Chapter 258

"The CSM will collect information from a person's body and simulate a hundred years of their life."

A gesture of his hand made a single document appear in front of everyone.

"Some details were kept confidential, but this shall summarise how it works. In short, we need not worry about issues. We are aware that each reincarnated devil is unique and may respond differently to having a modified piece, but the CSM allows us to catch any concerning changes before they occur."

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|DxD|

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Ajuka proudly introduced the innovation developed with the help of Lord Agares. It was truly an unexpected cooperation, a cooperation that dealt a huge blow to Zelefam.

[This could be problematic.]

The Agares cooperating with the satans would lead to the neutrals voting in favour of this policy. Having the vote of the Archduke placed Zelefam in check. As it stood, it was certainly a guarantee Lord Agares would favour this policy.

[This is my lack of oversight.]

The Agares were the only pillar clan along with the Gremory that held reservations about the Peerage System due to ethical reasons hundreds of years ago. It only made sense Lord Agares would jump at the opportunity to push for change.

[I must propose further counter-arguments.]

Zelefam kept a cool head. Reacting untowardly in the face of such circumstances would lead to defeat. The phrasing of his arguments had to change in light of the Shinto's presence, but the syntax would remain the same.

[I'll have to watch the Aryan.]

Lord Berith allowed him to understand Igor's limits. So far, as long as no perceived disrespect was detected, the boy wouldn't interfere. It grated Zelefam that he had to dance to the tune of a foreigner, but the Four Satans's clear tacit approval limited the opportunities he had to indict the boy.

[If he killed Lord Berith, I could've had some momentum to have him leave this room.]

The possibility was slim, but it would've been a chance nonetheless. Regardless, the past could not be lamented. Zelefam could only move forward and push his plan one piece at a time for that crucial checkmate.

The minutes trickled by and under his lead, several devils from smaller clans proposed questions.

"Lord Beelzebub. Your ChronoStasis Module is a fortunate invention, but one that unfortunately rose as the sun set."

A clan head from a clan that rose to its current position through merchantry spoke.

"Funding these reparations will cause undue strains on our economy, especially considering the light of recent events. Financing the training of dedicated evil piece modifiers, starting a council, all of it requires funds we currently do not have the leeway to allocate. Many of our people currently do not possess adequate means of income. Diverting relief funds to this policy could further damage our already fragile economy."

It was a solid argument, one that might possibly see the policy shelved until a further date. But Serafall wouldn't allow that to happen. Once she motioned Ajuka she would handle it, she stepped forward and spoke.

"The consequences of leaving the system unchanged pale in comparison to the untold benefits of exacting it. A recent survey conducted by my team unearthed a concerning level of discontent amongst reincarnated devils. Estimations reveal their productivity is less than thirty-percent of their full capacity. Secondly, there is no need to divert relief funds. We have negotiated with Lord Phenex and he has agreed to temporarily fund our endeavour."

In one movement, Serafall respectfully bowed her head.

"Thank you, Lord Phenex."

"It is my pleasure, Lady Leviathan. I only did what was necessary."

Rizen similarly stood up and reciprocated her bow.

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Silence…

Rizen's sudden change of affiliation made Zelefam grit his teeth. Another slip happened without his knowledge, significantly derailing his plans.

[To think he would betray us…]

It was an unexpected occurrence, especially after Zekram Bael personally paid the Phenex a visit.

[We will remember this.]

Rizen's stance deprived Zelefam of his biggest piece. His mental chessboard lost its queen in a completely unexpected attack. His game plan that hinged on this crucial piece now had to be drastically changed.

[We will remember this, Phenex.]

He only allowed himself to indulge in his rage for a moment before closing his eyes once more. The Phenex were gone. The Gremory were gone in the form of Elder Eunice. The Belith could not be overly relied on. The Astaroth and Sitri showed signs of wavering.

The Naberius were also lost---an expected consequence. Even if they weren't massacred, the stain on their reputation would leave them unusable for future endeavours. The Naberius were a key sacrifice in taking a big leap forward, and the Phenex were the blade that would allow them to capitalise.

[According to our calculations, that fox would've demanded reparations, leaving our economy in dire straits. If we leveraged the Phenex to our side, the False Satans would be left dancing to our rhythm.]

The Phenex were a key piece in all of this. Logically, Rizen should've fallen to their side after an elder of his clan was crippled like a dog.

[Tch!]

But he didn't. Instead, he leaned towards the Satans and went so far as to fund their little policy. Zelefam was getting a bit frustrated. He was now playing a game of chess where the opponent had two queens.

The situation was grim but…

[I can't give up yet. I must not disappoint our progenitor.]

He still had a few cards he could play. He didn't want to play one of them this soon, but as the losing side, he could not afford to lose any more ground.

[I can only take this risk.]

Slowly, he formulated the words in his head before sending them telepathically to Lord Berith.

[He is already expendable.]

He held no hopes this brash young man only two-centuries in age would live to see the end of today. Since his death was set in stone, Zelefam might as well use Lord Berith one last time.

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|DxD|

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For a while now, Igor has been paying attention to this man called Zelefam. Ever-so often, he would feel a barely traceable flow of demonic energy that would flow to one of the elders and clan heads. A few seconds later, the person in question would stand up and follow with an argument, seemingly compelled to do so.

It was no secret to him this Zelefam was the brains behind the scene. If it weren't because Sirzechs asked, he would've exploded this man's head.

[Tch. Useless politics.]

So far, this meeting was rather tame. Unlike the previous week, he couldn't strong-arm them into voting "yes". He understood Sirzechs's and Serafall's concerns, but these pointless proceedings only served to make him despise politics even more.

[If I had a say, this whole thing would've been over in five minutes max.]

It was a shame, to be honest. None of these elders and clan heads carried themselves in such a way that he'd be 'legally' allowed to kill them. They didn't shout, didn't scorn the satans, or showed further disrespect towards him, Aurelia, and their allies.

The fools learned from the Berith idiot and didn't try angering him. For once, he wished he didn't train them so well last week. They were too meek for him to justify crushing their heads.

[I was too good.]

He propped his elbows on the table and supported his head with his hands. Hours had gone by and he was starting to regret forming an alliance with Sirzechs. If it wasn't because Aurelia said this would benefit them immensely, he would've walked out that door without a care in the world.

[This is the last time I get roped into this. Never again-hm?]

His attention was grabbed when once more, he felt Zelefam send a strand of demonic energy to Lord Berith. Igor silently observed, curious as to what this pudgy soon-to-be-dead man had to say.

"My lords. We have neglected one crucial factor in this discussion."

Slowly, Lord Berith turned to face Yasaka. The small smile he had on his face told Igor things were about to get good.

"Lady Yasaka. We are aware of our crimes. The loss of the Nekomata due to our oversight is something we cannot compensate for. Our industries and economy have also taken a crucial blow due to their loss. As such, we understand if you want reparations. My humble question is…how much?"

"..."

The moment Igor heard this question, he knew this man would die by the end of today. In fact, he'd be lucky if he walked out of this hall aliv-

"?!"

It was faint. In this entire room, very few could feel it, but none could feel it as clearly as Igor. Instincts honed from years of fighting allowed him to sense the extreme rage-fueled power this seemingly feeble old monkey held.

*Puchi!*

Retaliation was quick. Sun Wukong acted with ruthless decisiveness. His staff extended with such extreme speed that it penetrated Lord Berith's chest. The old monkey purposely missed his heart---aiming right for the middle.

The actions were so quick that the moment people noticed Sun Wukong standing on his desk was when they noticed his staff had penetrated right through Lord Berith's chest.

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Silence…

The Satans did nothing. The Aryans did nothing. The Clan Heads and Elders did nothing. Atid did nothing. Yasaka did nothing. Perhaps they were unprepared. Perhaps they were shocked. Perhaps they were dismissive, but the room fell into silence for a moment.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

The carpet could not muffle the sound of blood dripping. Each second, in sync with the ticking hands of a clock, a drop of blood was absorbed into the carpet.

Lord Berith looked at the offending appendage pierced through his chest in shock. He was helpless to move his limbs. The staff completely shattered through his spine, paralysing him from the neck down.

"W-Why…?"

The question, instead of garnering pity, re-lit the flames of anger.

"You dare to ask why?"

With ruthless tenacity, Sun Wukong hoisted his staff up along with Lord Berith. Now, Lord Berith was dangling from the air, his entire body weight painfully supported by the staff.

*COUGH!* *COUGH!*

Blood splattered out of his mouth, the offender caring not for his plight.

"Young 'uns these days---are their mouths full of faeces?"

"I'm afraid so, Wukong-sama."

Yasaka gracefully stood up and directed a gaze filled with killing intent at Lord Berith. Similarly, Lord Berith's question troubled her deeply. He relegated the lives of their kinsmen to a mere transaction like they were livestock.

"I shall answer your question, Berith-san. We have yet to discuss reparations with Lucifer-sama. You see, we do not classify the lives of our people as monetary. However, since coin is the only language you people understand, reparations will be quite significant. But rest assured that we accept monthly deposits. The deployment of this policy will not be affected whatsoever. Though, you no longer need to worry about that, Berith-san. Lord Atid. If you would, please?"

"Yes."

Su!

Atid disappeared in a burst of speed and appeared right where Lord Berith was skewered in midair.

"Repent in your next life."

He reeled his fist back and punched Lord Berith's head clean off his shoulders.

Gu!

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AN (Quite long. No spoilers)

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I know some of you may feel tired about this political drivel and whatnot. Most importantly, some of you may be wondering what Igor and Aurelia gain from this. The answer is…a lot, actually. Here's my guess from what we've seen so far.

We know that a couple of territories have been ceded to the Aryans as stipulated in the alliance agreement. Aurelia is planning to unlock the curse seals locking human potential. So far, I think she can unlock the first and second seals if I'm not mistaken.

But that's not the point. The point is, I'm assuming she's trying to do the opposite of what her ancestors did. Remember that the Aryans were a reclusive race that lived in their own dimension. Outside contact with the world was very limited. In short, they most likely had no allies aside from a minority in the Church. They did have a dimensional gate in Italy if I still remember correctly.

Moving on, because the Aryans didn't have allies, it was quite easy to have the whole supernatural world gang up on them. So Aurelia is trying to get as many allies as possible in order to secure a safe space for her people. That is why she's involved in devil politics by my guess.

Think about this. If this policy passes, who will the devils thank? It'll be her since she's the main engine driving this entire thing forward. Without her, this whole policy may not have seen the light of day. So she'd earn the full respect of the devils which would lead to any Aryan occupation being acknowledged by all of them.

Since she has territories in the Underworld, I'm assuming this is where all the new-generation of Aryans will live. If any for some unknown reason decide to join a peerage, they won't be signing themselves into slavery and similarly, Igor won't start killing heirs of pillar clans for reincarnating his people.

This is just my two cents. The situation may develop differently in the future. As long as Igor doesn't die and no second logic-shattering artifact is made prematurely, the Aryans may stand to see their next revival progress smoothly.

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TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read):

Aurelia helps devils. Devils acknowledge Aurelia, Igor, and Aryans by extension. Second-generation Aryans can live in the Underworld without discrimination. Extermination becomes impossible because multiple allies will defend them.