8,069Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 63: Consequences.
- Shin -
I came out and met Rias at the gate of the stadium.
"You left him alive?" She asked while checking me for any injuries on my body.
"If he dies so easily, how will he suffer? Moreover, his statement will help reveal others hidden in the Devil faction." I replied and she nodded.
"I will be back in just a minute." She gave me a peck on my lips and walked towards the stadium.
"I will be waiting for you." I replied before walking towards the hall.
The entire place was quiet as I walked in. Many wanted to say something but didn't even dare to squeak.
Some people were missing from the place. Lord Phenex and several of his posies were missing from the party along with some others who had been the part of the mess.
"So this is the man who married big sis Rias?" I looked at the owner of the voice and found a young girl around Koneko's height with crimson twin tailed hair and big purple eyes looking at me. Venelana was following her and I observed that many people, especially the devils were in awe of her.
She came up to me and stared right into my eyes. "So, you are my new Brother-in-law. My name is Runeas. I am Rias' little sister." She jumped like a kid with a sugar high.
Runeas?
I used Observe on her and sure enough.
A smile formed on my face and I turned towards Venelana, "I didn't know you had a daughter older than yourself. How does that happen? Also, how is Rias older than an eleven thousand year old person?"
….
….
"Oww, you already knew about me. Tch, that spoiled my surprise. And it's rude to talk about a girl's age, you know?" She pouted cutely, which reminded me greatly of Serafall.
"My apologies. I am not in the best state of mind right now. I will be sure to remember this the next time."
The smile on her face dimmed down a little and she bowed lightly. "I would like to apologise for little Zeo's behaviour. He will need to be disciplined properly and I will personally take care of it myself. Apparently, me taking a short nap made people think that I am dead and they could do anything they wanted." She threw a brief glare towards Zekram who was unusually quiet.
Another woman with crimson hair came forward and bowed slightly too. "I would like to apologise too. All of this is mostly my own fault for not curbing his reckless behaviour for long."
I looked at Venelana at introductions and she did. "This is my mother-in-law, Chysis Gremory. I was late to the wedding because I was escorting them both. The wedding of a Heiress is a big occasion and it wouldn't do well if all family members don't attend. Although, it seems that I was a bit late."
"Whatever happens in this matter will be decided by Rias. I will support her decision. In fact one of the main reasons why I even proposed this farce of a Rating Game was so that she can have her closure."
"You mean to say that you have no interest in the Gremory family?" Chysis Gremory asked me.
"Beyond the fact that Rias belongs to the family, none. Although, why do you think I would be interested in all this? Even my own Houses and businesses are managed by Rias and my peerage members while I do what I like, create things. I have no interest in anything the Gremory family has to offer."
"Let's not talk about wealth, but is the position and influence of the Gremory family nothing to you either?" Runeas asked me, not angrily but rather a little curious.
I saw that many other people were looking at me.
Letting out a sigh, I continued, "I am not trying to be rude or insulting towards you but please believe me when I say that in this vast multiverse that I have an access to, the Gremory family or even this entire Devil race at its whole is a very tiny part. Let's not talk about other worlds,there are near infinite numbers of parallel words like this one, each with slightly different history. Many of the universes where the Gremory family are far stronger and many of them where they are weaker or have even gone extinct. I could go to any of them in time and get whatever I wanted. So, why would I be interested in usurping the Gremory family?"
This made them all quiet.
The Rating Game soon started.
- Rias -
She looked at the field in front of her. Match was going to start in a few minutes.
"Rias… Are you alright?" Akeno hesitated a bit before asking.
"I am… not alright, Akeno."
"Let us take care of the fight then." She offered but Rias shook her head.
"I want to do this alone this time."
Almost all her peerage members started interrupting at the same time.
"Rias, you call us your family. How can you expect us to leave you alone in this?" Akeno spoke.
"I… am starting a new phase of my life from today. I want to leave all my regrets behind. Let me do this… please. Because if I don't, I feel like I will always have this thought at the back of my mind, eating away at me."
Akeno quieted a bit before nodding. "We will take out the other peerage members."
She however shook her head. "No. I want you all to go to the corners of the field and put the strongest barrier around us so that none of you get hurt. Believe me, I will be fine."
"Rias, you…"
"Please… just this time, do this for me."
….
….
"Okay."
An unnatural silence took over the room as everyone sat in silence, waiting for the match to start.
The announcement was made. She guessed it was the voice of Naud Gaimin doing the announcements.
She spread her Observation Haki and covered the entire field. The match was held in the same dimension that Shin had just fought and the entire place was huge considering it was designed for a fight between Ultimate Class beings and above.
Her peerage members almost instantly appeared on the corners of the field.
The other peerage was mostly made up of that man's harem members, although there were a few people who were there for her during her childhood like Heinrich.
She took to the air and looked down on his peerage.
"Rias, stop this foolishness and surrender." He shouted, rage carefully hidden in his voice.
Somehow, Rias didn't feel angry at being underestimated or even ordered like this. A moment later, she realised that it was because she was already beyond that point of anger.
She just took a deep breath and the very next instant, her demonic power soared. The Power of Destruction seemed to have bonded much closer to her since even before Shin used that card on her. She heard Death's voice in her ears and knew that this connection with the Power of Destruction was a wedding gift from her side.
The power was a different colour than before. It was of a darker shade and flowed very smoothly at will.
The Power of Destruction again took the familiar shape of a skeleton and then muscles and skin grew on them. The figure started rising higher and higher and she merely observed the look of shock and then fear in their eyes as its size increased.
- Venelana -
Looking at the two hundred metres tall giant of destruction on the screen, Velelana could only think of one thing. Rias completely surpassed her in the use of the Power of Destruction.
"This… when did she become this strong?" Her mother-in-law asked but she didn't know the details either and shook her head. She then turned towards Shin but thinking better looked at Sirzechs. Her son was completely expressionless and if not for Ajuka and Grayfia being at his side, would have already snapped.
"Rias has been training with Shin for months now. She was one of the main people fighting in the recent war against the terrorist organization, Khaos Brigade and even the previous fight against the rogue Fallen Angel Kokabiel. She fought and took down Creusery Asmodeus who was being enhanced by Ophis' Snake and was a Satan Class being all by herself. Her current strength is comparable to Serafall and Grayfia. We were supposed to reveal all this today during the Press Conference to avoid any interruptions in the wedding." Sirzechs spoke but was soon corrected.
"No. Serafall is stuck at a limit while Rias already broke hers. If she were to push herself, she would very soon be surpassing even you in terms of sheer power." Shin spoke as he looked at the scene on the screen. He was completely unsurprised at the fight… if someone could even call it so.
- Shin -
"Her Power of Destruction seems to be different." Sirzechs commented and I used Observe to find out more.
Her Power of Destruction reached Mythical Rank due to the reward which increased my own Fire God Slayer Magic.
The main surprise for me was the trait her destruction had gained.
Oi Game. What the fuck dude? How does she get that? I thought that was waayyyy beyond Mythical Rank.
At the Mythical Rank, the magic grows beyond normal. This growth makes them gain some specific traits. Like Ddraig's Inexhaustible Flames or Albion's Dividing Poison. These magics surpass their normal counterparts.
My own Power of Destruction gained such a power when I completed the Mythical Rank Upgrade Quest. My Trait was Minor Sentient Destruction. It does exactly what was said and gives the Power of Destruction a bit of Sentience, life is not the correct word for this.
In short, my Power of Destruction can act independently as if it has a mind of its own to some degree but I can still control them. It works kinda like a hive mind. It is a highly flexible power with too many applications.
And even with all this, my brain was calling hax at Rias' power.
She really struck gold with her own trait.
Magic is a product of the user's desire and personality. You, at your core, are a manipulator. Whether it be games or war, your go to method is manipulating things and others rather than use brute force. Thus your magic gains sentience to be manipulated at your will.
Your wife on the other hand is a different kind of person, fundamentally. She chose the path of brute power. She is learning to be manipulative but it is not exactly her core nature. She is a blunt person and thus the trait she has gained is also directly a response to her inner nature.
The argument was quite sound.
But I was not done yet. Her power was still absurd.
Still Minor Conceptual Destruction. I call bloody hax.
It is a power on the same level as Albion's Dividing Poison. There are several restrictions to the power. She will have to become stronger to use it fully. For example, at this point, it can be used to destroy someone's power temporarily but not keep it that way.
"She was given a gift from my patron for our marriage. Her power is now the same rank as yours and mine although she has a different specialisation than us."
"What specialisation?" Azazel was the one who asked.
"She can affect concepts." came a voice and I turned around to see a green haired young man standing behind us.
"Lord Shiva." Azazel looked at the person surprised as well as they hadn't expected the reply either.
Shiva?
The Hindu God of Destruction.
Well obviously he will be knowledgeable about destruction. I think his destruction must be even higher ranked than ours. Right Game?
It is.
I bowed politely towards him and he gave me a smile before looking at the screen and continuing. "Her powers are capable of causing minor changes in concepts. In a way destroying them. Although the effect seems to be temporary. Interesting."
"Destroying concepts?"
"Hmm, it is quite similar to Albion's power of dividing things. Her power can destroy things. I think she can make the effects permanent when she becomes stronger although she will have to overpower or weaken her opponent before she can do so. At this point, she has the skill but simply lacks the power and control to back it up."
"Permanent destruction!" Azazel exclaimed, surprised.
"Albion's poison was permanent too." Shiva replied calmly.
The man immediately shut up before looking at both Sirzechs and me. His unasked question echoing through the gazes sent our way.
Shiva actually answered this one too. "I am taking a guess but your destruction seems to possess a mind of its own. Quite primal level of sentience but still." I looked at the God with a slightly open mouth and he merely laughed and shook his head before responding. "When you went through the transformation during your Rating Game, although your shadows and fire magic covered it mostly, I noticed your destruction acting independently as if it had a mind of its own. It was something not easily noticed and would be hard for someone not intimate with the said power. I guess you were not really controlling your power back then."
I nodded.
"Sentient Destruction is far more interesting than imposing Destruction on something. Life and Death are two opposing and yet inseparable concepts after all. Would you mind a chat with me sometime?" He offered.
I nodded quickly. "I would be honoured, Sir."
As we completed our chat, the Rating Game progressed.
The giant raised a hand and a sword made of the Power of Destruction formed in it, almost reaching the length of a hundred and fifty metres.
Suddenly, the trackers heard Rias speak.
"More More Times One Hundred."
And the very next instant, under the burst of a blinding light, the giant's sword grew to a height where its tip couldn't even be seen any longer and the Rating Game dimension started to shake and crack.
She waved her hand and the giant swung its sword. Space around the Rating Game dimension started to crack further before several over Shin's peerage members and Ajuka quickly reinforced the dimension.
All of the barriers that Zeoticus' peerage members had made were broken instantly but he didn't wait to see the results and he had already quit and escaped the place.
The sword crashed into the ground and the entire dimension was crushed, the magic keeping it together, shattering completely.
This was probably the shortest Rating Game in history.
I turned back towards the crowd who were by this time staring blankly at the screen.
Clapping my hands, I called for their attention.
"Thank you for making my marriage so entertaining. Now, what kind of person would I be if I didn't give anything in return? Let it not be said that I, Shin, am an ungrateful person." I looked towards Zekram who started back at me.
"As many of you already know, I am the 'Champion of Death', the one who acts out her wish in the world. Twelve thousand years ago, Death made a deal with a certain Devil. The said Devil wanted a power that can destroy everything…"
"Shin." Zekram interrupted urgently but my demonic power fell down upon the entire venue like an overwhelming tide.
"Be Quiet. I am acting according to my patron's wishes. If anyone stops me now, it will be a direct violation of her will. You already did what you wanted to do. Now it is my turn."
The man was finding it hard to even breathe, let alone refute my statement.
"Death, found the devil's wish amusing and decided to humour him and thus, the devils came in possession of the Power of Destruction. Yes, that devil, twelve thousand years ago was Zekram Bael, the very same person standing among us right now. In turn all she asked him was that just once, when someone came with her sign to him, he had to give the hand of the youngest person of the opposite sex with the Power of Destruction to them in marriage."
The crowds burst into murmurs and even the Gods of the other pantheons watched the scene with curiosity.
"And today, Zekram Bael has broken that deal when he refused to fulfil it."
"I completed the deal already. You are married to Rias Gremory." Zekram interjected but I raised an arm.
"Words in a deal can make a world of a difference, Zekram. Just like how me granting one small wish could have others take literally everything away from me. The way a deal is interpreted is the key. In the deal, it was said that you would give me the hand of the youngest person with the Power of Destruction of the opposite sex as mine to me in marriage, true."
"True."
"And yet you didn't. Before you shout and create a scene, let me clarify. I challenged Riser Phenex to the Rating Game as Lord Grem… pardon me, the former Lord Gremory had stated and I defeated and won her hand over. It was because of this very reason why all of the mess happened today, because people were dissatisfied with how I won her hand. And you Zekram, did nothing in all of this. True."
He kept quiet.
"I will take that as a yes. Then tell me Zekram, in all of this, where did you give me the hand of Rias Gremory in marriage? Well, you didn't. I won it myself. It is not repaying if all the work has to be done by me. And as for if the claims I am making are true or not, there is a very simple way to verify it." Looking Zekram straight into the eyes, I raised my hand. "If the contract was broken, then on my call, the collateral will be collected back."
A ball of the Power of Destruction shot towards me at the instant but simply fizzled out and the perpetrator was shot down by Sirzechs who stood by my side looking at the now downed Lord Bael. "Arrest him." He commanded and Okita Souji appeared behind Lord Bael knocking him out instantly.
Sirzechs looked at the crowd. "Everyone has been taking the position of Satan as a joke. today, it's about time they knew why we sit on these seats." He looked at me and nodded. "Continue."
"According to the contract, if the deal was broken, the Bael House would lose the Power of Destruction and their Demonic Power. I, Shin, in the name of Death, call upon the contract to come to effect." As soon as I spoke the words, a parchment appeared in the air in front of us and every member of the Bael House with the Power of Destruction fell to their knees shouting. Surprisingly, neither of the Gremorys with the same power were affected. Small balls of blackish energy came out of each of them and collected in front of me.
I felt my connection with Death once more but this time, her voice was heard all around. "I leave the ones who are in your wife's family. From now on, my power only flows through you in this world. Consider it a gift for your marriage, my Champion."
The ball of energy was absorbed into the contract and disappeared just like it had appeared, without warning.
I turned towards Sirzechs. "I believe we have a Press Conference after this but seeing as you will be busy getting the suspects out, let's reschedule it till the next day."
Azazel however came to the rescue. "We can handle the meeting. Falbium will be taking care of the investigations. The reveal of Ophis' snake led many of the concerned parties to ask questions. Your Press Conference however cannot be delayed. There are many Gods from different Pantheons waiting for this Press Conference. Your identity is very important to many pantheons. Some rumours are going on around about Hades and how you might be involved in all of it and people are both curious and tense. And now your own power will make people anxious if you don't give a speech. I am sorry to put you both through such a thing again, especially after all that has happened today."
I looked around and Odin nodded towards me as well.
"Okay."
"Good. The meeting will start in a few hours. You can… well, I think you should be with your wife."
It was at that instant, several people came running and teleporting inside the place and reported something to the Heads of the Houses and a mass chaos started.
"What's happening there?" Odin asked, looking at the mess. "What are those fools up to now?"
A few moments later it was found out that someone had revealed several criminal activities of many of the Houses as well as the scam of the Rating Games in terms of King Pieces.
I didn't care about it and went ahead to meet and take Rias with me.
She seemed to be talking to Runeas and her Grandmother and Venelana was with her too.
As for what will happen to those houses?
They should have known better than to plot against me.
- Rias -
She was standing with her mother who was currently behind her and facing a young looking girl standing with her grandmother and staring at her.
"Rias, this is your ancestor, the first Gremory, Runeas." Her mother introduced.
She had heard from Shin that the first Gremory was alive but she herself hadn't known about it before then. Her Grandmother had gone into seclusion after her grandfather had died and even she had only seen her a few times.
She greeted her politely.
"Umm umm, nice nice." The old devil looked at her from every angle and as annoyed as Rias was at the moment, she was still a bit thrown off by her behaviour. "So the Rating Game was good and all but… you only used that stinky Zekram's power… well not his power anymore still. Where was the Gremory Power? It would have looked so cool if you made a giant Camel instead of a giant man. Umm umm, a giant camel would have been amazing."
Rias found herself open-mouthed at the words. Also, "What do you mean by, not his power anymore?"
"Your husband used his authority to take away the Power of Destruction from Zekram and his descendants for messing up today's event. You and members of our family who possessed the power kept it because we are related to your dear husband. Hmm, in a way, among the Devils, the Power of Destruction is now the power of the Gremory House. Still nowhere as cool as the Great Gremory Horde though but cool enough."
….
….
"So, the Bael House are now…" She felt a bit of pity for the uninvolved people.
"Without demonic power, Lord Bael even tried to attack him to stop him from doing it but was taken down by Sirzechs before anything could happen. He is currently under investigation as well." Her mother explained and Rias' Demonic Power surged momentarily before she controlled it. All the pity she had felt a moment ago was gone.
The only people she even cared about now with that name are Sairaorg and his mother and both of them will be unaffected. She didn't care about others. Since they attacked her husband, they can suffer.
"Was Zekram involved in this whole mess?" She asked, even though she practically knew the answer.
"Would have been impossible without his support." Her grandmother answered.
"He didn't have any reason to do so. Shin was actually closer to the Bael house than anyone else." She was genuinely confused about this.
"But he cannot be controlled. Someone of his power and status cannot be controlled easily. Moreover, he didn't want to agree to their demands either. The new world is a very big deal for any race to have an access to and Shin denied them this directly. Obviously, they would plot something to get things out of him. An individual with power is not as dangerous as someone who has the ability to change an entire race. Shin is such a person." Her mother explained.
Shin did have the power to change the world.
The One Piece world had witnessed it recently.
As they were talking, she heard a snarl behind her. "Y-you were trying to kill me." Zeoticus Gremory pointed his fingers at her.
"You wouldn't be here and talking if I did." She replied, curtly and then turned towards her grandmother and ancestor. "I believe that I am the new head of the Gremory now?"
The young looking girl shrugged her shoulders. "It was what was decided in the bet. So you are Lady Gremory now and your husband Lord Gremory. Although, he didn't seem too thrilled about the idea."
"Shin is not interested in these things and to be honest, I wouldn't have done this either if we were not pushed."
"You can't be serious about this farce. Mother, please say something. The Gremory House will become a laughing stock for everyone if she becomes the Lady Gremory and low born reincarnated devil like him…"
"Shut up, Zeoticus. The Gremory House is already a laughing stock for the entire world by your deeds. You don't need to worry more." her grandmother snapped.
"You are not going to show your face in public for the next couple hundred years. For all matters and purposes, you are under house arrest." Runeas declared, although her voice was lacking any of her previous light-heartedness from before. "You don't realise it but you had almost wasted the future of the Gremory family because of your greed and incompetence. Chysis, take him and see it is done."
"Yes, ancestor."
Rias intervened. "I want the contract which binds mother to him to be abolished. If Mother wishes to stay married to him, it's her wish. If she doesn't, she can choose for herself."
Runeas however looked unbothered. "It has already been taken care of dear. I did it as soon as I woke up. It was her reward for waking me up. She can still call herself a Gremory if she wants to."
Rias nodded and she continued. "You on the other hand need to learn more about managing the house. Venelana told me that you are concentrating on managing your husband's businesses. Do you think you can keep up with all the responsibilities of a head along with your studies and newly married life?" She questioned her.
"I have good helpers. Shin's businesses can also be managed by his peerage members."
"You will be learning business and politics under Chysis and myself for a period of time. Venalana had told me that you are also managing a country in the other world? Learn and experience things. Until then Chysis and Venelana will help you out." She offered and Rias had to agree.
It was quite reasonable and she couldn't refute anything.
– Serafall –
All the plans were going haywire. Someone had revealed the criminal evidence of scam in Rating Games all over the Underworld…. But that was not enough. They also distributed the criminal activities of a number of Pillar Houses among the general public through the DevilNet.
Ajuka was trying to control the situation furiously to find the leak snd stop it but to no use.
This might be the first time someone had Ajuka worked up so much after becoming a Satan.
"Any clues?"
"Nothing solid but I did find some traces of the Old Satan faction. Shalba Beelzebub is at work. They are using something to manipulate the network. Probably some kind of technology. I will have to dig in to the systems to find the source. It will take time." Ajuka replied not even turning his head from the mind numbing number of magic circles working in front of him. The variety of spells just made Serafall's head ache looking at them.
Old Satan Faction.
You'd think they would have learned from their mistakes.
Sigh.
This whole thing was turning into a mess. They used the opportunity of Rias and Shin's marriage as the most security would be diverted to escort the Guests from the various factions. This would lead to a shortage of security in many areas.
The ones who were accused denied any investigation and even tried to act violently were brought down immediately by the Satans.
Sirzechs was the one who took a lead in this matter and she understood that he needed to let out some steam. Beedze Abadon felt the difference himself. The former third ranker had already been half crazy due to the loss of his peerage and was taking it out on Kuisha Abaddon due to her connection with Shin.
The said girl's king was taking care of his brother after the loss of his demonic power and was absent. Serafall knew that Kuisha was quite strong and could have easily defended herself but she held on to not exaggerate the situation in case Shin took action again.
He obviously denied any investigation and tried to use force and even throw the blame on others.
Sirzechs was however in no mood for games.
Beedze lost both his arms and was arrested instantly.
It put a huge damper on the actions of other people who were thinking of raising a ruckus to make the Satans cave in.
The general public revolting was a different matter altogether.
There was at least one saving grace in all this.
Due to Rias and Shin's overwhelming display of power, no other pantheon tried to stir up any trouble. In a way, the fiasco at the marriage also saved this whole thing from devolving into a free for all war for every pantheon.
"I will go and see Azazel and the others who are keeping the guests occupied. Any news from Falbium and Sirzechs?"
He shook his head. "Nothing from that side."
If she didn't need to be present in front of the other factions, she would be out putting down rebellions as well. But she needed to be seen there , showing a strong face in front of the other factions. She was starting to hate being a Satan even more than usual.
She left the room and Ajuka sealed his lab to not be disturbed as he continued his search.
- Runeas Gremory -
She sat in the main room of the Gremory Castle with Chysis. Many of her children had perished in the Great War and then the Civil War.
She sighed.
She had even gone off the radar to prevent her children from being targeted by the descendants of the Satans. Fools who had more pride than abilities.
Honestly, she was just exhausted by the war.
She was one of the oldest beings in the Underworld and thus she was also someone who had lost more than anyone else. So many of her descendants whom she had raised with her own hands were killed and she had to bury them with the same hands. Such things are bound to take a toll on some people.
She knew that a Civil War was going to happen but she went to sleep even so. Keeping the heat off of her family was one reason and the other was because she didn't want any child she had raised to die in front of her.
Little Zeo was the last one she remembered as she had woken up briefly during his birth and had a good impression of him.
Alas, Chysis had withdrawn herself after her husband's death and he went astray.
"Still, he was vicious. Every house that spoke up against him was metaphorically stripped naked in front of the whole Underworld. All their criminal records,even those dated a few thousand years ago were uncovered and revealed in front of everyone. Eighteen House heads have been arrested so far. Zekram and the rest of the Bael would either be in prison or hiding their own behinds for a century or so. They don't even know who revealed it but every piece of information was verified and due to the chaos of the marriage party, no one was able to even react quickly."
"The investigation is not complete. You think he did it?" Chysis asked.
"Obviously."
"But how? He was there in the marriage venue the entire time and so were his peerage members and several devils attacked and overtook the broadcasting centres and spread the news. They were strong enough to easily overpower the security of the places and this included the security of the castle of Ajuka Beelzebub. There are not many people who could do so."
"Exactly. From what I hear, he is one of the only people who can do such a thing. And the reveals were too coincidental. None of the families who stayed back were touched. Zekram who did all this was literally just left on the streets. His power taken, his family thrown under a mountain of criminal evidence and him going from the most influential person of the underworld to a hated nobody in a matter of hours. We are lucky that Rias took on the position of Lady Gremory and he didn't want to ruin her image or there was a high chance that our house would have joined the group too."
"Are you saying he knew about their plans and did all of this in advance?"
"Most likely."
"But that would mean he has another force under him that can achieve such a feat and still remain a secret. I don't think you know this but the entire can be controlled by Ajuka but today someone managed to slip inside his control and leak all this information… without him knowing about it. Such a feat… The only beings who can do this don't need to hide themselves." Chysis said.
"And yet it was done."
….
….
"What should we do then?"
"Nothing. We do nothing. Rias is now the Lady Gremory but from what I can see, even she is not interested in the position."
Chysis shook her head. "No. She isn't. She was about to disown herself from the family a few days ago from what I came to know from Venelana?" She let out a sigh. "Where did I fail with Zeo? Why would he even do this to his own Son-in-law? He could have maintained a normal relationship with the boy and he could have gotten much more than he even wished for. That move was extremely stupid."
"And suicidal, knowing the boy's source of power. Was Zekram involved in this too?"
Chysis shook her head. "Partly. From what I know, there was a deal with the Phenex House that would see the Gremory gaining the Phenex bloodline and a big chunk of financial support from the Phenex. Zekram coming in and pushing to change the contract itself was the start of the problem. Zeo was dissatisfied with it and was planning ways to dissolve the marriage contract. Not being able to do anything he became angry. Zekram and the Bael House are too strong for any attacks but a no name reincarnated devil teen could be tricked. Especially when the one backing him was also involved in the whole mess. The matters and resources of a different world and Shin's own skills just flamed their greed more. Zeo had been able to do whatever he wanted with our support. It became worse after Sirzechs became the Lucifer. While on the surface, the Satans cannot favour a single family. Their names still weigh and people don't forget who they were. The house was not suffering so I didn't intervene either."
"Which was a mistake. People didn't complain because they were afraid of power. And Zeo was not foolish enough to provoke those who weren't afraid. But sometimes the most harmless looking beings can destroy entire civilizations. This is the main reason why I kept the house uninvolved from these kinds of things."
Chysis didn't say anything but her body language was enough to express her disappointment.
"Educate him." She continued. "And focus on Millicas. Grayfia has raised the child well. He is polite and well mannered but most of all, he is close to other members of the family. If I am correct, Rias is going to leave the family regardless. She only accepted the whole thing to get Venelana out of that contract. Make sure the house gets back on its feet before she leaves. I will stay around for a while."
"Yes Ancestor."
– Shin –
I laid on a bed in the hotel room. My wife… The word sounded a little strange when I thought about it consciously, laying her head on my chest.
The chaos caused by the reveal of the dirty laundry of the Pillar Houses caused every Satan and even the allied factions to make a move and put down the ones who rebelled upon the said reveal.
The Press Conference was postponed by 12 hours while the other factions just watched the show.
"You revealed the news, didn't you?" She asked. I couldn't sense any anger in her voice.
"I did."
"Did you know?"
"About something being planned today… yes. I didn't know what exactly they planned though."
"Still, to think Diodora was behind this. He was suspicious to begin with. His peerage especially, being only composed of holy maidens and nuns."
"Hmm…."
….
….
….
….
She looked back at me, straight into my eyes. "What are you hiding?"
"What!"
"You are hiding something. What is it?" She questioned, her turquoise eyes not leaving mine for a single moment.
"What do you mean, Rias?"
"Riser made foul comments about me and your peerage last time and you broke him in front of the whole underworld. Akeno questioned our relationship and you snapped and didn't talk to her for a month. Kokabiel tried to ruin our peaceful life and you destroyed his mind… and yet, today you let Riser go. Not to mention, you are extremely calm today whereas, knowing you, I should be the one calming you. So, you must be hiding something. What are you hiding?"
….
….
"Have you been watching any detective anime recently?"
She just kept on staring into my eyes without a word.
"You are good. Really good."
She continued with her stare.
"Ah okay. I knew they were going to do something but didn't know what it was, so… I gave them a path. A path filled with landmines and scores of nukes at the end that would ensure their total destruction… but I gave them a path. This made them do what I expected them to do. " I started.
She nodded.
"I gave Riser, Ophis' power."
"What! But Diodora…"
"Gaia's Foundation."
Her cute lips opened and eyes widened in realisation. "But why? Did what Riser said was…"
"Diodora Astaroth makes the Holy Maidens and nuns get casted out from the church. He has some contacts with them. He then assaults them until they are mindless husks, reliant only on him."
Her finger on my arm tightened.
"He was also a part of the Khaos Brigade. I didn't lie about it. He was planning to target us as well."
I saw the look in her eyes hardened at this.
"But… the one thing which decided the fate of the guy was that… he was behind Asia's excommunication too. And he was planning to save her from the Fallen Angels and become her hero."
"So he?"
"Already taken care of before I even talked to Riser."
….
….
"And what would you have done if Riser took the power and didn't make any move?"
"... I would have left him alone. If he wisened enough to know not to pick a fight with me, he deserved a reward for being a good boy. Unfortunately, it was not to be."
….
"Onii-sama and others will be stressed beyond anything due to the current mess."
"I… actually think the opposite. From my point of view, they can use this opportunity to cull the Great King faction and some unruly elements of the Underworld. These people didn't even care about my position with the other factions and pulled this sort of trick. What's to say they won't try something else like forcibly reincarnating someone important from an allied faction or picking a fight with someone dangerous."
She was listening intently so I continued. "The Devil faction has enjoyed being over the heads of several other factions because of their numbers and the power of Sirzechs and Ajuka. The Evil Pieces have changed the power scaling too much. That said, it has also caused the people to become too arrogant. They needed a little humbling which would go a long way to ensure the solidarity of the alliance?"
"I… maybe you are right. I am just happy that my mother is free now."
"Well… it was my real wedding gift to you. The only reason why I didn't just orchestrate accidents for them or even threatened them before they made their move. I had to force your father to give up because I didn' know the exact clause of the contract. What I didn't expect was her awakening your ancestry directly. I didn't think she could do that."
"Umm… Normally, she couldn't. She would need permission from… him. But there was the clause that if she thought that the Gremory House was in big danger, she could directly awaken her. Mother really thought that the Gremory House was in genuine danger of being destroyed if he continued with today's actions."
"I got a feeling that Sirzechs was totally done with all the crap today. He seemed different than usual."
"He was the angriest I had ever seen him. Onii-sama never… never raises his voice. I think he would have genuinely attacked someone if not for Grayfia and Lord Ajuka keeping him in control. Do you think you will be in trouble for releasing the information? I am worried what the Satans would think. They could figure things out even if they didn't say anything. Lord Ajuka would. Actually, how did you even get past the security of the . It was designed by Lord Ajuka himself. I know you could do so but you were in the wedding the entire time and… he would have noticed."
"... let's just say, I hired something very skilled for the job. Someone who would like to keep their own identity a secret. As for the Satans, don't worry. They will not do anything."
"If you say so, Shin." She just closed her eyes and lay on my chest as I caressed her hair. No other words were said. Despite all of this more or less being my plan, she was stressed out for real. It did remove the annoyance of Zeoticus from her life but it was still painful for everyone.
_x_
I came to the washroom to wash my face. Rias had fallen asleep just a minute ago. There was still a couple of hours till the Press Conference.
I looked around and spread my Observation Haki to check if anyone was spying.
Finding no one around, I looked at the time and teleported.
On reaching the place, I was greeted by Diehauser and his peerage.
Merlin was already there, explaining the situation to them.
"Mr. Shin. I didn't think you would come here, especially when you went ahead with the plan already. Who would have thought…" Diehauser asked, looking at me.
"Everything will go as planned." I replied casually.
The man nodded. "We are ready to leave whenever you are."
"I am waiting for someone." I replied already checking the surroundings as I soon discovered the last two people. "They are here."
And sure enough, from my shadow arose the figure of my trusted Queen.
Diehauser was open-mouthed at the appearance of the said demon.
"You…"
"My Queen." I interrupted. "He works undercover in the Khaos Brigade for me."
The man's shock was palpable. "B-b-but he… Noir is one of the current leaders of the Khaos Brigade."
I shrugged my shoulders. "And who would doubt one of the leaders being an undercover agent?."
"Kufufufufu Diehauser Belial. Interesting fellow. Since my dear Master has allowed you to know my identity, I will not hide either. My name is Diablo. The name given to me by my Master, Great Shin as a gift. Noir is not my true name but rather my position. It means Black and I am the Primordial of the Black, the first of the Black Demons. People always confuse it. To put it in simpler terms, it is the same for you being called the Emperor in place of Diehauser most of the time by people."
"So… the master you were talking about?"
"Is Great Shin."
While Diehauser was dealing with the shock, the final one to arrive in a flash of a magic circle was a very well known figure which caused many to become tense and soon take a defensive position.
"Are they coming with us?" He questioned me.
I nodded.
"I have prepared the infiltration plans already. Let's start with the briefing." He said and went on towards the side of the room to set up a magic spell for a projector.
Diehauser who got over his surprise looked incredulously at us.
"Why are you….?"
The guy in question looked at the champion of the Rating Games. "The Underworld is going through a very important phase and the people who can be annoying need to be curbed."
….
The champion didn't say a word and the guy set up his spell and went on to explain the plan of action.
Finally, I got up and addressed the people in the room. "Are we all clear with the plan?"
They all nodded in while still looking at the last person in stunned silence.
For a moment I too looked at him as I asked a question in my mind. "Diodora? Is he?"
"Diodora resisted arrest and used self destruction to heavily injure several of the enforcers and died. His peerage members were taken into custody but were found to be suffering from several mind control spells and long term mental damage. For all matters, they might have been considered as puppets in all this. All of them have been shifted to the hospital to be treated for mental scars and they will be questioned when they recover to get more information on the deeds of Diodora. Their location is being kept a secret to keep them safe." He spoke in a very neutral tone but the words were impactful for everyone.
The room became quiet for a moment.
I broke the silence as I took out something for the next part of the plan. "For all that matters, I am sorry for everything, Ajuka."
Yes, the man I hired to hack Ajuka's system… was Ajuka himself.
The information Diablo gave me was a very good negotiation tool. I noticed that Ajuka was getting fed up with the drama of the Pillar Houses. And while Sirzechs was mainly the one who took charge of the domestic matters, it was because he was used to dealing with these people.
The reason Ajuka or Falbium didn't get involved with domestic affairs wasn't because they couldn't? No. They were and have been Satans for several centuries. They were more than capable of doing politics. It's just that Falbium found it too troublesome while Ajuka didn't have patience for their nonsense. Thus Sirzechs was the only one left for the job because apart from Serafall, he was the only one of the current Satans capable of putting up with the dumbasses.
Sirzechs would have used the information to find a political method out which would have just delayed the idiots, not solve the problem itself.
Ajuka on the other hand was different.
I was right on my assessment too as he was beyond pissed when his inventions were used to mess with the Rating Games. He agreed and then devised this entire plan with me. The main objective of the plan was to curb the power of the Pillar Houses so that they keep low for a while. This will help ease the tension with the reincarnated devils and also help the alliance to stabilise a little.
The reason no one caught the leak in the first place was because the one in charge of finding the leak was the one making them himself.
"It was not your fault." He let out a sigh. "I don't keep in close contact with my family and my Uncle had been too negligent in his job if a teenager had pulled the wool over his eyes. What Diodora did and was doing would have heavily endangered the credibility of the Devils and the alliance and despite all this, my Uncle would still have tried to save him, causing even the Astaroth house to be dragged down.. Now, at least this way, we can answer for ourselves."
"But he was your…" Diehauser started to speak but was interrupted.
"I am the Beelzebub. I stopped having a family when I took on his name. The current Diodora's actions could have led to the alliance crumbling. The Church people were already against this alliance and would have revolted and Michael wouldn't have been able to answer heaven as well. A struggle would have ensued and several lives would have been lost. But most of all, the peace of the Underworld would have been compromised. This was the most efficient way." Ajuka answered in a steely tone and Diehauser became quiet. The entire room became quiet. He then looked at me and nodded.
I took a deep breath and started. "This is called a Time Tuner."
- Omake - The Adventures of Ophis - Part 3. Ophis' New Home -
Ophis looked at the place around us.
The whole archipelago was made up of sweets. Cakes, chocolates, pudding, cookies and sweets of all kinds were used to make these islands.
She liked it here.
The place used to be noisy but apparently after the previous owner died, it became quiet.
Ophis liked the silence.
And she liked the cakes.
This place might just be better than the Dimensional Gap.
She finished the piece of cake on the plate in front of her and then took a bite out of the plate. It was made of chocolate.
She liked chocolate too.
There were people on the island who could make these things.
She gave her snake to the boy who made mochi. He became stronger and vowed to keep others from disturbing her silence. He also told others to make new sweets for her everyday.
Shin told her that she could eat anything here as long as she didn't hurt anyone here.
Umm.
She would make this island her new home. She would ask Shin to move her bedroom here.
Then she can have both her silence and cakes at the same time.
She will just need to protect this place from Baka Red and Baka Tet.
Ophis looked at her team of pokemon.
Baka Red had evolved and was stronger now.
Her Ditto can also change into Baka Red and was training. Ophis gave it her power and he became bigger.
But first, she had to win the Pokemon League.
She will beat Gary again. He was annoying too.
She will first become the Pokemon League Champion and then she will beat both Baka Red and Baka Tet.
Ophis picked up her milkshake and took a sip of it but found it empty.
"Chocolate Milkshake." She asked the Mirror and a Chocolate Milkshake came out of it.
Chocolate Milkshakes are good.
Ophis liked this place.
It was totally better than the Dimensional Gap.
_x_x_
Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author's Note:
Plans are being unveiled as the real players behind the whole scene are coming out.
I will try to complete the whole arc in another one or two chapters.
Shin is a manipulator.
Directly blowing off people's heads is just not his style.
As for Ajuka, we will see why he got on in this place in the next chapter.
The reason why Shin didn't blow up for real was because this was planned from the very start. He did ruin everyone or rather is going to ruin everyone. But there was still a limit to how much he should do without showcasing himself as a villain in front of the whole world.
Diodora died without even making an official entrance in the whole thing.
I think it was the best he deserved.
We now have two insanely sharp, borderline sociopath geniuses. Make it three, (Merlin is also there), a primordial Demon, and the Champion of the Rating Games with his peerage out for some idiots.
On a side note, I was asked by many if I had a Patre-on. I do now.
I am not posting any advance chapters there or anything. Everything will be posted as I have been.
I have been doing this because I have come to love writing. This is just for those who like my content and wish to support me. Thank you very much. You guys are awesome.
patre-on.-com/-crossedge
Just remove the - from the address.
Also, the Whole Cake Island changed owners from Big Mom to Little Loli.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day. Peace Out.