the actual peppercorns!"

Blinking, he looked at the martial arts prodigy as he stuck his tongue in a scoop of pistachio ice cream.

Because he'd snuck a spoonful of dinner.

"You know what, I'm gonna go tell mom you're spoiling your appetite."

And just like that, he fled. Issei laughed as the silly prodigy tried to bound out of an open window, only for the bowl of ice cream his tongue was stuck in to clack against the windowsill, causing him to flip over mid air and bunny hop his way across the yard.

"Uh, Issei?"

"Yeah dad?"

"Why did Yinghua just… kung fu his way across the street?"

"What did he do?"

"He kick flipped off my car, bounced off the neighbor's house, and ended up on top of a building when I lost sight of him."

"Is mom in there?"

"Yes…?"

"Then I'll tell you later."

Issei very much knew what to do. And annoying his mom was not that.

'Heh. That feels nice.'

Worrying about his parents, and not for his parents, felt much better. So he'd hold on to that for a bit. And maybe go check up on Irina and Xenovia later.

They were doing him a favor, after all!


"Where were they found, Saji?"

Her hands were shaking and Sona balled them up into fists.

"About two blocks south from the hospital. I had my phone put a pin down there. Fevers well in the dangerous range. At first I was going to just take them there…."

She closed her eyes, not needing to see any more.

"But the curse marks were crawling on their skin."

"In, Kaichou. I… I felt them move inside their skin."

Swallowing, counting down from ten to one, she only opened her eyes when she felt comfortable with removing the white cloth the nurse had placed over the two bodies.

"Marissa."

"Yes, Heiress?"

"I need you to contact the HCC. And then send a notice to… to Lord Beelzebub."

"Of course, Heiress."

Bowing politely, the mortal woman, the latest in a very long line of souls sworn to house Stiri, walked out of the room and set about her tasks promptly and without a word of complaint. As if she hadn't left a pair of teenagers alone in a room with a trio of unconscious curse victims.

"Please lower the sheet."

"Yes'm."

Looking at the still living man, she watched as the deep crags of the mage's face pulled in silent agony. Still unconscious despite whatever was ravaging his body. Morphine had proven minimally effective and she'd been hesitant to order even that considering his age and how… scrawny he'd been under his robes. Magical healing had actually caused one of his compatriots, a short albino girl, to scream.

Saji's attempt at stabilizing them almost drawing the attention of law enforcement.

"Who are these guys?"

Sona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to stave off a migraine.

"Foreign mages, possibly here to take advantage of the chaos to further their own agenda. I can only guess how they managed to make it through the blockade and snuck into

Kuoh to meet with the Campione."

Saji looked confused.

"Hyoudou? You think he's connected to all this?"

Shaking her head, Sona wished she had more time to get the newest member of her peerage caught up on things. But she hadn't had the time for a proper introduction since Rias left.

"It's unlikely. He has been firmly neutral on matters pertaining to the supernatural since his status was revealed. If anything, these were probably illegal mages, criminals looking for someone to hide behind. They probably believed the rumors about the 'Demon King' and thought this was their chance."

There were a multitude of other options, of course.

Political renegades, revolutionaries, dissidents, unfortunates targeted by those in power. All and more were options. Some Magi might simply be seeking an audience in general, though she doubted the HCC would agree to such a thing.

But that was neither here nor there.

No, checking the third man, things were much, much worse.

His skin looked burned, large, moving welts on his skin as the curse burned him up from the inside. Most likely because he tried to take the curses from the other two. Perhaps he'd even succeeded. But the seven foot tall, hirsute man was far away from being in good shape. Never mind likely to recover without outside help.

Help that the curse seemed to feed on.

"Keep this place secure."

Sona waved at Saji, idly applying a few protective enchantments through their bond, and took out her cellphone.

Disappointingly, it went to voicemail before Tsubaki managed to answer.

"Ah, K… Kaichou?"

"You sound horrible." Suddenly on high alert, the Devil couldn't help the feeling in her heart. "Do you have a fever? Have you noticed any black spots on your skin?"

"Ah, n-no. Just… just a flu."

"Devils do not get just the flu. Tsubaki, you will take your temperature then inform me of the results. I will be sending a familiar to scan you."

The line was silent, except for the odd, thick cough from her Queen. Something that had turned her disquiet to pure paranoia. Devils could, of course, get ill. But only very rarely and never from a human disease. Their biology was simply too incompatible. And if her queen had a random magical illness when she'd just found a bunch of cursed mages….

"Ah, the thermometer… forty one degrees… forty two. That is bad."

"That is fatal in a human!"

Forcing herself to calm down, and ignoring the panic now racing through her, Sona willed her familiars into existence and sent them towards her closest, dearest follower.

"As a Devil, you will be fine. So long as the temperature does not get over fifty or so degrees. Or, rather, that is a separate medical issue. For now, wait for my familiars to arrive and scan your family."

Pausing, considering how to frame her next question, the Devil threw caution to the wind.

"Are your parents still speaking to you?"

"Y-yes. They've been… taking care of me."

Glad for, but still annoyed at, the prideful Shinra, she mentally noted that if Tsubaki ever wanted to bring her parents to the Underworld to vouch for them. They may have allowed their daughter to be bullied, but they weren't leaving her to die.

Small mercies.

"Good. That's good. After that send your parents to the closest doctor for a check up, then have them sent to a hotel out of town. I'll cover the costs. Do not… exert yourself mystically or physically. Please."

"Of course… not… Kaichou." She could hear the quiet respect in Tsubaki's words. "Just… a little… ill."

Unsure of what to say or do, the heiress considered calling her sister, her father, Lord Beelzebub, even the humans!

"Stay safe."

They hung up after that, she didn't need to keep her Queen busy for any longer, and immediately began calling her other pieces.

Two of them reported similar but less acute symptoms. Something that calmed her significantly. Because it meant she could salvage this. She had resources, contacts, and assets she could spend. And at the absolute extreme of things, Sona did have two vials of Phoenix Tears she could access as Heiress of the Sitri.

The situation wasn't critical.

She… she-

"I need to call Issei. As soon as I know what's happening, I need to get in touch with him. This is his home, too, and a magical illness could be an attempt on the Campione's life."

Her knowledge of their unique gifts was limited, but if they were exposed to inhaled droplets, she supposed that could possibly bypass their "skin".

So her family was probably trapped in a crossfire that Issei didn't even know he was being engaged in.

"But what the Hades do I tell him?"


Human mana was the worst.

She wasn't talking about it from a practical standpoint, not really.

As far as the occult was concerned, there had to be a human out there suited to every single art or spell ever conceived by longer lived, non human practitioners. The issue was that, by and large, most humans in this day and age lacked contact with the mystical, and even then, there were no guarantees that the ones who did know of its existence and practiced magic happened to have the talent needed to excel at it.

But that was neither here nor there.

To her, what qualified human mana as the worst was its lack of taste.

It was scarce. It was bland. Even those who happened to be practicing mystics for their entire lives had barely any taste to them, and the few humans of mixed ancestry she found just happened to be bland offshoots of the originals with little to justify feeding off them exclusively.

The sole exception to this rule happened to be Campione.

'If you could even put them in the same category as humans.'

Which she supposed wasn't done nowadays, though it was much more commonplace back in her time. To the gods and immortals, a being born from a human was still human in some way, even though she would have been quick to point out the hypocrisy of the cultivators.

They had always looked down on the tyrants for the circumstances of their birth.

'Power granted by another holds no more weight than the moon's reflection on the lake's surface.'

The hubris.

The gall.

She couldn't help but laugh even as she luxuriated under the light of the moon, her shadow casting down in ripples onto the surface of a nearby building as her legs kicked up lazily over the edge of the rooftop.

To those dusty old fossils, a Campione might appear as simply another form of humanity. But to a developed palette, the truth was self-evident. Even now, the residual mana that made up the stone used to rebuild the gymnasium beneath her feet smelled like the most delectable treat, a luxury only the most spoiled could ever hope to catch a taste of.

Ah, but it brought her memories.

So many memories.

A Demon King's mana, their lifeblood, was of a vintage that couldn't be compared to. Perhaps that was her bias, having gorged herself on it back during her youth, but the absence had only made her all that much hungrier to find it again.

Until then, she'd made do during its absence.

First with the former Nekoshou.

She'd been strong, stronger than she expected. Yet experience and age won the day. And that victory paved the way for the grand debut to come, fueled by the meagre scraps she'd collected over the course of the past few days. From stray mages, to the pitiful devil youths that called this town home.

They made for passable snacks, and even now her curse funneled their life force towards her.

But it wasn't enough.

"Ah, I'm close. Soooo close I can already taste him."

It would be deceptively unlady-like to be caught drooling as she was, but she couldn't help it. The young Campione was something she just couldn't resist, precisely the reason she agreed to come to this backwater colony to begin with despite Luo Hao's presence.

But in the end it was worth it.

The hiding, the skulking around, jumping from one body to the next. Even if she had to discard the Nekoshou's more than satisfactory power, there was little she could do with that when the woman in question didn't have any connection to the Campione or relationship to exploit.

She wasn't willing to play the part of pet for any longer than she had to.

'Or at least… not that kind of pet.'

She chuckled at the innuendo, running a hand down the… well… modest assets her current host sported. She was still young, after all, but with enough time and a few tweaks she was sure the girl's body would grow into something worthy of settling into.

And if not, she could always discard it and find something to her liking.

"Bitch."

The devil tainted Nekoushou managed a single insult as she lay on the ground, shivering, nude, covered in thousands of curse seals, shaking in agony.

"Ooh. Well, partly correct, I do suppose. But just for that I think I'll go after that cute little sister of yours."

Managing to pull her lips back, the current focus of her spell displayed fangs in blackened, rotting gums, as limbs that were starvation thin failed to push her off the ground.

"I'll sell my soul." Through cracked lips and with pale skin, her previous skin swore the most horrible oath it could. "Touch Shirone… and I'll become a Grudge"

"Revenge for that little peach's screams? Yes, many have done something similar before. But so far no one has managed to kill me. I wonder if that Corpse Mother of your gods would manage it. For now, do be quiet, my phone is ringing."

And lo and behold, it just happened to be who she was thinking of.

Coughing ever so slightly, she adjusted her voice as the human contraption flipped open and she pressed against her ear.

"Hello."

There was a brief, awkward pause from the other end.

"Hey Aika, sorry, is this a bad time?"

Her lips pulled into a smile.

"No, not at all. I was just getting ready for bed. Getting into something comfortable and intimate, in case you wanted to know."

"Oh come on, I wasn't even asking about that."

She tittered.

"Well, now you know. Gonna take responsibility for it?"

"I already sent you soup, you know. And those notes."

Right, right, she remembered those. She'd kept the notebook and ate the offering earlier, out of curiosity for what kind of food the Campione had available. Even if the taste was good, she still found it to be no replacement to the rich taste of fresh lifeforce.

Even thinking about it made her stomach growl.

"And it was very good. My thanks to the chef."

He laughed awkwardly.

"I'll let her know."

It boggles the mind that something so exquisitely rare like a Campione was just… lying around in this backwater of a country, even more so that a young King seemed to be content in entertaining a mortal charade in lieu of simply claiming dominion and asserting his desires.

Still, there was time to correct that.

She'd done it once, she could do it again.

"Let them know I expect dessert next time, too. Something nice and creamy to wash down the spicy, if you know what I mean." Gods did it feel nice to be able to speak frankly of her desires in this day and age, even more so with someone who just seemed to go along with it.

It made her oddly nostalgic.

"Well, um, I, you know, I'll, well… my mom… said she wants grandkids."

Wanting to coo at how adorable this little Tyrant was, her desire to pluck him grew from a certainty - knowledge that she'd turn him into a proper king! Into a blazing inferno. Something this cute, this meek, this innocent could not be a God Slayer!

Such a thing was surely impossible.

"Mah, mah. If you say that I might start demanding jewels and silks. But that can wait. For now, I'll see you at school, ok? I think you'll enjoy what I have in mind."

He spluttered, coughed, and she swore she heard another voice over the line that sounded annoyingly familiar. But he simply wished her good night and agreed.

Which was enough.

Things were continuing apace. And soon enough things would be right. The nature of humans wasn't terribly complicated. Campione even less so. So all she needed to do was stoke his tyranny and allow him to see the truth of his situation.

Mortals and immortals alike took what they wanted through force.

Religion, politics, alliances, treaties, nations, civilization itself… was little else but set dressing so that the henhouse should not be terribly upset by the foxes rifling through it. This HCC was already concealing enough information that their complicity would be easy to prove, using that clan girl turned into a Devil's thrall let her gain proof the water manipulator was spying on Issei, and as for the foreigners?

She'd probably just convince him to take them. Because they were his to take.

Yes. Her husband would claim his throne because it would be the simple, inevitable Truth.