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Sirzechs gave a weary smile as he stopped Serafall, who looked seconds away from losing her temper. Narrowing his eyes, he turned toward Akio.
"It seems you've got quite the grudge against us devils."
Akio answered calmly, "Well, when devils are planning to wipe out humanity, don't you think I'm allowed to hold a grudge?"
"You're mistaken," Sirzechs said without hesitation. "We've never had any intention of exterminating humankind."
"Oh yeah? Then what about Umbrella's little activities?"
"That's nothing more than a few devils acting on their own," Sirzechs replied without a pause. "Just like how humans have extremists who pull insane stunts now and then."
He went on, "The same goes for devils. But individual actions don't represent the whole race. I swear on my name as Duke Gremory—devils have never once plotted humanity's extinction."
The truth was, even if humans weren't as strong as devils overall, every now and then someone extraordinary would appear among them. Not to mention Alaya's Counter Force had the Throne of Heroes—full of heroic spirits even devils had to take seriously.
If devils really started an all-out war with humans, it would be disastrous. Heaven would almost certainly side with humanity, and the devils would be caught fighting on two fronts. That could never be allowed to happen.
Which was why Sirzechs wasted no time reassuring Akio, trying to ease humanity's hostility toward them.
Akio raised an eyebrow, giving him a sidelong glance. "You've got a silver tongue, don't you?"
Serafall snorted. "Not everyone's as bad at talking as you are." She was still hung up on the things Akio had said earlier.
Akio brushed it off. "Fine. If you're not the ones planning to wipe us out, then tell me—who's the devil behind Umbrella?"
Sirzechs shook his head. "We haven't fully confirmed it yet. Not enough time has passed. But we do have a strong suspicion."
"Let's hear it." Akio's voice was indifferent.
Sirzechs said gravely, "The radical leader of the devil faction—Rizevim Livan Lucifer."
Akio knew the name. At Kuoh Academy, Rizevim was infamous as the head of Qlippoth. He was also the most powerful "super-transcendent," born from the union of the original Demon Lord Lucifer and the progenitor of devils, Lilith.
Recorded in the Bible under the name "Lilin," he was a frivolous yet cold man. After losing interest in everything around him, he'd set his sights on invading other worlds.
To that end, he created a clone of Ophis, revived Evil Dragons, and even tried to awaken the Beast of Apocalypse, 666, which God had sealed away—just to use it against Great Red.
Eventually, thanks to Ophis, Issei Hyoudou achieved Dragon Deification. In that state, he unleashed infinite power, surpassing all nullification limits, and struck down Rizevim Livan Lucifer—who was then finished off by Fafnir.
But before dying, Rizevim sacrificed his soul to awaken 666.
"Lucifer?"
Akio feigned ignorance, speaking coolly. "And what exactly is his relation to Demon Lord Lucifer?"
"He's Lord Lucifer's son," Sirzechs replied. "One of the devils who harbors the deepest hatred for humans. He's tried countless times to wipe them out. But every attempt was stopped by Lord Lucifer himself."
"Eventually, Rizevim broke ties with his father. He wanted to overthrow him and claim the throne of Demon Lord for himself. But he wasn't strong enough. Lord Lucifer defeated him and locked him away in a prison in the Underworld."
"Not long ago, there was a prison riot. Afterward, Rizevim disappeared. Most believe his followers broke him out. That's why we suspect he's the one behind Umbrella. Even if it isn't directly him, he's certainly involved."
At this, Medea tilted her head, curiosity sparking. "Can I ask—why is he so fixated on destroying humanity? Did something happen between him and humans?"
Sirzechs gave a bitter smile. "No."
"No?"
He nodded. "Rizevim has no personal grudge against humanity. No history, no vendetta."
Hohenheim frowned. "Then why try to destroy us?"
"Because," Sirzechs explained, "his goal isn't really humanity itself. He wants to cut off Heaven's source of faith. Without human belief, the angels would weaken. Then he could lead the devils to defeat Heaven, making his race the strongest of the three factions—even ruling all three realms."
Medea let out a quiet "Ah, so he's just an ambitious tyrant."
Sirzechs didn't deny it. Everything Rizevim had done was for his own ambition.
Akio listened without expression, then asked evenly, "And where is this Rizevim now?"
Sirzechs shook his head.
Serafall spoke instead. "We're looking for him too. Ever since he escaped from the Underworld's prison, no one has seen him. Many believe he's already left the Underworld and entered the human world. After Rias and Koneko told us about Umbrella, we started to suspect Rizevim was the one behind it."
"Destroying humanity has always been his obsession."
Medea had to admit it made sense. A devil who wanted humanity's destruction escaped from prison, and suddenly Umbrella, whose leader was obsessed with the same goal, emerged. That didn't look like coincidence.
Hohenheim asked, "So, how strong is this Rizevim?"
Sirzechs' face darkened. "He's Lord Lucifer's son. He inherited that bloodline's power. His talent was unmatched—his strength second only to Lord Lucifer himself. In the Underworld, only a handful of devils could stand against him. That's why so many rallied to his banner. Devils have always revered strength above all else."
Hohenheim's brow furrowed. This was going to be troublesome.
A devil that powerful, with followers at his back, and now dabbling in viruses designed to wipe out humanity?
That was not someone you could fight carelessly.
If they failed to kill him in one strike, humanity would face the full wrath of his faction. And that… would be disastrous.
"Boss," Hohenheim said grimly, "what's our next move?"
"..."
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