— — — — — —
"The Creator God… showing signs of revival?!" Ajuka's expression changed instantly.
God was coming back?
For devils, that was like a bolt from the blue.
Not in terms of survival, though. More like a disaster for their way of life.
After all, devils were also God's creations. According to historical records, He never acted arbitrarily against His creations. If anything, He was excessively benevolent.
The original three-way war had started because the devils thought the Creator God had fallen into weakness and tried to ambush Him.
No one expected that even in a weakened state, He could still beat the Four Great Satans bare-handed, tear apart the Two Heavenly Dragons, forge Sacred Gears in the middle of the war, and, after being pushed to the brink, drag the Four Satans and half of the old pure-blood families down with Him.
Even Ajuka, when he first read those records as a child, had been dumbfounded. He couldn't understand why the Four Satans had been stubborn enough to challenge a monster like that.
But thinking about it carefully, that was exactly why they attacked. When someone that strong gets sick, you finish them off.
So he understood the previous Satans' logic.
And because he'd studied the history, Ajuka concluded that if the Creator God's personality hadn't changed, the devils wouldn't be exterminated.
The problem was something else.
In God's definition, devils represented negativity. They were the embodiment of evil, even encoded into the system He used to manage the world.
But under Sirzechs and the current Four Satans, devils had already reformed.
Have you ever seen devils with full benefits and insurance?
Have you ever seen devils who stopped eating souls, switched to renewable soul energy, and promoted sustainability?
Have you ever seen devils building Underworld trucks, doing real estate, running TV stations, training idols, opening factories?
Modern devil society wasn't much different from human civilization. With superior magical technology, it even resembled a futuristic world.
Yet in God's definition, devils were supposed to be a savage race living in sulfur pits, feeding on human souls, reveling in slaughter.
In other words, primitive tribe versus future society.
"This is rolling history backward."
Ajuka slammed the file onto the desk, face dark.
"We need to verify this intelligence. If it turns out to be true… then..."
Then God would be better off staying dead.
Sirzechs understood instantly. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's why we need the Angel faction to step forward officially."
"So that's why you want negotiations." Ajuka immediately grasped his meaning.
They would use Rias' capture by fallen angels and yokai as an opportunity. Lay their cards on the table, bring this file to Azazel, and force him to take a stance.
After all, the fallen angels didn't want God's return either. At least the militant faction definitely didn't.
Among the three factions, the fallen angels were the weakest. And every current elite had lived through that war. Every one of them had been terrified by the sight of the Creator God's fury.
Every single hawk among the fallen angels suffered from what you could call "Creator God Syndrome."
Just hearing the name made them tremble.
If they heard God might return, they'd lose their minds. Even Azazel wouldn't be able to calm them down.
They were simply too afraid to take any risk.
If devils and fallen angels joined hands for a ceasefire, the angels would be forced to follow. Otherwise they'd risk getting double-teamed.
Recently, the Angels of Heaven had been appearing in the human world and the Underworld more frequently. If things escalated, they could even end up surrounded.
"Negotiation isn't impossible. The biggest problem is the angels," Ajuka said, brows knitted tight. "If God is dead, other pantheons watching us might move. If He's alive, we're in trouble. And if He's half-dead… the angels will be the first target for those wolves. After that, it'll be our turn."
"You're saying it's better to maintain the status quo?" Sirzechs said helplessly.
"Exactly. The risk is too high." Ajuka shook his head, unconvinced.
A slow cut hurts, but it's still better than blowing yourself up.
"If you're not confident, I suggest you don't do this."
"It's precisely because I'm confident that I brought it up." Sirzechs smiled and pulled out another stack of documents from the drawer.
The same old Lucifer family crest. The same format.
Ajuka's lips twitched. He took the file, skimmed through it, then sighed.
"The Devil Progenitor actually promised to intervene?"
The Progenitor Lilith. Or rather, Algol.
The only figure among devils that both Sirzechs and Ajuka feared. Someone so strong it defied understanding.
Back then, when Grayfia was taken in by Lilith as a maid and refused to participate in the war, the one who reacted most violently wasn't Sirzechs. It was Rizevim.
As the prince of the devil race, son of Lucifer and Lilith, he naturally refused to acknowledge some stranger as his mother. So he led a campaign to subjugate her.
Sirzechs and Ajuka couldn't resist following to watch.
That was when they learned what true monster-level strength looked like.
Grayfia alone fought Rizevim plus more than a dozen ancient elders from the Devil Council. She nearly wiped them out on the spot.
Midway through the battle, Rizevim, unable to defeat her, greased his heels and ran, abandoning the nobles who had answered his call.
If Sirzechs and Ajuka hadn't later forced those old Council fossils to sign contracts and "loyally" extended help, handing them over to Grayfia, the Devil Council might have been annihilated entirely.
In the end, Grayfia gained enormous influence within the Devil Council. Fortunately, she devoted herself to serving the Devil Progenitor and rarely appeared, which kept the Council from getting too bold. Most power still rested with the Four Satans.
Still, Grayfia had reached that level after only half a month with the Devil Progenitor. It was impossible not to suspect something.
Later, after observing Grayfia and the Devil Progenitor in action a few times, they realized they couldn't even comprehend that level.
Eventually, digging through ancient records, they found the clue.
That was why Sirzechs immediately believed the report claiming the Creator God might be reviving.
He suspected that the Devil Progenitor, Lilith, was actually another aspect of God. Or perhaps His demonic side. Otherwise, that absurd, incomprehensible power made no sense.
If the demonic aspect sensed the divine aspect reviving, the explanation fit perfectly.
At least, Sirzechs believed it wholeheartedly.
"If that's the case… then we have solid backing."
Ajuka let out a relieved sigh.
People like them didn't necessarily enjoy having someone above them. But when things got dangerous, having a boss willing to step in felt great.
With Lilith covering them, even the worst outcome of negotiations could be handled.
As for angels and fallen angels, that wasn't their problem.
Sirzechs nodded in agreement. "Then let's both head to Kyoto. The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can relax."
"And fish your little sister out while we're at it, right? Siscon." Ajuka rolled his eyes.
"Something like that… hahaha…"
Sirzechs laughed.
With that, the two Satans finalized the time for their trip to Kyoto.
.
.
.