One month later.
Time passed without major upheavals. One month, for someone like Kazuya, was just another interval amid the constant chaos of life. But curiously, that period was… peaceful.
He met Yasaka several more times, and with each encounter, the sly fox seemed to test his limits with even greater boldness. It was only a matter of time before Kazuya gave in. And when he did… well, Yasaka learned the hard way, in the most practical manner, the meaning of her own provocations.
For an entire week, the respectable leader of the youkai had to hole up in her residence, unable to even walk properly. The whispers among her followers about "the lady not feeling well" fooled no one. Still, even exhausted, Yasaka seemed satisfied. Stubborn fox.
But nothing between the two had become official. It was a relationship that flirted with intimacy but still lingered on the thin line between politics and desire. They knew each other, tested each other, and the fire between them only grew.
Meanwhile, Kazuya's life continued at its own pace. Between occasional meetings with Yasaka, he resumed seeing Gabriel, always with that angelic air and a glow that irritated and enchanted him at the same time. He also met with other faction leaders, one after another, and sometimes together.
In the end, there was no relevant faction beyond his reach. Only the Hindu faction had stayed apart, watching from a distance—perhaps out of pride, perhaps because Indra had been beaten like a dog by one of Chaldea's members and nearly killed. The rest, all of them, had been integrated into the alliance: [Pleiades].
The name had emerged after long discussions, but the leadership was indisputable. Chaldea was at the center, and everything revolved around it.
Among the members were the Chinese gods, the angels and fallen angels, the Japanese gods, the youkai, the Argadian gods, and various smaller human organizations. Even the demons had found a middle ground, orbiting the alliance until Kazuya accepted the political marriage.
Obviously, not everything was just alliance.
He made the most of that bit of peace in the best way he could.
He spent the month between political meetings and moments of leisure, but deep down, what really mattered were the hours spent with his wives and servants. He trained when he wanted, rested when he felt like it, laughed without weight on his shoulders. Life was comfortable, almost too good to be true.
And as if that weren't enough, the Chaos Brigade—that constant shadow threatening humanity from their perspective—had been eliminated by his own hands. Without Ophis, who had basically moved to his dimension, that terrorist organization wasn't so relevant anymore.
No enemies remained.
The world, for the first time in ages, was at peace.
Perhaps it was just the prelude to something even greater.
And he was right....
.
.
.
.
.
Inside the colossal castle enveloped by the golden barrier, two men walked side by side down a wide corridor. The walls were decorated with luxurious tapestries and black chandeliers that illuminated the space with a soft but strangely oppressive light.
Rizevim Livan Lucifer wore clothes befitting a demonic king. His mantle embroidered in gold and crimson dragged across the black marble floor, reflecting his imposing presence. His eyes gleamed with the same mischievous malice as always, as if each step were part of a performance that only he understood.
At his side, Euclid Lucifuge, impeccable in a silver tunic of refined cut, wore a dark blue mantle over his shoulders with magical symbols embroidered in silver, his serious expression contrasting with Rizevim's relaxed aura.
He was the first to break the silence.
"Rizevim-sama... I have news. It was recently confirmed that the Khaos Brigade was dissolved last month. Without Ophis, those who were your subordinates were eliminated by Chaldea...."
Rizevim arched an eyebrow, as if the news were somewhat inconvenient but not exactly unexpected.
Rizevim lifted his eyes to the decorated ceiling, letting out a low, drawn-out laugh, as if the information were less a threat and more a bad-taste joke.
"Fufufu… of course they were. That Chaldea brat wouldn't leave a single spark lit in the world, would he?"
Euclid maintained his rigid posture, but there was tension in his gaze.
"He didn't just eliminate them… Kazuya consolidated all relevant factions under the banner of his alliance. The name they gave it is [Pleiades]. Angels, fallen angels, Japanese gods, Chinese gods, even the Argadians… all bowed to Chaldea. Only the Hindu faction remains apart."
Rizevim clicked his tongue, tilting his head slightly.
"Hmm… so the world decided to dance to his tune. How unpleasant… I like chaos, Euclid. I like it when men scream, when gods fall, and when order shatters into pieces. But now…" He spread his arms theatrically, as if showing an empty stage: "…now we have a satisfied humanity, bellies full, living in their little artificial paradise. How boring."
Euclid adjusted his gloves, his tone cold and calculating contrasting with his master's theatricality.
"With all due respect, Rizevim-sama… this peace is just an illusion. A glass castle. The more perfect it seems, the more fragile it will be at the right moment."
Rizevim's eyes gleamed, and a slow smile spread across his face.
"Exactly. You understand, Euclid. There is no paradise that doesn't hide its crack. There is no king who cannot be toppled." Rizevim let his words hang in the air, as if savoring his own malice. Then, he lazily turned his face to his subordinate: "And Ophis? As you said she vanished, where did she end up?"
Euclid didn't hesitate.
"I believe it has something to do with Chaldea...."
For an instant, the corridor fell silent, until Rizevim huffed like a sulky child.
"Tsc… how dull." He grumbled, raising his hands theatrically: "I already had some really fun plans with that little girl. An infinite little dragon would be a wonderful toy to mess up this utopian world. But no… they stole my candy again..."
He shrugged, laughing to himself, as if finding amusement in his own misfortune.
Euclid, on the other hand, merely curved his lips into a confident smile.
"We don't need her, Rizevim-sama. After many negotiations, Indra joined us. He and his gods are now under our command...."
Rizevim stopped walking for a second and turned with a surprised and excited expression.
"Indra? That arrogant peacock who thinks he commands the storm?" He burst into loud laughter: "So he preferred to sell himself to me rather than swallow his pride before Chaldea… hah! I like that...."
Euclid tilted his head, the cold smile remaining on his lips.
"It wasn't just that, Rizevim-sama..." He said calmly: "The ten thousand Super Devils we created continue to develop. But in the last month, I managed to refine seven of them...."
Rizevim stopped walking. His eyes gleamed like those of a child who had just found a new toy.
"Oh?" He leaned forward, interested: "Seven, you say?"
Euclid adjusted his gloves, as if it were just another trivial report.
"Each one is the result of multiple experiments, combinations that previously seemed impossible. Today, I can say without exaggeration: each of these seven possesses power equivalent to Shiva himself, who is considered one of the Strongest Beings in this world, below only Great Red and Ophis...."
For an instant, the corridor seemed to vibrate. Rizevim's laughter echoed off the stone walls, loud and thunderous, as if he couldn't contain it.
"HAHAHAHA! So that's it! That Chaldea brat thinks he's won, that he has the world in his hands… but we have seven pocket Shivas!" He spread his arms theatrically, his eyes sparkling with pure ecstasy: "Imagine it, Euclid. Seven gods of destruction, each one capable of splitting this world in two...."
Euclid merely nodded, cold as ever.
"When the time comes, just unleash them. And there will be no 'alliance' capable of resisting."
Rizevim spun around, as if dancing alone in the corridor, laughing once more.
"Wonderful, wonderful! The show isn't over after all. Let's give the world a new act, Euclid. A spectacle where even the gods will have to kneel."
He raised a finger, his eyes narrowing in pure malicious amusement.
"And the protagonist, of course, will be that Chaldea boy. I want to see how long he can hold out before he breaks. As Demon King, it's my job to crush the hero under my feet...."
Euclid's eyes shimmered with contained reverence before his lord's thunderous laughter. Every note of that guffaw seemed to echo like a chant of blasphemy, a promise of ruin. He tilted his head slightly, posture impeccable, and then spoke with a firm, icy voice:
"Everything is ready for the spectacle to begin whenever you desire."
The gleam in Rizevim's gaze intensified, a dancing crimson like embers amid the gold of his lineage. He lifted his chin, satisfied, and with a click of his tongue declared:
"Excellent. Then it's time to show this world that peace is nothing more than a mirage...."
Without further delay, he resumed walking down the corridor. The sound of his boots echoed across the marble, each step resounding like a harbinger of catastrophe. Euclid followed a step behind, rigid as an inseparable shadow, his serious face reflecting a silent fervor.
They soon arrived before a double door, black and ornamented with runes that writhed as if alive. As they approached, the symbols opened like hungry eyes, recognizing the presence of Lucifer's heir. With a simple touch from Rizevim, the doors swung wide open.
What lay beyond was no ordinary room. It was an endless abyss, an expanse of stone and darkness that stretched as far as the eye could see. Endless rows of devils filled the space, organized in military columns that pulsed like a living army. Their auras were suffocating, each one more violent than the last.
But even among thousands, seven figures stood out. Humanoid in appearance, each exuded a crushing power that distorted the very air around them. Their presences evoked erupting mountains, raging oceans, lightning bolts threatening to split the sky. Their eyes burned like embers, but there was no soul there—only the essence of destruction shaped by Euclid's science.
Rizevim stopped at the edge of the cliff overlooking the army. His arms spread wide, majestic, and his malicious smile widened.
"Magnificent. Look at that, Euclid… thousands of creatures ready to turn this world into a banquet of despair." His voice was silky, almost affectionate, but laced with venom: "And those seven… ah, those seven are the final symphony. The climax of our play...."
Euclid, who remained a step behind, observed with devotion. Though he knew Rizevim saw the world as a stage for his chaotic whims, his own motivation was far more intimate. His fist clenched discreetly.
His sister... He needed to avenge her!
Rizevim raised his arms like a conductor before his profane orchestra. His gaze swept over the devil-filled abyss as if contemplating not soldiers, but instruments of a macabre symphony.
"Look closely, Euclid… look at the stage that belongs to us. They call what they live peace. A united world, factions in harmony, giggles at round tables of diplomacy… how pathetic."
His voice resonated with soft venom, laden with sarcasm.
"Chaldea… Pleiades… pompous names to mask the same old mistake. They believe they can cage chaos in a golden birdcage and call it order. But chaos, my dear, cannot be tamed. It came before the universe! The cry of the first being, the last laugh when everything returns to ashes. They forgot that… and I will remind every one of them."
Rizevim snapped his fingers, and the darkness of the abyss seemed to come alive, responding to him like an audience eager for the show.
"Isn't it wonderful, Euclid? They huddle in their glass castles, believing themselves untouchable. Families, alliances, forbidden loves… all that drivel of unity and hope. But it takes just a spark. Just one crack. And it all crumbles, turning to dust."
He laughed low, as if savoring the irony.
"And I will be that spark. Not because I desire to rule… no, that's so boring. But because nothing is more fun than destroying what they believe to be eternal. I will show them that peace is the cruelest lie ever invented. I will drag the gods back into the mud, I will break the angels' wings, I will smother the mortals' chants until nothing remains but silence… and laughter. My laughter."
The tone of his voice rose, echoing through the abyss like inverted thunder.
"Let Kazuya and his pretty illusion of paradise come! Let his sweet Chaldea come, his little star in the night sky. I won't just crush their hope; I'll turn every tear, every plea, every breath of theirs into notes of my opera! The world will applaud in despair when the curtain falls."
Rizevim raised a finger, as if dictating the final sentence. His eyes sparkled in gold and scarlet.
"Let the true war begin. Not between factions, not between kings and demons… but between the lie and the truth. Between order and chaos. The show is about to start, Euclid… and I guarantee, no one will leave the final act alive."
The abyss roared in response. Devils howled like ravenous beasts. The darkness vibrated, as if hell itself were applauding.
Rizevim spread his arms, laughing with pure delight, and declared:
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome to the end!"
_____________________________
(A/N: Hello, everyone! I have some amazing news to share with you! From now on, all of our stories — Blue Lock, Against The Gods, and High School DxD — will have daily updates from Monday to Friday on Patreon! That's right: one new chapter every day, all week long, for those who want to follow everything in real time.
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