Having already left that battlefield, Kaiser naturally had no idea that, after his departure, Azazel and the others had such a conversation.
After leaving the battlefield, he returned to where Kuroka and Asia were and reunited with them.
"You're injured?"
Kuroka was the first to notice Kaiser's return. She was just about to approach him when she caught sight of his body—covered in wounds and drenched in blood.
"Kaiser-san!"
Asia, who had been praying, quickly opened her eyes upon hearing Kuroka's voice. One look at Kaiser's miserable state made her cry out in shock.
Immediately, Asia ran over to Kaiser and pressed her hands against him.
"Zheng—"
In the next moment, a pair of silver rings appeared on Asia's hands.
This was her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing.
Activating her Sacred Gear, Asia triggered its power. A green glow, full of life energy, radiated from the rings and shone over Kaiser's body.
Under the glow of that green light, Kaiser's injuries began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The speed of recovery was comparable to that of Priscilla, who possessed a regeneration ability—it was not inferior at all.
Kaiser allowed Asia to treat him, feeling the pain in his body gradually fade away. His complexion improved significantly.
In contrast, Kuroka scrutinized him and spoke with some uncertainty.
"All that was caused by the Governor of the Fallen Angels? He's really that strong?"
Kuroka wasn't unaware that Azazel, as the Governor of the Fallen Angels, was far stronger than she was. However, she had never witnessed his true strength, so she couldn't make a definitive judgment.
But she had seen what Kaiser was capable of. Even without using the True Longinus, he could easily crush a not-too-weak High-class Devil. When wielding the True Longinus, he could obliterate such an opponent in a single strike. Even she had felt a chill down her spine when facing him.
Don't be fooled by how she seemed to be toying with Kaiser that time—it gave the impression that she was handling him with ease. In truth, she was well aware that she had only taken advantage of certain abilities.
If it came to a real fight, she definitely wasn't Kaiser's match. She might not even last a second.
That's why, when she saw Kaiser preparing to fight Azazel, Kuroka couldn't stay calm, but she never believed that Kaiser would lose to the Governor of the Fallen Angels.
Even if his opponent wasn't a Devil and thus not weak to the Holy Spear, the power of the strongest Longinus couldn't be underestimated. As long as Kaiser could fully unleash its strength, even if he didn't win outright, he surely wouldn't lose easily to a Maou-class being.
But judging from Kaiser's appearance, he had clearly suffered a significant loss.
"Don't underestimate him." Kaiser seemed to notice the surprise in Kuroka's heart and said, "He's the leader of all Fallen Angels. If that guy was weak, there's no way he could've survived since the ancient times thousands of years ago."
Azazel possessed Maou-class combat power. On top of that, with the Down Fall Dragon Spear—an artificial Sacred Gear that sealed a Dragon King—his power was greatly enhanced when activating Balance Breaker, far beyond that of a typical Maou-class being.
If that artificial Sacred Gear weren't still incomplete and undergoing refinement and enhancement—if it were on the level of a proper Sacred Gear—then upon activating Balance Breaker, Azazel would definitely surpass the Maou-class level, possessing power far beyond the norm.
A Sacred Gear that sealed the power of a Dragon King—even if it couldn't yet be classified as a Longinus—was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of all normal Sacred Gears.
If such a weapon weren't an artificial Sacred Gear but a true one, then without activating his own Balance Breaker, Kaiser certainly wouldn't be a match for him.
"Fortunately, the outcome was good."
Seeing the curiosity in Kuroka's eyes, Kaiser explained everything that had just happened.
Upon learning that the current Maou Lucifer and the leader of Heaven had both descended to this place, intervened in the battle between Kaiser and Azazel, and even negotiated a deal with Kaiser, the two girls were utterly shocked.
"The current Maou actually appeared here?"
Kuroka furrowed her elegant brows.
"Archangel Michael…"
Asia had a look of disbelief on her face.
"Two days from now, I'll be heading to Kuoh Academy again." Kaiser looked at Kuroka, then at Asia, and after a moment's thought, said to both of them, "Do you want to come with me?"
"Yes!"
Kuroka and Asia responded in unison.
"I-I want to meet Lord Michael!"
Asia said, somewhat shyly.
For the faithful of the Church, Michael—the Archangel who always stood by God's side and was called the one who resembles God—was second only to God Himself as a spiritual pillar.
Thus, even Asia couldn't resist the desire to see Michael in person.
As for Kuroka…
"I'll go check on that stupid little sister of mine." Kuroka feigned indifference and said, "She's just become a Devil, and now she's caught up in something like this. That timid Shirone is probably at a total loss, right? I'm going to laugh at her, nya!"
Kaiser looked at Kuroka with a half-smile.
You call that going to laugh at her?
I'm not even going to expose you.
"He's healed."
The green glow on Asia's hands faded, and Twilight Healing disappeared from her fingers.
Only then did Kaiser realize that the pain that had wracked his entire body had completely vanished, and all his injuries were gone. Only his tattered clothes and messy appearance remained—proof that the battle just now had really happened.
"That was fast."
Kaiser looked at his completely healed body and praised Asia's ability.
"It really is amazing—completely healed in such a short time."
Kuroka also clicked her tongue in admiration.
Though she was well-versed in various arts, including Senjutsu and Youjutsu, she wasn't skilled in healing. At most, she could use Senjutsu to help someone recover stamina and energy or slightly boost their natural healing.
That was her weakness. In the past, whenever she got seriously injured, she'd usually have to hide somewhere and lick her wounds alone.
Because of this, she could clearly understand how valuable Asia's ability was.
She might not be powerful, but for those who needed to fight and were often injured, someone like her was absolutely indispensable.
Their leader was smart to bring such a rare talent into the team.
Hmm… Looks like I'll need to protect her properly from now on.
Kuroka's mind was filled with thoughts.
"Let's go. We're heading back."
Kaiser moved his body a bit and, after confirming there were no issues, finally spoke.
"Let's take it easy for the next two days."
Though, to be fair, they had already been relaxing for a month before this.
...
After Kaiser's battle with Azazel, and his meeting with Sirzechs and Michael, Kuoh Town had grown even more peaceful.
This time, the peace was different from before. It wasn't the calm before the storm—it was a genuine return to normalcy.
The Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels no longer had their blades drawn against one another. They weren't roaming around in public like before, as if they had received orders to stay in their respective territories and refrain from acting rashly. The three factions no longer clashed. Everyone simply minded their own business.
Under such circumstances, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
That evening, Kaiser entered Kuoh Academy with Kuroka and Asia.
Whether school had ended early or there was no class today, the academy was eerily quiet. As the three walked through the grounds, they didn't encounter a single person.
Their destination was the old school building.
This time, upon returning, Kaiser was no longer treated as an enemy like before. Instead, he was welcomed as an honored guest.
The proof was that someone came to greet them when they arrived at the old school building.
"…Welcome, all three of you."
Dressed in Kuoh Academy's girls' uniform, Akeno Himejima acted like a proper maid. She bowed gracefully as she greeted the trio in a dignified tone.
"You're Rias Gremory's 'Queen,' aren't you?"
It wasn't Kaiser who responded, but Kuroka.
"If you're here, then that means the rest of the Gremory peerage is here too?"
Kuroka spoke with a teasing smile, her kimono loosely worn and exuding a seductive air that contrasted sharply with Akeno's graceful demeanor—as if one was a shrine maiden and the other a temptress.
No, they quite literally were.
One was the Shrine Maiden of Thunder, and the other was a Nekomata.
"My master and Lord Maou Lucifer have been waiting for you for some time," Akeno replied politely without acknowledging Kuroka's antics. "The representatives from Heaven are also inside."
Upon hearing this, Asia—dressed in her nun's habit—looked a bit nervous.
"What about the Fallen Angels?" Kuroka smirked mischievously. "Are their people inside too?"
Akeno didn't answer, but both Kaiser and Kuroka caught the flicker of displeasure in her expression.
Clearly, she was intentionally avoiding mention of the Fallen Angels—or perhaps simply unwilling to speak of them.
"Please follow me."
Akeno turned and began to lead the way into the building.
"Behave yourself."
Only then did Kaiser tug on Kuroka's cat ear, causing her to let out a yelp of "Nya!"
The three followed Akeno up to the second floor, heading straight to the deepest room.
The room with the plaque reading "Occult Research Club"—this was the Gremory peerage's base of activities, and also the location for today's deal.
Akeno opened the door and invited the trio inside.
In the next moment, the room—covered in mysterious runes and symbols—and the figures already gathered within came into view before Kaiser and the others.
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