Chapter 119: Check your prison wallet

To say that Kyoto was in turmoil was an understatement.

A sudden influx of demons of ancient lore into the city square had caused massive panic among those who were utterly separated from the supernatural world, whereas those who had dealings with the creatures of old were drawn with them into the shimmering portal that connected the eons-old city into a strange realm where sky had purplish hue.

Soon after that, the city had caved in on itself, followed by miles-long cracks forming from the crater, and finally the cracks and the crater starting to glow blue light.

The light built up for a few moments… And then the sinkhole that had once been Kyoto erupted in blue lightning that coalesced into a massive ball of energy… And finally imploded, sending a wave of force outwards to all directions and causing a massive crack to form that split the island nation of Japan in two.

The turmoil and death-toll of such a massive detonation rose to millions in seconds, and the follow-up earthquakes slew twice as many.

Moreover, the shores had been getting hit with repeated near-tsunami waves as seawater rushed into the shimmering portal that had spread between Japan and Korea, effectively causing the sea level of the world to start lowering as hundreds of cubic miles of water rushed into the kaleidoscopic void, only to disperse and turn to nothingness.

All in all, Japan was not having a good day.

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Meanwhile Momonga sighed as he had tried a 'traditional' healing for Misla's Sleeping Sickness, and failed. 'Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter if black tears don't heal her… I can just kill her and then resurrect her.'

"...So the way to cure Sleeping Sickness is to turn her off and back on again?" Ddraig noted idly, and Momonga nodded while reattaching a cap to a bottle of black tears.

"Hm… Well then. I'll better see to other affairs… Take care of that issue when Sairaorg-san returns…" Momonga glanced at the unconscious woman in the adjacent bed. "Haa…"

'What am I going to do with her…' Momonga thought about the blonde woman on the bed, who was apparently Sairaorg's Queen. 'I could use more strong people in my Peerage, but at the same time, it's a bad idea to just invite anyone who happens to be strong… Without proof of loyalty there's little point in taking someone to my side who could stab me in the back. Even more so when the Pillars have declared my faction 'renegades and strays', which means traditional punishments for disobeying one's King won't be effective…'

Momonga sighed as he looked at the unconscious blonde-haired woman who Sairaorg was offering to him. 'I wonder if she's also sick? She seems to be sweating quite a bit…'

Momonga took a wet towel beside the bed out of impulse and wiped sweat off the blonde woman's face… And she sneezed.

"Ah, you were awake." Momonga told her as she froze up instantly after sneezing.

"T-True God-sama…" The woman shook all over but managed to put strength to her limbs.

She instantly shot up and bowed towards Momonga in a 'seiza' pose. "My lord! Your offering is rea-"

"None of that, thank you. Call me 'Momon'." Momonga waved his hand, thinking back on the awkward encounter between him, Serafall, Sairaorg, and quite a few other people. "How are you doing? You collapsed during that… let's be generous and call it a negotiation…"

Momonga felt his posture stiffen a bit from the embarrassment of the memory…

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Kuisha was terrified.

The True God had woken her up, or rather, correctly deduced that she had woken up during the moments the deity had spent hovering over Misla Bael.

Kuisha had seen him dripping some sort of sinister black liquid into her mouth from a foul-looking bottle.

She did not want to know what the liquid was, but she had a hunch nonetheless. 'Sleeping Sickness… Sairaorg and Yuuto-san deduced that Misla's Sleeping Sickness was caused by the True God poisoning her somehow… Ah… In other words, he came to reinforce the dosage, probably either to force Sairaorg's hand or to drive him deeper into despair…'

Kuisha didn't know what to do. 'Could it be that the sickness wears off if the poison isn't re-applied for a time? In that case… I have to dazzle him and occupy him until Sairaorg-sama returns… If Misla wakes up on her own, True God doesn't have anything to hold over Sairaorg-sama!'

'Alright! I have my mission… Sairaorg-sama, please believe in me!' Kuisha felt her resolve harden, even while she was still mostly just terrified.

She had pretended to sleep as the True God had stood up to his impressive height… And then he had turned towards Kuisha while signing in exasperation.

Kuisha felt her face start to sweat in nervousness. '...Don't tell me that he realized I was awake-'

The monstrous, hypocritical deity walked closer to Kuisha, reaching for something… And put a wet, fuzzy thing on Kuisha's face.

She couldn't help it, the attack was too swift and unexpected.

Kuisha sneezed.

'Oh no.'

"Ah, you were awake."

'Oh shit' Kuisha resisted the urge to verbalize her thoughts as she realized she had been caught red-handed. 'Need to act fast, or this will get really nasty!'

She shot up to her knees and bowed reverently. "True god-sama- your offering is ready-"

"None of that, thank you. Call me 'Momon'."

'Shit, shit, shit…' Kuisha cursed in her head as she realized that the True God had already taken the initiative and effectively set the positions- By interrupting Kuisha he effectively said "Your words do not matter", and by urging her to use his 'name' he effectively stated that he wished to go for a 'familiar' approach, likely to drive a wedge between her and her true master. 'If that's how you want to play it… Then two can play that game! Just you wait… I'll distract you long enough for Misla to wake up, and then… No, retribution is off the table. He's already won. Poisoning of a noblewoman, even if brought to light, won't affect him nor his status, specifically when she would wake after House Bael pledged to Him… I see. In other words- I am lost already, and all I can do is to ensure… that Momon won't get Seekvaira as well.'

'Kha… This is too ironic for me as well, Sairaorg-kun…' Kuisha bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, but her resolve would not waver. '...The only thing I can do… I can ensure Sairaorg-sama doesn't need to sacrifice Seekvaira-sama to get his mother back…'

The thought caused a surge of bitterness in Kuisha- That she sacrificed so much, just to allow a man she loved to fall to the hands of some other woman. '...But at the same time… That is my role. I'm the Queen of Sairaorg Bael's Peerage… I cannot let my resolve waver so easily!'

Kuisha's eyes gained a steel-hard resolve, and she opened her eyes while opening her mouth-

"Umu, that being said, I'm off."

Kuisha stumbled as the True God disappeared into thin air.

'What- what?! Whatt?!'

She looked around in the room, and her eyes landed on Misla who looked just slightly less pale now.

Her resolve was kindled, and Kuisha nodded to herself.

'I'll get him… Sairaorg-kun, I won't let you down!'

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"Umu, well, I guess that's one thing that I don't have to worry about for now…" Momonga sighed to himself. "I really can't catch a break… The Dominion Authority managed to get that church constructed somehow… I should probably ask if it can get people to make Sona's school, and get that done next…"

He knew that he was postponing dealing with Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and if he was alive, Sirzechs. But at the same time Momonga didn't want to try fighting three Maous, even if he had allies. 'That fight with Serafall was closer than I'd like to admit… And with Sirzechs pulling that crazy transformation, there's a high chance I might lose… I'm level hundred and thirty, but since the auto-assignment put them to roleplay levels, I really shouldn't act too arrogant… Bigger health and mana pool doesn't mean much if it isn't backed by strategy and skills, since my resistances only increase with equipment…'

Momonga thought about his world-class items, and out of impulse, he brought out a red orb.

'...I got this after Ainz Ooal Gown repelled the massive siege of Nazarick using… hm… I suppose that would have been a bit underhanded tactic, and I suppose the devs thought that they should apply honey instead of stick to 'reward' us for revealing a flaw in YGGDRASIL…' Momonga turned the red orb in his hands, all the while Ddraig had cowered under a pile of gold as soon as he had spotted the item. 'I suppose Ddraig's fear is justified… After all, the orb massively improves my abilities when it comes to killing dragons, specifically…'

"It's incredibly creepy! Like holding someone's severed head-creepy! Momonga-sama!" Ddraig whined and Momonga exhaled through his nose. "This isn't funny!"

'Sure, sure…' Momonga returned the orb to his inventory after reminiscing about Nazarick for a while. He wondered briefly if he could actually combine [Boosted Gear] and the orb, as the latter would grow stronger the longer he had it on him, but decided against feeding the World-class item to the dragon. 'There's no proof that it wouldn't have unforeseen side-effects. Hm… Although, I should start feeding more [Sacred Gears] or some such to [Boosted Gear] to make it stronger… I could gain a plethora of potentially powerful abilities that way-'

"Please don't… Moreover [Sacred Gear] can't fuse other [Sacred Gear]s, if you do, the result is that the fused gear just disintegrates…" Ddraig cautioned.

'Haa… Figured something like that would block it… I should get to work.' Momonga felt a bit depressed, but nonetheless walked into a room that had a plaque 'Paladin Xenovia's office', opening the door without knocking.

Xenovia paused as she had been pulling her pants up.

Momonga paused as well.

Xenovia looked at Momonga for a while, and began to slide her pants down.

Momonga lifted his hand to pause her, and then motioned for her to pull her pants up.

"A-ahem, how may I help my lord?" Xenovia coughed to her fist while looking disappointed somehow after she had clothed herself.

"Ahem, sorry for barging in like that-"

"It's alright, my lord. I just came out of a shower and- Well, please remember that my body is ready for my lord at any time. Twenty-four seven. Every day."

'Ero-world… Right…' Momonga covered his face with his hands. "Right, do you know anything about constructing stuff? I'd like to give this order to the Dominion Authority in person, but I think it'd be better if I order it, but give you the orders as well so you can watch over that angel and make sure it doesn't… take liberties… with my orders?"

"Ah!" Xenovia pat her palm with her fist in realization. "I get it! Right- what do you want us to do?"

Momonga detailed his plans for Sona's school for all devils, except that it would be for all devils, angels, youkai, and even humans (if any qualified). "Right. I'd like this to be a wedding gift of sorts for Sona, so make sure to be a bit secretive and leave the plans a bit open-ended so Sona can adjust them once she receives it. I'll leave the choice of teachers to Sona as well."

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'I see! In other words, lord Momon thinks this lakeside church is way too meager and shoddy, and wants me to make sure Dominion Authority-sama gets the construction right this time!' Xenovia nodded to herself while taking notes. 'Hoo? A school theme? That sounds kinky… As expected of the True God!'

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"I understand, my lord!" Xenovia told Momonga as she finished taking notes, and Momonga sighed in relief. "I'll deliver these orders to Dominion Authority-sama!"

"Ah I'll… Hm, yes, I suppose that would be best." Momonga changed his mind mid-sentence. 'It looks like Xenovia has the situation under control… I'll just check up on them every now and then.'

"Now then, I have other matters to attend to." Momonga turned to leave, but Xenovia coughed before he could [Teleport] out.

"Ahem, my lord, there's the issue with the aspiring champions…" Xenovia noted. "What should I do with them?"

"Hm…" Momonga sighed internally. 'I really don't need more lovers… Those that I have now are already too many… But it would be cruel, and more importantly, bad for my image as the benevolent True God if I just ignored them… I suppose I can just go talk to them, 'grant them an audience' or something…'

"Right, I'll go see them. Where are they?" Momonga asked and Xenovia gave him rough directions, as it looked like the trio had slipped somewhere during the whole 'Serafall under the table' debacle.

'I suppose it would be good for morale if I interacted a bit with my 'cult'... Although I should be very careful to maintain the mask that has been placed on my face…' Momonga felt a bit resigned as he knew what such an act would entail, and set off to find the 'aspiring champions'. 'Haa… Ero-world…'

'At least I have five levels of [Lover] to carry me through this…'

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Raynare was feeling quite stressed.

No, it should be said that she was borderline hysterical while her eyes were wide and unfocused, and her face pale while streaks of sweat glistened on it. "Ahahaa…. haahahah… For Issei to be using a Maou as his cocksleeve… I'm so dead, so dead, so dead… There's no way, no way, no way…"

"Hiee…." Mittelt was shivering while sitting down a bit sideways in order to not push the plug in her rear deeper. "There… there is no hope…"

"That was hot"

"Kalawarna, shut the hell up!" Raynare lashed out at the blue-haired gray angel.

"Uuuhhh…" Mittelt whined and latched onto Raynare's back. "Stop, stop, stop… It…"

"Mittelt! Get a hold of yourself! You're a Fallen Angel! You too- Stop drooling, Kalawarna!" Raynare slapped both of the Fallen Angels. And then herself.

The pitiful, submissive and broken state of the two fellow angels gave Raynare the strength to break from her own misery through seeing how pitiable and weak she herself looked, as she could mirror the absolutely infuriatingly weak look on the two fellow Fallen on herself and knowing she looked much the same.

That weakness disgusted Raynare, and from that disgust, came anger.

From anger, strength.

"I will not… I will not go to the night so easily!" Raynare felt strength flood into her limbs, born from defiance.

Mittelt saw the change in Raynare, and must have felt the same way as she stood up as well, striking her usual pose with her hands on her hips and a haughty, holier-than-thou look on her features.

Kalawarna's expression didn't change, so both Mittelt and Raynare lifted her to her feet. "Kalawarna- Where is that haughty, no-nonsense look from before? Are you just a slut? Is there nothing else for you?"

Kalawarna seemed to reflect on herself as she saw the change, the defiance of her fellow Fallen and seemed to realize her own behavior and how lowly she had gotten.

"I… I see…" Kalawarna seemed to grow taller as she stood with her back straight. Albeit with little difficulty as the chain connecting the ball to the buttplug in her rear was just slightly too short to allow her to stand without also lifting the ball off the ground.

Raynare, Mittelt and Kalawarna looked into each other, united first in only their goals, yet now united in their torment, united in their fear, and now, in their determination.

"We'll get away." Raynare nodded.

"We'll make it." Mittelt nodded.

"We won't die here." Kalawarna nodded, albeit while her eyes rolled slightly upwards as the strain of lifting the ball and chain from the floor with her sphincter alone seemed to be quite considerable.

The trio hugged, now forged into a team not only through goal, torment, but in spirit as well.

They turned, grabbed their balls-and-chain to carry, and made a run for it.

The trip turned a corner, and hit something.

That something was quite solid and the trio of Grey Angels fell on their butts, with a chorus of groans and 'ow's due to the ball-and-chain 'attachments' which went all over the place.

"Owowowow… Hey! Watch where you're going, baka! Idiot! Fool! Rock-for-brain! Go and take a shit and then drown yourself in the toilet, baaaaka!" Mittelt barked out as she reoriented herself. "Who the hell just walks in the middle… of… the… hallway?"

Mittelt's words died into a whimper.

Raynare was stuck motionless as she had seen who they had collided into.

Kalawarna's newly-reformed aloof face of spite shook.

"Greetings. I take you were the three 'aspiring champions' Xenovia-san spoke of?" Issei greeted the trio while smiling in a good-natured way. "A fascinating coincidence to meet you again, Yuuma-san."

Raynare shook from head to toe.

She coughed instead of trying to speak, and felt her legs spasm in response as she realized that she had fallen on top of the ball-and-chain and it had slid right in due to her very loose state. 'That's one way to carry it, I guess…'

The fact she could even think of such idle things was because her head was filled with one sentence.

'We're dead.'

"Ahem, so, I figured from Xenovia's speech that you three were willing to undergo many trials and tribulations in order to join my harem, I figured it'd be only right to meet you. However, I must preface this by saying that I am not looking to expand it…"

'Thank god…' Raynare scrunched her face in confusion as the name didn't cause a pinch of pain, for some reason.

It looked like Issei took the scrunching in a different way. "However I can see that you are disappointed by the lack of 'prize' at the end of your trials. Therefore I'd like to offer you something you wish for. Within moderation, of course."

Raynare opened her mouth and closed it like a fish. 'I want to say 'please forgive us', but what does he mean by 'moderation'?'

She opened her mouth and closed it again.

"I see that the news came in as a shock. I understand." Issei nodded his head while thinking. "In other words, Yuuma-san, since you were dating Issei back then… You heard some rumors and thought you'd be reunited with Issei if you underwent a trial of sorts? And now that you've succeeded, you're faced with rejection… That is indeed quite sad. I fear that I must add to that sadness- For Issei is no longer with us. There is only me. Momon."

Raynare shook all over. 'What- What? Don't tell me… He believed that story I made up on the fly? About us dating? I guess we dated, for a day, if I ignore the fact I did that just to lure him out and crush his hopes and dreams while killing him for his [Sacred Gear]...'

'No, there's no way he believed that…' Raynare knew that someone that was strong, intelligent and powerful enough to use a Maou as a love-toy and ascend to the heights of a 'God' would believe her half-though lie. 'What is he after? Is he trying to make us slip and… Do something?'

'This has to be a trap, but for who? And why?' Raynare thought while Issei- no, Momon talked with pale-faced Mittelt who answered in her 'tsundere' persona in order to try to cloak the slip of her real persona when she had collided with the God in the corridor.

"T-t-t-there's no way I could like you, baka! There's no way we were dating! It was just you and I going out to buy groceries! Don't overthink things! Baka! Idiot! Pervert!" Mittelt tried to salvage the situation by doubling down on the 'tsundere'. She then tossed her hair to the side and harrumphed while crossing her arms. "Hmph!"

"I see… Umu, I suppose I can understand that point of view as well." Momon nodded as if he had seen straight through Mittelt, who paled even further and began shaking. "And you are…?"

"Kalawarna." Kalawarna answered while she was clearly uncertain what face she should pull, and glanced at Raynare.

"Could I ask what was the relationship between you and Issei…?"

Kalawarna sent a second glance to Raynare who twitched one of her eyebrows in a way that she hoped conveyed 'just make up something'

"I was Issei-sama's exclusive sex toy'" Kalawarna's cold expression didn't even twitch.

Raynare and Mittelt almost fell on their faces. 'Kals do you want to get captured again or what?!'

"I… see." Momon took a double-take on the bustiest of the trio. "Umu. I see… I suppose it would be quite hurtful for you three to know that Issei is no longer with us. But I suppose I am the wrong person to tell you that. Follow me, will you?"

Raynare struggled to get up, and felt her butt let a small 'plop' as the 'ball' of the ball-and-chain exited it… Only for Momon to sigh and cover his face with his hand.

"Ero-world… [Slash]- [Slash]- [Slash]." The chains connecting the trio to the steel balls were severed, allowing them to move a bit more freely.

"Right, follow me." Momon motioned for the trio to follow while turning around.

Some kind of swirling portal of energy appeared out of thin air and engulfed the hallway, and Momon walked into it without care.

Raynare gulped.

She looked at the chain dangling from her butt and the severed steel ball nearby.

She looked at the window nearby, through which she could flee.

Yet… 'Is this a trap as well?'

Raynare gulped. 'What is the price of disobedience?'

She heard a horse neigh somewhere outside, likely as it dined on grass.

"Hieeee!" Mittelt heard the peaceful neigh and dove right into the portal with her face pale and terrified.

"Hey! Hey! Don't- Wait for me!" Raynare grabbed Kalawarna and dove after her, both equally spooked by the sound.

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"Um, erm…" Azazel was holding both of his hands up in mock surrender. "I was just going out for a walk?"

A devil woman with pale greenish-blonde hair and pink irises narrowed her eyes. "And where did you think you were going, Azazel of Fallen Angels? This is territory of Devils- No Fallen nor Angel may enter as long as I stand!"

"Funny thing is, I'm not actually a Fallen anymore. At least I think so." Azazel made a show of thinking hard. "Yep, no black wings, no Fallen. But I don't have a harp, so I'm not an Angel either… Funny how that goes. So since I'm not a Fallen, nor an Angel, can I enter?"

"Do you think this is funny?" The devil woman growled. "That a filthy Fallen- Or… Whatever you are- can just walz into territory loyal to the True Maous-"

"Do you mean old maous, or the new maous, or the new old maous, or the-"

"Shut up! I'm talking!" The woman seemed to lose it. "Do you have any idea how many died in Agares territory alone?! My people- My father- Do you think this is a joke?"

"Ah, so you'd be Seekvaira Agares, or something?" Azazel asked while cleaning his ear with his pinky finger. "Yeah, the thing is, I love peace so I came with peaceful intentions in mind. Basically, daddy dearest came back, and changed his, uh, approach a bit. So I figured I could at least try to establish some sort of line of communication between you guys and the triumvirate back there. You know, before either side does something hasty and things get out of hand. Since pops changed his ways I think we all can co-exist, at least on some level…"

"What, you're an emissary or herald?!" Seekvaira did a double-take, considering two of her Peerage members had their weapons drawn against Azazel's throat. Not that she had more- She only seemed to have a Queen and a Knight.

Azazel knew that the Young Devil was just buying time, as she would no doubt know that she and her Peerage would stand no chance against Azazel in a straight-up fight, and her apparent arrogance and hostility was likely just a mask.

…And a peaceful escalation was more or less Azazel's goal, as it would get him close to Beelzebub or Asmodeus without the need to start fighting to draw either's attention. '...There's a chance that I'll get captured, but I prepared plenty of get-out-of-jail-free contraptions, so I should be alright even if Beelzebub comes and sticks his thing in me- wait, no, wrong expression… that visit in that over-glorified brothel twisted my thinking a bit… Still, that tomboyish girl had nice thighs- Wait, no focus, Azazel…'

"Pervert… Figures…" Azazel realized that he must have been staring at Seekvaira while he was daydreaming, and the woman must have taken that the wrong way.

There was a swoosh of wings, and another Peerage landed nearby.

'Huh, finally. Things will get a bit faster now that there's more people on scene, since Beelzebub-kun will come soon as well~' Azazel felt quite happy to see that Seekvaira's reinforcements were arriving. 'Beelz will probably be quite hostile, but I should be able to at least get a message across… Then I can go back to daddy dearest, tell him where a new peace meeting would take place, this time with just envoys or message-sigils so neither side can try an ambush… That way the paranoid new old maou faction could stay safe and dictate the terms of the meeting, as they likely wouldn't accept it otherwise. I won't let another war break out if I can help it…'

"S-Sairaorg?" Seekvaira seemed quite flustered for some reason. "Why'd you come back?! I thought you became a traitor!"

Azazel looked to the sky to see that there were more Peerages approaching.

Sairaorg seemed to see them as well, alongside noticing Azazel who was being held at blade-point… And the Young Devil cursed under his breath.

"I came back… for you." Sairaorg told Seekvaira while walking close to her.

"You… eh?" Seekvaira seemed to blush quite a bit and took a step away. "I won't be happy to hear that! But… If you want to come back to our side, then… I guess…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Seekvaira- I'll say this only once. Defend yourself. And… If you think you'll be defeated, kill yourself. It would be a more merciful fate than what he has planned for you." Speaking the words seemed to hurt Sairaorg's very being, but he spoke to Seekvaira nonetheless. "That's all I can say. But… I'll need you to save my mother- Forgive me, Seekvaira!"

The scion and lord of Bael house drew breath into his lungs. "REGULUS NEMEA!"

And thus, a massive golden battle-axe appeared in Sairaorg's hands, and a golden armor appeared around his body.

The empty clothes of one of his Peerage members fell to the floor, after his essence had become loose and reformed itself to become Sairaorg's armor.

Seekvaira's Peerage members were too far away from Seekvaira to intercept, and instead struck at Azazel.

Azazel's eyes widened as everything seemed to come to a halt at the same time as Sairaorg rammed into off-guard Seekvaira with the force of a freight train.

'Oh no- In other words-' Azazel realized instantly what was happening. 'Asmodeus and Beelzebub are losing control of their forces, and staged a false flag operation!'

'If this escalates to a battle instead of a negotiation, and with me on the scene- No!' Azazel materialized his gray wings while grabbing the blades of both the Queen and the Knight, and tossed them aside like toys.

Azazel then grabbed the two's heads, and knocked them together hard enough to knock both out cold.

"Kyaah- Agh!" Seekvaira had been slammed against the ground, and a golden battle-axe had split a weapon she had made in a split second to defend herself.

The Young Lady of Agares house seemed to, however, slither off the ground and back to her feet with almost unnatural speed yet without the usual over-exaggeration of motion that came with high-speed movement, almost like time was accelerated for her- And Azazel realized that she likely had some way of manipulating time to slow it down for herself or possibly in an area.

'Clever- But you'll get wrinkles quickly if you wind time up for yourself…' Azazel noted as he charged forward to defend the devil woman.

The political results of a false flag operation could be catastrophic for the peace that Azazel desired- Things had settled down to an uneasy cold war of sorts after the death of Pillars, with both sides collecting their forces yet neither side making a move.

Until now.

"Sairaorg! That was your name, right? Stop this at once! Do you realize what you're doing? The consequences?!" Azazel raged at the young devil.

"I know. I know what I'm about to do… And what results from it." Sairaorg's voice was tormented, and Azazel paused as he looked into the young man's eyes.

The pain in them was so crushing that even Azazel felt baffled. 'What did Beelzebub do to drive him to such suffering?'

"I have no options- Stand aside! I only need her!" Sairaorg picked up his golden battle-axe and stood between Azazel and Seekvaira, and motioned towards Seekvaira who was fighting one-versus-six and was forced to use her time-manipulation constantly in order to avoid the pincer-like attacks of the well-coordinating group- And even then, she only managed to survive with no chances for counter-attack.

'Dammit- Beelzebub, you sneaky rat-' Azazel cursed under his breath and drew his [Downfall Dragon Spear] to form an armor for himself as well, and charged towards Sairaorg.

Sairaorg's eyes gained a glint of determination, and he charged Azazel in turn.

The clash that resulted shook the earth and knocked the approaching Peerage out of the sky.

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'Hm, it's a nice and clear day…' Momonga clanked the [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown] against the floor as he walked. He didn't really need a walking aid, but at the same time, it felt nostalgic and quite good to let the item out of the bag every now and then. 'My friends… Would you approve of the world I'm creating? Blue Planet-san… I'll fix the human world, don't worry. Touch Me… My church will heal without discrimination, so I'll be the pillar who helps those in need… Peroroncino… Eh, skipping that… Ulbert..'

Momonga thought about his guildmates, trying to look past their 'roleplay' and into what kind of people they were, if he peeled back the avatar. 'Touch Me… I did not know what you did for a living, but if it paid well and involved actual work, I can only guess that it must have been gruesome, immoral, and taken a psychological toll, yet you were a good person despite that… For you to involve yourself so much in 'good guy' roleplay despite taking a 'heteromorph' race… So much is clear to me now…'

Momonga wasn't sure if his new skills helped decipher more from his guildmates's 'real' personalities, or if he just could do so now that he had distanced himself a bit from the game.

He felt as if he was starting to lose himself to nostalgia, and thought about something else.

He wondered just briefly if such a thing was a sign of weakness, or if he was betraying the memory of his friends… Yet at the same time, he now saw that excessive clinginess for the past would only lead to his ruin. 'I've changed so much since I came here… I wonder if I'm changing for better or for worse…'

"I'm honestly wondering the same here, buddy." Ddraig told Momonga from under his gold pile, like a child looking from under his blanket at a monster outside his bed.

'I guess for 'better', then.' Momonga huffed and focused on something else.

'...Those three are lying.' Momonga glanced at the trio who wobbled and hobbled after him, clearly still shaky even if they could move on their own now that they didn't need to drag the steel balls after them. 'Their body language is too exaggerated, their mood too swingy, their words reek the stench of bad acting… I guess I was too preoccupied with Rossweisse when I first met them so I didn't see it, yet now…'

'I know I'm a massive hypocrite for criticizing someone for lying, but still…' Momonga sighed as he thought about what to do with the trio. 'Being lied to makes me kind of mad, but at the same time, their body language reeks of fear just barely concealed behind their lies… However, fear does not excuse a lie.'

'Rias had a chat with them, I think… She knew Issei before I took over, so she might also have some ideas as to what to do with them…' Momonga cast a [Detect Life] and checked Rias's location, before casting another [Gate] to take the group to the red-head.

"Hm… Sorry." Momonga sighed as Rias was in the middle of pulling a comfy-looking sweater on, with her hair damp from shower. 'What's with today… Do devils usually take showers during midday or what?'

Momonga noted that he was in his Peerage's quarters. 'I should probably mingle with them for a while since I'm here… Well, after I take care of that issue…'

"Rias, do you have a moment?" Momonga asked while the trio behind him took sharp breaths and based on a 'clonk' sound, at least one of them passed out instantly and hit her head on the floor, and two 'thudd' sounds meant the two others had flopped down on their butts. 'So they do know Rias…'

"What- I guess? What is Raynare and her two stooges doing here?"

"Raynare?"

"The middle one with the black hair and stupid face."

"Ah, you mean Yuuma-san."

"That's Raynare, she used 'Yuuma'-name when she misled Issei into a date and then killed him."

"I see."

.

.

Raynare was currently sitting in a puddle of her own piss.

Her bladder had malfunctioned, alongside her legs, and her butt. However, since she had an arm-sized butt-plug in there and a chain dangling off of it, nothing could come from there.

Instead she had fallen down to her butt with her legs bent to the side, defeated and broken like a discarded doll. 'I should have made a run for it… Issei… No… Momon… He knew. He knew all along. He let me try to kill him, back then. And when I tore that nun's [Sacred Gear], he stopped me, and I died… Did he… Ha… Hahahaha… Did you bring me back to give me another chance? Turn the other cheek, like your son? And I slapped you with my lie again? The same exact lie? Did you think I'd try to kill you again? Issei- No, Father?'

Kalawarna had overloaded as Rias's words had effectively sealed the death of the trio, and the Gray Angel had fallen to her face.

Mittelt was on the floor as well, cowering for her life and prostrating towards her father as well.

"Umu. I don't appreciate being lied to, you know." Momon turned around to face the trio, and the strict, oppressive aura coming from him shook Kalawarna awake.

"It's going to be alright… We'll be together, in the end." Mittelt whimpered, and Raynare felt… camaraderie.

The suffering, the experiences they had, the vow of survival… had united the three.

Raynare hugged Kalawarna and Mittelt against her chest, and placed herself between the two of her sisters.

"They lied on my orders! I am to blame!" Raynare told Father with a headstrong voice. "If blame is to fall, let it fall on me!"

"No- I was the mastermind! I found out like, half of the [Sacred Gear] users! Blame me! If I wasn't there, then-" Mittelt interrupted and squirmed in front.

"I didn't stop Raynare or Mittelt, even when I knew they were wrong! I should take the blame as the eldest of us three!" Kalawarna pushed the two behind herself, and spread her arms to cover the two.

"No- it was-"

"I did-"

"They didn't-"

"You're being too noisy! Silence!" The God in the room swung his hand to the side and slammed the butt of the golden staff against the floor.

The motion caused all three to quiver and flinch.

"Hm…" The deity looked down upon the trio while Rias walked next to him.

"Well, that's unusual." Rias noted. "I figured they'd start backstabbing each other."

"Hm? I see, so they were that kind of people…" Momon lifted his eyebrow at Rias and then turned his head towards Raynare. "I don't particularly enjoy being lied to. But the thing is… I knew you were lying already."

Raynare was frozen still while she had taken a position in front of her two sisters.

Momon, however, turned his head to the side. "...So I came to ask what I should do with them? You've had more dealings with them, so…"

"Um, you weren't planning on vetting them into your harem?" Rias tilted her head at Momon while adjusting her sweater. "I don't approve of them, by the way."

"No, no… First I- ahem, I figured you'd know more about them so I sent them to you, and now I return to that question."

"I see." Rias nodded her head thoughtfully. "I sent them to your… eh… church, figuring that the place would at least help them behave somewhat and I didn't want to babysit them… It seems it worked though."

Raynare shook as she was hugging Mittelt and Kalawarna protectively against her chest. 'I won't… I won't go back… I'll rather… And I won't let these two… I'll rather kill them, and then myself as well, than force them to undergo that again…'

"Hm, so you're saying they've changed their ways?" Momon asked Rias, who tilted her head at Raynare. "I can tell that they're honest now."

"Looks like it, I suppose. I'll have to thank Xenovia-chan, whatever she's done seemed to have purged the awful personalities from them. Don't forget that they were outright cruel before that, though." Rias looked like she was in deep thought. "What do you want to do with them? I don't think, uh, we should keep them. But I suppose we shouldn't dispose of them either, if they've really changed their ways."

"Hm…" Momon tilted his head as well. "I suppose I could send them to Azazel or something?"

"Yes- yes! Daddy!" Raynare bowed herself while she felt Kalawarna and Mittelt bow next to her as well. 'Salvation? Azazel-sama!'

"Umu… Please don't call me 'daddy'... I'm Momon."

"Of course, Momon-kakka! I'll- I'll do what you want! Please order us! Anything but that place- That place- it was… it was so horrifying…" Mittelt's voice broke a bit at the end.

"Hoo, it looks like Xenovia-san didn't spare the rod." Rias noted. "Anyway, you might want to ask Asia as well. She was the one they tormented."

"Hm… That would be fair." Momon sighed. "That being said, I'm fairly sure Asia is still recovering from the fact she overused her [Twilight Healing] during that peace talks debacle. I suppose those three can just, hm… [Message]- Xenovia-san? Do you happen to have a need for worke-"

"NOOO!" Raynare, Mittelt and Kalawarna dove to lick Momon's shoes instantly. "Please, Momon-kakka! Anything but that! Anything! We'll rend your enemies limb from limb, we'll cook and clean, we'll drain your balls until they're but raisins, we'll do anything! Please don't send us back there! PLEASE! No more! NO MORE I BEG YOU PLEASEEEEE!"

"U-umu… Xenovia-san, sorry, nevermind. Uh…" Momon waved his hand beside his head as if he dismissed something, all the while Rias was staring at the trio with wide eyes.

"I think I'll be a bit more careful around Xenovia-san in the future as well." Rias noted while she had a bit of a pale face as well. "Right, um… so…"

"I don't think they are lying this time either." Momon sighed while addressing Rias. "Sheesh… Hm, I suppose sending them to Xenovia would be cruel in their present state… I'll have to ask her what she did to those three at some point."

The man then turned towards Raynare. "...But a punishment is in order for lying to me in the first place."

'P-punishment?' Raynare plasterd a look of desperate begging on her face while she clung to Momon's shin as it was an anchor in a storm. 'Azazel-sama, please come and save us…'

"I suppose so." Rias agreed and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I am still a bit angry at them for tormenting my cute Asia so… Even if Issei introduced her to my Peerage in the first place, way back then."

Momon, however, didn't seem to listen as he was stroking his chin with his finger in contemplation.

"Hm… I did order him to train his wards to be preachers, although his methods… Well, I suppose that would be a suitable punishment. I did incentivize him to not go too overboard, so it should be alright." Momon glanced down at Raynare who put her hopes and dreams to her face, begging for mercy. "...I suppose I should send you three to Diodora-kun."

'Homerun! I don't know who that is, but it can't be worse than what the blue-haired bitch put us through…' Raynare hugged Momon's leg. "Thank you, master… thankyou thank you thankyouthankyou…"

Mittelt was crying and snot was flowing down her nose with an expression of happiness in her face. Kalawarna meanwhile was hugging Mittelt back in a tender, almost motherly way.

"That being said- I'll send a message to Diodora. There's a [Gate], off you go." Momon handwaved and a now-familiar black vortex appeared.

Raynare practically dove into it, soon followed by Mittelt and Kalawarna jumping in as well.