Chapter 8 - Part 1 - Creeping Pasts

Third Person Point of View

— ○ ● ○ —

Ayumu Doumon sat on a chair, waiting for time to pass by. He had finished all his preparations, and was waiting for the Vampire faction's side to have theirs done too. He, along with the remnants of the 'Connected Harmony', now called 'Exiled Harmony', were going to proceed with a joint operation with Kecate Tepes, the leader of the Vampire faction.

As he sat there, he smiled to himself while spinning a pocket watch by his side. That item—the pocket watch—was his Artificial Sacred Gear he received from Satanael; it was a strange weapon as it relied heavily on one gimmick, which he had his whole life. Which was his luck.

He stopped spinning it and brought it up to his face. "You guys really are geniuses. Whether we live or die, let's make the vampires and some of the clans suffer with this final act, fufu," he muttered.

The door to the room he sat in opened, and in came one of the remaining members of Exiled Harmony.

"Ayumu-sama, Kecate-sama, and the other vampires with the remaining Super Vampires are nearly ready. She's asking along with a few others when we'll launch our attack?" asked the member.

"Let's see...how about in three days? Can everyone gather by then?" Ayumu asked while standing up from his chair. He put his pocket watch in his pants pocket while walking towards the man.

"According to 'him', it should be possible. However, bringing over the other two might take a bit since they've gone off by themselves," replied the man.

Ayumu laughed and patted the man on the shoulder. "It's fine; if necessary, we'll make it in four days. However, everything else should be ready. I'll help Kecate realize her dream," he said and walked away.

"Dream…?" muttered the man, confused.

Ayumu Doumon hated humans. He hated the Five Principal Clans and wanted them to perish. However, he knew that they had a close relationship with the Middleman and the Dual Dragon Emperor, which is why he decided to help Kecate.

If the 'Vampire that Transcends Gods' became even more powerful with his help, he could use their amicable relationship to take them down instead; if not, he could cause enough damage to make them regret their old ways.

Even though he knew that they were taking new steps because of the new clan heads, to him, it was too late—just like the late Hanezu Himejima. While he himself won't target everyone for his exile and wrongdoing, he will more or less take out his anger on the elders and executives of the Doumon clan. As for his other members, he will give them free rein; that was Ayumu's belief.

He would also like to see his little sister one last time since he was quite proud of her as she had inherited the current Sacred Beast, the Black Tortoise, Xuanwu.

As he walked down the hallways of the Khaos Orders' base, he laughed. "We'll have a little reunion soon, my little sister~"

— ○ ● ○ —

Kecate Tepes. The leader of the Vampire faction of the Khaos Order, a pure-blooded vampire and bastard child of King Tepes. However, because of her betrayal and constant leaks of information about their faction, most of the Tepes faction of vampires perished, only ever leaving some survivors.

The ratio between male and female vampires was about 1:9, or even less for the males. Those who had run away or secluded themselves had started to reappear again because of the new faction for the vampire race and the unity they're trying to reach.

Kecate had spies in it, and she laughed at their stupidity. Her plans were to control all of them, kill the current leaders, take over by force, and become a tyrant.

"Kecate-sama, Ayumu-sama said that the operation would start in three to four days since 'those' humans are currently missing," said a female vampire.

"Ah, those humans? Fine, they can be useful, so let's wait for them to return. If they don't return by then, we'll just proceed with the operation, and they can just catch up with us," said Kecate.

The room she was in was tailored to her…unique needs. It had various pictures of a certain person—Azazel. This woman was strangely obsessed with the fallen angel and didn't try to hide it one bit. There were various instances over the years where she disguised herself as a prostitute and would go to him.

At the start, he accepted, but after Aaron brought Avezza to their side, Azazel stopped doing those kinds of things, and this infuriated Kecate. Only a few people knew of her obsession with Azazel, and if anyone threatened her with exposing it, she would just kill them.

"…Um, Kecate-sama, will you continue with 'that' part of the plan?" asked the female vampire.

"Hmm? If you mean by 'that', then yes. I will make sure he appears during that time and have him for myself, fufu," replied Kecate.

The female vampire nodded before leaving the room. During the operation, Kecate had a plan for a certain man. If he took the bait, she would capture him and have her all to herself…

Somewhere in the Fallen Angel territory in the Underworld, a certain leader shivered. A strange foreboding ran through his entire body.

— ○ ● ○ —

Elmenhilde Karstein's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Recently, a rumor started spreading around our new faction's territory. What might it be? Aaron Toole-sama was coming here to check up on us as well as help with a few more things in our faction—especially with construction on certain new buildings.

He's also going to be bringing a few people with him. I inquired about whom he may be bringing, and Fusae was one of them, so I look forward to this visit. We have formed a good friendship so far, and I also look forward to speaking with Gasper Vladi and Valerie Tepes.

Even though I have already apologized to both of them when we went to Aaron-sama's restaurant, guilt still lingers, but I am still improving, so I will show them the various places in our faction that they may find interesting.

I was currently out getting groceries for my family. Our living situation has been downgraded, but I don't find it that strange anymore. At the start, I did, but now I'm used to it. Like usual, the streets in our new faction were bustling with life. Unlike with the old Carmilla faction, we could usually only move with protection or at night because we would be affected by the sun.

However, because of Aaron-sama's barrier and other things he did, we could move freely even during the day. Although some vampires needed to be reminded that it was different while we were outside of our territory, and they would need to exercise our previous precautions, otherwise they risked killing themselves.

"Elm, so you're here?" asked a voice. When I turned around, I saw one of my recently made friends, Ursulette.

She was a pure-blood vampire and belonged to a normal vampire family; however, she was quite strange.

Ursulette has red eyes. She has long black hair tied in a ponytail. She wore a white tiara and white wings on her head. Furthermore, she wore white heart-shaped earrings and a white collar styled with white bats. Not only that, but she wore a long, white frilly dress reminiscent of a wedding dress that bore white bat motifs on her sleeves and the bodice of the dress. To finish off her look, she had white stockings fashioned with white bat motifs at the hips of the stockings and black pumps.

"Yes, I came to get groceries. Normally my sister and I do it, but she's busy studying for a test, hence why I'm shopping alone," I replied.

"Then I will accompany you! Do you still need to shop?" she asked.

"Yes, I need a few more items." She nodded, and we continued on our way.

Ursulette is a strange girl. In a way, you could call her naïve, but also wise. However, the strangest thing about her is—

"The Middleman, the rumor says he's coming here, yes?" she asked, and I nodded in confirmation. A wide smile appeared on her face. "I will make him my new husband candidate!"

My limps twitched at her declaration…Ursulette has been obsessed with finding the 'man of her dreams'. She has had many 'boyfriends' throughout her life; however, most of them last a week before they run away from her, as they describe her as 'strange' or 'weird', and it would put them off from her—hence why, in her words, 'She's still a virgin at this age'.

Last week, I saw it firsthand. She found a new 'husband candidate', and when she tried to kiss him after being together for four days, he reeled back in disgust and discomfort before breaking up with her and running away.

Ursulette always bounces back from it, though, which shows her…perseverance? But now she's targeting Aaron-sama, huh? …If it's him, he may accept her strange and unique behaviors, because he has a lot of women with a wide range of personalities and quirks—Fusae being one of them.

"I always ask this, but…why did you choose Aar—Jin-sama to be your next husband candidate?" I asked her.

An even wider smile appeared on her face. She put her hands on her hips, making her large breasts jiggle, and she said, "Who wouldn't!? He's the famous Middleman and Oppai Dragon, which means he has money! He also cares for a lot of children and people in each faction and pantheon he's in, so he's a family man! Furthermore, he looks great too. Who wouldn't try to get together with him!?"

Excitement was written all over her face, and she was panting heavily. Well, if you put it like that, then I'm inclined to believe it—or I already do, since Fusae and Valerie praise him a lot, even if it isn't frequent.

"So, you're aiming for him for his status and money?"

"Well, that's the only thing we know about him, so until I get to know him more on a personal level, yes. Is it shallow? Maybe, but it's realistic. I can't pretend I know everything about him since I'm essentially a stranger!" she explained.

…I didn't think she saw it like that, but in a way, I agree with her, and it's kind of mature of her—even if a bit strange. She has really thought a lot about this, huh? In a bizarre way, it's admirable.

"And…what's your plan of attack?" I asked, playing along with her.

She grinned and gestured to her breasts. "He's called the Oppai Dragon, is he not?"

"…He's also known as the Butt Dragon and Thigh Dragon…" I said, and she tilted her head. She then looked at her own thighs and attempted to glance at her own buttocks.

"…I think they're good enough for him, so it's all fine!"

…She's that confident in her own body, huh? But as far as I can tell, that's not the only thing Aaron-sama cares about, so she may have a difficult time gaining his attention when he visits, because he's also here for official business.

"What about you?" she asked.

"…What?"

"You! You know him personally. You went with our leaders to his restaurant, right? Do you like him? Better yet, can you introduce him to me!?" she asked rather excitedly.

We arrived at the place where I needed to get more things, and we went to the section that had them. "Well, I'm meeting two of my friends, so I don't see why not," I replied while looking at various fruits and vegetables.

"Great!" she looked at the things I was looking at and added, "you know, it always surprises me the weird things that humans think we do or don't do. For instance, we can eat food normally, but don't like garlic, but we won't die from it."

Her statement caught me off guard, and I gave her a questioning look but went back to looking for my items. I doubt Aaron-sama and the rest will visit my home, but in case they do, I'll have the ingredients ready to cook for them. We have a budget for this.

"Oh! Are you planning on cooking for him? If so, I will come to your home on the day and show off my cooking skills!" she declared.

"I don't think they'll—"

"I can cook. I have four younger siblings. Do not make fun of me!" she said, frowning at me.

I didn't know she could cook, but I was aware she had siblings, two brothers and two sisters. All of them are much younger than her; they are all still children and very impressionable. However, they all adore her, and I've met them twice before.

She then grabbed my hands and said, "Let's buy everything and go back and go over what dishes we'll make!"

"I—"

"And then we can—"

She didn't let me get a word in and kept talking. In the end, I agreed to her strange plan, and we went back to my home while buying extra ingredients. Ursulette paid for the extra ingredients, so that was kind of her…

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

A few days have passed since the match between Aurelia and Typhon. And as I predicted, many teams started becoming a bit reckless as they started challenging teams that were beyond their league, and they lost.

Although I don't blame them since the preliminary stages are ending soon, and the main stage will start after a month or two break. The sixteen teams that earn enough points will be able to battle it out for the grand prize of…well, having their wish granted by me. But besides that…

In three days, we were going to visit the new vampire faction led by Dracula, Kiss Shot, and Carmilla. Fusae and Valerie have been in regular contact with Elmenhilde, so many of the vampires there know of my visit that's coming. Although it's for official business since they want help with the construction of various things and adding some security to them.

The Vampire faction and 'Exiled Harmony' are going to attack it a day after we arrive, and I've already laid out a plan of action, so it'll be fine. But for them to believe that I haven't noticed, I let them 'infiltrate' it, to fool them, and it's working pretty well.

I also believe Genbu Doumon will need some closure between her and her brother, so I've asked Vali and his team to come with me; that also meant Lavinia was coming with me since Vali was, so we were essentially going on a 'family vacation', according to her.

The others that were coming were the Slash Dog Team with Tobio, Sae, and their baby girl, Hana Ikuse. Although they haven't gotten married yet, Sae goes by Ikuse now too, so Sae Ikuse, Tobio Ikuse, and Hana Ikuse—the Ikuse family—were coming with us.

Tobio also knew of my plans and the attack, and I've guaranteed that their child won't be hurt. With reluctance, he agreed to come with us. But asked me to tell Sae myself…which is why I'm going to Grigori again today.

Well, I had a few other reasons for going there. I also planned on taking Suzaku with me while leaving the other Principal Clans on high alert since some of the Exiled Harmony would attempt to attack them again. They never learn, do they? But talking to Sae today was one of my priorities. For now, I was at home.

"You're a natural at this, Aaron," said Gabriel. "Ah, can I come to Grigori with you? I want to visit Chazaqiel today."

With the help of Lavinia and Latia, I was tying Gabriel's hair in numerous ways. I've always been decent at following instructions (as long as they weren't from the sperm donor). I had changed her hair to a twin-tail style, and she seemed to like it.

Since I was going to Grigori, Suzaku and Akeno were also coming with me, along with Asia and Lavinia, since they wanted to visit Shuri. Mom, Cindy, and Aoife were also coming since they hadn't had many chances to visit it yet either.

"I don't see why not? I've already got a sizable group coming with me today," I replied to the angel. Beside her was Raiko, who waited patiently for her turn as she wanted her to be turned into a ponytail since I liked it…

Lavinia already had hers in one, and so did Latia. I was the one to change it into them, so I felt a bit proud of myself.

"But…are you sure about letting this play out, Aaron?" Latia suddenly asked.

Without taking my eyes off Raiko, who had scooted over for me to work on her hair (Gabriel sat beside Lavinia and the two of them were chatting about magic and marriage), I said, "Yeah. Apart from some vampires that will benefit from it, Genbu and her brother and hopefully Vali will tell him some things."

I leaned in closer to her and whispered, "And hopefully Lavinia will be happy for him about it."

Her eyes widened, and she asked, "Wait, you don't mean…"

A smile appeared on my lips. "Yes. It's exactly what you think. I'm proud of him," I silently and proudly proclaimed, and I began messing with Raiko's hair.

The door to the roof top (the place we were in) opened, and Aoife came over with an amused expression on her face. Lagging behind her were two people I hadn't seen since my visit to Spain. Goddess Physis and Astraea. Two people I hadn't expected to see right now.

"Physis and Astraea, what brings you here?" I asked.

"Huhuhu! After hearing Hephaestus' story, we came to visit," said Physis. "Nice home, a lot bigger than my own, but still smaller than the ones that some gods and goddesses own."

"Well, I only made it this big to be able to make practical use of it since most rooms have their purpose, and the rest are either storage or used for something else," I explained. Also, Phae's stories, huh?

Not including [Sanctuary] or my home in the Dimensional Gap, then those are the kinds of homes I'd like—practical and nothing too fancy. Although Antares and other people may have different opinions on it, since I left my home in the Dimensional Gap to him, I couldn't really control it.

"…I have some time before we go to Grigori, so I'll entertain you guys. How about we tour Kuoh? Or would you like to stay here instead?" I asked. I wasn't far off from finishing Raiko's ponytail, and she seemed happy with the results.

"Kuoh…I've heard some things about it from Hestia and Hermes. I'd like to tour it! Right, Astraea!?" asked Physis, looking awfully excited at her fellow goddess.

Astraea sighed and agreed. "However, if it isn't any trouble, Jin, we'd like to go with you to Grigori. Physis here wishes to speak to a fallen angel she made acquaintance with a long time ago."

"It's not like I can stop you from going, so…the more the merrier, I guess?" I replied.

— ○ ● ○ —

Strangely enough, the only one coming with me was Raiko. The rest wanted to get ready for when we went to Grigori. It seems like Shuri wants to speak more to them about wedding plans…it feels far away but at the same time very close. It's a strange feeling.

So, the ones coming with me were Astraea, Physis, and Raiko. All of us wore casual clothes to not stand out, although it seems like their beauty will just attract the attention of everyone in Kuoh. And the fact that I'm with them will just generate more hate and jealousy for me. It's quite exhausting.

I teleported us to a secluded alleyway in town before we stepped out of it. "So…"

"Food?" asked Physis. Her stomach then growled quite loudly, and she rubbed the back of her head while laughing to herself.

"Did you eat before we came here?" Astraea asked. Physis looked away and started whistling.

She's acting like a child. I like it. It gives me a bit of hope for the future. I hope I never succumb to the stresses of ruling the omniverse and the cruelty of reality and lose this part of me. It's what frightened me in my previous world and even here.

To become a boring and bitter adult—forcing myself to have 'adult-like' hobbies for the sake of being an 'adult'. It always felt weird. I'm glad I met some people in my previous life who kept their hobbies even as they grew older. I always respected them, not conforming to whatever standards are there for 'adults'.

To be able to be an adult, while keeping that wonder from my younger years, something like Sirzechs or Azazel in a way.

"There's a nearby ramen shop. Do you want to go there?" I asked. "I won't be eating since I'll eat at Grigori, but I can pay for you."

Physis came over to me and rubbed her shoulder against mine. "The way into a man's heart is through food. The same can be said for me! Jin-kyun~! Are you hitting on me~?"

Before I could respond, Astraea, in annoyance, grabbed her from me and pinched her cheeks before pulling on them.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm sowwy, I was jowking!!" she screamed. Astraea let go of her, and she rubbed her cheeks while sticking her tongue out at her friend. "…B-but thank you for paying for the food in advance…"

"Yeah…" We made our way to the nearby ramen shop, and Physis ordered two large bowls of ramen.

"Fufu, if it isn't harem-king-sama. It seems like you're out today with three older women, eh?" the owner asked me.

"These two are just friends of mine, Kyongaru-san," I told him, and I paid him.

"Two?" he asked and looked at Physis and Astraea. He then looked at Raiko, who smiled back at him. "And what about her?"

"Well, my title speaks for itself," I replied, and we laughed.

"Arrogant bastard! Hahaha! At least save some for us, jeez!" he said and walked towards the back, probably to do something in the kitchen. On cue, two guys walked up to Astraea and Physis.

"Finally, Skyward doesn't have a handle on these two! So, ladies, do you wanna go have some fun with us? He already has that cow-tits thing with him," said the guy with blonde hair.

He was tanned too, almost resembling an NTR character from a doujin. It was so cliché that I was kind of taken aback by the whole thing. Also, cow-tits? Turning my attention to Raiko, she seemed angry but kept her calm and smiled at the two. It was sickeningly sweet that if you weren't careful, you might die…

I held her hand, both to comfort her and to stop her from walking over there and doing something inhumane to those two. Although the shop had fallen silent, waiting for a reaction from the two goddesses, Raiko and I.

"You shouldn't call someone close to me like that. It's quite hurtful, you know?" I told them. Usually, I'm quite relaxed about things like this, but it's usually targeted at me, so I don't care, but Raiko was targeted, and so were the goddesses, most likely.

"Huuuh!?" the blonde guy's friend, who had a lot of piercings on his face and some tattoos, came up to me. But before I could retaliate, Kyongaru came back out and grabbed the guy's head.

"This place…" he squeezed his head, making the guy squeal. "Is a place for people to eat and relax. I don't want troublemakers here; do I make myself clear?"

"Screw you old man—" Kyongaru threw him out one of his windows, shattering it in the process. Quite a bit of blood started to pour out of the guy as he started screaming, but as far as I could see, the cuts were shallow.

Then, we heard a loud thud. When we looked at the noise, Physis had gotten up and kicked the blonde-haired dude in the balls, and he fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth. The smile on Raiko's face had turned into a genuine one, as she was happy that they each got…well, dealt with…

There weren't too many people in the shop today, but there were still enough that it could be called a 'crowd'. The blonde guy shakily stood back up, and pulled a switch blade out of his pocket.

"You bitch…! God…my balls…! I'm going to kill you…!" he muttered out while slowly stepping forward.

'Are you going to remain passive?' Rudra suddenly asked me.

'I've already taken a knife through my hand in Spain, you know?' I replied and wryly smiled before stepping up, appearing beside the guy, and grabbing his wrist with the knife. "Kyongaru-san said it was a place to chill and eat. You ain't chill, begone, idiot," I said before crushing his wrist.

He screamed like a little baby before clutching his wrist. "My wrist!! You broke it!! Aaaaaaaaahhh!!"

"My bad…I didn't think I put enough force to break it like that…" I said, and I crouched down. Looking at him at eye level, I changed my eyes' pupils, and terror began to appear on his face. "Can we pretend this never happened?" I asked calmly.

He kept crying, but furiously nodded his head. It looked like he might piss himself if I kept going, so I'll stop here for now.

"Great! …Get out of here," I ordered him before he left the place without his friend. I took my phone out and called an ambulance for the guy. "So much for a peaceful time…"

— ○ ● ○ —

"Sorry about that, Kyongaru-san. I can pay for the damages if you want," I told the old man. Even for his age, he was extremely buff and looked like he could take down guys my age without any problems.

He laughed at me before patting my shoulder. "I'd appreciate it! Your next visit will be free of charge! …But for only one of your meals."

"Yeah, that's fine," I replied. A few minutes had passed since the incident, and everything had been taken care of. The police that showed up were part of the supernatural, so they handled it for us. "We'll get going then; thanks again."

We left the shop and began walking around Kuoh. Our destination right now is the park. Raiko has stuck to me like glue since the incident, so she's more or less happy with me.

"It's great you stopped him, Jin. 'Cause I would have done something unimaginable if you didn't!" said Physis while crossing her arms. It seemed like she was still fuming.

Astraea sighed beside her and pinched her ear. "You need to work on your anger management, Physis. While I didn't like being harassed like that, you should have tried to reject him in a calmer way."

"No, no, no! I've read a lot since coming back; they're the typical douche! You can't fix that! I mean, he literally…" she pulled out her phone and showed Astraea something, who looked confused. "See!? He looks like this porn character! It has NTR too! I don't want that, ew!"

She then showed us, and I laughed. It did look like the guy.

"Physis…that's fiction, and we're in reality. What is wrong with you?" she asked while rubbing her forehead.

We arrived in the park while Astraea scolded Physis, but the Primordial goddess didn't care and kept saying what she did was justified. The two walked ahead of us, and we followed them.

"Aaron."

"Hmm?"

"It seems like some Roman gods are coming to Takamagahara. Amaterasu-sama asked you for help. Would it be possible?" she asked.

Roman gods, huh? They were an interesting bunch when I went there, as were the gods in the Philippines. But I enjoyed my time there, even if it wasn't that long.

"Help? Me? How would I exactly help with Roman gods? Isn't it usually just a cultural exchange?" I asked back.

The other cultural exchanges had gone well for every pantheon and faction that joined, so this came across as odd for me. The Roman gods weren't unfriendly or anything like that; hell, they were quite friendly, actually. But since it's them, then…

"I'll still accept, but I'm just curious," I added.

"A-Amaterasu-sama said it's just for reassurance…" she muttered awkwardly.

[…She wants it. The time has come, Partner. Time to conquer more goddesses and fuck 'em.]

"I see. I'll make sure to be there then," I replied. Raiko seemed relieved with me agreeing; it makes me wonder if she asked her to request it from me.

After the three goddesses confessed back then, we haven't interacted much apart from Raijin sometimes barging into my home unannounced. However, because of her personality, she fits right in with Scathach, Aurelia, and Aífe, so they tend to just spar in the [Training Facility], or just spend time together.

— ○ ● ○ —

"Woooooooooooooaaaaaaaa!!!!"

"I'm sorry…she acts like a child sometimes," muttered Astraea.

"It's fine; Raiko seems fine with it too," I replied.

We were at the amusement park in Kuoh. Physis wanted to try some rides, and she was currently on a rollercoaster with Raiko. Who looked like she was having fun, as she would occasionally wave to us.

"…Jin, can I ask for a favor? I know it sounds a bit selfish; perhaps you can see it as a job for the Middleman," asked Astraea.

"Favor? Well, it depends what kind of favor, but if you're employing me, then I'm more than inclined to accept it," I told her.

"…It's about Artemis. Can you talk to her? After her loss in the tournament, she's been a bit distant and seems to be thinking about something. Athena and several others have tried to, but she brushes us off by saying she's fine," she explained.

"Are you sure it should be me? I mean, she did or does hate men, right? Even if I did help get her friend back, she's still quite, I guess, indifferent with me?" I told her.

She smiled at me and then giggled. "Is that how you perceive her actions towards you?"

A tsundere, is what I'd like to call her, but she would probably get angry, so I won't. "Well, yeah."

She suddenly grabbed my arm and said, "Please talk to her and pay a little more attention this time; your opinion of her may change, okay?"

"Hey! No flirting! We're here to enjoy our day!" Physis' voice said, and when we turned to look back in front of us, she was there, crossing her arms and frowning.

"…I'm just making sure you're not a lesbian, right?" I asked Astraea while staring at Physis.

She giggled and said, "No…no I'm not, fufu."

"W-wha—are you implying I'm one!? That's rude! Divine punishment!" shouted Physis as she pointed at me and the wind around the area increased, but it only resulted in blowing up their skirts and showing me their panties.

"…Well, at least you stay consistent with your 'green' theme, eh?" I asked Physis, who looked embarrassed.

"H-hehehe, h-h-how do you like it!?" she asked and did a strange pose. "T-that's some fanservice to you!"

I tilted my head. Fanservice? What's this woman talking about? She does know that I've seen what's underneath that, right? On a daily basis…seeing panties won't really do anything for me.

"J-Jin won't be affected by that…" Raiko muttered while blushing. "H-he…"

"You don't need to tell them. I think they understand, Raiko," I told her. Physis, for some reason, looked at her own chest in defeat.

— ○ ● ○ —

Another hour passed until their little tour of Kuoh ended. Raiko and I accompanied them the entire time until Lavinia texted me that everyone was ready, so we prepared to go our own ways. However, it seemed like they wanted to keep exploring the little town.

"We'll get going then, just…" I tapped my head and sent them some information about the place. "Avoid these spots if you don't want to be harassed like earlier."

"Roger Jinnpai Skyward-sama!" said Physis while saluting me. I looked at Astrea as she agreed to keep an eye on her.

"The Stahlritter as well as my shadow soldiers will be here, so don't worry if something happens. Although they'll need to bypass my barrier first. Anyway, goodbye for now, and I'll see you two again when I visit the Artemis."

"Thank you. We'll join you in Grigori after an hour more here," said Astraea.

We agreed to meet at a certain place and finally left for home. Raiko, after we reached our home, told me that she would be preparing for the cultural exchange that would be happening in a few days, and would be gone for a while. I told her that was fine and she left for upstairs.

Mom suddenly slammed into me and rubbed her face against my shoulder. "To Grigori~" she said.

"Yeah…I see that everyone's ready in the living room," I replied as we walked there. In there were the ones that were coming with me. "Let's get going then!"

— ○ ● ○ —

As soon as we arrived in Grigori…we heard a loud commotion, explosions, and banging. The ones to greet us first were…

"Oh, hey, bro."

Kouki and Kalawarna. They quickly approached us, and Kalawarna handed me something; it was a clipboard.

"Jin-sama, Azazel-sama said to meet him when you're done with all your affairs here. He wishes to speak to you about…a certain project he's been working on," explained the fallen angel.

...Looking over the clipboard, it simply said: 'Turn Vali into a spaceship, The Great Dragon Project!!'

The world has been so fucked with that Vali Lucifer is getting his own version of Ryuuteimaru, and he may get his own [Apocalypse AnswerArms]…on top of that, I plan on giving him a use of any of the [Malebranche].

'Fufu, I wonder how strong the Vali Lucifer of this timeline will be? It will definitely be stronger than what Ishi had planned for him in the original books, kukuku,' I thought and grinned at the clipboard. 'Maybe I can have him do some combination technique with Gogmagog along with this weird spaceship Azazel has? …Oh, the infinite possibilities…'

"Bro? Are you okay?" Kouki asked. When I came back to reality, everyone had mostly left, and I was alone with him and Kalawarna. "Everyone else left for Shuri-san and Baraqiel's house."

"Ah…yeah, I'm good. Thanks for this, Kalawarna. I'll get going then," I said and patted him on the shoulder. He gave me a confused look, but wished me luck.

Checking my phone, it seemed that Aoife left me a message, and it said that they accompanied everyone else to Shuri's house for now and that they'd join me in the future, but that Suzaku is waiting for me in a certain place.

Scanning the entire territory, I found that she was near the prison cells, so I made my way there first. That was also my destination since I wanted to see a few of our prisoners. Once I got there, Suzaku was looking through a few of the prisons along with Kishku. They glanced my way, and I put my hand up. I quickly joined them.

"Aaron-sama, everything has been in order. Today, Ezeri is on break and is gone with his lover Sofiel," explained Kishku.

"I see…good job. We'll take it from here," I told him, and he nodded before vanishing to the front.

"…Are you here to see him?" Suzaku asked while holding my left hand.

"Yeah. I haven't gone to meet him after defrosting him, but I made sure to have a letter written by Ryuuta and Momiji to give to him," I replied, bringing out a small white envelope.

Nakagami Nakiri. The previous wielder of the Yellow Dragon Sacred Beast, Huanglong. Also hailed as the strongest user of it, even better than Ryuuta, the current 'Ouryuu'. He had some kind of Artificial Sacred Gear given to him by the Khaos Order.

We walked in silence until we arrived at his cell. He sat there reading a book, very comfortable with himself. When he sensed us, he looked up and showed a bitter smile.

"Hello, Suzaku Himejima, Jin Skyward. I've been wondering when you'd come to me," he said, putting his book down. Suzaku looked at him with sorrowful eyes, but said nothing.

"You look well. What book are you reading?" I asked.

"Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka. It's an interesting read; I would recommend it," he said.

"I'll take note of it. Here." I transported the envelop that I had into his hands, and he looked at it with curiosity. "It's from Momiji and Ryuuta," I told him, and he immediately opened it.

He spent the next minute reading it, and he showed a wide variety of expressions. Happiness, sorrow, regret, and sullenness. He finally sat back down and deeply sighed while looking at the ground and letter.

"…She's really okay, huh…? I searched for her for so long, and finally she's back… and it sounds like she's doing well," he said in relief. "I had my doubts back then when Lavinia Reni told me that you found her, but this is definitely her handwriting…"

"Ryuuta is doing well too. Even though I abruptly left the clan to pursue her, he's done well in inheriting my position. If I could, I'd like to apologize. But it seems pretty meaningless now," he muttered.

"No, we heard it loud and clear," a voice said. Nakagami looked up quickly after hearing Ryuuta's voice.

Letting go of Suzaku's hand (she didn't like that), I made some space and showed him a small magic circle behind us. It was a communication magic circle connected to Ryuuta, who had Momiji with him.

Nakagami looked at me before shaking his head. "I should have expected something like that from you, Jin Skyward-kun," he said. "Hello, Ryu, Momiji-chan. It's been a while."

"Hello, Nakagami-san."

"H-hello Nii-san!"

"Nakagami-san, huh? Well…I don't blame you for calling me that instead of what you used to call me," muttered Nakagami. "Are you two well?" he asked.

"For the most part, it's quite tough having to fill your shoes for all these years, but I'm doing quite well," replied Ryuuta.

"I'm doing well! Since I've come back, everyone has been very welcoming and kind. I think it's because of the changes by Suzaku-san, which I'm grateful for! Ah, and of course Jin-san rescuing me!" said Momiji.

Another bitter and regretful look appeared on his face as he sighed. "I…see. That's good. I'm glad you're doing well, Momiji. I would like to apologize too, Ryuuta. You were forced into that position because I left, but I needed to try to find her."

There was a moment of silence after Nakagami said that, although if you listened hard enough, you could hear Momiji slightly panicking through the magic circle.

"Yes, I understand. However, it's still—"

They kept on talking to each other, and it seemed to become a lot more personal, so both Suzaku and I excused ourselves and said we would come back in a few minutes. We walked further along the cells and found another person there.

"Oh, if it isn't my husband, so you're with the Vermillion woman today?" asked Yashina. "I was a good girl during that mission, you know? Is there another one? Can I participate?"

Just like Lavinia, Suzaku became a bit protective as her hold on my arm tightened and she pulled me back slightly, making Yashina laugh.

"Your women are quite protective of you, aren't they?" she mused, smirking at Suzaku. The woman in question glared back at her.

I smirked back. "They're the best, and to answer your question, there is an operation happening soon. But I won't need your help, but maybe the next one I'll call for you. How does that sound?"

"Fufu, very well. I'll wait like a good girl until then," she said and blew a kiss at me, irritating Suzaku even further. After that she pulled me away a bit upset.

"You guys really don't like her, huh?" I asked.

"No," said another voice. When we turned around, we saw Velgrynd there.

"I was wondering when you'd cancel your own invisibility. Where's Azathoth? You two are usually with each other," I asked her.

"…She's with Danu in Ireland. You have a strange and wide taste in women, Aaron. What's the limit?" she asked while joining us.

We began walking away, and I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, Aoife was my one and only girlfriend in my previous life, so I can't really say. Unless you…"

I was about to tell them about them being works of fiction, but I stopped myself. I don't ever plan on telling them about it, and I've already erased those books from any universe that we may go to in the future. Sorry, not sorry. I don't want any of them to have an existential crisis like Ddraig and Albion.

"The 'sky's' the limit," I replied. She immediately pinched my cheek. "Only a few people can appreciate my puns. I need more people like that in my life."

"Right… So, who are we going to now?" the dragon asked.

"Two more. Leon and Chazaqiel. Knowing Gabriel, she should be here now talking to her," I told her, and we kept walking for a few more seconds before we arrived in front of a cell.

In it was Leon. He looked lifeless; this was the same after we captured him. I took everything from him—his powers, his team, and his will to keep on living.

"Leon."

After I called his name, he didn't respond. During our visit to the Greek realm, when we met with Eros, I asked them if Eris ever knew about her children, or if she kept any of them that were born from another species, like humans.

Their answer was simple: No. She didn't care for them. Usually, she kills her partner if they're not from the supernatural or connected to it in some way. Although most of the time she just kills them since she just uses them as a way to pleasure herself, in Leon's case, it was just on a whim; she was in a good mood that day, so she let Leon's father live. That's how he was born into this world.

Being obsessed with being a villain was weird, though. But I could understand where he was coming from; if my parents were that shitty, then nine times out of ten, I would most likely turn out the same and go into a life of crime and misery.

I'm thankful that my mom was supportive of me and cared a lot about me; otherwise, who knows what would have happened to me?

"Eris is part of the Khaos Order; did you not know that?" I asked. This got a reaction as he looked up at me with lifeless eyes. "She's part of the Alliance of the Evil Gods faction of it. You didn't know?"

His goal was so close to him, yet he didn't know; he wasn't informed. Life—fury came back in his eyes, and he slammed his head against the glass walls of the cell.

"Huh!? What the fuck do you mean!?" he roared. "I would have known! We spent a few weeks there and even asked about the other factions in it; quit lying!!"

"…You think they wouldn't lie? A terrorist organization? Leon, please. I know you're not that stupid," I told him, and that just made him angrier.

He started slamming his head against the glass, and he began to bleed, so the protocols activated. He was restrained and sedated. He definitely has mommy issues…or daddy ones…maybe both? Either way, that has gotten him to think a bit more and not just stare blankly at the floor during his stay.

"Did that go as you expected?" Velgrynd asked.

"More or less. He has issues to work through, but hopefully that bit of knowledge will help him; if not, then he'll need to…be changed."

Both of them understood what I mean—what I did to Avezza and Yanuyo: if Leon can't change or improve himself, that's the only way I can see him changing in a positive way. He has natural skill and a lot of tenacity, and he would be useful for the supernatural world and the future I want.

Next was Chazaqiel; Suzaku had already pulled me away from the area as we could hear some voices speaking to each other. Unlike Leon's, these voices sounded quite happy with each other. Though Gabriel has that kind of effect on everyone.

When we turned a corner, we found Gabriel with a chair in front of a cell and her happily chatting away. Beyond the glass was Chazaqiel sitting on the floor, also happily chatting to her. The angel sensed us and turned to us. I put my hand up, and she got up and flew towards me.

"I thought you were with everyone else at Himejima's home?" I asked while hugging her.

"That was the original plan, but I wanted to chat with Chazzy, so I changed it," she explained, then went back to the chair. We quickly joined her, and Chazaqiel seemed nervous now.

"Hello, Chazaqiel, it's been a while." I greeted her and put a hand up.

"…Yes, it's been a while, Middleman," she replied while looking at the ground.

Gabriel got up from her seat, phased through the glass wall, forced her up, and made her look at us. "Mmm!"

"G-Gabriel, I'm not…"

"Speak properly to him; we talked about this, Chazzy. Now, do it again," she said strictly.

[Oh? I can see Gabriel treating your children like that. A balance of her usual self and that.]

'Why is everyone so obsessed with children all of a sudden? We're essentially immortals; don't worry about it too much…' I told Ddraig, and he laughed.

She tried to protest, but eventually gave up and faced us. "…I don't regret my actions. As for the others? I don't know. We may have had a common goal, but had different personal goals, but we also believed it to be right. I will strive to make better steps and atone for my sins, but as I said, I don't know about the others. Asbeel might also do the same because she's in love with the Dragon King Genshirou."

In love with Genshirou, eh? Well, I had my doubts originally, but they seem to be getting along fine now, and Genshirou still wants to expand it. Heh, he does still have two more that will join, so good for him.

"Annnd?" Gabriel pinched her sides, making her jump.

"I-I will work for Grigori for as long as I can and o-offer up my services to the DxD Alliance…!" she added, smiling, trying to stop Gabriel from pinching her sides.

Satisfied with what Chazaqiel said, Gabriel hugged her from behind while she blushed. Suzaku was happy for them too, while Velgrynd was intrigued by the whole thing. Well, she always had a strange relationship with Velzard, after all, and probably seeing people this affectionate to each other was a bit strange for her. She only ever had eyes for Rudra, after all.

"Is that so? Then I look forward to seeing it, Chazaqiel. We'll get going then, and I'll leave it to Gabriel to update me on your situation," I told her, and Gabriel agreed to that on her behalf.

Leaving the area, we made our way to my next destination, Tobio and Sae's home. They either stay here or in a home in the human world. I've gone there a few times and given them the same upgrades and defenses as my own home. It's three train stations away from Kuoh, and it's specifically tailored for Sae, as she was the one who was with me when I constructed it.

On our way there, we came across Mittelt and Meruem. It seemed like they were waiting for us; he gestured for me to join him, and we walked to a different room, and in there…

"Yo, father."

"Ignia…I was wondering where the hell you went. So you're back?" I asked.

"Ha! Yeah, I went back out to the multiverse just to check some things; I also noticed you traveled it too, eh? So how was it? Anyway, I checked a few universes to see how they were after you blew up everything, and they seem fine. Ah, yeah…Cúntóir told me to do it," he said and drank from his plastic cup.

"Is that so? I'm glad you're back then. So? Do you want some kind of compensation or something?" I asked.

I wasn't expecting him to do something like that or have Cúntóir order him to do it. Did having his powers taken from him humble him a bit? Or does he usually do it? For a battle maniac like himself to do something close to that is kind of unbelievable.

"Let me fight God Serena again!" he screamed and burned his plastic cup.

Nodding my head, I agreed. "I'll have it set up in a day; how's that?"

"Deal! Just contact me like you usually do!" he said before vanishing.

Shaking my head, I said, "He goes off for a few months only to come back to ask for a fight. Battle maniacs…what can you do with 'em?" I turned my attention to Meruem. "So, what did you want me for?"

He stared at me, back at Mittelt, who was already bright red, and then back at me. "…May we have a house? Mittelt and I plan on moving in together, away from Grigori if possible. Perhaps in the human world?"

"Oh, is there anywhere specific you want to stay at? I don't mind," I told him. I expected this to happen at some point, but for it to happen now, it makes me wonder what these two are up to when I'm not around.

He brought out a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Azazel said it would be ideal to situate ourselves in these areas, since there are some Grigori-related buildings near them," he explained.

Looking through it, there were seven countries he recommended since there was a lot of activity from Grigori there. Although the DxD Alliance is mostly everywhere, he recommended Iceland, Lithuania, India, the USA, China, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Kuoh (Japan) was also recommended, but she said that they didn't need to be near me if they could help it.

"Interesting choices…I could recommend all of them, but the choice is yours, Meruem, Mittelt. I'd recommend visiting these places before you ask me again. Learn about their cultures, rules, and how it's like living there while you visit. I can give you some pocket money so you can have some extended vacations there. How about it?" I asked.

He looked at Mittelt and asked, "What do you think?"

"It sounds like a good idea, Meruem-san. But we should do this after the preliminary rounds are finished since our teams need to keep fighting to qualify," she explained.

He smiled and looked back at me. "Then we'll do that. Thank you, father."

Chuckling, I walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "Yes, that's what dads are for, right? I'll support your decisions and choices, Meruem. So keep on exploring yourself, and when the time comes, come and tell me when you find your 'answer' for your 'question' back then, alright?"

"…Yes. Thank you very much," he said before we left the room.

Once outside, Velgrynd asked, "You see him as your son? Is that the same way you feel about Ignia?"

I started walking away and said, "They may be creations of Nyarlathotep, but it's been ingrained in their heads that I'm their 'dad', so I may as well adopt them, whether that is officially or unofficially. Meruem is the calmer of the two, but I'll still treat Ignia as my own, even if he's a bit of a troublemaker."

Their connection to her was also severed by me, so they're their own people now. How they go on with life will be up to them. If they decide to turn evil, then I'll be forced to end them, but if they don't, then that's fine too—it's the outcome I'd want. Ignia is fine as long as he can fight people; it's almost the same as Vali, although he's more than that now.

"Anyway…they're my kids now, so try to get along with them, Vel. Anyway, let's go to the last two stops before we join Shuri and the rest."

— ○ ● ○ —

Knocking on the Ikuse household's door, we heard a feminine voice behind it, and moments later it opened. Sae was the one to greet us, and in her arms was Hana Ikuse; she had black hair like Tobio, and the eyes of Sae.

"Yo. We came to visit," I said and brought up a back.

"Welcome, Jin, Suzaku-san, and Velgrynd-san! Come in!" she greeted us, and we walked inside. We quickly went to the kitchen and found Tobio there, making lunch.

Placing the bag on the kitchen table, I went over to him, and we fist bumped. "Need help?"

"It would be quicker if it were just the two of us," he admitted, and I helped him with lunch. "So…when is it?"

"In three days, we're going over there, and the day after they'll attack. So you guys can enjoy your time in there for the full day when we visit. I can leave an [Electa] with you guys if you want, or with Sae, along with a few shadow soldiers," I offered him.

Tobio laughed and said, "You seem more concerned for my family than me, but I'll take you up on that." But from the things I've heard from Azazel, it seems like a better place than the previous split factions."

"It is. So you don't need to worry about any harassment or anything like that. If you do, just leave it to the [Electa] that'll guard you for the day; they and you are well known, so it shouldn't happen, but it won't hurt to be prepared."

— ○ ● ○ —

Suzaku Himejima's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron and Tobio were preparing lunch for us, although we don't plan on eating too much since we were going to eat some at Aunt Shuri's too. Velgrynd seemed aloof and only paid attention from time to time when Sae talked.

She only tends to listen to a few people. Aaron is the one she listens to the most; after that would be us (Fates Ones), plus Azathoth; after that would be his mother, Cindy, Aoife, and Grayfia; the same with Raiko and sometimes Inaie since they provide food. The rest can be debatable.

"Sae Toujou." Velgrynd suddenly called out to Sae, who looked at her with a friendly smile.

"How…h-how does it feel to raise a child?" she asked. I froze along with Aaron, which confused Sae and Tobio.

"It's filled with happiness, Velgrynd-san. Hehe, why do you ask?" Sae asked back while playing with Hana-chan.

"I…was just curious. During my travels I saw many families, and I became a bit curious…" she mumbled while looking away.

"Hehe, well, 'happiness' is the best way I can describe it. Mmm...maybe something like getting your one true wish granted? That's the kind of happiness I'm talking about, but it's multiplied by ten times?" explained Sae.

"I see…"

"We're ready; let's eat!" Tobio said as he and Aaron went to the dining room table and set down a few plates of sandwiches, salads, and other items for us to eat.

We got up and went over there, chatting with each other as we ate. Velgrynd kept quiet the entire time; she seemed to be thinking about what Sae had told her. I should speak to her about it; it seems to be really troubling her.

— ○ ● ○ —

"Thank you for coming by, Jin, Suzaku-san, and Velgrynd-san. We also look forward to traveling with you in a few days, right, Hana~?" asked Sae.

"Ga!" grunted Hana-chan.

"Yeah, see you then," replied Aaron. The door closed, and we began walking away. "I'll speak with Azazel alone if you don't mind…"

"It's fine; I want to speak with Velgrynd," I said, and she looked at me questioningly. I smiled back at her, and when we arrived in front of Azazel's office, Aaron went in there alone while we stayed outside.

We walked over to a nearby bench and sat on it. "What did you want to talk about, Suzaku?" she asked.

"Why did you ask Sae that question earlier? I'm quite confident in detecting lies, Velgrynd. So would you mind telling me the truth?" I asked her. She stared at me for a few seconds, then at the door to Azazel's office.

"…I—"

— ○ ● ○ —

Aaron Toole's Soliloquy

— ○ ● ○ —

"You want me to do what?" I asked him again.

He scratched his chin and leaned back in his chair. In this room, I was with him, Avezza and Penemue, both female fallen angels, didn't agree with what he wanted me to do during the operation in the new vampire faction, but apparently, they received confirmation on doing it, so…

Turning to Avezza, I asked, "You're confident in your research, and that you can pull it off?"

"Yes." She nodded. "We have been collaborating with various pantheons and factions, so we're confident in it succeeding. I know you may not want to do it, but…we thought it would make it easier for [DxD] to have when you go to the other universes."

It feels inhumane, but if the alliance wants it, then—

"But we did discuss leaving it to your discretion. If you think she may be uncontrollable, then we won't proceed with it, but if that happens, we request you to look for an alternative in the ExE or CxP universes," elaborated Avezza.

I agreed. "Fine. But I'd like to add that she has been stalking Azazel for at least half the year; he even did it with her a few times," I said and turned around.

The entire room had fallen silent because of what I said, and it became slightly chilly—almost hostile. Penemue ran over to me before pulling me out of the room.

"Are you insane!? Do you have any idea—"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! How was I supposed to knooooooooooooooooow!?" screamed Azazel.

Inhumane bones cracking were heard beyond the door, and both Velgrynd and Suzaku looked at us with confusion on their faces. Also, we didn't get to talk about the project...I'll ask him about it on a different day.

"Are those two in a relationship or something?" I asked, glancing back at the door.

"No, but it's quite obvious that Avezza has romantic feelings towards Azazel. He's also aware, but isn't doing anything about it. In a way, they're in limbo; their relationship hasn't moved…and you're just fanning the flames!" said Penemue furiously.

"That wasn't my intention. I thought Avezza needed to know if she was interested in him; also, I said it happened half a year ago, so after that half, he didn't anymore…so I was actually helping them," I replied, trying to defend myself.

She grabbed my cheeks and pinched them. "You threw gasoline into it first!!!"

"Ohkay, ohkay, e'll staph…" (Okay, okay, I'll stop). She let go of my cheeks, and we walked back to the other two, who seemed quite relaxed. "Did something happen?"

Suzaku got up and embraced me, which surprised me, but I hugged her back. Velgrynd looked away, slightly flushed.

"I love you, Aaron," Suzaku said before pecking me on the lips.

"…I love you too?" I replied, confused.

Velgrynd sighed and said, "So? Where are we going now? To the Himejima home?"

"Yeah…I'm done; let's go…"

That day…in that home, it was a bit chaotic, to say the least.

— ○ ● ○ —

Three days later, it was time to go to the new vampire faction led by three leaders. My group (Mom, Cindy, Aoife, Fusae, Lavinia, Suzaku, Velgrynd, Ryuuta Nakiri, Valerie, Illuse, Grayfia, and Ingvild), the Gremory peerage, Vali Team + Genbu Doumon, and Slash Dog Team were ready to go.

There were a lot of people in my group, and it seemed like it might be chaotic. But we already established what we were going to do, although Vali was a bit annoyed that he couldn't fight in the tournament today, even though he had done it every day since my game with Aurelia's team.

Illuse was going to be the one guarding Sae and Hana Ikuse today; as a dragon made by Antares and modified by me, it should be enough along with the ten shadow soldiers in her shadow for today, and I doubt Tobio will let them out of his sight if he could help it.

Everyone seemed ready, and when I raised my hand, we left for the new territory.

— ○ ● ○ —

We arrived just outside of it. They had created it near a large body of water, so when we got there, everyone was surprised to see the ocean one way and a lake the other.

"Are they using boats? That's quite old-fashioned of them," asked Arthur.

"Yeah, pretty much. Anyway, it's just in front of us," I told them, stepping through the barrier first. Everyone else followed after.

"Woah…" muttered Aoife beside me.

Woah indeed. We arrived near the 'end' of one of the islands; from here we could see many buildings, homes, and other structures. The castle towards the west stood out the most, and I could also feel Carmilla, Kiss Shot, and Dracula's auras over there. The same could be said for the infiltrators; they weren't exactly subtle about it, or was that just me? If the leaders couldn't detect them, then…

"Oh look, big pirate ships! Fufu, so old school!" mom said and pointed at some ships to our right.

Some of the ship's bows were designed as dragon heads; a few others were bats; and others were normal. However, they seemed to be powered by magic since there wasn't any wind in this place; it looked like they were made like that for aesthetic purposes.

As everyone admired the realm, I started walking forward, and they quickly followed. The further we walked, the more trees of all sizes we saw; some of them were different from one another: pines, coconut, and even apple trees. It seemed like they used magic to make it possible.

When we arrived in this part of the realm, a familiar face was there to greet us. It was Elmenhilde.

"Aaron-sama, everyone, welcome to our new realm. I will bring you to our leaders; please follow me," she said, turning around and beginning to walk away. Fusae and Valerie joined her, and they began chatting away.

"I thought vampires couldn't stay out during the day? Why's there so many people here?" Bikou asked while looking around at the many female vampires around us.

"Aaron-sama created a barrier during our initial construction stages; he also did something to allow us to walk during the die; however, it's only in our realm. If we go outside and walk out in daylight, we will be hurt or killed," explained Elmenhilde.

"Ain't that convenient, God-King-sama~?" whistled Bikou while walking away towards a little food vendor. "Hey, hey, Nee-san, what's that?"

"Blood popsicle," replied the female vampire. "Would you like some, Youkai-san?"

Bikou's face went pale as he shook his head, and he quickly returned to us. "Is everything here just blood…?" he asked.

"No, we have normal food. Unlike what the media portrays, we can eat normal food, but blood will always be priority for us. There are other normal food vendors like that, Bikou-sama," said Elmenhilde as she pointed at another one that was selling ramen.

"Vali! It's ramen!" shouted Bikou as he ran towards it.

"…!" Vali's eyes lit up, and I threw some money at him. He caught it before joining Bikou with Calantha and Genbu.

"Hehe, Vaa-kun is still obsessed with ramen after all," said Lavinia.

"Ramen dragon-sama is still at it, huh? Heh, some things never change," said Kouki, slowly inching closer towards the shop, but Kalawarna stopped him. "Uh…"

"No."

"Yes ma'am…"

I smirked. It seemed like Kalawarna has Kouki in the palm of her hands…although I'm led to believe that it's the fate of most men in this universe since they're quite weak to their lovers or wives…

[…An ominous feeling spread across his very being, kukuku~]

{…Why are you narrating his life?}

[Kukuku~]

After around five minutes of walking, we came into what seemed to be the central area of this part of town. A large spire was in the center, made of stone, with statues of Carmilla, Kiss Shot, and Dracula. Around the perimeter were a few stalls that sold souvenirs and food.

Vali and his group caught up to us while still eating their ramen. They were put in portable bowels that amazed them, and Vali asked if this was possible in my restaurant since he mostly went there to order any kind of ramen he wanted to eat at the time.

"Elmenhilde, do you know what your leaders want me to build?" I asked, fully knowing what they'd ask me to build.

"I know of only two," she said while glancing back at me. "We wish to make a Rating Game stadium here, so that when this event happens again, we'll be able to host it here. The second is…a museum; we have gone back to the previous Tepes faction's territory and gathered what we could…so…"

"I see. You want to make that kind of museum, huh? I'm fine with that," I replied, and she nodded before talking to the two with her.

A museum to house certain items from both factions. Since they've united and become peaceful, the new generation of vampires that will come in the future will be taught a lesson there and be reminded not to go down that road when they're older. I can support that. Of course, it won't always work since there's always someone who will appear one day with very different views from everyone else and try to start a civil war or something like that.

Another few minutes of walking, and we arrived at a large gate with two guards in front of it. They saw Elmenhilde, my large group, and me and opened the gate without question. Being famous can be quite convenient at times since I don't need to keep explaining myself or introducing myself.

[We started from the bottom, and now we're here. Hard work pays off, Partner. Be proud of yourself.]

'Yeah…' It seemed like a couple of years had passed since I came to the world, and with all the shit that happened, it makes you think it too, but only a year passed out here (not including the times I spent in the [Pocket Dimension] and my own isolation).

As we ascended the stairs, it looked like we'd be doing it for at least two minutes. We have an amazing view of the rest of the realm from here. There was a bridge that connected to the other island, where even more buildings were, and what seemed to be the spot for the museum.

After two minutes, we arrived at the top, and in front of us was another entrance, but the guards there didn't stop us. When we passed them, we arrived in the courtyard with a large water fountain in the middle.

"I'm surprised there aren't more guards here," said Rias.

"…Aaron's barriers are covering the dimension, so any attacks by the Khaos Order or another organization would be utterly pointless, unless they already infiltrated beforehand," said Velgrynd.

As they spoke more about the place, we entered the castle and were greeted by a handful of maids and butlers. But Elmenhilde dismissed them and brought us to a meeting room of sorts. It wasn't far from the entrance, as we only had to go up two flights of stairs.

The interior of the place was also quite lavish. White marble floors, walls, and ebony wood ceilings. Chandeliers, giant portraits of themselves, expensive furniture, windows, and other items.

In a way, it's like the cliché home of vampires; there were also no mirrors since they had no reflection.

"Only Aaron-sama has been invited inside; however, he can pick one person to bring with him inside. Meanwhile, I will bring everyone on a tour around the castle, so please pick—"

A competitive atmosphere suddenly enveloped the area. The girls looked at each other before they started playing rock-paper-scissors with each other. It was one game each, and it was an elimination type game…and it was quite intense. Elmenhilde was taken aback by the intensity of it all, and she stared at them in shock.

Three minutes passed, and a winner was chosen: Grayfia. The maid in question had a satisfied smile on her face; the rest looked disheartened.

"P-please follow me, everyone…" muttered Elmenhilde, and they all walked away. Lavinia and Aoife looked back at me periodically while showing me sad faces.

I can't do anything; you guys lost in a fair and square game.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Aaron-sama."

Grayfia had entered her 'professional maid mode' and her stoic face was back. I rarely saw that at home since she's a lot more open with everyone. Although she still acts like that whenever she goes back to the Underworld to interrogate Euclid.

It doesn't happen daily like it used to a few months ago, but she does go at least weekly just to see him, and it doesn't seem like he plans on ever changing. He'll always hate Sirzechs, the Anti-Satan faction, and me, and he'll always love his sister. We can't do much about that, but I did hint or suggest changing him, and she immediately said no, and I understand why.

He may be psychotic and have gone down the wrong path, but in the end, he is still Grayfia's only remaining blood-related family member. If I change him like that (Yanuyo and Avezza), the 'real' Euclid may be lost forever, and she doesn't want that.

Entering the room, we were greeted by just as lavish a place as the rest of the building. There were four people in total. Carmilla, Kiss Shot, Dracula, and another female vampire.

She had blonde hair tied in a pineapple-style ponytail by a brown band with red gems on it. She had wine-red eyes, elf-like ears with blue gems for earrings on both ears. She wore a backwards ribbon around her neck and a golden necklace with a blue gem around her neck. She wore a black dress with a golden ribbon near her front waist and a bigger one behind her, above her buttocks, colored wine-red too. She had a ring on both her hands middle fingers and wore black stockings and golden-colored heels.

"Hey, I'm here. Sorry for the delay." I greeted them and put a hand up. Beside me Grayfia bowed to them.

"It's been a while, Jin. Welcome. I hope you like the new faction we have built, although it's not completely finished," said Carmilla.

"Welcome! Oppai Dragon! You have graced our territory once more; I hope that it's to your liking?" asked Kiss Shot.

Dracula simply nodded my way, and I did the same thing. "Yeah, it's become better since the last time I was here. Who's this, by the way?" I asked and looked at the new female vampire.

"Hoho! This is one of my closer descendants; you could equate them to Vali Lucifer and Ingvild Leviathan; her name is Eirisse," explained Kiss Shot.

Eirisse bowed to me and said, "I am Eirisse; we were not able to meet each other before since I was out of the country. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jin-sama."

"…Yeah, nice to meet you."

She had a lot of potential. Right now, she was only high-class, but if she really trained, she could reach the power levels of God-class beings, and this was without my interference. We stared at each other, but finally I turned to an amused Kiss Shot.

"So to get to business, I heard from Elmenhilde that you want me to construct a Rating Game building and museum? I'll assume there are more, right?" I asked.

"Yes. That is what we want you to construct; there are also a few more districts we want some improvements on, and of course you will be compensated appropriately," replied Carmilla.

I nodded. "By the way, did Azazel and the other leaders contact you about the operation happening tomorrow?"

This time, Dracula said, "We have. We already have pre-built shelters ready for such an event to happen. Many of them are near our citizen's homes, so they won't need to run too far. They all also connect to the location beneath our castle, so the tunnels lead from those mini bunkers to here."

Eirisse seemed confused, but Kiss Shot added, "If you need our assistance, then we're ready to provide it, but if not, we will focus on the evacuation of our citizens when the time comes. We have spies in our faction, correct?"

"Yeah. Those spies are contacting the Khaos Order as we speak, but we're ready for them," I replied.

Eirisse raised her hand and asked, "Why not get rid of them now?"

"There are certain people I want to meet and speak to one another; they won't come here or other places willingly, unless they have an agenda. Also, they're bringing all of their forces, so it's a guaranteed way of wiping out their faction since they're all gathering here."

"The outside will be a battlefield by tomorrow, but I'll also cover every single building with smaller barriers to minimize the damage, so at most all I need to do is repair the streets and roads when it's all done. With that said, I'd like you to not speak a word of this to anyone, Eirisse," I told her.

She agreed to it. "Yes, I won't, Jin-sama."

For better or for worse, she's trustworthy. Looking into the future and her stats, she won't blabber anything about it.

— ○ ● ○ —

Third Person Point of View

— ○ ● ○ —

As the groups that came with Aaron toured the castle, they eventually came to a large open space.

"This is usually turned into an extra banquet hall; if necessary, there are many rooms in this castle that are multi-purpose," explained Elmenhilde.

As she was about to continue her explanation, a familiar friend of hers appeared from the ceiling and jumped down onto the floor.

"It is I, Ursulette! Hilde, where is he!?" she asked, while getting uncomfortably close to Elmenhilde's face.

"…He is speaking to our leaders right now—" Before finishing her sentence, the woman named Ursulette ran away at full speed.

"W-who was that?" Natsume asked, confused by the sudden intrusion by the woman.

"Ursulette, a fellow vampire. She's—" Elmenhilde told them who she was and why she was looking for Aaron. After she did, both Lavinia and Aoife were ready to run after her and catch her.

"She won't—" Again, Elmenhilde was interrupted from speaking when a loud and powerful explosion shook the area around them. Everyone in the room became alert, and seconds later, Aaron and the leaders appeared.

"What happened!?" Kouki shouted.

"It seems like their attack started a day earlier," said Tobio, as he looked out a window.

From it, he could see various figures in the sky throwing attacks all around them—the figures were in the hundreds, possibly thousands.

"They got a bit trigger-happy, but they should be teleporting in now. My shadow soldiers should have evacuated everyone to the shelters as soon as it started," explained Aaron. He clenched his hand, and the [Dragon Tattoos] appeared on everyone's arm. "Let's get this party started a day early then…"

"Jin-sama, please allow me to participate!" Eirisse begged.

"Hmm, it would be good to get you more combat experience. Very well, I'll allow it," said Kiss Shot.

Aaron looked at Kiss Shot, Eirisse, and then to Gasper, Valerie, Fusae, and Elmenhilde. "Fine, but those four will be in your group, understood?"

"Yes!" All four agreed to be with her too.

Tobio walked over to Elmenhilde and asked, "How do we reach the underground shelter? I'd like my fiancé and child to be placed there."

The vampire nodded and said, "Please follow me. I will join everyone once I bring Sae-sama and Hana-sama to the shelter."

"We will also participate after we confirm that everyone is down there too, Jin," said Carmilla.

Aaron nodded and looked back outside. He had shrouded the buildings in smaller barriers to prevent further damage after he teleported to this room.

"Are they here yet?" Vali asked while standing beside him.

"No. Only the vampires and super vampires are here, a few magicians, and some members of the Exiled Harmony, but I don't sense any of their main members, or 'him'," replied Aaron. "Can both the Vali Team and Slash Dog Team engage them? My team will have a different role."

"I ain't against some action; let's gooo~!" shouted Bikou while running out of the room. He was followed by everyone else, but Aaron stopped Vali.

"Stay with Genbu if possible," he told him. Vali silently stared at him before nodding and running after his team.

"So what do we do?" asked Ryuuta.

"Listen up—"

— ○ ● ○ —

A few minutes later, everyone had left Aaron as he stood there with his mother, Róisín Toole, and both maids, Grayfia and Cindy.

"I'm pretty strong too, Aaron, so let me fight," said Róisín. Aaron looked at his mother with worry; she could tell that he didn't want to.

"I will be with her, Master Aaron; she will be fine," added Cindy.

'I already sent Illuse with Sae and Hana; Tobio went with the Slash Dog Team to help fight off the invaders…I'll—'

Róisín grabbed Aaron's face and forced them closer together. "I am not weak. Please let me prove it," she told him.

Aaron sighed. "…Grayfia, can you accompany them?"

"Of course," replied the silver-haired woman.

"Thanks; I'll feel more at ease with her with you two with her. Okay…go," said Aaron. Róisín thanked him and left with the two maids, leaving Aaron by himself.

[What now, Partner? The whole realm's been evacuated, and the Exiled Harmony are slowly teleporting into the place,] asked Ddraig.

"I'll watch everything from a distance. Everyone here is capable, so they should be able to stop this, but…when one of Kecate's and Ayumu's followers comes, I'll confront those two myself; the rest can be dealt with by the rest—especially Kecate; I want Gasper and Valerie to fight her," he said before walking through the walls and arriving outside.

— ○ ● ○ —

"It's been a while since we last fought together, Tobi!" Natsume screamed while killing a large quantity of vampires.

Tobio, in his [Perfectus Tenebrae Lykaon et Fortis Densus Laelaps], with multiple [Dogs] and Gin by his side. All across the realm were large, jet-black, distorted blades with multiple vampires pierced by them.

<<Yeah. I've been becoming a bit restless with my peaceful life; I wanted to help with [DxD]'s next mission,>> replied Tobio.

"Original leader and new leader, kicking ass!" Kanami happily cheered while piercing several vampires through the head with her spear.

Tobio smiled through his darkness before he summoned another scythe and swung it down towards various vampire-style magic circles that were summoned by multiple vampires. Each one of them was cut in half, shocking them.

"W-what!? How did he cut apart a magic circle!?" asked one of the vampires.

"[Slash Dog]…the [Dog God of the Fallen Angels]…so he's finally back in action, huh? We should report this to our superiors," said another.

<<If only you could do that,>> said Tobio as he appeared behind them. Before they could react, he sliced them apart along with Gin. <<We're focusing on this point; leave the rest of the other groups,>> ordered Tobio.

"You heard him!" added Kanami.

"Are you trying to fight for leadership here?" Natsume asked.

"N-no! I just…ugh, never mind…"

Both sisters suddenly created a defensive magic circle in front of them, stopping a large, powerful fireball from hitting them. It was the size of the town below them, and if they didn't react on time, it would have definitely hit it and burned a sizeable chunk of it.

Kanami stabbed it with her [True Longinus] and destroyed it. After that, the Slash Dog Team heard laughter above them.

"You guys are truly amazing," said a man above them.

<<…Are you a Himejima?>> Tobio asked. <<Those flames feel just like Suzaku's and Atsutarou's.>>

The man above them began to laugh. "Kukuku, Atsu-kun always took the spotlight after all. Well, I'm glad Suou is dead, but I simply don't care anymore. Inflicting pain on everyone, especially the Five Principal Clans, gives me joy."

The man above them spun around and bowed. He had a large top hat, a monocle on one eye, a mustache, and a professional black three-piece suit. He had a cane in one hand and a toy red bird in the other.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mikumo Himejima, just your typical nobody in the clan that couldn't use his flame at birth. I was shunned, and all that, blah, blah, blah, sad backstory," he said and chuckled.

<<…Leave this guy to me,>> said Tobio. The previous members trusted him, and they moved away from Tobio and Mikumo.

"I'm glad I can fight against the famous [Slash Dog] who's also a Himejima. Tell me, how does it feel being the dog to the fallen angels?" he asked while putting his hand forward and a large tiger-shaped flame burst towards Tobio.

Tobio spun his scythe in one hand, and Gin, who was beside him, readied his sword. The [Dogs] that he summoned helped fight the others, along with the rest of the Slash Dog Team.

He raised his scythe, and with a single downward swing, as well as Gin swinging his sword horizontally, this created a cross shape that sliced apart the flaming tiger.

"Blades that can cut anything, eh?" muttered Mikumo, amused by Tobio's abilities.

<<You need to grow up.>>

"Hah?" Mikumo was annoyed by what Tobio said and prepared another attack.

<<The world isn't black and white, and even if you're stronger than some people, being in a good relationship with them and having a working relationship is healthy. Take Jin for example,>> he said, jumping towards Mikumo.

Mikumo fired multiple fireballs at Tobio. The man himself—Mikumo—was a Satan-class person as he had been experimented on by the Khaos Order. Tobio and Gin sliced apart the fireballs, arrived in front of Mikumo, and swung their weapons at his chest.

When both looked back, they expected the man to be injured, but to their surprise, he had multiples—there were two of them now.

"Surprised?" he asked. "Well, I did get a new ability from them. You boasted about only 'True Satan-class' or 'God-class' being able to damage you, correct? Well, as a fellow Himejima, I'm aiming to injure the famous [Slash Dog] himself."

Tobio and Gin landed on top of a building and stared at Mikumo. The 'clone' that appeared merged back with Mikumo himself, and he chuckled again.

"Let's see you 'cut' me, [Dog God]. I'll tell you my ability and make it easier for you, eh?"

<<You're that confident?>> Tobio asked.

"I am. Even if I can't defeat you, I can at least cripple you," replied Mikumo.

<<I never did anything to you; why do you hate me?>> asked Tobio while creating another scythe.

"I have my reasons, but let's go with… Let's see, because I can~?" he said and laughed. "My ability, can create clones that have their own lives but are not connected to me. You could say…I can connect that part of myself to alternate versions of myself across the multiverse and have them killed instead, thus letting me live! Pretty cool, right? The Khaos Order is experimenting with this since that shitty lizard can bypass our previous method."

Mikumo bowed and smirked. "In a way…it makes us nearly invincible, right? Oh! Doesn't that mean I'm invincible? I can outlast you, wait for your stamina to run out and kill you that way! It's ingenious. But of course, this is still in the experimental stages, but it still works, kuku~"

'…Jin should know about this already since he can see everything…so does that mean I'll win? My regular abilities may not but…'

Unlike the 'canon' timeline, the Slash Dog Team was not blessed by the Shinto Gods. However, in this timeline, they were blessed by a much stronger god, a man named Aaron Toole.

'I'll use it as a last resort, but for now…I'll fight him with my regular abilities,' thought Tobio. <<Well…let's see if my blades can transcend timelines and universes, then. Mikumo Himejima, allow me to experiment on you.>>

— ○ ● ○ —

Check the chapter comments to see images of certain characters.