As soon as Kiyoshi finished with Kokabiel, a powerful demonic aura appeared in the academy. Sensing this, Zankoku hid his new toy in the subspace so that unnecessary questions would not arise ahead of time. Only the cursed sword remained in his hands.
The source of the demonic power appeared in front of the half-breeds. The dark-haired girl in the pink dress was in a fighting mood, but as soon as she saw the destroyed field, the half-dead fallen and the familiar figure next to him, she calmed down.
Serafall turned her gaze to Vali:
— White Dragon Emperor, what does this mean? Grigori wants to start a war with the demons? — The demoness's usual carefree tone was missing. Now everyone could see the true Demon Lord, and not the magical girl. — We will not leave the fact of the fallen angels attacking the heirs of Sitri and Gremory so easily.
— The Grigori have nothing to do with this, — the dragon carrier immediately stated. — Kokabiel betrayed us, that's why I came here to deal with him, but I was beaten to it, — the teenager said with a cheerful voice, looking at the culprit.
Serafall had already guessed this, seeing the injuries of the fallen angel. Now she revised her view of the half-demon's strength.
— I'll talk to him later, now we are talking about the fallen, — the demoness said, returning her gaze to the Hakuryuu of the current generation. — Even if what you said is true, Azazel must answer for the actions of his former general.
— No problem, — Vali agreed, — he is going to contact the angels and demons soon to hold a three-way meeting regarding this incident, — having settled matters with the Demon Lord, the owner of Albion looked towards Zankoku. — Can you remove the barrier from the city already? — The barrier that was erected allowed outsiders to enter it, but not to leave. — I don't want to waste my energy on destroying it.
While the pair were solving diplomatic issues, Kiyoshi managed to contact his subordinates. Having confirmed the complete clearing of the area and the absence of losses, he gave the order to retreat. The dome over the city began to slowly disappear.
— I hope we can fight the next time we meet, — Vali said goodbye to Zankok and teleported away with Kokabiel.
— I have nothing else to do, — the blond said into the void. He looked at the demoness who had arrived. — Stop staring at me so intently, Serafall Leviathan. If you have any questions, ask them.
The girl frowned even more because of the carefree tone of the young man.
— Judging by your preparation and the number of youkai that I sensed when they appeared, you knew about the attack in advance, — Serafall said accusingly.
— Of course I knew, — the half-demon confirmed and continued with a grin, — and those two might have known if they had been keeping an eye on their territory. You know, it's hard not to notice a man with a holy sword in the city when he's not very disguised, — Leviathan's reaction to these words amused the guy. — That's why I prepared for trouble in advance, and the fact that I didn't report it is not my problem, — he shrugged. — I protected the lives of the heiresses, as we agreed.
Hearing Zankoku's words, Serafall couldn't refute them. He was not obligated to inform the demons in advance. The Demon Lord understood that although helping at the time of the attack was a condition for his appearance in the city, now the demons were indebted to the Shinto faction. Even though the youkai literally set up this situation.
— By the way, about the heirs, — Kiyoshi's words brought the magical girl out of her thoughts, — you need to train them better, otherwise, if it weren't for me or White, they would have died here with their heroism.
— What are you talking about? — the girl asked in confusion. — Sona-chan is a very smart girl — she called me for help.
— Ha-ha! — the half-demon couldn't help but grin, — That's exactly what we're talking about. Gremory convinced your sister to deal with the threat that had appeared on her own. Only after I appeared and asked her to, did she contact you. Do you understand?
Serafall's eyes widened at what she heard. She fully realized what such heroism could lead to.
— So-tan shouldn't have done that. It's all the bad influence of that brat, — the demoness was indignant. Her fists were clenched in anger. — My sister and I are going to have a serious talk.
Not wanting to look at the muttering of the siscon, Kiyoshi decided to leave the academy. He was looking forward to the next meeting, when the demons would learn about his holy flame. And now, before the witnesses of his fight came here, the half-demon teleported to Kyoto to meet with his superiors.
— ...Well, and then I teleported here, — the blond finished retelling his story. Taking a sip from his mug of tea, he looked at his listeners.
— Well done, Kiyoshi, — the golden-haired nine-tailed kitsune praised the young man. — As we planned, the demons will now be indebted to us.
While Yasaka smiled slyly, planning to take advantage of the opportunity, the girl sitting next to her at the table turned to the half-demon: — Kiyoshi, do you need Excalibur?
— No, — he took out a sword from the subspace and placed it on the table. — Even though it's a fine blade, my Incinerating Hymn will be enough for me against demons. You can rip off a decent price from the angels for returning their toy, — the guy smiled evilly, imagining this picture. — I'd rather buy myself a blade effective against dragons, — Zankoku hinted to his superior.
— Okay, — Amaterasu agreed, — I'll look for a suitable reward for you.
Having finished his report, Kiyoshi headed for the exit, but remembered one thing:
— I also wanted to warn you, — the young man attracted attention, — I need to visit a place outside of Japan.
— Will it be long? — Yasaka clarified the main question for her.
— No. I hope to finish it in a day, — the half-demon said and immediately added. — Two at most.
— Okay. Just let me know when you leave, and don't forget to let me know when you return.
— Of course, — having confirmed the request, Kiyoshi left the Yasaka temple.
***
Four days had passed since Kokabiel's attack. Kiyoshi, as he said, visited Iran. It took him half a day to negotiate with the sealed soul. Unlike Ddraig, whose soul was sealed in the Sacred Gear, this evil dragon was simply killed and sealed by the gods. He could have waited until he himself was reborn over time, but in order to shorten this huge gap, the dragon made a deal with Zankoku.
The half-demon was able to bargain only two conditions for himself. First: not to attack him and his faction first. Second: help in the battle with Kiyoshi's enemies. Having concluded the contract, they were satisfied with the deal. The release of the evil lizard was planned to be carried out within six months, at the discretion of the half-demon himself.
Having finished with all the problems that arose after the attack of the fallen on Kuoh, Kiyoshi began to spend all his time with his family. During dinner, where all five were present, Shirone reported interesting news:
— This week we will have a parents' day at school, — the girl said phlegmatically, without looking up from eating cookies. Two dark-haired sweet-toothed girls helped her with this, — and Sona asked you to definitely show up.
— Interesting, — said the blond, thinking over the reasons for the invitation from Sitri.
— I'll go too! — Kuroka exclaimed cheerfully. — I want to see Shirone during class. I'll take a lot of photos, — the nekoshou said dreamily.
— Sister… — Shirone said embarrassedly, realizing that she would not be able to dissuade her.
— Don't worry, it's just a few photos, — Kiyoshi tried to calm his wife down. — I'm sure the Sitri and Gremory, with their crazy relatives, will be much worse. Ha-ha-ha!
— If the Demon Lords are there, I shouldn't go there, — Ophis said, feeding the little nekomata some sweets.
— Then I'll stay with Ophis' sister, — Kumiko exclaimed, hugging Ouroboros, — I don't want to leave her alone.
— If that's what you want, — the young man agreed. The two often spent time together when he and his wives were out on dates. — But maybe you should stop messing around with this group of yours? Stop pretending to be ignorant like you were before — just kill them and that's it.
— I don't want to! — the embodiment of Infinity pouted. — They decided to deceive me, the Infinite Dragon God, using a naive being for their plans. Only you helped me and trained a foolish girl, — she smiled warmly as she looked at her family, — so I will take revenge on them all. At the critical moment when they need my power, retribution will catch up with these fools. He-he-he, — Ophis laughed evilly. Kumiko began to imitate her "little sister", not understanding the reason for the laughter, but she was simply having fun.
— Well, well, — Kiyoshi sighed, looking at the villainous duo. — You've inherited some of my worst traits.
— Who you hang out with, — Ouroboros shrugged. — By the way, that kid, the White Dragon Emperor, whom you saw recently, is going to betray the fallen and join the Chaos Brigade.
— Not interested, — Kiyoshi waved his hand. — These are Azazel's problems. I don't care about that brat's actions, as long as he doesn't try to harm you.
— I just warned you, — the girl said calmly.
The rest of the conversation moved on to abstract topics, allowing the unusual family to enjoy communicating with each other.
***
It was Parents' Day at Kuoh Academy. Many adults, accompanied by their offspring, entered the school grounds. A cheerful hubbub was heard everywhere until people noticed a small motorcade of cars. Three black cars drove up to the gates of the academy. Through the windows of the cars, those around could see huge, dangerous-looking men in the first and third cars. The adults immediately realized who these people were — the Yakuza. The schoolchildren, already more or less accustomed to this, began to calm their parents.
The attention of those around was drawn to the driver of the tinted car, which was standing in the center of the convoy. The man quickly reached the back door, opening it. The first to get out of the car was a young white-haired youth. His expensive business suit and cold, arrogant face were perfectly associated with the boss of a criminal organization. Having glanced at those around him, he turned to the car and offered his hand.
Following the guy, a dark-haired girl left the car. Many were mesmerized by the beauty that the young man's companion radiated. A black, exquisite kimono emphasized the girl's attractive figure and, judging by her sly smile, she understood this perfectly.
— When I need you, I'll let you know, — Zankoku addressed the driver, — but for now, you're free.
— Yes, Boss! — the man bowed and got back behind the wheel of the car.
— Let's go! — Kuroka grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him toward the building. — I want to see how Shirone learns as soon as possible.
As the couple moved through the parting crowd, Zankoku's voice rang out in the nekoshou's head:
— I hope you're happy? — the half-demon's voice sounded tired. — Why did you have to put on this whole farce?
— Of course I'm happy, nya, — a quiet purr could be heard from Kuroka in confirmation of this. — Did you see all these faces? And what emotions emanated from the crowd. Aha-ha-ha! — the girl enjoyed the effect produced. She did not regret the time spent persuading her lover.
—Well, as long as you're happy, then I don't mind,— a small smile appeared on the blond's face.
Kiyoshi could see that the teachers had decided to combine the different classes during lessons that day. He saw that Rias and her queen were in the room, as well as Sona, who were not part of Shirone's class. The half—demon and his wife were holding back their laughter when Sirzechs and Lord Gremory unfurled a banner in support of Rias and cheered on their —sweet Rias.—
Kiyoshi could also see the wielder of Durandal in the school, who was now radiating demonic energy. After the revenge that had been accomplished, he no longer paid attention to the heiresses' surroundings, so her appearance here surprised the leader of Hyakki Yakou. Having deployed senjutsu[1] to the entire school, he confirmed the absence of the second exorcist.
"Rias was able to find a replacement for her fallen knight very quickly. Well done," — Kiyoshi mentally praised the demoness. It costs a lot to get the owner of the legendary sword as your servant.
During lunch break, the blond man and his wives went to look for Sitri. Following Sona's aura, they arrived at the gymnasium, where a bunch of upset schoolchildren were coming out. Upon entering, the reason for all the guys gathered there became clear — a magical girl. Serafall Leviathan was hugging her younger sister with a smile on her face, not reacting to those around her, while Sona's retinue watched their king being tortured with helpless expressions.
— They smell of each other,— Shirone said when they approached the couple.
— If they hug like that often, — the young man nodded at the sisters, — then there is nothing surprising about it.
— No, Kiyoshi, nya, — Kuroka smiled slyly, moving closer to the blond man's ear. — They smell of each other.
— Oh... — Zankoku looked at the hugging girls, but in a different way. — Well, that's their family business. Let them do whatever they want with each other.
Seeing that Serafall wasn't going to let her sister go anytime soon, the half—demon drew attention to himself:
— Ahem, ahem, — pretending to cough and waiting for Leviathan and Sona to look at him, he asked: — So why did you want to see me here?
— Actually, it was me, not Sona-chan, — Serafall said, putting on a serious look, but Sona struggling in her arms ruined the whole image. — The Biblical factions are going to hold a meeting among themselves in two days. The venue is this academy, — the Demon Lord reported important information, — and I, as the one in charge of foreign policy, invite the Shinto faction to attend, since the topic of the recent Fallen attack will be announced, which affects your interests as well.
— Okay, — Zankok didn't need much time to think. This conversation had been planned before, as had the answer to it. — I will be present at this meeting.