"God!"
Inside a magnificent church, an elderly man in white robes stood beneath a statue of God, praying silently in his heart.
This man was the current Pope of the Church.
However, unlike the world Elise had once visited, the Pope in the Asterisk War world genuinely believed in God, and the power of faith he provided Elise was exceptionally vast.
But the Pope of the High School DxD world...
Although he could also provide Elise with the power of faith, its quality was honestly rather poor.
It was even weaker than the power of faith provided by some Church warriors!
While Elise was in Heaven, she had spent some time observing the Church on Earth. This particular Church had certainly left a deep impression on her.
Elise estimated that the Pope did not believe in God so much as fear God. Although the two concepts differed by only a word, the quantity and quality of the power of faith they produced were worlds apart!
After all...
Elise's judgment regarding the strength of the power of faith was extremely precise.
As long as someone liked Elise, they would generate a corresponding amount of faith. The more they liked her, the stronger that power of faith would become!
This was also Elise's most commonly used method of judging people, allowing her to determine very quickly whether someone would be useful to her.
Although this man's power of faith was not strong, he had naturally possessed something special to have risen to the position of Pope.
Therefore, Elise extended an invitation to the elderly man as well.
Amid the continuous sound of prayer, the Pope, who had been kneeling on the floor, gradually fell silent, and all movement from his body slowly ceased.
From an outsider's perspective, the Pope now appeared no different from a corpse. Even his life force had vanished.
Unfortunately, the Pope had brought no one with him while he prayed, so naturally no one noticed anything unusual. The only person who understood what had happened was the Pope himself.
"Where... am I?"
The Pope slowly opened his narrowed eyes and looked around in confusion, but he soon realized what was happening.
Many people within the Church had already been guided by angels into Heaven. Recently, rumors of this had been circulating constantly throughout the Church, with numerous clergymen claiming that a beautiful angel had guided them in their dreams.
Judging from the situation, he had probably encountered the same thing.
In that case, where was the angel?
"Welcome to Heaven. I am the angel temporarily acting on God's behalf. I believe you have already heard of me."
A blonde angel suddenly appeared before the Pope, instantly drawing his gaze.
The most conspicuous feature was the wings behind her. She possessed a full thirty-six wings, far more than an ordinary angel!
There was actually such an angel in Heaven?
It was precisely because he occupied the position of Pope that he understood Heaven exceptionally well.
Angels could possess no more than twelve wings, which belonged to the legendary Seraphs! Whether it was Michael or Gabriel, both had twelve wings.
Then why was this one... so unique?
Although he was puzzled, now was not the time to ask.
"Yes. Many members of the Church have said that they encountered a beautiful angel in their dreams. I presume that angel was you?"
Out of respect for the angel, the Pope bowed slightly.
"That was indeed me. Recently, I have been responsible for guiding the believers here."
Metatron showed no reaction to the Pope's praise. Just as before, she continued to wear a gentle smile.
Perhaps she held little interest in anyone other than her mother. Only when facing Elise would Metatron reveal her true nature.
"Then there is no time to waste. Please follow me."
An unknown amount of time passed before the two of them finally stopped before an unimaginably enormous gate.
The Pope now wore a nervous expression.
Why had she brought him here?
"This is the place. Please enter!"
"My Lord is waiting for you inside."
My Lord?
When Metatron uttered those words, the Pope did not react at first. However, after thinking carefully, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
Wasn't God... already dead?
Why would she say that?
Over the years, the number of exorcists and nuns who had fallen from grace within the Church had steadily continued to rise.
Michael had even approached the Pope because of it, hoping they could resolve the problem together. Unfortunately, they had failed.
As a result, the Pope knew far more than most people imagined, though that knowledge was limited to him alone.
Michael had issued a gag order regarding the matter. Within the Church, only the Pope knew the truth. Otherwise, the more people who learned of it, the faster the news would spread.
But now, none of that mattered anymore.
Because...
God's return would inevitably solve every one of those problems!
"Thank you for guiding me. I will prepare myself to meet the Lord at once!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Pope pushed open the tightly closed gate without the slightest hesitation. At that very moment, his entire body was bathed in golden light before vanishing completely from Metatron's sight.
...
As the dazzling light gradually faded, the Pope slowly opened his narrowed eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
Unlike the Heaven he had seen before, this place was not enveloped in platinum light that made one feel as though they had entered an immortal paradise.
Instead, the place where the Pope now stood resembled a vessel drifting through outer space... surrounded by countless stars!
It was a breathtaking sight beyond imagination!
The starry skies depicted in books could not begin to compare with this place!
"Then, where is the Lord..."
Just as the Pope prepared to search for the Lord, he froze.
That was because a rather unexpected figure had entered his sight...
A blonde girl sat upright upon a carpet formed from countless blue motes of light.
She wore a white robe cut to accentuate her figure, and her entire being radiated unimaginable holiness and beauty. A single glance was almost enough to make someone lose themselves completely!
But... wasn't this the angel who had just guided him here? How had she arrived ahead of him? Had she entered from outside as well?
His confusion lasted only an instant before the Pope shook his head and dismissed the thought.
No, this was not the same person as the angel from before!
The most obvious difference was her figure, which was entirely unlike that of the previous angel!
Then there was her presence!
Although they were somewhat similar, the woman before him seemed to possess a beauty that did not belong to this world... It gave the impression that she stood above the world itself!
Then she spoke.
For some unknown reason, the moment she opened her mouth, an inexplicable trace of affection for her arose within the Pope's heart... It was simply unbelievable!
"Welcome, my child."
"I am certain your heart is filled with questions, but rest assured. I will answer each of them for you."
"Please, take a seat."
She merely waved her hand, and a table appeared out of thin air. Although it looked quite ordinary and seemed similar to teleportation magic, the widely experienced Pope recognized it immediately!
This was... creation!
In this world, there was only one existence who possessed both such majesty and such power of creation!
"Yes, my great Lord!"
...
Deep within the Underworld.
Inside a spacious office, a red-haired young man sat in a chair, frowning at the report in his hands.
His name was Sirzechs Lucifer. Although he had been born into the Gremory family, he was now Lucifer, the foremost of the Underworld's Four Great Satans.
Ordinarily, a Satan occupying such a lofty position should delegate the Underworld's many affairs to his subordinates.
However, the matters in Sirzechs' hands were anything but ordinary. Not only were they numerous, but they were also critically important. A single misstep could lead the entire devil race toward extinction!
He could not entrust them to anyone else.
Therefore, Sirzechs had no choice but to handle them personally.
"It has already been so long. Why hasn't Heaven made any move at all?"
He repeatedly flipped through the reports sent from the human world over the past few days, attempting to uncover some hidden intelligence, but unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain.
Sirzechs could understand why the other factions had made no move. After all, those crafty old foxes intended to wait and observe the situation. Not one of them wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
The devils had the same idea. Although angels were their enemies, fighting them to mutual destruction would bring no benefit whatsoever.
But why?
As the faction at the center of this entire disturbance, why had Heaven not sent out a single person or angel to offer an explanation?
The devils of the Underworld had been left unable to eat or sleep in peace, while the members of the Noble Council continued to pressure Sirzechs...
"I used to be able to return home often, but now even finding time to sleep has become a luxury... Sigh!"
The moment he thought of his parents, wife, child, and younger sister at home, a gentle expression unconsciously appeared on Sirzechs' face...
"No matter what, I still have to work hard and fulfill my duties as Satan. After all, this is for everyone in the Underworld!"
Just as Sirzechs prepared to continue reading the remaining documents, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Soon, someone stumbled to a stop just beyond the room.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Lord Satan, I have an urgent matter to report!"
Ordinarily, no matter how important the situation was, there should have been no need for such panic. Although the Underworld had its share of problems, it was not something anyone could casually bully.
"I understand. Come in."
Sirzechs rose from his chair and slowly walked around to the front of his desk. At that moment, the devil outside happened to enter the room.
"Lord Satan, something extremely important has happened!"
The devil's forehead was covered in sweat, and his expression was filled with panic, causing Sirzechs to feel puzzled.
Just what had happened to frighten him so badly?
However, as a Satan, Sirzechs could not reveal his emotions easily. He gently steadied the devil and smiled, attempting to calm him down.
"I understand. There is no need to be so nervous."
"No matter what happens, we devils will not be afraid!"
Perhaps influenced by Sirzechs' words, the devil's emotions gradually settled, and he was no longer as panicked as before.
"Yes, Lord Satan!"
Only after the devil had completely calmed down did Sirzechs ask about what had happened.
"What exactly occurred to make you panic like this?"
As he spoke, Sirzechs carefully observed the devil's expression... It had only just relaxed, yet tension was already beginning to return.
"They declared war..."
Although the voice was extremely faint, Sirzechs' strength allowed him to hear it clearly.
"Heaven has declared war!"
That was right. Under Michael's leadership, the angels had always pursued a policy of recuperation and recovery.
But even so, it could not change Heaven's disadvantaged position.
The devil race had grown powerful because of the Evil Piece system, which allowed members of other races to be reincarnated as devils.
However, the angels had never intended to do anything similar!
Combined with the problem of angels falling from grace, the number of pure angels could only continue to decrease!
That was why the angels, fallen angels, and devils had all independently developed the desire to negotiate peace.
If the fighting continued, the angel race would undoubtedly disappear into the river of history and truly become a thing of the past.
Sirzechs had not been overly worried before, because the unification of the Three Factions had seemed inevitable, as had the devils taking the leading position. That was until... the God of the Bible revived!
Sirzechs had immediately sensed that something was wrong and dispatched devils to investigate the human world.
However, he could obtain no information from either Heaven or the Church. At the same time, the angels had completely withdrawn into Heaven, without a single one being seen outside!
Therefore, Sirzechs had held a discussion with Azazel, the Governor-General of the fallen angels. The two of them had agreed to form an alliance so that they could support one another if Heaven or the God of the Bible made any move!
Since Heaven had declared war, it naturally had to have a target. Judging from how panicked this devil was, barring any surprises...
"Heaven declared war on us, didn't it?"
Although it was phrased as a question, Sirzechs spoke with absolute certainty.
"Y-Yes!"
As expected!
Sirzechs slowly narrowed his eyes. It seemed the God of the Bible had given Heaven immense confidence. Otherwise, they could not possibly have declared war on the devils so quickly!
Sirzechs had never met the God of the Bible, but ancient devil records contained accounts of Him!
Unless something unexpected had occurred, the God of the Bible's strength was undoubtedly above that of a Super Devil like him!
But why...
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Sirzechs' mind.
He understood almost instantly why he had been unable to gather any information during this period.
Since the God of the Bible had only just revived, His strength could not possibly have returned to its peak immediately! He would need time to recover!
After so much time had passed, the God of the Bible must have recovered a considerable portion of His strength!
No, he had to find a solution immediately!
Everything Sirzechs knew about the God of the Bible came from ancient records. If he wanted specific information about Him, the best option was to ask that man...
Although most of what came out of his mouth was unreliable, surely he would not lie at a time like this.
"The devils are now facing a crisis. Contact someone for me immediately—Azazel, the Governor-General of the fallen angels."
Heaven with the God of the Bible could not be compared to what it had been before!
In the eyes of angels, devils were evil beings!
Had they declared war so quickly because they truly intended to eradicate the entire devil race?
"That is impossible, Lord Satan! We can no longer contact the Governor-General of the fallen angels!"
Those unexpected words left Sirzechs frozen in place. What did that mean?
"According to the latest report, Azazel, Governor-General of the fallen angels, announced not long ago that he has submitted to Heaven!"
"The forces that have now declared war on us devils include Heaven, the Church, and the fallen angels!"