Diodora Astaroth.
Heir to the pure-blooded Devil noble House Astaroth, and also related by blood to the current Maou, Beelzebub.
Despite his outwardly refined and gentle appearance, Diodora was truly a twisted pervert—the most disgusting sort of devil imaginable.
Diodora possessed a profoundly warped obsession: women from the Church. The holier and more devout the woman, the deeper his twisted fascination grew.
For years, Diodora had collected famous nuns and saints from the Church, using various vile methods to corrupt these devout women, drive them to despair, and then forcibly reincarnate them into devils. He relished watching their faith shatter, stealing their purity, and savoring their inevitable destruction.
Not long ago, Diodora had encountered a particularly intriguing saintess—a young girl with extraordinary healing powers. However, the Church valued her highly, making it nearly impossible to approach her openly. Thus, he devised a cunning plan.
He intentionally wounded himself, then "coincidentally" appeared before the saintess. As he'd expected, the kindhearted girl immediately fell into his trap, healing his injury. Her act of mercy, witnessed by other clergymen, led exactly where Diodora intended—she was branded a witch and cast out by the Church.
After being betrayed by the Church she deeply believed in, after losing faith in God and falling into despair, she'll have no choice but to rely on me.
So Diodora fantasized.
The saintess's suffering was the sweetest seasoning for Diodora's twisted tastes. Witnessing the moment a pure saintess fell into depravity brought him unparalleled excitement!
At the peak of her despair, he'd claim her for himself—body and soul—just as he had done with countless others before.
But Diodora's perfect plan had been spectacularly ruined…
His original scheme had been to allow that female fallen angel, Raynare, to kill Asia first. Then he'd swoop in heroically, dispatch Raynare, and reincarnate Asia as a devil, making himself her savior. But who could have anticipated that unknown woman suddenly appearing to ruin everything?
That woman—Jeanne! How could such a monstrous being ever have been a saintess?!
Because of Jeanne, Asia had been rescued from the fallen angel and found someone she could truly rely on, reigniting hope in her heart.
Diodora desperately wanted to extinguish that hope and steal Asia by force… but tragically discovered he was utterly powerless before that woman.
Jeanne was on the level of a Maou, while he, even after using Ophis's "snake," barely reached the strength of an Ultimate-class devil. He might be arrogant, but he wasn't delusional enough to think he could pull off a miracle victory against such overwhelming odds.
Then came his Rating Game against Rias—the first official match for both of them. When he learned the Khaos Brigade intended to disrupt it, he eagerly cooperated.
Though confident in victory due to his noble lineage and Ophis's "snake," Diodora knew better than to antagonize those madmen from the Khaos Brigade.
Rias would die today. Though she was Lucifer's younger sister, sharing a similarly noble bloodline, she was ultimately a fool—one whose prominent role at the three-faction peace talks had drawn the Brigade's hatred.
Diodora didn't care. With his esteemed status, all he had to do was sip wine from his seat and watch the dogs tear each other apart. In his mind, devils and the Khaos Brigade alike were merely pawns to be manipulated at his pleasure.
Yet, just as Diodora had decided to remain uninvolved, thrilling news reached him—the witch who protected Asia had left for the Underworld!
Even after all this time, he remained obsessed with Asia. Normally, time eased obsessions—but for Diodora, the passing days only deepened his fixation.
But Jeanne had always guarded Asia closely, leaving no openings—until now.
This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity!
Haha! Those Khaos Brigade lunatics did something truly fantastic this time! Without them, I'd never have gotten such a perfect chance!
Using his secret methods, Diodora quickly headed for the human world, knowing he must hurry before Jeanne returned.
...
The scorching summer sun baked the earth relentlessly, making even a meal outside uncomfortable.
Fortunately, shopping malls and restaurants had air conditioning, providing cool relief. Otherwise, just eating lunch would've been torture.
Though Jeanne and Ophis wouldn't exactly die from heatstroke, they had to consider Asia, who was still basically human.
Too lazy to cook, Jeanne took the two girls to a buffet, and something amusing happened during their meal.
When Ophis's plates began piling up into a small mountain, Jeanne apologetically turned to the stunned waiter and the restaurant owner and said, "Sorry about that. My little sister has quite the appetite. If this is too much, we can pay the bill now."
Hearing this, the restaurant owner immediately protested passionately:
"Apologize?! What do you mean apologize?! Are you looking down on my buffet? Do you think one little girl could bankrupt me?! Eat freely! If she doesn't eat her fill, I'll refund your money!"
Six hundred plates later, the restaurant owner's face had turned completely purple.
Afraid the owner might pass out on the spot, Jeanne forcibly stopped Ophis from eating any more and quickly left the restaurant. She was too embarrassed even to ask about the refund.
Just as they exited, Ophis muttered softly, "The ice cream here... wasn't as tasty as the kind at home."
They had come here for the food—why was this girl obsessed with the ice cream?
Not long after Asia returned home, the doorbell suddenly rang.
"How strange, who would come visit at this time?"
Puzzled, Asia approached the door cautiously.
The doorbell grew increasingly insistent, prompting Asia to ask warily:
"Um... who's outside?"
"Pardon me, is this Asia Argento?"
The voice that replied was male, unfamiliar, yet it spoke her name, surprising Asia.
When she opened the door, she saw a refined-looking man smiling warmly, though she didn't recognize him at all.
"Asia Argento, I've finally found you..."
"You... you are?"
Asia appeared confused. This man knew her, and judging by his joyful expression, he seemed genuinely delighted at meeting her.
The stranger wasn't discouraged by Asia's confusion. With sincere eyes, he continued softly:
"Have you forgotten me? Well, it doesn't matter—I certainly haven't forgotten you. After all, you're the one who saved my life."
As he spoke, he pulled open his shirt collar, revealing a hideous scar—Asia's eyes widened in shock.
"That wound... could you be...?"
"Yes, exactly. Although you didn't see my face clearly at the time, I am the devil you healed back then."
Diodora bowed gracefully before the stunned Asia, exuding noble charm. "My name is Diodora Astaroth. Your [Sacred Gear] saved my life, and though there wasn't enough time for you to fully remove the scar, your kindness changed my fate. Please, give me the chance to repay that debt."
"N-No... I didn't do anything that special. You really don't have to..."
Diodora's intense gaze made Asia uncomfortable, causing her to step back anxiously.
Noticing her retreat, a shadow briefly darkened Diodora's eyes, cracking his composed smile slightly.
"I'm deeply sorry, Asia. I wanted to repay you sooner, but when I finally found the church you were staying at, you'd already left. Meeting you here again must be fate itself... Asia, truthfully, from that moment, I fell in love with you. Please become my wife."
At his words, Asia's worst memories resurfaced—the reason she'd been cast from the Church and branded a witch.
Because she had saved this devil, her entire life had changed.
She'd repeatedly assured Jeanne and herself that she never regretted saving him, as it had allowed her to meet Jeanne and gain many dear friends.
Yet, deep inside, her heart wasn't without scars. Now, confronted directly by that shadow from her past, Asia's mind went blank with panic, hands trembling as she clutched her chest.
And now, he wanted her to marry him?!
"I... I... I'm sorry! I can't accept!"
Desperate to escape, Asia frantically tried to close the door.
But Diodora's patience had finally run dry. Dropping his façade, he grabbed the door forcefully.
"You bitch! Rejecting me after I went to such trouble! Since you won't cooperate, I'll just take what I want! Once you're mine, I'll ruin you completely!"
Face twisted with cruelty, he lunged at Asia. Frozen in terror, overwhelmed by his dark magic, Asia shut her eyes tightly.
Just then, a faint purple glow flickered behind her.
The next instant, Diodora was reduced instantly to invisible dust, vanishing from existence before he even realized what had happened.
"Asia, what're you standing at the door for?" Jeanne's voice broke the silence.
Asia turned, seeing Jeanne and Ophis—Ophis blissfully enjoying Jeanne's gentle head pats.
"Miss Jeanne... did you see the devil here?"
"A devil? Here? Nope. Were you dreaming, Asia?"
"Eh? Dreaming...?"
As Asia fell into confused silence, Jeanne inwardly sighed with relief.
She had quietly observed from inside until Diodora revealed his true colors. Once he did, Ophis erased him instantly through the "snake" he carried, earning a well-deserved head pat as a reward.
Jeanne felt she had handled this matter quite perfectly... though it also uncovered another hidden issue.
Only afterward had she realized—someone else was backing Diodora.
"Miss Jeanne, are you going out?"
Seeing Jeanne putting on her shoes, Asia asked curiously.
"Just taking care of a minor thing," Jeanne smiled reassuringly. "I'll be back soon, so just wait here."
Raising her hand, she casually tore open the empty air like fabric, revealing a foggy void.
Without another glance back, Jeanne stepped through, disappearing into the mist, and the tear in space quickly sealed shut behind her.
---
T/N: good riddance, fucking creep