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Akio found it hard to believe at first. In the beginning, Miko Yotsuya could still see him—but then he just vanished from this messed-up future.
What the hell happened? Why did he disappear?
Could it be that he'd gone into hiding on purpose?Or maybe… someone had trapped him.
That wasn't impossible either.
God knows how many bizarre elements this stitched-together crossover world had inside it. If some big shot jumped out of nowhere, slapped him around, or sealed him away, it wouldn't exactly be shocking.
One thing was certain though: dead wasn't an option.
If he ever ran into an opponent he couldn't beat, Akio could just slip off Earth and retreat into the Light Dimension. No matter how strong they were, they'd never catch him there.
And even if, by some miracle, they did manage to follow him, there was no guarantee they could win inside that realm. In the Light Dimension, Akio was a god—limitless, untouchable.
But still… could Umbrella really have that kind of power?
He wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't take it lightly.
No wonder Alya had such a clear upper hand and still refused to make a move against Umbrella. No wonder, when negotiating with him, Alya had been almost absurdly generous—offering up entire Valhallas without a fuss, letting him pick any Servant he wanted short of a Grand.
So that was it. Alya already knew Umbrella was trouble.
The company ran deeper than he'd thought.
For the first time, Akio began to suspect that maybe there was someone—or something—behind Umbrella. Someone even Alya found troublesome enough to tread carefully around.
That thought alone was enough to make him take Umbrella seriously.
At first, he hadn't considered them much of a threat. Just another giant multinational, nothing more.
Sure, in the eyes of ordinary people, Umbrella was a towering behemoth.But to someone like Akio, they weren't even worth a fart.
If it weren't for the risk of them dragging humanity down in a suicidal blaze, he would've crushed the corporation long ago and scattered their ashes to the wind.
But now… it looked like he'd underestimated them.
This company wasn't nearly as simple as he'd assumed.
Maybe it was time to press Alya for answers, see what exactly was being kept from him.
After school, Akio returned to Umbrella's Tokyo branch and sought out Hohenheim, telling him he wanted to contact Alya.
Hohenheim might be his subordinate now, but he was still a Servant of Valhalla. Reaching Alya wasn't difficult for someone like him.
That very night, in his dreams, Akio once again found himself face-to-face with Alya in the form of a young girl.
"You were looking for me?" she asked.
Akio nodded. "Let's cut to it. What's the deal with Umbrella? Who's really backing them?"
"What do you mean?" Alya tilted her head.
"Don't play dumb. I ran a simulation today. After Umbrella's destruction, they released a virus targeting men—wiped out almost the entire male population. Only five were left, and all of them weren't even fully human.
"Worse, in the middle of it all, I suddenly disappeared. I wasn't there to save humanity.
"There are only two explanations for that: either I was trapped, or I was restrained—kept from acting.
"And honestly? Umbrella doesn't have that kind of strength.
"So I'm guessing someone else is behind them.
"That's why you've been holding back. That's why you didn't dare go after them directly, why you were so quick to hand me five Servants like it was nothing.
"So tell me—who's the puppet master pulling the strings?"
At that, Alya fell silent.
Akio didn't push. He'd laid it all out clearly. If she kept hiding the truth after this, their partnership might as well be over.
But she'd already paid part of his price.
If their deal fell through now, there was no way he'd be returning Medea and Hohenheim. He wasn't the type to do business at a loss—and neither was Alya. Which meant she'd have to talk.
Sure enough, he'd guessed right.
After a short pause, Alya finally spoke. "You're correct. Umbrella does have a hidden benefactor. But that benefactor… isn't human."
Akio raised an eyebrow. "Not human? Then what?"
"A demon," she said evenly. "The executives of Umbrella are greedy beyond measure. Long ago, they sold their souls to demons.
"That's why, even I can't grasp their souls to locate where they're hiding their viruses.
"And it's why I can't know how many viruses they've stockpiled or how many backup plans they've prepared.
"Their souls are under demonic protection."
Akio's eyes widened as it clicked.
That explained everything. He'd always thought it strange—Alya, the Counter Force of humanity, unable to deal with mere corporate executives. He'd assumed they'd found some trick to slip past her perception.
But no. They'd gone and pledged themselves to demons.
Brilliant. A bunch of idiots desperate to get themselves killed.
Did they really think demons were running a charity?
…Wait. Thinking about it carefully, maybe it wasn't impossible.
It all depended on which anime those demons came from.
If it was High School DxD, those "demons" weren't much like demons at all.
But if they were from somewhere else? That was a different story. Most demons weren't exactly model citizens.
Akio rubbed at his temples. "Do you at least know which demon they sold themselves to?"
Alya shook her head. She knew Umbrella's leaders had allied with demons, yes—but which one, or which faction, remained a mystery.
Whoever it was, they'd been hiding deep, never showing their face. She had no way of learning their true identity.
Akio clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Useless."
In the first timeline, Umbrella's people had already slaughtered billions, dragging all of Japan down with them. And yet she didn't even know who the real mastermind was. Calling her useless was practically a compliment.
Still… that in itself proved something. Whoever those demons were, they weren't ordinary pests.
Narrowing his eyes, Akio looked straight at her. "Now that we've cleared that up, it's time we had a real talk."
"About what?" Alya asked.
"Don't play dumb with me," Akio snapped, glaring at her. "I've been treating you like a partner, but you've been treating me like some fool. Do you think that's a good idea?"
"..."
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