"I suppose that concludes the important matters," Sirzechs said.
Everyone seated around the table let out tired sighs. It seemed the most critical part of the summit had finally come to an end.
As Grayfia began to serve the tea, Michael turned to Issei and said, "Now that our discussions are going well, and everyone here stands on equal footing, I believe you had something you wished to ask me, Red Dragon Emperor?"
At once, everyone's eyes turned toward me.
Issei tensed a little under all that attention, but after a brief moment, he gathered his courage and looked straight at Michael.
"Then let me ask you something first," he said. "Why did you exile Asia?"
"I can only offer my deepest apologies…" Michael replied, his voice full of sincerity. "With the Lord gone, only the system that governs divine protection, mercy, and miracles remains. It is a network created to carry out God's will in His place. The Lord built that system and used it to grant miracles across the world. Every exorcism and every holy artifact draws power from that creation."
Adrien, who had remained mostly silent throughout the meeting, finally spoke. "So, there's something wrong with the network?" he asked.
Michael gave a small nod. "To tell you the truth, the system is extremely difficult for anyone other than the Lord to control. I have been leading the other Seraphim in maintaining it, but even then…" He paused for a moment. "Compared to when the Lord was still with us, we cannot grant as many blessings or acts of mercy as He once could. Regrettably, there are only so many people we are able to save. Because of that, we must make sure that people who could place too much strain on the system are kept separate from the Church."
"So the issue with Asia's Sacred Gear is that it can heal devils and fallen angels?" I asked.
Michael gave another quiet nod. "Yes. If someone within the Church were to possess a Sacred Gear capable of healing devils and fallen angels, it could shake the faith of those around them. And faith is the very foundation of life for those of us who dwell in Heaven. Twilight Healing has the power to affect the system itself, so it came to be treated as something taboo. As for others who might disrupt that balance—"
"You mean people who learned the truth about God, right?" Xenovia cut in.
"Yes, that is correct, Xenovia," Michael said gently. "Losing you and Mary was a great loss to us. However, if knowledge of the Lord's death were to spread beyond the highest-ranking Seraphim, it would also damage the system. I am deeply sorry. We had no choice but to cast you, Mary, and Asia Argento out as heretics."
With that, Michael lowered his head before the three of them.
"No, Lord Michael, please do not apologize. No matter what happened, the Church raised me since I was a child. At the time, I did think it was unfair, but now that I know the reason, it is easier to accept." Mary said with a gentle smile.
"The fact that you were turned into a devil is also one of our sins."
"I do have some regrets, but my time with the Church kept me from many things that now give my life color. The people in the Church might be upset to hear me say this… but I am happy," Xenovia said.
Asia timidly raised her hand. "Lord Michael, I am happy now too. I have met many people who mean so much to me, and I feel honored to have met you and spoken with you."
Relief appeared on Michael's face. "I am sorry… all of you honor me with your forgiveness. Xenovia, I will leave Durendal in your care."
Asia flinched when she realized Azazel was staring right at her.
"I also heard that one of my subordinates deceived this girl, then killed her."
"That's right. She already died once," Issei said coldly. "A fallen angel didn't just kill me. They killed Asia too."
"Calm down, Issei," Rias said gently from the seat beside him.
Azazel gave a careless shrug. "It's true. We fallen angels have gotten rid of Sacred Gear users who could become dangerous to us. But tell me, wouldn't any other faction do the same? If you know someone's going to become a threat in the future, you take them out before they can act. And even if I apologized now, it wouldn't change what already happened."
He then smirked.
"So, how about I offer you something instead? Something to satisfy that anger of yours."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"Now then, let's hear what the others have to say. We're not the only ones here with the power to shape the world. Vali, let's start with you. What is it that you desire?" Azazel asked.
Vali smirked. "As long as I get to fight strong opponents, I'm satisfied."
Azazel then turned to Adrien. "What about you, Adrien?"
Adrien did not even hesitate. "I want all of you to make peace and leave me the fuck alone."
"Bwahahaha!" Azazel burst into laughter.
Sirzechs smiled wryly. "I'm sorry, but I can't promise you that. You're far too strong for anyone to simply ignore. And since you have no energy leakage at all, we have no way of knowing how close you are to Satan-class. Your name is causing quite a stir in the Underworld, after all. To put it simply, you're the one everyone is talking about."
After Adrien defeated Kokabiel, his name became known among nearly every devil and fallen angel present. Adrien's stock rose like crazy.
For devils, strength came from fame. The more well-known their name became, the more recognition they received, the higher their standing rose, and the more power they gained. All of that applied to Adrien right now.
Adrien gave no response. Even if fame could be turned into power, he had no real interest in it. He was never the type who lived only for battle, nor was he obsessed with gaining more power. What he really wanted was to enjoy his life, spend time with beautiful women, and focus on the things he liked.
Azazel then turned his attention back to Issei. "What about you, Mr. Red Dragon Emperor?"
Issei scratched his cheek before answering. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. All of this is still pretty confusing to me."
"That may be true," Michael said calmly, "but you are one of those who hold the power to shape the future. If you refuse to choose, it becomes difficult for the leaders here to decide what course of action to take."
Adrien smirked, already having an idea. "Fine, let me make it simple for you. If there is a war again, you'll be dragged into it too. And if that happens, forget about enjoying your peaceful little life with Rias Gremory. You know what I mean by that right?"
Issei's eyes widened, and his hands began to tremble.
Adrien gave a small shrug and continued, "But if everyone makes peace, then you won't have to fight. You can just live your life, and spend your time having sex with Rias. War means all of that gets taken away and you won't be getting any pussy, you'll die a virgin basically. So? Which one are you choosing?"
Azazel broke into a grin, while Sirzechs and Michael both facepalmed.
"Then let's give peace a chance! Yeah! Peace is the best! Well… maybe second best after sleeping with the president!" Issei shouted.
"Oh boy…" Kiba muttered. "Issei, you do realize Sirzechs-sama is here too, right?"
Issei slowly turned toward Sirzechs, his face full of fear. Beside him, Rias had turned bright red.
Then, all of a sudden, more than half the people in the room froze in place, as if time itself had stopped. That was exactly what had happened.
The only ones still able to move were the two Demon Kings, Michael, Azazel, Adrien, Vali, Xenovia, Kiba, Rias, and Issei. Everyone else had been frozen in time.
"Wh-What happened?" Issei asked.
Adrien looked around the room, and his eyes eventually landed on Vali. Vali stared right back at him, his face completely expressionless.
"It looks like—"
"A terrorist attack," Azazel cut in, walking over to the windows where Serafall, Sirzechs, and Michael were already standing and looking outside.
Flashes of light spread before everyone's eyes, and the school building trembled.
"We're under attack," Azazel said, his tone turning sharper. "No matter the time or place, there are always fools who oppose peace. The kind who will do anything to stop it."
He pointed outside.
Countless humanoid figures floated in the air above the school grounds. They were dressed in black robes like sorcerers, launching bullet-like blasts of magic toward the building, they were chanting then firing repeatedly.
Their attacks never reached the new school building. Even so, the barrage showed no sign of stopping.
Azazel kept his eyes on the scene outside and spoke in a casual tone. "They've gotta be those so-called magicians. They use a form of sorcery developed from the research of Merlin Ambrosius, a guy who studied demonic power. Judging by what they've shown so far, each of them is probably around Mid-class level. In other words, they're humans using abilities similar to you devils."
He smirked faintly.
"Thankfully, they've got no chance of reaching us in here. Sirzechs, Michael, and I put up the strongest barrier this school could possibly have. The problem is, it also works like a prison—"
WHOOSH! BOOOOOM!
A Dismantle tore through everything in its path as it shot straight toward Vali.
Vali barely managed to dodge the surprise attack.
The Dismantle tore across the area in a horizontal line, and a section of the school building sheared off and crashed downward. Dust and smoke burst into the air.
"W-What just happened?!" Issei shouted, waving his hand in front of his face as he tried to clear the smoke.
Adrien's eyes stayed cold as he looked ahead through the dust. "That timing was way too perfect for a bunch of random terrorists. They've got someone on the inside. Someone told them the place and time of this meeting and place a magic circle so they can teleport into the area bypassing the barrier. And not just that—they even knew about Rias's Bishop. That means they had access to all kinds of information. Under normal circumstances, Azazel would be the first person I'd suspect. But I know it's not him. So it has to be someone else who knew everything happening here, same as we do. So who does that leave?"
He clicked his tongue. "Azazel, you really ought to train your dogs better."
WHOOOSH! WHIIISH!
Two more Dismantles shot straight at Vali.
In the same instant, the white armor of Divine Dividing wrapped around his body as he entered Scale Mail, his Balance Breaker. Vali had already taken to the air, and the space around the incoming slashes suddenly shrank. The Dismantles themselves became smaller, but even then, they still carved shallow marks across his armor when they struck.
Vali clicked his tongue and shot upward on wings of light. "You figured it out that fast?"
Adrien did not answer the question. "I'll deal with him. You figure out how to restore everything to normal."
Eight black wings spread from his back, and he launched himself after Vali.