Azazel managed a sheepish grin, breaking the tension with his trademark casualness.
"The attacks on the Church and Kuoh Town? Yeah, those were the handiwork of our Fallen Angel cadre, Kokabiel. But he went rogue—acted entirely on his own."
He shrugged, glancing at the others.
"I did send Vali to clean up, but by the time he got there, Shuo Nangong had already handled it. That's more or less the story. I'm sure you're all up to speed."
Michael's expression hardened, voice serious.
"What concerns us isn't just what happened, but why. Kokabiel tried to ignite a three-way war—that's not something we can overlook."
Serafall fixed Azazel with a steely glare.
"So this is what you call a war dissident? Fallen Angels really are a dangerous bunch."
The air grew tense, but Azazel remained unfazed, waving off her accusation.
"Hey, it's just a handful of extremists. Besides, don't you Devils have plenty of rebels on your side too?"
Serafall's eyes narrowed, lips pressed tight. She didn't answer.
Sirzechs, ever the mediator, tried to steer the discussion back.
"Azazel, we're talking about two separate issues. Our focus right now is—"
Azazel cut him off, waving a hand dismissively.
"Enough with the speeches. I've got zero interest in war. Let's just sign the peace agreement already—isn't that what you all want?"
He leaned back, voice ringing through the room.
"Once we sign, there won't be any more wars between our factions. Am I wrong?"
The room went dead silent.
Azazel broke the pause, his tone suddenly thoughtful.
"Since no one objects, the only thing left to worry about are the people who can tip the scales of the world."
He turned, addressing Vali directly.
"So, Vali—what's your take on world peace?"
Vali ignored the stares, his eyes fierce as he looked at Shuo.
"World peace doesn't interest me. I only care about fighting strong opponents."
Azazel sighed, half amused, half resigned.
"Well, that's the White Dragon Emperor for you. Fits your style."
He turned to Shuo, curiosity in his gaze.
"And you, Shuo Nangong? What does peace mean to you? Or do you have a dream?"
Shuo scanned the room, letting his gaze linger on Serafall for a long moment before answering, voice calm and unapologetic.
"My dream? To build a grand crystal palace and marry every beautiful woman who catches my eye. Oh, and to become the strongest in the world."
A stunned silence filled the room.
Serafall, cheeks flushed, glared at Shuo, lips pursed in outrage.
"Why—why were you looking at me just now?"
Shuo's grin was pure mischief.
"Didn't I say? Marrying beautiful girls includes you too, Serafall."
Serafall sputtered, finger shaking as she pointed at him, but words failed her. All she could do was glare, face burning.
Rias, Sona, and the other girls stared at Shuo as if he'd grown another head.
None of them expected him to drop such a bombshell in a formal summit—let alone openly declare his intentions toward Serafall, one of the four Devil Kings.
Their worldview was officially shattered.
Azazel burst out laughing, slapping the table.
"Ahahaha! Shuo Nangong, you're my kind of guy—I'm rooting for you!"
He flashed Shuo a thumbs up, then shot Serafall a teasing look, making her grind her teeth in frustration.
Even Michael and Sirzechs were caught off guard by Shuo's boldness.
Sirzechs' lips twitched as he glanced at his sister Rias, worry flickering in his eyes.
If Shuo really won over Serafall, Rias would lose any leverage for the main wife position—her status and strength couldn't compare.
And who knew how many more women Shuo might bring into the fold?
The thought made Sirzechs' head ache, but he pressed on, voicing his concern.
"If that's your dream, Shuo-kun, why do you also want to be the strongest?"
Shuo considered, then answered with a confident smile.
"Isn't becoming the strongest every man's dream? Besides, only by being the strongest can I truly protect the women I love. Isn't that right?"
He shot a warm look at Rias and the other girls.
Moved, the girls' eyes softened, their gazes filled with affection and pride.
The faction leaders exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shook the building.
"BOOM!"
Everyone rushed to the windows, faces turning grim as they took in the scene outside.
Rias and the girls cried out in alarm.
"It's a terrorist attack!"
Azazel peered calmly at the chaos beyond the academy walls, though his tone was weary.
"Looks like it. There are always extremists who hate peace, no matter the era."
He gestured at the ongoing battle.
"Most of those mages are only mid-level Devils, but there's a lot of them. I bet someone stronger is pulling the strings."
Shuo watched the three factions' guards clash with the invaders, mind racing.
Gasper had drunk his blood, mastering his Longinus and gaining a massive power boost.
The enemy couldn't handle Gasper head-on, so they'd resorted to brute force—throwing bodies at the problem.
He frowned, noting the endless stream of mages pouring in via magic circles.
"The enemy knows our layout and spatial nodes. Otherwise, this wouldn't be happening. Looks like we've got a traitor in our midst."
Azazel's brow furrowed, sighing heavily.
"A traitor…"
Every eye in the room turned to Azazel, suspicion thick in the air.
Azazel threw up his hands, exasperated.
"Come on, don't look at me like that! I have zero interest in war—I'd never be the inside man!"
He glanced nervously at the group, then tried to explain.
Sirzechs, face grave, locked eyes with Azazel.
"Azazel, I have a question. Why have you spent decades gathering Sacred Gear users, researching Sacred Gears and Longinus? What's your real purpose?"
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