Chapter 168: The War of Gods and Humanity
Rias Gremory's breath caught in her throat.
"You… you don't mean the ancestor, do you?"
Grayfia Lucifuge nodded solemnly. "Yes. The origin of the Gremory bloodline."
"But… the ancestor was declared dead long ago."
"That was merely a public statement," Grayfia replied. "The truth is, the progenitor demon still lives—though dormant. To avoid entanglement in worldly affairs, she has remained in hibernation for centuries. But she awakened… on that day."
Rias's heart sank. That day. The day Solomon had summoned her—and then, with casual indifference, kicked her back into the void.
She felt faint.
How could he not recognize the founder of her house?
Then again, perhaps the ancestor's appearance had changed. According to Solomon's description, the girl resembled Aisha in age and stature—young, with twin ponytails. The original ancestor, as Rias had always imagined, was a mature, regal beauty. The discrepancy could explain his failure to recognize her.
"Grayfia," Rias said, hesitating. "Do you think… there might be others—no, never mind."
She had already devised a plan.
The corpses of the mechanical invaders hadn't vanished. She would arrange for the leaders of the Three Factions to stumble upon them during the upcoming summit. Let the evidence speak for itself.
—
In the dead of night, three figures raced through the quiet streets of Kuoh Town.
Two ran with urgency. The third was unconscious, cradled in the arms of one of the runners.
"Damn it! What is this thing?" one of the girls cursed.
"No matter how we slice it, it won't die. It regenerates. What kind of metal monster is this?"
"Up ahead—an open area. We'll lure it there and obliterate the entire zone. If that doesn't kill it, nothing will."
The creature had attacked shortly after they rescued the mysterious girl. They thought they'd destroyed it. But once inside the city, it reappeared—relentless.
They couldn't unleash their full power near civilian homes. But in the open field, they would show no restraint.
—
Boom!
The once-flat terrain erupted into a crater, scorched and torn as if struck by a meteor.
At the center lay the shattered remains of the metallic beast—its insectoid shell pulverized.
Genovia Quarta, the blue-haired girl with a streak of green across her forehead, lowered her holy sword, Durandal. Its power was pure destruction.
"Did we get it?" asked Irina Shidou, her voice hopeful.
Irina wielded the Mimicry Holy Sword, capable of shifting forms. She usually disguised it as a ribbon, catching enemies off guard.
The creature wasn't particularly strong—but its immortality was maddening. If they couldn't kill it, it would eventually wear them down.
It seemed dead.
Until—
"No way," Irina whispered.
From the debris, worm-like fragments began to squirm and converge, reforming the monster.
"Fine," Genovia growled. "Let's finish this."
She raised Durandal again, preparing a blast that would level the entire district.
But before she could strike, a bolt of lightning tore through the air, forcing both girls to leap aside.
Boom!
They turned, eyes narrowing.
A woman hovered above the battlefield, demonic wings unfurled behind her.
Juno Himejima.
Rias Gremory's retainer. A devil of formidable power.
"You two are Church sword-bearers, correct?" Juno said coolly. "What are you doing, causing chaos in our territory at this hour?"
Her gaze flicked to the creature.
Silver shell. Pulsing innards.
She recognized it instantly.
Without hesitation, she pointed her hand and unleashed a barrage of lightning.
One strike. Two. Five. Six.
The monster finally stopped moving.
But Juno wasn't convinced. She summoned ice and froze the remains solid.
"Where did you bring this thing from?" she demanded, her voice frigid.
Irina scoffed. "What are you implying? That it's our ally? Are your eyes broken?"
"Now. Immediately. Explain where this thing came from."
Juno's aura surged. Electricity crackled around her fingers.
"Threatening us?" Irina snapped.
"Enough!" Genovia barked. "This isn't the time to antagonize the Gremorys."
She was right. The creature had followed them into the city. They bore responsibility.
Still, Juno's reaction was telling. She knew something. She recognized the threat.
Genovia offered a partial explanation. She omitted the fact that the monster had been chasing the unconscious girl they'd rescued. That girl, she suspected, held secrets too dangerous to fall into demonic hands.
As for their mission—they were pursuing a traitor who had stolen a Holy Sword. Intelligence suggested he had fled to Kuoh Town.
Genovia had one request: that the devils not interfere in their conflict with the Fallen Angels. The thief belonged to their faction.
"Is that all?" Juno asked, her smile thin.
"That's it."
"Hmm," she murmured. She knew they were hiding something. But what intrigued her most was their ignorance.
They didn't know about the upcoming summit.
Likely, they had departed before the location was finalized.
Her eyes drifted to the unconscious girl.
Suspicious.
Was the creature targeting her?
She wanted to seize the girl and interrogate her. But with the summit approaching, now was not the time to provoke the Church.
Then—
The girl stirred.
"This is…"
"You're awake? Are you alright?" Irina asked gently.
"Stop the final war between gods and humanity… or the demon gods, evil gods, and ghost gods will…"
She collapsed again.
Genovia, who had been preparing to knock her out, froze.
What did she just say?
The final war between gods and humanity?
Juno's eyes narrowed. She could sense Genovia's rising hostility.
"Relax. I'm not here to take her," Juno said. "But I expect an explanation later."
With that, she turned and vanished into the night.
—
Back at the Occult Research Club, Rias massaged her temples.
"So much for a quiet evening," she muttered.
Juno had returned with urgent news, prompting Rias to summon her retainers and Sona's group.
"This thing," Juno said, gesturing to the frozen creature, "is of the same origin as the mechanical monsters we've encountered before. Its regeneration is extreme—but not infinite. Its energy seems nearly depleted."
Sona nodded. "We thawed it briefly for analysis. Then refroze it."
But the most critical revelation was the girl's words.
"The final war between gods and humanity."
—
Chapter 169: The Girl from the Future
The phrase echoed through the room.
A war between gods and humanity.
It sounded simple. Apocalyptic. But impossible.
How could humans wage war against divine beings?
Then again…
Those mechanical creatures resembled human technology. Their weapons, their tactics—it was all eerily familiar.
Could humans have created them?
Had humanity advanced enough to challenge the gods?
No. Not yet.
But what if the machines had given humans their technology?
What if they had manipulated humanity into war?
It was plausible.
Still, no such war had occurred. And yet, the girl spoke as if it had already begun.
Sona's eyes widened.
"Future," she whispered.
Rias echoed her. "She's from the future."
"That war," Juno said slowly, "hasn't happened yet. But in her timeline, it has."
The implications were staggering.
Humanity, somehow, had risen to rival the gods.
Throughout history, there had been rare individuals who could challenge divine beings. But this was different.
This was civilization itself ascending.
If true, it meant the future held a war unlike any before.
And if the girl had come back to stop it…
Then time itself was unraveling.
"This is bad," Rias said quietly.
Very bad.