It had been only a few minutes since Rizevim had been discovered, but when Sirzechs and his group arrived, they found no battles. The island was home to Ajuka's research facility, which was protected by devils who were far from weak. This made them even more wary.
As they slowly made their way towards the laboratory, everyone could see the traces of a recent battle. The melted or cut earth, the craters from the explosions, and of course, the blood and corpses of their comrades and the occasional bodies of the attackers — this scene followed them all the way to their destination, where a group of devils were waiting at the entrance to the building. Among the crowd, Sirzechs was unable to find the supposed leaders, but he did find many known members of the Pillars who supported the Old Maou faction.
When there were no more than thirty meters between the two groups, they stopped. Each warrior was tense, ready to attack at any moment, but no one was going to make the first move. One side was afraid of falling into a trap due to the enemy not having the instigator of all this, while the other side was following the strict order of 'not attacking first'.
— Well, well, well, — a loud voice came from the depths of the building, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps. — Have we really been graced with the presence of not one, but two Lords of the Underworld. What did we do to deserve such a great honor? — Rizevim asked with undisguised mockery as he and several other devils stepped forward. — And Sirzechs, you are in charge of the internal affairs of our race, so why are you here now instead of putting down the rebellion that broke out? Tsk, tsk, tsk,— he shook his head exaggeratedly, — what disrespect for your role.
— Enough of these games, Rizevim! I came here to settle the score with you once and for all.
— Ha-ha-ha! You are so arrogant, — Lucifer's son motioned to his accomplice, another relative of the original Lords. — Can you say that again after this?
— Fakes! — Krauser Asmodeus blurted out in disgust, looking from the current Asmodeus to Sirzechs. — You are a disgrace to these titles with your actions! Because of you, most devils have rejected their true selves, mired in this semblance of a world. We should not put up with fallen ones or angels! Demons have always been above the rest, — Krauser shouted furiously. He believed in everything he said. The man's entire appearance showed that there was something wrong with his mind. — We are the embodiment of sin, we do what we want, and no one tells us what to do. But because of you, all of this has been forgotten, which is why I will destroy the false kingdom you created and create a new one worthy of us in its place!
Sirzechs and Falbium prepared to defend themselves when a magic circle appeared in front of the madman, but it turned out to be a teleportation circle, from which a white-haired boy with dark skin appeared. His appearance spoke of abuse before his arrival. Grabbing the child by the hair, Krauser pulled out a syringe from under his cloak and without hesitation stabbed him in the neck. As soon as the solution entered the body, the boy began to convulse.
— Now, let's see if you can save your subjects, — Ignoring the scream of pain and the attempt of his victim to scratch his own throat, the descendant of Asmodeus teleported him again.
— What did you do? — the bald Lord asked, still on guard, ready to act at any moment. — What is this show for?
— You'll find out soon enough, — Krauser replied with a maniacal smile. — And I want to see your reaction. Ha-ha!
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the Lords received a magical message about the appearance of huge monsters heading towards the capital and other territories. It was easy to connect the dots to understand the essence of what was happening.
— Damn psycho, — the scarlet-haired man cursed, thinking about his next steps.
— Sirzechs, I will stop the monsters with my men, and you focus on your task, — the strategist of Hell had already come up with a solution and made a plan. — Serafall will join me and together we can stop the rampaging Annihilation Creator.
— Okay, — Lucifer did not take his eyes off the inactive opponents who were enjoying the show. — Grayfia and Surt will help you.
— But Sirzechs-sama... — the fire giant's objection was interrupted when he met the serious face of his "King."
— You know how strong I am, — the Lord said with an encouraging smile. — Do you really think that any of them could cause me trouble? It would be better to help Falbium protect our citizens.
— It will be done, — Surt gave in while Grayfia nodded briefly. The maid did not show any concern for her master's life, only watching everyone with indifference.
— You really just watched and did nothing, — Sirzechs muttered with a little surprise to the surrounding of his remaining servants.
— Do you really think you have a chance to defeat all of us? — Rizevim pointed at the demons surrounding him. — Your pride will be your undoing.
— You will soon regret your actions. Kill the traitors.
— Ha-ha! Let's see. Attack!
Having given the order to their "pieces", both Lucifers remained in their places, watching the battle unfold. Unlike his opponent, there were several figures around the son of Lucifer, rolled up in cloaks, hiding their identity.
Almost immediately it became clear who was gaining the upper hand in the battle. Although the subordinate demons of the old Lords were not weak, Sirzechs' retinue was head and shoulders above them. Souji Okita, with the support of Beowulf, was pushing back the enraged Krauser Asmodeus, while the "Bishop" dealt with the "extras" with the help of magic, under the protection of Bahamut and Enku.
— Things are a little worse than we expected, — the man in the cloak said. — It looks like I'll have to intervene earlier than expected. Although defeating the famous MacGregor Mathers sounds interesting.
He pulled the hood off his head, revealing his silver hair. Euclid was looking forward to fighting the founder of the Golden Dawn and a specialist in forbidden magic of his time. The demon wanted to prove his strength by defeating such a significant figure.
— Are you planning on just standing there for a long time? — the leader of Clipnot asked the stranger standing to the side.
— I would happily continue watching demons kill each other, — his cheerful tone made Rizevim's smile twitch.
— I need to focus on the ritual, so no one should disturb me, — the son of Lucifer said, turning around and walking into the building. — Fulfill your part of the deal.
— Yes, yes, — without looking at him, he released magical fire in the path of the sphere of destruction. — Not so fast.
— Get out of the way! — Not paying much attention to the one blocking his path, Sirzechs focused on the retreating figure of his sworn enemy. — Rizevim!
— Look, do not regret your actions, — the Demon Lord heard a painfully familiar voice as he flew past the stranger and heat flared behind him. — Your servants or enemy, choose.
Purple wings appeared on his back, burning away his cape and revealing a familiar person under it. At the same time, Kiyoshi created dozens of copies of holy fire and launched them into the fighting crowd. Phoenix did not differentiate between enemy and ally. Its attack dealt damage equally to everyone, with the exception of Euclid, who knew about it in advance.
— As I thought: I am your natural enemy. Ha-ha-ha! — the blond laughed heartily, seeing the result of his actions. The spears instantly destroyed the devils that struck them and dealt heavy damage to those nearby.
— The Holy Flame can harm even the Lords, much less these weaklings, — Euclid commented from beside him. — However, Sirzechs gathered competent servants. You only managed to take out one of them.
— Beowulf! — Sirzechs' furious cry was accompanied by a powerful blast wave from his aura. He sensed the death of his pawn through his master-servant connection. Lucifer no longer tried to pursue Rizevim and attacked. — Bastard! Now I'll make sure I've destroyed you!
At the same time as Sirzechs' attack, magic from Asmodeus' heir flew at Zankoku, but was intercepted by his accomplice.
— Euclid! We should be on the same side, — the scorched demon screamed.
— Ha! I'm not going to be an ally with such an idiot, so die.
Having dodged the bloodline of the enraged Satan, the phoenix released its legionaries to finish off the surviving "allies" and occupy the attention of Sirzechs' retinue. He was confident in defeating Bahamut, a huge snake-like fish. Its size not only gave the Rook an advantage, but also made it an excellent target, especially for the Flame Soldiers, who had a holy element poisonous to demons. The legendary Kirin was no obstacle either, even his promotion of the "Pawn" would not be able to change the situation. The mage seemed to be the most problematic and easiest opponent at the same time. As practice has shown, even the best mage of the devil race cannot survive the simultaneous bombardment of hundreds of projectiles, especially if they are of the light element.
— Have fun, but let him hinder me, — the phoenix gave the command to his cursed blade, plunging it into Kokabiel's chest. — Don't disappoint me, Muramasa.
— Ha-ha! — he merely bowed with an evil laugh. With such a vessel, he could happily bring pain and suffering to his master's enemies. Now his target was the famous swordsman of his homeland, Okita Souji.
Seeing the appearance of the Balance Breaker Zankoku, the Demon Lord regained his rationality. He couldn't let his emotions take control when he needed to quickly deal with Kiyoshi here and then go after Rizevim.
— Aren't you afraid of the consequences of your cooperation with the Khaos Brigade? Shinto will become a target for the entire alliance.
— You were already planning to declare us accomplices of terrorists, — the blond merely shrugged at the accusations. — I simply decided to make your words true. And… — Kiyoshi's smile became bloodthirsty, — first, you need to survive today. After that, no one will have the strength or desire to do anything to my faction.
The blond's words did not please Lucifer at all, but the time for words had passed. Sirzechs decided to finish off the dangerous half-breed Phenex at all costs. The power of destruction bubbled up inside him, turning the red-haired man's body into the very embodiment of his bloodline.
— Wow! You're not being petty, — Kiyoshi's frivolous tone did not hide the tension in his voice as he repeated his opponent's actions. — I can do that too.
The two elementals of their elements stared at each other for a moment, and the next moment, shockwaves spread from their collision. Zankoku did not want to risk Gram, so he used condensed flames in the form of a sword, but he could not withstand the confrontation of destructive power. Phoenix had to constantly add new fire so as not to be left unarmed.
Any tricks and tricks of the blond could not withstand a clash with the bloodline of Bael. Sirzechs was rightfully called the strongest user of the power of destruction. Sensing another loss of connection, a sphere of Demon Lord power spread out from the Demon Lord. At this moment, Zankoku was too close to the demon and was unable to completely avoid the unusual attack.
— You actually managed to destroy my arm, — the phoenix looked at the stump that could not regenerate in shock. — Truly a terrifying power.
— I'm done! Ha-ha-ha! — Euclid's excited cry rang out in the heat of battle, attracting everyone's attention. — My men did it! — The demon glared at his partner. — Sirzechs is the last living Gremory.
— What?! — These words seemed absurd, but the Khaos Brigade had done many absurd things so far. — I don't believe it!
— The games are over, Sirzechs. — Kiyoshi summoned his new spear to his remaining hand. He couldn't hold back any longer. Lucifer's last attack could have caused irreparable damage and Euclid's cry coincided with the moment of True Longinus's summoning. — Even if your power resists my fire, it won't save you from the spear.
Zankoku's figure shone brightly from the light power that overflowed him. The fate of the strongest devil was cut short in a split second. He didn't even realize how the strongest holy mechanism pierced his head, tearing it apart.
— Are you okay? — the happy mage asked, flying up to his accomplice. — You don't look so good.
— It's nothing, — the phoenix waved it off, ordering him to pounce on the last surviving "Knight." — It will take time and you will have to spend a lot of energy, but your arm will recover. Better tell me: will your beloved sister feel her freedom?
— Yes. Grayfia will feel the contract disappear and begin her part.
— Excellent. You can go and act according to the plan, and I will deal with Lucifer's capricious son.