"Alright, Azazel. After hearing this report, I'd like to hear the opinion of the Governor of the Fallen Angels."
At Sirzechs's question, everyone's eyes turned toward the black-haired Governor. In response, Azazel gave a fearless smile and began to speak.
"First of all, a few days ago, one of the executives of the Fallen Angels' central organization, Grigori, Kokabiel, acted entirely on his own—without informing the other executives or me, the Governor. His punishment has already been handed over to the White Dragon Emperor. Later, the organization's military tribunal decided to sentence Kokabiel to permanent freezing in the deepest layer of Hell. He won't be coming out again. The explanation for this should have already been included in the documents I sent you. That's the entirety of how the Fallen Angels have handled this incident." Azazel shrugged toward Michael as he finished.
"Looks like Kokabiel still couldn't let go of his grudge against you and wanted another fight."
Michael sighed.
"That explanation is the bare minimum… I know you personally don't want to cause any massive incidents, but is that really true?"
"That's right. I have no interest in war. Kokabiel even criticized me over this. The reports just now mentioned it, didn't they?"
"So it seems we Angels were just being overly suspicious. First, there was the appearance of Sirzechs—the strongest Maou in history—which made us incredibly tense, preparing for war for quite some time. But as it turns out, no war happened." Michael smiled wryly as he spoke.
"And then there's you, Azazel. For decades, you've been gathering Sacred Gear wielders. When we heard you'd obtained the White Dragon, we thought you were going to start a war, so we stayed on high alert for ages—only for it to be another false alarm."
Michael spoke with a bitterly exasperated expression, clearly tired of being frightened back and forth by the other two factions.
Azazel gave a wry smile at his words.
"That was for Sacred Gear research. If you'd like, I could even give you some of my research data. True, I originally gathered them to strengthen my forces in case of sudden war—but in the end, I was overthinking things. At this point, I have no interest in war. I'm very satisfied with the world as it is now. I've even given my subordinates the order: 'Don't meddle in human politics.' I have no plans to intervene in religion, and I have no desire to interfere with the Devils' affairs either."
After Azazel finished, both he and Michael cast subtly reproachful glances at Sirzechs, who had been silent until now.
"Hey, hey, hey—what's with the two of you looking at me like that? The title of 'strongest Maou' is something I never asked for! I have absolutely no interest in war either." Sirzechs replied with a helpless smile.
"I see. Well, since we've made everything clear, why not just sign a peace treaty? Wasn't that the plan from the start—for both Angels and Devils?"
With one statement, Sirzechs shifted the entire atmosphere. Everyone wore looks of surprise—these three long-time enemies were actually choosing peace?!
After a short silence, Michael was the first to smile.
"Yes, that was indeed our intention. If the three factions remain in constant opposition, it will harm the world as it is now. Though it might be improper for me as the leader of the Angels to say this—the God and the Maou who were the sources of war have already perished, so peace is the better path."
It seemed peace had long been in consideration among the three factions. Using the Kokabiel incident as a catalyst, they finally brought what had only been an idea into the open.
The most crucial part of the summit concluded with a mutual agreement: If war breaks out again, the three forces will be completely annihilated. The resulting impact on the human world will be so great that the world itself would end. We can no longer wage war.
With the peace treaty reached, the talks moved on to matters of future military arrangements: current troop strengths, how the factions should coexist, the boundaries of their territories, and areas of cooperation.
In the ancient great war, all three factions had been dealt crippling blows—Heaven lost God, the Underworld lost the Maou, and the Fallen Angels lost nearly all their strength. In such a state, they not only had to think about survival and rebuilding, but also about defense against other mythological pantheons. If they could coexist peacefully, even work together, then despite their losses, their combined strength would still be enough to deter the ambitions of other factions.
"Well, I suppose that's about it. Does anyone have anything else they'd like to say?" Sirzechs asked, bringing the meeting toward its close.
"Um… I have something I'd like to say."
To everyone's surprise, Yoru suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? A soldier of the Gremory family? What is it you want to say?"
Azazel raised an eyebrow, while Michael watched Yoru with interest.
"A genius soldier on par with Kokabiel, huh?"
"Well… I suppose what I want to say is more of a side matter. It's about those three."
Yoru turned his head to look at Asia, who stood at the front of the Church trio.
"Although they've been reincarnated as Devils, they haven't lost their faith, and often find themselves praying unconsciously. But when they pray, they suffer headaches. I find it hard to watch. You should have a way to help them, shouldn't you?"
As Yoru spoke, he looked straight at Michael. His words left the three girls wide-eyed in surprise—he was actually bringing up a request for them in such an important meeting.
"Shidou Irina, Asia, and Xenovia, correct?" Michael's gaze shifted to the three girls, with a hint of regret in his eyes.
"Losing the three of you is truly a shame… Asia, with your powerful healing Sacred Gear; Xenovia, with your exceptional swordsmanship as a Holy Sword wielder; and Irina, who even had the potential to become an Angel."
"Falling was our own choice. A Church that shows no mercy to so-called heretics has no place for us."
Xenovia shook her head, speaking without regret. At this point, she no longer held any true faith—her occasional prayers were simply out of habit.
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