— — — — — —
In Satan Lucifer's Palace—
"They really got her?"
Ajuka, wearing black-rimmed glasses, held a stack of documents and asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Sitting in his chair, Sirzechs rubbed his temples. "From everything we know so far… she's most likely been captured."
"I'd like to say my condolences, but…" Ajuka's expression turned strange. "Didn't you say before—"
"Stop! Don't remind me." Sirzechs' ears reddened. "I don't know what she was thinking either. Maybe it's because of Akeno Himejima."
He paused, then added, "She's Baraqiel's daughter."
"..."
"And you still told me she'd be fine?" Ajuka didn't even have the energy to complain.
He hadn't known Akeno was Baraqiel's daughter. Why would he pay attention to the parents of one of Sirzechs' sister's peerage members? Satans were busy ok.
"So what's the plan now? Negotiation? We do have some yokai and fallen angels who defected over to our side…"
Ajuka sounded helpless.
But what he meant was obvious: a hostage exchange.
Rias Gremory was Sirzechs' sister, heir to the pure-blood Gremory house, and she carried the Bael clan's Power of Destruction talent. Losing her was unacceptable for the devils.
If something went wrong and the fallen angels suddenly gained a batch of half-bloods capable of using Destruction… that would be a disaster.
"With Baraqiel there, her safety isn't an immediate concern," Sirzechs said, shaking his head.
"Well, well." Ajuka clicked his tongue and gave him a meaningful look. "You've been in contact with Baraqiel all this time?"
Sirzechs rested his cheek on his hand and didn't answer. The silence was confirmation enough.
No contact? Impossible, with Akeno in the picture.
"Honestly, I'm amazed you managed to reassure Baraqiel," Ajuka said, a bit speechless. Leaving his biological daughter to be raised in the underworld… that took nerve. "Does the Council know?"
"They 'voluntarily' gave me some leeway." Sirzechs' tone was calm.
The Satan and the Devil Council didn't get along. But the Council wasn't suicidal.
When a monster capable of wiping out your entire family stands beside you and still chooses to follow the rules, anyone with sense knows which side to pick.
"In that case, Rias probably won't be in danger."
Seventy percent of that confidence came from Baraqiel.
I protected your daughter for years. In return, my Rias should receive… friendly treatment.
At the very least, it was unlikely a bunch of Destruction-wielding hybrids would suddenly appear.
Ajuka fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Settle it quietly, or make it public?"
"Quietly, obviously."
Sirzechs rolled his eyes.
Was he an idiot?
Go around announcing that his sister had been captured by fallen angels and yokai, by that yokai lord named Ryo Yagami?
With devil morality as chaotic as it was, fools would assume she'd been thoroughly "handled," launched into orbit, and stuffed with dozens of babies. Even if she were rescued afterward, the Council would use those baseless rumors to block her from inheriting the Gremory house, forcing him to break the rules.
Those old fossils… if Lilith wasn't watching, he'd have wiped out the Devil Council already.
A bunch of senile relics.
Sirzechs' face darkened. "Rias inheriting the Gremory house is non-negotiable. My future child will inherit the Lucifer house. That's already decided."
"Oh please. You don't even have a kid yet," Ajuka shot back.
"And you do?" Sirzechs retorted.
"…Forget it." Ajuka shook his head. "Then it has to be handled privately."
He paused.
"You going, or me?"
There was strategy involved.
Sirzechs, as the devils' strongest combatant, had predictable movements. The Council kept a close eye on him. And if he personally went to Kyoto to negotiate, there was always the risk of an ambush.
After all, the benefits of killing Sirzechs far outweighed the reputation loss from breaking a deal.
With the Devil Council dragging things down, even if Sirzechs died, the devils might not choose war. It would be a clean profit.
So normally, sending Ajuka made more sense.
As the creator of nearly ninety percent of the Underworld's modern techniques, he had more escape methods than Sirzechs had planets. The fallen angels had basically zero chance of killing him.
Sirzechs hesitated, then said, "What if we both go?"
"Both?" Ajuka frowned and thought it over. "It's not impossible, but that's a huge move. And… what's the point?"
"Of course there's a point." Sirzechs straightened up, narrowed his eyes, and rested his chin on his hand. "I want to talk to Azazel about ending the war."
"A ceasefire?" Ajuka looked surprised, then sighed. "It is about time. But… are you really ready for that?"
The war between angels, fallen angels, and devils dated back to ancient times.
Year after year, bloodshed never truly stopped. Only the scale changed.
Even now, along the border between fallen angels and devils, clashes happened daily. Smaller than before, yes, but still constant.
The reason was simple. None of them could afford the losses anymore.
But they still had to fight. Even make a show of it. Occasionally the angels would join in, claiming divine orders to purge heretics. The three factions had formed a subtle, unspoken consensus.
It was all to maintain an illusion.
The illusion that the Creator God was still alive.
Ajuka sighed.
"If we negotiate peace… the truth that the Creator God is dead will probably come out."
The Creator God had defined the positions of angels, fallen angels, and devils. Any formal talks would require His presence.
When He didn't appear, combined with Indra's years of probing, the truth wouldn't stay hidden.
And then chaos would follow.
Because the three factions would lose its absolute powerhouse.
"Take a look at this."
Sirzechs acknowledged the concern, then pulled out another set of documents. The old Lucifer family crest was printed on the cover.
"This? Something from the Founder's side?"
Ajuka froze, took the papers, and his expression changed instantly.
There was only one line.
{"The Creator God is showing signs of revival"}
.
.
.