The Underworld, Ajuka's Castle
Ajuka stood on a terrace, his hands resting on the railing as he looked up at the sun in the sky. In the Underworld, which originally had no sun or moon, an eclipse was actually occurring. The sun was already largely blacked out, about to complete a full eclipse.
Seeing the eclipse, Ajuka couldn't help but clench his fists. A tense and anxious expression involuntarily appeared on his enchanting face, and he began to mutter to himself:
"Sirzechs, aren't you guys ready yet? The 'Great Eclipse' is about to be completed."
Ajuka had originally wanted to head to the Underworld as well, but doing so would leave the Demon Kings severely understaffed. Therefore, to reassure the populace facing this unknown situation, Ajuka stayed behind with Falbion to handle the stabilization efforts in the Underworld.
Similarly, on the Fallen Angels' side, the situation was much the same. Only Azazel and the Blade Dog Squad were dispatched to the Underworld, with Bail and Shemhaza left behind to manage affairs.
At that moment, Ajuka's 'Queen', 'Underworld Serpent King' Falak, arrived. She was a giant serpent king whose body was connected to Hell, usually appearing in the form of a human woman.
Holding a report in her arms, Falak came up behind Ajuka. Looking at the contents, she reported to him:
"Lord Ajuka, as the eclipse continues to progress, the temperature in the Underworld is continuously dropping. Crops are dying before they can be harvested. Even using magic to adjust the temperature is ineffective; it continues to fall."
Hearing Falak's words, Ajuka replied with a hint of helpless resignation:
"I understand... You may go now..."
"Yes..." Upon hearing her 'King's' command, Falak immediately left the terrace to attend to other matters.
Meanwhile, at Sirzechs's residence
Grayfia tightly hugged her son, Milicas. The mother and son looked up at the 'Great Eclipse' in the sky with fearful eyes. Two clear tears streamed from the corners of Grayfia's eyes as she said:
"That idiot..."
Grayfia had originally been slated for a spot among those heading to the Underworld, but Sirzechs had hypnotized her, using the reason that "the child needs his mother's company."
"Mother." Seeing Grayfia's tears, Milicas gently wiped them away with his hand.
Seeing this, Grayfia's eyes filled with maternal love. She crouched down and gently hugged Milicas.
In the Human World, the skies of every nation were dark with the eclipse phenomenon. Humans, facing the 'Great Eclipse', treated it as an ordinary eclipse sighting, taking out cameras to take commemorative photos. They completely failed to notice the surrounding temperature growing colder and colder.
"Hades, what exactly are you trying to do..." Ophis and Lilith, the two resident mascots living at the Hyodo household, looked out the window at the 'Great Eclipse' and spoke expressionlessly.
The skies of every mythological system were pitch black, and a nearly completed eclipse floated in each one.
Norse, Valhalla
The chief god Odin looked at the 'Great Eclipse' in the sky, sensing the terrifying power of darkness and Death (Cosmos) emanating from it. The usually unserious deity's face instantly became filled with a grave expression, cold sweat representing panic continuously flowing down his forehead.
Meanwhile, in the Norse world's lowest layer, the land of the dead, Helheim, and the land of ice, Niflheim, were affected by the 'Great Eclipse'. Countless deathly energies extended from below, climbing up to various parts of the World Tree. The cold from Niflheim's chill rose several degrees and continued to climb upward. The roots of the World Tree were instantly covered in ice and snow.
Furthermore, the cold air followed the deathly energies upward, instantly covering the middle section of the World Tree. The flames of many of the Fire Giants' clansmen were extinguished by the cold air. Even the Frost Giants, who lived year-round in Niflheim, couldn't withstand this terrifying chill and were successively frozen into ice mountains.
Kyoto. Representatives of the Five Great Clans, youkai, and other Japanese factions gathered together, silently looking up at the terrifying 'Great Eclipse' in the sky. No one dared to speak.
'Lord Issei...' The little nine-tailed fox, Kiyome, clasped her hands together, praying for someone.
Mount Sumeru
Indra's sunglasses reflected the light. He said nothing, watching the 'Great Eclipse' that emitted a terrifying aura, but still, some sweat trickled down.
Greece, Mount Olympus
This tall, majestic mountain where the Twelve Olympians resided was entirely shrouded in shadow. An atmosphere of panic filled the place from top to bottom.
Heaven
The world of light where angels dwelled was now enveloped in darkness. Despair filled the hearts of every angel and the souls of believers. The Seraphim Raphael and Uriel both expressed their helplessness regarding the situation.
However, all mythological systems knew one thing: this eclipse began to appear when the DxD squad went to subjugate Imperial Beast 666.
Thinking of this, the current leaders of all mythological systems immediately contacted the Demon Kings of the Underworld. This also included the two Seraphim from Heaven and the current Fallen Angel Governor and cadres, inquiring about the battle situation.
At that moment, Ajuka, who had been staring blankly at the 'Great Eclipse' on the terrace, suddenly had numerous blue light screens appear before him. They displayed the leaders of various mythological systems.
"You all..." Ajuka wanted to ask why the people on the screens were contacting him so suddenly, but he was immediately cut off by everyone on the screens:
"Ajuka——!!"
"What's going on with that eclipse in the sky!!"
"An eclipse in the Human World is one thing!! Why do our mythological systems have it too!!"
"How are Michael (Azazel) and the others?! Is it resolved?!"
"What!! This matter is also related to the Angels and Fallen Angels!! What have you been hiding from us!!"
"Tell us clearly, now!!"
Faced with this verbal bombardment, Ajuka was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he finally spoke:
"This is how things are..."
Subsequently, Ajuka recounted the entire story of Hades, the Specters, the Underworld, and Agreas. Hearing this, the leaders felt their worldviews were about to shatter.
"What!! Fake... The elder brother I've been facing all along was fake..." Hearing the news about Hades, the chief god of Greece, Zeus, felt his pupils dilate continuously. His body slumped directly into the chair behind him.
"'Great Eclipse'... directly affecting all planets in the Solar System..." Indra was astonished by the formidable power of Hades described by Ajuka, unsure what expression to wear on his face.
"Specters... Hades has been hiding such a trump card..." Cold sweat also dripped from Odin's forehead as he spoke with a panicked expression.
"So what's the current battle situation in the Underworld?!" Shemhaza and Raphael asked Ajuka in unison.
Ajuka shook his head, answering Shemhaza and Raphael's question: "I don't know. There have been no messages from the Underworld side."
"Then, can you directly contact Lord Issei and the others?" Kiyome asked Ajuka, hoping to hear the words she desired. She and her mother had been deeply worried about Issei Hyoudou's safety.
Hearing Kiyome's words, Ajuka nodded and said, "Yes, but it's only one-way contact. The call connection time might be a bit short. Because we've been busy appeasing the populace, I haven't contacted Sirzechs and the others yet. I'll contact them immediately now."
After speaking, Ajuka opened his right palm. A small blue light screen appeared. The attention of everyone in the other light screens focused on the screen in Ajuka's right palm.
Although they had obtained the coordinates for the Underworld from Agreas, it still required a bit of time to establish contact.
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