I saw something tragic.
"Even if you don't hate your homeland—I hated this country…! I swore to destroy the nation that betrayed everything!"
"Don't stand in my way, Jeanne d'Arc!"
I saw hatred that burned the self.
"Haha! Hahaha! Exactly! This ugliness will destroy you all!"
I saw anguish that corroded the world.
"What part of me—what part—lacks the qualifications of a king!? All I wanted was to reclaim my country! A country of my own!"
I saw ideals twisted into desire.
"Of course, of course, of course, it's supremely entertaining! Why else would I kill each of you so meticulously!?"
I saw violence bearing the crown's mark.
"I am the one who grants conflict. Those who desire peace—you are unnecessary…!"
I saw rejection that despised mortality.
"Now—let the divine punishment begin."
I saw loyalty beyond madness.
"Kiki, kikikiki!"
"So fun!"
"So interesting!"
"A—Aaaaa, aaaaaaa!"
I saw the terror bestowed by God.
"Praise my name—I am Goetia! The Human Order Incineration Ritual, King of the Demon Gods Goetia!"
I saw the hell someone traversed.
But then.
"It's obvious…! To live!"
I also saw the hope that someone embraced.
This was their journey. A tale of an ordinary boy and an ordinary girl, found anywhere, who saved the world from a Beast that sought to deny death and fought to reclaim the future.
The Beast learned the truth. It thought him incompetent, merciless. But the King held truths they didn't know. He didn't feel sadness or seek to correct it, for he had no such freedom, no such right. His all-seeing Clairvoyance permitted no human heart.
Thus, the Beast rejected him—the King's supposed wish, the human path he walked. That rejection led to their plan's failure. They learned a way of living neither demonic nor divine but human. Even if meaningless, valueless, or unnecessary, they clenched their fists to fight. An unremarkable boy answered in kind, saying he'd do the same in their place.
The Beast, which sought to deny death, was defeated by those clinging to life.
That should have been the end of the Beast's story.
But it wasn't. It wasn't allowed to end.
"Help me…"
"From today, you're my servant!"
"This experiment failed. Prepare the next subject."
"If you must resent, resent the God of the Bible who made the Sacred Gear."
"Mere humans!"
"I'm bored. Let's trade."
"God… is dead?"
"A rare Sacred Gear. We must extract it and offer it to Lord Azazel!"
"Servants obey their masters, don't they?"
"Amen!"
"Turning a rare one into a reincarnated Devil would be fun."
"Why is she branded a heretic!?"
"Oh, I orchestrated it all."
"I—don't want to die."
"Can't a Devil love God's apostle?"
"For every happiness you stole from us, carve death upon these monstrosities…!"
I saw someone's despair. I was shown everyone's despair.
…No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! It's different!
This anguish is only a fragment. This tragedy is just one facet. There must be those who were saved, who found happiness. Otherwise, it's wrong. Otherwise, it's over. I mean, even I—
Then, those words resurfaced. Not from someone's memory, but words directed at me.
"############"
—That woman must not be forgiven. Could not be forgiven.
Something inside me screamed.
Hyoudou Issei lay in the Underworld's grand hospital, in the ICU. Connected to monitors and medical devices, his body was barely visible.
"Issei…"
Rias Gremory, his "King," gazed at him through the glass. Her peerage stood with her, but without healing abilities or medical expertise, all they could do was watch.
"Azazel, how's Issei's condition?"
"Close to the worst."
Some nearly fainted, while others clung to the hope that it wasn't the worst.
"Let's break it down, right now, Issei's body is a battleground. The Demon God Pillar's cells are trying to invade, while Ddraig's factor is fighting back. It's like a disease."
In this analogy, Ddraig's factor acted as an antibody.
"But Ddraig's factor is also a problem."
"What?"
"The Pillar's cells are highly invasive, or maybe the Sacred Gear—dragon cells—are overactive. They're eroding Issei's body. Originally, Issei was a mix of Devil and dragon. Now, parts are becoming 'pure dragon.' The 'Evil Piece' is on the verge of going berserk."
"What!?"
"In short, Issei's becoming something that's not human, Devil, dragon, or Demon God Pillar—just something."
"No! Then we need surgery! If the Pillar's cells are the cause, remove them—"
"It's not that simple, his body's a delicate balance of forces. Tamper with one, and it collapses."
Rias paled. Frustrated, Azazel shared his findings.
"This shouldn't be possible. It's like eating pufferfish and gaining gills. Death or nothing would be normal. But Issei absorbed the Pillar's power at a cellular level. This isn't like taking in the White Dragon Emperor's power. It's not a miracle unique to Issei or a system bug. There's a logical necessity behind it."
"A logical necessity?"
There was a reason this had to happen.
"We thought the Demon God Pillars were some newly crafted chimera, but maybe we're wrong. I feel we've misread something fundamental."
"What do you mean, Azazel?"
"The God of the Bible is tied to the Pillars' creation."
If true, it explains this event. The Pillar's cells are akin to Sacred Gears, allowing fusion like organ transplants. But this is just a conclusion forced from observations.
"But… I don't know that thing! How long has it been since the God of the Bible died? No one sensed them in all that time. Not a trace! With their strength, numbers, and nature, there should've been some clue. There was time for it. And if they were always there, why use the Seventy-Two Pillars' names? They'd have their own. Even Michael, running the 'system,' couldn't make them. No one should be able to. Why do they exist!?"
"HAHAHAHA! What a rare sight!"
A mocking laugh grated on Azazel. He frowned at the figure—no, the deity.
"Indra…!"
The Heavenly Emperor, Shakra, also known as the war god Indra. In Indian mythology, he governs thunder and battle, holding a prominent role in Buddhism with vast influence. His power is said to rival the combined might of the Four Great Satan.
"HAHAHA! Calling me that name? Stylish! But you're having an interesting talk. You, rattled? The Pillars made by someone? On par with the God of the Bible? Using the Seventy-Two Pillars' names? There's only one answer! You, Michael, and Sirzechs know it, don't you? Time to admit it. Behind the Pillars is that Solo—"
"Don't say that name!"
"Don't speak his name in front of us. And it's impossible. A great hero or saint reincarnating? Maybe. But his reincarnation? His descendant gaining his power? Him reviving? No way. An alien doppelgänger would be more plausible."
Kiba Yuuto felt a dissonance.
—That King's name must not be spoken.
Rias had taught him this after he joined her peerage. The human who commanded all Seventy-Two Pillars was the greatest humiliation in Devil history, making his name taboo.
Devils' hatred made sense. But why did Azazel, Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, react so fiercely? The Fallen Angels weren't tied to his legend. Was there a hidden history Kiba didn't know?
Indra, amused by Azazel's agitation, laughed heartily. "Still denying it? Keep struggling, but don't cry when it's too late! HAHAHA!"
Indra left, gleeful and mocking, unaware of the visitor who'd soon leave him speechless.
"Request from Phenex. I've detected an anomaly in myself. I require immediate repair."
"Confirmation from Marbas. Provide evidence."
"Response from Phenex. For my directive, I contacted a certain Valkyrie in secret. Negotiations were difficult. She pointed out an alternative approach, one that was logical. I couldn't conceive it. For a Demon God Pillar, surpassing human intellect, to falter thus is an undeniable anomaly."
"Understanding from Uvall. Our wisdom losing to an individual Valkyrie is unthinkable."
"Denial from Zepar. We simply didn't consider that approach."
"Request from Andromalius. Be silent, Zepar."
"Doubt from Raum. We summoned Heroic Spirits and humans to diversify our perspective. Yet it's still insufficient?"
"Point from Decarabia. There's a slight deviation in the discussion."
"Directive from Goetia. Those who've felt unease in their actions, disclose it."
"Question from Flauros. We taught Ophis to create a Reality Marble and left that dragon unchecked. Information could leak from her. Yet we haven't monitored or restricted her. We don't even know where she is or what she's doing."
"Question from Andras. We revived Evil Dragons, but their nature is fundamentally incompatible with ours. Fenrir or Typhon, already existing, would've been more suitable."
"Question from Sabnock. Why aren't we fighting the Lion King ourselves? Our frontline involvement might disrupt the plan, and we can't use the third Noble Phantasm recklessly. But giving humans our factors to fight lacks reason."
"Question from Asmoday. We didn't kill Hyoudou Issei. He repelled Gremory and disrupted our plan—deleting him would've been logical. We regret not doing so with Ritsuka Fujimaru."
"Question from Gremory. We contacted Bedivere but didn't detain him. His presence would've aided the fight against the Lion King. He was briefly in the Temple of Time, when we knew the Lion King was coming."
"Question from Amdusias. Vali Lucifer vanished after contacting Kingu, but we didn't confirm his death. We ended it at contact. Why?"
"Report from Berith. Vali Lucifer's whereabouts are unknown. No evidence Kingu killed him. It's likely he's alive."
"Summary from Barbatos. Our actions have many inconsistencies."
"Suggestion from Malphas. Unnecessary elements may have mixed in during our revival."
"Inference from Agares. Bedivere was summoned by the Magus of Flowers. Perhaps we, too, were summoned by someone."
"Supplement from Amon. If we were summoned, our malfunctions likely began then."
"Question from Baal. Are these malfunctions accidental or intentional?"
"…"
"...…"
"..."
"Who summoned us?"
Who is using us?
***
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