Omniscient POV
Demiplane
A devilishly handsome blond man walked through the beautiful garden of the Demiplane, his serene, angelic face calm as he enjoyed the scenery around him.
Beside him were a hulking old man and another handsome figure with long, flowing hair and features so refined he, too, looked almost angelic.
But only the first was truly an angel; the other two were human.
This was Michael, accompanied by Vasco and Dulio, the wielder of Zenith Tempest.
All three looked around with innocent curiosity, though Vasco alone carried any real caution.
For Michael and Dulio, it was their first time here, but for Vasco, it was his second.
Only a few days ago, he had come with Max and Masaomi to help the girls who had suffered from Diodora's abuse, instead of simply killing them as the church had demanded. Back then, Sakuya had been the one to host them.
Vasco hadn't expected to return so soon, and especially not because of the blunders of the church's exorcists.
Just a day ago, they had found David—thoroughly injured and humiliated—and a dickless Freed, in similar condition, dumped at their doors.
Their wounds had been treated, but Freed's dick had already been vaporized and it was so severe that even healing could not restore what he had lost.
As they wandered among the countless exotic plants—some familiar, others unlike anything they had ever heard of—they marveled at the variety.
Many were enormous, almost monstrous in size, yet no less beautiful for it. One in particular caught their eyes: a towering white flower streaked with red, as though veins of blood ran across its petals. From its core oozed a glowing, crimson liquid, its scent strangely alluring.
"Isn't it beautiful? Most members are fond of this area," came a voice from behind, making them turn.
"Akatsuki," Michael said, recognizing him at once.
"That's the Blood Spider Lily," Akatsuki explained. "Its sap is highly nutritious and surprisingly delicious, despite its appearance. You all should try it."
He stepped closer to the massive bloom, collecting some of the glowing sap into cups. To prove it was safe, he drank from one himself before handing the rest to the three standing there.
"Hmnn… it's good. I feel invigorated," said Michael as he drank the liquid before Vasco could stop him.
Seeing Dulio do the same, Vasco finally joined in, though he sighed at how calm they were while standing inside another faction's domain. He wouldn't have worried as much if Michael, their current leader, hadn't been here.
"Yeah. It boosts natural recovery while revitalizing the body. It also sharpens metabolism, so all our members drink it after training," explained Akatsuki, taking another sip from his cup. The others followed his lead.
"It must be nice having something like this," Michael said, staring at the cup in his hand.
"Hm... And you must be the wielder of Zenith Tempest. It's good to finally meet Heaven's new trump card in person," says Akatsuki, extending his hand to Dulio for a handshake. It was their first official meeting, even though he had already met him before while acting as Kouske.
"It's an honor to meet you too. I've been wanting to thank you for some time," Dulio replied, shaking his hand.
"Oh? And why is that?" Akatsuki asked curiously.
"I just wanted to thank you for the donations you made to the orphanages in our territory. The children are deeply grateful. They loved the food," Dulio said with a warm smile.
The last time Kouske met Dulio, he had donated food from the Demiplane to the orphanages. After that, Akatsuki made further contributions, since continuous aid from a devil would have drawn the Church's anger.
By donating under his other name, he ensured the children received help without much trouble. The food had no special properties, but being grown in the Demiplane made it exceptionally delicious and nutritious.
Akatsuki knew how harshly the Church restricted those children, feeding them little more than fruits in the name of training and asceticism. You'd never imagine this was the Church's practice, seeing so many bishops and archbishops looking like nothing more than fat pigs themselves.
They were truly the ultimate form of hypocrites. So he began donating richer, tastier, and healthier fruits to ease the children's suffering.
"No need for thanks. I enjoyed doing it," Akatsuki replied simply.
After that, they talked for a while as they strolled through the garden, admiring the many beautiful yet bizarre plants. Soon, however, they gathered inside the meeting room—the time had come to discuss business.
"First of all, I would like to apologize for the sudden attack by one of our own," Michael said, his tone heavy with shame after personally investigating the matter. The other two followed his lead, bowing their heads in sincere apology.
It turned out an exorcist, harboring an inferiority complex toward Strada, had recklessly attacked a member of Akatsuki's organisation without provocation—even though their factions had been cooperating closely for some time now.
In fact, most of the light weapons now came from Akatsuki, greatly easing the burden once carried by the angels who had been responsible for making them in the past.
So when Michael uncovered the full truth of the situation, he was furious. David couldn't even attempt to hide the facts—Heaven's system was designed to pierce through any lies spoken by its followers.
Not to mention the fury he felt after uncovering Freed's antics upon a proper investigation—Freed had already been declared a stray exorcist.
"No one on our side was hurt, and that man was already taught a lesson. So you don't need to be so formal. I accept your sincerity," Akatsuki said.
"So, about the matter of Gelatine—" Michael began, only for Akatsuki to cut him off.
"That's a separate issue. But you should know, it won't come for free," Akatsuki replied, making Michael sigh in resignation.
"Of course. We never expected otherwise," Michael admitted, which drew a small smile from Akatsuki.
This was why Akatsuki preferred dealing with Michael over the more radical exorcists or angels. Michael was, at his core, a genuinely good man.
But as a leader, he carried flaws just as much as Sirzechs. Among the three Abrahamic factions, only Azazel truly held the qualities of a true leader, despite the flaws in his own personality.
"So, what do you want in exchange for it?" asks Michael. Both Dulio and Strada stood behind him.
"Tarasque's remains," said Akatsuki, catching them off guard.
Tarasque was a massive, terrifying creature with a turtle-like shell, a lion-like head, six short legs, and a long serpent-like tail.
In ancient times, Saint Martha had first tamed and later slain it with the help of the villagers by the River Rhone in France.
Since then, its remains had been buried deep underground, kept well hidden as the Church had no means of making use of them.
Back then, it had come closer than any other creature to attaining the rank of a Dragon King.
In remembrance of that event, yearly festivals were still held in the town of Tarascon—named after it—by the River Rhone.
In truth, it had long since become little more than a piece of cultural heritage.
"You… want Tarasque's remains? What would you do with it?" Michael asked.
"Lord Michael, it's been a symbol of the Church for generations in Tarascon. You can't be thinking of giving it away!" Strada said, his voice tinged with agitation.
He had been born in Tarascon himself, and the thought of losing the symbol of the Church—more so, the heritage of his hometown—didn't sit right with him.
"Your Holiness, perhaps we should let Lord Michael finish his thoughts," Dulio said, his ever-lasting smile still on his face.
"So, what do you want to do with it?" Michael asked.
"You should know the abilities of our blacksmiths. Wouldn't you agree it's far better being used by us than just discarded underground like that? You guys can't make use of it. It's such a waste," Akatsuki replied.
"But we're talking about the remains of a creature that almost reached Dragon King rank. You, being the host of one, should know how rare it is," Michael said.
'He's not wrong. Given a few more hundred years, it would have reached Dragon King rank,' Vritra said in his head.
"That's exactly why I'm asking for it. You guys have no way of using it. Isn't a sword like Gelatine better than a corpse lying useless? If Big G were still alive, things might have been different—he might have even made a Longinus out of it. But he isn't, and neither can you. So wouldn't you say it's a better trade-off to get Gelatine back?" Akatsuki said, stunning Michael and the others.
"Yo—you! You know about HIM?!" Michael's voice hardened.
Strada and Dulio looked equally shocked and on guard. Yehweh's death had been a closely guarded secret among all three Abrahamic factions. If other factions or pantheons knew, none would hesitate to attack.
It had been unanimously decided to keep it hidden—after all, Yehweh had made more enemies than friends in his lifetime. Being the third strongest in the world had ensured he never cared about repercussions; he had been, in every sense, an incorrigible bastard.
"At this point, many others could figure it out too. Just look at the abnormalities in the Sacred Gears within Heaven's System—the Balance Breakers are a huge clue to how the system is malfunctioning, and no one is able to fix it. And did you really forget I have the conscious Vritra inside me?" Akatsuki said, making Michael flush slightly.
For a moment, he had truly forgotten that Vritra was conscious again—adjusting to such things after hundreds of years takes time.
"Have you told anyone about this?" Michael asked cautiously.
"No. I don't want any war. You don't have to worry about it," Akatsuki reassured him.
Michael sighed.
After some back-and-forth, he reluctantly accepted Akatsuki's offer. He never really had a choice. Trading Gelatine—one of the Church's strongest weapons—for a corpse they couldn't even use was an obvious decision.
Of course, Akatsuki would still have to give them a weapon made from its corpse in exchange, and he didn't refuse.
Kouske had already finished delivering the promised weapons to the devil faction, though most had more defects than not, despite their immense power.
Some traded rationality for instantaneous power, while others sacrificed defense for extreme offensive capability. Yet no one could deny just how powerful they were.
Now, to balance things out, he saw no issue with providing a weapon to the Church. He didn't want war, after all.
Kouske would be having a field day crafting weapons—and possibly even a Sacred Gear—from its remains.
"We heard you have Incinerate Anthem," said Strada.
"Hmm. We just got it," Akatsuki replied.
"We want it," Strada stated firmly, without any shame.
"It is one of the holy Sacred Gears of the Church. So it must remain in the Church's possession—at least that's what the higher-ups in the church demand," Strada said, glancing at Michael. After all, the Church couldn't go against the will of Heaven, nor Michael.
"I would also like it to remain in our possession," Michael added, making Strada smile—they were on the same page.
After all, they were discussing one of the Longinuses, and a holy one at that, Incinerate Anthem, the Church's one of the most potent weapons against devils.
"You want a Longinus. So, are you willing to give me another Longinus in exchange?" Akatsuki asked.
"Ha ha ha. We cannot give you any Longinuses. But anything besides that is negotiable," Michael replied as he laughed awkwardly.
"Then how about the Excalibur Fragments?" Akatsuki proposed.
"That too is not possible," Michael answered.
"I don't see this deal going anywhere if even that's off the table," Akatsuki said, looking at Dulio thoughtfully. After a pause, Michael spoke up.
"I am willing to give you one of the fragments, and we can discuss other forms of compensation for the rest," he said.
"One is hardly equivalent to a Longinus… Then how about this? Let me examine all the Excalibur fragments in your possession for a day, one by one, in front of you—or anyone you wish to have present—and I will take one fragment alongside it. I also want to examine the Shroud of Turin, Crown of Thorns, and Zenith Tempest. Then I will consider it even and proceed," Akatsuki said, turning to Dulio.
"You… want to examine all of that? You're asking for all the Church's symbols. You must know we cannot allow this," Michael said.
"Maybe you cannot give them to me, but what would it cost you to simply let me examine them? I'm not asking to take them. You can be present, and I'll do this in your territory. Are you seriously saying no, even when I'm basically giving up one of the strongest Sacred Gears?" Akatsuki countered.
Michael sighed. Even Azazel had never asked to examine all of these items. But after much consideration—and with Dulio expressing his trust in him—Michael finally agreed.
They would only allow one item at a time. What followed was a long back-and-forth over inspection dates, who could be present, for how long, the order of items, and when Incinerate Anthem and which Excalibur Fragments would be exchanged.
Kouske was having a field day.
He had already copied the powers of Incinerate Anthem, and now Zenith Tempest was in front of him, along with all the other holy objects and weapons that would further enhance his skills in weapon and Sacred Gear creation. Even Azazel would have been jealous.
And after a week, the day of Sona's birthday finally arrived.
[A/N: I am back with DxD!
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