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The Underworld — Inside the palace of one of the Four Great Satans, Lucifer.
Dressed in a sharp suit, the current Lucifer, Sirzechs Lucifer, frowned as he flipped through a stack of documents.
"They are pushing again… they want increased funding for research into the 'Primeval Power'?"
"They" he referred to was the Devil Council.
Led by the Bael family, it was made up of ancient pureblood devil clans—old monsters who had banded together into something like a parliamentary body.
While none of them matched Sirzechs in sheer strength, quite a few were still on par with Satans. Many had even survived the ancient Three-Way War, walking off the battlefield where the Creator God himself had fallen.
Because of that, the council had always held immense authority. It had only been somewhat restrained after Sirzechs rose to power.
Even so, its influence within devil society couldn't be ignored.
"The Primeval Power, huh… Honestly, if those old fossils weren't blocking me, and if my schedule wasn't so packed, I'd want to study it myself."
Sitting across from him, a handsome man with green hair let out a quiet sigh.
Ajuka Beelzebub.
Another of the Four Great Satans. A genius who had surpassed the limits of devilkind, possessing extraordinary mastery over magical formulas.
Among the new generation of Satans, only Sirzechs and Ajuka truly stood at the core. The other two were more placeholders than necessities.
In practice, devil affairs revolved around three forces: Sirzechs, Ajuka, and the Devil Council acting as one collective entity.
Those three were the true rulers of the devil race.
"The Primeval Power…"
There was a hint of longing in Sirzechs's voice.
As the name suggested, it was the power of the progenitor. A force discovered when certain devils were granted rare audiences with Lilith (Algol).
It was completely different from the current devil system. Something closer to the ultimate evolution of pureblood power—a higher, almost sacred force.
Some devils had witnessed Algol use it firsthand: creating pureblood devils and effortlessly erasing those who resisted.
After that, the power had been classified as a top-level secret.
Anyone without the council's approval wasn't even allowed to know the name.
And yet, despite strict control, fragments of knowledge had still leaked.
Sirzechs knew for a fact that the angels had already begun researching it. The fallen angels weren't far behind either—Governor-General Azazel himself had gotten involved.
Their intentions couldn't have been clearer.
"Should we expand our own research?" Sirzechs suggested.
"You know… someone finally passed that progenitor's trial recently."
He paused, then added after a moment's thought. "According to Grayfia Lucifuge, the progenitor was extremely pleased. She's even willing to grant me a portion of that power directly."
Ajuka's expression darkened instantly.
He raised a finger.
In the next second, layers of magic spread through the palace—soundproofing, silence, memory interference, record distortion.
Within moments, everyone else in the palace had their memories of the last ten minutes wiped clean.
Only then did Ajuka glare at Sirzechs.
"Couldn't you say that in private?"
"Ah… right, sorry." Sirzechs gave an awkward smile.
He had completely forgotten that the council had planted watchers here. They were so obedient and hardworking that he barely noticed them anymore.
"Fine. Give it to me privately," Ajuka said quickly. "Same as before. Any results get shared."
With that settled, he asked, "Who passed the trial?"
He was genuinely curious. After centuries, someone had finally succeeded.
Sirzechs pulled out a report from his drawer and glanced at it.
"It's that experimental subject from a branch of the Naberius family… Kuroka, I think. Extremely talented in senjutsu, yokai arts, and magic. At this rate, she'll surpass her racial limits before long."
As he read further, his expression suddenly shifted.
"What is it?" Ajuka asked.
Sirzechs handed over the report.
"This came in yesterday. Kuroka brought someone back to the Kyoto yokai faction in the human world. After that, that person took control of the entire group… defeated Baraqiel, and now seems to be fighting the Five Great Exorcist Families."
"Baraqiel lost?"
Ajuka's brows shot up as he took the file.
Compared to the Great Families, that was what caught his attention.
Those families were minor players at best, relying on ley lines just to contend with small devil forces.
But the fallen angels were one of the three great factions. Even weakened, they were still formidable.
And Baraqiel…
Ajuka had fought him many times before. In the past, he'd struggled. Now he could win easily, but that didn't mean Baraqiel was weak.
"Defeated in a single move?" Ajuka muttered, surprise clear in his voice.
"…Can you do that?" he asked.
Sirzechs nodded, then frowned slightly. "If I released that form…"
"So… top ten."
Ajuka took a slow breath.
He knew Sirzechs's level better than anyone. Solidly top ten. Maybe even top five.
A few years back, he had even clashed briefly with Indra, who ranked fifth. Neither side gained the upper hand.
That was also why Indra had changed tactics recently—less direct pressure, more subtle interference in the conflicts between the three factions.
"A force like this appearing in the human world… that's going to be a problem."
Ajuka paused, then added. "By the way, your sister is in the human world too, right? Same country. Think she's in danger?"
"Don't scare me like that," Sirzechs shot back, straightening up with a half-laugh.
"The map makes it look close, but it's actually far. My sister's territory is around Kuoh Town near Tokyo. This new yokai lord, Ryo Yagami, is in Kyoto. They're nowhere near each other."
"If they ever do run into each other, it'll be after he's already swept through the entire region."
"And come on, you think my sister's dumb enough to walk into Kyoto and get herself captured?"
"Fair point." Ajuka shrugged, flipping through the report again. "Still… this Yagami. Could he be connected to the devil progenitor?"
His tone carried clear implication.
A top-tier powerhouse appearing out of nowhere, right beside Kuroka… there weren't many explanations.
If he had to guess, Ajuka would say Ryo was acting on behalf of Algol.
After all, that place had the highest concentration of unknown monsters in the world.
"I've considered that too. That's why I ordered observation only."
"Then we keep observing."
Ajuka didn't argue further.
At their level, the truth was obvious.
The devils' current status existed only because the progenitor allowed it.
If they provoked her… the result was already known.
The former top-ten powerhouse, Hades, was proof.
That so-called King of the Underworld hadn't even lasted a single breath before being crushed—every bone in his body shattered. He was still "recovering", piece by piece, in Ajuka's research lab.
That kind of existence wasn't something they could afford to offend.
And by extension, neither was Ryo, who might be connected to her.
If you couldn't afford to provoke someone, the smartest move was simple: don't.
It was just Kyoto in the human world.
Even losing the entire country wouldn't matter.
The devils' real territories were in the Americas and Europe. Japan was nothing more than a training ground for the younger generation.
When you're rich, you can afford to be this arrogant.
---
Kyoto, Yasaka Shrine.
Inside a guest residence where she was effectively under house arrest, Rias Gremory glared at Ryo, who was calmly writing a letter.
"According to international treaties, I'd like to ransom myself and my peerage."
"Not for sale."
He didn't even look up.
"I can pay a high price. And I'm buying myself," Rias pressed, teeth clenched.
"I'm not short on money."
Ryo's tone was as calm as ever.
Rias opened her mouth… then shut it again, fuming as she slumped back into the corner.
Watching her, Ryo's lips curved slightly as he continued writing his letter to Leticia.
When you're rich... You really can afford to be this arrogant.
.
.
.