Bickering Bats

[𝐀𝐣𝐮𝐤𝐚'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐛, 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫]

"You guys are back already? I wasn't even—Oh? You've found a peerage member?

"She's only a prospect for now."

Casually speaking to the Emerald Satan the heir of Purson's didn't hesitate to move throughout the lab, knocking over yet another train flying through the air for fun. Their vacation had been cut short so their training had returned in full swing.

"Woah…"

"I know right? Isn't it cool?"

Happily chattering in the back the two girls completely ignored the Satan and Noel as they explored the area. Morgan had already seen most of it but some things had changed in the month and a half they were gone and she enjoyed seeing them anyway.

"I see you used your Queen piece on Morgan. Congratulations."

"Well, I'm not sure if it was what she meant but I'll take it."

Chuckling to himself Noel briefly glanced at that future spouse of his. Becoming the Queen of a husband—or wife—was quite a sacred act in the devil society. It was akin to a promise equal in value to their marriage, albeit in different ways.

If a marriage between two devils was a business deal then the action of becoming the Queen of the other party was akin to announcing their limitless love and devotion. It was best represented by the Queen of Lucifer, Grayfia Lucifuge who had a large part in popularizing it.

However, the biggest reason it was so popular was actually because once given a Queen piece—or any piece for that matter—it was extraordinarily difficult to escape that intrinsic connection. For that reason, it was rarely utilized. They lived long lives after all.

Morgan on the other hand, probably just wanted the benefits. The actual conversation happened in the middle of Noel's explanation of the Evil Piece system and Morgan was extremely interested in the Queen piece and its all around buff in particular.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

Resting her head on Noel's and giggling like a schoolgirl—which she technically should be—Morgan's tail wiggled back and forth. Standing by their side was their newest member, Amaris Branwen.

It had taken a month and a half but she had finally been deemed fit for training by the Purson clan doctor. It had taken quite a bit to keep Cyrus away during that time but Noel managed it since showing off the blight of their family would make quite the bad impression.

"Just about you becoming my Queen."

"Oh! Can you tell how much stronger I've gotten Mister?"

Running in front of Ajuka Beelzebub, a man famed for his intellect and analytical ability, she spun around while giggling with a proud smile. The buff given by a Queen piece was substantial, so much so that Morgan had been elevated from a genius to a monster.

"Yes, you've definitely grown stronger. Around two or three times I'd say."

"Ehehe~!"

Holding her cheek proudly Morgan fidgeted cutely, her desire for praise and embarrassment clashing against one another. Even for a Queen piece, the increase was large and that was mostly due to Noel.

Evil Pieces grew stronger as their 'contractor' did so the stronger Noel was the bigger the boost it would give. It wasn't perfect though since to somebody stronger than him it'd do next to nothing.

"So who is this young lady?"

Turning the conversation toward the newest addition, Ajuka looked at the girl in expectation. It was one thing to notice the aura emanating from her but it was another for her to have been personally brought in by Noel. He had an eye for talent better than even his.

"Amaris Branwen, my potential Bishop, and the owner of an undiscovered Longinus."

Speaking in proxy of the girl warily looking at the older devil Noel couldn't but smirk at the look of disbelief on Ajuka's face. Finding a new Longinus was akin to discovering a new realm, a once in thousand year event if not more.

They popped up fairly often at one point, but then the numbers had stabilized at fourteen for thousands of years. It was thought that either an era of great development or great strife would warrant a new one but truthfully nobody knew.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"...Wow."

The single word of shock was all Ajuka could muster, rather it was all he could say without spewing out so many words that he couldn't even dream of taking them all back. The twitching of his lips and the fidgeting he was doing more than proved how he really felt.

"What… What is it?"

Practically salivating Ajuka coughed into his hand as he shakily inquired. A Longinus was a thing that nobody could predict. Whether it be the ultimate shield, control over natural energies, or even dividing everything nothing there was no rhyme or reason between them all.

"No clue, she can't awaken it. Apparently, she needs to see me at my best."

"You? Oh, I see how it is."

Replacing the depraved curiosity that once marked his face a teasing grin now occupied his handsome face. Blushing up a storm Amaris hid behind Morgan, only the top of her eyes peeking out to see what was happening.

"Can you fit that into our itinerary?"

Despite wording it as a question, Noel trusted that even if Ajuka couldn't think of a way he'd make one. Ajuka was a researcher at heart and if he had the chance to research the birth, abilities, and development of a new Longinus there was no reason to say no.

"Of course! Let's leave now!"

Without so much as a warning, their surroundings warped from the colorless realm into a bright wasteland of crimson sand and sweltering heat. Strangely enough, Noel was a few dozen meters away from the rest who reclined on beach chairs with cool drinks in hand.

'So this is how much control over the Reverse World he has.'

Idly thinking to himself Noel removed the relaxing trio from his mind, a small staff appearing in his hand once more. It had once helped him focus his demonic energy but by now he just used it to keep up appearances. A mage without a staff was an odd sight after all.

Rumbling and shaking the earth exploded upward as a large serpentine creature rose from the depths, its open mouth and thousands of teeth pointing at him dangerously. It was around fifty meters long and each twenty in width creating a monstrosity of sand, danger, and revulsion.

'That's inconvenient.'

Lazily gazing at the large creature the first thing Noel noted was that much of its body remained beneath the sand. The creature was aptly named a Sand Worm, a monster often troubling the Egyptian pantheon with its immense durability and ease of escape.

"Don't take long!"

Shouting from his relaxed position Ajuka couldn't hide the smile on his face as he watched the worm approach Noel. This battle would inevitably result in the advent of a new Longinus, the fifteenth that he and the world had been so eagerly waiting for!

"Hm?"

"Oh! He's doing that!"

Excitedly watching the battle Morgan put down her drink to watch—a rarity with her hatred of the heat—as she accidentally answered Amaris' question. While he wasn't known for it since few had actually seen it in action this magic of his was his specialty.

"Be crushed and die."

Pointing his wand at the sky the sand from miles around rose into the air—the sand around the trio kept in place by Ajuka—as even the Sand Worm rose high into the sky. Sand swirled in the air as an inverted vortex blocked the sun.

Winds howled loudly as more and more sand gathered together, the very earth around them rising into the sky as they stood alone in a crater. Sand crashed against the barrier blocking out all sight for over a dozen seconds.

Crashing and clumping together against the worm the sand formed a coffin for the beast, a sphere kilometers in size blotting out the sun as a new moon floated above them for just a second before falling to the ground with immense force.

Chunks of sand shot out like shrapnel as the artificial moon was destroyed. It was only a few minutes later and a spell by Ajuka that sand and dust in the air disappeared enough for them to see what remained.

They stood on a pillar dozens of kilometers tall, the sand that once surrounded them slowly filling in the crevice that had formed. It was as though a giant had taken a clump of dirt from the ground with the sole exception of a single pillar.

"It's his Word Magic!"

"Is that what it is?"

Speaking softly to himself with an amused grin Ajuka kept his silence about the truth. Word Magic was indeed a thing, a very old fashioned and inefficient thing but it was indeed something that existed.

It functioned on the basis of enhancing the voice with demonic energy in an attempt to manifest it into reality. It was slow, fickle, and extremely inefficient so it had been dissuaded thousands of years ago but it did exist.

But what Noel had done was not that. The young Purson had delicately manipulated gravity so that the wonder of magic had occurred. Among the twelve Evil Eyes of his clan, there was only one that could do that. One of the top four, the Evil Eyes of Gravitation.

As one of the Four Satans he had access to all the clan traits of the 72 Pillars and among them, the Purson clan was one of the most intriguing. Its status as a mix of personal and inherited traits was strange but what truly made it interesting was its difference in power even among its own kin.

Most were good such as the Evil Eyes of Paralyzation or Illusions but some were less so such as the Evil Eyes of Identification. Even the latter had uses but they were less prominent. The top four however were among the strongest of all clan traits and Nicholas Purson had proven why.

It was this mixture of both overwhelming power and subpar strength that the Purson remained solidly in the middle of the clan rankings. They were far from weak and they were far from strong, that was their status. Nicholas Purson had begun to disprove that and now there was Noel who would do better than even his father.

"So it's a turbulent era is it?"

"What was that Mister?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself."

Chuckling with a wry smile Ajuka 'teleported' them away—all he did was return their surroundings to their previous state—and returned his attention to the new Longinus. If that showing of power hadn't been enough then nothing would be.

"…I'll try."

Responding to their expectant eyes Amaris closed her eyes and focused intently. The only reason she couldn't awaken it before this was because of her maturity. She relied on herself for everything and thus she hardly cared about how strong others were. She knew she was weak and she could hardly imagine somebody other than herself in this situation.

But—by fate's blessings—Noel had been the one to find her. Maybe it was because he saved her from that hell or maybe it was because he made it abundantly clear that he was more human than most humans—if that even made sense at all—that she could visualize him.

It was akin to looking in a mirror but the sight reflected in its surface not her own face but instead Noel's. She felt that there was a deep level of similarities between the two even if she couldn't name a single one besides maybe maturity.

"Huh?"

It was only when she felt an abrupt weight—if it could even be called that—appear above her body. It was like something was pressing down on her but there was no pressure, in fact, it felt like there was nothing there at all. But there was. Something was there.

"The Yata no Kagami… So it was stolen, not lost!"

Shouting Ajuka didn't care that he spoiled the surprise as he ran around recording, writing, and photographing everything he saw. Above Amaris' shoulders were eight mirrors, each the size of a head and floating around her like a semi circle.

The Yata no Kagami was one of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures. It was a powerful tool with the ability to store anything in its mirrors and answer any and all questions under the condition that it occurred in or was known by at least one person in Japan.

Compared to the Kusanagi no Tsurugi it was lacking in offense and it hardly had the divine protection of the Yasakani no Magatama but it was no weaker than the two. Centuries ago it had been lost—a replica replacing it on Earth—but here it was.

Ajuka knew more than enough about its history—enough to give a sermon lasting longer than even he'd be willing to bear—but what he was interested in was how it changed. Sacred gears changed by the user's emotions, desires, and willpower so there was no telling how it was now.

"What does it do? How powerful is it? How many abilities does it have? Does it have sentience or is there a being inlaid? I have to know!"

With the ferocity of a madman on drugs—a fitting description of the current Beelzebub—Ajuka only barely stopped himself from pouncing on her but couldn't help but touch the mirror. They rotated and moved freely, their surface seeming less like a mirror and more like a window into a deeper realm, and the tasteful ornaments only enhanced the divine glow emanating from it.

"It—"

"Ajuka, Ria-tan won't—! Bad time?"

Storming the hall was a tall man with long crimson hair, eyes as blue as the ocean Morgan loved so dearly, and a kind face currently filled to the brim with tears. However, almost as though it never existed, all that sorrow was wiped off his face as he looked around the room.

"No. I'd say you've never arrived at a more opportune moment Sirzechs."

"""Lord Lucifer."""

Bowing toward the man—Amaris somehow ahead of Morgan—the three respectfully spoke the man's name. If Ajuka Beelzebub was the epitome of intelligence and innovation then the man before them—Sirzechs Lucifer—was the peak of destructive ability.

"Don't bow to him, you'll make his ego swell."

"Well, I can't deny it."

Shooting the second Beelzebub a grin equal parts smug and confused, Sirzechs made no effort to hide his confusion from the trio. The three were hardly the first students of Ajuka but they were certainly the most trusted.

To begin with, Ajuka's education uselessly lasted less than a month, let alone nearly three. It was inevitable considering that all his students were only required for as long as Ajuka took to study them—an extraordinarily short period—and not a second longer. Suffice it to say, it was shocking they remained so long.

"Is that a new Longinus?"

But it only took a second for Sirzechs to arrive at one of the many reasons they remained as floating above the girl he didn't know was the unmistakable aura of a Longinus albeit one more subtly than most he had encountered.

"Indeed. Since you're here, let's talk for a while."

Manifesting a large table without a single sign Ajuka took a seat with all the others soon following after him. It was a strange gathering of two of the Four Satans and three children but neither side paid it any mind.

"How much do you want me to hide it? I'm warning you now that the most I can do is a few years and that's if she doesn't use it anywhere but here."

Starting the conversation with a sigh Sirzechs was clearly well accustomed to the oddities of his old war buddy who doubled as his best friend. A Longinus—especially a new one—was something that realistically couldn't be hidden.

That wasn't to say it couldn't be done but it was more of a matter of why they would do so in the first place. Longinus were, to put it bluntly, weapons of mass destruction. To have one of these weapons was akin to having a leg up against all competitors.

A new Longinus took that concept and ascended even higher. A new Longinus meant dozens if not hundreds of things about the state of the world. For one, it meant that science would boom for a time as a new test subject was revealed to their eyes.

 As mentioned prior, it also meant that the future was likely going to be turbulent. It wasn't a confirmed thing really but so far there had been little to no exceptions if any at all. For that reason, sacred gears were occasionally considered to be intrinsically connected to fate itself.

But, as it happened, Ajuka was a greedy man. He wanted to be the first to research something as exciting as this and he wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. It would be difficult but Sirzechs would make it happen regardless.

"Is that alright with you?"

Despite his greed, Ajuka still had enough sanity left to know the decision wasn't his. He could facilitate it but ultimately the choice was in the hands of Amaris and, to a certain extent, Noel. It was lucky he was confident he knew what would come next.

"Ok."

It was a blunt response but it was more than enough for Ajuka and Sirzechs. Sighing once again the Crimson Satan rubbed his eyes as the time that he was supposed to spend relaxing and annoying his best friend had turned into even more work.

"I'll talk to Serafall and Falbium later so can we move on? I want to complain."

"Does Grayfia know you're here?"

"..."

"Sirzechs…"

Sighing at the actions of his best friend Ajuka felt exhaustion wash over him at the arrival of the Strongest Queen that was sure to occur. As amusing as their interaction was, Ajuka had gotten bored of it over a century and a half ago.

"Use us as an excuse."

Granting the Crimson Satan some much needed advice Noel smirked in amusement as realization washed over Sirzechs' face. The advent of a Longinus certainly warranted his presence, even more so since Ajuka wanted his help.

"No, that won't be enough…"

Rubbing his chin Sirzechs' excitement died down. Ignoring Morgan snickering in the corner and the clearly amused Amaris the latest Lucifer thought deeply about what to use as an excuse this time. Grayfia was skilled at picking apart stories by now so he had to be cautious.

"Noel Purson right? I've heard a lot about you."

Normally, the optimism that returned to the Satan's eyes would be seen as a good thing even to somebody like Noel—especially somebody like Noel—but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel like something inconvenient was going to happen.

"I've heard plenty about how you easily defeated Diodora Astaroth and even Cyrus Phenex. You are very talented so be proud, not many could say the same at your age."

"Thank you for the praise."

Ignoring that the latter wasn't supposed to be known to the world, Noel stoically replied to Sirzechs while imagining what could come next. He wasn't one to worry about an uncertain future but in this case, he had an idea of what would come next.

"What do you say about beating another Phenex?"

There it was. The exact question that Noel had expected from the sis con that acted as one of the four pillars of their society. If there was anything that Sirzechs desperately wanted it was to spend more time with Rias Gremory followed closely by freeing Rias from whatever chained her down. In this case, that was Riser Phenex.

"I refuse."

Casually responding to the Satan's earnest eyes, Noel had zero intention of changing his answer. He could be bribed of course but unless the deal was sweet enough there was no way in hell he'd further risk his family just for Rias. She was a good girl but he wasn't her knight in shining armor. That position belonged to the Boob Dragon over in Japan.

"Come on~! I'll teach you!"

It was a great offer but that wasn't enough to sway Noel. He had a good teacher who better fit his fighting style, already knew about his secret, and was a man who was so easily bribed it was insane that he hadn't been sold off their species.

"Sirzechs! Are you trying to steal my students?"

Emerald light permeated the room as demonic energy so thick it was visible filled the room. In the center of the maelstrom of energy was the truly terrifying figure of Ajuka Beelzebub, his face devoid of any and all emotion.

Papers and magic artifacts flew throughout the room as furniture crashed into the wall. The long crimson hair of the current Lucifer flapped wildly in the strong winds as the trio was forced to remain still, their instincts deeming that even breathing wasn't allowed.

"Of course not. I'm only trying to steal one."

Responding with an innocent yet conceited smile crimson energy billowed out of the Crimson Satan, the crimson and emerald energy battling for supremacy. Neither side gave way, the crimson energy obliterating the emerald one second and the latter corrupting the former the next. It was a neverending battle between two juggernauts.

'These two are monsters.'

Taking the time to examine his opponents Noel's entire body was covered in sweat as he futilely tried to stand in front of his two comrades. The two were playing around—they weren't even in their true forms—and yet the pressure was so strong he—an ultimate class— could hardly even move. He couldn't even imagine what it was like for Morgan and Amaris.

"Stop this at once."

Accompanying the cold voice was a silver magic circle that manifested behind Sirzechs, a beautiful woman emerging from its depths will cold eyes that promised punishment. Instantly retracting their energy the two acted as though nothing had happened at all.

"H-Hey Grayfia! What brings you here?"

Shakily responding to his beloved wife Sirzechs' confident expression from mere moments before vanished completely as now his brow was filled with sweat. Snickering softly at the side Ajuka coughed into his hand as Grayfia turned her fierce gaze to him, the suddenly extremely slow in repairs.

"I 𝘩𝘢𝘥 come to return you to your work but it seems that needs to be postponed. I do not care for what roughhousing you two fools enjoy in your free time but in the presence of children? How low have you both fallen?"

Chiding the two Satans with the tone of a winter mountain multiple by at least a million the imposing figure of Grayfia Lucifuge made a strong impression. Shrugging off her previous terror, Morgan—and to a lesser extent Amaris—looked at the woman in awe.

"G-Grayfia! He started it! I just wanted to use Noel here to save Rias from Riser!"

Hurriedly making excuses Sirzechs had no hesitation in pulling Noel closer to them, the sweat covered boy suddenly thrust between the angry wife and the cowering husband. Briefly glancing at his own betrothed suddenly he felt as though this would be his situation one day.

"As good as your intentions are, did you stop to consider his thoughts? I doubt he'd be willing to risk his family for Rias."

Refuting her husband's claim with irrefutable logic Grayfia suddenly appeared much kinder in Noel's view. That wasn't to say he thought she was cruel but he certainly didn't think she was benevolent with how she was influencing his wife.

"That's why I was trying to sweeten the deal before Ajuka overreacted!"

"He tried to steal my student!"

"I did not!"

"Don't lie Sirzechs! I've got plenty of evidence!"

Ignoring the squabbling Satans, Grayfia turned to Noel and the two girls who had come to his side in the meantime. For a moment, her eyes seemed cold but they quickly warmed up as a magic circle washed over them before vanishing alongside the thick sweat and grime they wore.

"Did he offer his teachings?"

Softly, kindly, and almost sweetly speaking to the trio Grayfia seemed like an entirely different person. She was still professional—her ramrod straight posture proved that—but she didn't seem so cold anymore.

"He did but please don't punish him too much."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because that… is going to be me one day."

Lazily pointing at Sirzechs' nervous form Noel wore a frown of resignation. Morgan was a kind girl and she certainly wouldn't punish him for nothing but he had a sneaking suspicion that she would try to act more like Grayfia after today.

"Alright. I'll keep it a minimum."

A small glance at each of the girls at his side made even the ice queen Grayfia smile slightly, her previous thoughts completely discarded for the sake of the boy who made a very reasonable request—that was more than most adult devils could manage.

"But in return, I'd like your help."

Unfortunately for Noel, Grayfia was also a devil. No matter how kind she was, she had every intention of taking advantage of the opportunity presented to her. If she didn't do at least that then Noel wouldn't be able to help doubting if she was raised by devils at all.

"As long as it's not too time consuming I'll consider it."

"Then I hope you don't mind taking up my husband's offer. I'll make sure it's a fair deal so please help Rias."

Bowing to Noel—a devil centuries younger than her—Grayfia put aside her pride for the sake of her sister in law. It wasn't as though she doubted Rias' talent but instead that she believed in Riser's clan trait's versatility more.

Most of the Phenex clan have either flames or wind control alongside their regeneration due to the limited size of their plates but Riser didn't have that issue. His plate was perhaps the largest in his family since the founder of the Phenex clan so he had no issue housing all three.

But Noel Purson had also made quite the name for himself. Although most of society merely knew him as the child who didn't know his place and rebelled against the Astaroth, certain individuals such as Grayfia knew his strength well.

"If you can promise that my family won't be negatively involved afterward I'll consider it. It depends on the conditions if I accept or not though."

"Of course. Then please excuse me, my husband is calling."

Stepping away after receiving a small nod Grayfia pulled Sirzechs by his ear—screams of pain echoing through the halls—and teleported away. Like she had promised, she did limit the punishment. Noel didn't want to know what happened when they got home though.

"Ahem. Why don't we consider this another time."

For even the excited Ajuka to request a break was a perfect showing of just how terrifying Grayfia truly was. But the same could be said for the two Satans who oh so graciously instilled deep terror into the trio for a petty squabble.

"Sure. We'll see you in a few days old man."

"I'm not old you—!"

Disregarding the shouts of the elderly devil Noel teleported them away, the Emerald Satan's words cut short as the trio once again found themselves in the comfort of the Purson estate, a home better than home for the two girls.

"What did you think? The last half wasn't great but Ajuka isn't a bad person."

Leaving the question in the air Noel ignored the gushing spouse of his as she fidgeted and wiggly around the room and stripped himself of his upper clothes. His body was as well developed as a child's body could be and though it was the skin of a devil heir it was littered with small wounds.

"He is… weird."

"Yeah, I agree."

If there was a single word that could perfectly describe Ajuka Beelzebub it was that. And enthusiastic, smart, old, strong, and—although not the best—handsome. Of course, none of those could hope to compare to the compatibility of the first.

"He isn't a bad person but I don't think we'll get along."

"No, you probably won't."

"…Isn't this the part where you reassure me?"

In Amaris' mind, she would be spending a lot of time with Ajuka as she developed her sacred gear and personal abilities so a good relationship was imperative. Noel just giving up on the idea was strange.

"Do you want me to?"

"…No."

"Then I won't. You don't have to be best friends with him, just have a cordial relationship and you'll do fine."

It was simple advice, one that almost ran exactly opposite of normal devil logic. Lower ranked devils increased their rank by clutching onto the coattails of those above them—it was why people like Riser and Diodora existed—and they were definitely below Ajuka Beelzebub.

"That's right! I like him a lot but you don't have to!"

Cheerfully giving out advice Morgan wrapped her arms around Noel's shoulders—jumping up and holding onto his back like a koala to rest her head on his own. Morgan and Ajuka got along well as excited people but Amaris didn't need to do the same.

"We're devils. All you have to do is use him for as long as it's convenient for you. If you like him you can stay longer but that's all that you have to do now."

It was strange being included like that. Amaris hadn't accepted Noel's offer to be his bishop nor had she become a devil in any way but he still considered her one. She wasn't sure if it was just confidence or if he thought of her as one of his kin already but… it didn't really matter did it?

If she denied it anymore she was just lying to herself, no she already had been. In the six weeks they knew each other Noel had helped her every step of the way, whether it be boosting her confidence, teaching her about the supernatural world, and everything in between it was always him. He was always there for her, cheering her on and supporting her so she wouldn't run away.

"Noel… can you make me a devil?"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hey there, Express_007 here. Hope you liked the chapter.

I'm not sure if I did Amaris justice here but I hope you like her. If I were to describe her it would shy, bold, and caring but so far I feel like I just showed the shy and caring parts. Either way, she'll get plenty of time in the spotlight so we'll see in the future how things have gone. 

As always, if you're interested in supporting the creation of this novel I made a patre*on. Just look up Express_007 and you should find it easily enough. You don't have to support but it'd be much appreciated.