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In the school building—
Minato entered a large conference room.
It had clearly been remodeled for the occasion. The decor was completely different from the rest of the school.
At the center was a massive round table.
Surrounding it were all the top leaders from the three major factions.
Though honestly, at today's meeting, most of them were just here to stand around and observe.
"You made it, Minato!"
When he saw Minato, Sirzechs smiled and said,
"You already met Ajuka. As for the other two Demon Kings, they had some last-minute matters and couldn't make it. They asked me to apologize on their behalf."
The courtyard of the apartment…
Silent.
Only the sound of increasingly heavy breathing echoed now and then.
"It's fine."
Minato smiled casually and plopped himself down without a care.
"The Seventh King… I've heard a lot about you."
"Lord Minato, it's an honor to meet you."
The two men speaking—one looked laid-back and slightly mischievous, with a constant playful smirk.
The other was graceful and composed, a glowing halo above his head radiating a holy presence.
Minato glanced between them, smiling and giving a slight nod.
Azazel and Michael.
He'd never met them before, but he knew who they were.
One was the Governor of the Fallen Angels—a former Twelve-Winged Angel.
The other was the current Supreme Commander of Heaven, and once the right-hand man of the biblical God.
Both of them—
Were top-tier figures in the world of angels and fallen angels.
"Oh yeah, Azazel—was it your idea when Vali challenged me before?"
Minato turned to Azazel with a bright smile. "I let him live out of respect for the Fallen Angels, but I'm not just gonna let it slide."
"..."
Azazel's mouth twitched, and he gave Sirzechs a desperate look for help—only to get completely ignored.
Helpless, Azazel forced a smile and said, "Lord Minato, I did hear about that, and I've already scolded Vali for it."
"I appreciate your generosity."
"Just a thank you?"
Minato smiled faintly. "I heard you're quite the expert in making Sacred Gears. Mind if I check out your work sometime?"
That was his real goal.
He already had Imperial Arms in his possession, but if he could get access to Azazel's technology…
Someday, he might be able to build something that could rival even a Longinus-class Sacred Gear.
And even if that didn't happen—
He was confident he could at least get a good number of Origin Points out of it.
Azazel's eyelid twitched, but he soon smiled and said, "If someone like the God Slayer finds value in my work, that's an honor."
As he spoke, he pulled out a notebook and handed it to Minato.
"Alright, then we'll call it even."
Minato said bluntly as he took it. "I like people who are straightforward. If you've got time, let's grab a drink sometime."
Azazel chuckled. "Deal."
Handing over a bit of research to win over a God Slayer?
Not a bad deal at all.
Once the two were done talking, Sirzechs's expression turned serious.
"Now that we've settled personal matters, let's talk business."
"Besides introducing Minato—the newest God Slayer—I believe you two are also here in the name of peace, right?"
That line—
Made every onlooker's eyes go wide.
Even Minato was a bit stunned.
His brother-in-law really didn't do things halfway.
There was serious blood bad between the three factions.
Making peace wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
"That's right. I've been thinking about this for a while," Azazel spoke first. "In times like these, the three factions can't keep wasting energy on meaningless fights."
Michael sighed. "Yeah… Another Great War between angels and demons would mean more than just massive casualties. It might wipe us all out."
He had personal experience with that.
Fallen Angels could corrupt regular angels to replenish their numbers.
Demons could reincarnate others as Devils using Evil Pieces.
But angels?
Once one died, they were gone for good.
"Still, it won't be easy," Azazel added. "There are people like Kokabiel. I'm sure we're not the only ones dealing with psychos like him."
"Exactly. All it takes is one lunatic to ruin everything," Michael said seriously. "If I hadn't stepped in personally last time, the ending might've been very different."
Minato finally spoke. "Big bro Sirzechs, I like where your head's at… but you know this isn't gonna be easy."
"True. It wasn't supposed to be."
Sirzechs smiled. "But with you here, things have changed."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You may still be a Devil, but more importantly, you're now the King of the Earth."
Sirzechs continued, voice firm, "So I want to propose a three-way alliance… with you as the arbiter."
"That way, no matter who causes trouble, they'll have to answer to your wrath."
As soon as he said that, Michael and Azazel didn't react at all.
It was obvious—
They had already discussed this ahead of time.
Minato's expression turned a bit strange.
Arbiter?
That was actually a pretty solid idea.
A God Slayer—
Was easily one of the strongest beings in the world.
Sure, in the beginning, due to limited Authorities and undeveloped powers, their strength might only be on par with a mid-level Demon King.
But their growth rate?
Absolutely unmatched.
Just by slaying Gods, they could snatch away their Authorities. That alone made them terrifying.
In that case, with backing from all three major factions…
Anyone who dared stir the pot would have to think long and hard about whether they could handle his fury.
Still… weren't they just trying to get him to work for free?
Yeah, no chance.
Minato said directly, "Nice plan and all… but what's in it for me?"
"Kid, I'm your brother-in-law—do you really need a reward?"
"Even real brothers keep things clear. I'm sure Rias would back me up on this."
"You little…"
Sirzechs let out a long sigh. "Alright then. I'll assign you a powerful devil. You'll be satisfied."
Michael chimed in, "I'll also give you a strong angel to help with your duties as arbiter."
"Deal."
Minato agreed without hesitation. "But I don't want any men. They have to be single and female."
Sirzechs: "..."
Michael: "..."
That condition was… hard to argue with.
"Don't worry, the devil is a woman."
"And the angel is a female angel."
The two exchanged glances and finally sighed together.
"....."