As the room grew noisy with chatter, Sirzechs, the current Devil King, sat behind his desk watching them. He didn't say a word, nor did he have any intention of scolding them; instead, he simply wore a gentle smile.
"To be young again..."
He couldn't help but sigh with such sentiment, finally reminding everyone that they were currently in the presence of the Devil King.
"Forgive us, Brother. We got carried away," Rias apologized first, taking responsibility for the group's conduct.
"Don't say that. I much prefer your vibrant energy over an overly solemn atmosphere."
Sirzechs had always been this tolerant. Far from blaming them, he was actually quite happy to see the new generation of devils getting along so harmoniously. It made him feel that the underworld had a future in them, and that it wouldn't just be his generation carrying the burden forever.
While the current Devil Kings didn't mind holding up the sky for the younger generation, they much preferred to see their successors gradually take their places as the pillars of the devil race. This wasn't just Sirzechs' view, but a shared philosophy among all the current Devil Kings.
None of the four active Devil Kings were power-hungry individuals. Every one of them was more than willing to see someone replace them, and even more eager to see the underworld flourish. This was something the Old Devil King Faction could never achieve; those people only ever considered their own status, glory, and power, never others.
"I've essentially said what needed to be said. The Three-Way Talk is now inevitable. As the primary parties involved in this incident, you will all be required to attend when the time comes," Sirzechs summarized succinctly, wasting no words.
"The specific time and location for the conference still need to be negotiated and confirmed with the other two parties. Combined with the security concerns and foreign policy considerations that must be addressed during the summit, I imagine it will be quite a while before the conference actually convenes."
This was no small matter. A Three-Way Talk was a historical first. There were too many issues to consider; without a certain degree of consultation and a series of tedious procedures, it would be impossible to finalize.
Therefore, Sirzechs had only come to give them a general notice so they could prepare in advance. Once the time, location, and itinerary were confirmed, someone would naturally be sent to inform them.
"In the meantime, you must act with caution," Sirzechs said quite seriously. "While the three powers are confirming the summit, they likely won't be able to look after matters here in the human world for a while. You must be extremely careful not to let those with ill intentions take advantage of the situation again."
Hearing this, everyone's brows furrowed in unison.
"Is Lord Sirzechs referring to the Old Devil King Faction and the Hero Faction?" Sona Sitri asked in a heavy voice.
"More than that." Sirzechs' expression became even more serious as he said, "We have basically confirmed that the Old Devil King Faction and this so-called Hero Faction actually belong to different branches of the same organization."
"In other words, whether it's the Old Devil King Faction or the Hero Faction, they are both just parts of a powerful underground organization."
"As for who that underground organization is or who founded it... for now, it remains unknown."
Toward the end, there was a nearly imperceptible pause in Sirzechs' voice. No one present noticed it, except for Leon, who caught it instantly.
Leon knew that Sirzechs was lying on this point. After all, he had already given Sirzechs a hint earlier.
The characteristic of the "Ouroboros" was far too distinct and significant. Since Leon had already mentioned it, Sirzechs would have to be incredibly dull not to realize who the leader of that underground organization was. Besides, who else in this world could make the arrogant members of the Old Devil King Faction and the ambitious members of the Hero Faction bow their heads in submission?
Sirzechs and the other Devil Kings likely already had their suspicions confirmed, but because they lacked physical evidence and hadn't encountered the leader personally, they weren't ready to announce it publicly yet.
However, Sirzechs' meaning was clear: he was warning them that beyond the Angels and Fallen Angels, the Devils had likely encountered a new enemy—and a terrifying one at that.
"Beyond that mysterious organization, other mythological factions might also take note of the changes on our side and take action."
Sirzechs added this further warning. The world wasn't just composed of Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels; many other mythological factions were active in other regions. Greek Mythology, Norse Mythology, Indian Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, Celtic Mythology, Mt. Meru—all these major mythologies truly existed in this world, they just weren't active in this specific territory.
Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels actually belonged to the Biblical System. Strictly speaking, they were the same mythological lineage, just divided into different factions. Now that the three powers within this lineage were sitting down for talks, such a monumental event—one capable of changing the future landscape—was bound to attract the attention of other mythologies.
If any other mythology didn't want to see the Biblical factions make peace, believing that continued internal strife was more beneficial to them, it wouldn't be impossible for them to take action. Therefore, they needed to guard not just against the mysterious organization, but against other mythological powers as well.
Of course, the likelihood of other mythologies intervening wasn't high. After all, their gods were still around, and they had more than one.
The Biblical System was different. The God of the Bible was the "One True God." Once He died, if He couldn't be resurrected, the entire system would lose its god-level combat power. If it weren't for the emergence of two Super Devils who rivaled gods, and the fact that the God of the Bible—as if anticipating His own death—had created the Sacred Gear system and left behind many Longinus and powerful Sacred Gears that allowed mortals to rival gods and Devil Kings, this system might have been wiped out long ago.
Furthermore, even if other mythologies were to target the Biblical System, they would usually go after the three major powers themselves. They wouldn't be like the Old Devil King Faction, the Hero Faction, or Kokabiel, who all fixated on the younger generation like Leon, Rias, and Sona. Such bullying of youngsters was typically reserved for unscrupulous terrorist organizations; the world-renowned mythological factions shouldn't stoop that low.
But it was better to be safe than sorry. What if someone was specifically attracted by Leon and the others? Among those present, there were four Longinus users. This was simply incredible. Even Grigori, an organization dedicated to researching and training Sacred Gear users, only had two Longinus holders. To have four in this small Occult Research Club room... if word got out, it was hard to guarantee that some faction wouldn't suddenly take an interest and come looking for trouble.
In light of this, Sirzechs wasn't just here to give a warning; he was also here to make arrangements.
"Serafall, Ajuka, and I will each send a portion of our peerages to the human world specifically to support you," Sirzechs announced.
"Additionally, we will create a special pocket dimension that only the three of you and your peerages can enter. This space will connect directly to the magic circles you've set up, bypassing all interference. This will allow you to teleport into it from anywhere at any time to support one another."
This pocket dimension wouldn't just be a refuge; it would be a hub. If they encountered an insurmountable enemy, Leon and the others could retreat into it for safety. If anyone else was attacked, those who weren't could quickly reach the battlefield through this dimension. It would prevent a repeat of the recent incident where they were unable to warp directly into Kuoh Town or Kuoh Academy due to external interference.
Sirzechs had even prepared a means of communication for them.
"These are specially made devices. Once activated, they will immediately send out an alarm; there will be no more situations where you can't reach each other." Sirzechs handed several strangely shaped devices to Leon, Rias, and Sona.
"If the device is destroyed, an alarm will be sent directly to the Underworld. So, if you find yourselves in a desperate situation, just destroy the device, and the Underworld will immediately send reinforcements to support you."
Sirzechs had prepared everything, clearly shaken by the succession of unexpected attacks lately. Raynare's group, Cao Cao, Kokabiel—in just over a month, Leon and the others had been attacked by three different factions and powerhouses. If anything else went wrong, the Three-Way Talk wouldn't even happen.
After finishing these preparations, Sirzechs added one last piece of advice.
"This is also a good opportunity. The three of you can join forces and train together. That pocket dimension is designed to be your training ground."
Hearing this, Rias and Sona felt their spirits lift.
"Training?" Rias glanced at Leon. "That suits me perfectly."
"We really should conduct some group training," Sona agreed. "Otherwise, if we encounter more danger, we might not be lucky enough to survive it next time."
While Rias and Sona weren't yet sure how effective the Eligos Peerage's special training had been, Leon's growth was plain for all to see. In just one month, Leon had become so strong that he could easily deal with a Fallen Angel executive. It would be a lie to say this hadn't stimulated them.
The Eligos Peerage was also becoming increasingly powerful. Not only did Yukino Yukinoshita and the others have a completely different aura than before, but three new combatants had joined. Rias and Sona had a good idea of their strength.
Take Ravel, for instance; she was a genuine pure-blood devil, the young lady of the Phenex family, a high-class devil with an immortal body. Such a combatant would easily contend for a top-three spot in either the Gremory or Sitri peerages. And as the last descendants of the naturally powerful Oni race, Ram and Rem couldn't possibly be weak, no matter how they looked.
As the Eligos Peerage gradually transformed and grew stronger, they naturally couldn't afford to fall too far behind. Even setting aside the comparison with Leon's group, Rias and Sona didn't want to be as helpless as they were during the previous attacks.
When Raynare attacked, it was Leon who had used his full strength to win and save the day; otherwise, Rias and Sona wouldn't have been able to defeat her even if they teamed up. Kokabiel's attack was even more extreme—without Leon's timely rescue in a desperate situation, they and the entire town of Kuoh would have been turned to ash.
Previously, Leon, Yukino, and the others had felt a sense of crisis because they were being targeted by various ill-intentioned people, leading them to decide on special training to protect themselves in future crises. Now, Rias and Sona felt the same. They also realized that with their current strength, they were no longer able to protect themselves in the escalating crises.
Since that was the case, their only option was to get stronger.
"I'm glad you have that realization," Sirzechs nodded with satisfaction. He then turned to his sister. "Rias, you can also try to release your sealed 'Bishop' now."
That one sentence caused everyone to startle slightly.
"Is that okay, Brother?" Rias asked in surprise.
"Yes, permission has been granted," Sirzechs replied with a smile. "Although his ability is still too dangerous, perhaps now is the time to try and master it."
As he spoke, Sirzechs cast a glance at Leon.
With Leon around, even if Rias's "Bishop" lost control, there should be a way to handle it. The current Leon was not the same as before; being able to defeat Kokabiel and the White Dragon Emperor without even using a Balance Breaker meant his strength had reached at least the Devil King level. As strong as Rias's "Bishop" was, it was still far from enough to affect a Devil King-level existence.
Furthermore, with the current tension, Rias and the others needed to improve their strength as quickly as possible. Keeping such a powerful weapon sealed away would be a waste. It was better to use this opportunity to let Rias completely master this extraordinary "Bishop."
He believed that with Leon there, no serious problems would occur. This also aligned with his previous scheme—giving Leon and Rias more opportunities to interact and build a deeper connection.
Sirzechs' desire for an excellent brother-in-law had never truly died, after all.
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