"We certainly managed to survive this danger, but why did the Old Satan Faction suddenly start acting up?
"After hundreds of years of dormancy, have they finally run out of patience? Do they want to reclaim the government of the Underworld?"
"It is necessary for us to re-establish contact with them and confirm their intentions."
Three figures—one red, one green, and one orange—began a discussion regarding the movements of the Old Satan Faction. The atmosphere was incredibly solemn; it was clear at a glance that the three of them took this matter very seriously.
"I have always regretted it. There should have been a better way to resolve the conflict of ideologies back then. Instead, it escalated into a fratricide between devils. Even though hundreds of years have passed, thinking back on it still fills me with vexation."
The red figure spoke these words from the bottom of his heart, earning comfort from the other two.
"You already did very well. So did we. At the time, there weren't actually many choices."
"I don't think we were wrong. If we hadn't stopped them then, the devils might have fought until total racial extinction. That was something we absolutely could not accept, wasn't it?"
The green and orange figures spoke in succession, yet the red figure's mood did not improve.
"Even so, we should have first attempted to explore a path of coexistence rather than going directly to war," the red figure said in a low voice. "Too many, far too many devils died in that war."
The green and orange figures fell into silence.
"Now that the Old Satan Faction has moved again, is this just the intent of a few individuals? Or is there a consensus among them to do something?"
The red figure was not one to dwell on sentimentality. After adjusting his emotions, he spoke again.
"We must send someone to contact them. At the very least, we need to confirm their whereabouts and investigate whether they have collaborated with any other entities."
The green and orange figures nodded in unison.
This attack by the Old Satan Faction had revealed several unusual points to them.
For instance, where did the monsters and stray magicians inside that barrier maze come from?
Monsters can be obtained through capture, but stray magicians are different. How could so many magicians be entirely unorganized and undisciplined entities? It was impossible.
Furthermore, regarding the mastermind Luffy Trix—what exactly did he swallow during his battle with that little fellow from the Eligos house that caused his power to skyrocket?
Where did it come from? Was it developed by the Old Satan Faction? Or was it provided by someone else?
According to the report, the latter seemed more likely, but who was the provider?
Who would possess such a capability?
At this thought, the three of them were filled with a thousand lingering doubts and considerations.
"Let the arrangements be made," the green figure said with finality. "Responsible parties must be assigned to contact the Old Satan Faction, investigate their movements, and delve into the secrets behind this. We must resolve these matters one by one."
"Leave that to me, then." Although the orange figure still looked lazy, he took the initiative to accept the task. "I will arrange for people to handle it."
"I want to go to the human world," the red figure said. "That alternate space seems to still exist. I want to investigate it and check on those three while I'm at it."
Upon hearing this, the blue figure, who had been lying on the table wailing, suddenly jumped up.
"Me! Me! Me! Let me go!" the blue figure shouted with incredible momentum. "I want to see Sona-chan! I need to warn her to be careful of bad men with ulterior motives!"
"—Shouldn't you go and talk to your father first?" The green figure sighed helplessly. "The two parties involved might still be kept in the dark. What could you even do if you went?"
"Ah... that—" the blue figure stammered, caught off guard. "That may be true, but Sona-chan's virtue is also very important! As her big sister, I must go and check—cough, I mean, supervise her properly!"
The other three: ...
Did a comment that seriously lowers one's dignity just happen?
"Aren't you currently on a business trip?" the orange figure reminded her. "Have the negotiations with the exotic races in the remote regions concluded?"
The blue figure fell into an awkward silence.
The four of them were responsible for different domains in the Underworld, and their work content varied.
The green figure was the supreme advisor for technical development, responsible for providing technical support to the devil world and researching new generations of technology, including but not limited to the development and production of Evil Pieces.
The orange figure was the head of military coordination, responsible for organizing the army and armaments, maintaining the combat power of the devil world, monitoring the movements of other factions, and maintaining constant vigilance.
The red figure was the general strategist, responsible for uniting various factions and sects, as well as planning the development of various cities within their territory. From entertainment industries to land construction, his influence was everywhere.
As for the blue figure, she was in charge of diplomatic affairs; she was the chief diplomat of the devil world.
Currently, she was supposed to be serving as an envoy to the territories of exotic races in the fringe regions, preparing to exchange goods through trade for materials vital to the next stage of the devil world's development.
If she suddenly abandoned her post to run off to the human world, the consequences would be chaotic.
"Muu—! Muu muu—!"
The blue figure began to squirm, looking miserable.
"I'll go instead." Like a gentle older brother comforting a throwing-a-tantrum little sister, the red figure said warmly, "I'll check on Sona for you and confirm if she's doing well."
"—Alright," the blue figure said reluctantly. "Once I return, I'm going to the human world too. If I don't replenish my Sona-energy soon, I'll definitely wither away."
The other three: ...
The last time they felt this speechless was... well, the last time.
Forget it, as long as they could dissuade her. If she really ran to the human world with her current mindset, there was no telling what kind of mess she would cause.
Especially for that little fellow from the Eligos house—it was still too early for him to face the strongest female devil in the Underworld.
If she acted on an impulse and did something irrational, his mental state would probably crumble, wouldn't it?
"I truly cannot understand you people who dote on your younger sisters so much."
The orange figure remarked, subtly aiming the comment at the other person present.
"I'm not like her; I wouldn't oppose my sister's romance so vehemently." The red figure smiled. "In fact, I would be quite happy if she could find someone she loves on her own, rather than being frequently depressed because of the engagement issue as she is now."
"If my little Rias's fiancé were that boy from the Eligos house, I would probably wake up laughing from my dreams."
At the very least, compared to Rias's current fiancé, he appreciated Leon much more.
"Although he only has half pure-blood devil heritage, he can barely be considered a pure-blood devil. He also possesses mutated traits and—a Longinus."
The red figure looked at the report in his hand, speaking with a smile, whether in admiration or something else.
"'Zenith Tempest,' is it? He certainly hid it deep."
The others looked at each other, all seeing the same expression on one another's faces.
"To think that this Longinus, second only to the legendary strongest Holy Spear, would actually appear on our side, the devils," the orange figure marveled. "He even has 'Crowning of the Purple Flame Altar' and 'Eternal Ice Princess' under his command. The other two Sacred Gears are also rare and powerful. It's truly incredible."
"Compared to these, the fact that he suddenly displayed power on the level of an Ultimate-class devil, and even his wings increased to eight, is almost insignificant."
"If the Eligos peerage can grow, they might even replace us in the future and become the pillars of the Underworld."
Such high praise was almost shocking.
But no one spoke out in opposition; instead, they were filled with anticipation.
They were not obsessed with power.
On the contrary, they hoped to hand over their current positions to someone more capable of supporting the entire devil race and becoming the pillars of the Underworld.
In a sense, the four of them were indeed "False Satans," because they never felt the title of Satan was a good thing.
If not for the pressure of the situation at the time, which required someone to step up and lead the devil world, the four of them would have preferred to be free and easy devils.
"When you go to the human world this time, have a good talk with that little fellow for me," the green figure said to the red figure.
"Tell him what needs to be told, and let him know what needs to be known, so he doesn't accidentally fall into someone's trap later."
"'Zenith Tempest,' 'Crowning of the Purple Flame Altar,' 'Eternal Ice Princess,' 'Sword Birth,' 'Create World'—combined with his own uniqueness, he has already attracted some unfavorable gazes."
"Especially that one from the Fallen Angels. Once he hears this news, I'm afraid he won't be able to resist making a personal trip."
Hearing this, the red figure nodded solemnly.
At the same time, in a certain corner of the world, others were also discussing this incident.
"That little fellow from the Trix house failed."
"—While such a possibility wasn't entirely unforeseen, I didn't expect him to fail so decisively."
"Truly useless. The Trix house is indeed finished."
"Now, the foundation of our True Satan Faction has diminished once again."
"Fortunately, it wasn't a total loss."
"Indeed. Those hateful False Satans are truly incompetent, allowing such a vital combat asset to remain outside."
"The Eligos house, was it?"
"Three Longinus... it's already worth our intervention."
"Soon. After this probe, we roughly understand the state of the Underworld."
"Next time will be the opportunity for our True Satan Faction to officially make our voice heard to the world."
A group of dark shadows conversed with each other before dispersing with cold sneers.
A similar situation was occurring elsewhere.
"Our new member has returned."
"Judging by your look, she must have failed her objective and fled back in disgrace, right?"
"Pretty much. Regardless, she looks like she's dying."
"Oh? Then let's go see her."
"Wait, we discovered quite a few important things. Here is the report, take a look."
"—'Zenith Tempest' has appeared?"
"What? Intrigued?"
"Yes. I want to cross blades with him."
"A clash between two of the strongest Longinus? Truly something to look forward to—"