In the side hall of Yasaka Shrine.
Aslan calmly held Kuroka, stroking the cat while waiting for the guest's arrival.
At the same time, Yasaka was also brewing tea there.
Not long after, when the tea was almost ready to drink, an elegant woman's voice was heard.
"Pleased to meet you, Your Holiness the Holy Son."
Accompanied by the elegant woman's voice, Suzaku, wearing red and white miko attire with her hair tied in a high ponytail, entered through the door and bowed.
Aslan raised his eyebrows,observed for a moment, and was slightly surprised.
"Akeno?"
However, a moment later Aslan realized this girl had no Devil or Fallen Angel aura; she was purely an ordinary human.
Suzaku's steps halted, then she shook her head and said.
"Sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else. I am Akeno's cousin, Himejima Suzaku."
She paused briefly, then continued.
"And also the prospective next head of the Himejima Family."
However, at this moment, Suzaku's heart had sunk to the bottom of an abyss.
The other party mistook her for Akeno upon seeing her. This incident convinced her that the other party had already been in contact with Akeno.
At the same time, Baraqiel also seemed to have received orders from him, his subordinate.
Coincidentally, the Five Principal Clans were currently a stumbling block hindering the advance of Aslan and his group.
What actions would the father and daughter, whose family happiness was destroyed by the Himejima Family, take now that they had the opportunity?
She could fully imagine it.
Baraqiel had already stated very clearly; there was only one fate for the Himejima Family: to be punished.
Suzaku sighed helplessly.
"I see."
Aslan shrugged casually and took a small sip of his tea.
"So, why have you come to see me? The Himejima Family has been completely handed over to Baraqiel to handle; you should be looking for him, right?"
Aslan was quite pleased with Baraqiel's surrender. After all, Baraqiel was considered a good combatant.
Getting a Five Digit without any effort, how is that a loss anyway? And his name is the same as the Baraqiel in Little Garden.
With a little handling, gaining Four Digit power isn't impossible either.
In the past, he might have been beaten to death, but now Christianity might give him a little face.
Currently, Christianity in Little Garden is in big trouble and busy with their own problems. Aslan taking a little power for free, no one would care.
Other Pantheons secretly attacking and kicking them while they're down are far more ruthless than him.
Unlike him, who just created a group of homologous members (members with similar origins) and formed a small Biblical Mythology group.
Is this excessive? It's really not excessive at all, right!
Hearing this, Suzaku took a deep breath and said.
"No, I came to negotiate with Your Holiness."
She paused briefly and said with serious eyes.
"A negotiation representing myself personally."
"Oh?"
Aslan raised his eyebrows and looked at her with slight surprise.
Coming to negotiate personally meant the other party was not aligned with the Himejima Family.
Thinking this, Aslan remembered who Suzaku was.
She seemed to be the cousin of Akeno who let Akeno go back then. No wonder Baraqiel let her come to negotiate with him.
Thinking this, Aslan became interested.
"What is your guarantee?"
"Everything about the Himejima Family."
Suzaku said in a calm tone.
"After the Himejima Family is destroyed, everything about the Himejima Family will naturally belong to me."
Aslan shook his head, stretched out his hand and slowly clenched his fist.
"You can't use something that already belongs to me as a guarantee."
We are all smart people.
Suzaku, the prospective next family head, suddenly came to negotiate with him, representing herself. For what?
Nothing other than for the Himejima Family.
Either she wants to play both sides safe, or she wants to ascend the throne; for Aslan, it makes no difference.
When the Himejima Family stood against him and prepared to fight, there was only one end for the Himejima Family.
Destroyed by him, or used as a tool for Baraqiel to vent his anger, and then... nothing left.
The treasures accumulated by the Himejima Family aren't worth his glance. The so-called inherited Sacred Gears... well, that's it.
As for talent... sorry, the Himejima Family did have many talents; both Akeno and Ikuse Tobio were people forced out by the Himejima Family.
Ikuse Tobio, the protagonist in Datien no Inugami (The Fallen Dog God) in the same world as High School DxD, is a young man currently studying at the Fallen Angel Academy.
His power is on the same level as Vali Lucifer (White Dragon Emperor) and Cao Cao currently. They are all youths with potential.
It can only be said that opportunities have come, but the Himejima Family couldn't seize them.
If they could seize just one, Kyoto should belong to the Himejima Family now.
To be honest, after investigation, Aslan had no good impression of the Himejima Family. These old fogies better hurry up and go to hell.
Although he had also read the original High School DxD novel, the original details were too lacking, and many details were only confirmed by him after investigation in this world.
Hearing this, Suzaku sighed and said.
"Is there no room for negotiation at all?"
Although she had anticipated it beforehand, now the nearly destroyed Five Principal Clans were just pebbles on Aslan's path of conquest.
Their only value was to satisfy Baraqiel. Thinking this, she still felt a bit desperate.
In fact, she knew full well that her current situation was just a struggle on the brink of death.
But everyone holds onto hope; it's just that Suzaku's hope was shattered by Aslan.
"Of course, there is a chance."
The corner of Aslan's mouth smiled. He changed the topic and gave a little hope.
Hearing this, Suzaku was silent for a moment, raised her head and looked at him hopefully. She rose from her seat and performed a dogeza (kneeling with head touching the floor) before Aslan.
"Whatever the request, as long as I can do it, Your Holiness may ask!!"
"Good, at least the attitude is not blameworthy."
Seeing Suzaku quickly adjust her mindset, letting him command her, Aslan nodded with satisfaction.
Her mind is quite clear, far better than the old fogies in the Himejima Family.
As he spoke, Aslan threw a card and looked at Suzaku with great interest.
"It's very easy to make us not attack the Himejima Family, and even the Five Principal Clans."
"Here are five Sacred Gears similar to the Sacred Gears inherited by your five families. You just need to clear these obstacles before we act."
"Make them submit, or kill them all, as long as they don't become stumbling blocks for us."
"Of course, Baraqiel will be responsible for supervision."
"So, what is your choice?"
Suzaku lowered her head, looked at the card given to her, and sank into thought. After a while, she stood up, took the card, and said calmly.
"I will surely satisfy Your Holiness."
After speaking, Suzaku retreated. The time left for her wasn't much.
Both sides were preparing for war, and the battle would start by tonight at the latest. By then, there would be no room left for her to choose.
Aslan smiled watching Suzaku's departure, his mood very good. He greatly anticipated Suzaku's next appearance.
Would she become a Queen? Or the Death Knell that would lead them to destruction?
However, either way, Aslan wouldn't lose, and he could also watch a good show.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Backyard of the Himejima Family headquarters.
A very small shrine, but maintained very clean and tidy.
Inside the shrine, two figures came out stealthily.
One of them, a girl with fiery red hair, a very full figure, wearing a school uniform, folded her arms across her chest and said.
"It seems something big really happened in Kyoto. Even the Himejima Family couldn't avoid it."
"Ara ara, isn't this a good thing? A trash family like the Himejima Family should be swept into the dust of history, right?"
The black-haired girl with a high ponytail and an even more explosive figure than the red-haired girl said with a wide smile.
"Even so... but Akeno... look, isn't there something wrong over there?"
Rias Gremory looked with complicated eyes at the distant Himejima Family headquarters burning with flames.
"Look, the person controlling those five Sacred Gears seems to be your cousin, Suzaku."
"Hmm... Hmm?"
Akeno was momentarily stunned, looked very surprised at Suzaku who was killing everywhere, and fell silent.
"This... Cousin Suzaku?"
Akeno was also a bit dumbfounded.
"But, where did she get the four inherited Sacred Gears of the other families?"
Akeno unconsciously turned her head and met Rias's gaze, but only saw a pair of equally confused eyes.
At this moment, both of them knew one thing: the situation was big, this was definitely an anomaly.
"How about, Rias, you ask your brother; maybe you can get some news?"
Akeno smiled towards Rias and gave a fairly reliable suggestion.
Rias shook her head helplessly.
"Can't reach him; he seems to be in a meeting with a certain entity right now."
She had just tried contacting him through the emergency contact formula but failed.
"Ah... then shall we just watch?"
Rias looked at Akeno.
"Let's just watch."
Akeno was silent for a moment and nodded slightly.
After all, she was now a member of the Gremory Family. Her stance was the same as Rias's.
And Rias was the younger sister of the Devil King Sirzechs, which easily made people think it was the will of the Devil faction.
If she interfered, it would easily drag Rias in.
"Besides, watching is quite interesting too."
Akeno smiled, looked up and saw Baraqiel putting on a cold face, staying in the air, ignoring Suzaku who was clearing out the old folks in the Himejima Family.
Especially Himejima Suou, the head of the Himejima Family, who was beaten the worst, but not fatally.
For Akeno, just watching Suou's suffering from afar made her feel very happy.
"Alright, since you say so, let's just watch."
Rias sighed, directed her gaze to the Himejima Family battlefield, watching Suzaku killing everywhere.
How nice if she could become her servant.