章 6: Life. 6 (1)
Timeline – Pre-Volume 6
Tales of the Devil Civil War 1
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Third Person Point of View
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It was the night before the day that Jin Skyward planned on taking many of his friends and lovers back into the [Pocket Dimension] to train them up. He initially planned to take them there for just 30 or 40 years, but wanted to give them more time. Therefore, he opted to bring it up to 50 years. If the need arises, he may ask them to stay an extra 50 years, totaling 100 years.
Jin was sitting in his room, alone which was quite rare, however, he had been thinking about doing something—that something had to do with one of the many favors that Sirzechs Lucifer had promised to fulfill to him, so he planned on heading there, and asking him to tell him about the Devil's Civil War. He wanted to know what happened during the event in this universe.
In his words: How different did it play out in contrast to 'canon'?
"Aaron?"
The door suddenly opened, and the young man looked up to see Grayfia and Serafall there. It wasn't an odd pairing to him, but he didn't expect either of them to come get him.
"Oh hey, what's up?" he asked them.
"Well, I wanted to cuddle up with you, I don't know what Grayfia-chan wanted~" said Serafall before jumping toward Jin and landing on his lap before pressing her face into his chest and taking a hug sniff. "Ah~, that hit the spot~"
"I swear, you girls are developing a weird sniffing fetish or something…" he muttered and kissed the top of Serafall's head.
Grayfia, who had been standing by the doorway shook her head, came into the room and closed the door. However, she blushed and said, "I wanted to spend time with you too, Aaron."
"…Actually, this is excellent timing. I'm heading to Gremory territory, and since I want to speak with Sirzechs, maybe Asteri could be there as well?" he told them. They were surprised.
"The Gremory territory?" they both repeated and looked at each other.
"Why?" Grayfia asked as she sat beside him.
Having a mischievous smirk on his face, he declared, "I'll be using one of my favors tonight."
Pinch~ Glomp~
"…"
Grayfia pinched Jin's side, while Serafall wrapped her entire body around him, making him confused.
"You're not planning on asking him to do something foolish, correct?" Grayfia said it more as a statement rather than a question.
"Make him undress and run around the capital naked!" Serafall declared and giggled. However, she got chopped on the head by Grayfia.
"No," Grayfia said firmly. To which Serafall just stuck her tongue out at the maid.
"No, I'm planning to ask him to tell me about the Devil's Civil War, and maybe with the help of you, Serafall and Asteri since you two are here," he told them.
Both ladies looked at one another a bit surprised by this.
"Are you sure?" Grayfia asked, to which Jin nodded.
"Yes, I want to know what happened in this universe's Civil War. Maybe it's the same and I'm just worrying, or if it was completely different, then I can plan a bit during our stay in the [Pocket Dimension]."
Grayfia sighed and nodded, "Very well. I will contact Sirzechs-sama and see if he and Asteri-sama are free," she told him and then opened a communication circle beside her.
"Hey, hey~, I can understand your reasoning, but is that all there is to it?" Serafall asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I was going to ask about their love story too since Akeno said it was quite magical a few months ago," he replied.
"Pfft, the love story of Sirzechs-chan? I'd like to hear that in detail. I heard when he and Asteri first did it, he kind of went nuts and was like a horny dog." Serafall said in a fit of giggles. "She almost broke up with him over it."
"Heh, I'd like to hear that part then," he agreed with her and they both got pinched by the maid beside them.
"They are home, and have agreed to meet with you. I have not told them the reason for your visit."
"Thanks, Fia. Let's get going then."
They all got up and were teleported by Grayfia to the Underworld.
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Underworld
Gremory Territory
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"Ara~? Jin-kun, Serafall, and Grayfia? Have you come to visit, Jin-kun? It's quite late at night~" Venelana said and approached them. "Riight, Jiin-kuun~" Venelana said then reached out to squeeze Jin's cheeks.
Both Grayfia and Serafall were too stunned to speak as they watched the interaction between the two. This wasn't the type of interaction and intimacy the two of them expected between these two. It wasn't the normal interaction between the soon-to-be son-in-law and mother-in-law, so the two became a bit suspicious.
"N-no, I'm here to speak with Sirzechs. I heard from Grayfia that he was home and—"
"Ah, Jin-kun. I'm here, call me Onii-san!"
Suddenly, they turned to see the man they had come here to meet, Sirzechs Lucifer, and beside him was Asteri Gremory. Venelana looked at Jin, let him go and apologized.
"Huhu, it seems I was mistaken. Very well, I will get going. Until we meet again, Jin-kun," announced Venelana, and gave Jin a peck on the cheek, making everyone freeze.
Jin on the other hand awkwardly said goodbye to Venelana. He felt both women beside him glaring daggers at him for reasons he couldn't understand. To him, this was the 'family' affection that Venelana Gremory had chosen to shower him with. Therefore, he accepted it, although in the back of his mind, he suspected otherwise.
Sirzechs came up to Jin and his group and greeted them again. "Good evening, Jin. What can I do for you?" he asked quite happily.
"I'm here to use one of my favors, Sirzechs. But it would be better to do it in your office or personal quarters as it might take some time," Jin informed him.
He nodded and agreed. "Very well, let's make our way there then."
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When they arrived at Sirzechs' office in Satan's territory, Jin and his group sat on the chairs. Sirzechs ordered some maids to bring them tea and snacks. As they wait for the maid to come back, they make light chatter.
"How's Millicas lately?" Jin asked.
"If you mean if he's doing okay in general, then yes, he is. He's excelling at many things right now. Otherwise, if you mean by his training, then he's also doing very well, with the help of my peerage, Sairaorg and a few other devils we hired, he's growing stronger after each lesson," Sirzechs said proudly.
Asteri nodded along beside him sharing the same sentiment about the young devil. But they didn't get too far into their conversation as the maid came back with two more, and a few carts of tea and snacks. They placed it on the table in front of them, and left soon after.
They took a minute or two to eat and have their fill, and once that was done. Sirzechs again, asked him, "Now then, what can I do for you, Jin-kun?"
"I want to use one of my favors," he started, "tell me about the Devil Civil War, and maybe, I guess…your romance/love life since Akeno wouldn't stop asking me about it that one time. You can look at it as if I'm asking for two favors if you want."
Sirzechs and Asteri looked a bit shocked. As Jin had said that, Serafall took the liberty of getting comfortable and using Jin's lap as her pillow and ate from there. Likewise, Grayfia rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
Those two were already aware of what had happened, and were just waiting to listen in and add whatever information that Sirzechs might have missed.
"Oh? I certainly don't mind, Jin-kun. But may I ask what brought this on? Apart from Akeno-kun wanting to hear about the 'love story' about us," Sirzechs asked him.
"I just got curious; I heard a few people talking about it. Grayfia and Serafall would sometimes mention things, like 'like that one time in the civil war', or earlier in the night when I spoke to Azazel, he said a small line about it, and of course, Gabriel said something about it once," he explained.
Jin wasn't lying, those events did happen, although at the time he didn't think of it much, but as he saw time slowly approaching for what he called 'end game events' of this world, he wanted to see or at least find out any kind of difference that happened in the far past of this world.
"I see. Very well, I will tell you about the Civil War, and of course, a bit of our history together, and no, I'll just use this as one favor, fufu." Sirzechs looked rather amused at the youth. "Hmm…where to begin?" he looked at Asteri as if asking where to start with this story.
"You birth, dear, then the years that led up to our meeting and also meeting everyone else. Especially Serafall's very rebellious and blunt nature all those years ago," Asteri said in a teasing manner.
"Jeeez! That was a long time ago! Please don't bring it up, Asteri-chan!" Serafall pouted from Jin's lap, but the wife of Lucifer just laughed at her.
"Alright, I'll start from there then. So—"
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Many Centuries Ago
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Part 1 – The Crimson-haired Prince of Destruction
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Underworld
Gremory Territory
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Many decades have passed since the death of the original Satans. Currently, in the territory of the Gremory devil clan, a prince was just born and he did not cry during the entire process. To the many that witnessed the birth of the child—he was currently floating in the air while emanating a very powerful aura.
The Demonic aura that enveloped the newborn was that of the [Power of Destruction]. It was so strong that it began to distort the shape of the furniture, accessories and other objects inside the room. Even the doctors and nurses that performed the delivery dared not to touch this baby as they feared they might vanish out of existence.
Nearby, a man watched his newborn son with a look of awe and slight fear. His name was Zeoticus, Zeoticus Gremory. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "It looks like he really inherited the power…"
In contrast to the fragile appearance of the baby, the boy's mother, Venelana Gremory smiled pleasantly despite being exhausted after giving birth to him.
"Fufu, the heads of the Great King's family wouldn't like to see this…no, they would be utterly terrified of this child," she said tiredly.
Venelana Gremory, she was a descendant of the Great King Bael's family. This devil clan was positioned at the very top of the 72 pillars clan of the upper devils. Above all, the [Power of Destruction] that the newborn demonstrated originated from the Bael family.
Even though the newborn was born into the Gremory family, he had inherited the trait because of his mother, Venelana.
"Perhaps it was destiny that we met, and made this child," Zeoticus said and tried to approach the two of them.
However, Venelana then used her powers to transport her newborn son into her arms. Before everyone present in the room, Venelana hugged her son with deep affection while the child was still enveloped in the [Power of Destruction].
"It's okay, your mother is here…I'm holding you…" she muttered to the baby.
Zeoticus then asked as he finally reached his wife and son, "Anyway, honey, have you already chosen a name for him?"
"Sirzechs. That is the name I would choose if it were a boy that was born," she announced in a soft tone to her beloved son. "Sirzechs, my beloved son…you have a cruel fate ahead of you, but rest assured with our blood you will become strong."
After hearing those words from his mother, Sirzechs, the predestined prince slowly reduced the aura he emitted until it finally disappeared completely. Zeoticus then put a hand over his wife's shoulder and smiled. He expressed a lot of joy from the bottom of his heart as their first child had finally been born. But at the same time…he feared for his future.
At the same time, at a different hospital in the Bael territory, another child was born with the same potential as Sirzechs, however, their birth wasn't as dramatic and destructive. That day, Sirzechs' future love and wife, Asteri Bael was also born.
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6 years later
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Gremory Territory
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"Happy birthday Sirzechs!"
It was the 6th birthday of Sirzechs Gremory, and he was celebrating it with his family, friends and servants. It was a joyous occasion as this was the first time he would meet his mother's side of the family, well at least one of the families.
However, he was equally delighted with the friends he had already made, namely Serafall Sitri, Ajuka Astaroth, and Falbium Glasya-Labolas. Falbium was a year older, while Serafall was 1 year younger and Ajuka was around the same age.
"Happy birthday, Sirzechs. Do you want to fight?" Serafall asked excitedly.
Smack!
"It's his birthday, of course he would not want to fight during it!" Ajuka reprimanded her and Serafall just stuck her tongue out at Ajuka.
"Ahaha, it's fine, Ajuka. I don't mind doing it later, Serafall," replied Sirzechs with a smile.
"Yes!" Serafall pumped her tiny fist.
Ajuka just shook his head. He tried to prevent it, but it was almost inevitable.
"I'm sorry we're late, Lana!"
"It's fine, we just finished singing Sirzechs' happy birthday, oh? Is this your child, the baby girl? Hello~! I'm Venelana Gremory, a former Bael," she said to a little girl who just stared at her.
Sirzechs was talking to his friends when all four of them overheard this. This birthday party was only for close family and friends. Therefore, no other noble houses were invited except for the ones he requested and the ones his parents wanted to be here.
"Are you interested? Go say hi," he heard his father's voice, Zeoticus tell him.
"Yes, of course, father," said Sirzechs and was followed by his friends.
Gyu~
"Ah! This is my precious son, the honorable guest of today, Sirzechs~" Venelana announced happily.
"Hello Sirzechs, I'm Adella Bael and I'm a close friend of your mothers, huhu, no, we're practically sisters~"
Adella had long brown hair, and purple eyes just like Sirzechs' mother, Venelana. She also had nearly identical body proportions.
"Hello, I'm Sirzechs—"
"I am Asteri Bael! Kneel before me!"
Sirzechs was cut off from introducing himself as a small, and unique looking young female child walked in front of him and told him that. Of course, everyone was a bit shocked by this and Adella Bael blushed at her own daughter's rude introduction.
"I-I'm sorry, forgive this stupid child!" She quickly said and pinched Asteri by the ear, "young lady, have I not told you to treat everyone around us with kindness?!" she whisper-shouted at her.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, mother!" Asteri pleaded with tear-filled eyes and the adults around them chuckled at the scene.
However, to everyone's surprise, Sirzechs simply stared at Asteri as she got scolded, however…both his parents could see it in their sons' eyes, this was love at first sight. No, even his friends could see it. However, at the time they didn't know what that word truly meant.
To Sirzechs, he didn't know what to say, but he knew deep inside of him, he wanted to be close to this person, and his mind—no, his entire being was certain of it. Finally, after coming out of his own daze, he walked up to her and put his hand out.
"I'm Sirzechs Gremory. Would you like to be friends?"
The mother and daughter duo stopped and looked at him. Adella smiled and said, "Of course, Sirzechs, Asteri, re-introduce yourself."
"I-I'm Asteri Bael…and I don't mind being friends…" said the rebellious child and shook hands with Sirzechs, however—
"Ufufu, look at them. She has the same face as Sirzechs just a few seconds ago," Venelana whispered to Adella after pulling her away. She said this to both her and Zeoticus.
"The same face?" she asked confused, but Venelana just pointed at Asteri, her face in complete shock and staring silently at Sirzechs. "Ah…ufufu, I can tease her later~"
'What troublesome women…' Zeoticus thought and smiled wearily. He hoped in his heart that both children would survive the incoming teasing from both women.
A fated meeting between two star-crossed lovers, and a future terror to all devil kind. A powerful duo would soon be born.
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10 years later
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From that day onward, both Sirzechs and Asteri would ask their parents to set up play dates. This would enable them to get to know each other as much as they could. Of course, their parents saw that love was definitely blossoming between them even at an early age, so they agreed to it easily.
Over the years, and as they grew up, the two of them were practically glued to one another. They would try to do most things together, and of course, they slowly realized their feelings for each other, and this year—
It was Asteri Bael's 16th birthday, since they were born on the same day. It was also Sirzechs birthday, as both sets of families became even closer to each other because of their own children...they were celebrating again in the Gremory's this year. Last year it was held in the Bael territory.
It was currently nighttime and things were slowly coming to a close. However, both Sirzechs and Asteri were in Sirzechs' room and enjoying each other's company.
"Happy birthday, Asteri."
"You too, Sirzechs."
They found it a little awkward. Both of them were aware of each other's feelings for each other, but they hadn't acted on them. They had heard both of their parents talking about getting them both arranged marriages, of course not to each other, so they were a little angry at it since they were aware that their parents knew of their likeness for each other.
So they were confused by this decision. However, both their parents had been planning for this for a long time in order to get both of them to confess and stop the fake 'arranged marriage,' and it finally came to a head.
Sirzechs, red in the face like his hair quickly faced Asteri and grabbed both her hands. "A-Asteri B-Bael…!" he nearly shouted at her, but of course, this startled the young woman.
"Y-yes?!" she nearly shrieked in response.
"Stay by my side, please be mine!" he announced without sputtering.
Upon hearing this, Asteri quickly turned red, but quickly nodded her head in agreement. The young woman couldn't get the words out, so she decided to do it physically. But apart from nodding her head, she began to cry silently, a bit relieved.
The two of them then shared a hug, and decided to confront their parents that were still downstairs in one of the living rooms. Once they arrived all of the adults there, as well as their friends turned to look at them.
"F-father, mother! I won't agree to that arranged marriage. I love Asteri Bael!" announced Sirzechs, and held Asteri's hand tightly.
"I'm also against my own arranged marriage!" Asteri shouted with the same conviction.
The group fell silent, especially their friends, as they stared at them in disbelief, but then the adults burst into laughter, confusing the youth.
"Sirzechs," his father called out to him. "We…we lied about the arranged marriage. Both sets of parents knew about your love for one another. However, seeing as you both were too shy to admit it, we decided to put the fake premise of having an arranged marriage for the both of you."
Both Asteri and Sirzechs stood there, dumbfounded. These two may be geniuses and monsters in their own right, but when it came to the subject of love, they were usually slow at it. So when their parents planned this, they didn't catch on at all.
"S-so, they were faked…?"
"Yes."
The two new lovers let out a sigh of relief and left the room.
"How did we not catch on to their ploy…?" Asteri asked herself a bit frustrated.
"Ahaha…well, at least we know we can be together, Asteri…um, would you stay the night?" he asked her a bit hesitantly.
Asteri stared blankly at Sirzechs, uncertain on how to react to this sudden question. Many questions flooded her mind, but a very intimate act overshadowed all the other thoughts.
"W-w-w-we just got together, and you immediately went there…?!" Asteri sputtered out, shocked at Sirzechs.
"W-what? N-no! I just want to spend more time with y-you! You can stay in a different guest room…!"
The two bickered back and forth until they reached his room and spoke more. After that, they headed down and asked their parents if she could spend the night. Of course, they were teased about it. But in the end, they didn't mind since such a thing had happened many times before.
…They lied.
They had sex that night. They swore it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but they knew it would happen. All those pent-up feelings would come out, and they came out that night, in the most intense way for both of them.
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1 year later
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In one of the many properties located within the Gremory territory, a young man with crimson hair is playing the piano. He is Sirzechs Gremory, the current heir of the Gremory family, and he is currently 17 years old.
Sirzechs is playing the piano while several children are gathered there to sing a beautiful melody. Beside Sirzechs is his beloved fiancé, Asteri Bael. In addition, she was also there to help him and the children.
It was an old children's song, passed down through generations in the Gremory family. This was a fairly regular occurrence. At weekends, Sirzechs taught the children at this place. He would also teach them children's songs that he wrote and composed himself.
In the years that passed, with Asteri by his side, even before they became official lovers and even before they became engaged a year later, they committed themselves to the people of their territories, treating them with love, kindness, and equality. They did not discriminate against anyone for any reason. Thus, they are both loved by all in both territories.
"That's it for today, everyone," Sirzechs announced to the children. After announcing this, they all gathered around the two of them.
"Sirzechs-sama! I would like to hear the continuation of the fairy tale you told us the other day!" one of the children asked him.
"I want to continue learning the piano!"
"Sirzechs-sama! Sirzechs-sama! What's inside the hump of an Underworld Camel?"
The children kept on asking questions towards the ever-so-popular Sirzechs Gremory. However, as he was about to answer them, he saw one of his servants standing by the slightly open door.
"Unfortunately, we are done for today. I will answer all your questions the next time we see each other, okay? Everyone should go home for now," he said as gently as he could.
The children were saddened by this; however, they knew that both Sirzechs and Asteri would always keep their promises. So no one complained. They said their goodbyes to the two of them cordially as they left the room. As the music class was now over, the servants then entered the room.
"Sirzechs-sama, Asteri-sama, it's time for both of your departure."
Sirzechs smiled bitterly and responded, "Yes, I know. Heavens, you're all so strict."
Bonk~
Asteri softly hit him on the head with her fan and said to him rather strictly, "It is an imperative event, and please do behave yourself."
"Ahaha, I will try, Asteri."
The servants smiled at the interaction, and the two of them finally left.
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The next day, Sirzechs and Asteri were in the current capital of the Underworld, Lucifaad. A large number of teenagers were called to enter the Coliseum in Lucifaad. They were all summoned by Satan's family under the pretense of holding a 'Devil Youth's Meeting' or a 'Social Meeting,' as they call it. On paper, it sounded fine, but it wasn't like that in reality.
Even though they just recently got there, a fight had already broken out—no, it wasn't even a fight it was one-sided bullying.
"Hey, what's up? Come on, show me what you got!" a young man from the Beelzebub family shouted.
This young man belonged to the original families of Satan, the Beelzebub. Most direct descendants of those bloodlines are generally strong in the Underworld. So the young man was being beaten by a descendant of the Beelzebub clan—even though he came from a high-class family, he stood no chance. In turn, the presence of the descendant scared the other young devils. That is how much influence they have.
"Stand up! I told you to get up! How do you hope to defend the future of the Underworld with a power as weak as the one you just showed me?" he said and then laughed.
"Ugh…"
The young devil groaned even when he was defeated, and he got back up. He then raised his demonic aura again to try to attack again, but he was quickly overpowered.
In the upper levels of the spectator's section, the seats reserved for the families of the Satans—the Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Leviathan and Lucifer were occupied by their members. The current members enthusiastically observed the minor scuffle between the two devils.
"Did the heir to the Oriax clan do anything inappropriate to Satan Beelzebub?"
"Apparently, the gifts they sent out the other day were not of the same quality as previous years. Their excuse was that their crops didn't grow as well as they expected, or something like that."
"Hahaha! It's not surprising that you are treated unfairly. If you are not even able to properly maintain and cultivate the land provided to you by the Satan's families, you deserve to be punished!"
The members of the Satan's families sat there mocking them, while the heir to the Oriax family continued to be beaten by the Beelzebub descendant.
The plantations located in the Oriax territory had been affected by an unprecedented plague, which had ruined the land. Therefore, the quality of the gifts that the Satan's family had received had dropped.
After the war between the three factions ended, the devil's world—the Underworld was still unable to recover economically. In fact, the situation was steadily getting more dire.
Some scholars had even suggested that the devil faction was dangerously close to a possible extinction, considering the dramatic reduction in population after the war.
In the midst of all of this, each of the upper-class devil families struggled to keep their respective domains intact. In addition, the dictatorial nature of the Satan's family policy meant that the population could not trust them in times such as extreme and unforgiving times like this.
As a result, the Oriax's family did not receive government aid and had to face the plague that destroyed and ruined the plantations in their territories alone. In return, the heir of the Oriax family was beaten and punished in this farce known as the 'Social meeting'.
Worst of all, it wasn't strange to see a member of an upper-class devil family receive a beating from any of the Satan's family. The Satan's family would release all their frustrations against the inhabitants of their world.
The Underworld—The Devil's World—produced a chain of agony from top to bottom. This is how the current Underworld is. The violence that took place in front of Sirzechs represented the dark reality of what is currently happening in the Underworld.
Several young demons from the 72 pillars of the upper-class families watched the 'battle' between the descendants of the Satan Beelzebub family and the heir of the Oriax family on the edge of the Coliseum.
While most of the spectators trembled out of fear of intimidation from the Satan's family, there were six young devils, including Sirzechs, who watched the situation unmoved. Standing next to Sirzechs, watching everything stoically, was a beautiful young woman with black braids.
"Why do I have to be part of this stupid event?" she asked.
The girl, Serafall Sitri was very frustrated. She was already ready to be the next head of the Sitri family.
Serafall had known Sirzechs and Asteri since they were very young, and now, she was currently 16 years old, a year younger than both of them.
Like Asteri, Serafall visited Sirzechs quite a lot while growing up since both Lady Sitri and Venelana Gremory were quite close, so they formed a strong trio-friendship, of Venelana, Isolde, and Adella.
A young man standing behind Sirzechs and Serafall replied, "The members of the Satan's family seem to be obsessed with the young members of the noble families of this generation."
The young man, Ajuka Astaroth was born into the Astaroth family. He was also the same age as Sirzechs and Asteri.
Serafall responded with some disdain to Ajuka's words, "Hmph! Their lives must suck if they can only think of something so boring." A very hostile aura surrounded Serafall's body.
She was ready to fight, she was young and full of energy, and very different from the woman of the future. She also wasn't very patient as a devil.
Ajuka sighed and said, "Try not to attract attention, remember that our powers must be kept a secret."
Paying attention to Ajuka's words of caution, Serafall lowered her shoulders and began to calm down.
"I know...but if anyone ever tries something like that towards me or tries to stain my family's good name...I don't know if I would be able to keep control..."
"Just keep calm, Serafall, you know how this usually plays out," said Asteri.
Unknown to all of them, a sixth devil was also watching the entire scene with next to no emotion. That said devil had long silver hair tied in a ponytail.
Sirzechs watched on and couldn't do anything but see how a childhood friend of his was lynched in front of everyone.
"What a bore," said another young man.
In the distance, Falbium Glasya-Labolas was on his feet, standing and yawning repeatedly. He was 18 years old, just a year older than both Sirzechs, Ajuka and Asteri.
All five of these devils knew each other from a young age, so they were quite close. None of them could afford to stand out too much, due to the peculiar situation of their families and their own personal existence.
Likewise, Sirzechs was very upset by the way in which this 'social gathering' was taking place...no, more precisely, the cruel punishment that was taking place in front of him.
Being born into the loving Gremory family, which took care of both his friends and family, but also their servants and the residents of their domain, seeing people suffer in front of his eyes hurt his heart.
The heir of the Oriax's family received a blow from a powerful aura attack from the descendant of Beelzebub. The impact destroyed his clothing, and blood started to run down his nose and mouth.
The son of the Oriax's family was supposedly born into a life of luxury, but right now, he was being mistreated by a man with absolute authority over him.
It was a very horrible scene. It is also known that the Satan's Families periodically celebrate such events. Apparently, the sole purpose of this meeting was to confirm the fact that even the nobles couldn't oppose the will and whims of the Satans.
A painful lesson that the young upper-class devils were fully aware of. It was a reminder of the difference that exists between those who were born into the Satan's family and those who were not.
Those who took the place of the deceased Satans were mainly the direct children of the Four Satans: The Princes and Princesses.
However, the leader of the Satan's, Prince Rizevim Livan Lucifer, never directly took over the government or the military. Instead, he chose to delegate that work to others. So, in practice, the one who had the authority over the Underworld was the Beelzebub's heir, Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub.
None of them had yet complained to the throne. In return, they were making preparations for a second war between the three factions. They were calling for a life and death resistance.
Suddenly, Beelzebub's descendant let his guard down. The heir to the Oriax family gathered up a large amount of aura in his hand and sent it towards the young Beelzebub's cheek, managing to scrape him. A drop of blood ran down the descendant's cheek.
Young Beelzebub stroked his cheek with his finger. Blood. His blood. On his finger.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the Colosseum froze. Drawing blood from a member of a Satan's family was considered an unforgivable act. The young Beelzebub's expression slowly changed to absolute anger. The demonic aura that was surrounding him became more and more threatening as he began to accumulate a great deal of powerful demonic aura in his hand.
"...You filth! You simple noble...! How dare you make me bleed! Me, a descendant of a Satan?!"
The young Beelzebub then increased his power to absurd levels. The aura around the young Beelzebub started to leave him and surround the heir of the Oriax.
But just when everyone thought that the Oriax heir was about to disappear, a black aura began to surround the Coliseum, and swallowed the aura that the young Beelzebub had created and eliminated it.
Sirzechs jumped towards the scene and moved to cover the heir of Oriax. He couldn't take it anymore and couldn't just sit still and see how this nobleman was going to be brutally murdered. Seeing this happen, Ajuka had a complicated expression on his face.
On the other hand, Serafall seemed delighted by Sirzechs' actions, as well as with Asteri, as she knew her fiancé the best.
Sirzechs then knelt down and apologized for his behavior. "I apologize for leaving my place," said Sirzechs.
He apologized without fail and he owned up to his own fault. However, the young Beelzebub's eyes narrowed at him, showing a furious expression on his face.
He was interrupted, he had his aura eliminated. What just transpired was a humiliating thing for a member of a Satan's family.
He then shouted, "You, redhead! Why did you get in my way?!"
The servants who were with the young Beelzebub came over and said to their Lord, "He is the heir to the Gremory clan."
"Gremory? What position do you have within the 72 pillars? Well, they must be so insignificant that I don't even remember!" he said in rage.
However, what his servant said next baffled him. "That man's mother comes from the Bael family."
This just amplified Beelzebub's anger, and in reaction to those words, his expression became even more hostile.
"The Great King's family, huh? Now it all makes sense. What killed my aura was your [Power of Destruction]. The annoying family that claims to be called Satan," he said with venom. "You are mediocre, showing up suddenly and hoping to exert some non-existent influence while our Satan is absent. Very well then, redhead. I'll teach you some manners."
Once again, Beelzebub's hostile aura appeared and began to cover his body.
"I will accept with honor," said Sirzechs.
Realizing that there was no way out of this duel. He had no choice but to produce his own demonic aura to protect himself.
"Now's your chance, Sirzechs! Kill him! Kill him while you—"
Ajuka covered Serafall's mouth before she could finish speaking. The Beelzebub's descendant threw his aura towards Sirzechs. The power it exuded was so powerful that a Middle-class devil would be annihilated instantly.
Normally it would be much easier to receive this blow and accept defeat. Sirzechs' opponent was a member of the Satan's family, and was a very talented fighter. However, seeing Sirzech's power, he was unwilling to accept any easy defeat and was determined to kill.
But Sirzechs' killed time by neutralizing his opponent's aura little by little with his own power. However, his opponent was able to read his movements, and put further pressure on him.
"What happened?! Show me your aura from before! You have the blood of the Great King, don't you?! So why not unleash your [Power of Destruction]?!" The descendant screamed.
In reality, it would be very easy for Sirzechs to turn a member of the royal family into ashes if he so wished. Judging from what he saw during his fight with the heir to the Oriax, the young Beelzebub was not even a small threat to Sirzechs.
However, bearing the title of 'Satan's family killer' would mean that he would be banished from the Gremory clan.
But Sirzechs also knew that he was facing a descendant of Beelzebub, and with other members of the Satan's family watching from the spectators' seats, Sirzechs' couldn't escape, not without first showing the [Power of Destruction].
The problem was that his parents had always insisted that he should not show his powers in front of people. Sirzechs never imagined how difficult it would be to do things calmly in front of a member of the Satan's family.
Sirzechs then began to use his [Power of Destruction] sparingly. He eliminated each and every fragment of aura that the young Beelzebub shot at him, but did nothing more than that.
The young Beelzebub continued to deploy attacks and tried to use variation to them, but Sirzechs dodged, or masterfully canceled them out with his own demonic power.
It was not only the young people from the other 72 pillars of upper-class devils who were captivated by this scene, but Satan's family members who watched from their seats were also on edge.
But to Sirzechs' friends and fiancé, this was nothing to be impressed about, it was simply 'normal' to them.
The young heir to the Gremory clan avoided the attacks of the Beelzebub descendant with energy to spare. Those who had inherited the blood of the Satans were born with immense powers and unparalleled talent.
They far surpassed the abilities of any high-class devil. For a devil whose gifted abilities directly defined his position, his powers should be absolute. They could never be challenged...but today was a different story.
Realizing that Sirzechs was repressing his powers, the young Beelzebub was unable to hide his frustrations. He finally burst into anger. "You think you're talented? Then how about this?"
The young Beelzebub opened a magic circle in the sky, and soon proceeded to summon countless flies. Innumerable flies began to fly around him.
Flies, the special trait that is originally from the family of Satan Beelzebub: [King of Flies]
Using many flies, a magic circle can be formed to emit a powerful aura. It could even form giant beasts if it gathered a large number of them. A giant humanoid beast made of flies had appeared in the Coliseum.
Two giant horns grew on its head. The fly beast was not looking at Sirzechs, but at another young upper-class devil. The young Beelzebub had changed his target to another young nobleman!
With a grin he said, "This is your fault for humiliating me! You cannot ignore such an attack!"
The large fly began to run in the direction of the young nobleman. The situation had become quite serious, considering how much aura the beast was emanating from its body.
But even with all that power, the beast was no match for Sirzechs. Ajuka, Asteri and Serafall could handle this by themselves, but this would mean their powers would be exposed. Sirzechs, being the kind-hearted soul he is, could not allow such a thing to happen. So he decided to expose himself in their place.
"This is a problem I created, so I will take care of it until the end!"
Sirzechs then raised his aura. After concentrating the [Power of Destruction] in his hand, he directed it at the beast of flies. Initially it was a small sphere, the size of the palm of his hand. However, after Sirzechs fired it with tremendous speed, it made contact with the beast of flies and it instantly expanded to the same size, large enough to swallow it whole!
Boom!
With a resounding boom, the beast made of flies disappeared without leaving a single trace. A large crater was formed in the place where the monster stood a few moments ago.
Those who witnessed this were stunned at such a powerful display and looked at Sirzechs with eyes full of dread and fear.
"...Kgh!!"
The young Beelzebub was still pointing his hand towards Sirzechs, while Sirzechs also extended his hand in preparation for his next attack. While the spectators watched this showdown in awe, two individuals intervened between the two of them.
Both women looked at one another and silently acknowledged each other.
Silver-colored lines and dazzling red-blonde colors fell from the sky.
"That is enough! Stop, the both of you! Leave!" she said with authority.
"I concur, dear. You've humiliated him enough. It's obvious, the difference in strength," Asteri said with a grin, angering the descendant of Beelzebub even more.
A young woman with long, beautiful silver hair had come to stop Gremory's heir and young Beelzebub. She was around the same age as Sirzechs and Asteri.
As soon as Sirzechs saw her, he was surprised to see her there. Asteri just smugly looked at Beelzebub, whose anger was still rising. But then the servants of the young Beelzebub ran towards him and said in his ear, "My Lord...! She belongs to Lucifer's direct lineage; she is from the Lucifuge family!"
With a scornful gaze, Beelzebub immediately understood the situation and narrowed his eyes to look at her. "The Lucifuge...I understand, so she is the one in those rumors..." The young Beelzebub then clicked his tongue and turned his back on them. Before leaving, he said to Sirzechs, "You, who inherited a dreadful bloodline from the Great King, heir to the House of Gremory. I now know your face; I hope we can see each other again."
Those were his last words before he and his servants left the Coliseum.
Sirzechs knelt and looked down in silence. He had managed to overcome this difficult situation without anyone losing their lives. The heir to the Oriax family then walked over to him and said, "Thank you so much for saving me."
"Don't worry, I'm glad to know you are safe," replied Sirzechs with a smile.
"Fufu, it's been a while, Grayfia Lucifuge. I take it you're well?" asked Asteri.
"Yes, I am, Asteri. I take it you are the same? Is this fool your fiancé that you have mentioned having 'The Heart of an Angel'?" asked Grayfia while looking at Sirzechs who had a bitter smile on him.
"Yes, yes, this is him. He's quite powerful, no?"
To which Grayfia nodded to her question.
'H-heart of an angel...?' repeated Sirzechs while wearily smiling at Grayfia. "T-thank you for saving me," he said to her.
The young woman looked at Sirzechs and nodded. "You are a friend's fiancé, I would have done it regardless, however, she did signal for me to intervene," she said rather bluntly. But she continued, "In the future, nobody will come to save you like this, so keep your powers a secret, you moron."
'Ouch...' Sirzechs thought then laughed bitterly.
The two women talked to one another as Sirzechs stood there awkwardly and his other friends joined him. However, the rest of the stadium left the area since they did not want to be near Sirzechs, his friends, fiancé and a member of the clan of Lucifuge.
♦♦♦♦
The next day, at the Gremory Mansion, the news about what had happened at the 'Social Meeting' that was held at the Coliseum in Lucifaad had reached the ears of his parents, Zeoticus and Venelana. They had heard about their son's 'great performance'.
"Dear, did you hear about the big scene our son did at yesterday's social?" asked Venelana.
At that meeting, the power that his son possessed, the remarkable power he was born with was witnessed not only by the children of other upper-clan families, but also by the Satan's family. The immense power of Sirzechs was only known by a few, this included the House of Gremory, some selected upper-class families such as: Sitri, Astaroth, Glasya-Labolas, Grand Duke Agares, and the Great King Bael.
Zeoticus closed his eyes. "It was just a matter of time before Sirzechs' power was unleashed. Now, what will we say to the Satans?"
As of right now, Sirzechs is not the only one with power of this magnitude. There are four other young devils, all born in the same generation, who have the power that could oppose the current Satans.
The five youngers are: Sirzechs Gremory, Ajuka Astaroth, Serafall Sitri, Falbium Glasya-Labolas and Asteri Bael. Grayfia Lucifuge can be included in the list, that number would then increase to six.
As long as one of the Satan's families had authority over the Underworld, it wasn't surprising that children born outside those families, who had great power, would be considered a threat. Each of the families, and both the Great King Bael, and Grand Duke Agares have been keeping this a secret from the Satans for a long time. Until yesterday, that secret was finally revealed.
Zeoticus and Venelana knew their son Sirzechs very well. He is an intelligent young man, but he is also very kind and will help the people he saw who were in trouble. While Zeoticus was preoccupied with plans for the future, one of the servants of Gremory appeared holding a letter.
"Zeoticus-sama," they called out.
Zeoticus took the letter and opened it immediately so he could start reading it. Zeoticus' face then wrinkled as he read it.
"Hmmm..."
"Honey? Venelana walked towards him with concern.
"I received a letter from the Satan's house. They said that in the near future, their successors may inherit the right to be called 'Satans'. And perhaps at the same time, they will declare war between the three factions again."
Venelana's expression darkened in response to those words. Zeoticus looked at the sky from the window. The sole sun of the Underworld shone down on him.
"...The Underworld will soon fall into chaos again," said the Head of the Gremory family.
Fearing fate, since in the foreseeable future, danger was looming above the successors who would inherit the name of 'Satan', there were many noble families in hiding and who were against it.
While a heavy atmosphere descended on the mansion, Venelana in order to change the subject, asked her husband, "...Hey, Darling. I know this is not the perfect time to ask, but if our son had been a girl, what would you name her?"
Zeoticus looked a bit surprised by this, but smiled and answered her, "Hmm...If our child had been born a girl, I would name her Rias."
Venelana smiled at her husband's answer. "Rias is a beautiful name. I wish I could give you a daughter someday, and I hope that someday, the Underworld will be a better place to live in."
Venelana stood beside her husband and looked at the sky like him.
What came next—was the story of the greatest civil war in the history of the Underworld.
However, Venelana's words would come true in the very, very, distant future.
♦♦♦♦
Part 2 – The Future of the Devils
♦♦♦♦
60 years later
♦♦♦♦
60 years had passed since Sirzechs Gremory was born. An unpleasant atmosphere had been surrounding the Underworld. As a result, the Four Satans have declared the formation of a new order.
In the previous war between the three factions, Satan Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan and Asmodeus had all died. From then on, all the Satan families (with the exception of Lucifer) had been in the government of the Underworld.
However, the current heads of the Beelzebub houses, Leviathan and Asmodeus have claimed their right to the throne. The nobles who were against the idea of remaining underground had met with the Great King Bael, and the Grand Duke Agares.
If the current heads of the Beelzebub houses, Leviathan and Asmodeus were to become the new Satans they would certainly commit even more atrocities than ever. They would undoubtedly declare war between the three factions again.
They did not even consider those who did not belong to the royal family to be real devils. If the war started again, surely the devils would perish this time. Eventually, the Underworld split into two sides: the current government of Satan families and the rebels.
♦♦♦♦
Gremory Territory
♦♦♦♦
Inside the enormous ceremonial hall located in the Gremory Mansion, a choir of young devils performed a song that enveloped the entire hall. Neither a ceremony nor a rehearsal took place; instead, Sirzechs Gremory practiced with them in the hall. With Asteri by his side, they, along with the children sang the song.
"♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪"
The young devils in the choir sang fantastically. Both Sirzechs, their official instructor was very proud of them, and Asteri, who had helped me along the way from the very start, was proud of them too.
Sirzechs was teaching the youth choir as part of his public duties as a prince. Asteri, his unofficial wife, accompanied him. In the past there were some troubles with this. However, it has been resolved with Adella Bael, her mother defending him and a few nobles in the household doing so, even Zekram Bael approving of it.
When the song ended, Sirzechs smiled and applauded all the young members of the choir.
"This was a very successful final rehearsal. You shouldn't have any problems at the concert that you'll be playing at the Lucifaad Coliseum."
All the choir members smiled happily at Sirzechs' words. However, Sirzechs added, "However, you must not become complacent. From today onwards, I can no longer continue teaching you, but you must continue to practice and support each other so that you can make an excellent performance, understood?"
"Yes sir!"
The youth responded energetically to their instructor's words of motivation. In a few days, these young devils will play in the capital, Lucifaad. For the choir, it would be their first performance outside of the Gremory territory, and so they were very excited about the rehearsals.
The only concern that Sirzechs had was that he was not going to be able to see their concert, since he had some obligations to fulfill that day. In the present day, there are gangs, those who support the current government and those who support the rebels. Furthermore, it is evident that a large-scale conflict will soon ensue. The Satan's families were fed up with the situation.
The capital Lucifaad was heavily protected with the Satan's troops stationed in various areas of the city, and there were many commoners who received unjustified punishment and hostile treatment by the troops, making the atmosphere gloomy.
The government of the Satan's family requested that the Gremory Youth choir perform at the Coliseum in Lucifaad in order to relieve some of the social tension that was experienced in the Capital.
Sirzechs had no choice but to oblige because if he did not grant this request, they would consider the Gremory clan as 'Anti-Satan' which would result in his exile, or even worse, his elimination.
Sirzechs wanted to believe that, if it were the official choir of the House of Gremory, the Satan's family wouldn't treat their young members with cruelty. However, he was still very concerned, so he decided to finish his duties as soon as possible.
"Sirzechs-sama, is everything okay?" one of the choir girls asked.
She had seen the concerned face of Sirzechs and decided to ask since it also worried her.
"Hmm? Oh, uh, it's nothing." Sirzechs forced a smile.
"Hmph, what kind of prince does that kind of thing in front of young people?" a voice said.
He turned around and the person he saw was Serafall Sitri, sighing at his dismayed expression.
"It's Serafall Hime-sama!"
The young people were thrilled to see her arrive.
She was very dear to the inhabitants of the Gremory territory, since she often arrived there to visit Sirzechs, Asteri and his family.
Serafall smiled along with her greeting, but suddenly she approached both of them and pointed to their right and said, "Both of you have a visitor."
When they turned in that direction, they saw the same beautiful silver-haired woman, and a boy who looked very much like her standing by another door entrance.
Sirzechs reinforced the same mentality for the choir members with a few words of motivation. He then said goodbye to them and told them that he would be seeing them during their performance. He then invited everyone that was present to the drawing room at the Gremory mansion.
♦♦♦♦
Grayfia took a sip of the tea Sirzechs had served them.
"Only at the Gremory clan can you enjoy a cup of tea made by an upper-class devil prince," said Grayfia with a smirk on her face.
"You usually let the servants pour the tea," said Serafall while laughing.
Sirzechs smiled wearily and said, "It's just something I like to do from time to time."
"That's right, this idiot fiancé of mine does this for some absurd reason, although if you are around him nearly every day, you'll start to understand some of his logic," Asteri said and took another sip of her tea.
Sirzechs, Grayfia, Asteri and even Serafall had been friends since they met all those years ago in the Lucifaad Coliseum. The reason was because after the fear generated by the revelation of Sirzechs' immense power during it, the government of the Satan's family sent Grayfia to directly watch over Sirzechs.
Because of this, Grayfia along with Asteri began to visit the Gremory's home frequently. All three of them were together in both public matters, as well as in private moments where all three of them simply talked. All three of them didn't notice that it had been more than 40 years since they first met. Time just flew on by.
Their friendship grew, and it had been said that Grayfia may even be Asteri's maid of honor during their wedding, however, it wasn't discussed that seriously.
At first, the conversations between Grayfia and Sirzechs were very courteous and professional. However, over the years, and with the help of Asteri mediating between them, their conversations had become casual, and cheerful. Of course, both fiancé and Grayfia teased Sirzechs relentlessly, but he took it all with a smile.
However, whenever Grayfia came over, it was inevitable that she would meet his good friend Serafall. At the beginning, even Serafall was constantly competing with Grayfia. She wanted to find out who was more powerful between them since rumors began to circulate that she was also a rival in power.
But over time, it changed from just regular mock battles, to conversations and situations like, "Hey Grayfia, those snacks that you sent the other day were horrible. I could pick out better ones!"
"Ara? Just as I imagined, so I sent them to you before handing them over to someone else."
"Yoooouuu!! Did you by any chance use me to try your poison again?!"
"Your belly is strong, Serafall. You are the most suitable devil for this kind of experiment."
"Mmmmrrrggghh!!!"
However, over time, they both managed to get along quite well.
Serafall and Grayfia possessed very powerful demonic powers that rivaled each other. Therefore, as women who possessed such extreme power, they would share common concerns, which contributed to an easier level of understanding of each other.
Wanting to break the ice, Sirzechs decided to ask her, "Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?"
"Ajuka is currently investigating the depths of Agreas, and he wants you to help. Since Ajuka is taking orders from the government, this should also be considered a government order for you," said Grayfia.
Sirzechs after sipping his tea said, "Agreas, huh? ...Ajuka is actually obsessed with that place..."
♦♦♦♦
Agreas, A floating island under the territory of Grand Duke Agares, which the Satans once controlled. It was said that there was an artifact hidden within it, but only the Four Satans knew its exact whereabouts. Since they were eliminated, no one has been able to locate it.
They believed that the families of the Satans were not informed of what was inside of Agreas, because they considered it worthless and entrusted the investigation task to the Agares and Astaroth families.
On the other hand, Sirzechs' good friend, Ajuka Astaroth, saw infinite possibilities within Agreas, and was fascinated by the vast numbers of crystals that could only be found there.
"Ajuka said he wanted to make this floating island a huge tourist center. I wonder what he plans to build there?" asked Serafall with a puzzled look.
Even Sirzechs was often confused by Ajuka's unique interests. However, given his love of research and development, Agreas must have been a fascinating place for him. Sirzechs accepted Grayfia's request despite looking a bit down.
"I know that you would probably prefer to be with the children of your choir in Lucifaad for their performance, however, the will of the Satan's family is absolute," said Grayfia beside Sirzechs.
On his other side was Asteri, who agreed with Grayfia but also didn't like the Satan's and how they handled things, but as Grayfia said, their orders are absolute.
In any case, if they went here with Grayfia from 40 years ago, she would have coldly said, "The will of the Satan's family is absolute. If you dare rebel against it, I will eliminate you myself."
However, due to knowing each other for 40 years, and both of them softening her up, she said it a little more kindly and less strictly.
"In any case, I had public duties to take care of. Besides, knowing Ajuka, it shouldn't be too difficult. I will resolve this quickly and return to meet up with the children of my choir," said Sirzechs and he sighed.
Grayfia gave them a short smile and got up. "I will greet your parents; I also brought them a small gift."
This was followed by Serafall getting up too and saying, "Oh, I'm going to say hello too, let's go together then."
Grayfia agreed and the two of them left the room together. However, there were now only Sirzechs, Asteri and Euclid in the room, who had chosen to remain mute the entire time.
Euclid Lucifuge was the first son of the Lucifuge family. He was born 15 years ago. Although he and Grayfia were more than 40 years apart, for devils who live long lives and rarely have children, this age gap was not significant.
To the devils it wasn't strange to have huge age differences. Grayfia told them both about Euclid a few years after his birth. However, it had been about a year or two since they last saw him face-to-face.
Since his studies as a male member of the Lucifuge family had been completed, Euclid would sometimes accompany Grayfia to the Gremory territory in order to expand his knowledge. He spoke to his sister Grayfia, but he would not want to speak to Sirzechs, and would only occasionally speak to Asteri and the others.
To Euclid, Sirzechs was the embodiment of disdain, no, hatred, for he felt he was trying to take his sister away from him. However, Sirzechs had never thought of Grayfia like that. He acknowledged she was beautiful. Nevertheless, he was faithful to Asteri. He only ever joked about having a harem a few times in the past. However, it's shut down by Asteri very quickly.
Sirzechs and Asteri have never seen Euclid smile. However, according to Grayfia he is very expressive in front of her, but right now Euclid just gave Sirzechs a very cold and scornful look.
Finally, Sirzechs tried to break the ice. "So—"
But he was cut off by Euclid.
"Okay, Sirzechs-dono, I will give you a warning."
"Uh...what is it?" Sirzechs was surprised by the boy's words.
"We are members of the Lucifuge family, a direct lineage of Lucifer. Under normal circumstances, the Gremory clan is nowhere near the status of our family."
Sirzechs agreed and said, "Yes, you are right. The Lucifuge family is like Lucifer's right-hand." Sirzechs was very aware of this, so he accepted Grayfia's request with the utmost respect. He had never spoken ill of any of the Satan's family in front of her.
This was one of the reasons as to why Grayfia opened up to both Asteri and Sirzechs, however, Euclid continued with his cold tone.
"So you should know your place. Talking to my sister like that is an act of arrogance. I can clearly see that you don't recognize where you belong."
Euclid glanced over at Asteri, who had been silently sipping her tea. Although Sirzechs became a little irritated at this, he did not show it, but he understood what Euclid was trying to convey.
Apparently, Euclid wanted to show the greatest respect for what his older sister represents to him. He was simply reminding both Sirzechs and Asteri of the positions that existed between the both of them and Grayfia.
But Sirzechs thought it was natural for Euclid to say something like this after seeing how both of them interacted with Grayfia, as well as Serafall.
"I'll remember that," replied Sirzechs.
However, Euclid's mood seemed to worsen after hearing that.
"Okay Sirzechs-dono, I don't think it's necessary to remind you that your powers are a threat to the government and the families of the Satans. However, that is why my sister was assigned the critical task of keeping you under surveillance, and when it's necessary, eliminating you. It would be better if you tried to do absolutely nothing against the government."
Since the 'Devil's Youth Meeting', Sirzechs had become a major target for the Underworld government. The Satan's family government had discouraged Sirzechs from becoming the next leader of the House of Gremory, despite the fact that he was the sole heir to his family.
It wasn't because he was incapable of being the heir, but in fact, it was quite the opposite. He had a great character, he excelled in literature and martial arts, and he had a lot of knowledge and talent with his demonic power. There was no one better suited than Sirzechs to be the next leader of the Gremory clan.
However, if Sirzechs, who possessed this level of demonic powers becomes the next leader in his family, he will also have a significant voice and political influence, and the government saw this as a major threat.
On the other hand, the Gremory clan had been receiving repeated requests to join the Anti-Satan movement. This was because news about Sirzechs' powers had been spread among the upper-class devils since it was revealed at the 'Devil's Youth Meeting'.
That is the reason why the current government is watching over Sirzechs and had chosen Grayfia to fulfill this task. They also knew of Asteri Bael and Grayfia Lucifuge's friendship and took advantage of that.
However, it was very ironic that the government, in their analysis against Sirzechs had created the opportunity for Asteri, Grayfia and himself to meet and form this friendship. Even then, Sirzechs was reluctant to join the Anti-Satan resistance, even if he agreed with them.
Sirzechs was aware that the government of the Satan family was keeping a close eye on him. However, as someone who hated conflict, Sirzechs couldn't join a movement that would lead to war.
In the event of civil war, he would be on the front lines in order to protect the residents of Gremory territory. He loved his people and couldn't stand the idea of them suffering. However, due to family circumstances (the current wife of the leader of the Gremory clan is a descendant of the Bael clan, so they were basically in favor of the Great King) would be taking the side of the resistance.
In that case, all of Grayfia's friends (Sirzechs, Ajuka, Falbium, Serafall and Asteri) would become her future enemies since she was on the side of the Satan's family. Sirzechs was afraid of that scenario since Serafall and Asteri were very close friends to Grayfia.
Suddenly, the door opened again and Grayfia and Serafall returned to them. Upon immediately feeling the discomfort of the air, Grayfia stiffened her shoulders and asked her younger brother sternly, "Euclid, did you open your mouth again?"
Euclid's expression changed suddenly and he said, "That is absurd, Nee-sama. I was just talking to both Sirzechs-dono and Asteri-sama about the weather and your friendship with them." He added a very forced smile.
He then stood up and said, "I'll go and get some fresh air then," and left the room.
Grayfia and Serafall sat down and Grayfia sighed. "I'm so sorry. As he is still a child, my father has been teaching him many things about how to be an heir and..."
Sirzechs was very familiar with those words and asked, "So, Euclid has been named the next leader of the Lucifuge family?"
Grayfia nodded in response. "Yes, I'm sure they never expected a boy to be born a few decades after me. Unless something drastic happens, then it's almost certain that I will not be the one who inherits the position."
Initially, the Lucifuge family had considered giving Grayfia the inheritance of the Lucifuge clan because of her powers that easily surpassed the Satans. She was in a position to become the next leader of the family, however...
It seemed as if they chose Euclid, who, although not as strong as his older sister, but still above the majority of the upper-class devils.
Serafall sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "If the Lucifuge family, Lucifer's right-hand man, elected a boy as their heir, it must mean that Prince Rizevim has no intention of taking the throne."
In response, the expression on Grayfia's face hardened. "Yes, I doubt that the Beelzebub family had left all political and public affairs to my father. It is not uncommon for them to disappear for a few years without anyone being able to contact them."
Rizevim Livan Lucifer was the only son of Satan Lucifer ever had. Lucifer was also known as the [Morning Star] and distinguished himself from the rest of the Satans.
However, Rizevim refused to be recognized as the son of Lucifer, and left all the politics to the other families of the Satans, so he could live in isolation. Lucifer's son had no interest in the fate of the Underworld.
Lucifuge family members, also known as Lucifer's right-hand, had a heightened responsibility and should act on behalf of Satan Lucifer in times of need.
Still, the majority of the policy was being handled by the Beelzebub family and the other Satan's families, as Lucifer's only son refused to take over.
Grayfia wouldn't say it out loud, but she was very aware of it. She understood the complex situation in which she had found herself in and said, "Once Euclid becomes the leader of the family, perhaps it will take some weight off my back."
Sirzechs nodded along across Grayfia. But Asteri then spoke, "I understand that, then that means you will no longer be heir, so that means...you are free to choose who you wish to marry?"
"You look quite happy about that, Asteri," said Serafall with suspicion.
"Huh? What do you mean, Serafall?" asked Grayfia. She was definitely confused.
"I was with you two, you know? We talked about women-related topics, marriage and things of that nature. You asked Grayfia if she ever planned on settling down, but she never gave a full answer, so what about now?" Serafall asked and turned to look at Grayfia.
Grayfia stared back at Serafall before she shook her head and sighed. "It is too early for that, Serafall. I also need to finish my training as a maid, so I can serve the next Satan Lucifer. Things like love and marriage are beyond me at the moment," she told Serafall her honest thoughts.
"Hmm, but that means it's a possibility in the future?" she asked again, but Grayfia shot her a look.
"I could also say the same thing to you, Serafall Sitri. Have you fallen for a devil recently?"
"No," she said bluntly and gave Grayfia a look of disgust. "No devil has even given me whatever feeling Asteri holds for Sirzechs, so no."
"Therefore, it is the same for both of us. We must wait and see what the future holds," said Grayfia.
"I agree then," Serafall agreed with her.
Sirzechs then added, "Well since you're a great big sister to Euclid, that also means you will be a wonder mother and wife in the future, Grayfia." This also earned him a smack from Asteri.
"Do not flirt with one of my closest friends," she said sternly.
"I-I wasn't trying to..." he complained and rubbed his head.
Grayfia was flattered but said, "You will change the day you have a younger brother or sister; you will see."
"You really think so? I can't even imagine," Serafall said with disinterest.
Brothers and sisters, the longer Sirzechs thought of it and how Grayfia treated Euclid, he couldn't imagine it himself either. The four of them kept talking to each other for a little while longer.
♦♦♦♦
Bael Territory
♦♦♦♦
In the mansion of the current head of the Bael Household, they were currently holding a secret meeting.
Within a spacious room, furnished with a giant round table, there were members of noble families who were in favor of the Great King. Zeoticus, the leader of the Gremory clan, the Sitri clan, the Astaroth clan, and the Glasya-Labolas clan, gathered at this meeting of apparent importance.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss ways to discourage the royal families. This was so they wouldn't be able to claim the thrones and institute the order of the Four Great Satans.
The members associated with the Great King were not completely against the idea of establishing new Satans. Noble families have always shared the opinion that, even for the sake of the balance of power between the 3 great factions, the thrones of the Satans should not be left empty forever.
However, once the new Satans had already claimed thrones, they would once again declare war between the 3 major factions. They knew that those who inherited these thrones would be Bidleid Bashalun Beelzebub, Tsufaame Tereaku Leviathan, and Damaidosu Zereikel Asmodeus.
The next generation of Lucifer was the reluctant Rizevim Livan Lucifer, but the nobles knew that his mind was more on the side of madness. In other words, all the candidates that were now in line to claim the throne were dangerous and would lead the Underworld toward total destruction.
They couldn't let them take over the throne. Members who supported the Great King debated day after day about how to obstruct their inheritance of the throne. The militarists said that they had to face the Satan's family with force, while the diplomats believed that they should argue until they reached an agreement.
Participating in the war would stimulate the refusal of the devils. However, the families of the Satans did not take into account the devils who were outside their bloodline, which made it even more difficult to persuade them.
The debate between the members who support the Great King Bael was getting more and more intense, causing some internal division between militarists and diplomats. The meeting was fraught with extreme tension.
The theme of the day was about how to respond if the war between the three factions happened again. The leaders of the houses of Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas told them the expected damage that could be theorized and the scale of their respective military forces.
Soon the conversation shifted to Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, Falbium and Asteri. The devils that could stop the next generation of candidates for Satans, and the stances they would take on this topic.
Since the royal families inherited the blood of the Four Satans, an ordinary devil would have no chance of winning in a fight against any of its members. However, the resistance needed power that could far surpass that of the Satan's families.
The current head of the Bael clan asked those present, "What would be the response of the Satan's families in the event of a civil war?"
Each leader of their respective families replied.
"Ajuka is not very interested in politics, but he seems to feel threatened by how the families of the Satans are governing things. He is an extraordinary young man, and I am sure he knows on how his powers would affect the Underworld."
"Our daughter Serafall is very dissatisfied with the royal families. I'm quite certain she would fight on our side in the case of a civil war."
"Falbium still appears indifferent to all of this, but when the time comes, he will surely kick in and fight in our side."
The Bael clan leader would speak last, so everyone turned to Zeoticus, the current head of the Gremory house.
"Likewise, Sirzechs believes that the direction the Satan's families are taking things is dangerous. However, he doesn't like conflict, but he won't hesitate to protect our territory if a civil war were to reach the Gremory territory."
"Hmm. As you know your son and Asteri are very much in love, and she has fought me tooth and nail to stay with the boy. As such, I know she will stick with him and protect both the Gremory and Bael territories if a civil war were to start."
Zeoticus nodded, even he was unaware of his son's immense power. After all, he had never seen Sirzechs fight seriously in all his life.
However, the supporters of the Great King, Sirzechs and the existence of the others was a key part of their strategy, being that their powers were able to defeat Rizevim, Bidleid, Tsufaame, and Damaidosu, owners of great power within the royal families, especially Rizevim Livan Lucifer.
Contrary to his indifference, they said that his powers were equal or even many times superior to those of his father, Satan Lucifer.
Rizevim was also one of those who had never reached their full potential, but the leaders of the Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas and Bael families wanted to prepare Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, Falbium and Asteri for the unthinkable.
Additionally, Grayfia, a member of the Lucifuge clan, who was also said to have tremendous power, was on the government's side. Members supporting the Great King knew that there would be insufficient military power in the event of a war with the current government.
Then the host of this meeting and the first leader of the Bael clan, Zekram Bael, who had been listening to the conversation so far, intervened.
"Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, Falbium and little Asteri will understand that there is no promising future with the current government of the family of Satans. They are fully aware that they must fight against them when the opportunity arises."
"There is nothing to worry about, however, it is also possible that candidates for Satans will try to make them change their minds and give up fighting."
Zekram Bael then looked at Zeoticus. It was obvious from what he was saying, Sirzechs and Asteri were very close friends to Grayfia Lucifuge. Zeoticus knew he couldn't hide this information from Zekram; however, it was probably due to Asteri since he was aware of it.
Grayfia was also close friends with Serafall, Falbium and Ajuka. This may affect them all mentally as they would fight a friend. However, before they could discuss this, there was a knock on the door that interrupted the conversation.
With a look of utter horror, a servant from the Bael house entered the room, making everyone in the room equally anxious. The employee whispered to the current leader of the Bael clan, then suddenly Lord Bael turned pale.
"Impossible! Just now? Even after I warned them of the conflicts in the capital?"
Everyone became nervous when they heard the tense tone of the current leader of the clan, and someone asked, "What's the problem?"
The leader of the Bael clan took a deep breath and said, "There was a confrontation between the soldiers of the Satan's family and our troops in the capital and...it became an armed conflict. The confrontation is gradually expanding, with no signs that it will end soon."
Everyone there was obviously startled by the sudden news.
"T-this can't be!"
"We didn't even give them any orders yet!"
"Among so many places...how could an armed conflict erupt right here in the capital?"
The diplomats were nervous and angry.
"No, this may be the opportunity we need!"
"Yes, this was meant to happen!"
While they were shocked by the news, the militarists remained calm.
Zekram Bael did not show any signs of surprise and spoke to everyone in the room calmly. "Collect information, and at the same time, tell all of our allies to prepare for the unthinkable."
Zekram's gaze was directed at Zeoticus and the other leaders of their respective families. "Leaders of the clan of Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth, and Glasya-Labolas. I want all of you to make contact with your children. We will contact Asteri too."
"Understood!"
Zeoticus and the others responded in unison. However, Zeoticus' face was the palest as he knew that the choir that his son Sirzechs had been teaching were currently in the capital today. He hoped with all his being that nothing happened to them, otherwise he wouldn't know how his son would react.
♦♦♦♦
In the capital city of Lucifaad, the current government's army and the private resistance army were having an armed conflict. It only took a few moments for Sirzechs, Asteri, Serafall who was helping Ajuka to hear about this incident.
Sirzechs immediately grabbed Asteri's hand and headed for the capital city without delay.
The city had turned into a state of pandemonium. One could see the exchange of powerful auras and demonic powers flying across the field even from a distance. The urban district had panicked, and the residents were running, screaming, and crying, desperately asking for help.
Sirzechs and Asteri ran against the flow of residents, heading for the recital hall where he thought his choir should be. The further he entered the city, the more destruction he saw. There were fallen troops on the way on all sides. The capital had already become a battlefield and this made Sirzechs even more worried.
Finally, both of them arrived at the large recital hall. He was speechless. The place was engulfed in flames and Sirzech's heart was filled with dread.
"Damn!" he screamed and had no choice but to run.
The two sides exchanged attacks in the streets and engaged in fierce combat.
Sirzechs ran ahead of Asteri as she had remained to help the other residents evacuate. Serafall, Grayfia and even Ajuka came to help.
Sirzechs ran to the recital room, dodging and deflecting the demonic attacks that flew towards him. He opened the door with a bit of his demonic power. The interior was full of flames; the walls, pillars and roof had collapsed, and the entire building was on the verge of collapsing.
Sirzechs covered himself with his [Power of Destruction] and moved further into the place. There were corpses of the residents of Lucifaad everywhere. They were the ones who could not escape on time. With a heavy heart, and a pained face, he advanced, praying that he could still see the young men and women in his choir.
While Greyfia, Asteri, Serafall, and Ajuka were helping their sides of the army, they became worried about him and decided to meet in a nearby area and call for a truce. So they all headed for the recital hall.
Once they reached the location, they were all speechless. The corridor had been burned to the ground, the bodies of the victims lay in front of them, and among them, they could see Sirzechs standing alone.
Worried about her fiancé, Asteri ran over to him, followed by the rest of them.
With a completely exhausted face, he looked at the fallen bodies below him. Some of them had turned to ashes, while others had suffered fatal injuries. All the boys and girls in his choir had died.
Even while his [Power of Destruction] was still covering his body, Asteri didn't hesitate to embrace him from behind. She did not care about any injuries she might suffer, but much to her surprise, his power did not harm her at all.
Sirzechs then spoke, "They came here today to sing a song of peace...they came here only so that the residents of the capital could enjoy the fruits of their labor."
He looked at his unharmed hand and put it in front of him and said, "Look, Asteri...I...even after going through those flames I didn't suffer a single injury. It's all thanks to my [Power of Destruction]. My parents always told me that I had immense power...a special power."
Suddenly, Sirzechs fell to the ground and smashed the ground with his fist, destroying it completely.
"What...what power?! What special power?! None of it matters if I couldn't even save any of these children!"
Asteri then tried to console her fiancé. "Sirzechs, even for you, I think the Underworld—"
However, she stopped once she saw the expression on Sirzechs' face. The young man that had always had a pleasant smile on his face, was now consumed with uncontrollable anger.
"I interrogated a government troop, and heard that one of the Satan's families gave the order to annihilate all rebels, even civilians who failed to evacuate on time! Khh!" Sirzechs shouted.
Everyone was speechless, especially Grayfia. She was instructed to evacuate the civilians while expelling the rebels. Apparently, those in this recital hall did not have time to evacuate and stayed in the middle of the armed conflict.
Sirzechs held his hand up, as if asking for help while holding the hand of the corpse of one of his choir boys. Asteri shed tears for him and them as she helped him up.
Asteri had also spent as much time with these children as much as Sirzechs, so she also knew them quite well. Therefore, seeing them like this broke her heart and also angered her too.
"These children just came to sing a song of peace...to sing the song they practiced a lot...I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was too late. If I had just arrived a little earlier..." he whispered the last part to the corpse.
No one could find the right words to say to him, no, to the both of them. Especially Grayfia, as she belonged to the Lucifuge family, Lucifer's right-hand.
Sirzechs could never forgive the Satan's families for what they had done to them.
After the armed conflict in the capital city, the flames of war spread to each of the adjacent regions, and a total civil war broke out.
Ajuka, Serafall, Asteri, and Sirzechs joined the resistance that day, while Grayfia joined Satan's side. A cruel and brutal fate awaited the group of friends.
♦♦♦♦
Grigori
♦♦♦♦
At Grigori's headquarters, the leader of the Fallen Angels, Azazel received the news from his subordinates that a civil war between the devils had broken out.
Azazel let out a sigh, then looked towards the Underworld sky through the window and said, "Finally the devils made a move, huh? A power struggle between the government of the Satan's families and the resistance. I hope that this does not provoke a continuation of the war between the 3 factions."
Azazel then placed defense troops on the border, and while watching the civil war of the devils, he decided to strengthen the line of communication between his oldest and closest allies.
♦♦♦♦
Six Months Earlier
Before the Civil War Started
Underground of Lucifaad
♦♦♦♦
Ancient remains left behind by the late Four Satans existed here. But the only ones who knew of its existence were the heads of the six houses that descended from the Lucifer lineage, the Lucifuge, Nebiros, Sargatanas, Agaliarept, Satanchia and Fleurety.
Even the Beelzebub, Leviathan and Asmodeus bloodlines were not aware of their existence. All the heads of the descending house of Lucifer, except for Lucifuge were exploring the underground remains.
As they progressed through the remains, the leaders of these houses exchanged words.
"The government and the resistance did not seem to reach an agreement. It appears that Satan's families aren't planning to yield. This is becoming unpredictable. The resistance has on its side individuals with powers that claim to rival those of the deceased Satans."
"The heirs to the Gremory, Astaroth, Sitri, Glasya-Labolas, and Bael houses."
"According to the scholars, the heirs to the Gremory and Astaroth houses are especially monstrous. The heir of the Bael isn't far from those two either. The only ones who could compete with them would be Grayfia of the Lucifuge family or Rizevim-sama."
"Lucifer-sama described Rizevim-sama in his diary as a [Transcendental]."
"[Transcendental]?"
"I heard that there are other devils that he described in this way, just as he did with Rizevim-sama."
"I imagine that the other devils that Lucifer-sama described are the heirs of the houses of Gremory and Astaroth? Perhaps even the Bael."
"Do you really believe that Rizevim-sama would fight against them?"
"I have my doubts. It doesn't matter which side is in power for him. He's neutral. Even if the resistance wins, they will not be able to do anything to him, because he is neutral and because he is the only son of Satan Lucifer."
There was little doubt among the Six House leaders that Rizevim Livan Lucifer would never take control of Satan's army, even if a civil war broke out. Lucifer's name was absolute. The resistance could not ignore Lucifer's non-combatant son. In fact, there were Lucifer sympathizers within the resistance.
As a result of the disagreement between the current government of the Satan's families and the resistance, some supporters of the resistance longed for a prosperous and peaceful future for the Underworld.
"But we, the Six Houses descended from Satan Lucifer are different, eh?"
"Mmm...even if Rizevim-sama doesn't fight, we would have to fight in the name of Lucifer-sama."
"If we win, we will still be under the control of the Satan's families, and if we lose, the resistance will take our dominions and expel us to the deepest corners of the Underworld, or in the most severe case, they could execute us."
This was a dilemma. They continued walking and finally reached the deepest point. The room was round and open. On the floor were multiple magic circles with ancient symbols placed above each other.
Along the walls of this place were twelve mysterious stone statues. One of the leaders spoke while looking at the statues, and the leader of the Nebiros house nodded.
"Only in the worst-case scenario would we unleash them."
The space was filled with indescribable pressure and an infinitely frightening aura.
"Are the current Satans not aware of this?"
"Of course not...actually, we are the only ones who know about this."
"What are they?"
"The [Malebranche], also known as the [Evil Claws]. Lucifer-sama and the rest of the deceased Satans created these 12 ancient beings as weapons."
"The [Evil Claws] that the Satans had sealed, [The Twelve Doomed Sinners]."
"I never imagined they were sealed in this way, and just under the city of Lucifaad. I can't believe it, of all places..."
Even within the six families descended from Lucifer, there was only ever talk of the existence of the [Malebranche], and no one had really seen them.
There were only a few legends about them in the whole Underworld. This is due to the fact that the Four Satans used them in secret, but sealed them after realizing their devastating power.
"Couldn't we have won the last war between the 3 factions if we used them?"
"The Satans must have come to the conclusion that, even if they won using them, they would be murdered while they were sleeping. I heard that they were extremely crazed combatants."
The leader of the Nebiros clan spoke while holding an old book and read from it, "According to this document, the leader of the [Malebranche] Malacoda must never be awakened from his sleep."
The statue that was in the farthest part of the room had an aura that was far more lethal than all of the others combined.
Another leader then told the leader of the Nebiros house, "If we bring the Lucifuge here, in the worst-case scenario, we will launch them into the Underworld ourselves."
"The Lucifuge family is the closest to Lucifer-sama and they must make most of the decisions unilaterally. If we share this with them, it is almost certain that they would be then found out by the other families of the Satans. In that case, they would undoubtedly destroy this whole place."
"There is no doubt about it, they would not be willing to take the risk of being killed while they sleep."
"And this is the reason why the [Malebranche] should be our last resort. Even if a civil war starts, using these living weapons is not an option."
"Why would we use it, except for a civil war against the resistance? And the Second Great War between the 3 factions."
The head of the house of Nebiros, in response gave them an unnerving smile, "Or perhaps with another faction; a war against a mythological deity."
♦♦♦♦
On the day that Sirzechs Gremory and his friends chose to part ways with Grayfia Lucifuge as they had chosen the side they wished to represent, unknown to everyone…another being had made those Satans instigate the attack.
<Ufufu~ those devils sure are gullible and dumb~ they really got enticed by my words, huh? Well, it doesn't matter. This should change this world a little bit for my future brother, huhu~ I hope he likes it.>
Yes, it was HER—Nyarlathotep who had been slowly pushing the Satan's family to instigate this universe's Devil's Civil War. However, Sirzechs Lucifer in the present day did not know of this, and didn't mention it to Jin. But…
In another area of the Underworld, that overlooked the capital of Lucifaad, two humans overlooked the chaos that was happening.
"It's started, huh?"
"Yeah…"
Both were dressed in black robes and on their backs were XxX (Cross Times Kiss). Their purpose was to watch over the war and inform a certain Lucifer that a hero would emerge when the world needed one.
However, the hero they thought that was coming, was a very different one.
♦♦♦♦
クリエイターの想い 
Fictitiouz
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Chapter word count: 15k
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