negation failed?
The next day, Serafall made her way to Kyoto, carrying a small gift of ten Phoenix Tears. Since the devils were at fault, she hoped this gesture would help ease Yasaka's anger, even if only a little.
She teleported a few meters outside of Kyoto to avoid alarming the yokai guards at the border. Almost immediately upon her arrival, she saw a woman from the tengu race. The sight made her reflect on how disciplined the yokai were compared to devils. It was a shame they lacked the same firepower.
"Hello, Miss Leviathan. My name is Kujou Sara, and I will be escorting you to our leader, Yasaka," the tengu woman said, introducing herself.
"Hello, Miss Kujou," Serafall replied, barely holding back the urge to correct her to "Levia-tan." Now wasn't the time—after all, most yokai were likely grieving the loss of the Nekomata race.
"Follow me, then, Miss Leviathan," Kujou Sara said, leading the way toward the imperial palace.
As they walked, Serafall couldn't shake a sense of uneasiness, as if something powerful was watching her. However, seeing that Sara remained calm, not even flinching, Serafall convinced herself it must have been the wind. She turned her attention to the surroundings, noting how Kyoto was decorated in purple with lightning symbols everywhere.
---
**Raiden Shogun's Dimension**
Overseeing Kyoto from her dimension, Raiden Shogun observed Serafall's arrival. It mildly surprised her that the devil sensed her presence, but there was no time for distraction. She had more important things to consider regarding the situation. Raiden knew Serafall wasn't at fault—she was just a diplomat. Still, Raiden considered giving the devil a scare if the negotiations didn't satisfy her expectations.
Then Raiden noticed who was escorting Serafall: Kujou Sara, her general from another world. The sight made her wonder if there were more individuals here who didn't belong to the DxD universe. But that could wait.
---
When they reached the imperial palace, Kujou Sara left Serafall at the entrance.
"Welcome, Serafall," Yasaka greeted her with a quick, warm hug.
"Hey, Yasaka! Long time no see. It's been long since we saw echeother," Serafall responded, returning the embrace.
Yasaka pulled back from the hug, her expression turning serious. "What about the time when some noble devil brat was pressuring young yokai girls into his peerage?" she asked, her smile now tinged with coldness.
Serafall's smile faltered. With a sigh, she replied, "I'm truly sorry for what happened, Yasaka. You know how difficult it can be to control devils with their sins sometimes. But as I promised, he was punished."
"Oh? And what punishment did that young devil receive?" Yasaka asked, her confidence noticeably stronger than before—likely thanks to the return of her guardian, Raiden Shogun.
Serafall's smile turned awkward. "Well, you know... he was young and dumb, so..."
"So what was his punishment?" Yasaka's tone was icy.
With another sigh, Serafall answered, "He received a week of house arrest. Yasaka, I swear I did my best, but you know how spoiled devil nobles both parents and children can be..."
Yasaka's anger flared. "So, he got away with a slap on the wrist after nearly enslaving and harassing young yokai womens?"
"Yasaka," Serafall said sadly, "I truly tried my best. But that's not why we're here today, right?"
After a tense moment, Yasaka calmed slightly. She knew that particular negotiation was already over. If Raiden had been back then, things might have gone very differently.
Seeing Yasaka relax, Serafall seized the opportunity. "I brought you a small gift, Yasaka," she said, holding out the Phoenix Tears.
Yasaka eyed the gift for a moment before rejecting it. "Serafall, do you think this can appease me? An entire race of Nekomata was nearly wiped out!"
"I know, Yasaka," Serafall responded, awkwardly. "I didn't mean to imply that the Nekomata lives were equal to ten Phoenix Tears. It was just a personal gift to you."
"Enough of this. How will the devils compensate for such a tragedy?" Yasaka asked coldly.
Serafall grew serious. "We devils would like to offer our sincerest apology. Obviously, no material compensation can make up for the lost lives, but Yasaka, don't forget the clan responsible, the Nebiros house—"
Before she could finish, Serafall felt the most intense danger she had ever felt. She tried to react, but before she could even move, a sword slash cut through the air, creating a portal. An arm shot out and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off the ground as though she were nothing more than a disobedient puppy.
From the portal emerged a beautiful woman Serafall recognized immediately—Raiden Shogun. Her idol. The woman who now held her by the neck.
"Raiden, you didn't have to intervene. I had the situation under control," Yasaka said, a mixture of surprise and happiness in her voice. Raiden's presence was a testament to how much she cared about her subjects.
"Sorry for interrupting your negotiations, Yasaka, but I didn't like where this little devil was heading with her sentence," Raiden said, turning Serafall to face her. "Now, little devil, finish your sentence while looking into my eyes."
Serafall, feeling as helpless as a scolded puppy, stammered, "I... I... I didn't mean to insult you. I just wanted to—"
Raiden's voice turned colder. "You wanted to blame this on the devils' low fertility, didn't you? Trying to imply that both sides were somehow at fault? Do you devils wish to make yourselves my enemy?"
Serafall, desperate to salvage the situation, quickly replied, "No, Your Excellency, I wouldn't dare. This is all just a big misunderstanding. We devils take full responsibility. I was only hoping the yokai could keep this under wraps. Whatever happened, the devils will fully compensate."
Raiden released her grip on Serafall's neck. "Is that so? But why should we keep such despicable acts against children hidden?"
Serafall humbly bowed her head. "Your Excellency, it was indeed a terrible act by the devils. But please, if this gets out, it could lead to another war for all races. And as I said, we devils are willing to offer a substantial compensation to keep this a secret."
Raiden considered for a moment. "Oh? And how will you ensure that the compensation will be as satisfying as you claim?"
Without hesitation, Serafall responded, "I will stay in Kyoto until the terms of the compensation are agreed upon, personally overseeing the exchange."
The room fell silent.
Yasaka and Raiden immediately understood what Serafall was offering—herself as a hostage until the agreement was fulfilled.
As these thoughts ran through Yasaka and Raiden's minds, Serafall vowed silently to herself that she would do whatever it took to appease Raiden. Normally, she would never make such an offer, but this time she had both insulted the other party and underestimated their ability to retaliate. Besides, staying with her idol, even as a hostage, didn't seem all that bad to her.
Raiden's tone softened slightly. Seeing serafall willing to give herself as sacrifice "Very well. Yasaka, continue the negotiations now that the other party is finally sincere. I have other matters to attend to." With that, Raiden disappeared in a flash of lightning.
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Author notes
Hello everyone I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter this chapter somehow became even more troublesome then I expected I don't know if it was because I wrote like 85% of this chapter while waiting for doctor to finally acknowledge my appointment I just don't understand they tell me to come at some specific time yet they themselves don't care even little and hold me there untill closing time but enough of complaining about useless doctor appointments
Like I said this chapter was somehow really hard to write and I am worried it was not caused by doctor not having any concept of time ,but it will become harder and harder from here I guess that's negative of thinking about chapter basically from top of my head and just making slight outline beforehand and making few notes of interest for future