Chapter 35

Walking silently out of Kuoh Academy and back toward the familiar home he had been residing within in the past month or so, he felt oddly at peace.

None of the damages Kuoh Academy had experienced during the incident of the Peace Talks remained, and most of the Devils, Fallen, and Angels had already returned to their respective dominions. In which case, he was finally able to put his mind to rest in the short term with nothing too pressing that deserved his utmost attention other than the silent woman following from behind him.

With long flowing emerald coloured hair, and steel-grey coloured eyes, she was a familiar face that he didn't have much trouble recalling. The only differences in her current appearance with the one from his memories, was the lack of a braid running down one side of her person. Instead, her current hair-style was freer, like a cascading waterfall that fell evenly from behind her head, a lustrous sheen to it reminiscent of a rare gem.

It was little Adelina, the young Devil he had saved at the beginning of his interference in the Underworld's Civil War.

She didn't speak, the length of her strides matching his to the point that the sound of her high-heeled steps clicking behind him echoed the thudding of his own feet.

It was a harmonious sort of moment born from reminiscence. The little devil who had once followed him back then, shifting into a stunning beauty who despite her earned status, still chose to follow after him. He who appeared only to be human in the eyes of the ignorant.

Still, the part of him that shied away from attention had never changed.

It was one thing for Adelina to follow at his back so resolutely as a little devil in the Lands of Marbas, but it was another thing entirely now that she was grown and stunningly beautiful.

"…"

"I-Is that a model?"

"Who's the lucky bastard she's following?"

The amount of attention he was receiving from pedestrians along the road due to the sheer fervency of Adelina's gaze and actions towards him was daunting. Too many people were staring and ogling, and it was making him uncomfortable.

Besides, he had to physically glance back at Adelina to make sure she wouldn't strike out against the Highschool student who had just called him a bastard in her presence.

Her eyes had narrowed dangerously, the hand supporting the longsword at her waist having moved to its hilt in an instant. If not for his quick reflexes born from dealing with extremely powerful individuals, he feared that he wouldn't have had made it in time to stop her from causing a tragedy.

What he couldn't have had possibly understood though was just how important Adelina regarded him. He was far more than just a simple role model or teacher, he had been her support at the time she had needed him most, and she would never forget this fact.

More than that, if such an insult towards the Hero of the Civil War had ever occurred in the Lands of Marbas, there would be hell to pay, and nobody to move in the Highschool student's defence.

Adelina clicked her tongue, but it was clear that she was far from happy with his interference, her body slightly inclining so she could whisper into his ear.

"Lord Marbas," she insisted. "They dare insult you, and you expect me to just-"

He shook his head, prompting Adelina to stop, her lips pursing as a frown worked its way to her face.

Subconsciously, she could at least understand where her Lord was coming from, for she too had once been weak. Even if her Lord had been insulted, the magnanimity and tolerance he was displaying was reminiscent of the soft-spoken individual she knew him as, forcing her to remain silent.

He watched as she straightened her back, the pensiveness that had flashed across her face shifting into a murderous glare as it turned towards the passersby who she could not act upon; the intensity of it intimidating any who had any thoughts of remaining nearby.

A sigh escaped his lips, but at least the situation had reverted back to a calm silence.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't last either.

Sirzechs, one of the Four Great Satans of the Underworld was standing directly in front of his current lodgings, Sirzechs's awkward gaze staring directly at Adelina in exasperation.

His lip twitched at the thought of more trouble.

"I thought you left already," he said dryly bringing up the day's earlier events.

Sirzechs scratched at his temple, not really knowing what to say in response to his words as it was true that Sirzechs had left him and Serafall together mere hours ago.

Speaking of Serafall, the moment itself in that little room in Kuoh was ruined when Serafall realized that she wasn't exactly alone with him. Her little sister Sona had slipped in at some point after noticing Sirzechs's suspicious manner of leaving the room and investigated. This prompted Serafall's face to flush in embarrassment before she hastily left, forgetting to set an actual date for his visit to the Sitri household.

Nonetheless, it wasn't too important to mull over at the moment. Instead, he was more curious as to what business Sirzechs had.

"Well, I actually did leave," Sirzechs finally said dejectedly, shoulders drooping. "But how was I supposed to know that one of the most respected and responsible individuals in the Underworld currently managing one its major capitals would suddenly up and leave?"

Sirzechs eyes were narrowed at this point, the judging expression on his face leveled directly on Adelina who remained expressionless.

To be fair, when Sirzechs had first seen her arrive in Kuoh, Sirzechs had been stuck with the notion that Adelina had left someone in the City of Marbas to oversee it. In the end, it had only been a false assumption and by the time Sirzechs had returned to the Underworld it was to find that the task had been delegated unknowingly to him.

The stack of papers and city propositions that needed his approval that he found stacked 'high' on his desk almost made him want to cry. More so with how merciless Grayfia was acting towards him by expecting him to take up the extra responsibility on top of his own.

Needless to say, he didn't want the extra burden and had immediately gone to search for Adelina, knowing that she was the cause of his plight and misfortune.

Serafall was partly to blame for the situation too as she was the one who was actually in charge of the City of Marbas's regulations, but Sirzechs knew he would get nowhere by attempting to persuade her. As such, everything was riding on the proxy set up by Serafall.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Adelina Swiftblade?" Sirzechs said hoarsely.

His Social life was banking on this moment.

In response, Adelina merely cleared her throat, an earnest expression on her face as she spoke the words that pushed Sirzechs down an abyss.

"I resign."

Was all she said.

No. No, this couldn't be happening.

Sirzechs paled, his eyes pitifully turning towards Shirou who glanced away since this was an issue of the Underworld.

"H-How can you be so shameless?" Sirzechs stuttered out.

Adelina merely raised a brow.

At this point, Sirzechs had almost convinced himself that this was a punishment set by his wife for his recent tendency to skimp out on tedious work. Its just, why did it have to be so vicious? NO, absolutely not. He couldn't stand for this.

Sirzechs glanced once at Shirou before determination rose from within him. If his wife and friends could be sly as devils, then he could too.

"You would disrespect the efforts of your Lord?" Sirzechs said calmly, straightening his posture and evening out his clothes.

For once in the conversation Adelina stiffened, before she composed herself and crossed her arms.

"What slander are you speaking of?" She said.

Sirzechs grunted.

"You would abandon the city your Lord had left behind through his own efforts without hesitation," Sirzechs pressed in a hard tone. "Tell me, how can that be anything but disrespect?"

"I, I…" Adelina trailed off, not knowing what to say in response, but it was then that Shirou felt it.

He frowned, a subtle push shifting his gaze towards Adelina as if in displeasure, causing her to lose her composure. It was only a moment later that Shirou understood just where the sudden attack on his person had come from, the dull light of a magic circle emitting discreetly from Sirzechs's left palm.

"M-My apologies my Lord," Adelina bowed much to Shirou's displeasure, but Sirzechs was quick to act.

He stepped in between the two and prevented Adelina from seeing Shirou's expression before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"If you understand that you did wrong, then its best that you hurry and amend it."

The way Sirzechs was speaking was reminiscent of wizened counsellor, but it didn't stop Adelina from trying to face her Lord to offer a solemn apology. Expectedly, Sirzechs panicked as he knew the expression Shirou must have had been making at him. Should Adelina see it, his entire ploy was done for.

Sweat dripping down form his brow, he decided that some sacrifices had to be made for the betterment of the future.

"I'm sure your Lord can understand the depth of your remorse so you don't need to go out of your way to physically express it," Sirzechs said hastily. "In fact, if you go now, I'm certain you may meet the man you've wanted to challenge for the longest time. Didn't you always want to prove that the swordsmanship you learned from your Lord was superior to all others?"

Sorry Okita, Sirzechs made a quick mental apology.

"That's true but-"

"No buts, go now."

A magic circle suddenly appeared unknowingly behind Adelina, and due to Sirzechs's close proximity, the man immediately pushed her in, her form vanishing in less than a second.

Sirzechs wiped the sweat off from his brow, intent on immersing himself in the relief that flooded through him only for a voice to stifle it.

"You are an evil man," Shirou said flatly.

He had watched everything from the beginning, not saying a word as a part of him was actually troubled with what he would have had done if Adelina insisted on always following him. In this regard, didn't that mean he owed Sirzechs a favour? He shook his head, not wanting to think about it.

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater good," Sirzechs said without guilt. "Adelina is an excellent manger of the City of Marbas. Losing her could dampen the livelihood of many Devils."

"You mean yours?"

His response was simply too piercing, like a knife stabbing through butter.

Sirzechs shut his mouth, not willing to say anything more on the matter, yet the man didn't seem keen on leaving yet.

"Is there anything you need?" He ended up asking.

Sirzechs nodded.

"Unexpected as my arrival was, it at least makes things more convenient as I can inform you that the meeting to discuss the proposed countermeasure against the Trihexa will be held in three days time." Sirzechs shrugged. "As where the meeting will be, will it be alright with you if we use your current accommodations? Kuoh academy would be too inappropriate as it's a student facility, and its hard to discover an agreeable location. In which case, yours is perfect."

Shirou didn't know what to say. From the way Sirzechs had spoken it sounded as if it was already decided upon. Therefore, he simply nodded and watched as Sirzechs left, happier than he had come.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of the door opening as he turned the knob of his temporary residence wasn't very loud, but it was enough to alert the people within that he had arrived.

Footsteps resounded down the wooden hall soon after, and it wasn't long before he saw Xenovia and Irina approaching him. The two seemed to have had talked with each other previously, perhaps more on Irina's end about what had occurred recently to explain her absence.

Whatever it was, the two seemed closer to each other than they had been before, but oddly enough they appeared too focused for one reason or another.

"She didn't say anything weird, did she?" Xenovia was the first to ask, her eyes glancing downwards in apprehension of his answer.

She?

He thought about it for a moment, and understood that there was probably only one-person Xenovia could possibly be referring to based on the contexts of her words.

"Uhm, I don't think so," he said recalling the exact conversation he had with Serafall, short as it may have had had been.

Following his admission, it was if a weight had lifted itself from both Xenovia and Irina's shoulders as they nodded to each other, the smile born from relief on Xenovia's face rather dazzling.

"That's good then," Xenovia said, arms crossing together and a fond sentiment exuding from her.

She was currently still in her Kuoh Academy Girls Uniform, having been too distracted earlier to change out of it much like Irina who was still in her white-cloaked slim-fit battle attire. Now though, she was probably contemplating on changing it with how dirty it had gotten during the fight in Kuoh. Patches of dirt clung to it, and other places were so torn that her bare-skin was exposed, making it possible to see the underside of her left breast whose top had barely managed to hold together.

Polite and self-conscious as he was, he made sure to shift his attention away, a redness colouring his cheeks that honestly made Xenovia feel a sense of satisfaction for a small victory.

Irina was feeling the opposite and was discreetly glaring at her own cloak as if her eyes could burn holes through it.

Still though, the moment eventually passed when Irina decided enough was enough and changed the subject.

"Actually, there's something Xenovia and I have yet to inform you of, so if you would," Irina gestured politely with a hand. "I think its better to discuss this in the living room."

Saying that, Irina pulled Xenovia along with her, and led everyone to the small but cozy room of the house.

He sat on one of the recliners situated near a back wall adjacent to a hearth, Xenovia and Irina sitting across from him on a sofa.

Irina pursed her lips, but as the one who brought up the matter, she had to be the one to deliver it.

"As you should probably know already, Xenovia and I were actually sent here at the beginning of the Holy Sword incident on a mission issued by Mother Griselda," Irina began tentatively. "Since that moment, we were tasked with reporting back with messages at least twice every five days, and recently, we were tasked with our next very important assignment. But, but the thing is, it wasn't issued by just Mother Griselda alone."

Irina was playing with her fingers, her body fidgeting. For some reason or another, a faint heat was also emanating from Irina as a flush came to her face, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. She looked to Xenovia for help.

Xenovia nodded her head. "Indeed. This next mission wasn't issued by just my mother alone, but by Michael and the Seraphim. All of them stating that it's of the utmost importance and something related to the Heavens themselves."

Hearing the gravity of both Irina and Xenovia's words, he couldn't help but grow serious. With how important the two were making it out to be, it had to be something dangerous and a part of him was already beginning to worry for them. The fact that they were informing him in the first place was telling enough that they may not have the confidence to see it through. As such, he decided that he would do what he could.

"If I can help, don't hesitate to ask," he said decisively.

Xenovia and Irina glanced at each other, before finally nodding towards him.

"If its you Shirou, then I don't mind," Irina said rather meekly.

?

Confusion welled up from within him.

Something about Irina's sentence felt wrong, but he couldn't think about it for too long before Xenovia leisurely stood up and formally bowed towards him.

"By the orders of Heaven itself, Xenovia Quarta hereby states her vow to stay by your side until death," she said, a blush working its way onto her expressionless face before she worked up her courage and walked towards him. "When should we make the baby?"

He stiffened, his mind working itself into a fluster.

"H-Hold on here, what exactly is going on?" He asked frantically, stopping Xenovia from doing anything further as she was in the midst of pulling out a condom before thinking better of it and saying 'going bare' would be more effective.

He refused outright. More so when Xenovia had taken it upon herself to help educate Irina on the matter despite being inexperienced herself, claiming that what she had read in a book would be enough.

Somewhat put out with his refusal, Xenovia and Irina finally explained to him what exactly their mission entailed after a through staring.

As it would turn out, Michael was more devious than he appeared, or perhaps it might have been someone else of high standing in Heaven. The point however was that other than Xenovia and Irina acting as personal guards of sorts, they were also tasked with earning his affection in hopes of conceiving heavenly heirs for Michael and the others to dote upon. Thereby preparing for any worst case-scenarios by possessing a legitimate successor.

His mouth twitched, but after having understood the matter, there was nothing he could blame Irina and Xenovia for. Instead, what he worried about was the danger they may find themselves in should they stay near him.

With the two's current levels of power, they were still too weak to face the type of adversaries he would have to eventually face.

However, seeing the determination in the two's eyes, it was clear that he wouldn't be able to dissuade them.

He stood up, drawing the attention of the two before him.

A wooden sword appeared in his hands, followed by two others before he passed them onto them.

If he couldn't dissuade them, then what he knew that he had to do was to at least train them. With his Tracing magic, it wouldn't be too difficult too understand their flaws within a couple moments of sighting their weapons.

Moreover, he had another ace-in the hole he could use.

He wasn't truly a master swordsman,

but imitation was also a form of flattery.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Her arms hurt, more than they had in a long time, and for one reason or another, she was subconsciously starting to develop a fear of wooden swords. Granted, it wasn't entirely baseless.

She glared at the tender bruises covering her arms and legs in an attempt to stave off the dull pain, but it was almost impossible with how numerous the bruises were. Certainly, they weren't heavy blows, yet accumulation was just as bad and she simply had no excuses for it.

Each bruise signified an opening in her defence, or a mistake that she had made amidst combat, and it was causing her to frown. Was her training really that lacking? Had she wasted so many years of her life believing that she was a prodigy of the sword for nothing?

In the end, just how many openings was Shirou able to exploit? It was like her swordsmanship was like an open book for her opponent, and even the subtle habits she had developed over time were somehow known by him.

Her mood soured further, almost as much as it had when Shirou had offered to heal her after seeing the numerous blows she had suffered. It was intolerable for her because the injuries on her person were reminders of her lack of skill, something she needed to amend.

"Still brooding?" A haggard and exhausted voice questioned from beside her.

"I'm not brooding," she replied back in equal exhaustion, face growing dark as she was unwilling to admit that she been caught in the act.

Irina simply shook her head at the response before letting it go.

"How can someone so innocent looking and gentle become so ferocious when wielding a sword?" Irina complained, body aching from weariness and phantom pains as she lay on her back on the ground.

Unlike her, Irina had chosen to get her bruises healed, but clearly Irina was still scarred mentally.

"Someone already so strong shouldn't be able to be so skilled," Irina muttered, feeling wronged.

She agreed with Irina's statement, but all she did was grunt before speaking.

"All the more reason to one day return this vengeance ten-fold," she said resolutely, already knowing what she had to fix.

In terms of swordsmanship, she was better suited to being a brute than a Knight who relied on skill, preferring to defeat her opponents with simple overpowered slashes and inescapable magical bursts.

Against Shirou however, the man was like a monster. No matter how powerful her swings, and no matter how certain she was with her instincts, he would always seem to know the weakest destabilizing points of her attack. Her sword light for example was deflected by altering the positioning of her hands on the downward swing with a careful nick, her instinct defeated by common sense.

Recalling the training matches she and Irina had had with Shirou in the past few days, her mood couldn't help but drop further. However, she knew that the current day wasn't one where she should mope.

Shirou had informed her and Irina that the representatives of the Factions would be coming over today to discuss important matters.

With that on her mind, she forced herself up onto her feet and hobbled towards the bathroom, intent on a shower, or perhaps a bath.

Granted,

Her brow furrowed.

As soon as Irina was done.

Irina had taken the initiative before her and had already accommodated the washroom.

Sure, that was fine and all, but why did she have to be so unfortunate?

Still sweaty, weary, and tired from the morning's training, Xenovia's ears twitched to the distinct sound of the front door's bell.

The Leaders of the Factions had arrived.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He didn't know just how many of the Leaders would come to discuss the matters regarding the Trihexa, but unexpectedly, the numbers were fewer than they were before in the Peace Talks.

Only Sirzechs, Azazel, and Michael made their way into his current accommodations and towards the living space.

"If you're curious about everyone else, its because Gabriel and the others have already agreed to support your decision and had to remain behind to complete their duties," Michael said without pause after noticing his expression of surprise, the man sitting himself down on a recliner adjacent to Sirzechs.

"Is that so," he murmured before his gaze shifted towards Azazel and Sirzechs, who promptly noticed his actions.

"The others were just too lazy to come, besides most of their opinions coincide with Michael's," Azazel shrugged, leaving only Sirzechs to appear gloomy.

Sirzechs stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head.

Sirzechs had suffered enough injustices recently, and was quite disheartened as a result. To be fair, he had fixed his situation regarding Adelina but he had forgotten about his biggest problem.

Serafall.

She had been keen on attending this meeting, but Sirzechs couldn't allow it. Grayfia had already been staring at him with a judging scrutiny in the Underworld, but he would be damned if he succumbed to it. To begin with, why was it his fault that Serafall had been neglecting her duties as a Great Satan in the days before the Peace Talks? Why did all of Serafall's unchecked documents end up on his clean, tidy, and previously 'empty' desk? Most of all, why did his wife look at him as if he was the villain for refusing to do someone else's work?

He had already dodged one bullet, but was then caught in the face with a Remington.

If this wasn't injustice towards him then what was?

In regards to Ajuka and Falibum's absence, well Ajuka trusted him as a friend, and Falbium was just Falbium.

Still, with all the gazes on him, Sirzechs had no choice but to at least speak his thoughts, yet he didn't have the guts when he remembered how devious Azazel could be, alliance or not.

"I don't want to talk about it," Sirzechs decided on saying.

Shirou didn't press for an answer. For some reason he felt some form of empathy for the forlorn Red Satan.

Making sure that everyone was seated, he set a table up in the middle of everyone and began preparing drinks, much to Michael's dismay who felt it wrong for someone of his standing to be acting as a simple server.

It didn't matter though for he was actually quite content to be tasked with menial chores such as cooking and preparing drinks.

In the midst of pouring a cup each for Sirzechs and the others, Xenovia and Irina soon stepped into the room.

Appearance wise, Irina was fresh out of the bathroom: glowing and radiant, her hair glossy and vibrant, and the sweet scent of peaches exuding from her person. In contrast, it was hard for Xenovia to remove the cloudy aura from around her. More so when he noticed that she was still in the same attire she had been wearing in the morning practice.

Guilt flashed across his eyes for a moment after he realized that she was still stubbornly enduring all the bruises he had inflicted on her in hopes of her remembering her mistakes.

However, trying to help her now would only worsen her mood as she was a head-strong and capable individual.

"Well now, if everyone's here, I suppose its time we start this meeting," Azazel was the first to speak. "First I'd like to thank those two girls there for coming, for its almost certain that they will be involved in this."

Both Irina and Xenovia widened their eyes in surprise, but simply let Azazel continue.

"The proposed alliance between Religions, it's going to be harder than it seems," Azazel said explicitly before leaning his back into his seat. "To begin with, although our dominion is the most known Religion in the world, most stronger Religions still view us as weak for obvious reasons."

Michael nodded while frowning.

"They still believe that we are without our God."

"And that we are without our Demons," Sirzechs interjected.

Michael and Sirzechs stared at each other, but didn't say another word, leaving it up to Azazel who sighed in exasperation.

"This is both a good thing, and a bad thing. The element of surprise will always create miracles out of the unexpected, but at the same time, we can't be taken too seriously with the current situation. We don't want to reveal our hands to early, meaning that there's no way that we can expect to obtain equal co-operation from major Religions like Hindusim and Buddhism. Therefore, we have to start smaller, yet not too small that it wouldn't make much of a difference."

Azazel picked up the offered drink and stared expectantly at the complimentary baked confections, his eyes widening when he bit into them.

"This is delicious," Azazel spoke out of context, but quickly covered it up with a cough and put on a somber attitude. However, the speed of his hands had increased much to Sirzechs and Michael's displeasure after they took their own samples.

"Moving on," Azazel dusted the crumbs from his suit. "We've already narrowed our viable options down to the Religions whose practices have mostly been forgotten, but are still strongly remembered. Three being the most practical options."

Azazel raised three fingers.

"Greek, Egyptian, and Norse. This is where we must start."

"The Egyptians are a stubborn bunch, and the Greeks are even worse with their family disputes and double identities as Romans. Fortunately, I've already been in talks with one of these three groups in our meetings at the famed and trademarked Oppai Clubs in Japan."

Saying that, Azazel stood up and beckoned forth a magic corridor from which an old man stepped out from.

The old man had a long white beard that extended down past his chest, and wore a sectioned-off hat in alternating colours of black and gold which sat atop his grayed hair. A gold and white coloured monocle was placed over one eye that matched with the blue robe he wore, contrasting well with further gold linings.

"Odin, the All Father, God of the North and the Aesir," Azazel introduced, yet the old man himself was too preoccupied with ogling at Irina and Xenovia.

"A fellow perv," Azazel added on with a welcoming smile.

"I give it seven points," Odin said after a moment of staring. "Seven for the tidy one and a ten for the other. Big bust, fiery personality and fighting spirit, in fact she's already glaring at me, much like another Valkyrie I know. The Valkyrie whose age equals the number of years without a boyfriend," Odin lamented dismissively before finding himself a seat, uncaring about the glares directed his way.

"A bunch of children all of you are, playing in a playground without supervision," Odin commented, surveying those present in the room. "But that's what makes it interesting doesn't it?"

Michael and Sirzechs revealed a strained smile, but to Azazel this was normal. He had been the same at one point with Odin's remarks, but after spending time together rating beauties, Azazel had come to know that the old man wasn't really so bad. He merely referred to them as children because he was of the generation containing the God from the bible.

Declining as the Norse Religion was in the current age, it was still something that was well known. Odin himself was a powerful individual and was generally tasked with staying within the Norse Realms and not in the outside world, only, the man was currently facing some problems he didn't wish to reveal at the moment.

Odin continued his observation in the room, having already been informed by Azazel of the topic of discussion. As such, he was more interested in the participants instead, the leaders of the Factions of the bible.

He was known as the All Seeing, a God blessed with wisdom.

Eventually, his gaze focused on a single individual, his expression growing vacant as if a dull thunder had struck him.

Of course, Shirou noticed he was being stared at, but didn't think too much about it as Odin himself was quick to avert his gaze. However, there was an odd glint in Odin's eyes when next he spoke.

"You wish to form an alliance with the Norse?" Odin got straight to the point, a seriousness in him that was generally lacking at all other times. "Originally, I had just wanted to hear what propositions you children might have had, but this old man has changed his mind. I will offer a single condition for you all to obtain my help."

"And that would be?" Sirzechs asked, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his thighs.

"To create a new path, a new future for the children of my Religion to consider for themselves," Odin said solemnly. "It seems like a heavy task, but I believe that fate will favour me in this occasion."

No one spoke after Odin's words, even Azazel was too caught up in contemplation.

In the silence Odin added further.

"If you don't obtain my aid, it's almost certain that the Norse will reject you, and its not because I am unwilling,"

Odin sighed, somehow reflecting his true age.

"To be honest, I am no longer the Chief Deity of the North, my vacant place taken up by my son, the God of Vengeance, Vidar. As for his stance on things, he's generally neutral and views either paths of the Norse Religion coming out of its seclusion or remaining as it is, as equal. The problem however, is that the younger Norse God favour the opinion of remaining isolated, unwilling to consort with other mythological systems. Without changing the thoughts of the younger generation, this proposed alliance will never occur."

Odin laid all the facts down solidly. To begin with, his presence in Kuoh was more of a private matter and not something known by even his kin at the moment.

Falling into thought once more, Azazel decided that he couldn't just refuse outright.

"And how do you suppose our Biblical Religion to go about with this favour?" Azazel questioned.

"Its simple really, and shouldn't involve any of you Leaders too much," Odin shrugged, a sly smile growing over his face. "The problem originates with the young, therefore it can be solved by the young."

Shirou saw the way Odin was eying him, Xenovia, and Irina and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"You can't be serious," Michael was the first to reject, his calm face growing stormy.

"They are human, are they not? It'll be less suspicious than a Devil or Angel." Odin feigned nonchalance. "It's just the magic light-based system of Christianity they are trained with will be a problem, However, I can fix that as the All Father when they arrive within the Nine Realms."

Raising a hand, a divine energy entered Irina and Xenovia's bodies. Shioru was no exception, but oddly enough, God within him didn't reject to what Odin was doing and seemed to be approving of it. Despite the current situation with the Peace Talks just ending and how unwilling others may be, the pressing matter of the Trihexa was too much a of a burden to neglect without ample preparation.

"The Trihexa is more of a monster than you would know." God informed solemnly when traces of doubt surfaced in Shirou's mind.

He had a lot to think about, and even more to do after the conclusion of the Peace Talks. His general position at the moment was also considerably tenuous. Leaving now would definitely spell trouble for him in regards to Serafall, Heaven, and the Underworld. As such, he actually wished to delay the matter until things sorted themselves out with the factions. Yet if what God said about the Trihexa was true, then he was sure that the others would be able to understand. It was just Serafall, he didn't want to make her wait again.

His brows furrowed.

"Having the God with the Spear that never misses can be a boon worth taking this little venture for. Besides, I was always interested in the magic systems of the other Religions, perhaps I can improve my own with it."

Listening to God's words, Shirou eventually decided on a compromise.

"Will you give me some time to consider?" He asked.

Odin stared silently, yet slowly nodded his head after a period of time.

The relief Sirzech's felt at the moment was beyond words. He was frightened, almost scared witless when he realized just how close he was from having to explain to Serafall that Shirou had been taken by the Norse.

"This matter can wait for at least a short while, but any more than that, and I fear that it'll be difficult for you to make a standing in the Nine Realms." Pausing as he spoke to contemplate, Odin eventually decided on something. "I do not have much time to remain here do to some other matters, but for the time being, I'll send you my personal guard should you wish to contact me when you're ready to take up my assignment. We'll call this arrangement a contract as you Devils like to put it."

Saying that, Odin nodded once to Azazel before promptly leaving, a profoundness in his wizened features that reflected the true age of the All Father of the Norse Gods.

With that, only he, Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel were left in the room; all left to their own thoughts as in the Underworld, Serafall was doing her part to prepare for a certain event that would involve many heirs and heiresses of the remaining Seventy-Two Pillars.

The Young Devil's Gathering.