Sirzechs Gremory adjusted the cuffs of his coat as he prepared for the most crucial meeting of the decade, if not the century, for his faction, the summit with the leaders of the other two biblical factions. Sure, sure, they had had talks between them, but this would be the first actual official meeting of the three. Yet, for all the weight of diplomacy on his shoulders, his mind was frustratingly elsewhere, still lingering on the human he had met just the day before.
Kenji Takahashi.
The man was an enigma wrapped in an anomaly. A bizarre mixture of contradictions. A human who wasn't a human, because that's what he saw when he looked at the man.
What he meant by that is that while he was human, his presence didn't feel like it. Everything about the man said human, but his instincts were saying otherwise, and he was sure the man was human. He had met plenty of strong people, but this was a first, meeting a human who was peak ultimate class.
Yes, peak. He was sure, and that was what made it harder to accept he was human. The strongest humans that he knew of were low to mid ultimate class, others above that were only made possible by tools, like their scared gear, but it wasn't their base power.
A being who stood utterly outside their usual systems, that was Kenji Takahashi.
Sirzechs had attempted to glean any information on the man, since he learnt of the man's birth records, friends, history, and anything that would explain the man, but every search had returned a bland, normal. Like before, a few months ago, the man had no presence at all.
It was as if a man known as Kenji had simply materialized into existence and, in a short timeframe, gained the power of an Ultimate-Class being.
The man was a power waiting to be scooped up, and Sirzechs wanted to reach out again, to extend the offer of protection and alliance, perhaps gain a decisive asset, but the interaction with the man had been met with cold rejection. Kenji had made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with their politics, and Sirzechs could see the 100% conviction in the man's golden eyes. He would not be swayed.
The large, intricately carved door to the temporary meeting hall opened, and Grayfia Lucifuge walked in. She had been here making sure everything was prepared for the upcoming meeting.
Watching her work was always something. She was the definition of cold perfection. Sirzechs couldn't help the fond smile that touched his lips as he watched her. Even after centuries, she was beautiful, perfect, and terrifying in her work.
He loved her fiercely, though he sometimes wished she wasn't so serious every minute of their lives and hoped she would learnt how to loosen up. As if sensing his fleeting thought, she turned and shot him a pointed, silent glare that instantly wiped the smile from his face.
Truly, he sighed inwardly, there was no power greater than a woman's intuition.
Minutes later, with the room prepared to her exact, flawless standards, Grayfia nodded to Sirzechs and activated a magic circle, returning to the Underworld. She had done her part, but someone had to watch their son, Millicas. As the son of a devil king, his son was a target for his enemies, and while he would like to say that he didn't have enemies in the devil faction, that would be a terrible lie. Leaving him unguarded, even momentarily, was an unacceptable risk he couldn't take.
Just as his wife left to go to their son, Serafall Leviathan burst into the room, her usual cheerful exuberance barely contained, a stark contrast to the gravity of the meeting. She came in, followed by Azazel behind her, the Fallen Governor giving a lazy, disingenuous wave. Azazel was flanked by Baraqiel and a young man with striking silver hair.
Michael arrived next, radiating a clean, gentle aura of light, accompanied by the Exorcist Irina Shidou and, surprisingly, the Archangel Gabriel. The Seraph rarely left Heaven unless absolutely necessary, and her presence signaled the extraordinary importance of this summit. The remaining attendees, Rias's and Sona's peerages, entered last, standing respectfully at the back of the room.
The leaders took their seats around the large conference table.
Sirzechs began, his voice calm and professional. "Everyone is present. This is my sister Rias and her retainers, they are the ones who fought against the rogue Cadre-class Kokabiel during his surprise attack several days ago."
Michael smiled warmly, a genuine warmth that settled the younger devils' nerves. "That is a truly impressive accomplishment. I thank each one of you for your bravery and steadfastness, and for preventing further chaos and casualties in the human world."
Azazel leaned back, resting his chin on his fist. "Once again, I apologize. It seems one of my boys caused you a bit of trouble." He glanced around the room slyly, his eyes scanning every face with amusement, before speaking again. "Though… seems we're missing someone."
The casual drop instantly snatched everyone's attention. "From what I hear, someone else was the one who finished off Kokabiel and his remaining followers. Shouldn't the main star at least be here for this summit?"
Michael frowned, momentarily confused, before remembering the classified report detailing the unexpected intervention. The devils in the room grimaced, those who had met Kenji even more visibly so.
"Ah," Sirzechs coughed, covering the awkwardness. "Yes, I did bring up the matter with Mr. Takahashi and extended an invitation. He declined outright."
"As I expected!" Azazel said, laughing out loud.
Gabriel, who had only been told that the chaos was quelled, tilted her head. "Who is this… Takahashi?"
Azazel stretched, ignoring the question, then settled. "Hey, doesn't anyone think that this place is a little bit unsecured for a meeting like this?"
The younger devils bristled instantly, seeing the comment as a slight against their territory's security. Sirzechs, however, narrowed his eyes. Azazel was too experienced to pick a petty fight in a formal summit just to insult them. He was definitely baiting something.
"Oh?" Sirzechs asked, his voice smooth and neutral. "And do you have a place that is more… secure?"
Azazel gave him a sly, fox-like grin. "Well, since you asked—you see, I thought it would be a disaster if we had this meeting here and things turned for the worse. The area could suffer immense collateral damage if we are attacked, and surely the kids' education would be halted because of the damage to their school. And we can't have that now, can we?"
The excuse was ludicrously thin. Both the Devil and Angel factions could restore any urban damage in hours, this was transparently about maneuvering.
"Well, it just so happens," Azazel continued, his voice dripping with false concern, "that I own a beautiful, completely safe hotel in the next city, Shizuoka. Not too far from here. Large, secure, and reinforced against attacks. And conveniently situated right by the edge of town, keeping distance from civilian areas." He finished with a large, satisfied grin.
"I can agree," Sirzechs conceded, overriding the protests forming on his sister's lips. "It would be better to avoid unnecessary damage to Kuoh. A safer, non-devil-aligned space is perhaps prudent." Oh, he already knew why Azazel suggested that, he figured it out the moment the man mentioned Shizuoka.
"Michael?" Azazel asked.
The Archangel exhaled softly, his mind quickly too seeing why his fallen brother wanted to move the meeting place. They all knew this was about Kenji, and if Azazel could have him in a way come to their meeting, then it would be great. "…If it ensures the peace talks proceed smoothly, I have no objections."
"Great!" Azazel said loudly, clapping his hands.
He snapped his fingers.
A massive magic circle lit the floor beneath them, engulfing the room in blinding white light.
And in a blink, everyone was instantly settled into the opulent conference room of Azazel's private hotel in Shizuoka.
"Okay, this is better," Azazel said cheerfully, sinking into his chair.
Sirzechs recomposed himself. "Now that all participating factions are fully represented, let the summit commence."
The initial phase of the meeting focused on the immediate fallout of the Kokabiel incident. Rias gave a detailed account of the attack, with Sona backing her with information she had missed. The leaders deliberated on the necessary compensation for the damage done by the Fallen and the fallout of a rogue Cadre attempting to break the fragile ceasefire.
"Perhaps the Governor of the Fallen Angels would care to share his thoughts on the matter of their report," Sirzechs prompted, his tone becoming sharper.
"Kokabiel went rogue. Therefore, my thoughts on the matter are irrelevant," Azazel dismissed, waving a hand.
"So he acted entirely on his own volition?" Michael pressed, frowning at the cavalier attitude.
"Well, he never had my explicit permission, if that's what you're asking," Azazel defended, a smirk playing on his lips. "But something tells me the damn fool wouldn't have tried to destroy the whole Kuoh if he had known I was camping out there. I have, after all, come to enjoy the quiet city."
"Try and stay on topic, if you please," Sirzechs said, weary.
Azazel then pointed toward the silver-haired boy beside him, diverting the conversation completely. "Though it may have looked like I hadn't done anything, I had actually sent Vali here to go and help out, but it seems by the time he arrived, it was already over." The silver-haired boy clicked his tongue in annoyance, a flicker of disappointment in his gaze.
"And who exactly is he?" Serafall asked, her ever playful demeanor not there today, rather it was replaced by the serious expression of a Devil King.
Azazel grinned, watching the shock dawn on every face. "Please allow me to introduce to you the White Dragon Emperor, Vali."
The room exploded in stunned silence. The sheer weight of that name alone was something, the rival to the Red Dragon Emperor, now sitting calmly amongst them, was a massive revelation to the entire summit.
But before anyone could fully react—
BOOM!
The doors of the conference room slammed open with impossible, earth-shaking violence. The reinforced walls cracked, and dust rained from the ceiling.
The room went dead silent.
A murderous aura rolled in like a storm from his body.
Kenji Takahashi stood framed in the ruined doorway, his expression carved from molten stone, his eyes burning a dangerous, terrifying gold that radiated pure killing intent.
Every single one in the room, Angel, Devil, and Fallen alike, seemed to stiffen before they relaxed.
"Ah," Azazel said brightly, without a trace of panic, his grin now wide and victorious. "You made it."
Kenji's head snapped toward the Fallen Governor. The glow in his eyes intensified.
"What," Kenji growled, the single syllable dragging itself from his throat, each word a stone scraping against granite, "do you dusty, overgrown rats and pigeons think you're doing?" His voice was low, yet it vibrated in their chests.
A shiver of fear ran through the younger devils and even veteran Cadres.
Azazel only smiled wider, utterly unfazed by the threat of instant annihilation. "Just a meeting! But since you were clearly in the area, and have even come to check on us. Since you're here, why not join the—"
Another growl rumbled out of Kenji, deeper, darker, and truly feral this time. Even Vali, the White Dragon Emperor, shifted a step back, his eyes locked on the terrifying man, a flicker of genuine excitement in his gaze. Michael's wings twitched reflexively.
"Do you want to die," Kenji said quietly, each word delivered with the precision of a blade, "that badly… crow?"
His aura surged.
The entire hotel building creaked under an invisible, crushing gravitational force, and the walls visibly bowed inward.
The lights flickered violently.
And every single person in the conference room felt the force that surrounded the man intensify.
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