Sirzechs gave a wry smile, stepping in to calm the nearly erupting Serafall, his eyes narrowing at Morpheus.
"You seem to have a strong opinion about us devils."
Morpheus replied candidly, "You devils are planning to wipe out humanity. Am I not allowed to have an opinion?"
Sirzechs said calmly, "I think there's a misunderstanding. We devils have no intention of exterminating humanity."
"Oh? Then what about the Umbrella Corporation's actions?"
"Just the private actions of a few devils," Sirzechs replied without hesitation. "Like how some humans are extremists who do unthinkable things."
"There are similar individuals among devils."
"But their actions don't represent all devils."
"I swear on the honor of the Gremory Grand Duke, we devils have never planned to eradicate humanity."
While humanity's overall strength couldn't match devils, certain humans defied common sense.
And the Throne of Heroes, held by the Counter Force Alaya, housed Heroic Spirits that even devils feared.
A full-scale war between humans and devils would be disastrous.
The angels would likely ally with humans, leaving devils caught between two fronts.
That was unacceptable.
So, Sirzechs immediately assured Morpheus that devils harbored no such intentions, hoping to dispel humanity's hostility.
Morpheus raised an eyebrow at Sirzechs. "You're quite the talker."
Serafall huffed, "Not everyone's as tactless as you."
She was still sore about Morpheus's earlier jabs.
Morpheus shrugged, unfazed. "If you devils aren't planning to wipe out humanity, can you tell me who's behind the Umbrella Corporation?"
Sirzechs said, "We haven't had enough time to fully investigate, but we have a strong suspicion."
"Let's hear it," Morpheus said neutrally.
Sirzechs replied, "The leader of the devil radicals, Rizevim Livan Lucifer."
Morpheus knew the name. In Highschool DxD, Rizevim was the leader of the Khaos Brigade.
The son of the original Satan Lucifer and the Mother of Devils, Lilith, he was a supreme transcendent.
In the Bible, it is said that he was known to be very cruel and reckless
Because he lost interest in everything around him, he became obsessed with invading other worlds upon learning of their existence.
To that end, he created a clone of Ophis and revived evil dragons, even attempting to awaken the Beast of the Apocalypse, Trihexa, sealed by the God of the Bible.
Later, with Ophis's help, Issei Hyoudou achieved Dragon Deification and defeated Rizevim with infinite power, surpassing his nullification limits. Rizevim was then killed by Fafnir.
But his soul awakened the Beast, Trihexa.
"Lucifer?" Morpheus feigned ignorance. "What's his relation to the Satan Lucifer?"
Sirzechs explained, "He's His Majesty Lucifer's son and harbors the deepest enmity toward humans. He's tried countless times to eradicate them."
"But his plans were thwarted by His Majesty Lucifer."
"Long ago, Rizevim broke with Lucifer, aiming to defeat him and claim the Satan's throne."
"He was no match for His Majesty, however, and was defeated and imprisoned in the Hell's prison."
"Recently, there was a riot in the prison."
"Afterward, Rizevim vanished. Many devils believe his followers freed him."
"So, we suspect the devil behind the Umbrella Corporation is likely Rizevim."
"Even if it's not him directly, it's connected to him."
Medea, intrigued, asked, "Why is Rizevim so obsessed with destroying humanity? Does he have some deep grudge against them?"
Sirzechs gave a bitter smile. "No."
"No?"
Sirzechs nodded. "Rizevim has no personal vendetta with humans, no deep-seated grudge."
Paracelsus, puzzled, asked, "Then why does he want to destroy them?"
Sirzechs explained, "Rizevim's goal is to sever the Heaven's faith."
"If the angels lose their faith, their power weakens."
"Then, he can lead the devils to defeat the angels, making devils the dominant race across the world, perhaps even ruling them."
Medea nodded in realization. "So, he's an ambitious schemer."
Sirzechs couldn't argue.
Everything Rizevim did was driven by his ambition.
Morpheus listened quietly, then asked calmly, "Where is Rizevim now?"
Sirzechs shook his head.
Serafall added, "We've been looking for him. Since escaping the Hell's prison, no one's seen him. Many devils suspect he's left the Hell for the human world."
"When Rias and Sona told us about the Umbrella Corporation, we began to suspect Rizevim's involvement."
"Destroying humanity has always been his goal."
Medea found this plausible. A devil bent on humanity's destruction escapes the Hell, and the Umbrella Corporation, backed by devils, pursues the same goal.
It didn't seem like a coincidence.
Paracelsus asked, "How strong is Rizevim?"
Sirzechs replied, "As Lucifer's son, Rizevim inherited his bloodline. He's a true prodigy, second only to His Majesty in power."
"Few devils in the Hell can match him."
"That's why he's gathered so many followers."
"Devils revere strength above all."
Paracelsus frowned. This was trouble.
A powerful devil with a loyal following, researching a virus to destroy humanity.
He wouldn't be easy to deal with.
If they couldn't take him out in one strike, humanity would face relentless retaliation from his forces.
This wasn't good.
"Boss, what do we do now?"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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