Edited by: Marethyu, Priapus, UwU

– Cao Cao –

What the hell was Shalba doing? It had been more than ten minutes since the invasion, and there was still no sign of him. Had he lost? Against a handful of teenagers? No, that couldn't be true. He had a snake to use. Cao Cao didn't care how strong that yakuza princess was— she couldn't have beaten him.

But why was it taking him so long? How hard was it to knock out a teenager and hand her over to the Amon clan? In fact, even if that Beelzebub idiot was having trouble, why weren't they helping him?

Cao Cao had felt Shalba's and Akane's energy signatures disappear a few minutes ago, so he must've used the teleporter to take her away. What, did time move differently there or something?

Cao Cao clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stared at the powerless Satans beneath him, glaring at the human with fury. Oh, if looks could kill, everyone in Lucifaad would drop dead in an instant.

But they couldn't do anything. Not even lift a finger, for no devils could withstand the Will of God. Those who were able to resist could be counted on one hand, and none of those four were part of that tiny list.

To bend reality to the whim of the user— creating miracles that otherwise would be improbable… that was the power of the True Longnius. It wasn't just the ultimate holy weapon but the manifestation of virtue and purity, where the last remaining energy of Yahweh rested. It affected the very fabric of time and space.

Of course, maintaining Truth Idea was no easy feat. Even a single activation would usually knock him out, and once he woke up, he'd be bedridden for a whole week. But with the snake of Ophis? That made things different.

He was aware that her infinite pool of energy wasn't enough, though, as the output of Truth Idea was so intense his body couldn't keep it up for much longer. He couldn't maintain it forever— he would either need to let go and escape, or his physical body would begin breaking down.

So they needed to get this over with already.

"What's wrong?" Serafall looked at him with a smug smirk. "Where are your buddies?"

Cao Cao said nothing.

"Oh, right." She giggled. "They're too busy getting their ass kicked down there. Did you think we were the only powerful combatants here? You invaded us during a festival where the main attraction is a fucking combat tournament, you idiot."

His eyes twitched as he scowled deeply.

"If I were you, I'd think very carefully before I speak, woman." He warned. "You're under my mercy."

"Sera, don't provoke him."

"Please, your plan is very clearly falling apart, and you seem smart enough to know that. Gotta be the glasses." She snorted, ignoring the Satan Lucifer. "And yet you haven't killed us. I wonder why?"

Cao Cao's eyes narrowed.

Truthfully, he hated the fact that he was using Ophis' snake. Some shitty blessing given to him by that disaster of a dragon god. To even think about utilizing it was abandoning everything he stood for.

Cao Cao wanted nothing more than to tear these devils and every supernatural creature to shreds using his own power. His own skill and talent. He did NOT want to rely on anything else handed to him by these bastards.

The only exception was the Sacred Gears, tools created by the only benevolent Deus that had treated humans appropriately. And even then, it had taken Cao Cao more than fifteen years to wield the True Longinus properly. As far as he was concerned, it was his power.

He hated this snake that crawled around his spirit. He despised this feeling of foreign energy seeping into his soul and body. If it was in his hands, he would've torn that power out of himself and spat on it.

Unfortunately, he needed to set aside his pride for this plan to work.

Though nobody had said anything about him delivering the final blow, so he wasn't going to.

Cao Cao sighed, his scowl turning into a smile.

"You got me." He shrugged. "The reason I'm not killing you myself is because if I were to do it, it would be using my own power. Simple as that."

"At the risk of this whole operation failing?" Ajuka raised an eyebrow.

"As I said before, I've never been a fan of their plan." He reiterated. "In fact, I've never been a fan of you devils entirely. So, who cares if this fails? Let them cry about it. They have themselves to blame for being so comically incompetent."

"Let us go, Cao Cao." Sirzechs said. "It's clear that you don't want things to end like this."

"Oh, you misunderstand." Cao Cao responded. "I hate you. I despise everything about you. I just hate having to rely on that beast's power even more."

"Then I'll give you a proper battle. That's what you want, right?" The Satan Lucifer offered. "An honorable one-on-one. You have my word."

"Hmm…" He hummed thoughtfully. "Very tempting, but I decline."

"Ya don't really have a choice anymore."

Cao Cao couldn't register the new voice before he was struck in the face so hard he was sent flying outside of Lucifaad, momentarily blacking out from the punch as he smashed into a remote cliffside beyond the outskirts of the capital.

He wheezed, face burning with pain as he tried to readjust his vision, dazed by a single attack from an unknown enemy. His broken glasses fell down into a lake below as he shook his head, trying to recompose himself.

A part of him knew that if he had not used the snake's power to bolster his strength, that would've killed him. Who was capable of doing that?

Cao Cao flinched as he saw the enemy throwing another attack— a punch that would surely end his life if he didn't evade. And evade he did, leaping out of the way as that monstrosity tore apart the entire cliffside, splitting the lake and clouds from the force of his attack.

As the violent wind formed by his two white claws suspended him in the air, Taiga Saejima glared at Cao Cao, showing his might as one of, if not the most powerful humans alive.

The White Tiger?! Cao Cao thought in horror. Then that means the yakuza are already here.

Now that they were here, killing the New Satans would be impossible. If the Tojo Clan were willing to send their most powerful agent, then…

But of course, they're willing. He clicked his tongue, taking out his teleporter device from his pocket. Their precious princess was here.

Oh well, this plan was a lost cause now. He might as well cut his losses and escape.

Saejima continued glaring at him, seemingly not intending to attack, as Cao Cao pressed the button, teleporting him back to his base. As soon as he set foot there, he collapsed to the ground, the power of the snake leaving him as he used the light of the True Longinus to expel it out of his body in the shape of black smoke.

"Cao Cao!" Arthur quickly checked up on him, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay?! What happened?!"

"Everything is fine, my friend." He reassured him with a smile. "The mission failed, but that would always be the case when working with devils."

If anything, Cao Cao felt a little satisfied with himself.

Because, at the very least, he was 'defeated' by a fellow human.

– Akiyama –

Although he'd expected more from one of the three leaders of the Old Satans— a descendant of the original Leviathan that had drowned entire chunks of the underworld with her magic, it was starting to get very clear that he didn't need to use his Balance Breaker for this.

He almost felt disappointed. Shun had never gotten into a scuffle with them before, or at least not with any of their higher-ups, but was this really it? And while he was confident in his own strength, having one of the four gods as a Sacred Gear and all, this was just sad.

It was starting to become evident that the power difference between her and Rizevim was ludicrous. The son of Lucifer was more than strong enough to match Tatsu in strength during their fight, and, somehow, had even defeated him.

In comparison, if Tatsu were the one fighting her, Katerea would die from a single blow, even with this power-up of hers.

Watching her come out of the rubble, Shun stopped his advance as she coughed up the inhaled dust caused by her crashing through the debris. Blood seeped from her head and down her cheeks— her glasses were broken, and her hair, formerly tied into a bun, now fell over her face.

She gritted her teeth and pushed the rocks weighing her down, still raring to go as she scowled at him. Her demonic aura exploded, feeling threatened and intimidated by the Sky Finance Manager as seen in her slight trembling.

"What's wrong?" He looked at Katerea with a smirk. "I thought you were going to make me bleed."

With a yell, Katerea blasted him with her magic, which pierced him in the chest as he stood still. She growled in frustration as she drew no blood from that attack, for his insides were nothing less than roaring flames that restored the supposed damage she inflicted on him in seconds, very similar to a Phenex Devil regeneration.

"Not so funny when your enemies can do it, huh?" He asked, giving one of the robots flying overhead a glance. "So, are you going to tell me where Akane is?"

Katerea's scowl changed at the mention of her, turning into a sinister smile as she started to chuckle.

"Why does it matter?" She said. "You'll never see her again."

He frowned.

"And why is that?"

"Because Shalba is taking care of her as we speak," Katerea revealed. "And for your information, he's even stronger than I."

Shun rushed forward, grabbing Katerea by the neck and lifting her up, tightening his grip and making her choke. He didn't know what she was trying to say here or what the Old Satans could possibly want from her, but he was in no mood for jokes.

If Akane was stuck against someone like Shalba, who could have this exact power-up, then she could be in big trouble.

"What did you do to her?" He demanded, his voice still calm. "Where is she?"

Katerea laughed in-between coughs.

"It's too late." She answered. "Your precious niece was already taken away by the Amon clan."

His eyes widened. The Amon?! So that's why they attacked?! He knew that the Old Satans were in cahoots with them, but had this entire invasion been staged just to kidnap Akane? Were they really going that far for her?

Despite the flaming cloak around his body, Shun's blood ran cold, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to get back on the spot, but he knew that it was out of his hands at the moment. If the Amon really had her, then how the hell was he supposed to find where they were and take her back?

"Deep down, you know it too." Katerea's smile widened. "It's over. You've failed to protect her."

The intense fire of his Sacred Gear roared as it responded to his growing anger, turning bright blue as he had unconsciously activated his Balance Breaker. His grip around Katerea's throat tightened and burned hotter, making her eyes widen in pain as she tried to scream.

Calm yourself, Akiyama. Suzaku's feminine voice echoed in his mind. She's merely taunting you.

He paused.

If what she said was true, She continued. Then, this Shalba individual would be here helping with their invasion, or if this invasion really was staged, they'd start to retreat, for they would've already accomplished their objective.

Shun frowned in thought.

Akane is still fighting. He realized.

Most likely.

He relaxed his grip over Katerea's throat, letting her fall to the ground as the blue flames returned to their original color. She coughed violently, nursing the scorch marks left by his Sacred Gear.

"What…?" She glared at him hatefully. "Did you lose hope?"

"Your mind tricks won't work on me." He responded before giving her a smirk. "Maybe it's Shalba you should be worrying about. Akane has a tendency to scrape out a victory even if it's unlikely."

"You're delusional." Katerea scoffed. "Shalba is one of our strongest—"

The words seemed to have died in her throat as portals all over Lucifaad began appearing, and out of them walked hundreds of heavily armored Yakuza. In that exact second, the box of holy energy ensnaring the New Satans was blown away by a mighty force— a violent hurricane that tore apart everything in its path. Not even the robots could fix themselves fast enough as they were caught in the crossfire.

Shun felt a wave of relief as he felt the White Tiger's tremendous power. The cavalry had arrived.

"W-what?!" Katerea, however, was in despair. "This can't be! If they're here, then—"

"You lost." He told her.

Before she could try to retaliate in any meaningful way, Shun lifted his leg and struck her in the head with his foot, knocking her out. Whether she was telling the truth or not, she was to be taken as a prisoner and interrogated.

She was one of the leaders, and although not the leader, she probably knew much of the Old Satans' plans. He couldn't let her go.

Now to group up and figure out how they would get Akane back from wherever she was.

– Shalba –

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Shalba, frozen in shock and terror, took a step back as the human girl smirked at him menacingly, her demeanor having wholly switched into something else. From the confident and arrogant grins, angered snarls, and almost fearful scowls near the end of their fight to something that was in no way reminiscent of her prior character.

As demonic and divine energy engulfed the yakuza princess, her yokai heritage began to show as her black hair slowly turned white starting from its ends. Her power grew tremendously— every second in that state boosted her magic levels to absurdity.

That smirk of hers was unlike any before. A hint of madness and hunger mixed with the overwhelming desire to destroy him. This inexplicable, powerful rage seemed to have seeped into her aura and magic, causing the air to grow much colder— so cold that the sweat drops on his face began to freeze.

But that wasn't what stunned him. It wasn't her power or behavior that truly stupified Shalba.

It was what she held… that was none other than the legendary Blade of Vengeance. The great Devil King's most prized possession. The most powerful artifact that ever graced their universe. Something that Rizevim had been raving about ever since Shalba had met the madman many centuries ago.

He'd thought it was a myth—the mere ramblings of a lunatic—but there was no doubt of it. Shalba could feel it in his bones—that sword was Excelsis—the Malebranche—in the hands of a human. Was this some kind of dream? How was this even possible? How was it here, in her hands? He'd thought for sure it was destroyed in the Great War. Every record they'd gotten their hands on stated that.

Shalba's brain was going a hundred miles a second— trying to make sense of the situation before him. He still couldn't believe it. Even though it was right in front of him, it still felt unreal. He must be in a dream.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a tilt of her head, her voice eerily calm. "Where did all your confidence go?"

Shalba felt himself clenching his jaw. He had to calm down. Real or not, he couldn't lose his composure so quickly. He had to fish for information before doing anything drastic. The Amon clan had to be on their way, and with their support, it's possible to defeat her.

"That sword…" He pointed at the blade in her hand. "How are you wielding the instrument of evil so casually?"

"Hm? This?" She waved it around like a toy, giggling to herself. "Who knows? I just found it lying around.

Shalba scowled. Was she mocking him? She'd just 'found' something Rizevim had been looking for ever since the Great War ended? Was she out of her mind?

"So I just took this thing and thought I'd use it for myself." She added. "Nobody seemed to mind when I took it."

"It's not yours." He growled. "It rightfully belongs to his heir, Rizevim Lucifer!"

"No way you're lecturing me about stealing!" She laughed. "Actually, you wanna know something funny? I found it in a sewer, all alone and dirty, rotting next to the rats that surround it."

"W-what?" His eyes widened. She was correct; he didn't believe that. "Are you insane? The Great Malebranche, in a filthy sewer?!"

"Yup. Protected by all kinds of seals and illusions. Found it stuck in a rock, so I pulled it out. Why not, right? Might as well see what happens." Akane confirmed before pausing. "Huh. Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? Do you think that legally makes me your queen?"

"You…" Shalba could feel himself becoming angrier by the second, the power of infinity sparking around his body. "A human like you? Proprietor of our throne? Don't make me laugh."

"What's so funny about that?" Her unsettling smirk grew bigger. "I already own your beloved 'instrument of evil', don't I? Might as well bow before me."

Having suffered enough disrespect from this human whore, Shalba conjured up an army of his clan heritage. Millions upon millions of insects swarmed the girl, whose menacing smirk only grew. Not only did she stay there, but she didn't even bother to use any defensive spells.

For she only needed her aura to extinguish his magic, utterly annihilating all the insects in the blink of an eye.

"God, you're so bad at this." She said, rolling her eyes. "I was barely messing with you, and you're already throwing a tantrum."

"How did you—"

Shalba was then suddenly struck in the face, sending him tumbling over the pure white floor of the subdimension. The blow was so strong that it had broken his nose, something he couldn't possibly have expected from the little girl in front of him.

He quickly flipped and got on his feet, seeing her on the attack again. However, this time, he wasn't caught by surprise, successfully blocking her kick with his forearm. He could feel the weight behind the attack, but as of right now, she had yet to surpass him in power.

She was very quickly closing that gap, forcing him to release all his strength in an explosive display. Demonic magic mixed with Ophis' power of infinity meant that he had nothing to worry about in terms of energy consumption, which was very much a concern for her as far as he was aware.

With a giggle, Akane then froze his arm in an instant, causing Shalba to flinch and back off, but he was immediately hit in the chest right after, which once again froze under her touch. He acted quickly, using a large amount of his mana to create more insects that pushed her off as he shattered the ice.

But the human girl was relentless as she dispersed his swarm of bugs to attack once more, a far cry from how she'd fought earlier. From physical attacks to magic, everything she did hurt a thousand times more.

Shalba spread his wings with an annoyed growl and rolled in the air after he was struck with a particularly powerful punch, eyes widening as he saw several copies of girl attacking him. Panicking, he tried to use his swarm to shield himself before he was hit in the back with a kick, prompting him to gasp in pain.

"Dumbass." She mocked as her copies disappeared.

Illusion magic? He gritted his teeth, landing on the white floor. Since when did she—

Not wanting him to even breathe, Akane snapped her fingers and launched hundreds of ice shards his way, making him click tongue in annoyance. This was bad. The way she fought now was unlike before.

Where she used to be careful and defensive, now she was the opposite. The aggressiveness put him on the back foot, not giving him any chance to retaliate appropriately. He might really be out of options here.

She has already surpassed me in speed. He thought in dread. I need to act.

Shalba did his best, using pure demonic energy to cast a shield that barely protected him from the thousands of ice shards that tried to tear him apart. Some managed to pierce, drawing blood from his stomach, arms, and face.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of her attacking, and he responded appropriately by blasting her in the face before realizing it was just another illusion, as a hammer smashed into him from behind, sending him hurling to the sky where Akane sped up to. She then met him with a kick that nearly rendered him unconscious.

Shalba gasped as he landed on his back, but he knew this was not the time to rest even for a second as he concentrated to the best of his ability, creating more swarms to overwhelm his enemy, but to no avail, as they were all either frozen into icy particles or vaporized from the intense heat of the blade's aura.

The intense heat that he was starting to feel was slowly eating away at his very soul. Mixed with the cold aura of the girl's unreasonably powerful ice magic, it made concentrating in any way that mattered extremely difficult. With a clan trait that required his focus, he was left ultimately unable to truly go on the offense.

But he had to do what he could, so he flipped and landed on his feet as he was sent down by another one of her blows, using his pure demonic magic to try to shoot her out of the sky. He roared and unleashed a massive barrage of blasts, which she met with thousands of icicles with a laugh.

Shalba knew he had the advantage here, so he doubled his efforts and increased the amounts of spells he threw, but instead of stupidly trying to mimic what he did, Akane was clever enough to just make one massive wall of ice that blocked all his efforts at hurting her.

She then threw said wall at him, forcing him to back off. He barely made it out as the wall hit the floor, shattering into thousands of tiny ice shards that all began floating above the ground. Knowing what was going to happen, Shalba tried to destroy the shards with his own magic, but with them being remotely controlled by the girl above, they all began moving erratically, evading his blast before launching toward him.

Even though he put as much magic as he could into the shield around him, some of her ice shards still managed to pierce, wearing him down as more and more cuts formed around his body. And not any tiny, shallow cuts either— they were deep enough to kill.

And so, with a mighty scream, his power exploded further, disintegrating all the other shards, blood seeping from all the wounds she caused. But Shalba was no weakling. He wasn't going to be defeated so easily—!

He gasped as he watched her charge at him again through the smoke caused by his explosion, holding a saber made of ice in her other hand that she used to slash across his chest, making him cry out in pain. That was no shallow cut as blood began to pour out, but as he was a devil, this was not enough to put him down.

So Shalba used the opportunity to counter-attack instead of trying to create distance, casting a powerful wave of magic at her face. He saw the panic in her eyes for a split second, but it was too late for her as the blast covered a chunk of the space, tearing apart the pure white floor.

Blade of Vengeance or not, this had to have hurt her, possibly killed her, if anything. She was a human, after all. She didn't have the luxury of a durable body like most other races. But Shalba didn't care— at this point, it was do or die.

And he valued his own life more than a tool the Amon desired.

"To tell you the truth, Shalba—" He heard her say, making his eyes go wide. "I'm very thankful to you right now."

The smoke cleared, and she was still there standing, blood trailing down her forehead and nose, but still giving him that creepy smirk as more of her hair had fully turned white as a shadow-like cloak formed around her shoulders. That wasn't enough?! What the hell was that sword doing to her?!

Shalba growled, threatened, and angered by the human girl as she stared at Excelsis in her hand.

"All this time, I had to hide Excelsis from everyone because I knew damn well what would happen if anyone knew I had it." She said. "It made me realize that people are afraid of power. Real power. That's why they seal incredible artifacts like this. It's frustrating, isn't it? Power like this shouldn't be feared. It should be used. Who cares if it was used to devour souls?"

She stepped forward.

"Why is it even a sin, anyway? Some people don't deserve the soul or power they were blessed with." She continues her monologue, sounding more and more like a devil of old rather than a typical human. "They don't deserve to live lives they're going to waste on distractions anyway. Those people deserve to die. They deserve to be denied reincarnation and an afterlife. Power, state of being, and individuality should be in the hands of the ambitious and competent, not the useless and lazy."

What the hell is she going on about? Shalba thought, his dread and confusion by the second.

"Unfortunately, the 'leaders' of this world don't see it the way I do. It's all about these stupid 'rights to live' and 'sacredness of the soul'. It's ridiculous." She added with a sigh. "But I digress. You see, ever since I got my hands on Excelsis, I've always had this urge to use it somewhere. See what it's really capable of. And you…"

She looked at him, her smile growing wider.

"You've given me that chance," Akane stated, expressing her excitement. "Almost makes me feel bad for what I'm gonna do to you."

Shalba stood up on his feet as she got closer.

"Almost." She reiterated, tightening her fist around the sword as the veins in her forehead throbbed. "This incredible feeling of power aside, I've never felt this strong of an urge to kill and destroy everything in my path."

He knew what she was referring to. Or at least, he assumed he knew, seeing how much Rizevim liked talking about the blade and its properties. The fact that it injected its hatred toward life into its wielder until they lost any sense of themselves and let Excelsis itself control the body until death.

The fact that a human like her was still able to talk intelligently for this long was impressive, but soon enough, she'd just turn into a mindless beast and get her essence consumed by the blade. Only a devil could wield it safely.

"The sword's influence,"Shalba responded before scoffing. "Naturally, a human wouldn't know how to control it…"

"Oh, I'm controlling it just fine." She chuckled. "Otherwise, you would've already lost your head. Here, let me show you."

As Shalba got ready for an attack, he was hit by a gust of wind accompanied by the shallowest of cuts across his neck, only breaking the skin and nothing else. He took a moment to process what had just happened. Akane was standing right next to him, where, less than a second ago, he had been a great distance away.

He put a hand over his throat, the dread and rage he felt over the girl turning into overwhelming fear as he realized the situation he was in. Unlike just a minute ago, he stood no chance against her now. He had effectively lost the battle.

"See?" She whispered. "I guess Lucifer is stronger than Ophis after all."

In a flight-or-fight response, Shalba tried to launch another devastating attack, but all of a sudden, he lost his balance and fell, a cold feeling surrounding his leg, making him look down to see that it was completely frozen off.

He couldn't even scream before his leg shattered. Once he tried to escape, more ice shot out of the ground, stabbing him in the chest and shoulders before freezing some of his body solid, preventing him from moving.

Shalba tried to do what he did earlier, unleashing his magic in every direction in the form of a tremendous explosion, but then, suddenly, a sharp pain in his heart prevented him from doing so. But this wasn't Akane's doing— he felt it deep in his body, in his very essence.

He struggled to breathe, feeling the infinite power of the snake leaving him as his injured and weakened body failed to accommodate it. He shrieked in agony, his mana going haywire at the sudden decline in power.

"Oh, so there was a drawback after all." He heard her mutter, but he couldn't focus, breathing heavily. "I thought so. No way a power like that is free."

"Y-you'll pay for this…" He growled. "You think you're getting away?"

Akane simply got in front of him, not saying a word. Her smile had disappeared, replaced by a frown as she visibly tried to control the rage induced by the blade.

"The world's most powerful would do anything to acquire the blade," Shalba said. "You won't live to see another day— GGHAAAAA!"

He could feel it— the agonizing sensation in every inch of his body as the ice spread in the form of small spikes, puncturing his insides and tearing them apart. Shalba gritted his teeth, his breathing growing ever heavier as the hellish pain persisted, his devil endurance being a curse as he remained conscious even after losing much blood.

Akane grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her. At her devilish and sadistic smirk, Shalba felt terrified.

"Look at you. So scared of a mere 'human'. Are you going to start begging now? That's how it works with you 'villains' no? When things stop going your way, you show your real miserable, pathetic self." She said with a giggle, making him flinch. "Now that's a good look on your face. It suits you."

"Once he…" Shalba gasped as she let go of his face. "…Once Rizevim learns of this—"

"He'll die just like you," Akane claimed. "He's nothing special. After all, the sword chose me as its new master. Not him. It knows who's truly worthy of wielding it."

Shalba was too weak to even speak, seemingly on the verge of passing out as he tried but failed to summon any of his power. He couldn't even conjure a single insect.

"But that's enough talk. Maybe you can't tell, but I'm starving~" She added, raising her free hand as it turned dark— surrounded by a power he had never felt or seen before. "I waited far too long for this."

Shalba couldn't ask what she was about to do before she plunged her blackened arm into his heart. But it wasn't his heart that she was trying to pull out, but his essence— his very soul. He gasped in fear and pain as he tried to stop her, but being so weakened and without the snake's power…

He knew he stood no chance.

So, with a scream of pain and fear, he tried as hard as he could, but Akane still overpowered him regardless, taking his soul into her hand. Shalba stared in abject horror at such a nightmarish scene in front of his eyes, but before long, his consciousness slipped away, and the last Beelzebub Descendent lost his life.

– Akane –

I'm almost in disbelief at the bright soul in my hand. Unlike anything I've seen— where those idiot gangbangers had tiny white embers for their eternal essence, Shalba's soul was a ball of black flame as big as my head. A red and green aura surrounds it, showing the massive difference in power between an average human and a powerful devil. I can feel the intensity radiating off it.

When I first learned of this supposed invasion, I didn't expect it to go this way at all. I counted on splitting off and picking a few enemies here and there, quickly growing my strength that way. Well, relatively quickly.

Because I didn't expect I'd get the chance to steal the soul of their boss. An Old Satan leader. The Beelzebub descendant. So much stronger than the rest of the troops it's not even funny. I did it. I really did it. I defeated him and got his soul.

Holy fuck, how did this happen?

"How disappointing." Lucifer suddenly says, looking at Shalba's corpse. "I expected Beelzebub's descendant would put up more of a fight. Not even relying on Ophis' blessing helped him."

"You expected more from this weakling?" I say without thinking. "He needed a blessing from the infinity dragon to stand a chance against teenagers. Don't be fucking stupid."

I'm surprised at my own needlessly aggressive response, but Lucifer merely raises a brow at me, smiling in amusement.

"Perhaps it's time you let go of the sword, my dear." He suggests. "Its effects are starting to become… dangerous."

As I'm about to snap at him for daring to tell me what to do, I realize that he's very right. My power is still continuously rising, but so is this foreign anger caused by the blade invading my own soul. No wonder Gamer's Mind didn't prevent it— it's affecting my whole being, not just my brain.

So, with strange reluctance, I return the sword to my inventory, and as soon as I do, I feel a painful, electrifying, and burning feeling throughout my entire body, causing me to fall to my knees and preventing me from breathing as something builds up in my throat, just like the first time I used Excelsis, except much worse.

After a few violent coughs, I throw up the black mass that formed in me— the collective dark energy I absorbed from the sword, now expelled from my body as I gasp for air. It's humiliating having this happen to me in front of someone, but it's not like I can help it.

The black mass squirms and twitches before disintegrating into smoke, making me sigh in relief. That was so, so much worse than the first time. I open my stats just in case, grimacing as I see that my HP has gone down to 40% just from that. I barely used it for a few minutes…

"Fuck…" I groan and wipe my mouth, clutching Shalba's soul tightly. "Why does it have to be so unpleasant?"

"Because you wasted too much time speaking." Lucifer criticizes. "There was no need to humor his attempt at buying time."

"Buying time helped me close the gap quicker," I argue, getting back up. "He got intimidated. Regardless of my growing power, he wasn't confident in taking me on immediately. I used that to my advantage."

If I'd attacked as soon as I equipped the sword, he would've noticed that he was much stronger than I still was and knocked me out as quickly as he could. It was to my benefit that I played along for a bit.

"That's what we call being 'too careful'." He disagrees. "True, had you not gone along, he would have the power advantage, but not by a massive margin. He could not have beaten you quickly enough before you caught up."

"You don't know that." I narrow my eyes at him.

"It's my blade, Akane." He makes a very good point. "Of course, I know its strengths and weaknesses."

I don't have a good response to that, so I reluctantly concede. I'm in too much of a good mood to continue arguing about something that doesn't even matter.

"Oh well. I'll keep this in mind the next time I'm forced to use it. But now…" I sigh, grinning at the soul in my hand. "I won. And that's all that matters."

"Thankfully, yes."

I look at the soul with anticipation, very giddy at what I'm about to experience. If the soul of a regular person was so mind-numbingly good, then someone of Shalba's caliber… I'm almost drooling at the thought.

To make matters even better? I'm in some dimension where nobody can sense me, literally outside the universe, so there's no worry of someone figuring out anything. When I'm out of here? I'll just tell them that I managed to win because the 'strange' power he used started to destroy him from the inside. And I wouldn't even be lying. That did happen near the end of the fight.

This… went even better than I thought it would. Everything was 150% perfect. Thinking I'd get to eat some of the small fries, I ended up with the main course. It's like the universe is saying sorry for how it treated me earlier.

It makes all the wait so much worth it.

And so, after a deep breath, I tighten my fist over the soul, feeling some resistance before it's crushed.

As I anticipated, it's COMPLETELY different from the ordinary human souls I've consumed in the past. Shalba's knowledge, magic, and fragments of his memories merge with my soul, nourishing it. The overwhelming euphoria surges through every cell in my body, forcing me to my knees.

The tingles are far more pronounced now, causing me to shudder. It's beyond what human words can convey—nothing can truly capture these unfathomable feelings. No pleasure in any realm compares to the sheer, intense joy of fueling your own soul.

I can't help but giggle, my trembling quickly stopping as the feeling once again disappears the exact moment I felt it. My giggles grow into laughter as I see the stats and perks I gained from Shalba.

Level up! x29

+645 STR +605 END +455 DEX +325 INT +270 WIS +205 CHA +10 LUK

Name - Akane Amamiya

Level - 254

Title - Undead Slayer

Primary Class - Juggernaut - LVL 54/100 [84%]

Secondary Class - Illusionist - LVL 50/100 [51%]

Race - Human

Rank - Mortal

Alignment - Neutral Evil

HP - 93,780 [12,504 per minute]

MP - 87,500 [39,600 per minute]

SP - 93,780 [12,504 per minute]

STR - 3947

END - 3126

DEX - 2934

INT - 3500

WIS - 3300

CHA - 2091

LUK – 1116

[Essence of the Colossus] – Perk – 2500 END

With such force within, a fragment of your soul has gained a powerful essence. This is only the beginning…

Doubles HP and SP

Doubles HP and SP regeneration

Increases damage reduction by 15%

[Essence of the Wayfarer] – Perk – 2500 DEX

With such force within, a fragment of your soul has gained a powerful essence. This is only the beginning…

Increases speed by 50%

Effects of previous DEX perks are boosted

It may not seem very impressive, but this is a little over 2500 stats from a single enemy using a level two Devour. This is absurd. I can only imagine how much I would've gotten had Devour counted the snake as Shalba's own power.

From one person, I got two perks, an immense amount of stat points, and Devour upgraded to level three. I couldn't have hoped for this to go any better. And if I were to win the tournament… that's an extra 1000 in every stat.

I'm going to be un-fucking-stoppable.

As I continue reading the notification, sighing in relief and pleasure at what I just experienced, I paused and saw a strange notice I've never received before.

Skill gained

Warning: The Skill [Beelzebub Clan Trait: Insect Control] is incompatible with the user's body and magic. Find a solution?

What? What do you mean it's incompatible with my body? I thought Gamer's Body mitigated that problem, didn't it?

No. The clan trait requires demonic energy to work.

So? Shouldn't Devour give me his demonic energy?

No. You only get his most powerful unique ability. You may be able to gain racial-exclusive abilities if you upgrade Devour to an appropriate level.

Right. Well, it's not like it matters. Whatever solution the system finds, I'll probably be satisfied with it.

Finding solution…

…

Solution found.

Converted [Beelzebub Clan Trait: Insect Control] into [Insect Control: Novice]

What was even the point of doing all that? It's the same fucking thing.

Oh well, like I said, it doesn't matter. I wasn't planning to utilize such a disgusting ability anyway. You'd see me dead before I ever even think about using this shitty power.

"How do you feel?" Lucifer asks.

"Never better," I answer. "It was everything I hoped for and more."

"I can imagine." He chuckles before looking to the side. "We have a visitor, by the way."

As soon as he says that, I hear slow clapping from where Lucifer is looking, prompting me to follow his line of sight and see a man in black gazing at me from behind his shades. Expressionless and unmoving, the man continues his claps a few times before speaking.

"Well done." He praised. "You've far exceeded my expectations, Akane."

I immediately know who this person is, even without using Observe to check his stats. He looks very similar to that other agent that I fought against— Shin Amon, who claimed to be my cousin, making it very clear who this is. However, I still use Observe just to see if I can get out of this situation somehow. Unfortunately for me…

Name: Jo Amon

Title: The Fiercest Warrior

HP - ?

MP - ?

SP - ?

Race - Nano-Cyborg

LVL - ?

STR - ?

END - ?

DEX - ?

INT - ?

WIS - ?

CHA - ?

LUK - ?

Thoughts about you: Impressed with your performance against an amped-up Shalba

I don't think I stand a chance against him, even with this new power-up. Though, I don't sense any malicious or killing intent from him.

…Scratch that; I can't feel anything from him.

"How bizarre. That man's presence is…" Lucifer notes before pausing. "It's almost as if I'm staring at someone that doesn't exist."

Those are my thoughts exactly. This isn't like the cloaking tech Kokabiel and his subordinates used because when I became aware of them, I could still feel their presence in a way. Not their magic or energy, but things like intent? It was still noticeable. You can't hide those things with tech or magic.

But this guy? It seriously feels like I'm hallucinating. Is it maybe a hologram or something? I'd expect that from a high-tech faction. It's not like their leader needs to see me personally, right? But if he wanted to kidnap me all along, then why isn't he here? Assuming it is a hologram.

Perhaps it's because he's a cyborg? Possibly.

Still, even though I doubt I can get out of this unscathed, I cast hundreds of ice spells around me, all aiming at the Amon agent. He is as still as a statue, and his expression isn't telling me much. Observe isn't helping in this regard either.

"There's no need." He says calmly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I only wish to speak."

"Tell it to the corpse," I respond, pointing at Shalba's body. "He dragged me here and used one of your creations to do it. Far as I'm concerned, you're an enemy."

"The devil merely played his role." My supposed uncle retorts. "Perfectly, might I add."

I pause. Played his role? I mean, he did successfully kidnap me, so yeah, but with how this guy phrased that sentence, it makes it seem like he meant something else entirely.

"What do you mean?"

Jo pauses for a moment before asking.

"Since coming to this dimension, have you ever wondered why we've never helped him?"

I stop to think about it for a second, making me realize how strange their late response is. They couldn't have messed up and been late for a silly reason, right? This had to have been deliberate.

"To put it simply, this was a test." He explains. "And you passed with flying colors. Well done."

"A test?" I narrow my eyes.

"Indeed," He confirms. "We wanted to see how you'd fare against Shalba, and we knew you couldn't use all the tools at your disposal in the middle of the battlefield, so considering he had the snake to rely on, we thought we'd help you level the playing field."

I pause.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? We had our suspicions about Excelsis being in your possession." He reveals, making me freeze. "You hid it well enough, but we know you've been in contact with Lucifer's spirit."

"You knew?"

"We knew everything. We've been monitoring you for quite a while, you see. Ever since you came to Kuoh, in fact." He says. "And since then, you've revealed much to us. Your inexplicable mastery over spatial magic, unnatural growth in power, sudden interest and skill in mechanics, and most of all… your soul-stealing spree in Hokkaido."

I feel worse about this the more stuff he lists off. I knew it. So they've been watching everything after all, haven't they? All this time, I thought I was being as careful as I possibly could… Turns out there's room for improvement.

I clench my fists nervously. To think he knows about me devouring those people. Shit, this could be a big problem.

"…And now, you've confirmed our suspicions." He adds. "You, Akane Amamiya, are an anomaly. Something about you is alien to me."

"And what's that?" I ask.

"Prior to you coming to Kuoh, you were mostly a regular girl. Temperamental and a problem maker, but you exuded none of our family's personality traits." He says, making me feel colder by the second. "This sudden switch in your characteristics is not natural, and it couldn't have been the sword's doing. This change was before you seemingly found it during your trip to the underworld."

What the fuck? How does he know all of this? Nobody noticed anything, not even my own mother. Odd looks here and there aren't close to his terrifyingly accurate description. How could he have possibly figured all of this out?

"He's good." Lucifer praises, still smiling calmly. "Hmm, I wonder what he's truly after? And what purpose he'd have you serve?"

"It made me wonder just what you are. What you're truly hiding." Jo continues before snorting. "But in the grand scheme of things, that does not matter, does it? You are still family."

"Enough of these stupid games," I growl, feeling genuinely threatened. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Jo pauses, and after a moment of silence, he finally moves, taking a few steps towards me, which makes me tense.

"I want you to join us." He says, extending his arm. "Your real family. Not those sentimental little idiots that hold you back."

"Not another step," I warn him, knowing damn well my spells aren't gonna do any damage.

Out of courtesy or amusement, he stops, continuing his offer.

"I promise you tools and weapons beyond your wildest dreams. The knowledge that no one else has access to." My uncle continues, leaning closer. "And countless souls to satiate your endless thirst for power."

I glance at his offered hand, giving it more thought. If I just take it, then…

It's tempting. It's really, really tempting. I do not have to worry about people catching me devouring souls for my benefit— people actively helping me to grow in power—none of that silly training that's barely helpful, if at all. An actual path to infinite power, where no one holds me back from unleashing my full potential.

With people like the Amon clan, where nothing is beneath them investing in me… I could easily be the most powerful person in the universe. It's everything I ever wanted. Offered to me on a silver platter.

…But what am I really trading it for? Is this really the right decision? Is this what I want to do?

A mental image of my mother, Ichiban, Akiyama, and even Asia and the devils flash in my mind, making me clench my jaw in frustration. This isn't fair. Why isn't it working, Game? Didn't you tell me that this sociopath trait would work better once I grow more powerful?!

Well, here I fucking am, already at the level of a Satan class! What the fuck are you waiting for?! Why do I still care?! Am I misunderstanding it or something? If I am, then get rid of it and give me the appropriate trait, you stupid cosmic loser!

This is really pissing me off. That's all you ever did.

No, I'm thinking under the pretense that he's telling the truth. There gotta be a catch or something. I can't just blindly trust someone because they're promising me power. Mom warned me about them for a reason.

"…And if I refuse?" I ask hesitantly as I stare at him in the eyes. "What will you do?"

Jo pauses, giving me an odd look.

"Haven't you heard me?" He tilts his head slightly. "I know everything about you, Akane. Naturally, I had everything recorded, even this battle. I can destroy your social life and everything you've built in a blink."

…Is he blackmailing me? Seriously? That's what he's going for? I was almost convinced to take his hand… Now, he just made it easy for me to deny his offer and not feel bad about it.

…That's good. I'm glad that's the case. Now I know that it was too good to be true.

"Really?" My conflicted frown turns into a confident smirk. "Do it, then."

"Pardon me?"

"Do it. Share your recordings everywhere. To the Tojo clan, my mother— anyone you could think of." I snort. "You think I'm scared of this ridiculous threat of yours?

Jo looks at me in slight confusion, as does Lucifer, though he is more interested in my response.

"The thing is, uncle. No one is going to believe you." I state with confidence. "You can have as much evidence as you want, even use this same conversation we're having, but none of it would help your case."

"And why is that?" He frowns.

"Because with your tech level, anything could've been easily fabricated." I point out. "It doesn't matter how convincing it looks— nobody trusts you, especially my mother. Your 'evidence' would be disregarded, and you'd be accused of falsifying the recordings and whatever picture you took. There's nothing you can do to prove otherwise. And since you know me so well, then you know that I'm a very good actress."

Utter idiot. How couldn't he have seen this coming? Perhaps he was banking on me agreeing too hard. If he had tried to persuade me better without resorting to dumbass threats, I might've accepted the offer.

He says he knows everything about me, and that might be true to an extent. Unfortunately, he forgot just how petty I can be—threatening and blackmailing me? Just who the fuck do you think you are? As if I'd comply with people like that. All you did was write your name on my shit list.

And it's very hard for me to forgive.

I'm seriously glad that he went with that. Now I feel terrific about telling him to piss off and fuck himself.

"Ahh…" Lucifer's smile widens. "Turning their own strength against them, hm? Clever."

"Turns out you don't know me as much as you think you do," I say with a grin. "You're right— I do want power. I do want to be stronger. But I hate being ordered around even more. Do you think you could just blackmail me to work for you? You gotta be an idiot."

He frowns at that.

"Obviously, I realize that you could just force me to go with you, and there's nothing I can do about it, but let me give you one word of advice," I add. "I'm very, very spiteful. So unless you're named Mizuki Amamiya and can handle me at my absolute worst, I'll make your life a living hell. There wouldn't be a day going by without you regretting it. That, I can promise."

If he thinks I'm so important, then he's not willing to kill me, and there's no way for him to control me in any capacity. He can't pressure me to join his stupid clan even if he tries. He knows it. I know it. I win.

But, of course, I did. I'm allergic to losing.

"...Very well." He concedes. "You've made your point, and I won't force you to come with me."

"Tsk tsk. You can't force me. Let's make it clear." I wag my finger at him, feeling a little dangerous. "So, are we done? If yes, please send me back."

Without saying another word, glowing white particles begin to surround me. Though before I'm assumingly teleported out of here, Jo flicks something at me, which I catch. It's a tiny black button with no other characteristics— as simple as one might imagine.

"If you ever find yourself changing your mind, press it." He says, giving me his back. "So long."

With that, a blinding light similar to what brought me to this dimension flashes, prompting me to close my eyes in discomfort. Immediately after, I can sense everything and everyone in the vicinity— Ichiban, Rias, and everyone else.

Once I blink a few times to adjust my vision to my surroundings, I notice that I'm back in the coliseum. I quickly create my ice wings and take flight to the sky, seeing that the battle is over with how quiet it is. Countless dead bodies and broken robots litter the streets, making me hum to myself.

I'm not going to lie; I'm very impressed. I don't think I was in that dimension for longer than ten minutes, and they already wiped out the invaders. And here I was, excited at the prospect of getting a few more bonus souls…

I look at the button he gave me in thought before sending it to my inventory and flying over to where I can sense most people I know.

Oh well, I got Shalba's. You won't see me complaining about this.

– Sona –

With the support of the Tojo Clan, the battle ended very quickly. The robots escaped, and enemy devils and magicians either surrendered or were slain. Those who were captured were immediately transferred to a nearby prison, awaiting interrogation.

As for them, they gathered in the Palace of Lucifer, unsurprisingly not as damaged as the rest of the city as its protective wards were of a much higher quality. Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the palace, guarding it as doctors and healers treated their wounded.

For the most part, the casualties on their side were minimal, considering the sudden attack. While many of their own soldiers and warriors had lost their lives, it seemed that no civilian suffered anything worse than minor injuries.

Which sent a wave of relief to everyone involved in defending the city. It seems that with their quick response, the combatants stationed everywhere in Lucifaad, and Kuisha's convenient clan trait, the evacuation procedures had more or less gone flawlessly. They were lucky that the imprisoning wards did not affect her portals.

The Old Satans were careless in that regard. The Abaddon clan trait, 'Hole', worked very differently than regular teleportation. The fundamentality of that ability made the imprisoning wards ineffective. Otherwise, they would've had a lot of dead civilians on their hands.

Which would've been a nightmare to deal with because many of those civilians weren't devils. The last thing they wanted was to piss off several factions at the same time, so soon after the peace treaty. The backlash would have been disastrous.

So, at the very least, this invasion wasn't a total disaster. Their response had been quick and efficient, with no civilian deaths, and they'd even managed to capture one of the leaders of the Old Satans. Even without the help of the New Satans, they'd managed to do well on their own.

"I was so scared!" Serafall cried, hugging her Sona tightly. "I thought my baby sister got hurt and died!"

While she did get hurt in her battle with Shalba, she did not, in fact, die. Thankfully, the most she suffered were only a few scratches here and there and nothing more.

"I'm fine, Sera," Sona responded gently, knowing that despite her behavior, her sister was genuinely terrified for her safety. "I can take care of myself."

Within the large meeting room of the palace, Sona looked over her sister's shoulder, watching her friends sitting apart from the injured, their wounds having already been treated. Rias and her peerage were in one corner, Sai and his in another, and Ichiban was sitting alone on one of the chairs, looking deathly worried.

But why wouldn't he be? After all that, they still had no idea where Akane was. Shalba had taken her away and vanished to who knew where. She was clearly not in the underworld anymore. Otherwise, they would've already located her and sent a rescue party.

"I-I know that, but still…" Serafall sniffled. "I couldn't do anything to help you. I'm the worst sister ever."

"That's not true. You had your hands full with that Cao Cao person." Sona shook her head. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"Serafall."

Sirzechs' voice made her sister whip her head at him, spotting him next to the yakuza generals, then nodding. She let go of Sona, giving her one last smile before walking away to discuss the situation with them.

Sona frowned, as she still didn't understand the situation in detail, the hows and whys of it.

She still didn't know what Shalba or the Old Satans wanted from her or who those 'human allies' he spoke of were, but Sona was confident that, wherever she was, Akane was still alive. It had been made explicitly apparent that she was to be taken alive.

So, at worst, Shalba knocked her out and handed her over to his mysterious allies. Where and who they could be, Sona didn't know. She was very worried about Akane, however. While she didn't think she was killed, there's no telling what they might be doing to her.

It left her increasingly concerned and guilty that she'd let this happen. They had been winning the battle until he'd used that unknown power-up, which should've been evident to her. If Diodora, a defect who'd joined the Old Satans, had one, then why couldn't Shalba?

It could've been avoided had they planned this better. If anything, they should've avoided direct confrontation and tried leaving the dimension. Why had she been so confident in herself that she thought she could take on the third-strongest devil in the Old Satan faction?

Sona sighed to herself and cursed under her breath, glancing at Mizuki, who was being comforted by Akiyama and Asia. She contemplated if she should approach Akane's mother. Admittedly, she still somewhat intimidated Sona, and considering who some of the attackers were…

It was probably not a good idea to approach her right now, so instead, Sona got closer to Ichiban, thinking he might need someone to talk to.

"Are you alright, Kasuga?" She asked with a soft tone, sitting on a chair next to him.

Ichiban looked at her, not even bothering to give her his usual smile, and nodded slowly.

"...Yeah. I guess I am." He said. "I'm just worried about her."

"I understand," Sona responded. "And I… am sorry."

"For what?" Ichiban blinked in confusion.

"For not saving her when I could've." She clarified.

"No, don't say that." He said. "What I said back there— I didn't mean it. It was just in the heat of the moment. I know it was out of your hands, Sona. Please, don't put the blame on yourself."

"I could've tried harder." She argued. "There were a thousand other ways I could've prevented them from kidnapping her. I just—"

"Stop." He told her with a firm voice. "Saying all that doesn't matter. There's no use dwelling on what you could've or couldn't have done. Blaming yourself won't fix the problem. Remember what I said back then? After Kokabiel's attack?"

Sona paused, waiting for him to finish.

"We can't expect to do everything perfectly." He said. "A lot of unexpected things can happen. Bad or good. Controlling every aspect of our lives is never gonna be possible. We had no way of knowing this invasion was going to happen."

Sona had to admit he was convincing, but she knew she couldn't be convinced so easily. If anything, a part of her thought that Ichiban was blaming himself for letting this happen, even though it wasn't his fault at all.

He hadn't even been in that dimension with them. He never even had the chance to fight Shalba himself. If he had… Sona knew that he would've mopped the floor with him. If Ichiban really had been there, then they could've saved her.

But as for her? She was too weak to do anything.

"Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"

The people present in the meeting room paused, looking at Sirzechs in curiosity. Once their chatter had quieted down, Satan Lucifer acknowledged the situation surprisingly grimly, seeing the frown on his face.

"As you all have seen for yourselves, this invasion was an endeavor by the Old Satan faction. Followers of the original devils." He started. "Another devil faction that wants nothing but the conquest or destruction of every realm. They're monsters of the highest degree."

Sona expected him to be a little more confident or pleased seeing the minimal damages they'd suffered against a massive ambush. By all means, something like this would usually warrant a victory party and a feast.

"They worked with a secret technology-based human group named the Amon Clan, who supplied them with the numerous robots you saw during the attack." He continued, answering her questions about these human allies of theirs. Amon? That was a devil pillar, though. "That, and with the help of several human magicians and a Longnius-Wielder, we were in a terrible position. And although all of you fought bravely, pushing them back until they were forced to retreat, I'm afraid the battle isn't over yet."

"Though I'm sure most of you know this already, Akane Amamiya has been abducted by the Old Satans and given to the Amon Clan," Serafall added. "For what reason, we're not sure."

"But with one of our own taken away, such transgressions will not go unpunished." Sirzechs nodded. "We will give the word to all our allies and send search parties around every realm effective immediately. No stone will be left unturned."

Are they really going that far? Sona was amazed.

"Seriously?!" Ichiban stood up. "You're really gonna do that?!"

"Yes," Sirzechs confirmed with a serious look, giving Akane's mother a quick glance. "If any of you wish to join these search parties, raise your hands."

Every single person present in the room did so almost immediately, even Sairaorg and his peerage. Seeing everyone so determined to make things right made Sona smile, feeling that things might turn out alright after all.

"All of you?" Even Sirzechs was surprised.

"Are you kidding?" Ichiban was the first to respond. "We're not giving up on her so quickly."

"That's pretty much my niece we're talking about, Sirzechs-san," Akiyama said. "There's no realm I won't go through for her."

"I owe Akane-san too much," Asia stated. "I may not be a good fighter yet, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

"She might be rude, but she's still my friend," Rias claimed. "I invited her to the festival and tournament. It's my responsibility to make sure she's safe."

"I may not have known her for long, but for the brief times we interacted, I'd say I enjoyed her company." Sairaorg nodded. "And a friend of Rias' is a friend of mine."

"Rias is right. Akane is our guest." Sona added. "What hosts would we be if we let her get kidnapped and did nothing about it?"

As more and more people expressed their support, Sona felt confident. If there were so many people ready to give it their all for her, then there was nobody that could stop them.

And if preventing the Old Satans from taking her away didn't work, then they'd just have to do the next best thing. In Akane's words, that would be beating the everloving fuck out of them so hard that they'd never do it again.

Sona had always wondered why her sister or Lord Sirzechs never did anything about them. Rizevim's claim to the throne as the son of Lucifer gave him legitimacy and immense political power, which she understood well enough. Still, she'd also thought it was stupid that they'd given him so much importance.

But admittedly, she was thrilled to be part of the group that would do something for once because even if they didn't have her anymore, they probably at least had some information regarding the Amon clan.

With Katerea Leviathan as one of their prisoners, it was only a matter of time before they found this mysterious group.

"I'm glad to see you all eager to help," Sirzechs said with a smile.

"How are we going to find her?" Mizuki questioned, speaking up for the first time. "Finding the Amon clan is almost impossible. Not even your prisoner would be any help."

"We got it covered, Mizuki-chan. I already spoke with Daigo about it, and he's funding this operation." Goro Majima said. "Only a matter of time before we find her."

"If she's on earth." She argued.

"That's why we're splitting into several groups," Serafall explained. "Each will search through every realm these Amon could be in. Including us New Satans if need be."

"Like Sirzechs said." Saejima quipped. "No stone left unturned."

"Rest assured, Mizuki-san," Sirzechs said. "I'll do everything in my power to bring her back. I swear it."

Akane's mother looked at them with conflicted emotions. She clearly didn't trust them yet, but at the same time, she seemed grateful and almost pleading. However, she didn't respond with words. Instead, she lowered her head, which, in some ways, could be interpreted as a bow of gratitude.

"When can we start?" Ichiban asked with a determined expression.

"We begin the preparations today," Majima answered. "Take a rest for now. We move tomorrow morning."

Although Ichiban, and frankly nearly everyone else, looked like they wanted to argue to move now, it was evident that they needed the rest. This battle had not only been exhausting physically but also mentally.

However, as Sirzechs was about to dismiss them, the double door of the meeting room opened, and Akane casually walked in wearing her skintight bodysuit, blinking at the group before grinning.

"Ugh, fucking finally! It feels like I've been looking around for days. You have to fire your architect, Sirzechs-san. This place is a maze." She said, closing the door behind her as she hadn't yet noticed the shock she left the group in. "So what are we talking about?"

No one said anything, which made her frown in confusion.

"What?"

Sona didn't know why, but a part of her felt like she should've seen this coming.