Chapter 7 - Life. 6 (2)

Timeline – Pre-Volume 6

Tales of the Devil Civil War 2

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Part 3 – Those Who Surpass the Satans

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Underworld

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Approximately 6 months have passed since the civil war broke out between the current government of the Satan's families and the Resistance formed under the command of the House of the Great King Bael and Grand Duke Agares.

The battles were one-sided in the beginning, but with the participation of Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, Falbium and Asteri on the Resistance's side, things started to change dramatically.

Since those five with incredible powers began to take the lead of the troops, the balance began to change. Meanwhile, a battle that could determine the outcome of this civil war was taking place in the former domain of the now extinct Gusion clan.

The Gusion territory, abandoned long ago, had become nothing more than ruins, and was now a habitat for wild beasts. In the sky, two powerful devils faced each other in combat. They were the Resistance's Ace, Ajuka Astaroth, and the Royal Army's Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan, daughter of Satan Leviathan.

In the center of Gusion territory, Ajuka's troops were engaged in battle with the Leviathan's troops. After taking down all of her generals, Ajuka's forces had driven Tsufaame to a corner.

Forced into this position, Tsufaame decided to go out onto the battlefield and confront Ajuka herself and his troops.

"Ajuka!!" she screamed and launched powerful demonic attacks towards the young man and his troops.

Ajuka and his troops remained calm, as all of them knew Ajuka could easily counter Tsufaame.

"Retreat, I will face her myself," he told his troops. None of them argued and they immediately retreated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ajuka and Tsufaame unleashed powerful demonic attacks at each other in the middle of the sky. Tsufaame extended her 12 bat-wings from her back and then began to generate a large amount of water that formed from her aura that was coming from her hands.

The Leviathan clan possessed the ability called [Sea Serpent of the End] or also known as [Sea Serpent Dragon Tail]. It could control the oceans of the human realm and was powerful enough to cause massive chaos. But it's rumored that the power could not be used to its full potential due to the fact that the Underworld lacked oceans.

Tsufaame was still the daughter of Satan Leviathan, so the power within her and the talents she possessed made her the best of her generation.

Even without oceans in the Underworld, the water she generated with her immense aura was able to completely defeat High-class devils, and even those above them, the Ultimate-class devils, or so she thought.

With enough water to floor an entire city, Tsufaame caused several supernatural phenomena and tried to raise a wall of water that pointed at Ajuka. She held a grin the entire time, thinking she was superior to him.

However, the young man floated in the same spot, without ever changing his expression...he was bored, or rather, disappointed at the level of power displayed by Tsufaame.

'I expected more from a descendant since they always bragged about it...I guess Sirzechs and to an extent, Asteri are the only ones that can make me go serious...' he thought while looking at Tsufaame.

The water squirmed and spun as if it were conscious, forming numerous spears and they began attacking Ajuka from all directions! Likewise, powerful marine-type beasts, such as giant fish, snakes and even titans were formed and also attacked him.

Normally, these would be enough to wipe out an army of millions, or even tens of millions of soldiers. However, none of these attacks were effective against Ajuka, who managed to incapacitate each of her attacks with a small magic circle.

The wall of water that was heading towards him immediately became mist and evaporated. He effortlessly dodged the many spears thrown at him. Even the beasts that attacked him suddenly acted as if they had lost their heads and sank back into the water.

The water magic of Tsufaame was capable of swallowing an army of ten million, but Ajuka easily destroyed it.

"Tch!" she clicked her tongue out of frustration.

Tsufaame was speechless at what she had just witnessed. Ajuka was very young and had not even lived a hundred years yet. However, he had managed to disable the attacks of the daughter of a Satan, who intended to take the throne in the coming generation. This was done only using a single magic circle!

A soft and low aura covered Ajuka's body. All his magic came out of a small magic circle he created in his hand.

Tsufaame's attacks were immediately identified by Ajuka, who analyzed the various supernatural events created by Tsufaame and formed several formulas and applied them to multiple equations. This defused each of the attacks she launched at him.

It sounded simple, but there had never been anyone with enough power to face Tsufaame before. If you made a single mistake, then all would have been lost. However, Ajuka encumbered Tsufaame's attacks. Satan Leviathan's daughter was injured and was losing her breath.

This was due to the fact that Ajuka had used her own magic against herself. Her own magical attacks were not only used against her, but Ajuka also calculated in such a way that she herself could not escape them! And since Ajuka calculated this magic very efficiently, its effectiveness increased dramatically.

Ajuka controlled Tsufaame's magic even better than she did, which made her feel humiliated.

'No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!' she screamed in her head.

Each time she attacked him, the Satan's daughter was forced to face the defects of her own magical attacks, and for that reason she suffered self-inflicted damage.

She looked at Ajuka with rage, and she remembered that her opponent was from a much lower-class family than hers.

She finally shouted as she wiped the blood that dripped from the edge of her mouth, "You insignificant devil! You belong to a lower-class family in the 72 pillars! You shouldn't be this powerful!"

Ajuka just shrugged and replied, "It looks like this insignificant devil of a lower-class family of the 72 pillars is leaving you in dire straits, isn't he?"

This angered Tsufaame even more. "Damn you! Take this!"

With her fury at its highest point, Tsufaame released an even more powerful aura, enveloping herself in a dark-blue aura. Her body suddenly began to grow bigger and bigger and took on a new shape little by little.

In front of Ajuka, a giant floating water dragon appeared, a serpent-shaped dragon. It was big and long. This serpent-shaped dragon was the true form of the Leviathan.

An indescribable aura emanated from Tsufaame's dragon-shaped body. She opened her mouth and fired a giant dark-blue ball of demonic aura! She fired not just once, but several times!

Those balls of dark-blue aura were violent and would be very fatal if they hit you, but Ajuka remained calm like always and started his strategy to defeat it.

Every aura blast fired at him was deflected and they all flew in different directions. Behind Ajuka the deflected auras generated massive explosions. Tsufaame's dragon eyes were startled.

"Impossible! This...this can't be happening!!"

In even more fury, Tsufaame raised her abilities to the maximum and decided to go all out. She fired another ball of aura at Ajuka. This attack and its explosion would have ended an entire army of a million with one blow. However, she didn't even tickle the devil who was floating in front of her.

Looking at his own magic circle with the same calm expression, Ajuka commented, "I think it worked? I've never fought anyone in your generation before, so I didn't know what was going to happen, but..." He looked at her in disappointment.

"Are you...are you really a devil from the Astaroth family?! You are not even a descendant of any of the Satan!" she asked in rage.

"This power would make a lot more sense if I were a lost son of one of the ancient Satan's, but unfortunately for you, I am a legitimate member of the Astaroth family."

Tsufaame's face paled and let out a voice filled with fear in response, "L-liar! How can this level of power come from such a low and weak bloodline?!"

Ajuka himself did not even understand his own existence. Since Ajuka was born, everything he had accomplished had been remarkable, and the Astaroth family had falsified Ajuka's achievements in order to keep the Satan's families from noticing him.

As mentioned earlier, even in combat, the only ones who could rival his powers were Sirzechs, Serafall, Falbium, Asteri and Grayfia. In fact, only Sirzechs and Asteri were the ones who could engage in serious combat with him.

So in his mind, he thought that a Satan's daughter could finally pose a challenge to him beyond Sirzechs and Asteri. But...Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan was a disappointment. Boring even.

However, Ajuka kept these thoughts to himself. The battle he was in was a battle that would determine the fate of the Underworld. Exposing your own thinking would reveal your childlike interior, so he decided against it.

But even so...he believed that he would finally be able to prove his true strength, and he had been looking forward to this battle. Alas, he let out a sigh and asked Tsufaame, "Now, Tsufaame-oujou-sama. What are you going to do next? I could forgive you if you surrendered this instant. But if you choose to resist, then I will have to, well..."

Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan who had been fearful just a few seconds ago became enraged once more and in response she said, "I, the daughter of the Satan Leviathan will never surrender to people like you! You piece of garbage!!"

Ajuka smiled. Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan did not expect that. In Ajuka's opinion, it was the right choice for a member of Satan's family who possessed class, reputation and honor.

He opened a magic circle in front of him, and in a calm voice spoke the last words that the Satan Leviathan's daughter would hear, "I see, I'm sorry, but the Underworld doesn't need you."

Boooooooooom!!

That day, the battle ended with Ajuka's clear and indisputable victory over Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan.

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Lucifaad

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At the headquarters of the royal family, it didn't take long before they received word of what had happened in the old Gusion territory.

The troops of Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan had been annihilated, and Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan-sama had been killed in combat! A Satan's daughter was killed by a low-class devil!

Unable to hide their surprise at this incredible news, headquarters agents visited the silver-haired Deputy Commander, Rizevim Livan Lucifer.

The agents said to Lucifer's son in a horrified and nervous tone, "R-Rizevim-sama, Tsufaame-sama has been defeated and killed..."

Rizevim Livan Lucifer yawned nonchalantly in response, "...Whooooaaa..." and while scratching his ear with his finger, he spoke in a bored tone, "Oh, right. Eh, it happens from time-to-time, I guess?"

The agents were puzzled by Rizevim's carefree response. Lucifer's descendant looked at the tactical map that was below him. It was obvious to him that the tactical map had been redrawn after Tsufaame's defeat.

Rizevim got up and declared, "I think this is enough." He then turned his back on them to leave.

"Ri-Rizevim-sama! W-where are you going?" they asked in confusion.

Rizevim answered him without looking back at them and said, "I will leave the rest to you. I'm heading home to sleep until this is over."

"W-what...?"

"In any case, I wish you all the best of luck! Bye~"

Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the one and only son of Satan Lucifer...had no interest in the war since the very beginning. He was encouraged by the Lucifuge family to remain at the headquarters, which he accepted as a gesture of good will.

However, when he heard the news about Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan's defeat, he felt that his duty to 'just be there' had been fulfilled. He decided to go home because he was bored.

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The Resistance army which had just defeated Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan and her army used the momentum of their victory to head for the capital city, Lucifaad.

On the other hand, there was another region where a battle had become quite dangerous.

In the territory of the now extinct Valefor clan, the Resistance troops led by Serafall Sitri were about to corner the son of the Satan Asmodeus, Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus and his troops, thanks to her overwhelming power.

But the situation suddenly changed when a powerful ally came to help Asmodeus! The army of the six families that descended from Lucifer, led by the future Silver-haired Queen of Annihilation, Grayfia Lucifuge had decided to join the fight and the Royal Army regained their strength to fight.

Grayfia Lucifuge positioned herself at the front lines to deal with Serafall Sitri, who, with her demonic ice power was dominating the first-rate troops of the Royal Army all by herself.

Boom! Boom!

Two powerful female devils on both sides of the army fought each other to the death using powerful demonic power, aura, and magic for the next few days. No one could even come close to them to help.

"I'll freeze you to death, Grayfia!!" screamed Serafall.

Serafall with her immense magical ability instantly froze her surroundings. Grayfia Lucifuge also used her aura to destroy the ice world that Serafall had created. Even one of Serafall's strongest attacks was unable to freeze her. The worst thing she could do to Grayfia was make her breath a bit harder.

"Serafall, I suggest you stop wasting your demonic reserves since it seems that your magic can only freeze opponents with the same violent tendencies as you. It's quite tedious trying to cancel it, really," said Grayfia calmly.

Serafall began to get frustrated as her aura and attacks were practically useless against the descendant of the Lucifuge clan.

Serafall and Grayfia found themselves at a standstill. Their attacks and powers enveloped the area that they were in, and they cancelled each other out. Nothing was going to change unless one of them lets their guard down, or an ally joins one of them.

"Grayfia! If you hadn't joined their side, freezing and killing Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus would have been easy!!" Shouted Serafall in frustration.

However, Grayfia said calmly, "I am a descendant of the Lucifuge family. I wouldn't dare join your side."

"I thought we were friends!"

"Me too, however, this was inevitable," she answered calmly.

Serafall gritted her teeth and the two of them continued their clash in the sky for the next several days. Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus had been watching these two monstrous female devils clash from a distance.

"What the hell is wrong with these two? How is it possible for two devils that aren't from the Satan's bloodline to have power of this caliber? It's unthinkable, it shouldn't be possible...!" he said to himself silently.

Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus was stunned by the demonstration of those two devil's powers. The battle between them was so destructive that even Damaidosu, the son of the Satan Asmodeus couldn't participate in the battle.

10 days had passed and the undecided battle between the two women on the front lines continued. Neither side could approach due to the ferocity of the battle. Both women had cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Even with both of them panting, they refused to back down.

But this was until a powerful demonic attack flew between the two. Both turned to see who had sent the attack, and were surprised to see a young man with crimson hair, and a woman with red-blonde hair.

They were Sirzechs Gremory and Asteri Bael.

Both Sirzechs and Asteri had been in their own battles for the past few days. However, after Ajuka's victory, they were called back and sent to help Serafall. Ajuka and his troops had been assigned to a different area. Sirzechs was originally going to be sent there, but they saw Serafall had been battling a Lucifuge, and they saw it fit to dispatch these two.

"Sirzechs, Asteri?! What are you doing here?" Serafall's tone was a mix of joy, relief, and frustration.

"It's a long story..." Sirzechs answered her, then turned his attention to Grayfia.

"Grayfia!" called out Asteri.

Grayfia's expression showed signs of pain for a brief moment, but she quickly recovered, and her expression returned to one of an enemy hardened by battle.

She then said, "Sirzechs Gremory and Asteri Bael. I see that you came...if that's the case, I won't hold back anymore, and use everything I have even if it's against the both of you."

Now that both Sirzechs' army and Asteri's army had arrived, the Royal Army and Grayfia were forced to withdraw temporarily. At least half of the territory of Valefor is now covered in ice from the battle between the two female devils.

Sirzechs, Serafall and Asteri spoke at a camp that was built for the Resistance army. Serafall who was famished and thirsty was scoffing down both food and water. However, she briefly stopped to speak with them.

"Hey, Sirzechs, I'm sure you've heard about it, about Ajuka..."

"Yes, he defeated Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan-sama, the daughter of Satan Leviathan," replied Sirzechs with a slight proud smile.

"Mmm, leave it to Ajuka to do something like that. We should not be surprised," said Asteri.

Serafall had not seen Sirzechs and Asteri since the beginning of the war, but she realized that his expressions and mannerisms had become cold. The calm and gentle prince of the Gremory family had adopted an expression of determination to win this civil war at all costs.

Unlike Ajuka and Serafall, who had already agreed to participate in the civil war before THAT day came, Sirzechs was completely determined to participate after what had happened to the boys and girls in his choir. What the Satan's family had done was something he couldn't forgive. The same can be said for Asteri.

In truth, she was on the verge of joining Ajuka and Serafall. However, what pushed her to the edge was seeing those children dead, and her fiancé's sadness and rage. She saw those children like they were her little brothers and sisters, so seeing them like that was too much.

However, their last friend Falbium had not changed much since the war started. Currently, he was planning an ambush for the Resistance's army.

Serafall then narrowed her eyes at Sirzechs and said, "You still use honorifics with the Satan's families, why?"

In the Resistance, there were young and energetic soldiers who wanted to overthrow the government and provoke a revolution in the Underworld. However, there were also those who still loved and respected the Satan's families. They were also concerned about the future of the Underworld due to their cruel treatment, and so that's why they were fighting unwillingly in the Resistance.

Which of these positions does Sirzechs identify with the most? With eyes that reflect nothing but pain, Sirzechs responded to Serafall's words.

"Even if we are fighting against them, showing respect to those who have the blood of the Satan's should be something ingrained into us devils. Even if we are on the verge of killing them, and winning against them."

Suddenly a magic circle appeared beside Asteri, and she spoke to someone through it. She nodded her head a few times and it disappeared.

"Is something wrong, Asteri?" Sirzechs asked slightly worried.

"I will leave Grayfia and the Satan's descendant to you two, I have a battle of my own to attend to," she told them and began to leave.

But before they could ask questions, Asteri left.

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Lucifaad

Nebiros Institution

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There, walking in the hallway with a pale face was the head of one of the six families that descended from Lucifer, the Sargatanas clan. The leader of the Sargatanas clan entered the deepest part of the laboratory, with access restricted to authorized personnel only.

He headed there to meet with the head of the Nebiros clan and the director of the institute, Zaorama Nebiros. As soon as he entered the room, he felt a horrible aura and pressure and the leader of the Sargatanas clan began to sweat.

In fact, he had felt this terrifying aura before. Zaorama Nebiros came around as if sensing Sargatanas' presence.

"Ah, it's you. I was about to release one of them as proof of execution."

In front of him was one of the stone statues they had found in the underground remains about a year ago. The [Malebranche]. The relic that was sealed inside the underground remains, rather, it was the weapon that should never be awakened.

Zaorama Nebiros had placed the stone statue on several layers of anti-curse magic circles drawn on the ground. Sargatanas realized that this man intended to awaken the [Malebranche].

Zaorama Nebiros asked the leader of the Sargatanas clan, "Did you bring any news on that subject?"

"Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan-sama has died in combat, and things don't look so good. There are some forces that are returning to the battle, but I doubt that can stop those on the Resistance's side," replied Sargatanas.

Those he referred to were Sirzechs Gremory, Ajuka Astaroth, Serafall Sitri, Falbium Glasya-Labolas and Asteri Bael. Among them, Sirzechs Gremory and Ajuka Astaroth were the 'carriers of transcendental power'. Asteri Bael was also a candidate, but in the diary of Lucifer, he was unsure.

Ajuka Astaroth had killed Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan, daughter of the Satan Leviathan, while Sirzech Gremory and Asteri Bael wiped out Beelzebub's troops, who had been called the strongest troops in the Royal Army.

Furthermore, they had to stop Serafall Sitri by using Grayfia Lucifuge who also possessed that monstrous strength in the army of Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus just to delay them.

They tried to change course, but with the arrival of Sirzechs and Asteri, Damaidosu's army could not afford to let their guard down anymore.

This was caused by Falbium Glasya-Labolas at the Resistance's headquarters, who took the initiative and put those three in that position. He knew of their strengths and trusted them to pull through.

Upon hearing this, Zaorama Nebiros smiled. He had no interest in the state of the civil war. Since his birth, he was the type of devil who had never been interested beyond his own research.

Suddenly, he started talking to the stone statue placed in the anti-curse magic circles.

"Apparently, the state of the war is not so favorable. Could you do anything about it? Considering what I told you before? Deputy Commander of the [Malebranche], Lord Barbariccia?"

The head of the Sargatanas clan was watching Zaorama Nebiros, who was talking to the stone statue with suspicious eyes. However, suddenly and to his surprise the statue began to speak.

[Good. I don't know the magnitude of this war, but as long as we maintain this state, there are limits to what we can do.]

Sargatanas couldn't maintain his surprise. Zaorama Nebiros had already awakened one of the [Malebranche]! The stone statue, the Deputy Commander of the [Malebranche], Barbariccia!

Barbariccia said, [However, I can try something interesting. Could you release another one of us temporarily as you are doing with me now? That way I can show you a little bit of our power. Is there anyone in particular who resents his own lack of power?]

A wide grin spread across Zaorama Nebiros' face in response to the statue's words, and then he took a document out and showed him a name he had a particular interest in.

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The confrontation between the army of Sirzechs Gremory and Serafall Sitri on the Resistance's side, and the army of Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus, and Grayfia Lucifuge on the government's side had been ongoing for a couple of days now.

The land, nature, and landscape of the former Valefor territory suffered serious damage. On the front line, where both sides were battling, Serafall and Grayfia were having another bout.

Grayfia pushed back Serafall's immense aura of ice back and said, "They're not attacking me with Sirzechs."

Serafall, while instantly freezing Grayfia's silver-colored aura replied with, "We held off for a couple of days, but we won't hesitate anymore! Even I don't know what Sirzechs will do!"

Serafall had no idea who sent Sirzechs here, whether it was Falbium or the Great King's family. However, it was quite obvious how distressed Sirzechs and Asteri were about their broken friendship with Grayfia, and not only them, but also Serafall, Ajuka and even the lazy Falbium.

Perhaps they were using this as an opportunity for Grayfia to let her guard down? Serafall didn't know but they knew that Grayfia saw Sirzechs as a man that would change the Underworld when he became the head of the Gremory clan.

Maybe they planned for Sirzechs to convince Grayfia to join the Resistance, or capture her in a moment of weakness? However, there were many meaningless aspects to that strategy. But there was one thing that was certain: The opportunity for Sirzechs to take Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus's head, while Serafall took care of Grayfia.

Serafall was busy dealing with and distracting Grayfia, but in the distance, you could see multiple huge attacks exploding in the distance, which indicated another battle was ongoing.

'You better get his head today, Sirzechs,' Serafall thought to herself as she continued to exchange powerful attacks with her rival.

Meanwhile, on the battle on the front line where Sirzechs fought, the situation was getting more and more intense. The man was controlling a number of disks created from his [Power of Destruction], exterminating thousands of soldiers from the enemy forces in an instant.

If he truly wished, he could have easily eliminated ten times the number of troops without much effort. Sirzechs' power far surpassed all the limitations of a regular devil. Just when he was about to reach the base of Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus, someone blocked Sirzechs' path.

"..."

It was Grayfia's younger brother, Euclid Lucifuge. He was the one who stopped in front of Sirzechs and began to release a hostile aura towards him. With a hateful and murderous gaze, he gazed at Sirzechs.

Sirzechs then said, "So it's you, Euclid. Please get out of here now, and I won't hurt you."

Sirzechs showed his sympathetic side. He hadn't become so cold and unfeeling to just murder Grayfia's younger brother without warning. However, Euclid interpreted these words of kindness wrongly.

At the moment, the young man had been overwhelmed with anger as he had stopped in front of Sirzechs. He then said with rage, "I see...I see! You're not even going to take me seriously, are you?! You truly are despicable!"

"I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to avoid fighting you."

"I knew it! You think you're superior to me! I'm the next head of the Lucifuge clan, you know?! I am as capable as my sister!"

In a fit of rage, he rushed towards Sirzechs, covering himself in a powerful demonic aura. He then fired multiple attacks at Sirzechs. The quality and quantity were comparable to that of an Ultimate-class devil, however...

It was too much for Euclid at the moment, because each time he attacked, he injured himself, and his hands started to bleed and deteriorate. His power was too much for his body at the time.

Sirzechs freely maneuvered disks created from his [Power of Destruction], and nullified each and every one of Euclid's attacks. Sirzechs didn't care at all about the attacks of Grayfia's little brother, a boy that was said to be a prodigy.

However, Euclid was delighted. He was a very intelligent young man after all, and he understood how powerful Sirzechs was compared to himself, but still, his face contorted in response to this and his expression was full of anger.

"I don't want to continue this fight. You are Grayfia's younger brother..." said Sirzechs in a sad tone.

"Don't you dare mention my sister's name! Damn you, Gremory!!" Euclid bellowed out.

However, Sirzechs disappeared quietly, and reappeared behind Euclid and quickly hit the base of his neck with the palm of his hand, knocking him unconscious.

Seeing Euclid unconscious on the ground, Sirzechs sighed at the foolishness of Grayfia's younger brother. A dangerous aura resided within the young Lucifuge. If they let him carry on like this, Euclid may try to address his hatred for Sirzechs or his family in the future once he becomes the next head.

Even still...if that were the case in the future, Sirzechs would still not be able to kill Euclid. He was Grayfia's beloved younger brother; however, Sirzechs also began to perceive Euclid as a poorly raised little brother.

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When he began to try to take Euclid to safety, Sirzechs felt an aura of enormous proportions being aimed at him. He roamed around to find a young boy who he was familiar with. He was the same young man from the Beelzebub family that he met when he was 17 years old and when he participated in the 'Devil's Youth Meeting'.

At the time, he had tortured the young heir to the Oriax's family. It was then that he and Sirzechs started to fight, but that was not the only reason that connected them both. The young Beelzebub, with his pale blue face smiled slightly at him.

He then said, "It's been a while, redhead."

He and Sirzechs had recently met on the battlefield. He controlled part of the main battalion of the Beelzebub army, and fought Sirzechs rather recently. The result was...an absolute victory for Sirzechs' army, and the main battalion of Beelzebub had been annihilated by Sirzechs alone.

At the time, it was as if the young Beelzebub had fled to save his own life, but now he was facing Sirzechs with a very sinister smile.

Furthermore, Sirzechs did not recognize the intensely frightening aura and pressure that was now coming out of him. With the same frightening smile on his face, he lazily looked at Sirzechs and said, "You made a fool out of me back then, and even humiliated me a few decades ago...Gremory trash. You're annoying do you know that? You're a personal enemy of the Beelzebub."

His aura suddenly expanded, and at the same time, his body began to change. The young Beelzebub's body shook violently as it expanded, distorted and divided. Soon his body had become so huge that he had lost his devil form. It had become completely different.

What happened in front of Sirzechs was a monster in the shape of a giant fly, some 50 meters in height. It had more than 10 legs, not only those of an insect, but also those of a beast with claws and other different legs.

The wings on its back included not only those of an insect, but also those of birds and dragons. To put it in simple terms, it was a chimera or cryptid in the shape of a fly.

"Gishaaaaaaaaghhh!!!"

He screamed. It seemed like he had lost all of his conscience or intelligence. The fly-shaped chimera began to generate a dense black mist all over its body, then when the vegetation in the soil came into contact with this mist, it disintegrated instantly, corroding even the soil that surrounded it.

'Poison, and a very dangerous one!' Sirzechs thought to himself.

He was about to launch an attack, but he realized that the poisonous mist would reach Euclid, who was still unconscious, as well as his own allied troops.

He took Euclid and fled the area to warn the rest. The deadly haze of the fly-shaped chimera would drastically change the course of this war.

Watching the course of the events from a distant precipice was Zaorama Nebiros. When he saw that the giant fly beast spread the black mist over the wide area, he spoke with an excited tone, "So this is the power of one of the [Malebranche], Scarmiglione!"

Zaorama Nebiros had set his eyes on a particular young man from the Beelzebub family who was included on the list. He wished for power since he had been deeply humiliated after losing twice to a noble prince he had despised, and Zaorama knew that he could accept this experiment without hesitation.

Zaorama Nebiros prepared the other statue, Scarmiglione of the [Malebranche], extracted some of its power, and gave it to the young Beelzebub. The result after accepting only a small portion of the [Malebranche's] power was he became that disgusting monstrosity!

The [Malebranche] were living weapons that the Four Satans built using the crystals they found excavating on the floating island of Agreas. They said it was made using the references to the [Sacred Gears] made by the God of the Bible. This was the devil's version of the [Sacred Gear], which had both body and conscience.

These artifacts were to be feared, but could also be used in other ways. Just like the [Sacred Gears], they could take on the form of a combat gear when the wielder chooses to use it that way. Therefore, the Four Satans referred to the [Malebranche] as [Demonic Living Weapons].

However, this time they only borrowed a small portion of their power, but Zaorama Nebiros spoke to Barbariccia through a magic circle.

"I think I understand how the Satans felt. This power is certainly dangerous, yet very intoxicating..."

Zaorama Nebiros could not hide his smile when he learned this as a researcher.

Barbariccia then said, [However, it is not the right time yet, since the planned scenario has not come forth, and only then will we be able to use our full power and potential. The ones we wish to truly fight at our peak, are the [Longinus] and their wielders.]

♦♦♦♦

In a different part of the Underworld, Asteri Bael stood in front of another Royal Army led by an unknown devil. She had been quite surprised to see them. To her, this clan had long since been extinct.

'Did they go into hiding then…?' she thought while looking silently at him. "Who are you?" she asked the devil in front of her.

The male devil smiled at her and bowed before introducing himself. "I am Archeros Viné, the last surviving member of the Viné Clan. I was forced into hiding after the Great War after all of my clan perished."

'The Viné clan…I have only heard of things about them through reading books, however, those books did not tell me of what kind of ability they possess, and since he's part of the government's side…'

"Fuuu…I am Asteri Bael. We're on different sides, so…"

Asteri thrust her right arm to the side and created a magic circle. She had a confident smile on her face as a sword slowly came out of the circle. She then brandished it while changing into a stance. The sword was of crimson color and shone like the sun of the human world.

"A sword? And a Bael? Did you not inherit the [Power of Destruction] of the Great King?" he asked a bit incredulously.

However, Asteri's smile turned into a smirk, and her body was quickly covered in an orange-blonde aura.

Doom!

"Huhu, I do indeed have the [Power of Destruction], but unlike most, mine is just a bit different," she said with a wink.

Within her aura, if you look closely enough, you can see small star-shaped objects. The uniqueness of Asteri Bael's [Power of Destruction] was on par with Sirzechs, however, she was not born as a mass of [Power of Destruction] like her fiancé. But she was born special too.

However, as Asteri did not like to fight, she very rarely resorted to this. However, since war was inevitable, she started her training again, along with her friends and fiancé. She had become an even better fighter, however, she had not reached her potential of being called a [Transcendental]. But she was above Falbium, Grayfia and Serafall, but below Sirzechs and Ajuka.

Asteri fed the sword with her own [Power of Destruction] and it then released an even stronger aura making Archeros and his army back away. The 'stars' within her [Power of Destruction] possessed their own power. She had no idea where it came from, nor did her parents. However, if combined with her sword [Maellartach], and her [Power of Destruction]…her power levels would be on par with her fiancé, for short bursts of time.

Asteri Bael, the current Ace and prodigy of the Bael clan, was favored by all. Even Zekram Bael...it was quite strange for him to let go of her that easily.

"Huhu…now then, show me a good time will you, gentlemen?"

[The Star of Bael] would be called [The Star of Gremory] in the far future, and of course, [The Star of Destruction] after this event.

Boooooooooom!!!

♦♦♦♦

Lucifaad

♦♦♦♦

In the capital city of Lucifaad, there was a large residential district where the Satan's families lived. Access to this district was only allowed to members of the royal families and their affiliates.

In the area where vast luxury estates were found was Lucifer's enormous castle. Preparing to move from the castle was Lucifer's son, Rizevim Livan Lucifer. He was getting his son, Razevan to help him pack his things for the move.

In the midst of this, a visitor arrived at the castle of Lucifer. In the large room on the first floor, Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub, wearing black armor met with Rizevim.

The two of them had known each other since childhood. However, they weren't exactly friends, but as the sons of Satan Lucifer and Beelzebub, they had to know each other, whether they liked it or not.

Rizevim smiled and greeted the arrival of Bidleid, who was the current ruler of the Underworld.

"Yo, Bidleid!"

"Rizevim...I heard you are going to leave Lucifaad," said Bidleid without showing much emotion.

To this, Rizevim laughed bitterly. "Did you come here to see me off? Well, I just have no interest in this civil war. But it also looks like you came here to scold me. You are going to lose, you know? Your class, power, land, everything will be taken from you. Your pride will also be called into question, and you'll end up crying about it, you know?" said Rizevim with a smirk on his face.

However, Bidleid smirked back at him and nodded. "Yes, you are correct. I will probably lose everything."

Rizevim looked at Bidleid with a questioning gaze.

"However, you still want to continue? Did you inherit that stupid pride from your father?" asked Rizevim.

Bidleid, without acknowledging or denying what Rizevim said to him, "...Rizevim, if you really wanted to, you could beat the Resistance's army, the angels, the fallen angels and even other mythological deities. I know that evil resides within you."

"Why do you have to say such unpleasant things? But...it doesn't sound like you're trying to persuade me with compliments, so what do you want?"

Bidleid sighed and looked away. After thinking for a few moments he turned back to Rizevim.

"There are devils at your side who outnumber the Satans. Even in the human realm, the [Sacred Gears System], left behind by the God of the Bible continues to function. The number of Longinus wielders also seems to be increasing. These things are still happening even after the 'Great Existence', as described in the sacred texts was destroyed. No one...no one can stop these flow of events from happening now," said Bidleid in a rigid tone of voice.

He looked seriously at Rizevim and asked, "Do you remember?"

"Remember?" repeated Rizevim, confused.

"I had that dream when we were young..."

"Oh, that dumb crap? Haha! What was it again? About a revered hero of all factions and pantheons? I laughed quite hard about it, you know?" said Rizevim with a snort.

Ignoring that, Bidleid continued.

"In the distant future, even if you dedicate all your power to this...this flow, this entity will probably—no, it will definitely defeat you."

"Hahaha! What is this about? I have no idea if you're warning me or threatening me. After all, I own a very powerful power...the [Sacred Gear Canceler]."

Bidleid shook his head, and their conversation ended there. Bidleid turned his back and left the place. However, Rizevim then shouted a few words at Bidleid's back.

"Well, I hope you enjoy a meaningless death too!"

This was just a momentary conversation that took place in the capital city of Lucifaad. Meanwhile, the civil war between the government of the Satan's families and the Resistance was drawing to a close...

♦♦♦♦

Part 4 – The Birth of Sirzechs Lucifer and Rias Gremory

♦♦♦♦

Booooooooooooooooooom!

"W-what the—a star? A jeez, is it Asteri?!" Serafall shouted as she dodged an attack from Grayfia.

"It seems so, she must have faced a powerful foe," said Grayfia as she also dodged an attack from Serafall.

"You know that's impossible, right?"

To that question, Grayfia just smirked. Toward the far horizon was a large explosion in the shape of a star; it was so massive and powerful that they could feel its shockwave from where they were. Serafall could feel where Asteri was, and the distance between her and Asteri was quite significant.

To compare it, it was like the distance from Hawaii, all the way to Ireland, if you travelled west to east. That's how strong the shockwave was for it to reach them...and they weren't the only ones who felt it.

♦♦♦♦

The battle between the Royal Army and the Resistance army that was taking place in the former territory of Valefor was going out of control thanks to the sudden appearance of the mysterious fly-shaped chimera.

The poisonous dark mist that the beast exuded from its body gradually spread across the battlefield, raining down on the soldiers who were fighting there.

"Gaaah!"

"Nnggaaah!!"

Those who inhaled or came into contact with the poison began to suffocate and soon blood welled up from every hole in their bodies until they finally exploded.

The destroyed bodies of those who breathed in the toxic substance also became deadly poison themselves, contaminating the vast battlefield at an alarming rate.

The chimera fly just had to move and breathe for the poison to spread. If someone attacked, their flesh would explode and their blood would also splash everywhere. The blood itself would also become poisonous.

The chimera fly spread its deadly poison among the troops on both sides, causing massive destruction. Meanwhile, Sirzechs Gremory took the unconscious Euclid Lucifuge and entered one of the frontline bases of the Royal Army in the old territory of Valefor, the Lucifuge army base.

"Wha—It's Sirzechs Gremory!" one of them shouted a bit startled.

"What do we do?!" another asked in a panic.

The arrival of one of the Aces of the enemy army had stirred the emotions of the troops of the Royal Army, but they remained steadfast, and even aimed their spears at them. In spite of Euclid Lucifuge being in his arms, the troops were puzzled by the situation.

Sirzechs then said to the troops, "Take me to Lord Lucifuge!" Sirzechs was then handcuffed and escorted by the command, the chief guard of the Lucifuge family.

"Was this monster sent by the Resistance?"

"I have never seen or heard of this monster before!"

"It looks like Lord Lucifuge went out to try to defeat the beast, but..."

"Yes, I heard he inhaled the poison and passed out."

Sirzechs heard these comments while being escorted by the troops and was forced to stop in front of the tent where the leader of the Lucifuge family was.

"Forgive me, my Lord! I have brought Sirzechs-sama!" a soldier said as he took Sirzechs inside the tent.

A coughing sound came from the tent and...

"Father!"

"Lord Lucifuge..."

A familiar voice came, it was Grayfia's voice, he also recognized another, it was Asteri...

'She already came back? But that explosion...' he thought.

Evidently, it looked like Grayfia had also come back to the base. One of the soldiers came into the tent and explained the situation. Soon after, Sirzechs heard the voice of a man telling him to come in.

The bed was occupied by a man with silver hair and a manly appearance, with Grayfia and Asteri on either side of him. The man appeared to be in severe pain, and right next to his pillow, he had a bloodstained towel.

Sirzechs looked at both Grayfia and Asteri. Grayfia had a complex expression on her face, but Sirzechs addressed and politely greeted the head of the Lucifuge clan.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lucifuge. My name is Sirzechs, the heir to the Gremory clan."

The leader of the House of Lucifuge raised his upper body and said to Sirzechs, "...The Crimson-haired Prince. I never thought I would meet you like this."

Sirzechs then said, "I would like to discuss this beast with you."

He proceeded on to explain the true identity of the fly-shaped chimera, and it was the transformation of the young Beelzebub. This made Lord Lucifuge deeply concerned.

"It's hard to believe...but the beast looks like a fly, and I can feel a remnant of the Beelzebub's aura...there are many factors that can make me believe in him strongly," said Lord Lucifuge in-between coughs.

As far as he could see from the troops' conversation, Lord Lucifuge had faced the chimera alone, inhaled the deadly poison, came back and passed out. That was probably what caused his current condition.

However, Sirzechs made a proposal.

"Please withdraw the troops. This beast does not care who it kills, be it the Resistance or the Royal family. It will try to take everyone's life. At this rate, officers and men from both sides will end up dead. If that monster spreads its poison outside this territory and in the urban districts where people live, the damage will be irreparable."

If he had made this proposal to the Satan's family, then it is unlikely they would have cared. This is because they would only care about their own territory and protecting themselves.

Lord Lucifuge thought for a moment and said, "Very well, I will inform the rest. What will you do?"

Sirzechs was grateful since he accepted his proposal. He was also grateful that Grayfia's father was a reasonable man. Finally, he destroyed the handcuffs with his [Power of Destruction].

He then said, "Asteri and I will also call the Resistance troops back. After that, I will defeat this thing alone," Sirzechs' eyes shone with determination.

♦♦♦♦

Eligos Territory

♦♦♦♦

At midnight, a state of emergency was declared at the headquarters of the Resistance. The line of defense that stood at the border of the former Eligos territory had been ambushed.

Although the attack occurred some distance away from the headquarters, the magnitude of the destruction could not be ignored. The troops, awakened by the commotion, took their weapons and prepared for an emergency attack.

One of the Resistance army officers entered the strategy room and asked the soldiers, "What force in the Royal Army ambushed us?"

"They confirmed the flags," responded one of the headquarters guards. "They came from the Agaliarept clan and the Fleurety clan, sir!"

At the head of the table was the commander of the Resistance army, the first Great King, Zekram Bael.

"Two of the six families that descended from Lucifer set up an ambush for us. There were about 200 soldiers. It must be an elite force."

Even under such a situation, Zekram Bael remained calm and spoke while rubbing his chin. "Normally, the six families would be protecting the perimeters of the capital Lucifaad, but now they ambushed us with an elite force of around 200 men? Interesting...how is it possible that we couldn't see them coming until they arrived at the border?"

He looked at Falbium Glasya-Labolas, "They probably hid in blind spots, in places that our troops passed by without noticing. What do you think, Falbium?"

Sitting next to him was Falbium Glasya-Labolas, who is the current advisor to the Resistance army. Although he had a perfect body, he had always been an unenthusiastic man. However, he was an indispensable figure who brought effective strategies to each battle.

Falbium said while scratching his head, "Umm, since the Eligos family was under the Fleurety's control during the Great War between the 3 factions, perhaps they knew of some secret passages that we did not know about. However, judging from their actions, it seems the strategist's intentions were useless, and they did not communicate well between them."

"The only people who would challenge the Beelzebub family's imperial order would be the six houses that descended from Lucifer, but normally the Lucifuge family would be there to stop it, and if that is not what happened, then something unexpected occurred...or they were so desperate that they had to take this big risk," he finished.

Zekram nodded at Falbium's words. He then asked Falbium, "Falbium, can you do something? The quickest way to resolve this situation is for you to do something."

Falbium lowered his shoulders in response to Zekram Bael's words and with a lazy expression he replied, "You mean this is the cheapest way, don't you? Well, I suppose that's the reason as to why I'm here after all. My goodness...this is complicated."

In addition to assisting the Resistance with strategy and tactics, Falbium Glasya-Labolas had another mission. He was the last resort in case the last line of defense at the Resistance's headquarters fell.

At the border of the former Eligos territory, about 200 Royal Army troops fired demonic attacks towards the Resistance troops who guarded the perimeter. It had two flags out of the six families that descended from Satan Lucifer, the Agaliarept clan and the Fleurety clan.

This elite force fired powerful demonic attacks that significantly damaged the Resistance army's defenses. They were supervised by the leaders of the Agaliarept clan and the Fleurety clan. The leaders then shouted at their troops.

"Take Zekram Bael's head, and with that we will change the tide of the war!"

"Fire!!"

"Ooooooghhh!!!"

The elite force was large, and fired endless demonic attacks. In the midst of all this, a devil with a titanium body slowly emerged from the Resistance's line of defense. The elite troops relentlessly fired their magic at the devil. Countless explosions and flames focused only on this figure and those attacks distorted his surroundings.

The ground folded and collapsed violently, and dust covered the space between the Resistance army and the Royal Army, blinding everything in sight. Finally, the dust settled and there he was, Falbium Glasya-Labolas, standing there, unharmed.

Seeing Falbium's unharmed state, the leaders of the Agaliarept clan and Fleurety clan were stunned, as were their troops.

"...Impossible! ...It can't be!"

Not only was the Royal Army stunned, so was the Resistance's army. They couldn't believe that Falbium was unharmed after receiving all of those attacks directed at him.

Falbium let out a sigh, scratched his head and said, "I'm sorry, that won't work."

Upon hearing those words, the Agaliarept's leader grinded his teeth in frustration. He then pointed his finger in front of him and once more shouted, "Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!!"

In order to avoid becoming the target of their leaders' anger, the Royal Army began firing powerful attacks continuously at Falbium, without stopping.

However, the orange aura that enveloped Falbium did not waver at all. None of the magic attacks that the elite force launched had any effect on him.

While under fire he murmured to himself, "Umm, I'm sure you've heard about me before. Well, I believe that I'm not as well known as Sirzechs..."

Falbium Glasya-Labolas was born with the [Absolute Defense] ability. He could, as the name suggests, block all kinds of attacks. Falbium's body was constantly enveloped in its aura. However, it becomes visible during combat, and it takes on an orange aura.

Neither a High-class devil, nor anyone with a higher rank can destroy Falbium's aura. Even the light of the angels and fallen angels which devils are usually weak against could not destroy it at all.

The only ones that Falbium knows so far that can bypass it are Sirzechs' [Power of Destruction], Asteri, Ajuka, Serafall, Grayfia, and Rizevim. But he can always regenerate it. Falbium acknowledged that if he fought Sirzechs, he would lose since he's better than him.

However, [Absolute Defense] was not his only ability. Even the lazy Falbium had created a technique by himself. Once the dust generated by the attacks of demonic power had dissipated, Falbium changed his orange aura and put himself in an offensive position.

It was then that Falbium realized, "Oh, right, no one has yet seen my offensive attack...I only showed it to my close friends as it sucks. Are people thinking of me as just a giant meat shield that only thinks about strategies? Is that why you thought you had a chance of beating me? Hmm..."

In his own selfish and lazy way, Falbium was thoughtful. "In any case, I suppose I will simply demonstrate that they are wrong about that," he said while releasing an indescribable amount of aura out of his body.

The Royal Army were terrified to see Falbium unleash all his power, but it also instilled fear into the allied Resistance troops. Falbium held out his hands, and from there, he unleashed a gigantic demonic attack towards the Royal Army!

Booooooooom!

His attack almost destroyed all the surroundings in front of him! The only attack that Falbium had created was one that would absorb all the attacks that were directed at him, and that allowed him to counterattack with it. The more that he endured, the more powerful the counterattack was. It was similar to the Pokémon move 'counter' or Meliodas' 'Full-counter'.

No one could have survived after receiving a blow from such an immense and devastating attack. To the Resistance, only a vast, open and burned land remained. The entire Royal Army had been destroyed, only leaving the leaders and a few soldiers who were fortunate enough not to die from the attack.

Those who managed to survive also suffered very serious injuries, and if they did not treat them in time, they would surely die.

Falbium predicted and calculated this result. He thought it would be better to take some living hostages than to eliminate them completely.

The heads of the Agaliarept and Fleurety houses knelt down in front of Falbium and glared at him with rage.

"...Monster...!"

"Preposterous, such an attack coming from a low-class house...?!"

"A wonderful attack, Falbium," said Zekram Bael as he walked towards the losers.

He had appeared using a teleportation circle. Falbium then asked Zekram, "The leaders of the Agaliarept and Fleurety clan are still alive. Should we put them in custody?"

"Hmm. Treat them with care. They may be our enemies, but they supported the Satans during the Great War of the 3 Factions."

Zekram Bael then raised his hand and ordered his subordinates to place anti-magic handcuffs on the survivors. The two leaders of the houses were taken back to the Resistance's headquarters.

"Tch!"

"Kgh!"

The leaders of both houses were unable to hide their anger at being defeated.

Zekram Bael, after seeing that his troops had escorted those responsible for the ambush they suffered, read the latest report on the state of the war.

He then handed the document over to Falbium and called out to him. "Falbium?"

"Yes, what happened, King Bael?"

"Can Sirzechs defeat that mysterious fly-shaped chimera that is spreading poison?"

The document indicated that the strategy for Sirzechs' to face the chimera alone. Zekram was asking for his opinion since he was a good friend of Sirzechs and should have an idea of his power.

After reading through it, Falbium said, "Umm, if he goes all out, then I'm sure he'll be fine. He still hasn't used his full power in real combat yet, but I can guarantee that everything will be alright. Umm, Serafall and Asteri are there too, so we can rely on them too..."

Zekram Bael smiled slightly and nodded.

"I understand. This means we will be reaching the end soon. May Ajuka also come to the capital..."

The command approved of Sirzechs' plan of attack.

♦♦♦♦

The chimera that appeared in the old Valefor territory had advanced near the lake on the west side of the territory. No one knew exactly why the beast had moved to this place, but in the vicinity of the lake, there were still some residents who lived there.

Inevitably, the beast's poison would kill all the villagers. In addition, judging by his actions so far, it was likely that the fly-shaped chimera would also move into neighboring territory.

The neighboring territory was ruled by high-class devils. Unlike the fallen territory of Valefor, there were many common devils that lived there. If the chimera managed to reach the neighboring territory, it would be catastrophic.

Sirzechs and Asteri took a large number of troops and advanced into the city located near the height of the lake and began to evacuate the residents.

Grayfia and the Lucifuge's troops also cooperated, prioritizing evacuation.

"Now that we've finished the evacuation and preparation, it's time to move on to the next step."

Once they finished the evacuation, Sirzechs would head to where the chimera beast was.

"Will he be okay?" Grayfia asked Asteri.

"Yes. You haven't seen him using his full power yet, but understand this, Grayfia. Only a few people in this world can stand up to him. His [Power of Destruction] is stronger than mine, even after I trained hard with it," Asteri told Grayfia.

However, she was still concerned and worried about her fiancé. So she walked up to him.

"Sirzechs..."

"I'll be fine, Asteri. You know me. I'll be back before you know it," he reassured her.

However, Asteri closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She waited for her kiss. Sirzechs sheepishly laughed, blushed and kissed her. The two shared a quick kiss, but to them, it lasted almost a lifetime. Finally, they separated.

"End this quickly," Asteri ordered her husband-to-be.

"Yes, of course," he answered her firmly.

Sirzechs then covered himself with his [Power of Destruction] and plunged into the thick mist of poison. Sirzechs appeared in front of the chimera.

A monstrosity of 200 feet was before his eyes. It was a chaotic-looking beast. This was the transformed appearance of the young man from the Beelzebub family.

He seemed to notice Sirzechs and his aura, and stopped. The numerous eyes on his face all rolled up at once. Compared to their first encounter, these eyes looked different. This time it seemed as if the creature was conscious.

Soon the chimera's front muscles swelled and it began to take the shape of a face. After a closer inspection, he realized that it was the young Beelzebub's face, and then he started looking at Sirzechs with a sinister smile.

"Well, well, if it isn't one of the Aces of the Resistance's army," it said.

It seemed to have retained awareness of itself! Seeing this, Sirzechs tried to reason with him.

"Just ahead is a city where the residents of the old Valefor territory live. They have not been involved in this conflict. They can't be drawn into this war. I ask you to leave right now."

The young Beelzebub smiled even more in response to Sirzechs' words.

"Yes, I know, I can smell them. I can smell it more strongly than where they are. In fact, I am intentionally heading there right now."

Sirzechs was shocked, and he hesitantly asked, "You mean, you're not heading there by accident?"

"Bafafafafafa! That's right! The poison released from this body, rotting all animals, soldiers, nature and everything! It makes me feel so amazing!"

His eyes were crazy, as if something was possessing him. After realizing that trying to convince him would be pointless. Sirzechs then created a sphere of [Power of Destruction] in his hand, and fired it at the beast!

He hit the chimera's torso and managed to pull out part of it, then a gush of blood came out. Even his blood was fatal, so when it came in contact with the ground, it turned into a grotesque black mass.

However, the muscles in the injured area swelled and began to regenerate, returning to normal.

A [Power of Destruction] with medium power was not going to be enough. To eliminate it, he needed to use his maximum strength.

After Sirzechs came to this conclusion, the chimera spoke as if it remembered something. "Ah, I remember now. Before the war started in the capital...it was me who ordered the massacre of the rebels, including the residents," it said with a massive grin.

"..."

Sirzechs recalled the armed conflict that broke out in the capital before the civil war started. The youth choir of Gremory had ended up in the midst of all that conflict, and unfortunately, they were cruelly killed.

The young Beelzebub who was now the beast chimera had stated that without a hint of remorse. He had ordered the massacre that took place in the capital.

"Of course, I had some woman convince me, but that's besides the point, and later I heard that your precious choir had a terrible fate, huh?! Bafafafa!" The chimera started to laugh hysterically as if it had made a funny joke.

"There are no hard feelings, riiight? This kind of thing with citizens is just a pastime for the upper class. It's terrific for you, now you can teach a brand-new choir from the very beginning!"

Sirzechs recalled the smiles of the choir's children. He felt pain, his heart ached again. If it weren't for this devil in front of him...no this monster, they would all still be alive.

Also hearing him call them nothing but worms, and that they were beneath him...Sirzechs made a decision.

He took a step forward and a giant aura enveloped his entire body. At the same time, the earth beneath them began to shake. Sirzechs had activated his [Power of Destruction] again, and his body began to glow, and become more and more crimson.

"...I wish that all devils lived in peace in the Underworld. It does not just apply to the nobles but also to the common residents and even the animals. They all deserve a future like that—a future where they can simply smile, a future where they can live their lives without worrying about war or death. A future where they can live a simple life! ...Yet, you plan on taking that away from them...?"

Sirzechs' aura began to expand and began to eliminate the mist of poison being produced by the chimera. The entire area was consumed by his aura. Sirzechs' [Power of Destruction] was being used to its full extent.

When it exploded, a gigantic humanoid concentration of [Power of Destruction] floated there. Yes, this was Sirzechs' [True form], the [Aura of Destruction] or also known as his [Human-Shaped Aura of Destruction].

"I will use this power to guide the devils of the Underworld to a better path. A path that isn't laden with destruction and sadness."

Being the few to witness Sirzechs' [True Form], the chimera began to tremble in fear.

"I-Impossible! What is this aura and ridiculous form?! Is that a form of the [Power of Destruction]?!"

But even while he was scared, the chimera began to cast numerous powerful attacks from his eyes along with poisonous attacks. However, all of these were neutralized by Sirzechs' [Aura of Destruction].

Sirzechs had only shown his [True Form] to a few people, including his friends Serafall, Ajuka, Falbium, and of course, his fiancé Asteri. In fact, he was only able to generate this ability in a remote area within an alternate dimension that Ajuka had created.

Sirzechs concentrated his aura in his hand, and what emerged were a few spheres made from his aura. Sirzechs controlled these spheres in the air freely and launched them towards the chimera. The beast tried to generate a defensive aura and circle, but it was easily destroyed, and the sphere tore at its flesh and body.

Once all the spheres were inside the creature, Sirzechs put his hand forward and squeezed hard, 'to destroy'. With a volcanic sound, the spheres inside the chimera began to release.

Once all the [Aura of Destruction] was released it began to overflow from within the beast, and all parts of its body that came into contact with the spheres began to disappear.

[Ruin the Extinct].

This was Sirzechs' special technique.

The wings, legs, torso and all body parts of the chimera were destroyed by the deep crimson aura. This was Sirzechs' power, his [Power of Destruction].

"...What is...this...?"

Those were the last words of the chimera before he completely disappeared from the face of the Underworld. This [Power of Destruction] even eliminated the poison preventing the earth from further contamination.

When the fog cleared, Sirzechs saw both Asteri and Grayfia who had been watching the 'battle' from afar.

With Grayfia's insistence from earlier, Asteri relented and both of them watched Sirzechs deal with the chimera.

It was the first time that Grayfia had seen Sirzechs' true form. Sirzechs then returned to his usual young adult form, smiled at both of them and said, "It's over. Let's go home..."

♦♦♦♦

The news that Sirzechs had defeated the chimera had reached both sides, and the battle in the old Valefor's territory had continued since then. Once Sirzechs and Serafall eliminated Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus, the battle was officially over.

The Lucifuge army, which was supported by the Grayfia-led Asmodeus army, surrendered immediately.

After the surrender, both Sirzechs and Asteri were invited to the Lucifuge army base. The leader of the Lucifuge rested on the bed inside the medical camp reserved for the generals.

Unable to recover from the poison he inhaled from the chimera, he wanted one last meeting.

In this meeting, he wanted his daughter Grayfia to be there. Grayfia held her father's fleeting hands with tears streaming down her cheek. Asteri put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Dad..." she called out.

Lord Lucifuge smiled at his daughter and then turned to Sirzechs. In a very low and raspy voice he said, "Well, Sirzechs...I have one last favor to ask you...no...both of you..." He looked at Asteri too.

"Yes, whatever you want," both of them said in unison.

"The war will never change in our favor. But after all this is over, please destroy the House of Lucifuge."

All 3 of them were surprised by this sudden request.

"D-destroy...?"

Sirzechs struggled to find the right words to say to the leader of the House of Lucifuge.

"Euclid will bring terror to the Underworld. He's my son, and I can say that firmly. If he inherits the house...no, as long as the House of Lucifuge exists...Euclid will eventually unleash his wrath. That's why...the Lucifuge is better off destroyed."

He finally closed his eyes and his health seemed to worsen.

"My compassion as a father does not allow me to see such a cruel fate for my own son, but..." he paused and then looked at Grayfia, "Please take care of my daughter, Grayfia...even if you hold no romantic feelings for her, the Gremory...they're a loving clan, are they not...? I had never seen my daughter so happy as she visited both Gremory and Bael...so please...take care of her."

"Yes, of course, I—no, we promise we will do that," he replied firmly.

Apparently relieved to hear Sirzechs' words, Lord Lucifuge showed them a satisfied expression before closing his eyes.

"Well, I think it's about time..."

"Dad!" Grayfia cried out, not wanting her father to pass on.

He smiled one more time, and stroked his daughter's cheek while she cried and said, "Grayfia...the Lucifuge will always be with Lucifer, but...you must consider your own happiness from now on too."

After saying that, his hand fell limp and slid down from her cheek, and onto the bed. These were the last moments of the devil's life, and he would be the last leader of the Lucifuge clan.

The Leviathan, Asmodeus and Lucifuge army have been defeated. This meant that the Royal army lost its power to attack the Resistance army and was no longer able to prevent the invasion of the capital.

♦♦♦♦

The current government of the Satan's families had been destroyed, with the Resistance army advancing into the capital city of Lucifaad.

The remaining forces of the six armies of the families descended from Lucifer and the Beelzebub army, could not resist and tried to fight the aces: Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall and Asteri. Soon after that, they were all defeated.

All three of them entered the capital and started to take over the main facilities, and eventually arrived at Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub's palace. This would be their last stop.

The fight had already begun as great demonic attacks were flying around the palace. On guard on the palace floor was Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub, who extended his twelve wings while emanating a strong aura.

However, he had to face Sirzechs' [Aura of Destruction]. Sirzechs' power in this form was truly frightening. He defeated the Satan Beelzebub's son without help or trying too hard.

All of Bidleid's attacks were completely useless, as they were nullified by the power of Sirzechs' destruction. To be hit by just one of Sirzechs' attacks would be fatal.

Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub had already lost an arm, a leg and half of his wings and was bleeding profusely. His defeat was inevitable.

Sirzechs completely dominated him, and his affiliates watched Sirzechs with fear as they had never seen power like that before. Once Bidleid landed on the ground and knelt, his fate was sealed.

Sirzechs preparing for the final blow, asked, "Do you want to reconsider?"

Bidleid laughed slightly at his question. "We both know that isn't going to happen, Prince of Gremory. My pride won't allow me to recognize you. I will be the new Satan and I will continue with my father's wishes to defeat Michael and Azazel once and for all."

Before launching his attack, Sirzechs knew Bidleid was just keeping up appearances. He could see it in his eyes, that there was a small chance of reformation for him...but he launched his attack at him, and Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub finally disappeared.

However, he uttered his last words, "The blood and wrath of the Satans will always be against you..." and with that, Beelzebub's son, Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub died.

With Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub's death, the civil war came to an abrupt end and the Underworld entered a post-war era. The Resistance army, which seized the capital city of Lucifaad, established its barracks there and immediately began to deal with post-war affairs.

♦♦♦♦

A few months after the reconstruction began, the Great King, Zekram Bael summoned Sirzechs, Serafall, Ajuka, and Falbium.

"I would like you four to inherit the Satan's thrones," he said unexpectedly.

Zekram Bael told the four of his intentions of establishing a new system of government. With all the high-class devils in agreement, all that was left to do was select the new Satans.

The only candidates that came to mind were Sirzechs and his friends, the power devils who had contributed enormously to the Resistance's victory in the civil war.

Serafall was shocked by this, gasped and expressed her reluctance." Do we become the next Satans? T-this is impossible...it will turn into a disaster!"

Ajuka was thinking deeply, and Falbium, of course, was not in agreement either.

"Please tell us the reason, and why wasn't Asteri chosen?" Sirzechs asked.

"It's simple. Currently, in the Underworld, the four of you are the strongest devils, and to be honest, you're all probably stronger than the dead Satans. You are all the most suitable candidates to occupy the throne," he answered the first half and then turned to Sirzechs.

"If I chose Asteri, it would seem like I am favoring her because she is a descendant of mine. However, I asked her about it, and she refused, saying that you four are the most suitable candidates."

Sirzechs thought it was for another reason. He thought they wanted to use them as a deterrent or something along those lines.

"Did you think of using us as political puppets?" Ajuka asked bluntly.

"Hey Ajuka!!" Serafall shouted and was mortified by her friend.

But to her surprise, Zekram Bael laughed. "I have no intentions of using you, much less after witnessing the power all four of you possessed, and showed against the Satan's families. However, you should be able to work together with the older devils, but apart from that, I will leave most things in your hands."

After hearing his explanation, the four of them thought about it deeply—the words of the Great King Bael. Then, Sirzech broke the silence.

"Could you wait until after we resolve the internal affairs of our respective families that arose after the civil war?"

Zekram nodded sagely and said, "Hmm. Reconstruction takes priority. Very well, I will wait for all your answers until then."

Everyone was satisfied with this, and Zekram Bael concluded the meeting with momentary satisfaction. The four said their goodbyes and left for their respective homes to attend to the problems that arose.

Grayfia Lucifuge, after losing her clan, and home had nowhere to go, and as promised by both Sirzechs and Asteri, she was taken in by the Gremory clan, at the request of Zeoticus and Lord Bael, with the support of Zekram Bael. She would help rebuild the House of Gremory with Sirzechs and his family.

♦♦♦♦

One day, Sirzechs, Grayfia and Asteri were working on building a windmill on the barley farm located on the north side of the Gremory territory.

Suddenly, Sirzechs said, "I think I'm going to become a Satan."

Grayfia was surprised by the sudden revelation, but remained calm. She looked at Asteri and she knew that she already knew about it.

"If you accept that, I think it is the right choice. I see, so this is the reason why you have been in deep thought until the late hours of the night these past couple of days," said Grayfia.

"That he has," replied Asteri, looking somewhat proud of Sirzechs, and earning a chuckle from Grayfia.

"I intend to take the throne of Lucifer, so..."

Without waiting for Sirzechs to finish his sentence, Grayfia said, "You want me to support you, is that it? Of course, I am a Lucifuge after all. I will support the new Lucifer."

"I will also be there, Sirzechs. If both me and Grayfia helped you, it would be easier, would it not? I mean, who knows what would happen if you had to deal with everything by yourself? You need support," added Asteri and both women agreed with each other.

Sirzechs smiled at their reassuring words, but he wasn't finished and said, "With that said, Asteri...let's get married in the near future."

Asteri and Grayfia, no—everyone within hearing distance was dumbfounded by this. Everyone knew that both devils were already engaged, but weren't sure when the wedding was going to happen. So hearing this all of a sudden...

Bonk!

"Why would you say that here of all places?! Pick a better spot and time! This wasn't romantic at all!" Asteri practically screamed making everyone around them burst into cheers and laughter.

"S-sorry, I got ahead of myself," replied Sirzechs.

After calming herself, Asteri composed herself and said, "Very well. I'm probably the only devil in existence who would be okay with being asked here..." she looked at him with a tired and annoyed look.

Another round of applause and cheering broke out from the citizens around, as they were the first to find out about the impending wedding, and had to promise to keep it quiet for a little while longer.

Grayfia that day promised to herself that she would support them both, as their friend, as her saviors and their 'family'. She just had to wait for her turn. In the far future, she would surely find her own happiness.

♦♦♦♦

Sirzechs after resolving the internal affairs of the House of Gremory, decided to inherit the throne of Satan, according to Zekram Bael's wishes. Ajuka, Serafall and Falbium soon followed suit.

Sirzechs Lucifer, Ajuka Beelzebub, Serafall Leviathan and Falbium Asmodeus, the new Great Satans were born!

Shortly after Sirzechs and the others took the thrones, someone contacted Sirzechs over a private line.

Sirzechs sat in a chair reserved for Lucifer's civil servants and placed a magic transmission circle over the office, and there stood a silver-haired devil with an evil smile.

"Well, well, if it isn't the newly-ascended Satan Lucifer-kun~"

The one who had contacted Sirzechs was none other than Rizevim Livan Lucifer, someone who Sirzechs had been waiting to talk to and find. As the successor to the name of Lucifer, he could not ignore Rizevim, who had the true blood of Lucifer.

However, he was never available in the days before Sirzechs' rise. Only after his succession did Rizevim initiate the call.

"Rizevim Livan Lucifer-sama, I must apologize deeply for not saying hello before, and I'm sorry to have to inform you this way," said Sirzechs."

"I don't care, Satan Lucifer-kun~" Rizevim's words sounded terribly ironic.

A ban had been imposed on Satan's families, and they were banished to the deepest corners of the Underworld. Rizevim's gaze shifted to the two women with Sirzechs.

"Oh, oh, oh? It seems that you have also changed! How lonely I will be, my dear Grayfia~ and it seems things are working out well for you, Asteri-chan~"

"I am a Lucifuge and I will serve Satan Sirzechs Lucifer," replied Grayfia.

"Likewise, I am Sirzechs' soon-to-be wife. I will obviously be by his side, Rizevim-sama," added Asteri.

"Hyahahahaha! My, my, to think my dear Grayfia would reply like that! She's got some sass now! This is really fun!"

Rizevim started laughing hysterically, but after seeing Sirzechs' speechless expression, he shook his head.

"Oops~ don't get me wrong. In fact, I am flattered that you're willing to take on all the dirty work for me. I didn't want to inherit my father's throne just to start another battle with Michael and Azazel. Starting a war with angels and fallen angels today would be stupid and boring~!"

Rizevim's smile turned into a wicked grin that made all three of them uneasy. "If you're planning to fight, you could also do something more interesting~"

Sirzechs became even more uneasy. Something in him made him think Rizevim was a bigger threat than what he perceived him to be. However, Rizevim continued.

"The Transcendental. I heard that you, Ajuka Beelzebub, and I were classified as such after the civil war. Too bad Asteri-chan just fell short, huh~?" he laughed again.

"You are the [Embodiment of Destruction], Ajuka is the [The One who Controls Techniques and Laws], and I am the [Canceler of Sacred Gears]. I suppose we have overcome the normal category of devils."

Rizevim had already obtained information about the new category of [Transcendental] or [Super Devils], and even about Sirzechs' [True Form], as well as Ajuka's skills. Rizevim continued with his head tilted.

"Lucifer, like the Satans, you must carry the weight of the Underworld from now on. Having thrown away the royal family, the Great King's family and the old generation of devils have probably grown arrogant. This will only strengthen the segregation between those loyal to the Satan's families, and the noble society that rebelled."

It only strengthened Sirzechs' resolve, not deterred him.

"Even so, now that I have successfully claimed the name of Lucifer, I will do whatever is necessary," said Sirzechs.

Rizevim's eyes narrowed for a moment in response to Sirzechs' direct response, but he quickly recovered his heinous smile.

"Oh dear, you're so boring. Anyway, I'll see you later~"

Those were his last words before hanging up. After the short exchange, he turned to both women and asked, "What do you think that was all about?"

"He is, after all, an evil person. He could become a threat to us someday," replied Grayfia.

"Yes, I agree, we need to prepare, Sirzechs. Ajuka has already started his research."

"Are you referring to the method of reincarnation of devils that Ajuka is working on?" he asked them and both of them nodded.

"That's right, it's an incredible invention. It will help save our population."

Ajuka, after succeeding the name of Beelzebub, immediately announced his research topic and revealed the method of reincarnation. If it worked, the number of devils would increase, but at the same time, it was clear that many problems could arise.

However, considering the threat of the Great War between the 3 factions, and the devastation of the devil's kingdom after the civil war, the reincarnation system was too attractive to pass up.

Sirzechs sighed and said, "I'll be the center of it all, won't I?"

"No, we wouldn't let you take on all the weight," replied Asteri and put a finger on Sirzechs' lips.

Just then, Sirzechs remembered something his father, Zeoticus once said to him.

'Sirzechs, the men of the Gremory family, for some reason, have never won an argument against their wives. This was the case for my father, grandfather, and also my great-grandfather. I thought that maybe I could end this trend, but I tried and failed. It seems that Gremory men are predestined to surrender to such women.'

Sirzechs laughed at the truth of what those words meant to him. "I think my father was right after all."

"Did you say something?" asked Asteri while 'smiling' at him.

"Oh no…I just thought how reliable you two were," said Sirzechs and then he looked at the mountain of documents on the table and stretched his shoulders. "I'll be busy from now on." His duty as Satan Lucifer had just begun!

♦♦♦♦

In the mountain village near the Underworld's border, Euclid Lucifuge, who had lost his place during the civil war was taking refuge there.

It was a major disaster when he lived in that village. In losing his position after the defeat of the government, the Lucifuge had been destroyed; however, there was something else that completely destroyed his spirit.

However, it was due to a misunderstanding. Euclid was leaning against a painting on the wall, a portrait of his older sister, Grayfia Lucifuge.

"Ooohhh! My sister, oh my sister...!" he said in despair.

He clung to his sister's portrait with tears in his eyes. Her dear sister had run away to be with the crimson-haired guy!

"My sister was sexually assaulted! She was r—ped! She was forced to be a servant of Gremory!"

A newspaper lay on the ground. They published a portrait of Sirzechs, the new Satan Lucifer, but a dagger crossed his face.

Euclid then took out the dagger and began to stab the images of Sirzechs' face over and over again.

"You scoundrel! Scoundrel! Scoundrel! Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire village.

"My sister's voice, her lips, her hands, her feet, her breasts! And even her virginity! I thought they were all miiiiiiiiiiineeee!!!"

♦♦♦♦

Zaorama Nebiros, who had escaped the capital of Lucifaad at the end of the civil war, had built an underground investigation center in a desert region where no upper-class devil had yet occupied.

After meticulously destroying confidential documents and test results in the capital's laboratory, he found refuse only in this region.

He said while writing in a civil war report journal, "I never thought they would be able to increase Beelzebub's power to that extent."

A voice came from the transmission circle that was open on Zaorama Nebiros' desk said, [There are affinities, depending on the user, they can transform like what happened to the Beelzebub, but there are cases where it may not affect them.]

The voice was that of the statue, the Deputy commander of the [Malebranche], Barbariccia. Zaorama Nebiros had carefully stored and preserved the [Malebranche] in a distant region along the border of the Underworld.

Hearing Barbariccia's words, Zaorama Nebiros rubbed his chin, and said, "I suppose that should be the focus of my investigation in the future..." He then continued to write with his pen.

"Anyway, I'm thinking of going to the different laboratories that I have built in other regions while hiding my identity. A hundred years for a devil is not a long time. But it is almost insufficient for my experiments."

[Then we will go back to sleep until the time comes.]

"Hmm. We will see each other again when all possessors of the Longinus unite once again. Well, it is not certain when that will happen, but still...I will be hopeful."

Their conversation ended there, and the magic circle disappeared. Outside of the [Malebranche], he had chosen to awaken Barbariccia already knowing his personality, but it seemed that this era was not interesting enough for him.

The [Malebranche] went back to sleep, and those who knew about them, the leaders of the other six houses that descended from Lucifer had died during the war.

None of them had spoken of the [Malebranche] before their deaths. Zaorama Nebiros flipped through the newspaper distributed throughout the Underworld. The new reform policies for the Four Satans were outlined in a general report.

Zaorama felt that this could lead to a slightly better situation for ordinary citizens. However, he believed that the fundamental discrimination mentality and hierarchical structure of society would remain intact.

He knew that as long as Zekram Bael and the previous generation of devils existed within the political sphere, the aristocracy would never be abolished. Zaorama's eyes were now focused on the image of the new Lucifer, the portrait of Sirzechs Lucifer.

"Well then, let's see what I can find out about these Transcendentals," he muttered.

♦♦♦♦

Fwosh!

"…Who are you?" Sirzechs asked.

He was out for a late night walk by himself as he wanted to get some fresh air and clear his mind. However, suddenly two robed individuals appeared in front of him. They all fell silent for a few seconds before—

"In the far future…a hero, a person that you sought after will appear…he will unite all the factions and pantheons in this world…your dream will come true."

After saying those words, they vanished.

'Humans…? How did they enter the Underworld? No, that doesn't matter…one of them said a hero will appear that will unite all of the supernatural…?'

Sirzechs looked up at the sky, and right at the moon…he didn't know if what that human said was true, but…he couldn't help but smile. "If it's true, then…I can't wait, but until then…I will do my part and make the devils prosper."

What Sirzechs failed to see was a symbol on their back—XxX. But…again, they were very wrong about whom this hero was…

♦♦♦♦

A few hundred years have passed since Sirzechs took the name of Lucifer. In the Gremory territory, a festival (the first since Sirzechs' birth, and his marriage to Asteri) was taking place.

Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory finally had a daughter, a princess! Her name? Rias Gremory. For the couple, this girl with crimson hair was the daughter they had longed for. Everyone in the Gremory domain was very happy with this success and both Sirzechs and Asteri loved her more than anything.

Two years later, Serafall visited the Gremory castle.

"Sirzechs! Asteri! Grayfiiaaaaa!! What do I do?!"

They came rushing to her, only to be confused. Serafall showed them a 2-year-old baby, her sister, Sona Sitri, whom she held in her arms.

"My little Sona is very beautiful!"

At the same time that Rias was born, the Sitri clan also had their second daughter. Her name was Sona Sitri, and she was the younger sister of the Satan Serafall Leviathan!

After the birth of her younger sister, Serafall's personality changed dramatically. She adored Sona to an extreme. With Sona in her arms, Serafall collapsed, exposing her loving nature.

"So cute...! Ah, she's a devil, but she's also an angel~! Hello Sona~ I'm your sister! You're so cute!"

In the past, Grayfia had mentioned that they would change once they had a sister or brother...and Grayfia was quite surprised by Serafall's transformation.

"Do personalities change this much?" Asteri asked.

Next to her was Sirzechs, who also adored his sister Rias.

"A-Ahahaha...I can understand Serafall perfectly, right, Rias?"

Grayfia couldn't help but sigh after seeing Sirzechs like this. However, she was also very happy for all of them. However, she couldn't help but think about her own sibling, Euclid.

But right now, she was determined to take care of the new member of the Gremory family, and hopefully, in the future, find her own 'love' and start her own family.

Grayfia then asked out loud, to no one in particular, "Do you think I can find that kind of happiness one day?"

"Of course, Grayfia. Just like Lord Lucifuge said, you should take your time finding your own happiness. He'll surely be happier that way," said Sirzechs as he handed her Rias. "As for her birth...she will carry the weight that was originally my responsibility. With the [Power of Destruction] within her, she will no doubt become the heir of the Gremory clan."

He then looked quite sad and said, "However, she will be Satan Lucifer's younger sister, and she will carry an even heavier weight. I am deeply sorry..."

Although he adored his younger sister, he also feared for her future. Even after a few hundred years after his succession, he continued to work diligently to build a more peaceful and happier Underworld.

"Not only for the peace of the Underworld, but I would also like to make peace with all the other races, if I get the opportunity."

Sirzechs would never forget those words from those black-robed humans. He slowly worked his way towards that future. He knew it was difficult work, but he still wanted it.

"Are you talking about reforming the Underworld? What do you mean by that?" Grayfia asked, but Sirzechs smiled and Asteri smirked. Serafall who was also there, was confused.

Sirzechs shook his head and said, "No, I want...a new hero, someone whose existence that can guide the people of the Underworld—no, not just the Underworld, but...all of the supernatural. Someone who isn't obsessed with the status quo..."

All three of the women didn't know why, but...what Sirzechs said resonated with them. They believed his words, they believed it would definitely happen...

Grayfia then said, "...That would be a very beautiful thing."

Sirzechs smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes, and when that time comes...I would like to try to write a brand-new song for this hero...a brand-new song of peace."

♦♦♦♦

Unknown to all of them…during the same time that both Rias and Sona were born…the gears of time and fate kept moving along, and a nameless and lost soul etched closer and closer to a certain Outer God…

Until…

"Hmmm?" When a being turned to its side, it saw something unexpected. "Hooh? Now how did such a thing happen? You will be the next one then…don't disappoint me."

Fwshhhhhh!

Aaron Toole's reincarnation process took a total of 17 years. Why? Because of a certain accidental interference of a certain Emperor of another universe making it a little more complicated…his existence will shake up this version of the Draconic Deus.

♦♦♦♦

Present day

Gremory Territory

♦♦♦♦

Sirzechs Lucifer stood in front of the graves of the dead children of his choir from hundreds of years ago. A sad yet happy smile stretched across his face.

"Dear? Why are you visiting them so late at night?" Asteri asked and stood beside Sirzechs and hugged his arm.

"Ah…no it's nothing. After telling Jin-kun about the civil war and our past, I got a bit nostalgic. I also remembered something during that one night…" he told her.

"That one night? She asked a bit confused.

Sirzechs nodded and told Asteri what those black-robbed individuals told him and she became surprised.

"Is that why you were trying to form an alliance with the fallen angels and angels?" she asked.

"Partially, I also wanted it, but knowing that a hero was coming…I wanted to surprise them, haha…but…I believe that…he finally came."

Jin flashed in Sirzechs mind and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"You're thinking of Jin, aren't you?"

"Yes…I believe he is the one they spoke about…and he has certainly blown it out of the park so far…I'm glad I survived to see this day…I wish that these children could see it too. But he's playing his role very well, as in all three of his roles."

"The Middleman, Dual Dragon Emperor, and Oppai/Ketsu Dragon, huh?"

"Yeah…" Sirzechs nodded and pulled out a piece of paper.

"What is that?" asked Asteri.

"He came by...even though he left immediately after the story...haha, he's really amazing, isn't he?"

Sirzechs held up a small piece of paper that contained the lyrics to the Oppai Dragon song. Jin had stopped by to drop it off.

"You also got to write that song of peace for him, didn't you?" Asteri asked and Sirzechs chuckled.

"Yes, yes, I did…the Oppai Dragon song…the song of hope for the current hero of the supernatural world."

♦♦♦♦