Chapter 130: Chapter 130: But nukes are over-telegraphed
"H-haa… haa…" Zeus swiped the corner of his mouth to hide a stream of blood that ran down it. "You… I knew I was right in trying to get you killed… You traitorous cur…"
"Ha! Finally your mouth speaks the language of your actions!" Hades cackled in amusement.
The Death God pulled out a scroll from the back of his billowing black hood while holding his cracked ribs in place with his other hand. "[Scroll of Stitch]"
The bones lurched back together and re-attached without a visible seam, although Hades breathed out heavily afterwards.
"Haa… How genius… Kakaa… Khaos Brigade never provided me with these…" Hades muttered to himself but Zeus caught it, if barely, and moved forward to another attack.
A bolt of lightning soared, and Hades's scythe came up. Zeus's lightning was blocked by a swarm of lost souls that ran up from the ground and took the hit in the death god's stead.
Mount Olympus shook again, and many of the stone and marble pillars and halls cracked and crumbled while masonry and once intricate gardens turned to a landslide down the mountain's slope.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?! THIS RUIN AND MADNESS?!" Zeus's rage burnt in a brighter flame as he saw as Aphrodite's monument crumbled and broke into shards, only to mix into the landslide of mud and masonry. "YOU WILL PAY, CUR!"
"Ahahaah!" Hades's laughter only intensified. "Your anger betrays your weakness and your- Ghuh!"
A punch had landed on Hades's face, driving the Death God's body deep into the landslide.
"Your destruction will be final. This time there will be no quarter… Brother." Zeus's body bulged with muscle within his robes as he drew power from myth and legend, drawing strength from the desperate faith placed by modern Greek on their legends as their nation within the Human World began to sink to the sea and drowned millions.
A coating of lightning and sparks covered Zeus's body as he took a step forwards on his clouds and drew his hand up from his side, creating a spear of lightning of titanic size.
"Goodbye… Traitor." Zeus drew his hand back to a throw, and-
A rock the size of a city slammed against his body and threw him a few miles from the top of the mountain.
A massive explosion lit the sky as Zeus blasted the offending rock to bits and took a few running steps in order to make his way back to the Mountain… Only to be almost slapped from the air by another thrown rock.
"Grhh…." Zeus's patience came to its absolute end and something snapped within his head when he saw his most hated enemies crawling up Mount Olympus, Hismount Olympus, like rodents trying to feast on meat that was His.
"GAIIIAAAAAA!" The God of Lightning let out a roar of anger and with it, the name of his hated foe.
"ZEEEEUUUSSSS!" A titanic roar echoed Zeus's from a roughly human-shaped, if mountain-sized, form covered in moss, rock, granite and flora and fauna of all sorts- Except that unlike the vibrant green of old, Gaia's flora was black like tar and the fauna skirmishing upon her body bore unnatural forms and features.
The titanic form was climbing up the mountain alongside a myriad of other once-trapped Titans that had been somehow set free.
Zeus's fight with Hades was forgotten in seconds as he and Gaia entered a re-enactment of a battle that had been fought once before… But within his heart, past the cloud of rage, Zeus knew that something was seriously wrong with the incarnation of Mother Nature.
Something had changed.
.
.
Katarina Leviathan splattered against a marble palace, losing the water around her body that had made her armor and weapon, then breaking through the wall from the force of the impact, and finally hitting the back of the now-dusty and empty hall that looked like it was a temple of some sort.
She coughed blood as the battle between her and Poseidon had… Not exactly gone to her favor.
But it was within her expectations, so the result did not come to her as a surprise.
Katarina had managed to mostly keep the battle even for a while, when she had the advantage of surprise and 'firepower' of the Scrolls that had been entrusted to her for the very task, but once the Scrolls ran out… The battle turned very quickly, and not to Katarina's favor.
"It was… good… sacrifice…" Katarina coughed blood as she lay half-propped up against a marble wall of the temple. She reached to her side and then pulled her hand in front of her face to see that it was slick with blood. "H-Hgha… Ghah… Bhuhh…"
She realized that she must have broken most of her ribs during the battle and during the impact just now, causing the broken ribs to tear her lungs apart- Which explained the rapidly growing puddle of blood that Katarina found herself in.
"Foolish mortal…" A shape burst through the temple's broken exterior wall through the hole that Katarina had made with her body, except that the form was much larger and had utterly shattered the wall on his passing.
Poseidon stood still while a chariot made of weeds and sea-serpents and pulled by watery elementals in the shape of horses drew him towards Katarina in slow, unhurried pace. "Your 'allies' are already being destroyed in droves. Our victory is all but guaranteed. The faith of our people is renewed. In your foolishness you poked the sleeping snake, and now you shall be devoured by it."
"Ha… You think… I… was the… actual…attack… kaha… hguuuh… khaha…" Katarina's eyesight blurred while her body began to feel cold.
'Dammit, I… With Poseidon interfering with my water, I… I can't heal myself with my water…' Katarina's thoughts started to turn sluggish while Poseidon laughed as he got off his chariot and the mount returned to lifeless seaweed and water.
"Ah, I know about it. Hades's betrayal shall be paid back thousandfold, his realm razed, his wife raped and killed, unless Zeus wants his worthless wretch back, and whatever bounty Hades had in his realm shall become mine, as I have defended Mount Olympus from this foolish assault." Poseidon laughed and then pointed his trident at Katarina. "The glory of this victory is mine."
"Pha… Ha, so you know nothing- Ngh!" Katarina spat blood on Poseidon's clothes, and in turn Poseidon stabbed his trident's hook-like tips into Katarina's chest.
Katarina's body felt heavy.
But she reached to grip the triden's shaft with both hands, locking it in place… Or at least she tried to do so, but her strength faded and the trident slipped deeper into her chest as Poseidon pushed it in, slowly and gleefully like a bored fisherman tormenting a fish that it had trapped and speared.
"Do you know why you lost, foolish little devil? Of course, outside your 'vaunted' and 'prized' 'leviathan' bloodline, a bloodline that claims the name yet is but a copycat of a true monster, like a fly donning the colors of a hornet to pretend to claim its strength?" Poseidon reached to grab Katarina's chin and raised her head so the two were looking at one another's face as Katarina's head had started to droop. "The sea claims all that show it disrespect, be it peasants, fishermen, armies or kings, demi-gods or heroes, angels or devils! Your assault might have laid low a boor upstart of a demi-god, Hercules, or that fly out of Zeus's ass, Hermes, but you never had a chance agains- hee?"
The speech came short as a sound that was akin to an audible sensation of monomolecular blade slicing one's thumb rang in the hall.
Poseidon looked at his arm and saw that he had lost his hand from the wrist-down- The same hand which he had used to hold Katarina's chin.
Katarina's body slumped against the stone wall as Poseidon drew his trident out her body with a swift draw… Only for a surge of darkness to come forth from seemingly nowhere, followed by a storm of lightning and dark fire.
She no longer felt anything with her body. She couldn't breathe. Blood didn't flow anymore.
Her eyes no longer saw shapes, and instead only saw vague forms and flashes of brilliant light followed by darkness…
Until a white form enveloped her vision… and Katarina saw the now-familiar crooked skull looking at her from near point-blank range.
The Overlord General had opened its mouth wide and it had its palms pushed against the sides of its temple while it was squatting down so it was face-to-face with Katarina.
Katarina wanted to smirk at the comedic sight of the 'Overlord General' 'panicking'...
And so, she died.
.
.
"Oh… Oh no. What if- The Supreme Being wouldn't… I… No, not, this can't be, I thought, didn't I… But I had… I thought they were- But…" The Overlord General was packing back and forth in a state where every third step was calm and collected, and every two were panicked scrambling as his [Emotion Suppression] worked overtime and then some, trying its best to calm him down in his hour of need. "What would the Supreme Being do in this situation… 'U-umu'?"
'Hades's remarks about 'wifes' and 'tsunderes' and whatnot… Since I know for fact my lord sent Hades to me, and arranged our 'lying low' followed by 'laying it low', there's no way this 'wife' situation wasn't also planned by him… Was it a covert plan of some sort?! Or a hint that He wished to use this Katarina insect for some devilish plan after I was done with her?! That was the case for the cat-woman-insect, so it isn't an impossibility that he would have similar plan for the Katarina-insect- No, because He is the Supreme Being who would never do even the slightest mistake, it isn't an impossibility, but rather, a certainty.' The Overlord General was experiencing the undead equivalent of 'panic attack' while the group of five Overlord Wisemen he had created were bombarding Poseidon's forces.
He and the five level ninety undead casters had driven Poseidon off with a concentrated attack from the shadows after arriving to reinforce the collapsing main attack- But too late for Katarina. 'I thought I had supplied her with enough Scrolls to survive?! Did she burn through them faster than I thought? Was Olympean's defense stronger than I thought? The Titans are starting to climb Mount Olympus, but they are not quite here yet, not to mention that now that Atlas is dead and thus the 'world is falling', so this mountain is on borrowed time even if Titans don't win…'
The Overlord General's pacing had started to cause a round track trench to form on the temple's stone floor, and Overlord General glanced once more at Katarina's lifeless body as she lay half-propped up against the wall, eyes looking lifelessly at the floor through her broken glasses, while her chest had three wrist-sized holes left by a trident, her sides were broken open and were spilling their fleshy insides to the floor, and there was a sizable red puddle around her body.
'Yes, she's probably dead.' The Overlord General cast [Detect Life] just in case, and confirmed it. 'Since The Supreme Being had a plan for her after this… This means… Without a doubt…'
'I failed the Supreme Being again….'
Panic returned.
It was suppressed.
But it returned nonetheless.
Something was about to give.
The trench deepened.
And then the Overlord General who had once been an 'Elder Lich', and before that, 'Riser Phenix', got an idea.
.
.
"Alright… Now then." Momonga coughed a bit as he looked around a giant conference table that made him a bit nostalgic of Nazarick's ninth floor and it's 'great meeting table', around which he and the other guild members used to gather- Mostly to talk about their plans and form raids or parties, but occasionally to vote on accepting new guild members.
He almost thought he saw HeroHero's shape on one of the chairs… Before he blinked and realized that Gasper's shapeshifting was acting up again as he had sat on one of the seats- Alongside most of Momonga's Peerage, who were located on Momonga's left side.
Yubelluna and Xuelan were looking forward while having their hands on the table and streaks of nervous sweat were running down their faces as they sat beside Gasper, who had blushed and apologized meekly for 'his' loss of control over 'his' form.
Xenovia was flipping through a stack of papers with a stamping device on her other hand, stamping a sigil of some sort of each of the papers as she flipped through them. Irina, meanwhile, was putting the stamped papers to a box and brought a new stack for Xenovia from another box.
One of the papers slipped and Momonga spotted a 'Cult application form' on the paper's headline before Xenovia managed to grab it, stamped it, and put it to a pile.
Meanwhile Ravel, Sona, Venelana Gremory and Seekvaira Agares were sitting on Momonga's right side, and Sairaorg Bael was staring up at the ceiling while muttering something while he was lying on a hospital bed that had been elevated at its height, allowing Sairaorg to be in a semi-sitting position.
Seekvaira had scrunched her face at the man in puzzlement before shrugging and continuing to look around in wonder, before blushing up a storm after spotting Momonga and becoming incredibly interested in the hem of her pencil skirt.
Kuisha Abaddon was standing behind Sairaorg's bed and was giving the man on the bed a fond look that somehow unnerved Momonga a bit, but he ignored her. 'I actually haven't asked Sairaorg-kun about his opinion towards public declaration of his house's loyalties… But I suppose my [Control Amnesia] holds fairly firmly from previous examples so it's likely that Sairaorg is still mind-wiped to think that I am his best ally and so forth…'
On the other side of the table was Gabriel and Michael, and beside them, Azazel and Baraqiel.
Yasaka was sitting on a seat that had a bit of room on both her sides while she was between the 'gray angels' and Momonga's Peerage, and she had a pair of kitsune servants dressed like geisha's behind her.
One of them was fanning herself with a fan that looked to have quite deadly edges and the other was carrying a bamboo umbrella that would have appeared normal, if not for the katana-handle and pommel at the end of the umbrella that revealed its purpose as a disguised sheathe, and also revealing the pair's jobs as bodyguards and assassins- A combination of roles that made Momonga quite nervous, considering that Yasaka had offered some of the women to serve as bodyguards and liaisons for Momonga.
And thus Momonga had promptly re-tasked the given squad of kitsune guard-assassin to serve as assistants to Momonga's summoned 'maids', and had reinforced the point by telling the kitsune that the 'maids' were his 'actual bodyguards in disguise' akin to how they were doing the same role under similar disguise but for Yasaka, and that the kitsune squad should learn from the 'maid's example if they sought to be of use to Momonga's way of doing things.
He hoped that it would keep the kitsune squad in eyesight, give them something to do so that Yasaka wouldn't think that Momonga had taken the elite troops she had assigned to him and put them to some meaningless task and thus dishonor their agreement, and more importantly, ensured that if any of the assigned kitsune's got any funny ideas regarding the second part of their job description, they would have a very angry Cherubim Gatekeeper breathing down their neck.
'Haa… I had a vague memory that Kitsune's were supposed to be cunning, but Yasaka is seriously dangerous! Perhaps even more so now that we're married, sort of, I guess… Or that's just her way of saying 'I'm keeping an eye on you' since she's entrusting Kunou to my care as well…' Momonga sighed while feeling like he had been too hasty in allying with Yasaka and her faction, even though trade partnership with a faction that exported quite a bit of trade goods yet imported most of their raw resources was a hugely beneficial one in retrospect… Assuming neither side would decide to screw one another over. 'If this war escalates then Yasaka's people are going to be quite important in the rebuilding effort… Which is probably why she's still on the edge over committing her people full-scale to me and is toeing the line to see how the situation will resolve, even past the confines of our deal… I get it, sort of, since there's no point in betting for the losing side if all that manages to do is get you and yours killed once the victor emerges and turns their attention to her, but sheesh…'
Momonga snuck a glance at Rossweisse to distract himself from his own thoughts, and noticed that she was scrunching her eyebrows at Seekvaira for some reason. He considered asking her if something was wrong… but he figured that he should focus on the task at hand.
Namely, the preparation and execution of the second 'peace meeting', this time held between Momonga, or rather, 'The True God' (and by extension, his 'faction') and the devil nobility. Or what little remained of it.
"So… We're all of one mind?" Momonga coughed to his fist and brought the conference to a start. He got a round of nods from the angels and from the 'heads of noble families' who were present, as well as a courteous nod from Yasaka who had once again embraced her 'avatar of shinto' personality.
"In that case… Open the communication, Azazel-san." Momonga made a grand sweeping gesture to signal Michael and Gabriel to begin recording the event.
He had practiced such gestures beforehand in a bathroom just so that he wouldn't appear too awkward when using them, and he was a bit wary of 'roleplaying' as 'Momonga', lest he drew suspicions from Michael and Gabriel.
"Sure thing." Azazel put his hand up, clenched it into a fist, and a row of gleaming, hologram-like glyphs rose to the air. Each of the glyphs corresponded to the mark of a Noble House of Devils… Or those that had agreed to the peace meeting in the first place.
"Greetings. I am Momon. You know me as the 'True God'. Let us speak of the Underworld's future… And your role in it." Momonga wasted no time in getting on top of the situation. "You can see those who stand with me- Maous, the Three Factions united, and Shinto, who have joined my ranks with theirs. I declare myself the True God of Underworld, and call for your pledges of allegiances to me. You know my strength from the reports you have received from the Human World, and seen the strength of my followers and army from your news where the Old Pillars were slain by one of mine."
He let the words linger for a few seconds. "The time is due for you to declare your allegiances, and determine the future of your houses- The Fallen and Angels have already joined me, as Gray Angels. That leaves the Devil Houses. Firstly, let us start with the devils present at my chosen ground- Sona-san?"
"I follow the True God and his teachings. My house shall find their future by his side. As will I- I am his." Sona resisted the urge to smirk as she spoke the words, but failed to keep the corner of her lips from twitching in amusement. Such was repeated with Ravel.
And then Venelana as well.
Momonga stared at Venelana a bit as she repeated Sona's words… While also including the end-part, all the while looking like she'd burst into tears at the slightest provocation.
Rias opened her mouth and closed it in shock, and then sent Momonga a severeglare. He responded by shaking his head just slightly and Rias backed off while looking more than a little confused.
"House Bael… shall follow Momon-sama. We'll… find a future." Sairaorg muttered a bit absent-mindedly, almost as if he was trying desperately to remember something that he had forgotten.
"U-um… there was this slip… Ahem, aha! Um… A-accord to- ahem. I mean, H-house Agares will follow Momon-sama. Eh- that's… As will I… I-if he decides to have me, that is." Seekvaira spoke next, albeit her words had quite few pauses and she was blushing to her eyebrows while reading from a slip of paper that Sona had slid over to her.
"..." A silence came from the collected glyphs and Momonga braced for a haggle.
"...If House Amon swore allegiance to True God, what sorts of benefits would it reap?" A female voice came from one of the sigils, breaking the silence.
"House Amon would not be considered our enemy, despite the knowledge that it had supplied troops and supplies to our enemy. It would hold its lands and treasure after this 'conflict', and would only need to accept my overseers and my church to enter their lands, and you to allow your people to attend to it." Momonga knew full well that he needed to play the 'strongman' to devils, as any attempt at appeasement would cause the whole flock to descend on him to drain him dry of resources- In other words… "Make no mistake. This is not a contract between equals- Either submit to me and keep your lives, lifestyles and livelihoods, or face destruction by my hand. One of your Maous has already fallen to me…"
"...And another has fallen for him!" Serafall piped up from behind Momonga, as the Maou had squatted down behind Momonga to hide herself from view and now popped up to the view of the glyphs. "Serafall Leviathan! Reporting in! I have become Momon-kun's exclusive fuck-toy Maou! Heed me, oh new heads of Pillars! Choose your adventure well, because things are seriously going the way of the dodo for those who stand against us! Besides, Momon-kun has a huge coc… mguu!"
Serafall let out a protesting sound as Momonga reached to pat her a couple of times before she'd torpedo his chances of strong-arming the nobles.
He realized that he could use that patting to his own ends as well, so he put his hand under Serafall's chin and turned her head towards him, and kissed her on the lips.
"P-pwhuaa… Ehhh… I… Lost again… huee… I sherioushly can't win against you…" Serafall whimpered meekly, before she winked at Momonga, complete with small pink hearts floating around her face, and she returned to stand behind and beside Momonga while striking some sort of pose and radiating aura of dark energy.
Momonga glanced at the other side of the table where Gabriel had dropped the quill she had used to record the meeting and was stemming a nosebleed, while Michael looked stoic and understanding as if he thought Momonga was making some sort of grand sacrifice.
"...I see. I recognize your might, 'True God', and spit on it. This negotiation is a farce- You have already taken something very precious from us. I shall avenge my husband's deat- Ah?!" The female voice from House Amon's glyph let out a sudden yelp and there were sounds of struggling. "Iolova! Cease this foolishness at once! You-"
There was a sound of a meaty whack coming from the other end of the glyph, and suddenly there was a silence.
The glyph pulsed again. "...House Amon pledges itself to the True God's cause. May we prosper together, and our perversion flow rampant. Thus I declare, as Iolova Amon, the new Young Lord of House Amon by right of might. My lord, I hope you accept a humble sacrifice, namely my foolish mother, in exchange for forgiving us for her foolish statements?"
'I see that my reputation precedes me… That 'sacrifice' is also quite meaningless as it's likely that this 'Iolova' will be cleaning house after his hostile takeover… But by showing mercy on a 'sacrifice' and accepting their plea, I'll be able to build a golden bridge for the nobles to retreat across and join my side. Although, the next house that decides to act against me and isn't couped instantly needs to be destroyed utterly or I'll lose my credibility…' Momonga felt a bit conflicted but nodded nonetheless. "Very well. I accept this compromise. House Amon will be spared, its lands and bounty shall remain theirs, as will their people. Any of your house's soldiers that might still be within Asmodeus's ranks are guaranteed safe passage, and you are to withdraw your armies to your territory. This I declare. The next house may step forward and speak."
"House Vassago swears their loyalties to True God. Like House Amon, I am willing to transfer my mother to your care on condition that she is not harmed… If such sacrifice is needed." A female voice came from one of the sigils, this time conflicted and paranoid yet cowed. "Moreover, I've come to learn that my fiancee has been fooling around the True God's church. I hope that thee excellency forgives us… Diodora-kun's behavior can be-"
"Fear not. Diodora-kun has served me well. Your house needs not to sacrifice anything- I welcome you to my flock." Momonga nodded regally at the glyph. "Your people shall retain the same rights as House Amon, and your people are required to leave Asmodeus's army and are guaranteed safe passage to your territory. The next House may speak."
A few of the houses spoke of their allegiances and Momonga offered each the same. 'I can't really press-gang them to fight this war yet… If I try to push them forth they'd know I was using them as expendable meat shields, and if I call on them later they'll likely smell blood in the water and assume I was forced to back foot and need help… Which means, I'll have to fight in a decisive way while achieving a string of victories, no matter how small, to incentivize the Noble Houses to join the battle on my side on their own, with the assumption that they will be rewarded for being useful to me and knowledge that they have backed the winning side…'
"...House of Glasya-Labolas refuses the pretender's pact. Ours is the fury, and yours is a place in our pyre. Every strike will be countered. Every blow paid in kind. You have slain our lord in your mindless rampage, and we will not forsake our son- Even if he has donned the mantle of 'Asmodeus'. Fabium's army shall be the end of you- And at the end, the end of those who-"
Momonga cut the conversation short by waving dismissively at Azazel and the sigil disappeared. "It seems that Glasya-Labolas has decided to honor broken familiar bonds over their lives, their livelihoods, and the people they lord over. Michael?"
"Yes, Father?"
"There will be no survivors from those loyal to Glasya-Labolas. Those of that name who have entered my church's service shall be spared, but will lose their family's name. Instead they will be known as Followers, as they have chosen justice over the foolishness of their kin." Momonga decreed, well aware that he needed to be both ruthless to show devils that there was a stick when carrot didn't work, yet not strict enough that it'd cause the Gray Angels to doubt him, while also ensuring that his 'reputation' as 'True God' wouldn't be compromised. "The next house may speak."
"...House Astaroth wonders if Lord Momon… Hm… House Astaroth wishes for more time to decide. This is a question that is posed too quickly, and we cannot-"
"House Astaroth can decide not to answer. However, if it does, it will be considered hostile. And once we reach your doorstep, no surrender will be accepted. Know this- Hesitation is defeat. Treachery will be death. If you seek to survive this storm unscathed, then you will join me… Or yours will suffer and die." Momonga realized that Astaroth was wavering, likely due to the fact Diodora had possibly sent quite bit of 'corruptive material' back home that had helped erode the support the house would have towards the reign of Maous- After all, Beelzebub was a scion of House Astaroth. "You know that I offer resurrections and healing. Devastation may touch us, but it will leave no mark. Your forces will be torn apart by such winds. Think carefully before you discard my words and my offering, for I will make such an offer only once. Withdraw from answering and surrender at the last moment, and the terms would not be as favorable as now."
"...What sort of terms would we face, if we decided when you approached us sword in hand?"
'Crap, I can't just give a vague threat… Um… Erm, if I go the way of Yasaka and try to figure out some trade deal I'd be seen as cheap and easily bought, but if I go too harsh then there's no difference, but if I go soft then others will decide to wait and see before answering which would not cut supplies and flow of troops to Asmodeus's army…' Momonga tried to juggle the web of combat-strategies that made sense to him, and also try to figure out what kind of social pushes would press the right buttons without landing him at the wrong end of a stick. 'I need to be harsh to show that hesitation won't be taken kindly, but not harsh enough to make it the same as outright refusal…'
"Your people shall be spared, but spread to other houses. The name of your house will be lost, wiped from history. Your lands will be split, and given to other noble houses who need it. Your treasury-"
"...We understand. House Astaroth pledges to True God's service. In exchange we ask to be treated fairly. We offer Diodora as sacrifice should-"
"No sacrifice is necessary." 'I really don't need any more of those…' "...However, it offends me that you'd seek to sacrifice to me what has already pledged its allegiances to my cause." Momonga felt a bit offended that Astaroth tried to cheap out even if their offer wasn't strictly necessary in the first place. "Nonetheless, I accept your pledge. Your people are ordered to flee Asmodeus's army and seek shelter in your territory. They will not be harmed. Your properties, name and people shall not be affected. The next House may speak."
Momonga listened as the remaining families either pledged their alliances or in case of a few used the chance to speak to curse Momonga, those who had joined him, or his goals.
'...So, out of the thirty or so remaining families five abstained from participating, twenty decided to join, and seven decided to renounce me and participated in the meeting just to curse me out. That's two thirds who have joined me, and one third who have decided to put their lot on the Maous and the old rule…' Momonga strategized a bit, drawing from his memories of YGGDRASIL to think tactics. 'Interestingly enough, quite few of the 'defectors' have lands close or adjacent to Phenix so they would have seen the buildup of army in the 'combined three factions', and the arrival of Yasaka's faction… I'm guessing that they saw that I wasn't bluffing, and the strike the Overlord Wiseman delivered on the Pillars would have cemented the power of my 'troops'. Serafall's presence likely helped sway the more paranoid and noncommittal families, and the rumors of 'True God's cult and their multi-racial activities would probably help their fears that I'd take their pledges and use it to draw them out in the open and have them slaughtered for being 'devils'… Seeing that I have ex-Fallen and ex-Angels in my ranks, the possibility of such a conclusion was probably stressing them out quite a bit.'
Momonga resisted the urge to sigh as everything seemed to work out somewhat well. "I thank you for your pledges of loyalty. I'll be sending observers to your territories to ensure that there are no… misunderstandings… regarding our agreement. Please treat them kindly. Serafall, Azazel and Michael shall talk to you soon individually regarding the core of teachings we expect you to follow, as well as locations of churches and attendance of schools- Ah, you may not be aware, but Sona Sitri is planning on constructing a school that would be attended by devils, gray angels and youkai alike, we-"
A chorus of disapproving sounds came from the glyphs and Momonga slammed his hand down on the table to quiet down the crowd. "When I said that you could hold your family names, fortunes and lands, I did not say you could keep following the archaic laws of old Pillars. You will follow laws of united Three Factions, or you will fight alone against it. Rest assured that you will not be adversely affected by it- On the contrary, I foresee a bright and profitable future in our cooperation."
The chorus quieted to occasional begrudging murmurs and Momonga kept his hand threateningly over the table as if he was preparing to render judgment, and the chorus died down. '...Figures that the nobles would be frightened in face of death, but indignant and fighty in face of the slightest inconvenience on their side…'
"Now then. I expect to see your troops withdraw from Asmodeus's army in… three days. I'll send my scouts and soldiers to ensure that your people get a chance to desert without being pursued and cut down by Asmodeus or his folk." Momonga brought the conversation back on track. "After that, we shall either accept Asmodeus's and Beelzebub's unconditional surrender, or kill them all. I value all inputs- If you have thoughts, please share them with me, o noble families."
"...Spoken like a true Maou, my lord." A male voice came from House Amon's sigil. "Our troops shall join yours in battle, should you seek reinforcements. In turn we seek churches of thine followers in our lands. I believe… hehe… your teachings would find purchase here."
"I look forward to fighting side-by-side with your troops, Iolova of House Amon. I know you will not disappoint." Momonga decided to leverage [Actor] and his roleplay as 'Momonga' to appear kingly or at least ruler-like with his decree, and made a grand sweep with his hand as if to call the sigil of House Amon forth to his side.
"...House Furcas wishes to pledge horses to True God's troops. We may not have many devils to supply to your force, but logistics win wars. With the ability to teleport, rend foes limb from limb with their fangs and claws, and ability to carry wounded from the battlefield, they will serve you well." Another glyph spoke while Momonga sweat-dropped internally over the question of just what exactly the devil house fed to their horses.
After that, quite few of the 'allied' devil families came forth with pledges of troops, material or some sort of assistance- Momonga guessed that the negotiation had shifted to one of haggling, as the noble families would have likely realized that the 'new pecking order' was being made and tried to buy into Momonga's good graces with help to war effort.
'I'll have to be a bit careful in what I accept, and what I demand… If I accept too much aid and then don't follow-up with something of equal worth afterwards, I'll face a crass noble house or outright rebellion… And depending on how this war against Beelzebub and co. goes, I may not be ready to fight a civil war after a war.'Momonga thus accepted most of the offerings, although he turned down Venelana's shaky offer of her house's entire army and instead negotiated it down to a few squads of well-equipped and strong Peerages.
Rias beamed happily at Venelana for a moment over the decision, but scrunched her face in confusion when Venelana broke down over it and started to cry to her hands. Lady Phenix put her hands around Venelana's shoulders and hugged the woman against her bust to let her cry there.
'...Right, I'll… umu, just…' Momonga felt a bit worried how the other houses would react to Venelana's disturbed and miserable behavior.
….Although the fact he heard one of the noble ladies on the house-glyphs hiss 'failed gold-digger' at Venelana reassured Momonga a bit that the other noble houses wouldn't draw 'wrong' conclusions from Venelana's distressed behavior.
"In that case… We shall meet on the battlefield. Our enemies shall fall, and we shall enter a new age- A age of unity, peace, and prosperity! For the United!" Momonga decided to end the meeting on high-note, as his [Actor] was starting to run out of steam and he started to seriously worry what would happen if [Ancient Evil] came into play.
"For the True God." came from the sigils before they fizzled out.
"...Excellent work, Azazel. You too, Serafall. I believe that we can call this meeting a success." Momonga sighed in relief, and then remembered he needed to act as if most of the things on his side hadn't been arranged before the meeting. "Thank you for your support, Sairaorg-kun. Seekvaira-chan. And Venelana-san. I appreciate it."
"...I, uh… It was not a problem…" Sairaorg rubbed his forehead as if he was thinking very hard about something but couldn't quite recall what it was, but he had seemingly regained his ability to use his arms as his body healed. "I'd like to rest… This has been… tiring…"
"Of course." Momonga nodded gratefully and Kuisha bowed behind Sairaorg before carting him off, all the while the Queen was humming something to Sairaorg that caused Momonga's neck-hairs to stand on ends as he caught a few words of it- Namely, 'My brave doll' and 'Let your beloved Kuisha take care of all your needs'.
'I should probably keep an eye on Sairaorg-kun… it wouldn't do if Kuisha accidentally killed him when I had manipulated Sairaorg to be a puppet on the Bael family's throne… Wait, 'doll'? Did she find out I turned him into a puppet with [Control Amnesia]?! Shit, this isn't good…' Momonga resisted the urge to sweat and decided to take care of the issue before it could spread, once he had a chance anyway. "You too, Seekvaira-chan. Thank you."
"It-tis… u-um…" Seekvaira seemed to lose her courage and blushed while looking to the side. "It was nothing, um, m-m-my lord…"
'Eh?' Momonga scrunched his eyebrows a bit while Rias was doing the same at Seekvaira's meek behavior. 'I don't think I made her too meek on purpose… I thought she was pretending a bit just earlier, but… Hm, I might have to take a look into her head again as well.'
"Venelan-san, I… U-umu, let's just speak a bit later…" Momonga sweated visibly as he glanced at Venelana who was shaking from head to toe and was giving Momonga a desperate and frightened look. '...Right, not good.'
Rias looked like she wanted to walk around the table to go hug her mother, but couldn't as the conference was still ongoing, so Momonga decided to hurry it up.
"Michael-san? Gabriel-san? You got transcripts of this whole event, yes?" Momonga turned his attention to the two gray-winged ex-Angels.
"Of course, Father." Gabriel bowed her head slightly. "All will be as you wished."
"Thank you. You've been a great help. Yasaka-san, I thank you for your presence and apologize for making you come here despite your busy schedule…"
"It was no issue. After all, this was quite an important meeting for solidifying your rule. And through that, solidifying the future of my people as well. I understand why I was called here- After all, I am a 'third party' so having me legitimize your rule doesplay a part… Oh, and speaking of that… Could you add an alliance between the 'united three factions' and Youkai, under the terms and conditions I negotiated with Momon-sama, to the transcript of the meeting, Gabriel-san?" Yasaka took a long draw out of a some sort of long, straw-like smoking device, and exhaled the smoke into a small heart. "I'll provide a copy of the terms later today."
"Certainly. Um… Father, what exactly were those terms?"
"You can read it if you want." Momonga handwaved the issue and moved along. "Thank you for your pledge, Yasaka-san. Now then… I believe that dinner is in order, so let us move to winding down and dining before we talk strategy and tactics."
'I think this went quite well… All things considered…'
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Nyx walked closer to what looked like a fortress of stone, steel and magic. "Huh, fancy shack. So… Based on how sturdy and brand-new this looks, this is the True God's stronghold, huh? I think the actual devils have much older buildings… And that thing in the center feels kinda powerful… So that's him, then?"
She thought about it. 'Now then… If the True God is the 'Supreme Being' like Zeus suggested, but in disguise, then it's likely that he'll attack me… Kukuku, I can't wait… I hope he'll be a challenge-'
A ballista bolt was launched from a magical circle and it bounced off Nyx's considerable chest.
She barely registered it as a second bolt exploded into splinters upon hitting her thigh. '...What was that? A fly or something?'
A group of devils jumped down from the ramparts and charged at Nyx, swords, spears and magic at hand.
Nyx caught a blade between her palms out of curiosity and forced it down as if she was swinging the blade herself, splitting the attacking male devil in two. A thrust of a spear bounced off her side and she flicked the temple of the attacking devil male, causing his head to burst like a ripe tomato.
A devil woman screamed something and sent a wave of fire from her hands at Nyx, and she breathed out in turn to cancel the flame… And then the devil woman sank into an expanding darkness that crept from Nyx's shadow and turned the ground into liquid darkness.
A wet gurgle came from the shadow before it retracted back to Nyx and she took a step forwards.
Her petite, almost child-like face stretched into a malefic smirk that looked outright terrifying in such an innocent face. 'Found~you~'
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"Our left flank is collapsing! We're under attack!" A breathless scout ran into Beelzebub's tent where he and Asmodeus were preparing the Final Ritual. "It's-"
"No names, please." Beelzebub put a finger to his lips. "Explain what is attacking us."
"It's… Some sort of… abomination that's cloaked in a dark aura! It's eating our troops and is extruding some sort of shadow-dark-thing that keeps sealing and devouring everything! Half of those that get close to it turn their weapons on us, until dropping down in horrifying torment! We can't hold!"
"Good." Beelzebub sighed in relief, much to the scout's shock. "Everything is going as I planned… I was worried, so worried that It wouldn't take the bait… Retreat while fighting. Lead It here."
"Sir, but-"
"I have a plan. Everything has been in preparation for this. Go." Beelzebub gave the scout a stern glare, and the man bowed a bit before disappearing out of the tent. Beelzebub then pointed his finger again. "You- Hold your troops in reserve. Move them to take down the enemy's follow-up wave, after we seal it."
Helios, who had been coughing phlegm in the corner of the tent nodded before shambling up from his seat. "I'll… Go down and slow the enemy. My time is coming, I can feel it. The sun is dying, withering, and suffering… And so am I… That's the last thing an old beard like me can do… GIve you younglings a future… Zeus was right in joining our forces."
"No. We need it here- Your sacrifice is appreciated, but unneeded. Fight the mass of enemies that our foe brings to our doorstep- That is where you and yours matter." Asmodeus intervened to calm Helios while he moved beside Beelzebub. "That is why I brought you here. This is it- This is the start of our final stand, and the battle for our victory!"
"...Heh, you younglings still have spunk… Then give that monster hell. I'll take care of the clean-up." Helios coughed again while smirking and leaning on his staff. "Ah… I wish we had time to speak properly. I feel foolish that we had barred Devils to Olympus for so long…"
"Alas, there will be time. Once the threat is taken care of, we'll rebuild. You'll rebuild." Asmodeus clasped Helios's hand. "Fight well."
"You too… Friend." Helios disappeared into motes of light as he teleported out.
"Now then… I am sorry that I have to ask this of you, my friend." Beelzebub walked back to the circle in the tent. And then he took the now-mixed jar that contained the ashes of Sirzechs as well as the ashes of the old Heads of Pillar Families. "Awaken. Awaken to empower us. Awaken to defend all from Them. This is our last hour- And our first victory against Them."
The ashes swirled out of the vase until they settled on the magical circle, and caused it to glow bright red.
Beelzebub turned to look at the center of the circle, and Asmodeus took his place on the circle's rim.
Beelzebub sighed deep, closed his eyes… And opened them, full of fury and determination. "...Come at us. Come, and be destroyed… Hastur."
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In a land outside time, in a dark realm that was hiding from the sight of Devourer, The Beast…
Hastur shivered in fear as it heard an innocent, clueless bleat. A tasty, deliciousmorsel calling for it.
Calling from the Forbidden World. The Tomb World.
Hastur knew.
It knew. It KNEW.
It knew that it was a trap.
So it shivered, in hiding, deathly afraid and knowing that The Beast had not yet let the Shepherd escape its hungry maws…
The maws of the Devourer- Umu.
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Momonga sneezed.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone