Inside the train bound for the Underworld, Rias Gremory and her peerage were listening to Azazel, the Governor of the Fallen Angels, recount the information he gathered in Kyoto.
"So, Azazel, this Kingu you met in Kyoto is some kind of golem variant?"
Azazel nodded. "That's what he claims, at least. Not that he seemed interested in deceiving us. He was listless, like someone who's already lived their life. Doubt he'll leave Kyoto. He didn't spill everything, and I couldn't pin down who this 'Mother' he mentioned was. He dodged questions skillfully—definitely a sharp one. Not just strong, but tricky to deal with."
Akeno Himejima, the "Queen" known as the Priestess of Thunder, frowned, an unusual expression for her typically gentle demeanor. Given her background, she harbored a distaste for Fallen Angels.
"That's all you learned? You went all the way to Kyoto for that?"
"It was plenty useful, plus, I avoided stepping on any landmines."
"Landmines?"
"Might as well warn you now, since second-years have a field trip to Kyoto coming up. Listen up, all of you—don't fight Kingu if you run into him. He's provocative as hell, but don't take the bait. That guy's a genuine monster."
The weight of his warning made everyone swallow hard. Yuuto Kiba, the "Knight," spoke up. "Not just because of his special status in Kyoto, right? Is he really that strong? If so, we should uncover his true nature."
"We'll keep investigating where he came from, but avoid careless contact. He's on par with a Satan's peerage or a Dragon King. No wonder the youkai treat him so carefully. A conflict would cause unacceptable losses. We don't even know how he fights. Even I wouldn't win blind."
"What!? Are you saying my brother's peerage would lose to some random golem!?"
"The original Great King, Zekram Bael, was taken down by a random, incomprehensible flesh pillar, I couldn't get much on the Demon God Pillars from Kingu, but I learned they have a non-interference pact. Not exactly allies, though—he wasn't friendly."
Rias fell silent, unable to argue. Toujou Koneko, the "Rook," spoke next. "…But you've got some guesses, don't you?"
Azazel smirked. "I'm the Governor of the Fallen Angels and a researcher, after all. My take? The Demon God Pillars and Kingu are likely weapons created by the Khaos Brigade or a similar group. Borrowing names from old myths points to that."
Noticing Gasper Vladi, the "Bishop," zoning out, Azazel called out, "Hey, Gasper."
"Y-Yes! S-Sorry, I wasn't listening!"
"It's fine. Thinking about Romania?"
"Y-Yes…"
Vampires live in a closed-off society, split between the male-dominated Tepes faction and the female-led Carmilla faction, both based in Romania. Recently, a Demon God Pillar attack struck their nation, around the time of the Kuoh Treaty, but it was only discovered recently due to their secrecy. The Tepes faction suffered heavily, though details remain unclear.
Gasper, a half-vampire from a prominent Tepes family, was persecuted and eventually exiled. Still, he couldn't remain indifferent, especially worrying about his benefactor, Valerie Tepes.
"Wait for now. Investigation results should come soon."
"Y-Yes…"
Azazel sighed. There was little to be done. Vampires rank low in global and Biblical priorities. Unaware of the Holy Grail, Azazel only knew the Demon God Pillars targeted vampires too.
"Anyway, Issei, about that Demon God Pillar Zepar in your dream."
A monster claiming to be Zepar had appeared in Issei's dream, proposing revival to Ddraig. Naturally, Ddraig refused, skeptical of both the offer and the Demon God Pillars' credibility.
"Keep this quiet, everyone here, not a word to anyone. I've already informed Sirzechs. This stays between us, the Four Great Satan, and their peerages."
"Why?"
Azazel's expression darkened. "Simple. We can't rule out someone in the Underworld getting a similar approach."
A few grasped the implication.
"You mean there could be a traitor among the Devils?"
"Just a possibility, but since it's only a possibility, Sirzechs and I don't want to stir things up. It's odd they only contacted Issei—or rather, Ddraig—in a dream. They've likely approached Albion and Vali too. I'm glad we got this info early. If they can really revive Ddraig's body, they might have secured a Longinus, the Sephiroth Graal. And some idiot might take the bait."
"So… even High-Class Devils could side with those fake Seventy-Two Pillars. That's sad."
Issei reassured Rias. "I'd never betray you, President Rias! I'm with you for life! Anyone who sides with those tentacle monsters is the bad guy! Right, Ddraig?"
"Absolutely, partner. I'd never join the Demon God Pillars. That Zepar guy was so condescending, I couldn't stand him. The only one I'd tolerate that attitude from is, well, myself."
The dragon chuckled.
Kingu clicked his tongue, genuinely irritated.
He was soaring above Kyoto, leaping through the air. Scheduled to be guided around by Kunou as usual, he sensed an odd presence intruding. Only he noticed, proving the intruder hadn't entered Kyoto formally. Indebted to Kyoto far beyond a mere guest, Kingu moved swiftly to eliminate the threat.
Spotting the source, he landed in a remote mountainous area.
There stood two men: one with silver hair, the other in Chinese-style armor. Both were startled by Kingu's arrival—not by a falling object, but by him. They knew who he was.
"Man, noticing us from that distance? I was masking my presence with sage arts. That's a shock!"
"You seem pretty pleased about it, Bikou."
"Gotta admit, it's exciting!"
Kingu felt unease at their unusual auras. The silver-haired man was a mix of human, dragon, and Devil. The armored man exuded a distinct youkai presence, not of Kyoto but likely from the mainland. Curiosity didn't stir in Kingu—only irritation at strangers making light of him.
"Who are you two?"
They responded with calm or amused expressions.
"I'm Vali. Vali Lucifer."
"I'm Bikou! Nice to meet ya!"
Kingu twitched. He'd heard those names recently from Azazel, the Fallen Angel Governor. Azazel had been cagey, likely expecting more visits. To avoid troubling Yasaka or Kunou, Kingu wanted no more intrusions.
"Remnants of Venus and a monkey's descendant."
Both were part of the Khaos Brigade, a terrorist group. Vali, the current White Dragon Emperor and great-grandson of the true Satan Lucifer. Bikou, a descendant of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong. Both were prodigies of this era, worthy of legend.
"Guess it saves us the trouble, Kingu, I came to fight you. Since you came to us, can I take that as intent to fight?"
"Not at all. Here's my response: get lost if you don't want to die."
"Not biting, huh? Like that Demon God Pillar, why does it always go like this?".
Kingu had no desire to escalate, especially against the adopted son of the Fallen Angel Governor and a kin of the Great Victorious Fighting Buddha. Hesitating to scare them off, he was caught off guard when Vali smirked meaningfully.
"To fight you seriously, looks like I'd need to kill the fox princess."
It was meant as light provocation. Vali had goaded his fated rival, the current Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou, into a frenzy with similar tactics. He was fishing for another reaction, unaware he was facing not a loach but a serpent.
For Kingu, Kunou's safety was an explosive trigger. It was as if someone threatened to kill the helpless sisters Stheno and Euryale before Medusa's eyes. Even if temporary, Kingu might truly be her son.
Kingu's gaze locked onto Vali.
"—If you're terrorists, no one will care how I deal with you."
"Hm? Ready to fight—"
Vali's excitement turned to dread upon seeing Kingu's eyes. For the first time, he flinched at an opponent's sheer strength.
The killing intent and rage were overwhelming, almost making his eyes appear to glow red. Kingu likely wouldn't want Kunou to see this face.
Even witnessing Vali's fear, Kingu's emotions didn't waver. It was a natural reaction. He'd always restrained his power, never needing or wanting to unleash it. The strength he showed Kyoto's youkai was a fraction. But for the first time in this world, Kingu decided to go all out.
"Happy to see my true power? Then pay the price—die here."
Had Bikou sensed Kingu's aura more carefully, had Kingu known Vali's situation, had Vali been ignorant of Kingu's status, or had Kyoto's youkai been nearby, this tragedy could have been avoided.
"Report from Zepar. Negotiations with the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig failed."
"Proposal from Leraje. Then arrange negotiations with the White Dragon as an alternative."
"Report from Amdusias. Too late. The White Dragon Emperor's host contacted Kingu. Due to our non-aggression pact with him, we can't approach that dragon. I repeat, it's too late."
"Request from Ipos. We can't wait for the next White Dragon Emperor. Prepare alternative means."
"Acknowledged from Malphas. Multiple candidates exist. Let's evaluate the optimal monster."
"Report from Gremory. Contacted Bedivere. His summoning method is confirmed—different from ours. It's him. The work of the Magus of Flowers."
"Question from Crocell. Which him? Did they send him, or did we summon him?"
"Answer from Gremory. Unknown."
"Pursuit from Gusion. Which him isn't the issue. We should focus on his purpose—recovering the holy sword, reviving the King of Knights, or recreating the Sixth Singularity. Any would disrupt our plan."
"Correction from Botis. A problem has already arisen. The Rhongomyniad Goddess has appeared."
"Speculation from Marbas. Likely triggered by Bedivere's presence in a chain summoning. The groundwork was there: our revival despite annihilation, a holy sword broken and returned in our world, Y Ddraig Goch's remnants, and Bedivere. Kingu, Enkidu's corpse, may also play a role."
"Warning from Forneus. This risks restoring that holy sword. Alaya's intervention now is unacceptable."
"Request from Haagenti. We must act before it disrupts the plan."
"Rejection from Raum. We can't take the stage. Moving now risks changing how factions perceive us, derailing the plan. We can't afford to face all pantheons now."
"Counterargument from Shax. But we can't ignore that goddess. Any outcome would hinder the plan."
"Agreement from Gamigin. This goes beyond Kingu's interference or Ophis' rampage. That goddess, even unintentionally, obstructs our plan by existing."
"Proposal from Barbatos. If we can't fight, use a Longinus to eliminate the Lion King."
"Denial from Flauros. They can't defeat the Lion King."
"Affirmation from Glasya-Labolas. They're powerless. Humans can't defeat gods."
"Counterargument from Gaap. That's why we, the Human Order Correction Ritual, exist."
"Directive from Goetia to all Demon God Pillars. Support the Hero Faction with full force to defeat the Goddess Rhongomyniad."
"You wouldn't have made this choice before. Even with your support, they can't beat her. Have you lost sight of the numbers since dying?"
***
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