A new day had arrived, which marked the meeting of the three biblical factions at the negotiating table. The chosen location for the summit, Kuoh Academy, was filled with guards from each side.
Thanks to one person living in his house, Kiyoshi already knew about the upcoming attack, so the Shinto faction did not send anyone to the meeting except himself.
Upon arriving at the academy, the leader Hyakki Yako was immediately led to the negotiation room. The prepared room contained only a large round table and chairs, the rest of the interior was missing.
"Something like this I expected, but still trivial," — the half-demon mentally noted the organizers' attempt to show equality of the parties.
The four parties to the negotiations were equidistant from each other. The room was already filled with demon representatives in the form of Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan. To everyone's surprise, the diplomat Ada wore a business suit, rather than the usual magical girl outfit. Behind the Demon Lords were the heirs of the Gremory and Sitri clans with some of their retinues.
The main culprit of this meeting, Azazel, arrived from the fallen angels. The governor-general sat in a chair, looking at those around him with a sly smile, irritating everyone with his appearance. Next to him sat his deputy, Shamhazai. Leaning against the wall behind Azazel stood the owner of the dividing mechanism.
Zankoku was the only representative of the Shinto gods. The half-demon leaned back in his chair, waiting with his eyes closed for the beginning.
They all waited for the last party to the negotiations to arrive. Soon the doors to the room opened, letting the angels into the room. The leader of Heaven and Seraphim, Mikhail, entered first. He was accompanied by the most beautiful and strong woman of the faction, Gabriel.
— I apologize for the delay, — said the effeminate angel. — Some problems have arisen that require my personal attention,— Mikhail took his place. His sister stood silently behind him. — Before we begin, I would like to resolve one matter, — he turned to the half-demon, — Zankoku-san...
— If you wish to know about Excalibur, — Kiyoshi spoke without waiting for the angel to speak, — the Shinto faction is prepared to return the sword to the Church. However, you will need to discuss the details of the transfer directly with Amaterasu-sama.
— Thank you for your answer, — the seraph nodded with a smile. — Then shall we begin the meeting?
The agenda was Kokabiel and his actions. The Fallen One stole the sacred swords, killing many of God's servants. Afterwards, he attacked the sisters of the Demon Lords and the heirs of the Pillars of Hell. Such actions could become a pretext for another war. To all the accusations, Azazel stated that Kokabiel had betrayed the Grigori, and he was not responsible for him.
— What do the Shinto gods think about this? — Sirzechs turned to the half-demon, who had been silent until then. — After all, you were the one who ended up fighting the fallen one who attacked the city.
Kiyoshi didn't like Satan's attempt to drag him into a verbal attack on the leader of the fallen, but the half-demon didn't let his feelings show on his face. With an unperturbed expression, he said his long-prepared answer: — Kuoh is under the responsibility of the demons. — After Zankoku's first words, the smile on Azazel's face grew wider. — I only entered the battle with Kokabiel out of necessity, and not of my own free will. — Kiyoshi was lying, but of those present, only the fallen one knew the truth, and Azazel wasn't going to tell it. — In the territories under the control of the youkai and other wards of our faction, the fallen angels did not show aggression and did not cause trouble, so Shinto has no claims against the fallen ones. — The blond man stated. — Besides, Kokabiel, who attacked the heirs of the clans, received the punishment he deserved from me.
— Ha-ha-ha! — Azazel couldn't hold back. — You left him without limbs! It's simply impossible to punish him worse. Now he's an invalid with no ability to do anything except curse your name in the depths of Cocytus. Ha-ha!
The younger generation of demons shuddered at such a statement from the fallen one. Unlike their older relatives who had gone through a civil war, Sona and Rias were not accustomed to a cruel life. The reincarnated demons had it even worse: former humans, for the most part, lived in a peaceful environment.
— Let's end this farce and sign a peace treaty already. After all, that's why we gathered here, — Azazel's words shocked those around him. — What kind of views are these? Don't you trust me?
— No.
— No way.
— No way.
The Demon Lords and the Seraphim were unanimous in their answer. Zankoku remained silent. Now the topic of the meeting did not concern him in any way, and he could calmly wait for the upcoming show.
After another twenty minutes of bowing and scraping, accusations and clarifying the details of the peace treaty, the half-demon's long-awaited moment arrived — the attack. The academy was separated from the outside world by a barrier that prohibited teleportation from it. The next moment, a wave of energy rolled across the entire space.
Sensing the attempt to stop time, Kiyoshi activated his own aura, avoiding the effect. Apart from the half-demon, the other faction leaders and the bearer of Albion were also not affected by the magic.
While they were discussing a plan to counter the attack, Kiyoshi settled himself more comfortably in his chair, turning his senjutsu to full. He began to sense everything within the academy. With this, the half-demon would not miss anything interesting inside the barrier.
Hundreds of magic circles began to appear outside the room, from which figures in black robes emerged. The attackers killed the motionless guards without any problems. A small group of magicians separated from the main group to attack the negotiation room together, but the combined barrier from the biblical faction leaders calmly endured the attack.
— They are well coordinated. — I expected the worst, — the half-demon noted to himself, watching the uninvited guests, —but this means that the scum will hold out a little longer, — the blond chuckled. — What did they expect, attacking five beings at the peak of their factions' power at once? — While pondering the best tactics, the half-demon noticed how several young demons overcame the time-stopping effect.
— What's going on? Why aren't the others moving? — With the mechanism activated, Hyoudou Issei woke up and began to bombard everyone with questions. Next to him, under the light of the sacred sword, Xenovia came to her senses. But unlike the boy, she was silently analyzing the situation.
— A terrorist attack, — Azazel said calmly, looking out the window. — You can take a look for yourself.
Finally coming to a decision, the Demon Lords released their power, neutralizing the effects of the time freeze. The demons who woke up were immediately informed of what was happening. Kiyoshi listened with interest as Azazel spoke of the power of Rias's servant.
— What a magnificent mechanism, — the half-demon sensed the enormous potential of Balor's Forbidden Gaze. — This artifact would be useful to Shinto, but the dhampir will be under too much attention now. We must wait, — the blond did not pay attention to the departure of Gremory and Hyodo while making plans to seize the promising toy. The leader of Hyakki Yakou was observing the entire battlefield, simultaneously taking notes for the future, until he was interrupted.
— What about you, Zankoku-san? — Mikhail addressed the half-demon. — Aren't you going to join in repelling the attack as the White Dragon Emperor?
Zankoku briefly turned his gaze to Vali, who was rampaging among the mages, and immediately answered — no.
— But why? — Gabrielle asked in surprise.
— These guys, — Kiyoshi pointed at the attackers, — are clearly here because of you. — I, as a trusted representative of the Shinto gods, have nothing to do with the peace treaty of the biblical factions, — the blond said calmly. — So solve your problems yourselves. I have no desire to make my faction an enemy of an unknown but powerful terrorist organization, — the half-demon plausibly refused. — And anyway, there are five of you powerful super-things here. It would be easy for you to destroy these weaklings.
— But... — the angel could not finish his words, distracted by the magic circle that appeared in the room.
— The sign of the House of Leviathan, — Sirzechs said, frowning.
When the circle disappeared, a new face appeared in the room. A girl with a perfect figure, like most in the supernatural world, dressed in a vulgar dress and with the blood of one of the original Lords flowing in her — Katerea Leviathan.
— I greet everyone gathered here, except for the fake who took my place, — the newcomer said, looking at Serafall with hatred.
— Why are you doing this, Katerea? — the magical girl asked.
— Naturally, because we do not recognize peace with our enemies, — the voice of the descendant of Leviathan was full of anger. — Almost all of the members of the old Lords made a deal with the Khaos Brigade. We take responsibility for this attack.
— The Khaos Brigade? — Michael asked, confused.
— I've heard that name before, — Azazel spoke up. — It seems to be a terrorist organization made up of various rabble from all factions. They don't like the current way of life. They want to plunge the world into Chaos, — the fallen one thought for a moment before finishing. — And the leader of this gathering is the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis.
Hearing his words, all the leaders became serious. It's one thing for a bunch of people who are offended by the world to gather, but it's quite another for one of the strongest beings in the world to create such an organization.
Serafall discreetly glanced towards the head of Hyakki Yakou and sighed in relief. The half-demon looked at Katerea with undisguised contempt. The Demon Lord realized that there was no point in expecting an attack from him. A thought appeared in her head that Ophis was playing some kind of game of his own that no one knew about, not even the members of this Chaos Brigade.
— That's right. Ophis is our leader, — Leviathan confirmed. — Ouroboros will help us destroy this world, and we will build a new one on its ruins.
— Will you shut up already and tell me why you came here? — The half-demon's cold tone changed the prevailing atmosphere. — I understand: the world is decay, life is pain, but… — Kiyoshi put his elbows on the table, crossing his fingers. With this action, he hid the lower part of his face, leaving only his eyes full of indifference visible. — You teleported alone to a room where there are three angels, even though one of them is fallen, with light magic hated by demons, and two Demon Lords. Since when did you become immortal?
— H-how dare you, half-breed! — Katerea blurted out in anger. — I will...
— Yes, yes, yes, — Zankoku interrupted her again. — I have heard this more than a dozen times. What did you expect, blockhead? You attacked this conference, your people are killing subordinates of the three biblical factions, and now you are threatening their leaders? — the half-demon looked at the girl as if she were mentally retarded. — What do you think is stopping these five from joining together and turning you into dust in a couple of moments?
— Ha-ha! The boy has a point, — Azazel said cheerfully. — I don't think you have the strength to deal with all of us on your own, — the fallen man's voice became condescending, — but, alright, I'll give you a ghost of a chance by fighting you alone.
— Azazel, are you sure? — Mikhail asked with some anxiety.
— Yes, brother. Leave it to me, — the leader of the fallen repelled the angry demoness's attack and threw her out of the room with a spear of light.
As soon as the two began to fight, Balor's Forbidden Gaze stopped working. The remaining guards entered the battle with the terrorists, adding even more burden on top of the raging bearer of Albion.
Rias appeared from the side of the old school building, accompanied by Issei and the freed Gasper. They attacked the mages, helping the guards get rid of the attackers. The rest of the retinue joined their "King". Sona decided to support her friend and joined the battle with her servants. Having received a tough rebuff, the mages gradually gave up their positions.
While Azazel and Katerea fought in the sky, further introducing chaos into the ranks of the attackers, the number of mages quickly dwindled. After five minutes of fighting, a pitiful handful remained, who decided to surrender.
— Will you join us? — Sirzechs asked the half-demon when the rest of the room decided to move to the sports ground closer to the young demons.
— Yes, but a little later, — Kiyoshi did not take his eyes off the battle in the sky. — I want to watch Azazel's fight in comfort, — the blond used his subspace to confirm his words, taking out snacks and a bottle of whiskey.
— I see, — Lucifer added with a crooked smile, — we'll be waiting for you, — having finished, he left Zankoku through the hole in the wall made by Vali.
When the room was empty, a little girl appeared next to the half-demon from the clouds of purple smoke. Ophis, like the first time they met, was in her small uniform and gothic dress, but, unlike the previous time, now the dress completely covered her hostess's chest.
— Hello, — Kiyoshi greeted her, not surprised by her appearance. — Why like this?
— It's more convenient, — with these words, Ouroboros sat on the guy's lap. A bucket of popcorn appeared in her hands.
— What impudence, — grinning, he continued to watch the culmination of the battle, stroking the black-haired crown with one hand. — When will you start?
— Soon, — while the two were sitting in the chair, Azazel was pressing Katerea with his artificial Sacred Gear. The demoness had received several serious wounds, unlike her opponent. She decided to resort to her trump card, for which she joined the Khaos Brigade. —Now the most interesting part will begin,— Ophis said with an evil smile. —Look.—
Having swallowed the Snake, the descendant of Leviathan felt an enormous power. Katerea's demonic aura increased several times, which was felt by everyone around her.
—Behold my new power!— the demoness declared, intoxicated with her new power.
—Infinite energy emanated from this thing. Is this the power of your leader?— the fallen one asked with interest.
—That's right! If you agree to help Ophis banish Great Red, she will grant her power.—
"So you are simply using the Infinite Dragon," — Azazel thought.
The next moment something happened that surprised everyone. Katerya suddenly froze in place, and then screamed at the top of her lungs.
— A-a-a-a-a! It hurts! Why does it hurt so much?! — clutching her stomach, the demoness could not cope with the feeling she was experiencing.
After half a minute of torment, those around her discovered with horror how Katerea's stomach had swelled and they could see something moving inside. The girl's long, drawn-out scream was accompanied by the sound of torn flesh. A black snake emerged from the demoness and continued to devour the woman's body.
Unfortunately for the descendant of Leviathan, Ophis's snake fed the host's body, preventing her from losing consciousness, dying, or going crazy. Gradually, the snake's size increased. When it reached a length of three meters, it bit off the demoness's hands, swallowed her completely, and disappeared into black smoke.
No one dared to intervene in what was happening and attack the snake, because it emanated the power of Ouroboros. They only watched in shock as Katerea was being painfully executed.
— A great show, — the half-demon's cheerful voice broke the silence. Zankoku had a contented, sadistic smile on his face. — An excellent way to end the peace treaty, isn't it?
The looks directed at the blond who approached, mostly from the young demons, contained distrust and slight fear.
— I have a question: why did Ophis do this to her subordinate? — Azazel decided to turn attention to a more important topic. — Perhaps everything is not as simple as it seems. It's better not to spread the word about Katerea's fate for now… — The fallen man's thoughts were interrupted by a magical attack. The blow he received in the back sent the man falling to the ground, creating a crater as he fell.
— So you decided to betray us and move to Ophis, Vali? — Azazel said, scattering the dust with his wings.
— That's right, — Hakuryoku confirmed. — You never wanted the war to continue...
Kiyoshi didn't care about the brat's reasons for joining the Khaos Brigade. The half—demon just watched the unfolding scene with boredom. When Vali finished morally destroying his useless opponent, the host of Ddraig, he turned to the leader of Hyakki Yakou.
— Unlike Hyoudou Issei, I would gladly fight against you. — The descendant of Lucifer literally oozed fighting intent.
— Not interested. — Zankoku waved him off. — For me, it's a pointless waste of time. It's better to pester the owner of the red glove with this.
— What if I give you some motivation? Like revenge? — Vali's voice was full of anticipation. — I heard that you have a daughter. I wonder if you'll have a meaning if that little nekomata dies?
In response to Hakuryoku's words, a huge force erupted from Kiyoshi's body. The pressure from the released aura caused the ground around the half—demon to crack. Looking at Zankoku, anyone could tell that the blond was furious.
— And I didn't intend to interfere in all this and was just watching from the sidelines, — the blond spoke in a quiet and calm tone, but behind it there was growing anger, — but you chose your own fate, — looking into Vali's eyes, the half-demon passed his sentence. — Don't hope to leave this place alive!
Fiery wings of purple color formed behind Kiyoshi's back. The holy power emanating from his figure forced the demons to retreat as far as possible. Fire appeared in Kiyoshi's hands, forming a sword resembling a church cross in shape.
— Let's see if you can put your words into practice, — Hakuryoku ignored the discomfort from the flames. The combat junkie only wanted to fight a strong opponent.
"Attack him directly. He won't be able to escape." — A familiar voice appeared in Kiyoshi's head, which was also full of rage. The half-demon smiled weakly. He was glad that this girl had become a member of his family and was worried about her loved ones.
Vali focused completely on his opponent. As Zankoku began to approach him at great speed, the descendant of Lucifer prepared for his own attack. The distance between them was reduced by half. Vali was about to act, but suddenly his body froze in place. A huge killing intent was directed directly at him. The bearer of Albion and the sealed dragon himself felt like pitiful prey in front of a huge, angry and hungry predator. Instinctively turning his gaze to the source of this terrifying feeling, Vali found his new boss, but, unlike the already familiar doll-like appearance, Ophis' face now showed emotions: anger and contempt. He was shocked by this, however, he did not have time to think about Ouroboros' behavior.
Zankoku approached his target and unhesitatingly launched a slash. With no time left, all Vali could do was try to dodge, covering himself with his hand.
— Aaah! — Lucifer's descendant was unable to completely avoid the blow. The flame sword of the Incinerating Hymn penetrated the armor's defense and severed Hakuryoku's left arm. Separated from his body, the limb instantly turned to ash in the purple fire.
Kiyoshi did not stop, continuing to press his opponent. The wings behind him spread out and fiery chains flew out, binding Vali.
— Damn! — He cursed and used his Gear skill. — Division!
Under Albion's repeated commands, the chains holding them back disappeared. Zankoku was not worried. This attack had fulfilled its purpose — to buy time and distract attention.
A huge three-meter cross appeared behind Vali — Kiyoshi's favorite method and torture tool. Chains came out of the cross, but, unlike the previous ones, these were more durable. The tip had a jagged shape, preventing the victim from pulling it out so easily, and each link had spikes.
Dozens of chains instantly wrapped around Hakuryoku, pulling his figure to the crucifix. Under Kiyoshi's control, one of them dug into the wound he had received earlier. Moving deep into the arm, it brought incredible pain, and the Holy element poisoned the half-breed's insides, preventing him from concentrating and controlling the dividing mechanism.
— Now you will pay for your words, — having strengthened his body with Toki and senjutsu, Kiyoshi pierced Vali's chest with his sword. — Now burn in the Holy Flame, bastard.
Lucifer's descendant burst into purple flames, and cries of pain echoed throughout the area once more. It didn't take more than ten seconds to turn the former Hakuryoku into a pile of ashes.
Turning to face the others, the half-demon found looks of fear, wariness, and anger.
Azazel, who had been glaring at Kiyoshi, clenched his fists with great force. Drops of blood could be seen from the nails that had dug into the flesh. The Fallen wanted to attack the murderer of his adopted son, but he was restrained by Shamhazai, as well as the understanding of the consequences of such an action for the Fallen faction. He could not start a war with the Shinto Pantheon by killing their representative.
The angels looked with distrust at the holy power in the half-demon's hands.
The Demon Lords remained attentive, watching Zankoku's actions, preparing to act at any moment. The power of one of the three sacred Longinus could kill even them.
Except for Akeno, all the young demons looked at the half-demon with fear, avoiding eye contact. The half-fallen, with a red face and heavy breathing, could not take her eyes off her beloved. His cruel act made the brunette tremble.
Kiyoshi glanced at everyone and spoke. — He was a traitor who joined the terrorist organization Khaos Brigade. — The half-demon looked at the faction leaders. — You shouldn't have a problem killing him, right?
— That's right. — Sirzechs spoke up, wearing a friendly smile as always. — If he had joined Khaos Brigade, we would have had a lot of trouble.—
— Then I will go to Amaterasu-sama to convey the result of the meeting to her. — With a flash of magic circle, Kiyoshi left Kuoh Academy.