Chapter 225

"Reporting, my lord. We have come to a realisation that senjutsu can be used to stimulate demonic power. Currently, we have two Nekushou in captivity. One has been reincarnated and has been used for experiments. Currently, her magic power has reached Ultimate-Class and is estimated to rise even further."

"And the second?"

"We have kept her as a spare, my lord.

"Good. I want detailed progress on my desk by midday. You may depart."

"My lord."

The purple magic circle of the Nebiros clan formed underneath him before he vanished.

Vwong!

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|DxD|

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Kuoh Town, Japan

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Time quickly passed in the small town of Kuoh. Once the main talks were concluded, Sirzechs and Aurelia discussed some minor details while Igor disappeared to only God knew where. It was only after midday that he returned, though it was unknown why he left nor did he explain anything.

With Shuri offering, Sirzechs and Rias stayed for lunch and to say they were 'only' surprised at the two blondes' eating habits was an understatement. The two siblings vacuumed their food in real-time with Asia seemingly doing her best to keep up with her older brother.

It was a rather humorous lunch, especially when Sirzechs had to stop Rias from trying to race them to the bottom of the bowl as well. In the end, a satisfying meal was served and it was time to discuss arrangements.

When the children left to play once more, Aurelia revealed to Igor that it would be best if they left for the Underworld today. One reason was to acquaint themselves with the landscape and the other was for…

"Rias was hoping my little sisters could come visit her?"

Igor couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the request.

"Yes, Dimori-san. Don't worry. Our family does not hold discrimination towards non-devils."

"I could care less about that, Lucifer. But who you should really be asking for permission is aunty. Not me."

"Ah?"

As all eyes turned towards her, Shuri couldn't help but be surprised. She was truly content to be a spectator, not the subject of the conversation. All of this was a bit…sudden.

"Well…"

A brief moment of hesitancy struck her. Asia could be forgiven for being human, but her daughter was a fallen angel, a hybrid no less. Despite Sirzechs's words that no one in the Gremory household was racist, there were always exceptions.

Apparently, her worry was visible since the next thing she felt was a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, aunty. Don't think too much about this. If they go, I will protect them from anyone. If someone says something mean to them…"

He turned to face Sirzechs with a smile.

"I trust you can cover the medical costs, Lucifer?"

Sirzechs chuckled.

"Yes, Dimori-san. Nonetheless, I suspect there will be no need for that. Shuri-san. It will mean a lot to me if I can satisfy this little wish of my sister. You have my word that their safety will be a top priority. I can assure you that no physical or psychological harm will befall them."

"..."

Truth be told, Shuri had learnt a lot about the supernatural world in the past month. Be it from Cleria or from diaries and notebooks written by her previous self, her information could be said to be truthful, realistic, and current.

"Lucifer-sama."

"Please, Shuri-san. Call me, Sirzechs."

"Ah…"

She was momentarily taken by surprise. Under normal circumstances, such a privilege would never be granted to someone like her.

"Then…Sirzechs-san. Can you truly guarantee that my daughter will not encounter discrimination?"

"In the Gremory household? I can guarantee you, Shuri-san."

"I…"

She picked up that little tidbit of information. She was about to decline, but decided to relent.

"…alright then, Sirzechs-san. I will trust you."

It was then that Igor interjected.

"Hey, aunty. Don't you want to go too? You'll feel more at ease if you also come."

Left unsaid was that he would also feel at ease if she came. Without Aurelia here, Igor didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone.

"I would rather stay behind, Dimori-kun."

She had her reasons, but she wouldn't say them. Atleast not yet.

"...oh."

For a moment, Igor went blank-faced, something Sirzechs noticed. But he didn't voice his thoughts because that would undermine Shuri.

[I will have to ask Serafall to monitor this place. It is important that nothing happens to Shuri.]

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|DxD|

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Time passed once again and before evening, Sirzechs, Rias, Igor, Aurelia, Akeno, and Asia all left for the Underworld, leaving Shuri alone. She stood outside right where they vanished in a teleportation circle.

Truth be told, she was feeling quite a bit anxious. That look Igor gave her when she refused to leave made her come to a realisation she was hesitant to acknowledge.

[I'm a burden.]

Her strength, something that would see her labelled as a top-class fighter if she were to join an organisation was absolutely nothing when compared to the behemoths Igor and Aurelia conversed with.

[This has to change.]

Disregarding her goal, it was imperative that her power increases. Not only for Igor to worry less about her, but also so that she could protect Akeno and Asia should the need arise.

So with her determination set, she bowed her head and respectfully called out.

"Amaterasu-sama. I need your help."

There was no answer.

"Amaterasu-sama. I need your help."

Once again, there was no answer. But she remained steadfast and called once more.

"Amaterasu-sama. I need your help."

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Silence…

Apart from the sound of birds and insects in the forest, there was silence. Regardless, Shuri did not raise her head. Having called out three times in a row, she quietly waited for the inevitable.

"Ahhhh~, Shuri-chan. You called me sooner than expected."

Shuri did not flinch even when she heard the voice of a woman behind her.

"Thank you for coming, Amaterasu-sama. I shall not be long-winded. Because of certain reasons, I accept your proposal."

"Ah?"

With a slight smile, Amaterasu walked around Shuri like a customer surveying the goods. All this time, Shuri did not raise her head.

"Are you sure? Becoming my priestess will not be an easy task but…hmmm. For you, I'll make an extra exception."

"?"

Laden with curiosity, Shuri raised her head and for a moment, she wished she didn't. Amaterasu was in a…school uniform? Shuri didn't keep up with the times so she was unsure if this was a school uniform or some scholarly way of dressing. At the very least, the blazer Amaterasu wore bore no emblem.

"Shuri-chan?"

Shuri shook her head when she realised she was out of it.

"Apologies, Amaterasu-sama. Yes. I agree to become your priestess. May I ask what my responsibilities will entail?"

"For now? Nothing I have time to get into. I'll have Yasaka-chan come visit you to explain the specifics. However…"

With a snap of her fingers, a crudely simple sword sheathed in a scabbard as well as a dagger appeared out of midair.

"A question, Shuri-chan. How averse are you to killing?"

With the casual smile Amaterasu had on her face, it would seem as if she was talking about slicing apples, not bodies.

"..."

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|DxD|

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Gremory Estate, Underworld

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The courtyard of the state was beautifully paved. Dozens, possibly hundreds of plants and neatly trimmed shrubs line the gardens, the sidewalks, and the rather tall walls. Everything was pristine and elegant with multiple gazebos, stone arches, and tall poles fitted with lights for illumination at night.

In the middle of the courtyard, a large magic circle formed. The circle spread out quickly before it flashed.

Vwong!

As soon as the flash faded, it revealed Sirzechs and everyone. As the centre figure, Sirzechs had Igor and Aurelia to his side while the children were in front. It was quite funny seeing all three children hold on to one massive handbag stuffed full of toys, dvds, and other things.

Immediately, Rias rushed out and spread her arms as if to present the beauty of the estate.

"Asia! Akeno! What did I tell you? It's beautiful! See?"

Asia looked around in wonder. The Underworld was completely different from what she thought it would be. When she was still under the church, they made it out to be completely chaotic and lawless.

"Woah! There are pretty flowers!"

Akeno on the other hand was…apprehensive. The excitement of being in a new place was immediately doused by her instincts going haywire. The presence of multiple devils so nearby made her look around in alert as she subconsciously stayed close to Igor.

"This place is pretty big…"

Igor silently commented. He was impressed by how orderly everything was. He idly wondered how this place would look at night. But more than that, he was curious about the landscape behind the walls.

"Let me get a better view."

Without warning, he vanished on the spot.

Su!

"?!"

Taken by surprise, Akeno desperately looked around.

"Ah...ah…a-"

"Calm down, Akeno-chan. You're safe here. Besides, he's up there."

As Sirzechs calmed her, he pointed up towards Igor who was perched on one of the taller floodlights.

"HEY LUCIFER! YOU PEOPLE ARE RICH!"

Igor couldn't hide how impressed he was. The estate extended as far as the eye could see with various fields and other buildings all over the place. Far off into the distance, he could see devils working in the fields on some sort of herbs and other interesting things.

[Man. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they're normal humans.]

Their use of magic to work fascinated him greatly. Jumping off, he allowed gravity to take hold and bring him down. Just before he landed, he slowed down his fall and landed gently.

"I knew devils were rich but this is on another level. If I knew, I would've beat up some protection money from you guys instead."

Sirzechs was intrigued.

"You take protection money, Dimori-san."

"Sometimes. How do you think aunty can afford to feed me and Little Asia? We eat a lot, you know?"

"I-I don't eat a lot!"

"..."

With a small smile spreading on his face, Igor ruffled her hair.

"Yes you do, my cute little sister. You eat more than I did when I was your age. But don't worry. Big brother will beat up protection money all day if it means you can eat 'til you're full."

Just then the voice of another man rang out.

"Well then, I hope we won't be the beneficiaries of your protection."

With the double doors open, they revealed Zeoticus and Venelana. Behind them was a small entourage of maids following silently.

"Mother. Father."

Acknowledging their presence, Sirzechs moved aside and began introducing the rest.

"These two here are Igor von Dimori and Aurelia von Drachenburg, the last two Aryans in the world. And these two are Asia Argento and Akeno Himejima, Ria-tan's newest friends."

Zeoticus noticed Akeno's heritage, but made no fuss about it.

"A pleasure to meet you all."

As he gave a small bow in greeting, Aurelia also reciprocated.

"Likewise, Gremory-san. On behalf of my lord, we greet the lord and lady of the Gremory household."

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AN

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Seems like Shuri's road to power is about to begin. As far as we know, her resurrection resulted in her body having roughly the same potential as Vasco Strada, meaning that of the ten seals god placed on humanity, one was possibly removed by Amaterasu.

Remember that breaking the first seal practically eliminates most of the negative effects that come with old age. That and it drastically increases potential. As for the sudden talk of this deal, I assume we'll get more info on when it was made as the story goes.

Until the next chapters. My p.a.t.r.e.o.n is available for those interested.