Chapter 257: Chapter 257
[Meh. Still weak.]
His bones were disappointing for someone in the realm of Ultimate Class. He couldn't see clearly, but just a glimpse of his hands told Igor this guy had no calluses.
[I could be starving, tired, blind, and he still wouldn't land a blow on me in a millio-]
"Everyone. I would now like your opinions and comments on any of the stipulations so that any adjustments can be made as necessary."
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|DxD|
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The critical moment had arrived. If they wanted to resist the policy's approval, now was their chance to do so. The tension in the room seemed to increase by a steep margin. Some elders glanced over at Igor, very well remembering the 'lesson' he imparted to them the previous week---that they were only to be 'yes' men.
Only one of them seemed to have the guts to take Serafall's opportunity. It was an elder from the Berith Clan. The middle-aged man stood up with a bit of hesitation, but orders had to be followed.
"Lady Leviathan."
His eyes avoided the monster sitting on the far right and focused on Serafall down below.
"We are concerned about Aureli-"
"Lady. Refer to her as 'Lady Aurelia' or 'Lady Drachenburg'."
That menacing voice entered his ears. It was calm, methodical, yet carried the silent promise of death.
"Or we will have problems."
"..."
Elder Berith turned his head to face the source. He met those blue eyes that regarded him as something just slightly better than an insect.
"Y-y-yes…"
Elder Berith lost his will under that cerulean gaze. He meekly sat down, not daring to finish his earlier sentence. Speaking with this monster in the room was the same as skirting on the edge of death.
"Tch."
Lord Berith, a young man who only became clan head a few decades prior couldn't help but scoff at how meek Elder Berith was. He was not oblivious to the rumours surrounding Igor, but surely this Aryan scum wouldn't dare to commit overt actions in such a prestigious meeting.
So he confidently stood up and faced Serafall without considering Igor.
"Lady Leviathan. I, Lord Berith, shall speak in my elder's stead. The issue he was trying to address concerned Lady Drachenburg, particularly her sealing methods. What guarantees do we have her seals may not be a covert attempt at espionage for example? To my knowledge, seal masters at her level can embed hidden seals with nefarious purposes. Be it espionage, exploitation, or anything else, how would we know? They are Aryans after all."
"..."
Igor wanted to crush his skull, but Aurelia held him back.
{Igor. This is an important meeting. Please hold back.}
"..."
Lord Berith was deliberately trying to drag her name, and he was supposed to just sit here and take it?
(Please, Igor. The devils are goading you into taking action. Please hold it in for now. Atleast…atleast until the end of this gathering.}
Igor was out for blood. Aurelia could feel his ki surging. On one hand, she was very happy that she cared for her dignity. On the other, she was very wary of any ammunition he might give the devils by taking action.
{Alright.}
Igor calmed himself. Getting mad wouldn't help make things better. Like Aurelia said, he would only give the devils more ammunition to counter this polic-
*Smirk*
Out of the corner of his eye, Lord Berith saw Igor's reaction and smirked at the clear look of rage the blonde was sporting.
[Heh~. Distasteful scum. I dare you to do something.]
Igor might be powerful, but under the rules of politics, he would have no choice but to sit there and take it. That was where Lord Berith's confidence came fro-
Su!
It was brief, so brief one might swear it was a dream. But it wasn't a dream for Lord Berith. One moment he was giving Igor the side-eye. The next, he was staring death right in the face.
*CLASH!*
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.
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Silence…
Lord Berith's legs went weak.
"Wh-wh-wh…wh…whaa…?"
He flopped down on his seat, his eyes wide open in shock, his face contorted in fear. Sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall. This scene completely went beyond all logic!
Zuuuuuuu
Right in front of him, Igor brandished a long crimson aura blade poised to decapitate him. It was nearly there, just barely able to nick off a few strands of his beard. The blonde was locked in a snarl of rage, his angry red eyes locked with his own.
"Don't interrupt, Atid."
The only thing standing between Lord Berith and imminent death was the son of Indra. Atid stood with his back towards Lord Berith. He stopped Igor's blade with the Boosted Gear's gauntlet, his eyes narrowing on the blonde's.
"Brother. Not now."
Golden lightning occasionally flickered around his form, his expression resolute and unwavering. Tensions were through the roof. Igor's blatant attempt at murder left many unable to leave their seats. They've lived for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, yet never had such a scene occurred in their long lives.
"..."
Igor slowly removed his fierce gaze from Lord Berith to Atid. The two brothers silently communicated through their eyes. Igor's menacing blade shimmered violently, and Atid's golden lightning flickered in response.
No one interfered. To be accurate, no one dared to interfere. The pressure these two released was already at the level of the satans.
"Brother."
It was one word, but Atid's eyes communicated the rest.
"..."
His bout of rage slowly simmered under Atid's words. He wanted to kill this scum, WOULD'VE killed this scum, but that would inconvenience Sirzechs.
"Tch."
He could only reluctantly back off.
"I will remember this."
His threat was not aimed at Atid, but at Lord Berith.
"I will remember this, Berith."
He would never forget. His face, his energy signature…he would not forget it.
Su!
He appeared at his seat not-a-moment later. His face still contained a visible scowl, but his actions shocked many, particularly the lords aligned with the New Satan Faction.
"Hehe…"
Atid chuckled lightly. Igor's actions no doubt doused many rebellious flames. It was a smart action, but he knew Igor's retaliation had no political consonant to them. He simply wanted to defend his woman's honour.
As for consequences, would anyone dare raise a fuss with the person in question here?
[You're lucky I was here, Berith clan head. You still have some use for Lady Yasaka.]
This brash young clan head just over two centuries in age was a valuable target Yasaka spotted earlier. If he was used carefully, the Old Satan Faction, Great King Faction, or whatever they called themselves, would fail to succeed today.
Su!
A burst-of-speed later, Atid appeared in his seat. For a dozen seconds or so, there was complete silence. Igor's sudden attempt at killing an elder caused a full halt to the proceedings. Such an action would've resulted in immediate indictment, but who had the liver? Igor's actions were wrong in every sense of the word but all opposing factions stayed quiet.
Zeoticus was particularly…not surprised? He'd heard the rumours and saw Igor personally cripple Elder Eunice Gremory. Still, he didn't agree with his method. But just because he didn't agree didn't mean he would speak.
[I'll pretend I didn't see anything.]
It was a shameless action, one that many other clan heads and elders mimicked. But who said a hyena must provoke an elephant? In front of power, friendship is meaningless and at heart, they understood this.
The room was silent and if it remained like this, proceedings would not continue. As the leader of the devils, Sirzechs had to fight for them…to an extent. Igor's actions were a bit too much so he had to put a word in.
"Lord Dimori. Please limit such actions in future. They interrupt this meeting's proceedings."
"""..."""
That…that's it? Atleast chase him out of the room! Lord Berith was almost brought to tears.
"Alright, Lucifer."
Igor agreed perfunctorily. Sirzechs's smile did not match his admonishment. On the other hand, Serafall felt disputed by Lord Berith's near death.
[He just HAD to provoke him.]
She wanted no hiccups in this meeting nor did she want problems arising in the near-future. If noises were made that the policy was strong-armed into law, it would cause headaches. She could only hope no one else would be stupid enough to provoke the Aryans.
Regardless, this meeting had to continue. And she could start by addressing Lord Berith's concerns before he nearly…disgraced himself.
"Lord Berith mentioned his fears of Lady Aurelia tampering with the seals placed on individuals with confidential information. First of all, the Aryans stand to gain little from subterfuge. They would lose their means of income with no faction willing to trade with them."
If foreign seal arrays were found, not just the devils, but even the Shinto would refuse to accept Aurelia's seals.
"Secondly, Lady Aurelia is willing to disclose the mechanics behind the seal. Independent researchers from our allies will test and verify the seal's usage. Thirdly, any devil fit to have a seal placed on them will only have one applied under the oversight of researchers from differing factions. If the seal has a foreign array attached to it, Aurelia and the Aryans by extension will face penalties varying from diplomatic sanctions to alliance discontinuation."
Such penalties would effectively garner ostracization from the whole supernatural world. Under such harsh penalties, the Aryans might not make a comeback in centuries to come. Serafall's counter-argument was solid. Aurelia had nothing to gain by fiddling with the seals.
"I implore everyone to propose their questions respectfully. As long as respect is maintained and cordiality is observed, no one shall be interrupted."
'Interrupted' she says. She framed a clan head's near-death experience as an interruption. Still, Serafall's words served to inject some guts back into some of the devils.
It might seem like a counter-intuitive action, but having everyone voice their opinions would prevent any arguments in the future.
Gradually, elders and clan heads began raising questions and arguments. This time, they observed propriety and did not display haughtiness towards the satans.
They respectfully stood up and said the concerns.
"One year is too short a timeframe to determine if the modified evil pieces will not cause unexpected changes to a devil's biology."
It was a key argument raised by the Head of the Beleth Clan. His imposing figure dominated over the diminutive Serafall, but she did not falter.
"I believe my compatriot, Lord Beelzebub will explain better than me."
Rising from his seat, Ajuka made his way to the podium while Serafall stepped to the side. He got up the podium and looked at Lord Beleth with a kind smile.
"First, I would like to begin by humbly greeting each and everyone of you. To 'suade your concerns, Lord Beleth, I would like to thank Lord Agares for his help in eliminating this concerning factor. Under the help of Lord Agares, we have created ChronoStasis Modules, or CSM capsules for short."
Behind him, a clear hologram of a person-sized pod appeared.
"The CSM will collect information from a person's body and simulate a hundred years of their life. By collecting biological data and demonic energy, changes over time can be recorded and then added to a simulation feature."
A gesture of his hand made a single document appear in front of everyone.
"Some details were kept confidential, but this shall explain how it works in greater detail. In short, we need not worry about time issues. We are aware that each reincarnated devil is unique and may respond differently to having a modified piece, but the CSM allows us to catch any concerning changes before they occur."
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AN
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First off, I would like to comment on the devil's reaction. I initially assumed some clan heads would kick up a fuss, but Igor callously killing two elders and crippling one probably made most of them adopt a 'wait and see' approach, except Lord Berith.
Second, I'm a bit concerned about Sirzechs's lack of reaction along with the other satans. Logically, it should've been Sirzechs who stepped in to stop Igor, not Atid. By my guess, Sirzechs and the other satans were willing to let Lord Berith die.
Maybe he was a sacrifice of sorts? We don't know. We aren't really privy to what was discussed the night before.
Anyway, until the next chapter and thank you for your support.
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