Chapter XXX

Hyoudou Residence

No way.

There was just no way.

This lady here was Shidou?

"Wait, Shidou was a boy!" Issei jabbed his finger at the very cute girl sitting in his house. "So you can't be him!" Suddenly pulling his finger back, he remembered his little buddy. "Well, unless you are… and you just… roll like that now?" And another thing also occurred to him, spurred on by Yinghua's advice. "Or are you a crazy person pretending to be my friend to get me to lower my guard so you can do terrible things!?"

Because those things happened way too often for his taste nowadays and he was kinda starting to suspect it was a pattern..

"Hey! I'm not a boy! What made you think I was!" Turning pink, the alleged childhood friend shook her in firm denial. "We played together a bunch! I used to beat you up and drop bugs down your shirt every time you tried to name yourself Harem-King of the Rock! And I'm not here to kill you!"

"Oh yeah?"

Came his eloquent rejoinder.

"Yeah!"

"Then prove it!"

"Prove what? That I'm not here to kill you?"

"That you're a girl! Because you sound like Irina, and also I always won whenever we wrestled, but he was a guy!"

"Dang it, Issei! Fine!"

Standing up, she pulled her cloak open. And now Issei was aware of why his alleged childhood friend was wearing a very fancy white and green cloak.

"Thank you for the meal."

Clapping his hands together in thanks, the Godslayer offered his gratitude to all good gods in the world. Because right now he was seeing a glimpse of Nirvana. And it turns out Nirvana was black spandex ecchi combat suits and this crazy girl might be crazy, but she was definitely a cute girl! Not another cute Gasper sort of person!

"This isn't how this is supposed to go."

"Mah, mah. Don't worry about it Irina, you need to remember Issei just needs to take his time to catch up." His mom, carrying a tray of tea, apple slices, and fancy little crackers walked in. "As for you Issei, stop being rude to our guest."

"Wait, you always knew Irina was a girl?"

"Of course, honey. Why do you think she got so annoyed when you declared you wanted a harem?"

"Because he wanted all the girls for himself?"
That was obvious, no? What guy didn't want a harem?

"Because he was yelling it out at the top of his lungs!"

Their responses came out at the exact same time, the two teenagers turning to look at each other. One blushing, the other looking mildly suspicious, both then promptly received a light blow to the top of their head from a mother wielding a very dangerous paper fan.

"Issei, there's a young woman in my house to see you and since Ms. Aika seems to be 'just a friend', you don't get to be rude. Ms. Irina, you wouldn't stop blushing the whole time we spoke about Issei and he's very… slow to grasp subtleties. So please don't confuse him any longer." Hands on her hips, dual wielding fans of doom, the matriarch of the household nodded. "Yinghua, would you be a deary and help me in the kitchen?"

"This one is pleased to render assistance."

Giving Irina a long, suspicious look, the younger boy nonetheless followed his mom out of the living room. Though Yinghua seemed a bit tense, as if ready to spring into action at any moment.

Seriously, that guy was just way too high strung.

Not like Issei could blame him, he was just about in shock himself.

"Sorry, uhh… guess I wasn't paying much attention back in the day."

It earned him a teasing smile from the strawberry blonde.

"That's alright. Anyways, I'm glad to see things are okay around here. When we heard of what happened back home, mom and dad were afraid something terrible happened at Kuoh. They lost contact with Auntie Miki and Uncle Gorou so there wasn't any way to check."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Issei's heart clenched for a moment as he was suddenly, painfully reminded of the cruise ship. "Did they just lost their numbers or something? I, uh, don't actually know how international calls work…"

Chuckling, Irina cracked a lopsided smile.

"Believe it or not? Our luggage actually got blown up. We only had a few things from our carry-on bags left."

"Blown up! By what?"

"This." Patting the bandage wrapped package by her side, his old friend gave him a small nod. "But don't worry. It's for my protection - you have my word I won't use it to hurt you or your friends."

A slow nod.

"I suppose it's a relic?"

"I like to think of it as a failsafe. We had no idea what was going on in Japan, so they gave this to me just in case there was some kind of danger. But really, I told them there was nothing to worry about."

Issei wasn't sure about that. The last few weeks had been pretty dangerous. Whether it be Dusa-chan's sister, his 'adopted sister' Luo Hao, the Monkey King's gang running around, Issei felt like there was non-stop trouble.

Even now he wondered if something was going on that he didn't know about.

"There was no way you could have been a bad guy."

"Hmm. I guess." Issei fidgeted. "I don't really understand what's going on. And even when Agent Smith or Mr. Amakasu try to explain things, I don't always understand. But I'm some kind of big shot now, yeah?"

"Yeah. A big shot is a good way to put it. So, to get the official business out of the way, I, Irina Shidou, formally greet you in the name of the Alliance of the Holy Church, and ask that you, The Seventh Campione, Son of Pandora and Epimetheus, Issei Hyoudou accept our presence within the autonomous territory of Kuoh as ambassadors."

"Sure!" He easily agreed. "But uh, you probably should know about the-"

"Devils in town? My supervisor told us about them. Normally, we'd have to go to them first to ask for permission to stay since this was originally their territory but since Issei became a Campione, that muddles things a bit. I don't think they'll be a problem and we aren't here to cause trouble."

Issei might not have been very aware when it came to religion, but he'd played enough games to know that 'churches' and 'devils' weren't exactly a very peaceful combination.

"Okay, as long as there aren't any fights."

Irina beamed.

"Still, fate is a really funny thing, no?"

Fate? What did she mean by that?

"To think that we would meet each other like this, but somehow be involved in the supernatural side of things. I didn't even know about that stuff until we moved away and I started training. I was quite shocked when I heard the boy I grew up with ended up becoming a Campione. I guess that's why they decided to send me."

Issei looked down, unsure of what to think. Thankfully he was spared from answering by the arrival of his cat. The cute thing hopping into his lap, pressing against his stomach, and pressing as close to him as it could. Yoru was shivering and he simply ran a hand along her back until she calmed down.

"And are you okay with that?"

Irina smiled, but gave the clearly nervous animal her space and focused on him.

"Why wouldn't I be? I get to visit my hometown and see you, no? That's not something I'd have been able to do otherwise. Rather than see this as an ordeal, I'd like to think it is the will of God that I be here and father agreed with me."

Right, right. Uncle Toji was always going on about them when he invited them to go to church.

"How is he, by the way?"

"He started doing crossfit sermons, if you'll believe it. According to him it combines the best of spiritual and physical health, but I really am not sure about that."

Yeah, that sounded like her dad alright.

"You're always welcome to come visit. Though, uh, what do you mean 'our' presence?"

A crash came from the kitchen and then a grunt, Yoru leaping up and racing under the couch at the sound.

"Aieeeeee! There's someone in the bushes!"

Leaping to their feet, the pair rushed towards the scream. And that was when both of them stopped, if for very different reasons.

Irina facepalmed.

Issei clapped his hands together in thanks once again.

"Little Brother has earned his place."

Because outside the kitchen window, Yinghua was currently spraying a blue haired foreigner with water. A foreigner in the same outfit as Irina. A foreigner in the same outfit as Irina, now soaking wet as the martial artist blasted her with freezing water from a garden hose, and had oppai the size of a man's hopes and dreams!

"This is certainly a sign of God's favor." Issei gave a sage nod. "You and your friend may stay."

Yinghua, for his part, seemed to be having fun too.

"I knew it! This Yinghua knew he had sensed the presence of vipers, but never before would I have foreseen one hiding amidst the bushes! Preparing to ambush Honorable Brother, weren't you?! Thought you would get past the vigilant watch of this Yinghua, didn't you?!"

"Yeowch! You brat, that's cold! Stop it!" The girl snapped back, trying and failing to shield herself from the freezing whatever with a large wrapped package.

Only to be blasted on her face with the hose.

"Be gone from this property, abhorred temptress! You and your scandalous excuse for battle garb!"

Irina moved to get involved when her friend drew a massive sword and Issei simply put a hand on her shoulder.

"He knows what he's doing."

Swinging wildly, the swordsman lashed out, while the martial artist merely leapt atop the massive blade. And blasted her with another shot of water.

"Gah! I'll show you the power of God, heathen!"

Thrusting her weapon forwards, aiming at the hose, Yinghua simply wrapped the rubber tube around his leg and leapt upwards. Moving in an arc, he tumbled forwards, looping the hose around his opponent's extended arms, blasted her in the back, and then pulled the hose tight.

"Xenovia, please stop!"

Xenovia apparently ignored her comrade's request and simply brought her sword up and then down her back - aiming to slash apart the hose holding her and block further attacks. Thankfully Yinghua was unwilling to let his dad's stuff get cut up and tossed the head of the hose away, with the water still spraying causing it to flop about wildly, and

Xenovia took up a combat stance.

"I will redeem this heretic! No matter what it takes!"

"No, you won't, agh! You're slashing up Issei's yard! You even cut apart a whole sculpture!"

"Hmm? Oh, that?" He pointed at what was probably several million yen's worth of multi-colored marble. What had once been a pretty accurate depiction of the goddess Amaterasu. "That was just practice. I can make another." Scratching his head, something very important did occur to him. "But is it really a good idea for a member of the Church to cut a statue of a Japanese goddess?"

Freezing, and not just because she had been doused with cold water, the swordswoman slowly looked around her.

The annoyed housewife.

The smug little shit who had embarrassed her.

The partner who was still burying her face in her hands.

And him, Issei, who was now poking at the rubble of his creation, pretending like he hadn't just been ogling her.

"Uh… he started it?"

Irina, for her part, looked like she wanted to bury her head in the ground. A mixture of exasperated, and terrified that gave him the impression this wasn't the first time something like this happened.

"Sister Griselda is gonna be so mad when she hears this."

He didn't know who that was, but apparently she was important since the blue haired girl immediately went still before dropping on her back in a faint.

All in all, he wouldn't call it a bad first impression.

Nobody tried to kill him yet.

Ena didn't like complicated things.

Diplomacy, politics, neutrality.

Though she'd been raised as a Hime Miko, Ena had never put much thought into such meaningless chit chat. When you were strong, you could do the things you wanted to do without issue and those who were weaker just had to bow out and leave you be.

It was the way of nature.

If you wanted to survive, you fought.

If you lost, you died, if you won you kept going. Those were the lessons Ena learned in the past year she spent on that mountain, scavenging to survive and honing her skills. While girls her age were studying, hanging out, playing, or getting up to mischief, Ena was busy swinging a sword.

And she ended up swinging her sword a lot.

Which is why this mission was perfect for her.

She got to leave the mountain, see the sights and eat something that didn't taste like bugs and dirt got mixed into it. And she even got a place to herself and caught up with one of her friends on the way!

All I gotta do to keep it that way is win.'

She knew about Campione.

Grampsy and the elders had told her about them in the past. The biggest and strongest predators of the human world. Unlike gods, devils, or monsters, they were a special existence that served as a check to make sure the human world remained in balance… or something like that, she'd zoned out the first time they gave her that lecture.

In the wilderness, safety was paramount.

Therefore, the Committee wanted to entice the biggest predator with the best offering.

'Like the tale of the Yamata no Orochi and Kushinadahime.' She felt her bag rustle, the consciousness within drawn to her train of thought, only to slip back into its slumber with a mental push.

Right, Ena had to be more careful with thoughts like those.

But it wasn't her fault. She was really looking forward to the competition for the Campione's favor!

"Head to Kuoh and establish yourself as the Campione's retainer. Do as he wills but allow no meddling from outsiders. You are free to deal with them on your own terms." Those were the orders Ena received from the elders and Grampsy as she left the mountain.

They also handed her a bunch of papers, but she hadn't gone through the trouble of reading them yet.

What was the point of reading anyway? She was here as an offering.

And she was proud of that.

Offerings to appease a great power were usually food, gold, land, or women. But this wasn't a beast demanding to kill people or a conqueror threatening to take over the country as the last Japanese tyrant had. This was a King demanding tribute in exchange for protection.

"When the others arrive, all Ena has to do is kick them out."

The elders told her other girls would be sent.

Foreigner girls with the same aptitude and 'value' she had. Perhaps amongst them there might be someone as capable with a blade as Ena herself? That would be fun. Not that she would let them stay, she was going to win and then kick them out. If they happened to come back and try again then that meant just more fun.

'Like catching a fish and releasing it.'

As for becoming a god slayer's mistress… Ena didn't see a problem, but didn't know much about love affairs other than what she had observed on the mountain. And she was sure humans were more complicated about that than the beasts or the Oni.

"Still, a perfect time to learn."

Coming back to civilization was, in a word, interesting.

Electricity instead of bonfires, running water instead of rivers, cold food and warm blankets instead of dried jerky and pelts. Having actually good tasting food was awesome, but in a way she missed the rest. It felt like something she'd earned for herself, built with her own hands instead of basic amenities anyone could grab at the store.

Which is why when she was told she would be moving to Kuoh, she requested to have a shrine instead of an apartment.

They felt familiar.

A simple one story temple, with a wide unoccupied room and living space attached. It hadn't seen any use in a decade, though she was sure there was another, larger unoccupied shrine nearby, Ena didn't feel like having to look after something big like that by herself.

She was fine with a small shrine.

The place was well fortified. A retaining wall, about five feet high, was set behind a shallow water barrier. Not amazing for keeping out mundane intruders, but the sloped tiles and smooth ceramic bricks buried in the moat just in front of it meant very, very few spirits would be able to pass above, below, or through the perimeter of the place. Thorny hedgerows, allowed to grow in a rough circle around the whole perimeter of the shrine, offered a far more effective defense against gawkers and tourists hoping to do something silly.

Her torii gate had actually been damaged when she arrived, finding several fragments of shrapnel buried in the ancient paved wood, along with three streamers listing dates from nineteen forty-five.

'I still wonder what the phrase "Heaven calls, answer with dignity" truly means.'

It wasn't quite a death poem or fatalistic, the kanji seemed… warning. Perhaps a prophecy, she thought, and standing there on the moss covered stones that formed the walkway she felt a small tremor of excitement.

Inside, the place had, initially, been rather shabby.

There was a locked shed off to one side, the chain and padlock shiny and new, while the wood was dry rotted. But inside was a surprisingly deep cellar under a reinforced wooden floor, with materials, tools, and two boxes safely tucked away out of sight.

One box had been from Amakasu, inside had been about thirty different types of snacks in sealed bags, along with about a dozen vials of poisons.

Pleasure and work in one.

'Just like a shinobi.'

She'd smiled seeing the neat, tiny kanji worked onto the tiny scraps of paper sealing each vial.

The other container, from her mother, had held a single, black handgun. Smooth, heavy in her hand, a little unbalanced. It, along with all the necessary implements for cleaning and two bricks of ammunition, accompanied a note from her mother.

'Don't shoot all the blessed silver bullets and she's bringing dinner with her.'

Ena ignored the momentary disquiet she felt seeing her mother's handwriting.

Instead, she locked the box back with the small key placed on top of it and returned to the courtyard of the shrine.

Out of the way, private, quiet. Somewhere she wouldn't be bothered.

"You're late, Ena."

Welp, there went the privacy.

"Hey mom, how's it going?"

Ena's mom didn't look all that different from her. They had the same black hair, the same complexion and the same face shape. The only difference was that she had different eye color, and, well, her body wasn't nearly as developed as the Committee agent.

She really hoped those were hereditary.

"Didn't they give back your phone when you left that mountain? I must have called at least a dozen times."

Oh, right.

She forgot about that.

"Sorry, my battery ran out. Must have been in a hurry."

"And was that before or after you visited the Sitri girl at Kuoh?"

Oops. Busted!

"A little bit after, I think? I still had some left when I got done at the station, but I needed a map to find that school. It's actually pretty well hidden for such a huge building."

Her mom sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Holding the sliding door all the way open, the agent simply motioned her daughter in, letting her take in the surprisingly cared for, if well worn, interior.

"Not even gonna deny it?"

Ena shrugged, it wasn't like she was doing anything she wasn't supposed to.

"I wanted to talk to them face to face. Maybe if I was lucky I'd be able to catch a glimpse of the infamous Demon King who has the elders' panties all twisted up." Unfortunately, that part of the plan didn't pan out, but she did get to have a nice conversation with one of the devils who used to run the city.

She had to admit they were pretty gutsy for sticking around.

"You were given a file with his contact information and address, Ena. It's laying on your bed. Didn't you read it at all?"

Walking over to the couch, Ena laid out her bag and prepared herself for what promised to be a hell of a scolding. Her mom really wasn't that bad, usually, but she'd gotten way more stern with her when Ena accepted the offer to train at the mountain.

"Oh, that? Not yet. I wanted to try and do things solo for a bit, see where it took me."

Her mom didn't seem to approve but pinched her brow instead of saying anything.

"No use crying over spilled coffee, I guess. Still, how are you? Been eating better? How were things on the mountain?"

Ooh, she wanted to catch up! Ena wanted to too!

"It all went great. Grampsy and the others all said I did a good job and that I was free to leave as soon as the seal on the Grass Cutter was undone. I would've been here for that big heretic fight last week otherwise. Seriously, why did they need to put so many seals on that thing? Didn't they kill it and stuff it there themselves?"
Her mother cast a dubious look at the long cloth bag she'd brought to the shrine. So far it had remained inert outside of the earlier twitch. But other than that, the object inside was behaving.

"Just be careful with that. Issei Hyoudou, the Demon King, has recently come upon a power very similar to yours, so his presence could cause it to act up."

Ena's eyes sparkled at the thought.

Wasn't that interesting! Maybe they were even better of a match for each other than Ena first thought? It did confirm the information that the Elders had passed on to her, and rekindled her desire to meet this supposedly mighty warrior brimming with desire.

"Whatever you are thinking about doing, stop."

Oops, caught again.

"Ena has a plan." She admitted, shamelessly.

"Shouldn't you wait for the other Miko they are sending? You were supposed to come together."

"Yuri is cautious of His Majesty. She wanted to make preparations before we met him, and they asked her to cleanse another shrine nearby. Apparently there was a Devil stinking up the place, but they needed it back so they sent her to handle it. Ena isn't as good with rituals as Yuri, so I decided to meet with the King first and spare her the trouble."

Her mother sagged, suddenly seeming as if a great weight was pressing down on her. Ena, once more, had to ignore a feeling of great conflict.

"Then would you at least come eat with me? Before the work. I made chanko nabe. Enough to last a week."

Ooh, that was her favorite!

Promptly sitting down, the Miko of the Sword salivated at the thought of proper food as her mom unwrapped the pot and the delicious fragrance nearly knocked her on her back. It didn't take long for Ena to start digging in with gusto, exchanging a few words here and there with her mom as afternoon gave way to the evening and everything but the fun, family meal faded from her mind.

For some reason, sitting there, in the shrine's kitchen, the two of them with nothing but a card table and folding chairs to eat on, the still steaming pot of stew braced on an old gas powered stove, and different juices set out for Ena to try, well, it felt… calm.

Eventually, however, her mom mentioned having to leave for a late night meeting and Ena was left to her own devices. There was a moment the swordswoman thought her mom was going to hug her, when Smith moved to do it, before hesitating. And only squeezing her shoulder instead.

"Sleep well, Ena. Call me if you want to."

A nod and a wave after the Hime Miko walked her mother back to the entrance of the shrine.

"A bit early for bed." Maybe she could read that file, then? Better than doing nothing. Cracking open the folder, scarlet eyes slid over the printed paper before settling on the picture near the top, before widening in recognition. "Oh."

Turns out she had seen His Majesty after all.

Wincing at the lost opportunity there, she decided that it wasn't important. Ena had a plan after all! And so long as she followed it, she was sure to impress His Majesty and make sure everyone else knew who was gonna be top dog around town. It was foolproof and just the sort she liked.
Diplomacy, politics, and neutrality weren't Ena's strong suit.

Fighting was.

And tomorrow, she would earn the King's favor with her strength.

Elsewhere

Kuoh Town was smaller than he expected.

Only about fifty thousand people, the most important aspects of the city were a few large business centers focused on IT work. There was a regional bank, but it wasn't exactly a center of financial activity, and there was little in the way of industry.

A recent boom in the construction sector was more of a result of restoration work that couldn't be handled by magic.

In other words, there wasn't actually much worth controlling.

No money, no political power, no military capacity, no industry, not even much in the way of regional influence. Kanto itself wasn't more than mildly influenced by this place.

Truthfully, the six floor building he'd occupied had been abandoned - Grigori had simply bought the place and renovated it by hiring a few locals. And the city showed a marked decline in terms of non service economic activity. Now, that might just be because Issei Hyoudou was a child, someone who didn't understand what resources could allow him to do, but all Campione would stretch their legs. It was inevitable he would either divert funds to revitalize the city or find a new roost to settle in.

But until then… it was smaller than what he assumed the territory of a Human Tyrant would have been. In the past, the likes of the Marquis Voban and Cult Leader Luo Hao had claimed vast swathes of territory for their personal use, at one point the Marquis had the entirety of Europe as his hunting grounds with the exception of a few hold outs backed up by the Holy Church.

'It was our mistake to allow that street urchin to grow as he did.'

From a simple disenfranchised soldier turned vagrant, the meteoric rise of the Marquis came at a time where none of their groups had the manpower or time to spend hunting down a single Godslayer.

Oh how he abhorred the term.

Kokabiel had only ever met and acknowledged one God in his entire existence, and even now after having Fallen millennia ago, he couldn't help but look at the delusional creations of rampant faith as imperfect imitations, and those who claimed their powers as upstarts.

That power didn't belong to them.

'It belongs to the one true…'

Kokabiel sighed.

That didn't matter now, and he was getting worked up over meaningless memories anyway, lost in the nostalgia of a past where his wings had still been the purest white and his radiance hadn't been dimmed by the rot in his heart, the ugliness that festered at the realization of his lot in life.

"Azazel must be going senile. Making offerings and handing olive branches to our enemies."

And the Tyrants were indeed their enemies.

From hateful, odious Voban and his incessant hunts centuries ago, to that rat who murdered Ramiel and carved out the core of his brother's being. The ones known as Campione had never been friends of the Grigori and much of their time was spent devising ways to contain or eliminate them should the opportunity ever arise.

Yet here he was, standing under the belly of the beast, poised to stab his spear through its guts.

'Patience. You must be patient.' The Cadre reminded himself.

Now wasn't the time to set off the spark.

Azazel wanted this juvenile tyrant under their employ, perhaps as a weapon to use against the Black Prince, or maybe to keep their enemies from gaining access to a weapon they could use against them. Kokabiel certainly wouldn't put it past those hypocrites and schemers.

"Admiring the view?"

Barely twitching, the cadre turned his head to face the new arrival.

"Should you not be… instructing our charges on their mission?"

"We are taking an hour off. My benefit more than theirs, really."

Quirking a brow, Kokabiel wondered how to enquire about it.

"You deem them ready?"

"Just the opposite. Those girls are so ill-fitting for the job we might as well have shipped the Campione a walrus in a bikini for all the success those three might find."

He didn't need that mental image.

"They are Fallen. Desire should come easily to them."

"It should, and that's why they've grown slothful and proud." His fellow Cadre smiled wryly, walking over the rail he'd been leaning against. Light fuschia locks cascading down her face. Everything about the woman broadcast desire, from the way she looked at others, to how she moved and, yes, even her appearance had a distinct appeal.

"You specifically selected them for-"

"Yes, yes I did. And that goes to show beauty only gets you so far. No finesse, no sense of how to hold a conversation, overreliance on their natural charm. They couldn't seduce a rat away from a mousetrap."

He'd grown used to it by now, so it didn't bother him.

What bothered him was the fact Azazel saddled him with a job he wasn't suited for alongside the one who would actually be doing it. Pride might not have been his vice of choice, but he would rather not be treated as a glorified security detail to a gaggle of low class cadets.

"Whatever. There were a few servants amongst the humans. Send one of them to do the job."

That got him an expertly quirked eyebrow.

"So eager to be done with your task?"

"Yes, sister. I would rather not be catering to the whims of a human brat who got lucky. Especially when we could be hunting our brother's murderer."

Penemue gave a soft sigh and her features actually turned a little sad.

"Yes, we could be. But what then? Will you simply feed The Black Prince your own blood? Then we would short another Cadre and even fewer in number than before."

He bit back his instinctive response.

"I would rather we kill that idiot mortal, even if it meant taking our true forms to do it."

There was a moment of genuine surprise from the other cadre before, crossing her arms under chest, she floated back into the night sky.

"So. You still seek war with heaven. I suppose our brother sent you here to see if you would learn to appreciate peace."

"I didn't say I wanted to start a war!" Kokabiel snapped back. "Only that we shouldn't allow some idiot mortal to steal Father's Thunder!"

"And taking our true forms would mean war with our other siblings that dwell in His Throne. You know this."

Cooling, forcing himself to restrain his anger, the Fallen Angel simply nodded.

"I do."

"But you still desire it."

"Do you not?"

Thinking for several moments, his counterpoint slowly shook her head.

"I fell for the love of a mortal man, after all, why would I want something that would certainly see them all dead?"

Kokabiel had only one response.

"Because it would bring us all peace."

There was nothing more to be said. At least not until one of their servants approached.

"Um, excuse me, sir, madam, I made tea and sandwiches. Would you like some?"

Peaking through the door behind them, one of the girls called to them. The Cadre sighed, gazing out at the city looming across the horizon one last time as he turned his back on it. Instead, following Penemue and the blonde girl back inside their temporary hideout.

It would take time.

Maybe not tonight, tomorrow, or the day after. But there was still time.

All he had was time.