Bael's Castle, Bael Territory:
Later that same day, Afternoon:
3rd Person POV:
"Never have I been so insulted by a damn boy!" Zekram growled as he stared into the burning flames of the fireplace of his room, swirling a glass of wine in his tight grasp before a blast of crimson aura disintegrated the glass of wine along with the flames, leaving him in darkness before Druca spoke up.
"If you didn't want to be insulted like that, then why did you not just deny the boy's requests?" Zekram growled at that as he stood up from his leather seat, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window as he stood with his hands behind his back.
"Then what? Confidential information would have been made public, information that would have put the masses against us. No matter how much political power House Bael has, if the other Pillar Houses are promised riches and fame by the Four Satans or the Sitri-Gremory faction, they would turn against us in the blink of an eye and we would be wiped from the face of the Underworld, just like those houses we wiped away during the civil war."
"And what if it all was just a bluff?" Druca asked and Zekram frowned.
"Even if it was a bluff, I can't take that risk, because then, the fact that he even knew about those things means that those four Satans will want to investigate and if he points them in the right direction, he'll be held in high-esteems by every Devil in the Underworld while the name of House Bael will be dragged through the mud."
"So, what now? Even if we do as the boy demands, what guarantee do we have that he would not leak the information?" Zekram didn't answer as he just chuckled before glancing at his desk, where a document with a photo of a certain raven-haired beauty.
"The boy may be powerful, but he forgets that not everyone is as untouchable as him."
One Week Later, Afternoon:
Isaiah's room, Gremory Castle:
Isaiah's POV:
"And you're certain everything is okay?" Akeno asked once more for the 10th time and I smiled as I shook my head, with Tsubaki and Kuroka looking just as worried while Rias, Sona, Sairaorg, Kuisha, Coriana, Koneko, Gasper, Valerie and Samson sat on my bed and Bardou was snoring away at the foot of the bed.
"Of course not. That's why I gave you all those." I said as I pointed at the bracelets around their right wrist, Gremorian and Divinitin runes shining brightly on it.
"What are these exactly? You haven't explain what they could do." Rias said with a frown as she poked at it and I grinned.
"Glad you asked, Rias. 'Barrier', 'Defence Boost', 'Physical Attack Reflection', 'Magical Attack Reflection', 'Poison Detection', 'Illusion Detection', 'Charm Detection' and 'Double Boost'. Basically, every single rune you need to survive an ambush/ assassination and then kick the shit out of the assassins." I said with a feral smile, Akeno licking her lips as the others just gave me a wary stare.
"You like to over-prepare, huh?" Rias said with a sigh and I shrugged.
"Better to be over-prepared than be under-prepared. Besides, there's also a teleportation rune on all of yours that would teleport me to you if you're attacked as well as send an alert to Sirzechs, Lord Gremory and Lord Beelzebub."
"…Remind me to never give you time to plan a trap, Lord Isaiah." Samson said with a comedic sweat drop, which just grew as I gave him a happy grin and a thumbs-up.
"Now then, what the hell is this?" I asked as I lifted up a page that Sirzechs gave me yesterday as soon as we arrived back from the court.
"Oh, that's a list of wishes that you can choose from." Rias answered with a happy smile and I stared at her before looking back at my desk, where the five other stacks of probably thousands of other papers laid on my desk.
"…Can't I just make up my own?"
"Boo~! Boring~!" Gasper chimed in, with Koneko booing with him as I sighed.
"I've really corrupted you, haven't I?" I muttered and he giggled as he nodded.
"Yep!"
"Valerie." Was all I said and she gave me a dull salute before she picked up Gasper and placed him on her lap, with him blushing bright red as she wrapped her arms around him.
"You forget, Gasper, that I know your secret weakness." I said with a triumphant grin and he whined before he stilled as Valerie just snuggled into his neck, though I didn't miss the cute envious glare Koneko aimed at them as Rias giggled at that.
"So, I got a message from Seekvaira. Alivian is safe and will be released from the hospital in a week's time. After that, he'll be confined to a month's bed rest according to the doctors, but after that, he should be good to go." Akeno said with a smile and I nodded before I smirked as I saw Rias give out a subtle sigh of relief.
"Okay, then! Now, we need to go and get ready for the party tonight, so we'll see you boys later!" Rias exclaimed with a happy smile as she picked up Gasper before handing him over to Samson as she picked up the pouting Valerie and walked out of the room, with Sona, Kuisha, Coriana, Tsubaki, Akeno, Koneko and Kuroka following her out. Samson, Gasper, Sairaog and I watched them leave before I turned to the others in confusion.
"What party?"
"Your congratulatory party for winning the tournament."
"I have to do another one already~?!" I whined, Sairaorg and Samson chuckling as Gasper looked confused.
"Don't you like parties, Isa?" Gasper asked and I sighed.
"No, Gasper. No, I do not." I grumbled before I turned to my wardrobe.
Damnit, and I was going to have a movie night with the girls tonight.
Later that day, Evening:
Gremory Ballroom, Gremory Castle:
"Ah, Lord Azathoth. A wondrous pleasure to meet you in person."
"Lord Azathoth, truly only a devil such as yourself could have won that tournament."
"Lord Azathoth, you dominated the competition in the tournament just as everyone expected."
'Akeno, get me out of here, please!' I pleaded with the woman on my arm as I gave her a begging stare only to give a subtle groan of agony as she gave me an innocent yet amused stare.
That was the…115th? Yeah, the 115th Devil to greet me like that and my 'polite' meter is starting to grow very, very low. Lord Gremory would usually have just thrown a small ceremony if someone else had won the tournament, but the fact that not only was it me that won, but that I also won a bet with Zekram Bael himself… He wanted to flaunt that victory over House Bael and their vassals for as long as he could.
Hence, his and Sirzechs' happy grins as they greeted everyone, Grayfia and Venelana looking exasperated as Lord Druca and his vassal lords looked upset whenever they caught someone whispering about how I had beaten Zekram in a game of intellect.
I swear, the rumour about me being the reincarnate of Lucifer himself might have made my heart beat way too fast for my liking, mostly because of how close yet how far they are.
"Ah, Isa! Here you are!" Rias appeared from the crowd with a happy smile, Sona and Kuroka trailing after her with Gasper and Koneko following behind them.
"Rias! Thank Satans you're here! Get me away from this fiend!" I whispered frantically as I gestured at Akeno, who just tightened her grip and making me wince.
"Whatever do you mean, dear?"
"See? She's a fiend, I tell you! A fiend!" That just made them giggle more before I noticed someone missing.
"Wait, where's Tsubaki?" I asked them and Sona shrugged.
"She's off to the ladies room, but she should appear in a bit." I don't know why, but that made me a bit nervous.
Just to be safe, I glanced at Samson, who was busy eating a piece of steak. He noticed my glance and as he looked up, I gestured toward Sona and then to Akeno with my eyes. It took him a second before his eyes widened as he nodded before he quickly left the ballroom as swiftly as he can and I tuned back to the conversation.
"-next week!" Rias ended her sentence and I was confused at everyone looking at me.
"What?" I asked and they all sighed as Akeno and Kuroka giggled.
"Rias said that you're probably very excited for next week." Akeno explained and I frowned slightly,
"Why? What's happening next week?"
"You're moving to Kuoh, remember?" Rias said with an eyebrow raised and my eyes widened as I remembered that next week was when they were all going back to school before I shrugged.
"Why move in somewhere when I already live there?" That made their eyes widen as Kuroka giggled.
"What? What do you mean you live there?!" Rias exclaimed and I shrugged.
"I mean that I live there. We were staying there for a month before I came back after my training trip." I said with a shrug and it looked as if she was going to go off on one of her infamous rant before the blue Azathoth crest appeared on the back of my hand.
"My lord, we have a problem." Samson's serious voice came through and everyone looked concerned as I frowned.
"What do you mean we have a problem?"
A few minutes earlier:
With Samson:
Samson's POV:
"I wonder why he wants me to go check up on Lady Tsubaki?" I muttered to myself in confusion as I walked through the confusing hallways of Gremory Castle.
Normally, Lord Isaiah isn't this paranoid over something, but I guess with him all but declaring war on Zekram and House Bael, he needs to be as cautious as he can be.
"Now I remember the closest toilet being a left and then a-!" I stopped talking as I heard a loud thump, walking around the corner to see a group of masked people all standing in the hallway.
All of them turned to me as soon as I walked around the corner and my eyes zoned in on the bruised form of Lady Tsubaki thrown over the shoulder of one of them.
We were all silent as we stared at each before most of them rushed towards me as the one carrying her threw her into the air. A few of them took out daggers that were coated in a light violet liquid and they rushed to stab at her before I disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, the ones rushing at me were cut into pieces and their blood splattered all over the walls and the carpet, Lady Tsubaki in my arms as I stared down at the ten unconscious ones laying at my feet that tried to kill her.
Not wanting to explain this mess, I disappeared to one of the hideouts Lord Isaiah made in the Underworld. Reappearing in a fully furnished bedroom, I placed Lady Tsubaki down on the sofa before I disappeared, reappearing back in the hallway where I then wrapped the ten unconscious kidnappers in one of the carpets before disappearing with them back to the hideout.
Reappearing in an abandoned room, I picked up ten chairs scattered throughout the room and taking a while to tie them all up, I made sure that they were all still unconscious and secured before I created a communication crest and called Lord Isaiah.
Back in the Present:
With Isaiah & Co.:
Isaiah's POV:
"Lady Tsubaki is with me, but unconscious. A group of masked assailants just tried to take her and when I caught them, they then tried to kill her. Thankfully, she is not hurt and they are all knocked out currently." Everyone looked worried at his words as I just smiled.
"Samson, rip out their teeth and strip them of their clothing to make sure they don't try to commit suicide. Just to make sure, search all of their orifices in case they hid a suicide bomb or poison away. Then, put them in the secret room. I'll be there in a sec." Everyone grew pale at my words and the feral smile on my face.
"Will do, my lord. See you in a few minutes." And as the crest on the back of my hand shattered, I gave Rias a smile that made her sweat.
"Everyone, please inform Lord Gremory and Lord Lucifer of what just happened and tell them I'll be back in a sec to deliver my speech. Just have to take care of a few…nuisances." And before they could stop, the Azathoth crest appeared under me before I disappeared.
Secret Room, Gremory Territory:
As I reappeared from my teleportation crest, I was standing in front of a small castle, which looked broken down and abandoned apart from the few trees and flowers still blooming. Walking through the barren courtyard, I smiled as I saw Samson waiting for me along with a shaking Tsubaki next to him.
There were a few cuts on her arms, legs & blue dress and she also had a slight bruise on her left cheek, but other than that, she looked fine physically.
"Hey, you okay?" I asked softly as I walked closer and she didn't say anything as she hugged me tightly before I heard her sobbing.
"It's okay. Everything is okay. You're alright. You're safe." I whispered as I rubbed her hair softly and she didn't say anything as she kept hugging me tightly, her face buried in my chest as we just stood there.
It was a few minutes later that I felt her sobbing slowly grow silent and a glance down revealed that she was asleep, probably too tired mentally to even speak.
One look at her wrist revealed the 'Barrier', 'Defence Boost', 'Physical Attack Reflection', 'Magical Attack Reflection', 'Double Boost', 'Teleportation' and 'Emergency' runes on the bracelet were all destroyed and only the detection runes were activated, which meant that she did fight back, but they were too much for her to handle.
The fact that they were able to take her out without anyone of us being the wiser was very worrisome, but right now, I had a few assassins to deal with and if they were sent by who I think it was…
Oh, then they're going to see a very ruthless side of me that no one should.
"Take her back to my room and inform Rias, Sona and the others. Tell Sirzechs and tell him that I want the best guards he has to protect her. Tell them I'm going to be a little preoccupied with something else."
"Of course, Lord Isaiah. And if I can say something?" I raised an eyebrow at him as I softly handed Tsubaki over to him.
"It's good to see the Heavenly Demon has not died out yet." I just smirked as the Azathoth crest appeared under him before he disappeared, my smirk falling as I turned and walked towards the room where I faintly felt 10 presences all tied up.
Walking up the stairs and into what I assume to be the master bedroom, I saw ten naked people, three males and seven females, all tied to the chairs, steel chains wrapped around their bodies and securing them to the chairs and wrapped around their mouths to gag and muffle them.
Off to the side, I saw a pile of black leather armour, daggers, crossbows, poison vials, a lot of bloody teeth as well as slightly shining surgical gloves.
And that's why I know I can count on Samson to do the hard parts.
They were all awake and as soon as I walked in, they all stared at me, their eyes cold and emotionless and their breathing even.
"I'll give you one chance and one chance only. Tell me who hired you and I'll let you free." No one answered and I sighed as I nodded, taking off my dark blue dress jacket & dark blue tie and leaving me in a white dress shirt, black dress pants and black dress shoes.
Rolling up my shirt's sleeves, I knelt as I placed my hands on the ground, runic patterns slithering like snakes out from under my palms and crawling up each and every single one of them.
Their eyes widened as the runes activated before I smiled as I took off their restraints. Only their eyeballs moved as they tried to look around frantically, trying and failing to move even a single finger as I chuckled.
"'Paralyse' runes to make sure you can't move anything except for you eyes, but you can still feel everything, 'Sensory Enhancement' to quadruple the feeling from all five of your senses, 'Pain Sensory Amplification' to steadily increase the feeling you get from your sense of pain and finally 'Pain Conversion' runes. That last one is my own creation. Basically, it will slowly numb out any sense you have in your body except for your sense of pain, after which the pain will continuously be amplified by the 'Pain Sensory Amplification' rune until you're all but wreathing and screaming in pain, which you unfortunately can't do thanks to the 'Paralyse' runes." I explained as I held my right hand out to the side, both Holy and Demonic energy condensing into a single sharp needle.
Turning back to face them, I gave them a friendly smile as I watched their eyes fly around in their skulls, the pain growing more and more.
"Listen. I'm not a very bloodthirsty guy. In fact, if I could have, I would avoid all of this politics and fighting and stuff to just live my life out in peace on an island in the middle of nowhere. However, there is one thing that can flip my switch very fast and that's when someone decides to not listen to any of my warnings and tries to hurt someone I care a lot for." My smile disappeared as I was now giving them a stoic glance, though my eyes were ice cold as I stared at them.
Cancelling the 'Paralyse' runes on one of them, I let them watch as the person screech and roared in pain, thrashing around in their chains as they tried to get rid of it only to make it worse before I paralysed them once more.
"Here's the deal now. I will show you true hell and no matter how much your plead or how much you beg, I will not stop until you're doing nothing more than begging me to reap your lives. After that, I will place telepathy and mind reading runes on each one of you to forcibly rip each and every secret from your minds, leaving you as nothing more than comatose vegetables. Finally, I will place healing runes on you and toss you in a pit of acid, where you will burn and be healed over and over…and over…and over…until I decide to take your lives. So…who wants to talk?" I asked once more with a happy smile as I cancelled all except for the 'Paralyse runes on their bodies and leaving their heads free to move as well. They were heaving for breath and sweating heavily as they glanced at the female on the far right, the female's gaze unfocused as she stared at the ground before she sighed.
"D-D-Druca Bael sent a m-m-mission to the Dark Creed for a covert assassination mission. A-A group of 6th Circle assassins led by an 8th Circle assassin were to k-kidnap Tsubaki Shinra and deliver her to an abandoned castle in the Bael Territory. If silent k-kidnapping were not possible, we were to eliminate her and cause Isaiah Azathoth to feel despair." That made me frown as I nodded, keeping my best to keep my rage contained as I growled in my mind.
You try and play nice and they try to stab you behind your back.
Fine, no more Mr. Nice Isa.
"Well then, I thank you for not making me cut off clits, nipples and balls with an acid poison dagger." I said with a smile before they all gasped as Azathoth crests appeared behind them and blades pierced through their chests.
To make sure that they were actually dead, I snapped my fingers and even more blades sprouted from the blades in their chest, shredding the entirety of the top half of their bodies into nothing but fleshy ribbons before they all were set ablaze by bright blue flames.
Watching them disappear, I sighed as I picked my jacket up before I grinned as my blood lust roared to life, the Azathoth crest appearing under me before I disappeared.
Time for a massacre.
Gremory Ball Room, Gremory Territory:
'If I was just a second later, she would be gone.'
As I reappeared in front of the closed door to the ballroom, I put on my jacket, straightening it out before I nodded at them.
'If I didn't trust my instincts, she would be dead.'
They just nodded back as they opened the double doors, with me walking into the room where everyone was looking confusedly at the door as I walked through.
'If I wasn't this cautious, another loved one would be gone.'
Ignoring everyone around me, I looked to the stage where Sirzechs, Grayfia, Zeoticus and Venelana were standing while Zeoticus gave a speech.
'This world has fucked with me for the last FUCKING TIME!'
"And here is our guest of honour. Everyone, Isaiah Azathoth." The crowd clapped politely as I smiled and walked up to the stage, giving them a smile before I turned to Zeoticus as he put the mic back on the stand.
"Is everything okay?" He whispered with a concerned glance and I smiled as I nodded.
"Yeah, Samson managed to get rid of most of them." I said and he smiled as he let out a relieved sigh before he smirked.
"Well, go get them." He muttered with a grin as he stepped back to besides Venelana and I smiled as I nodded, walking up to the mic as I took a deep breath.
Glancing around, I saw Druca standing with his wife off to the side, a smirk on his face as he stared at me. Looking to the back of the room, I saw Zekram with his usual smirk and a glass of wine in his grasp, though he looked as if he was awaiting something as his smirk widened and he raised his glass towards me.
Oh~ Payback's a bitch.
"I'd like to thank all of our prestigious lords and ladies for attending this small ceremony. Truly your benevolence knows no bounds." I started with a smile and already, most of the lower-class nobles looked satisfied with themselves as only the Pillar Houses were giving me stoic glances, not having forgotten what happened in the courtroom.
"Who would have thought that a 16-year old boy would be able to win a tournament where dozens of strong opponents would be trying to win the same title?" I asked with a smile as runic crests appeared in the four corners of the rooms, drawing slightly confused stares from everyone as I smiled before glancing at Druca and Zekram.
"But before I truly begin my speech, I have something to get off my chest. Lord Druca Bael, Great Lord Zekram Bael, you two have committed a sin tonight that you shouldn't have and now, you're both going to pay." I said as I stared at them, everyone glancing between us as Zekram frowned and Druca just glared before he turned to the confused Zeoticus.
"Zeoticus! What is the meaning of this?!"
"I do not know. Isaiah, what's going on?" He asked me slightly and I didn't say anything as I just stared at Druca. He kept glaring at me before he huffed and turned to walk out the door.
"I will not sit here and be told of a sin that I didn't commit by a lesser-!"
"D-D-Druca Bael sent a m-m-mission to the Dark Creed for a covert assassination mission. A-A group of 6th Circle assassins led by an 8th Circle assassin were to k-kidnap Tsubaki Shinra and deliver her to an abandoned castle in the Bael Territory. If silent k-kidnapping were not possible, we were to eliminate her and cause Isaiah Azathoth to feel despair." He was cut off by the recording of the assassin leader coming through the recording, everyone's eyes widening at the recording and Druca grew pale as Zeoticus, Venelana, Sirzechs and Grayfia turned their heads to frown at him.
"Those were the words of an 8th Circle assassin of the Dark Creed leading a group of 9 6th Circle assassins carrying out the orders of House Bael. And also, there are these." I said with a smile as I snapped my fingers, Azathoth crest appearing in the hands of everyone in the hall before a stack of papers appeared from them. They all looked surprised at the papers before they began reading and their eyes widened as they looked to the back at Zekram.
"Those papers in everyone's hands are copies personally signed and stamped by Zekram Bael, giving orders to the Dark Creed to eliminate Cleria Belial, because she found out about the King Pieces. Before anyone asks, information of what the King Piece is, Zekram's connection with these King Pieces and who currently are in possession of them can be found on those pages as well." Zekram grew pale at my words as I gave him a feral grin before I held up a stack of papers, which were the signed agreement of the demands I gave Zekram to fulfill during our court battle.
"And before you can even try and make me give these up, everything I've said right now is being broadcast live to every news program throughout the entire Underworld, so all Devils throughout the Underworld know of what I talked about. You thought that you could take me on, Zekram Bael. Wallow in your defeat and realize that your demise was inevitable."
And with that said, I smiled as I walked off of the stage, past the shocked crowd and towards my room. I know that tonight, there was a warning echoing in everyone's mind.
'Never piss off Isaiah Azathoth at all costs.'
A/N: Another chapter, another day, more writing to catch up!
How he managed to get the papers will be explained next chapter.
See you guys in the next one. Until then…
Ba-Bye~!