[Azazel POV]
As the year drew to a close and the New Year was just around the corner, I found myself sitting by a remote river in a certain country, fishing for hours.
And yes—my catch was zero.
Not surprising, considering there were no fish in this river to begin with.
Still, in the middle of everyone else rushing around preparing for the New Year, I was here doing something almost like an ancient sage casting a line into fate itself.
Because I was after something big.
A legendary "big catch," so to speak.
That "big catch" was sitting right next to me.
A young man who looked about fifteen, with dark hair shimmering faintly with a bluish sheen, also calmly casting his fishing line.
He noticed my gaze and gave a small smile.
"…Not good with fishing?"
"Not really. I've spent a few years doing nothing but this, actually."
Well, I may not look it compared to him, but I've lived long enough to have picked up more than a few hobbies.
Some I got deeply into.
Some I dropped almost immediately.
"I see. So the trend passed you by. Well, I was into fishing a long time ago too. This is more like a revival for me."
Yeah. Some hobbies stick with you forever.
While others come and go like seasons.
For me, research into Sacred Gears is the former.
Fishing is definitely the latter.
Still, just because it's not a "current obsession" doesn't mean I hate it.
"I only have one thing to ask you," I said.
"If Trihexa ever revives… I want you to stop that beast."
"Are you sure? That thing is supposed to be part of your Three Faction."
"Right now, you're the only one who could stop it alone."
"You overestimate me. Even the Two Heavenly Dragons, once called the strongest on Earth, couldn't stop beings like Great Red or Ophis in their prime."
He wasn't wrong.
With the Two Heavenly Dragons sealed away, this man standing beside me was arguably the strongest remaining being… excluding Great Red and Ophis.
But even that wasn't reassuring.
In fact, there was a dragon rumored to have surpassed even the Two Heavenly Dragons in their prime—Crom Cruach.
If anything, that was closer to the truth.
And yet—
If anyone could possibly stand against Trihexa…
It would be this god.
"That's right. Normally, it would be impossible," I said.
"But you are the god of 'War'… and also the god of 'Ambiguity.' You can alter your existence depending on the scale of your opponent, becoming anything that can trigger 'war.' Am I wrong, Shiva?"
If Ikki were here, he'd probably shout something like, "Is that some kind of Tsukihime 'Ultimate One' concept!?"… but neither Azazel nor Shiva would understand that reference.
"Hahaha," Shiva chuckled.
"There's basically no one stronger than me, so it's a pretty useless ability most of the time. But what I control is 'war,' not 'devastation.' Even if I can stop Trihexa, it won't be easy. So—what can you offer me in return?"
"Anything I can provide. My life, if you want it. I can even ask Odin or Zeus to pay a price. Everything is within my reach."
To deal with a world-ending beast, it wasn't even close to enough.
But it was all I had.
So I went all in.
No half measures.
Honestly… I never thought I'd be betting this much for the sake of the world.
"I don't need it," Shiva replied.
"Not your life. Not Odin's or Zeus's. If I had to ask for anything… maybe Ophis, or irregular existences like Sirzechs or Ajuka. Beings who stand at the threshold of my reach. But even they desire 'peace.' That doesn't align with me, the god of war."
Then Shiva stood up.
"I accept your request. If that beast defeats Great Red and attempts to invade another world, I will stop it. However, everything else is outside my jurisdiction. I will not interfere with things like the destruction of Khaos Brigade or preventing its revival. I will only act when your worst-case scenario begins."
"I see. Thank you. Truly…"
"It's fine. That is my role."
BOOM
Shiva pulled something massive and radiant from the river.
A glowing fish.
Which was impossible—because there were no fish in this river.
But to him, it seemed there was a different world visible only to his eyes.
Still, the result was excellent.
We had secured Shiva as insurance against the problems born from our Biblical faction.
While I felt relief—
Shiva casually calmed the thrashing luminous fish with a single finger and spoke again.
"Still… you people seem to be very concerned about other worlds. Do you really believe their gods are that dangerous?"
"Yeah. The goddess who granted Issei her blessing across dimensions gave him enough power to one-shot the evil god Loki. That level… would require something like Great Red-tier power. And if there are beings fighting those 'evil gods' on the other side… then even now, if Rizevim decides to interfere, and there are two or three Great Red-class beings over there… this world will be destroyed. That's not something we can allow."
I sighed.
Honestly, Rizevim's habit of declaring war without knowing anything was giving me a headache.
"The ideal outcome," I continued, "is that we defeat Rizevim, the gods of the other world defeat their evil gods, and we form some kind of interworld agreement."
We might not know if their factions were unified or fractured.
But at the very least, both worlds now knew of each other's existence.
Even if travel was difficult, a non-aggression pact would be ideal.
Of course…
That kind of convenient future rarely ever happens.
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Ikki POV
After the New Year passed, we found ourselves at Fushimi Inari-tAsia in Kyoto for the first shrine visit of the year.
Kuroka and I usually came secretly every year, but this time the entire Occult Research Club was here.
When I mentioned I was going to Kyoto, Rias-senpai decided, "Then we all go together."
Azazel-sensei wasn't here, he was attending a New Year's party with various VIPs.
Later, we received a group photo.
Azazel-sensei, Sirzechs, Grayfia, Michael, Zeus, and Odin…
All drunk and having the time of their lives.
"…That looks dangerous in more ways than one."
At the top of the mountain, Kunou greeted us cheerfully.
"I've been waiting for you all!"
Her hair was styled with the hairpin we had gifted her earlier.
Behind her stood Yasaka and several youkai attendants.
Due to the crowds, a barrier had been placed to clear space, allowing them to keep their fox ears and tails visible without issue.
"Thank you for coming all this way," Yasaka said politely.
After formal greetings, Rias-senpai stepped forward as representative of the Gremory family.
This was also the first time my parents met Yasaka and Kunou in person.
And yes—my parents were here too.
Since this involved the occult world and my engagement situation with Kunou, it had been decided that introductions were necessary.
My mother smiled gently.
"But Kunou-chan… you're only eleven, right? And you've been engaged to Ikki since three years ago… Ikki, you haven't done anything weird, have you?"
"…That's a dangerous question to ask in this setting."
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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