{Present, Devils Meeting Assembly of Lucifaad}
—Zekram Bael—
Sitting at the edge of the table, flaunting his status as the elder of the strongest devil pillar, was Zekram. Usually, he enjoyed these gatherings, listening to devils squirm and try to win him over.
Rarely did he feel uneasy about them. The last time was with Serafall Levaithan, and before that, Sirzechs. Other times involved Ajuka and Falbium.
Every time he felt a headache, the Satans were deeply involved. This time, even though it wasn't directly about them, they still played a role—Serafall above all.
Zekram rested his head in his palms, arms crossed on the table, waiting for the discussion to begin.
'Not again am I letting them do as they please,' he promised himself. This time, it wasn't a simple issue.
"Has everyone gathered?" Mephisto Pheles asked. He was one of the Old Devils who often supported Zekram but, as an Extra Devil, didn't usually get involved in pillar matters.
Though they were on good terms, Zekram knew he couldn't expect Mephisto to take his side blindly. Mephisto was a rule-bound devil.
Across the table sat the Lords of the pillars. Opposite Zekram were the four Satans. Next to them was Faiser Valefar-Barbatos, and beside him sat the reason for the gathering.
"Perfect. I believe we have three topics to discuss today, all related to one devil," Mephisto announced. "Faiser Valefar-Barbatos, there are three situations involving you."
The room turned to the boy, who sat comfortably and confidently. He nodded, showing that he was prepared.
"Then we will start with the first topic and move to the major one last," Mephisto said, prompting the Lords to go through the documents in front of them.
Zekram scanned the first pages. The topic wasn't the most annoying but was certainly shocking.
"Faiser," Mephisto addressed him with a slight, hidden smile. "It has been recorded that your demonic power isn't High-Class as most believed but Ultimate-Class."
The room erupted in murmurs. Some Lords were baffled; others didn't believe what they were hearing.
"Can you confirm?" Mephisto asked, noticing the reaction.
"Would you like me to go through a demonic power measuring procedure?" Faiser replied, curious how they wanted proof.
Zekram knew that would confirm the exact stage of the Ultimate Class, but it wasn't necessary.
"We are here only to confirm if you are in fact an Ultimate-Class," Mephisto said. "You need not go through a full procedure. Simply releasing all your demonic power in a controlled, non-destructive way will suffice."
"Then I have something for that," Ajuka spoke up. "It's risky for the building to handle an Ultimate Class's full power, so let me reinforce it."
In the past, when showcasing Valefar abilities, Faiser had barely displayed the level of a High-Class as he didn't need to go beyond. This time, it was different. Everyone other than the four Satans thus believed he was at the peak of High-Class and not an Ultimate.
Ajuka presented a small cube-shaped device. Zekram immediately recognized it as one of Ajuka's creations—the devil who was the backbone of the devil society's scientific advancements.
"If you allow me," Ajuka said, looking around at the Lords and Zekram.
Zekram nodded. "If it helps strengthen the room, then certainly."
With confirmation, Ajuka tapped the cube. Green energy spread throughout the room, forming grid-like lines over the walls, ceiling, floor, and even furniture.
"It's done," he said, signaling Faiser to stand.
Zekram glanced at the boy and noticed the changes. The air around him felt different—polished and trained. His clothing was more noble, a step up from the simple gentleman look he'd worn before.
His hair was neatly side-parted, with minimal jewelry. The only accessory was a black bracelet on his right wrist.
The bracelet caught Zekram's attention.
'There's something about it,' he thought. He couldn't pinpoint what, but it clearly wasn't a simple accessory. Smooth, black, and uncarved, it wasn't worn for decoration alone.
As Zekram kept looking at Faiser, the boy noticed and promptly removed the bracelet.
To outsiders, it might have seemed disrespectful—taking off a bracelet just because someone was looking at it. But Zekram understood. Faiser wasn't giving credit for his power to the bracelet. If he had reached the demonic power of an Ultimate Class, it wasn't because of any accessory.
"Then, I'll give it a try," Faiser said, slowly releasing his demonic power.
He started weak, at the lowest level, then gradually increased to Middle Class, eventually breaking into High Class.
Everyone already knew he was a High Class, so when he paused there for a moment, murmurs spread among the Lords.
"Was he lying?" some heads of the Extra Demon families whispered. "It's strong energy, but it's not Ultimate Class."
Zekram ignored them. He didn't care if the boy lied; it wasn't the reason he came to this meeting. And he wasn't one of those Extra Demons—he knew Faiser hadn't released all his power at once. The boy was testing Ajuka's device, just as Zekram had done.
Since Faiser began releasing his power, both he and Zekram had been watching the cube and the room. Despite the intense energy, nothing happened. Normally, releasing Middle Class power would shake the place, and a full High Class release could damage it. But the room stood intact.
"Go on," Zekram finally said, satisfied with the device and curious about the boy's actual level.
Faiser nodded slightly and pushed past the threshold of High Class.
Eyes in the room widened as the power surged. Many struggled to sit comfortably; the energy was overwhelming. Even Zekram felt a twinge of bitterness. As a first-generation devil created by Lucifer, he had limitations, and being stuck at his level was one of them. Seeing a boy so young break into Ultimate Class stung.
Weaker devils felt suffocated and had to clench themselves just to stay seated.
"That is Ultimate Class," Ajuka said. "His power has far surpassed High Class and even crossed the early stages of Ultimate Class."
The other Satans agreed, as did Mephisto and Zekram. Many of the Lords hated it but were forced to admit the truth.
"How did you reach this level so quickly? Or were you hiding your true powers?" Lord Phenex asked, sitting opposite Lord Gremory. "Did you know about this, Lord Gremory?"
"I had a guess," Zeoticus nodded, much to Eival Phenex's annoyance.
Zekram flipped through the pages as the Lords discussed, especially Phenex.
"Might I remind everyone, this is not why we gathered," Zekram finally said. His power radiated subtly—not to surpass or challenge Faiser, but to assert his presence. "It is confirmed: Faiser is an Ultimate Class devil in strength. However, he displayed this stage while engaging Katerea Levaithan, a high-ranking member of the Old Satan Faction and an S-Rank terrorist, not before that."
Truth be told, he had no reason to use the Ultimate-Class before that either.
Everyone fell silent. They realized that Faiser's Ultimate Class wasn't the real issue, it wasn't even on the main agenda.
"You do seem to be getting entangled with the Levaithan name quite often, boy," Zekram said, looking first at Serafall and then at the purple-haired queen. "Killing Katerea Levaithan instead of capturing her wasn't the smartest move."
"He is right!" Lord Phenex, still sour from losing a large portion of his wealth to Faiser, jumped in. "If you had captured her alive, we could have gotten valuable information about the Old Satan Faction!"
Zekram didn't like Phenex interrupting him, but he didn't respond. He knew Faiser could handle Phenex with a few words if he wanted.
"Forgive me for that, Lord Zekram," Faiser said, looking directly at him and completely ignoring Phenex. "But you must understand that apprehending an Ultimate Class is no easy task. I did not have nearly enough experience for that, killing her was the only way I could escape alive."
He glanced at Phenex for a second. "Only devils who break into this realm understand how difficult it is to fully master the strength."
"You—" Phenex was furious at the taunt, but a single scowl from Mephisto Pheles quieted him.
What Faiser said also hit Zekram, but as much as it annoyed him, he was old enough to ignore it.
"What about destroying her ability to move instead of taking her life?" Zekram asked. "Surely you were in enough control for that."
"That is because I lack experience," Faiser replied immediately. "I was born during the civil war era, but I was not an active soldier. I'm not skilled enough in these matters, so I did what I had to in order to survive."
Murmurs rose again, but Zekram didn't quiet them this time.
Instead, Serafall spoke for Faiser.
"Lord Zekram," she said calmly, though Zekram could feel the subtle pressure she exuded. She didn't like Faiser being questioned so harshly. "I've fought with Katerea before. She was weaker than me, but crafty. She had enough tricks to cause severe losses and even managed to take a good portion of my forces."
Zekram remembered the Satans' clashes with the Old Satan Faction. They had won each time, but not without losses.
"Then how did a boy manage to win—no, kill Katerea Levaithan without suffering any loss? He has all his limbs intact, and it doesn't seem he lost anyone either," Zekram asked. "So tell me, Faiser and Satan Levaithan, how was it possible?"
Faiser explained, "It is because of the Valefar skill that I had recently mastered, and as you all are aware, very few people know that I awakened my Valefar abilities. Above all else, she died because she underestimated me, believing that I didn't have any skills to counter her or had awakened another bloodline."
Zekram went silent, flipping through the pages and tapping on the table. Everyone else in the room, even the Satans and Faiser, looked curious.
Mephisto, however, seemed to understand what Zekram was thinking.
"So, you mean you had the skill to win and also possess the Barbatos ability of teleporting individuals?" Mephisto asked. "Your father could do that at a young age, and given your talent seems to surpass his… couldn't you have done the same?"
Faiser, for the first time, didn't hedge, and he nodded.
"Am I correct in assuming you could have teleported her to the Underworld at that moment?"
Falbium slammed the table. "That's ridiculous. Even if he could, teleporting a maniacal terrorist to the devil society is insane!"
"What if he teleported her to you?" Phenex asked, hiding an annoying smile.
The question had merit. If Faiser had teleported Katerea to a Satan, she could have been captured.
"There were reasons I didn't," Faiser said, tired of the political games. "I was too exhausted to teleport over such a long distance, and taking another being with me would have drained even more power. I wasn't used to the Valefar skill and lacked the confidence to try that. So I couldn't risk it at the time."
Zekram finally spoke, and the Satans and Faiser realized everything up to this point had been a setup.
"Then why didn't you teleport Ingvild Levaithan with you instead of turning her into your queen?" Zekram asked, a devilish grin on his face. "After all, you didn't fight that many golems to exhaust all your strength, nor did you have to keep using the Valefar skill."
Everyone in the room knew politics, but Zekram? He was born for it.
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{A/N:A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters.}