章 26: Chapter 26: Project Regicide (Part- 1)
Deal with The Devil
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 26: Project Regicide (Part -1)
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- Damien –
I looked at the open mouthed look of Michael as he looked at my Archangel form.
"Well, now you know everything."
I returned the spear back to Sean as I reverted back to my Devil form and Michael broke out from his trance.
"Don't ask me how. You have already seen the memories."
He took a deep breath. "What are you going to do now?"
I smiled at him getting directly at that question. "Not asking me to come back?"
He deadpanned. "Would you?"
"Not right now."
"No point in asking, then. Since when did you ever listen to me?"
"Eh… I am pretty sure there were times."
"Name two?"
….
….
"Wanna have a drink?" I offered a middle path.
He remained expressionless.
I remembered that disappointed look which he took from him to the point. And it was quite painful to be on the other side of that look.
"Alright alright. No need to get so serious. I… want to collect all five Holy Relics. They have been calling out to me ever since I accidentally encountered the True Longinus for the first time. Every time I touch one, my soul heals a bit and… I have a feeling that I will get… to meet him when I make contact with all five."
Now that attracted his attention.
"So that's why…"
"Yes. I have three of them. The Shroud was the fourth. Only the Holy Cross is left."
"I will send a lookout for it. We are always on the lookout for the wielder's of the Relics whenever they appear. It's just that we are hardly ever lucky."
"Don't worry. I already know who has it. We just need to find their exact location. Not to mention… I have a very important task before going after it first."
He raised an eyebrow.
I let out a sigh. "The Underworld… they are my responsibility."
"And… Rizevim?" He asked, seriously.
"Is mine. I won't negotiate on this."
"You don't have to do everything alone." He offered but I shook my head.
"Everything else is negotiable. This… is not. This… is too personal for me. He is my biggest mistake and I will clear it with my own hands. Myself."
He let out a sigh. "Just… Promise that you will call for help if you ever need it."
I hesitated a bit before nodding.
We talked about a lot of different things and it was time for him to leave finally and I asked something which had been on my mind for a long time.
"How is she?"
Michael paused.
A pained look came on his face.
I could tell that it was quite real.
"Her soul departed at the same time as Father's."
Despite knowing that I wasn't related to her, the words affected me.
A part of me wanted to shout and rage and burn everything down while another part of me was just immensely sad.
"I…" Michael started to say something but I shook my head, stopping him mid sentence.
The guy didn't say anything more. But then again, he was probably the only one who could understand the extent of Lucifer's feelings for his mother apart from their Father.
He let out a sigh and walked out of the bar.
Merlin took the chance to walk out beside me. "The plans in the Underworld are almost at the last phase. We need to prepare."
"Okay."
- Zeoticus Gremory -
Until a few hours ago, he had thought that the day couldn't get any crazier. The younger looking copy of Lucifer along with his party of mind numbing companions was enough to give them sleepless nights for years.
He was just thankful that they were not as blood thirsty as their other family members which provided a chance to negotiate with them.
And then this thing came up.
They rushed as soon as they got the message about the attacks.
Six of the Top Ten Rating Game players had rebelled out of nowhere.
No. It wasn't out of nowhere. At least not for everyone.
Two of them had reasons, losing a lot in the recent fiasco with the Youkai. But the rest were a surprise as they really had no reason to rebel.
It was something they still hadn't figured out yet.
As soon as they reached home, they were greeted by Grayfia who was keeping a guard on Rias and Milicas.
Venelana had gone to the Bael House to talk about the Sleeping sickness and find out the truth while they were visiting the new Lucifer's bar.
"Father, Onii-sama, Grandmother." His daughter ran up to him and he proceeded to hug her tightly.
She was attacked as well.
Thankfully the attackers were not expecting her power level and were defeated due to the element of surprise and they were able to survive unscathed.
"Come with us." As soon as they reached there, Sirzechs ordered and they all teleported to the Capital City of New Lilith Lucifer's castle.
"What is the situation?" Sirzechs asked Grayfia as they made their way towards the Lucifer Office.
"They have put barriers around the Phenex Broadcasting Station and taken everyone inside as hostages." She paused a bit before throwing a light glance at Serafall which was not missed by anyone. They had already gotten the information and Serafall was almost on a warpath, barely controlled by Sirzechs.
Grayfia took a deep breath and continued. "They have also taken over the lecture of Helena Dantalion and everyone there."
The black haired Satan took a deep breath and controlled herself but one look at her face could tell someone how angry she was.
Her usual cheerful self was replaced by the one who had fought on the frontlines in the Civil War.
"What are their demands?" Sirzechs asked, as soon as he reached the office.
Ajuka had been in contact with him through communication circles and answered the question without pause.
"They want their words to be broadcasted and apparently want… justice. They said they are going to reveal something and they want us to judge people impartially."
"Do you think this has something to do with the whole Youkai incident?"
"It might be a part of the reason but their demands make me unsure. They could be trying to spread some kind of information to rile the public against us but even that is quite unlikely considering their tone. They seemed to have a different target this time."
"And for this reason, they have the broadcast stations in their hands?"
"Yes. They have given me an ultimatum that if I were to interfere with the broadcast in any way, they will start taking down the hostages. I cannot risk the children from the other Pillar Houses. Several of them are lining up outside my office to solve this matter." Ajuka sighed.
It was very rare for him to do so.
"What do we have on them?"
"All major Rating Game Players, opponents even. Each of them were associated with the Great King Faction but a few seemed to have some problems with them. I think it might be an internal issue although I am unsure about what it really is to force them this far. Even with the sanctions we had imposed on them, they still had plenty from their wins."
"Can you break down their barriers?" Sirzechs asked. "We might be able to take them by surprise?"
"I cannot. The barriers are extremely strong and even I will need a long time to break through them. Not to mention, it would be too risky. The hostages are too high profile to take any unnecessary risks."
"How are they?" Serafall asked.
Ajuka pointed towards a screen.
"I managed to hack into the security cameras of the building to get a look at their actions."
He played footage from the time the attackers entered the building.
The scene of Helena Dantalion and Charlene Glasya-Labolas blasting through Ultimate Class Devils with such ease took them all by utter surprise. This kind of strength would have easily put them on par with the Satans and considering Charlene's young age, she would even be considered a potential Super Devil.
He threw a look at the Satan Asmodeus but Falbium was just as surprised as the others.
Sensing the gazes of everyone, he answered. "She had been helping the Dantalion girl with some experiments for the last few years. She had been following her methods of training to prove her hypothesis. But I didn't know she had grown this much.
They observed the scene of them surender due to the other party taking other children as hostages.
Sona was being kept safe by them which calmed down Serafall's temper a bit.
They asked Rias to describe the attack and Ajuka sent one of his peerage members to identify the bodies.
"My Lords, the broadcast is about to start."
- Michael -
He called the meeting of the other Seraphs and Great Seraphs as soon as he returned to Heaven.
The events of today were something they all deserved to know.
He sat in the Sixth Heaven, waiting for the arrival of his siblings.
The other Great Seraphs, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael were the first ones to arrive. Ariel was the first of the Seraphs to arrive. The others soon followed along.
"Did you really meet him?" As soon as the meeting started, Raphael asked.
Everyone else looked at him, wanting to know the same answer.
He nodded.
"Who was it?" Uriel asked.
He knew how they would react to the name so he decided to take a different approach. "First, I want you all to see something."
After gaining their attention, he addressed them again. "Prepare your hearts. Don't let the scene waver them."
He used the same spell to show the scenes he had seen.
As soon as the scene started he heard the gasps of several of his siblings.
"How?" Raphael asked but he could hear the quiver in the voice of his calmest sibling as he watched the fight in front of him with wide eyes.
"Keep watching."
Several auras flared as the fight progressed and finally the scene came.
Lucifer stood with his sword drawn towards his Father. He could feel the rage of his siblings on his skin as they watched the scene.
But the very next instant, all their auras dispersed and several of them fell to their knees watching what happened next.
"That's impossible…"
"He would never…"
Gabriel was not even speaking but just wept constantly along with Jospiel. Others were standing there silently but not a single one was without tears.
Uriel was the one who broke the silence and questioned. "What happened to Father's body?"
The very thought he had then… so he gave them the same answer which he had got.
"Keep watching."
And they did, albeit reluctantly.
By the end, almost all of them were furiously releasing their powers, only somewhat holding back due to the fact that they were in the Sixth Heaven.
"One month. No, give me one week. We can track down that fiend's location." Raguel said. Others agreed too.
He waited for them to calm their minds.
After a short while, they quieted down but their anger could be felt in the holy power radiating in the atmosphere of the Sixth Heaven. Even the Great Seraphs were no exception.
"We are not attacking anyone." He said quietly.
"What?"
"You can't be serious?"
"How can you say that after watching that fiend…"
"That monster was about to desecrate Father's body."
Several of them retorted back ferociously. This was probably the first time they had reacted like this.
But he understood their emotions.
After all, he was barely holding himself back too.
"Did you not hear what was said to Rizevim? What end was predicted for him? Are you going to make him a liar?"
This caused many of them to pause but there was still anger.
"And what of him? He was the reason for all this in the first place?" Agiel argued.
"He did not kill Father. He didn't start this war. We all heard the last words of Father. He had foreseen a calamity which could only be avoided by doing what he did. Helel had no part in it from the very start." He reproached Agiel sternly and his brother looked down in sadness and anger but didn't meet his eyes.
Michael's eyes softened at this.
He knew what was happening. They were all angry, sad at what they had seen. But they didn't have anyone to release their anger as the only place where they could rightfully do so was being taken away from them by him.
They were just lashing out.
"Brothers and Sisters. I know that all of you are angry. Sad and hurt at what we have seen. I am too. I know how much restraint it took me to not run directly to the Underworld and search for Rizevim myself and put him to justice… but… I choose to respect the last words, the wish of our brother." He raised his hand, stopping anyone who was going to retort. "Helel is our brother. Always was and always will be. It is not only my thoughts but also our Father's last wish.."
This quieted them all so he continued on.
"Do you all not remember the times when he was with us, in this very place, the brother you all cared for and looked up to? Have you all forgotten the love he had for Father?" Some of them bowed their heads while a look of reminiscence came upon several others.
"Helel and I were born far earlier than you all. The eldest of the siblings. I have seen him grow from a young child, learned beside him and grew older. From all the time I have spent with him, I can only say one thing… There hasn't been another man who has loved Father more than him. Perhaps not even me. Even the reason for him leaving was to prove something to Father. Father was his entire reason for living. So….do you think he would ever think of killing him?" The whole place was silent. "Father passing away the way he did… was probably the greatest punishment anyone could ever give Helel. One which he would suffer through his entire life."
He took a deep breath and continued again. "Even at his end, he chose to give up his life rather than let Father be insulted even in death. At least for this, put away your anger."
"What does it even matter? It's not like he is alive."
His eyes twitched at this and at such a time, it was noticed by several of his siblings.
"What happened Michael? Who did you meet in today's meeting?" Raphael, the sharpest of them all, was the first to ask.
….
….
"Helel."
- Sirzechs -
It was a nightmare.
To begin with, the surprises thrown by the youngest Lucifer should have been an indication that today was just not his day.
He was thinking that Damien only had alliances with the Youkai and even then they were the major force behind them, but the truth was that… they were not only chummy with the Fallen, which almost seemed like an impossibility but were also allied with the Norse.
And this was not even mentioning their forces.
What they had initially assumed to be only a couple strong people turned out to be an entire faction with over a dozen beings, all beyond Satan Class and he still had doubts that they hadn't seen everything of him.
Merlin Asmodeus, Celine of the Holy Flames, Gretel Lucifuge and… Ingvild Leviathan.
With what he knew about her, she might not hold any good feelings towards their government due to her past.
And every one of them were strong, already Super Devils or reaching infinitely close. Two of them could fight him to a standstill.
The others didn't comment on it but he saw the ease with which she overtook Serafall's outburst and dispersed the ice with a mere snap of her fingers.
And then Damien himself at the top. A verified Super Devil.
Such a force… he was not sure what to think of them anymore but he sincerely hoped that whatever happened, they didn't become enemies or this time, he wasn't sure they would survive the oncoming war.
And just when he thought this day couldn't get any more stressful, this happens. A rebellion of all damned things.
Serafall was on a warpath and was barely held back due to Sona being safe with Charlene and Helena.
He could understand her feelings too. He himself was enraged due to the attack on Rias. If not for the gifts she had gotten, she might as well have been in such a situation.
The houses with their family members held by the attackers as hostages were in a similar situation too.
His Peerage members were barely keeping them at bay.
Although he knew that they can't be kept aside for long.
So he walked out to address them all.
At the forefront was Archduke Agares and his followers while on the other side were the members of the Great King faction led by Zekram himself.
"Lord Lucifer. You must stop their madness right now."
"Our children's lives are at stake."
Many voices came one after the other.
Finally, Archduke Agares took charge and walked to the front. "What is the situation with the attackers? Do you have any news or demands from them?"
He observed that several of the Great King faction were paying attention to it as well.
"They want their voices to be heard. Their only demand is that we do not stop the broadcast of their message till they are finished. If we do so, they will let go of the hostages."
"You can't be serious. They may be lying and might be trying to incite a riot and you want to give them an opportunity to do so?" Zekram chided.
"And what do you suggest I do? Deny them? Attack and risk every child and hostage under their control? Will you be taking responsibility for any of their actions?" He replied sarcastically.
The day's stress was taking its toll on him and he was not in any mood for politics. Especially in a situation like this when the lives of so many people were at stake.
"And why should we take responsibility for the mismanagement of the Satans. If you don't remember, several of these attackers are those upon whom you all had imposed sanctions…"
"For breaking treaties between several factions and over three dozen laws of the Devil factions as well as is our right." Ajuka came from behind and stated clearly. "Or are you saying we should let people who break laws go free?"
"The laws which you all forced on everyone."
"As were necessary to prevent another war. We warned them not to cause problems. They did so on their own and even then we negotiated their lives. What they got was exactly deserved by them all. But that is not a question here. The question is… are you telling us to leave the hostages to die?"
"I am not…"
"Then do you have any better suggestion?" he asked calmly but as a long time friend of his, Sirzechs could tell that Ajuka was extremely annoyed at this moment.
"Take down the barriers using force and take in the terrorists. Make an example of them." Someone suggested but Ajuka didn't even look at him and started straight at Zekram.
And sure enough the speaker was drowned by several auras of the ones whose relatives were held as hostages.
"The security of private events are not the responsibilities of the Satans, especially since the Pillar Houses themselves have kept any interference in those events out of our hands. So any failure of such events or the security related to such places… is totally on the organiser Pillars themselves and has nothing to do with the Satans. These are the laws made by the council you all are a part of… Section 12 Article 8. But you all seem to have conveniently forgotten this simple fact." He began as he stared down each and every member of the Great King faction, making them cower.
"We Satans have a responsibility to run the government… not run at your orders to clean up all the messes you create." He then turned towards Zekram. "And as you quite conveniently pointed out that two of the attackers are those who were sanctioned by us, lawfully might I add, I would also like to point out… those very people had an eight hour long meeting with you two days ago and left your place quite dissatisfied. And before you accuse me of spying on any Pillar House, I found this when I was investigating the recent activities of the attackers to find any clues about their motives. Could it be that you are pushing us, despite all the risk involved… just to clear out your mess?"
All eyes turned towards Zekram while the members of the Great King faction looked incensed.
"What are you insinuating Ajuka?"
"That would be Lord Beelzebub for you Zekram Bael. And I am insinuating exactly what you think I am. If you don't have any good suggestions then I will have to ask you to sit there on the side and stop being a nuisance. We have work to do." Ajuka pointed to the corner of the room.
….
….
While in a normal situation he would have intervened from letting the matters escalate… this was anything but a normal situation. The fact that he doubted that Zekram might have some hand in this whole fiasco was also a major reason for this.
Ajuka however wasn't done. "Oh and by the way, I also came across another piece of information. Five days ago, your butler had a meeting with two people working for a certain someone. Coincidentally, those very two people were involved in an attack on the Heiress of the Gremory House a few hours ago when all this started. They were following the Peerage members of the ones involved in this whole thing. So, I will have to ask you to call your Butler here for investigation."
He too looked at the man closely, trying to see through any signs of weakness. He had known that the reforms they were pushing through would sooner or later be challenged by the old devils.
But if this was their way of attacking, then maybe he had really been too kind with them for far too long.
Zekram's face looked emotionless as his aura began to surge. "Are you accusing me?"
But all this stopped midway as he was crushed by an icy cold burst of demonic power. The surroundings all froze as Serafall walked to the front. "Yes. I am accusing you of being in cahoots with the attackers? What of it?"
"Do you know who you are talking to, girl?"
"I am talking to a potential criminal." She replied, her voice equally chilly. "You all seem to have forgotten something very important here. We all sit in this position to ensure the peace of the Underworld for our families. For this reason alone we bear with your idiotic tantrums. But today, that line has been crossed. If something were to happen to my sister today, I will personally be investigating this matter and I will be using every means I can… and if, in doing so, I have to kill a house or two. Then so be it. It wouldn't be the first time we had to do so for the peace of the Underworld."
"Serafall…" he stepped forward to assuage her. Until things were proven, they still needed to keep their hands back just in case.
"What Sirzechs? Are you stopping me?" She retorted.
She was beyond angry since the time she had received information about Sona being held hostage.
"I am not doing anything of that sort. I am just telling you to calm down a bit. Losing your temper at such a time wouldn't help anyone." He turned towards Zekram. "Please call in your butler. It would be the easiest way to dispel any doubts of the people. We need any clue we can and if your butler has any possibility of being involved in this, then I apologise but we have to question him."
The other houses were by now divided into two groups. One which was surrounding Zekram and glaring at them and the others who were glaring at Zekram, looking for any signs of deceit there.
"Very well, I will send for him." The man sensed that he was at a disadvantage and acquiesced.
"No. If he really is a traitor, then he might escape. Have your other peerage members bring him in." Serafall interrupted.
Zekram narrowed his eyes but still made the call.
"Will this be enough to satisfy you, Lady Leviathan?"
"I won't be satisfied until my sister and every other child is out here safe and sound. Oh, and if your butler is to encounter any kind of accident before answering our questions… I will be taking you in for questioning personally." She added on.
"Now that I have done my part, might I ask what exactly do you all plan on doing to handle this situation?" Zekram asked Serafall.
It was Ajuka who answered the question. "No. Anything we plan will only be privy to us. Revealing it to a crowd which might have any potential spies from the attackers will be a stupid move. Do remember that until today, they were also respectable members of society just like all of you. It's not that we are doubting everyone, we just cannot afford to take any risks with so much at stake."
Lord Phenex and Archduke Agares came to the front. "You all do what you want. We just want you to ensure the security of our children."
Sirzechs stepped forward to reassure them. "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to bring them out safely."
At this time, a message came. "My Lords, the broadcast has started."
Some of them moved out while the rest all moved towards the halls of the Lucifer castle and watched the broadcast
Markus Amy was the one appearing on the screen.
"My fellow Devils." He began. "I know many of you think of us as terrorists while some of you might be wondering why we did what we did. The reason is simple. We are doing this because of betrayal. The betrayal of our trust."
He narrowed his eyes at the comment and then observed the people present in the room. Some of the members of the Great King Faction looked slightly panicked and a few of them got up and left as well.
He eyed Ajuka and he nodded.
The man on the screen continued. "If people think we are doing this due to sanctions imposed on us, then no. This is for a completely different reason. I am pretty sure everyone has noticed something common in every attacker. Each one of us is a prominent Rating Game player. Rating Games, the things which decide major decisions of the modern Devil society, be it business or promotions and even the popularity of devils. And we… the peak of this, decided to do this… because all of this is nothing but a lie."
He watched not the screen but the people in the hall, and many people were looking panicked by now, getting up and leaving… including Zekram but Serafall wasn't about to let him go.
She stood straight in his path, cutting his exit.
The broadcast continued. "The entire Rating Game setup is being fixed by some people and even we were a part of it till recently."
Ajuka was looking seriously at the broadcast, it taking a whole different turn than what they were expecting. After all, Ajuka had single handedly developed everything about the Rating Games himself, including the Evil Pieces. He was the sole and top authority regarding these matters here.
The man on the screen put a hand on his chest and pulled out something.
A Chess Piece.
No.
That was…
A King Piece.
He looked at Ajuka who was frowning heavily at the scene. Ajuka summoned a magic circle and communicated something in it.
The members of the Great King faction had panic and outrage on their faces, clear for everyone to see.
"This is a King Piece. The fabled sixteenth piece of the Evil Piece set. But what it does is not reincarnate others but rather only increase their power." For a demonstration, he pushed the piece into the chest of another Devil beside him and his aura rose. "The difference between the power granted by the King Piece and other pieces is heaven and earth. One King Piece can grant anything between a ten times to one hundred times increase in power."
Uproars broke in the crowd at his reveal.
"This piece can make even a common High Class Devil measure up to someone like Grayfia Lucifuge and Serafall Leviathan."
One of Ajuka's peerage members had arrived and whispered something in his ears making his frown deeper.
"So, the hopes and dreams of the young and new devils who are thinking of making it big through Rating Games is all a lie. They have been and will keep getting crushed by those of less talent and power than them. It has been this way till now. Several houses were run out of business. Several talented Devils crushed. The entire Rating Game sport was fixed with these King Pieces. In fact, six of the top ten Rating Game Players are all King Piece users. And all this is done by… The Great King faction and Zekram Bael."
The crowd erupted.
"Liars."
"These terrorists…"
Several looks were thrown at the man who sat there unphased. He merely looked at the crowd. "Are you going to believe some random slander by a bunch of terrorists?"
And he was right about this.
Even if they did doubt him, everything was circumstantial. They could do nothing with this information.
And thus he looked at the broadcast, hoping that they would bring out some kind of incriminating evidence against Zekram Bael.
Sure enough, he got some good enough evidence.
"Now many of you must be wondering how something of this scale could remain hidden for this long. The answer is simple. Several people found out about it over the centuries… but… they were all eliminated by the Great King faction. I myself killed half a dozen of such people."
He stood dumbfounded at the reveal as the man on the screen continued.
"Some were killed directly while some were framed for some crime and executed. Two Pillar Houses were declared extinct because of this secret, just to preserve the profits of some greedy devils. The most recent example being Cleria Belial, the younger cousin of the Emperor, Diehauser Belial, one of the few players who doesn't use the King Piece."
Cleria Belial. He quickly reminded himself. She was accused of colluding with the church and passing sensitive information to her lover, an exorcist from the Church.
The Church had denied it and both were executed by their respective sides. The whole thing had been unusually fast paced for such a high profile case.
Markus Amy provided the proof of several cases including the case of Cleria Belial over the broadcast.
He sensed an aura flaring in the room and saw Lord Belial walking up to Zekram. One of his peerage members went ahead to stop anything bad from happening while Zekram himself prepared to counter but couldn't move much under Serafall's eyes.
Unexpectedly, the man didn't use any spells but rather punched Zekram Bael right on his face, throwing him to the walls and then turned to him.
"I wish to file a murder case against Zekram Bael and his colleagues for the murder of my niece. I do hope you will handle the case properly, and not consider any familial relations between you and the Bael House."
The last part was said with an edge to his voice.
"We would never…" he began to explain but the man raised a hand.
"I had pleaded the case of my niece to be investigated several times and yet nothing was done. She was sentenced to death and the Satans also gave their verdicts. And now I find all of that was a lie. Don't tell me to believe you because I have no reason to. Prove yourself. Just like Lady Leviathan has broken all etiquette when her sister's life is at stake and I am sure you would have done something similar." he flinched at the accusation because somewhere at the bottom of his heart, he knew that the man was not lying. "Someone at your position needs to understand that the lives of other people's relatives are also important. After all, the reason the previous Satans's descendants lost the throne was quite similar."
"Lord Belial." Ajuka tried interrupting.
"No Lord Beelzebub. I am just stating facts. You people failed my niece and failed my House. I am in full right to say the words I did."
He took a deep breath and addressed the man. "I give you my word Lord Belial that I will find and personally punish each and everyone responsible for this, even if they are related to me." He added the last part looking at Zekram who merely narrowed his eyes.
"You are someone carrying the name of Lucifer. I hope you understand the significance of giving your word to someone." Lord Belial added before turning and leaving the scene.
The reminder made a face appear in front of him as well as the words spoken by him.
"The current Devil's Government is a ship full of holes and I… will not take my people onto a sinking ship."
His attention was only diverted by Markus Amy's words.
"And this is not the only skeleton in his closet. Today, we are going to unearth as many of them as we can before we get taken down and meet the same end as the ones before us."
He suddenly had a very bad feeling in his gut but the time didn't allow him to act on it as they had a lot of work to do. First of all, he ordered his peerage members to take Zekram Bael and the ones whose names had come out to be taken in for investigation. Serafall herself took care of this order.
But it seemed as if they were not going to get any rest.
The scene on the broadcast changed to a familiar place and all of them were attracted towards the screen again.
- Gretel –
Cleria appeared behind her and began her report. "Our people are in position to take over the next area. We just need the signal."
She could sense the difference in the voice of the woman and it was understandable too as she was finally getting her name cleared. There was finally hope to see justice done by her.
"Do it." She gave the signal to her.
Barriers rose up all around the area of the Bael estate as three King Piece users and their peerage members rushed in.
Their actions were being broadcasted throughout the underworld.
Everything had been planned from the very start.
The information about Zekram Bael's butler as well as the meeting between Markus Amy and his fellow Rating Game player with Zekram was revealed to Ajuka not by his investigation… but rather due to their manipulations.
If Zekram thought he was the only one who could play the Old Satan faction and the current government against each other to reap the profit, he was dead wrong.
Even the reactions of the other side was predicted and several measures were taken to keep them in check.
Sona Sitri was taken hostage to keep Serafall Leviathan and other Satans from making any moves… but she was also under the protection of Charlene and Helena and coincidentally all the cameras in the place were active to allow them to keep an eye on the entire situation to keep them from doing anything rash.
They had even placed a couple of their supporting House Heads among the crowd who fanned the flames against Zekram during the meeting with the Satans, making them take action.
Gretel sat in front of the screen and watched the proceedings.
The three attacking teams entered the Bael estate and immediately encountered resistance in the form of the Peerage members of the Bael Head. However, they were easily taken care of by the attackers, especially the kings who were boosted by the King Piece.
"There is a variable in the plan." A message came to her from the other side.
"Yes?"
"Venelana Gremory is visiting the Bael House for some reason." Cleria relayed the situation.
Her?
But there was no time to change the plans right now.
"Try not to harm her."
"Okay. I will inform Alicia, Victoria and Ophelia to take care."
She too got to work as both sides got busy fighting.
Grey Mist spread out from her hands and seeped into the ground under the Bael Territory, directly under the palace of the Great King.
She could feel everything through her connection to her Sacred Gear. The grey mist was moulded into a dimensional gateway and connected to a separate dimension they had already connected beforehand.
The gateway was then connected to the basement of the Bael Estate.
With all the preparations complete, she threw one last look at the place and teleported away.
- Zekram Bael -
He watched as everything was going wrong and yet several things didn't make sense.
Those rebels.
He could barely understand the two who were told to return their King Pieces rebelling. After all, they were given the option to pass on the pieces to their children and keep the influence of their houses.
Was their pride or attachment to their power so great that they would ruin everything, even the reputation of their houses and its futures for that?
But even that had a reason.
Still, for the life of him, he couldn't understand why the other four rebelled all of a sudden.
Were they afraid that they would be sidelined as well?
No.
Something of this level of planning couldn't be done in a few months, let alone a few days. This was something which had been planned for a long time.
But who was behind them? As far as he knew them, none of them had what it took to plan all this.
So who could it be?
The current Satans?
No.
They might make moves but this was not their style.
His butler's and informants of the Old Satan faction were revealed so maybe… those Satan Descendants?
Then again, it's not like there weren't some other suspicious people who could do it too.
Diehauser Belial.
Cleria Belial's case was dangerous because of the people associated with her.
It could be his political rivals.
Agares.
But then again, with the number of spies he had with everyone, it was very unlikely that they could pull something like this off without alerting him one way or another.
Or was it other factions?
No. That was very unlikely.
He never put himself in front of other factions.
The new Satans were there for that.
The only viable option he could think of is Rizevim.
Maybe… but then why would he make a move all of a sudden?
And these brats were being guided so easily as well.
Just as he was thinking about these, the scene on the screen shifted to a familiar place.
The Bael Mansion?
Similar barriers rose around the entire mansion as several Devils rushed in to take over the mansion.
The guards of the place reacted as expected but against the King Piece users like Beedeze Abaddon and Charles Shax, they proved to be quite short.
It would have been far different if he had been there personally. He possessed two King Pieces at hand for such emergencies to defend the Bael House.
That said, with him in this place, it was not at all possible.
He looked at the Satans.
"I request assistance for the Bael House. Whatever may be the case, can still be left till everything is proved but if the Bael House dies, it will be all on you people."
Several people cried out in outrage at this.
He noticed that it was mostly the newly instated Pillars who were making the noise.
The reason why he had let them be instated was because they couldn't have caused any waves. The entire economy of the Underworld was already in his grasp. He could easily turn them against those brats and teach them their place.
But…
"A few minutes ago, Lord Bael requested assistance and we have already sent people to act as reinforcements. Unfortunately the barriers they are using are not something we have been able to crack. Even Ajuka would need at least two days to crack something like this so I apologise if we cannot support them faster." Sirzechs answered. "For now, we can only wait until we are able to crack their barriers."
He clenched his fists but kept quiet due to the situation.
The scene continued and the only ones holding the attack were the current Lord and surprisingly Venelana. It was then he remembered that he had called her to discuss the position of the Gremory and leave a warning.
He didn't know that she had gone there today.
This ought to bring Sirzechs in line.
As expected, he looked visibly disturbed at the sight of Venelana.
The surprising thing was that the attackers, specifically, Charles Shax went ahead to negotiate with Venelana rather than continue fighting.
They offered to let the ones uninvolved, go if they surrendered and not harm even a single person.
"Our goal is to show the crimes of the Bael House to the world. We do not wish for unnecessary bloodshed. The hostages are only to prevent us from being taken down before we can achieve our goal." Charles argued.
They brought the captured wife of the current head and his son and he could see Venelana struggling before finally giving up with a sigh.
Useless.
All of them, useless.
She was brought aside and soon the current head was also captured and locked together.
The attackers entered the mansion.
He wasn't too worried about what they might find inside as most of the important things were hidden under several spells. Even the safes were under several seals which would destroy the contents if opened by anyone other than him.
And sure enough, one of them found one of his safes.
The next scene however completely blew his mind.
Two women, the bishops of Charles Shax took charge of the situation and one of them easily unlocked the safe. The entire sealing formation fell apart.
The other woman closed her eyes and stood in the middle of the room as she turned around, directly walking towards the next safe.
That was…
A Valac?
It was exactly how a Valac uses their Seeker's Eyes.
He looked around and sure enough several others had recognised it as well. The head of the Valac house was also looking at the woman.
"Lord Valac… I might be wrong but that was your Clan's Trait. But I didn't know someone of your clan had joined Charles Shax's peerage."
"I… don't know." The man himself looked genuinely surprised.
"There is no user of the Seeker's Eye who is as proficient as that woman on the screen. Those safes were hidden under several spells and even for someone with Seeker's Eyes, it must be extremely difficult to pinpoint something like that. If it was actually Seeker's Eye, then she might be the strongest user of the Skill yet." Ajuka said and while he too agreed with it too.
Charles Shax… was he hiding such a piece from everyone?
Seeker's Eye was probably the most useful Skill to have by anyone's side. A reason why anyone carrying that trait was highly wanted by everyone.
He too had tried to arrange a marriage between one of his descendants a few generations ago with a Valac but unfortunately, the man died in the Civil War without producing any descendants.
To think another one was hiding right under his nose…
But at this time, she was proving to be the biggest nemesis of his as the woman found each and every one of his safes one after another.
The bigger surprise however was the second woman who was able to open them all without making a single mistake.
One by one all the safes he could recall were found and opened.
Those traitors made copies of the documents and broadcasted everything.
It was then that he noticed something odd.
Some of the things broadcasted were not things he had kept there.
They were framing him for different things.
But before he could point it out, he was attacked by someone.
He barely defended but another attack threw him aside.
The attackers were quickly apprehended and he was secured but also bound.
"Sirzechs, what is the meaning of this?"
"You will be under arrest until all the documents are verified. If even a quarter of the documents are true…"
"Those are not mine. I am being framed." he shouted but was trapped inside the barrier.
Ajuka.
- Chysis Gremory -
She looked at Zekram who was banging at the barriers, claiming to have been framed.
In fact, she doubted him for several of those crimes and even knew that he had committed some of them directly or indirectly but… they had a policy of mutual non interference.
Zekram had knowledge of everyone's hidden skeletons and that was not something anyone wanted to try testing out.
But this…
She didn't know what had gone on between him and these rebels but she knew one thing for sure.
After today, the Bael House will be ruined.
Even now, several of their peerages were trying to calm down the public and hundreds of Rating Game players from going on riots.
Not to mention the other Pillar Houses who were plotted against or had their members killed by the Great King faction.
Was it really Rizevim making a move?
If so… then she could only pray to the Satans to save the Underworld.
She watched the screen with bated breath, wondering what would come out next.
The Valac woman found another direction but this time there were no safes or hidden cases.
It was a door or more precisely, a gateway.
The other woman tried to unlock it but this one took her quite long but when it was opened, it revealed a passageway to what looked like a separate dimension.
Charles Shax walked in, followed by the two women and the audience all saw the scene.
It looked like a lab.
Equipment filled every corner of the place.
They looked around and suddenly… the one recording everything stopped and several gasps sounded from the group.
"That's…"
The camera fell from his hand and lay on the ground for a moment before it was picked up with shaking hands and pointed at a glass cylinder…
In there lay a figure.
As her brain registered what she was seeing… her mind went blank and she forgot to breathe.
The crowd around her as well as the Satans all stood up from their places and even Zekram became dead still in shock at the sight of the figure.
"It couldn't be…"
"But how…"
At this time, she felt a tug at her sleeves and looked at Rias who was looking at the scene curiously.
"Who is she?"
It was Zeo who answered her.
"Lilith."
[Image: Lilith]
________x_________________________________
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Author's Note:
I am finally back from my break.
Things are starting to get heated up as Damien started his plan.
So many things happened in this chapter.
Michael and Heaven's top brass know that the Devil is back.
The Satans are on the edge because of the hostages.
Serafall is downright murderous there.
Zekram is getting screwed and still doesn't know who is screwing him.
Poor Rizevim getting blamed while not even doing anything. [B:N. He would get a sick amusement out of all this]
I know this chapter was mostly reactions and we didn't get much from Damien but wait till the next chapter.
We will get to see him taking action.
Things will start becoming more interesting from now.
So keep waiting for the next chapters.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.
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