[3rd POV]
Staring at Rainel across the area from her, Morgan remembered the conversation she had with each of her new members. Each of them joining for different reasons, mostly through bribery, due to the different situations they were in.
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[Flashback]
The first individual that came to mind to Morgan, after the declaration of what was basically war against the Phenex's, was Diehauser. He was the best Devil in the underworld in Rating Games, and was a master of strategy and combat. A Satan Class fighter that could give her a decent fight, and one that would be a huge boon to her family should she be able to recruit him.
The recruitment of Diehauser was a complicated one, as she knew that he was primarily trying to find out what happened to his cousin Cleria Belial. She was a sister figure to him, and was an incredibly important person to her.
Cleria had been killed after she found out about the King Pieces that the devils had tried so hard to hide, and was murdered to keep their existence hidden. She was the previous overseer of Kuoh, making her an important figure at one point.
She had also been killed due to her relationship with Masaomi Yaegaki, an exorcist for the church. Such a relationship was strictly forbidden, and he and his lover were killed for this. Even if they weren't killed, the devils would have killed Cleria in the end.
Morgan wanted him in her peerage for his skill in battle, and strategy. He'd also be a huge boon for her politically speaking, and would be one of the easier devils to recruit to her peerage, as long as she promised to tell him the truth of things.
At the moment she was in a cafe in the human realm, waiting for the man to appear, so she could speak with him.
And it didn't seem she had to wait long, as she heard the ding of the bell, the door opening as the man walked towards her.
"Lord Zagan" Diehauser said, lowering his head slightly, which she did the same.
"Lord Belial. Thank you answering my call"
"Yeah well, it's not everyday that someone promises to give you something you've always wanted" Diehauser replied, remembering the call with Morgan.
"Sorry for the...secrecy, but what I'm about to explain to you is...dangerous. But before that, we both know that this won't be for free, correct?" Morgan asked, as the man nodded.
"I know, but if you're telling the truth, then I don't care what you ask of me, I'll do it" Diehauser responded, causing her to raise an eyebrow.
"Even if it involves asking you to join my peerage as one of my pawns?" Morgan asked, as the man nodded.
"Even if it's that. As long as you tell me what I need to know, and it's the truth, then I'll join you" Diehauser responded with a nod, a serious glint in his eyes as she sighed, and began to tell him the truth of things, and how everything had gone down.
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[Flashback End]
What followed was a long conversation about the truth of things. About how his cousin died, about what she was protecting, and about who had done it all. And a day later, after talking with some very specific people, aka Sirzechs, Diehauser had his confirmation, and without hesitation, joined Morgan in repayment.
Sairaorg had done the same, joining her in a way of repaying her for what she did for his mother, and for telling him of the truth of things regarding the Phenex families relationship with his family. Which involved a lot of deals under the table that Morgan had discovered, ones that were less than legal.
Next was Roygun, who had been...surprisingly pretty easy to recruit into her peerage, and all she really had to do was promise that she would be part of something a LOT bigger than herself by joining, and it would also lead to the King piece within her dissolving, being absorbed into the Pawn Piece, keeping the boost, but without the negative side effects, and without being able to be discovered any longer.
It was due to this that she was able to join, and she, like the others, still retained her peerage. A fact that had massively strengthened her family, as they were now technically bound to help her should she ever need it, especially in war and such.
After Roygun had been Seekvaira, who had been an...interesting talk.
The woman was strong, and was similar to Sona in personality, but a bit more...shrewd. She was also very distrusting, and didn't really like the idea of serving under Morgan.
But that changed after she saw what Morgan promised her, a walking, working, functioning...
Gundam.
It hadn't been too difficult to make it through magic and the help of her peerage, and thanks to Seekvaira having a huge obsession with all things mecha, she had taken the deal rather quickly. That, and Morgan had made an alliance with Lord Agares, which would now form what was likely the most powerful alliance in the underworld.
Zagan, Belphegore, Sitri, Agares, Belial, Lucifuge, and a few more families in one massive alliance. And should Sairaorg become the Lord of the Bael clan, then he'd also join the alliance, making a new faction of sorts in the Underworld, one that was more so focused on growth and development rather than political bullshit.
It would likely be the major force that would protect Morgan against the political fallout of what she was preparing to do. And it was them she talked to after recruiting Sairaorg into her peerage, knowing that it would likely cause some problems.
They were also the only people in the underworld that knew of who was in her peerage prior to the beginning of the Game, as they needed to know so they could plan around the reveals. Mostly so it didn't lead to any sort of legal action from the council. As knowing them, they'd likely go after Morgan once finding out about her peerage and who was in it.
But the final peerage member she had gained, was the most important one of them all, and was not gained by her going to Sirzechs, but him coming to her, shockingly enough.
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[Flashback]
Sitting in her living room, Morgan sighed as she looked over Rainel's peerage that he had revealed so far. It was...strong, very strong, with some of his peerage being high Ultimate class in power. A lot of them were veteran from the Great War, and a lot of them were amongst the best fighters in the underworld.
But her peerage was better. It might not be as experienced, but it had far more firepower, far far more. She alone could likely take down more than half of his peerage. But she also knew that it was very unlikely that he didn't have some sort of trick up his sleeves, as phoenix tears were legal, as were her scrolls, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Even Holy objects were allowed in this sort of battle.
It was an all out battle. No limits on what they could pull out, as long as it did not include individuals that are wanted by the Underworld, thus Morgan needed to go through the process of proving that Kuroka wasn't guilty, something she had been working on for a couple of days now, with the battle happening in a day.
The peerage that Rainel had wasn't enough to deal with hers, but she still had to plan around whatever surprises he might bring out. Which involves using Valerie's sacred gear to help her new members lose their weakness to light and the holy element. Both of them being possible weapons the man will pull out.
As she thought of her plans for the game, she stopped as she felt two individuals enter her property. One of them was Grayfia from what she could tell, but the other one made her eyebrow shoot up, as she sensed that it was Sirzech's Lucifer.
Getting to her feet, she walked to her door and opened it, finding the two standing there. Sirzechs with a small smile on his face, and Grayfia with a serious glint in her eye.
"Can we come in? We've got a lot to talk about" Sirzechs asked, as Morgan glanced between the two before nodding. The man in front of her was the strongest devil in the world, and could kill her with laughable ease, even with all her sacred gears. A super class being was simply on an entirely different level in comparison to a Satan Class being.
"So...what is it you wish to speak about? Is it about the game?" Morgan asked, as Sirzechs nodded.
"Sort of. The game itself was...a surprising thing to challenge Lord Phenex to, but not surprising after hearing what he did to your mother. But I'm more so here in regards to a potential member that can be added to your peerage" Sirzechs said with a smile, as Morgan raised her eyebrow.
"I wish to join your peerage, Lord Zagan" Grayfia said with a concrete look in her eyes, her decision made as Morgan looked at her, flabbergasted.
"You-you wish to join my peerage?" Morgan asked in shock, as she looked at the woman that had become her friend over the past couple of months. She had enjoyed showing Grayfia how to enjoy life, and the idea of her joining her peerage while VERY appealing, was...difficult.
"Yes, Lord Zagan. I wish to aid you in the defeat of Rainel Phenex, and...I wish to stay afterwards. I have served Lord Lucifer for hundreds of years, and I believe it is time I...switch it up, as you have said" Grayfia responded.
"And you're okay with this? With getting rid of your Queen? With allowing me to have the most powerful Queen in the Underworld in my peerage? To have the Underworld known that she is not your wife?" Morgan asked, as the man nodded.
"It's about time I reveal the truth. I-I can't keep hiding it, it's beginning to weigh on my wife and son, and I won't allow that. I just ask that should I ever need your aid in protecting them, then you'll answer the call" Sirzechs said, a rare look of desperation in his eyes.
The political enemies of the New Satans would love to get their hands on his wife and son, and hadn't done it yet simply because they thought Millicas was the son of Grayfia, but was in fact, not. Making it far more appealing to kidnap him than before, especially if his mother is a weakling in comparison.
"...And are you sure you wish to do this, Grayfia? I will be under a lot of pressure after I deal with the Phenex, and you'll likely be looked down upon for this decision. We'll have to fight enemies of incredible power and-MMGMH" Morgan was cut off from her rambling, as her eyes shot wide, as Grayfia had launched forward, cutting her off as she slammed her lips against Morgan's own.
Sirzechs blinked several times at the side, as he raised an eyebrow in amusement, watching his Queen passionately make out with a very confused Morgan.
"Wha-" "I do not care, I am joining your peerage, and that is final" Grayfia said with a small glare being sent Morgan's way. The woman in question just staring at the silver haired maid, before smiling softly.
"Alright Grayfia, I'll let you become my Queen" Morgan replied, as the maid smiled in victory, while Morgan looked over to Sirzechs and gave him a grateful look, before another thought came to her mind.
"Actually...before we do this, can you help me with something else?"
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[Flashback End]
What followed was the transferring of Grayfia into Morgan's peerage, and her getting her new Mutated Queen Piece. And now, now she stood across from Rainel Phenex, her peerage standing behind her, grins and glares on their faces, prepared to obliterate the Phenex and his group in battle.
Around them the screams and roars of the Underworld filled their ears, practically shaking the coliseum as the Underworld gazed upon the most powerful peerage in the world, at the Lord of the Zagan clan, the woman that would change the world, the woman that had one thought on her mind as she stared at the pale faced Phenex.
'...Time to crush a bird'
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That's the end of the chapter!
An intermission before the big battle, as it was basically a chapter dedicated to showing her recruiting Grayfia and Diehauser, as well as explanations for the others and some thoughts.
Next chapter will be the battle, the chapter after that will be the last chapter of this volume.
Anyways, have a good day!