If you were to ask someone what they first thought about the Great Devil King Sirzechs Lucifer, they would tell you that he was, above all else, a sister-complex buffoon who took his job as Maou seriously.
A former member of the Pillar of Gremory, the man himself possessed shoulder-length crimson red hair, the color of blood, and had a handsome face that would make any woman swoon. Currently, he was dressed in a fine black pinstripe suit with gloves and a tie. At his side was a woman with silver hair, tied into braids and wearing a maid uniform, yet for some reason shackles were placed on her wrists, the links broken.
This was Grayfia Lucifuge, Sirzech's wife. Also known as the Strongest Queen. Once, she was a candidate for the title of Leviathan, but willingly gave the title over to Serafall Sitri when Sirzechs proposed to her.
Sirzechs sat leisurely in a leather seat, a cup filled with warm coffee in his hand. "I must say, it isn't everyday I'm asked to meet with an Angel, much less the Governor of the Grigori himself." he said with a thin smile and with a hospitable tone, in spite of being quite wary as he stared at his guest. "So, what brings you here, Azazel?"
"Cripes, Zechs, I've told you before." the man grumbled. "Just call me Az." Az, or rather Azazel, was a shabby man with blonde hair, his bangs and scalp bearing black strands of hair, most likely his natural hair color given the color of his eyebrows and pointed beard. Unlike Sirzechs, who wore a suit, he opted to wear a black yukata with dark blue leaves printed on it. His head rested comfortably in his hand. "But yeah, it has been a while. Sorry I couldn't get back to you on shorter notice. I had to deal with some troublesome subordinates. I'm sure your little sis sent you the details after that fiasco in the Church."
"I have." Sirzechs nodded. "I'm surprised Kokabiel would try to act so openly, especially while all sides are trying to find out why there's a Sixth Holy Grail War going on. Especially when Devils and Angels alike are being chosen to play a role in it."
All Holy Grail Wars, without exception, have always chosen humans. And humans alone have played their parts. The inclusion of a Devil or Angel or other supernatural being was unheard of. Though five major wars had taken place, there were lesser known Holy Grail Wars that took place all across the continent, and if the record left behind by the Wizard Marshal Zelretch was to be believed, there were many more.
So, the fact that supernatural beings were chosen as Masters had caused more than an uproar. Everyone was scrambling to find out why there was a Holy Grail active, especially one as powerful as the one from Fuyuki, and why beings other than Humans were being chosen.
Azazel shrugged. "He's likely taking advantage of it, more than being wary. Given the times, every action we take now is like a powder keg waiting to blow. I'm just waiting for when the bastard lights the fuse." He took a drink of his coffee, only to cringe. "Ugh, this taste's like crap. Who made this shit?"
"Sorry. I had to be cheap. If we were to go someplace high profile, I'd risk being noticed." Sirzechs said, even though he knew Azazel knew it was a bold-faced lie. The bastard probably just served them crappy coffee because he was in no mood to relax. Then again, neither was Azazel. "Now then... What brought you all the way out here? I take it this has to do with the fact that a second Servant under the Rider Class has been summoned."
"Heh. As quick as always." Azazel smirked. "That's part of the reason why I'm here. You'll probably be hearing about it from Beelzebub, but… we found the Holy Grail."
Sirzech and Grayfia's eyes widened considerably. "You found it?!" the man exclaimed excitedly. "Where is it?"
"Before you get ahead of yourself here, Zechs, there's something you need to know." the Governor of the Grigori held up a hand, stopping Sirzechs as he looked the man in the eye, his face going from jovial and casual to deadly serious. "Right now, the Church and the Mage's Association are doing everything they can to keep this info under wraps. It'd cause too much of a stir, and practically everyone who's in the know has been asked to stay hush hush."
"Why?"
"Because there's a reason why there was another Rider summoned in this war. And she wasn't the only one." Azazel narrowed his eyes. "Two days ago...we confirmed the summoning of at least three other Servants, belonging to the Assassin, Saber and Lancer class." Sirzech felt his jaw turn unhinged. More Secondary Servants had been summoned?! "The reason for that is because..."
The Underworld. The home of the Devils. In the past, it was once a land of chaos and anarchy. Civil war and power struggles ruined much of its former luster. However, under the heading of the current regime of the Maou, slowly and surely, the Underworld was beginning to pull itself back together.
It had begun to take cues from the Human World. In many parts, designs were taken directly from past eras: European, mid '60's, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Mesopotamian...
In one part of the Underworld, territory belonging to the Pillar of Phenex, there stood a large mansion. Built from the old Victorian era, it was home to the House of Phenex.
Phenex, the name of the Great Marquis of Hell that had 20 Legions of Demons under its command. He who taught all wonderful sciences and an excellent poet.
Its name is derived from the immortal Phoenix, and shares its abilities over fire and wind. But above all, it possessed exceptional regenerative properties that made them practically as immortal as the birds of legend.
The mansion of the Pillar of Phenex housed the Lord and Lady, their four children, and their servants.
Only the youngest son, Riser Phenex, and his only sister Ravel were home. The man, like most Devils, had an attractive appearance, though many agreed that it was ruined by his arrogant and pious personality. His blonde hair was messy, a few strands puffed up to form something akin to a peacock. He had dark blue eyes, and wore a simple button up shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, along with dress pants. In hand was a leather-bound book while he sat leisurely in a chair. Lit up on the table next to him was a small candle, given how dark the room was.
Ever since news arrived that the Sixth Holy Grail had begun, and that for the first time beings other than Humans were chosen to become Masters, things had all spiraled out of control. Up until recently, Riser had enjoyed what he had. His peerage was full of women who had tastes that he fancied, and despite what some may say, he treasured and loved them all.
Except for Ravel, of course. That was familial love. He was not into incest in any way. He had planned on giving her to someone who valued and treasured her as much as he did when he found a suitable replacement to be his Bishop. Ravel had raised no complaints, of course.
Riser was also engaged to one Rias Gremory. It was political, of course, so there wasn't any actual real love between them. Riser was simply following his duty as a Devil, as well as fulfilling his obligation. Rias being a drop dead knockout was simply a bonus. Yet Rias constantly resisted any and all attempts at courtship, and made her dislike for him blatantly known to many. He thought it was cute, that defiant stage of hers, but even he knew that she'd have to fold.
Then she became a Master and summoned Lancer. Suddenly, Riser found that his life became very, VERY difficult. He rubbed the side of his face, scowling at the memory, unable to forget what it felt like to be stabbed and pierced from every angle and turned into some kind of pincushion.
Riser had intended to be the one who would be the dominant one. It was only natural, given his stance and power. He far outclassed her, yet when Lancer came into the picture, he lost any and all control over the situation. Even if they were wed, he wouldn't be able to control her.
It was infuriating, to be sure. However, he wasn't entirely concerned with that at the moment. If anything, he was more concerned with the matter at hand. News had already spread about how the Sixth Holy Grail War had its very first battle. Details were scarce, however, and all anyone knew for sure was that a rogue faction of the Grigori had attempted an attack on Kuoh Academy and paid the price, and that two Servants—Assassin and Archer, had been killed in battle. That left only five Servants, but the whole circumstance behind the war was still under investigation, so there would be no further fighting allowed.
That would change, once the investigation was over, however. And when it did, Riser would finally have some control over Rias Gremory again. Honestly, he just wished this farce would end. The sooner he could get back to the usual swing of things, the better.
"Milord." Riser turned his head, finding his Queen approaching. Yubelluna was perhaps his favorite among his harem of women, being powerful and beautiful. On the battlefield, she was a cruel mistress, but to her friends and allies, she was a woman worth hell. Metaphorically and literally. Her dark purple hair spilled across her shoulders and was wearing a bathrobe, indicating that she had only just recently left the shower. He could faintly smell a wonderful scent around her body, recognizing it as the soap Ravel had bought for her the other day. "The shower is free."
"Thank you, Yubel." Riser smiled gratefully. As he stood up and bookmarked his page, he paused briefly as a thought struck him. He was going to visit his brother over in Italy for a while, given how long it had been since they had last seen each other when he was given ownership of a small town in the country, so perhaps it would do him and his sister some good to see him. "Would you mind getting Ravel for me? I have something to discuss with her."
Yubelluna, rather than smile and obey, frowned slightly. "Lady Ravel, I'm afraid, has locked herself up in her room. I've attempted to gain entry, but for some reason, she's quite stubborn."
"Really?
That was strange. Ravel usually didn't have any secrets she'd want to hide. And it was even stranger still that she'd refuse Yubelluna to enter, considering they were close to each other. Setting his book down, he left his study and entered the main entrance hall, heading up the staircase that led to the second level of the mansion. To the far right side was Ravel's room, marked by a sign and a few drawings that were still burned into the doorframe from when they had been children. Such fond memories.
Standing in front of Ravel's door, Riser rapped his knuckles against the door. "Ravel? Are you in there?" he called. "It's me. I need to talk with you!"
No response. Strange. Riser rapped his knuckles against the door and called again. Still no response. He frowned inconcern. While he wouldn't normally jump to conclusions, he was concerned. Hoping she'd forgive him for this, Riser raised his hand and conjured up flames, thrusting it forward. The door splintered apart, shattering into pieces.
Riser and Yubelluna stepped inside the room, only to find nothing but dread. In a panic, Riser fled the room, Yubelluna hot on his heels as he called on the rest of his peerage and tore the mansion apart.
Ravel Phenex was nowhere to be found.
[Kuoh City. We have arrived at Kuoh City. Please gather your belongings and calmly disembark. Thank you for riding the Ikaragi Line!]
"Dammit..." a male voice groaned as he stepped out of the train, rubbing his neck to remove himself from any cricks. "I hate trains. So, this is where that kid is, huh?" The male panned his head around the busy station, people bustling about to go home, switch trains, or departing. "Pretty noisy. No matter though." He advanced and made his way to his intended destination.
As he walked, a few girls from Kuoh Academy stopped and noticed him passing by. Their faces promptly turned scarlet as hearts danced in their eyes. Oh my god, he's so handsome!
His hair was jet black with white streaks, and was utterly messy. Not even bed hair looked as wild as his was. His skin was tan, and his eyes were molten gold. He wore a heavy black trench coat with dark red trims over a faded gray button-up shirt with a black tie and black slacks, complete with combat boots. He wore a belt around his waist, albeit lopsided. Dangling from it was a silver chain. At the end of the chain was some sort of design, yet utterly recognizable with no discernible shape or form. It hardly looked like anything other than just a random symbol or something. In hand was a large duffel bag, which was slung over his shoulder. In his other hand was a small slip of paper with a set of directions.
Not noticing the looks the girls were giving him or just outright ignoring them, he walked until he happened to bump into someone. "Ah! I'm sorry!" the offender cried. The male looked down and found a young girl wearing a white blouse with a sweater over it, accompanied by a woman with shoulder-length lavender hair, radiating incredible power. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"It's fine, Sister." he told her coolly. "No harm done." The blonde girl blinked in surprise, as had her companion. "It's been a while, Asia Argento."
"I-I'm sorry. Do I know you?"
"We met only briefly during your Trial." he answered in a cool tone. "My name is Kotomine Kiriya."
The arrival of the Executioner from the Black Sect of the Vatican Church was not the only unusual instance in Kuoh. There was another who arrived in the city. Compared to Kiriya, who exuded a form of mystery, this person embodied elegance, with blonde hair done in a ringlet style and dark blue eyes, wearing a fine red dress.
Unlike Kiriya, however, she was floating in the air, suspended by a pair of fiery wings that extended out from her back. Hanging close by her side was a figure, at least two head shorter than she was, wearing a ratty cloak around her person.
"So, this is where the Sixth Holy Grail War is taking place..." Ravel Phenex muttered as she looked around the town. "Miss Rias and Miss Sona rule over this territory, and Miss Rias' Peerage also has Masters. But if I remember right, there's supposed to be two human Masters."
"Will we go after them, Mama?" the cloaked figure asked, tilting her head. Her voice sounded young. Incredibly young, as if belonging to a child.
Ravel smiled and nodded. "Yes, but we'll have to be cautious. Just remember to follow my orders, and we'll definitely score a victory. Okay, Assassin?"
"Mm!"
Sirzechs' mouth hanged open, stunned and left speechless in his seat. By his side, Grayfia shared a similar reaction, looking as if she had just heard Euclid Lucifuge, her brother, had just been crowned the new Great Devil King.
It was only natural, however, given the bombshell Azazel had just dropped on them.
"... There's more than one Holy Grail active."