Ch. 52 Opening Day pt.1

"You can't just separate from the Underworld like this Lith! What you are doing is going to spark a war, if not amongst ourselves then between pantheons!" Sirzechs shouted angrily as our shouting match continued.

"I told you that I was well within my rights to do as I please with my territory and checked with both domestic and foreign affairs to make sure I did not break any of the laws which could even apply to me while having all the proper paperwork submitted! You and those whinny cunts who bitch at you have no footing to oppose my decision!" I yelled back at him heatedly.

"We both know Serafall would be lenient on your application, and I don't know how you managed to get everything through my own department but as it's head, I cannot approve of this." Replied Sirzechs as he said something which made me more than annoyed with him now.

"Don't you dare insult Sera like that! We may love each other, but she has never, and I mean never, done anything which compromises the duties and responsibilities she has towards all those ungrateful cunts!" I told the red haired Devil with a dangerous glare.

"Srizechs!" Interrupted Grayfia suddenly, making the two of us turn towards her. "I am the one who authorized his papers as the vice-head of the department."

"W-what? Why would you do that?" He hurriedly asked with a look of near betrayal.

"Because he is well within his rights as a lord to declare such a level of independence." She coldly answered. "You also cannot stop him and any attempts at doing so would result in a far larger blow to the Underworld than potential instability."

Grayfia might be supportive of her husband, but she understood politics and law much better than the man.

You see, Azaroth is the premier supplier of household and daily goods in the Underworld. We elevated the quality of life by multiple fold and are a major part of the economy. We also lend quite a number of soldiers to Falbium's department to get some more experience and have served as elite members of the Underworld's forces for over 200 years now.

If Sirzechs attempts to try and do some bull because he's too much of a pansy to put his foot down or take a proper risk, then I can simply pull out and sever ties with the Underworld as a whole.

Grayfia realized, even if maybe too late, that Azaroth does not need the Underworld, but it's the opposite. And if they think they will have problems now, imagine when all the nobles suddenly lose the luxuries they had grown accustomed to. How much trouble it would be to replace the loss manpower in their armed forces and having to ask lords to contribute more. All this on top of Azaroth's allies and those having already agreed for the Neutral Grounds not becoming very happy with the sudden loses of their promised benefits.

"Someone has to do something to bring these conflicts to an end." I coldly told him. "And if after over three hundred years you haven't even been able to bring all those pathetic and greedy bastards to heel, then it's my turn to take action.

Sera has been working ceaselessly all this time while Ajuka just does fuck all to help and tinkers in his labs, Falbium takes no initiative to improve anything and lets the status quo be so he can laze around, and you let all these incompetent, selfish and greedy fools bend you over again and again.

You may be our friends but I've had enough.

If none of you beside my wife are willing to actually do anything for what we truly fought for, a better future for devils and the world itself, then I will."

"But you don't understand! This will cause a war! You can't take on the might of entire factions on your own and if you die and Azaroth falls then this will cause a real war between Pantheons!" Sirzechs desperately replied.

"It won't because only the Dragon Gods and the Hindus remain a threat to Azaroth. And even then I would make them pay with death and Blood should they attempt it." I responded with absolute certainty as looked the Satan dead in the eyes.

And he flinched.

"We are done here Satan Lucifer. You and your Queen may leave." I finally said as I turned around and walked away.

I didn't like doing this. Sirzechs is mine and Sera's longtime friend, but him trying to stop the creation of this Neutral Ground made me lose my patience with the man.

He is simply unfit to lead and make hard decisions.

Without my move, the three factions would remain at risk of something going wrong and the war restarting. And with my presence and all that came with it, I was not willing to risk it without taking some precautions.

And I wasn't stupid enough to not know that I would need to establish mine and Azaroth's strength to more than just the level shown. I would need a proper show of force.

That is why I accepted a certain proposition from the Norse Pantheon.

You see, we hit a bit of an impasse in some negotiations regarding trading materials, knowledge and the Loki situation, so we all came up with two separate agreements. One favored my terms and conditions and the other favored Asgard. And to chose which would be used, we agreed to settle it in a Norse way, through combat.

Tournament style, a rating game actually. Using a similar Dice Game setup used in the Rias Vs Sairaorg match.

The chosen 'King' for the Norse, in this case obviously being Thor since they wanted those benefits, received what is essentially blank pieces which simply act as the safety measures and to create the temporary 'peerage'. This basically is just so they don't cheat and just try to stuff an all god team.

I trust my peerage and myself to still win if that is the case, but that would likely reveal too many cards and force actual deaths. Not the best way to begin a partnership.

So at its core it was kind of precursor to the Azazel Cup.

In the end Thor showed that he was surprisingly honorable, choosing to not take two of his given pawns and one bishop to be completely fair. He was excited for such a battle and very much hoped he wouldn't be disappointed.

His temporary peerage was registered thusly:

King: Thor - 12/12 points

Queen: Vidar - 9 points

Rook: Magni - 10 Points

Knight: Sif - 3 Points

Knight: Sleipnir - 3 points

Bishop: Göndul - 3 points

Pawn: Sköll - 3 points

Pawn: Hati - 3 points

(I'm pretty sure having more than one piece makes you cost as much as the total pieces in you, hence Sköll, Hati and Magni's points. Kings are rated on a worth between 1-12, and being a top ten member pretty much guarantee's a 12 even at this level.)

Loki wasn't exactly happy so he lent Thor Sköll and Hati to stack the deck. He basically tricked Thor into thinking it would make for an epic battle, but that made my more battle loving ladies really want to fight the wolves. Even my researchers wanted to study the god-killing properties.

And it would seem the Thunder God was making this a bit of a family activity since he was bringing his lover and son into the mix. Not that I could comment considering I had some of my lovers in my peerage.

My own Rating was actually put a bit lower than it should be due to the 'judges' for this contest being from other factions. So my official peerage registration ended up like this:

King: Lith Azaroth - 10 points

Queen: Scáthach Azaroth - 9 points

Rook: Moka Cain-Springfield - 5 Points

Rook: Milim Y Goch - 5 Points

Knight: Diana Azaroth - 3 Points

Knight: Miyamoto Musashi - 3 Points

Bishop: Leo- Da Vinci-chan - 3 Points

Pawn: Tatsumiya Mana - 1 Point

Pawn: Medea - 1 Point

Pawn: Altera Einzbern - 1 point

Pawn: Cirilla Azaroth - 1 Point

Pawn: Jeanne Azaroth - 2 points

To explain a few things about the above, let's start with my rating.

No one outside mine and my wife's peerages, and my lovers, know about most of my current power. For most in the supernatural world, I am someone within Satan-class, even if high ranked within it due to my feat of recruiting Scáthach. The only reason I actually have a ten is because the Greek Pantheon had one judge on the table and reported much greater power than just a Satan when I went over there. The Japanese representative also supported this as the Shinto have some ideas regarding my strength from surrounding factors.

Next are the names.

My lovers, whom I truly cared for with all my heart, desired to state their status before the entirety of the supernatural world as a sign of pride and to stave off future annoyances. Thus they agreed to take my name, which wasn't difficult for some as they didn't have family names and Ciri was excited to shorten hers.

Altera was named an official Einzbern due to the significance of her and Caenis.

Da Vinci though, decided to hack into the systems to alter her registered name.

I had no problem with it because it made Ajuka incredibly frustrated that he couldn't outdo her hacking. He kept trying, but it's hard for even his brain to outdo the construct Da Vinci built specifically for this situation.

Following that, the official reveal of Moka and Milim's lineages was likely going to cause quite the fuss. I mean less so for Milim due to her going around messing with her father and his 'rival', but fuss none the less.

Obviously those arrogant parasites calling themselves vampires nowadays weren't invited to the Neutral Grounds or this event, but once they hear about it things will likely become annoying.

I might seriously reconsider Evangeline and Moka's plans to cull and take over.

But hopefully my desire to have Gasper and Valerie be born, meaning two more powerful little dhampir and a longinus, can assuage me.

Now, going back to before the official release of the teams was released, I did make an announcement regarding this match to all pantheons involved or that will likely get involved. Following that, I also sent invitations for themselves and some guards to come witness such a fight.

It wasn't everyday one of the big boys fought, even if most didn't think anyone on my team, beside maybe Scáthach, had any chance at taking him down, so many responded positively to the invitations. This was basically the most interesting thing which happened for supernaturals in decades after all.

So to prepare, many renovations were to be done to the current Colosseum to handle the fights which was going to occur on its stage. It wasn't really difficult when you have Scáthach, Da Vinci, Medea, Sera, Evangeline, Tamamo, myself and a few goddesses to do it.

Had to rush the construction of a few embassies, ready the hotels and inns for the influx of people, get supplies in for the restaurants and shops, work out security, decorate the city, etc. All stuff to make it look like we had our shit together.

And on a more personal note, since we were going against some gods and such, I decided to have a little training using altered time because it had been a while since everyone really fought or trained together and it was time to sharpen those edges. My girls are powerful, but proper motivation does wonders for results.

This was especially useful for the younger members, as we all prepared ourselves for battle.

Thanks to our long lived race, I managed to have a year's worth of harsh training with everyone in the time before the official match. This was while balancing relationships, duties, and relaxation as well, but the results were rather spectacular.

Scáthach was knocking on the door of Super Devil, needing to understand and master her concept further before taking that final step. Da Vinci, Jeanne, Mana and Musashi were quickly approaching this stage as well. Diana and Medea made great progress alongside our 'younger' girls such as Ciri, Moka and Milim. And finally Altera stepped into Satan-class herself.

Once our training was finished, everyone was allowed to relaxed and recuperate fully for the coming fight. Well except Scáthach who insisted on staying by my side as my Queen to help me finish all the last minute preparations.

-Azura, Capital City of Azaroth. Day of Match, Azure Stadium (Various focus, 3rd POV)

Today the entirety of Azura was bustling to a previously unseen level, even the festivals held for new peerage members, children of the Lord, or simply to enjoy life's bounties or the successes of various guilds couldn't match what was happening.

And it was all due to one thing:

GRAND GAME OF MIGHT!!!

TODAY ONLY, COME WATCH THE INFAMOUS LORD AZAROTH AND HIS PEERAGE CHALLENGE THE LEGENDARY NORSE GOD OF THUNDER THOR ALONGSIDE HIS CHOSEN COMPANIONS!

THE MIGHT WHICH MAKES THE UNDERWORLD TREMBLE WILL SHOW ITS TRUE CLAWS AND FANGS TO MEET THE HAMMER OF GODS!

This was the advertisement spread throughout the city as posters and holographic displays were everywhere.

The shop owners took the opportunity to have limited time merchandise and to boost their sales of Lord Azaroth and Peerage figures. Restaurant owners were all hands on deck with many breaking out harder to get ingredients from other pantheons to attract visitors. Inns and hotels were almost ready for war, while brothels had everyone for every fetish possible in.

Meanwhile guard presence was quintupled compared to normal due to how many things which could go wrong as beings from all over the supernatural world were gathering in this one city for the first time in centuries, if not millennia. Even high ranking members of the Legions were called in as back up, just in case.

And while the city was brimming with life and activity as guests and visitors experienced the City of Hopes, the very heart of it all was the Colosseum today.

Excited people could be seen walking towards it in droves, talking to each other, getting food our souvenirs from the stands, placing bets and enjoying the festive mood.

But at a separate entrance, those who were there saw something they couldn't believe.

Gods of multiple pantheons, Powerful beings which could make thousands tremble, Angels and Fallen alongside devils, even dragons and youkai. All entering peacefully into the grand arena after being greeted by Serafall Leviathan herself.

•VIP Welcoming area

"Well Lord Odin, Lord Baldur, and all distinguished Valkyries." One Serafall Leviathan politely greeted as she was fulfilling some wifely duties.

"Oh oh! What good it does for these old eyes to see you again Lady Leviathan. Or should I say Lady Azaroth today?" Odin, the chief god of Asgard, said with a sly smile.

Odin was one of the few old looking gods, with long grey hair and beard, a single pale blue eye as the other side was replaced by an enchanted monocle sometime after he sacrificed it. He was currently a mostly white robe with blue shoulder cover and golden trims, white shoes and a gold and black jewel encrusted hat.

On his right was Baldur, Odin's eldest and the God of Beauty, peace and innocence. Many would mistake him for a high ranking Angel with his shoulder length golden hair, gentle and warm beauty, clear green eyes, flawless body and a presence which made one want to be good. He was wearing a simple, but high quality, white shirt and pant combo, which made him look purer than usual.

"Well you can't really call me Azaroth for many reasons I'm sure you are aware of, but I am here to welcome everyone for today's event as a wife and Lady. Gotta help my husband from time to time after all." Serafall calmly replied with a proud and confident smile.

It helped that she knew her Hubby and extended family would wipe the floor with their opponents and that she was stronger than Odin himself. Especially outside of Asgard. Maybe his Gungnir could even the odds somewhat, but after training and sparing with Scáthach over the decades, spear wielders aren't exactly a threat.

"I do hope we can meet Lord Azeroth after this match. I would dearly appreciate being able to discuss many things." Baldur said with a warm smile.

'He might be as pretty as always, but he's not manly or as handsome as my hubby.' Serafall briefly though as she looked at the god.

"I'm sure my Lord Husband would love to discuss many things after his victory." Serafall replied without hesitation or doubt.

"So you think your husband can beat my son and grandson then?" Odin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. As a wife, I must believe in my husband." Was the response as Serafall let nothing slip and signaled for the staff to come guide the group.

"Hahaha! Then I'll wait to see what backs up your confidence!" Odin heartily replied as the group was then led by a servant.

•VIP box 6, Underworld box

"Do you truly think Lith and his peerage has any chance of defeating the God of Thunder's?" The crimson haired Satan Lucifer asked his friend.

"Logically I would say no." The green haired Satan Beelzebub replied with a serious face. "But Lith Azaroth has never made a move nor done anything which he wasn't certain in achieving. So he must have something up his sleeve for this battle."

"But even I wouldn't be confident in directly defeating him." A frowning Sirzechs said as both knew the true weight of those words.

Sirzechs Lucifer was supposed to be the strongest their race had ever produced, with Ajuka second. If neither were confident in defeating their friend's foe, then how could their weaker friend do so?

And yes, even with the argument between Satan Lucifer and Lord Azaroth, Sirzechs and Lith were still considering each other friends. Things just got heated with their ideologies conflicting, but Sirzechs still decided to wait and see if his friend could pull off what he said.

"Regardless. This will be a great opportunity to witness the strength of those around him and his own limits." Ajuka commented with his friend nodding in agreement.

They both knew House Azaroth was one fogged from view for everyone. It was one of the reasons why the stadium was so full and the viewing statistic were so high, even when one had to purchase a ticket to view it from home.

Everyone wanted to see how strong Azaroth was after 'The Warning'. And now they would even get to compare it with those 'heroes' in the top ten ranking of the rating games thanks to the format, and see the strength of the enigmatic Lord against a top ten God.

•VIP Box 2, Shinto Box

"How lively this place is. Should we hold an event like this back home?" Amaterasu the sun goddess asked to her close subordinate.

"I do believe many of the younger Youkai would love to have a chance at proving themselves. It might also turn our relationship with the Clans to more of a rivalry instead of veiled hostility if done right Amaterasu-sama." Answered Yasaka, leader of Japan's Youkai and mate of Lith Azaroth.

"Hmm. I'll talk to my brothers when we return. But how do you feel about this? Are you ok?" The chief goddess asked out of care, knowing the relationship between the nine-tailed Fox and the competing lord.

"I believe in my Mate Amaterasu-sama. He shall be victorious." The bodacious fox woman declared with certainty.

"Oh? Such bold support! As expected of such a… dutiful wife." The goddess responded with a teasing smile and light blush.

"Amaterasu-sama! Please stop thinking about and mentioning that incident!" A flustered Yasaka replied with embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. But you really shouldn't be doing such… activities outdoors you know. At least not in the open. I do see everything the sun's light touches after all." Amaterasu said as she pacified her close subordinate/friend, even if she internally was still very shy about such matters.

She was an inexperienced virgin goddess after all. And she would never admit that she peeked on purpose out of curiosity, so she teased her friend.

'This is all Shujin-sama's fault. Just watch as I defeat you tonight.' Yasaka inwardly thought as her desires for her mate's loving and passionate care mixed with her embarrassment.

She would never admit that she was the one who was bold enough to 'wish to experience the most primal of lovemaking'

"Hmph! Not like he didn't tell me you peeked on more than that one occasion Ama~tera~su-sa~ma. Who knew our chief goddess was such a pervert~." Yasaka teased back as her mate did reveal a repeat spectator.

And Serafall might have rubbed off a bit too much on her since it made the sex a lot hotter for her to know they had such a 'voyeur'. The feeling of somehow tempting a 'pure' goddess and making her jealous was quite the guilty pleasure.

"Y-y-you knew!?!" The now horrified goddess asked with a massive blush.

"Fufufu~. Who knew Amaterasu-sama was such a naughty girl." Yasaka seductively said as she leaned forward before heatedly whispering in the ear of the goddess, "You know a third is always welcomed~."

And with that the goddess tapped out from embarrassment and her imagination as a nosebleed erupted and sloppy look appeared.

'Fufufu~ Can't get one over on a fox.' Yasaka inwardly said in victory before taking care of her goddess' appearance and focusing on the stage.

•VIP box 3, Fallen Box

"My oh my. Wonder if we could set up some tournaments like this back home to boost business." Azazel said aloud without a hint of seriousness.

"Doubtful. We do not have nearly the 'star power' necessary to gather such numbers and you are far too lazy to do the required work for it to happen." A harsh female voice shot down.

The woman in question was one with a large chest, long purple hair, strong looking hazel eyes, and wearing robes meant for work.

"Must you crush my dreams so Benemune?" The Governor-general asked with a wry smile as he looked at the chief secretary of Grigori.

This was an official event they were attending, so unlike the rather informal negotiations from the last time Azazel visited Azura, this was serious, hence required someone who can keep the boss of Grigori in line for at least the rest of the day. So Benemune was chosen thanks to her treatment of Azazel which bordered on spiteful at times and her lack of any care regarding his status as long as he did his job.

The fact that this was their first visit as official members of the new Neutral Ground made her presence even more crucial in the eyes of many in Grigori.

"Yes." Was the cold answer as she glared at her boss like the perverted shut in he nearly was most of the time.

"Ouch, my wounded heart." He jokingly replied.

"You have no heart. If something is hurting it is your dick because you likely found some new woman to lie and swindle into sleeping with her you pedophile." The secretary's venomous tongue responded without hesitation.

"Haha… no mercy as always Benemune. But I'll have you know that I'm actually not looking for any kind of short thrill or harem right now." Azazel said with a bit of a self mocking laugh.

"Oh? Did you finally consummate your love with your old paramour? Darkness Blade Governor." Was the response.

"Ack. No! I just think I've found a rather… fascinating subject." Azazel then said with a rather soft smile.

"Eww. Who are you and what have you done with my perverted boss who took my virginity but ran away when I told him to take responsibility for that and making me fall?" Benemune replied with a glare, but no actual hatred as this matter was let go a long time ago anyway.

"Hey! I did take responsibility! I made Grigori and now you're the chief secretary." The man proudly responded with technical correctness.

"*Sigh* And so my next few thousand years were fated to babysit hormonal idiots." Was her reply. "Whatever. Who's this unfortunate soul so I can warn her?"

"Interested? Well she happens to be one of this event's participants." Azazel answered with a grin.

"I sincerely hope it isn't Lady Sif or I'll have to worry about you surviving an electrified hammer castrating you." Was Benemune's deadpanned reply.

"What?! No! She's on the Devil side. It could even help make an alliance." He smugly said as if he was brilliant, which he technically was, but the problem lay in the fact that he relaxed his mind by being a perverted idiot.

"So your idea of forming an alliance is by trying to fuck a close member of our new partner's inner circle?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow and lots of judgement.

"Yes. It's perfect." Azazel honestly answered as if he saw no problems with that at all. "Just like her face, her body, her hair, her mind…"

'What the fuck?' The completely stunned Benemune thought as she just watched the king of perverts, even among fallen Angel and that was a hard crown to claim, turn into what looked like a lovesick puppy. 'Why am I jealous of this pervert?! Why can't I find a cool hunk who's strong and knows how to work hard?!'

"Yeah, yeah I get it. You found your match made in Heaven. No need to rub it in." The woman interrupted with jealousy.

"Eh What? Oh sorry about that. Haha! Shem says I've been kind of spacing out lately." Azazel replied while scratching the back of his head.

"Sure. Let's talk about something important: you think our new partner stands a chance?" Benemune asked as she didn't want to think about her failed love life.

"*Ahem* If that kid was confident in agreeing to it and made such big event out of it, then I predict he's going to win. Hands down." Azazel answered seriously.

"Wait! Really? But there's nothing that says he can take on a top ten." She responded in surprise.

"That kid is as scary as they come. My suggestion is never underestimating him. If he does something that means he has full confidence in doing it or at least making it through it." The governor of the fallen said, leaving his companion in a contemplating silence while turning her eyes to the stage.

•VIP Box 7, Heaven Box

"Hooo! This room is very comfortable. Like Heaven!" An excited Gabriel said as she much preferred the ambiant mana in this room than the Underworld.

Lith had told her about the harmful effects the Underworld had on angels, just like Heaven harms devils, but even with her new strength it was like a constant itch she wasn't allowed to scratch because doing so required her light or holiness and that would likely kill nearby innocent devils.

That's why she hugged him for the very nice rosaries he made for her and her brother. But this room just felt much better, which she knew was also prepared just for them and she mentally had another excuse to use her best friend's advice.

'Use any excuse to initiate more physical contact with your target. It can help you grow more confident and develops the feelings the receiver has when you're such a beautiful girl inside and out.' Was Serafall's advice when she shyly opened up regarding her 'shameful' feelings towards an already married man.

Of course Serafall was quick to reassure her that as long as both parties felt sincere love for each other then she was very open to others joining in, especially if it's people she cared about. It surprised Gabriel that her Devil friend had such an unselfish love. But Lith did say it was in part because she was rather perverted.

"It is impressive to turn the demonic mana into something so pure. Such a mastery of runes." Complimented Michael as his experienced eye travelled the room.

"Hehe! Lith is the best~!" Gabriel said in a bit of a ditsy manner as she knew Lith's style since he did teach her a lot more over the centuries beside just her father's systems.

Lith had taught Gabriel how to defend herself and protect others, various ways to heal either through magic or potion, and much magic relating to souls, for their importance in God's works, and runes for their versatility.

It helped that Gabriel tended to have a lot more free time than others, even after taking on some voluntary tasks. This allowed her to study a lot, which she found enjoyable as she liked discovering new things and trying to make a few enchanted tools to feel closer to her father.

"This is his work?" The slightly surprised Michael asked his sister.

"Yup~! I think he based it off those special rooms." Gabriel answered with a cute thinking face as she looked around a bit.

"How ingenious. This will make it much easier to have an embassy here using this. I believe a few more talks with Lord Azaroth are in order." Michael then responded with genuine praise.

'This kind of formation might even help have angels on earth on a more permanent basis even. I can feel that it would be more difficult to 'fall' inside these walls.' The archangel thought.

"Brother! Brother! Look here!" The once again excited Gabriel said as she brought a pamphlet to her brother.

Said pamphlet was about the Itinerary and rules for the event. So Michael took it with a curious look towards what his sister was excited about.

"Pre-Event showcase by… Devil Heart?" Michael read but he sent a silent question with his confused look.

"You'll love them! Their voices and songs are even better than listening to the choirs! Lith brought me all the recordings of their performances so I could enjoy them while at home." The female archangel quickly explained as she was quite the fan.

She had even met Marie in person and gotten her things signed, after apologizing for the fate which almost befell her in a place with such strong belief in God.

Marie was a kind and pure soul which shouldn't have had to suffer so much.

But after meeting her in person, Gabriel became even more of a fan.

Which is why…

"Read further brother." She said with an excited smile.

"With special guest appearance from Serafall Leviathan and… Gabriel the Great Seraph!" The completely shocked Michael almost yelled as he lost his calm.

"Isn't it great?! I get to perform with them!" Gabriel responded with pure child-like excitement and happiness. "Once they come on stage they'll start singing and then Sera-chan and I will fly out of our boxes to join in. It was so much fun during rehearsal that I can't wait to do it live!"

"But-but when? How did you?" The malfunctioning Michael tried to asked.

He couldn't understand just when Gabriel would have even had these rehearsals or even how she would have left Heaven so much to do them.

Too bad he didn't have anyone capable of detecting Lith's level of Space/Time manipulation.

It does wonders for 'quick' visits. A few hours of rehearsal in a perfect recreation of their stage and they were golden after doing it a few times.

"*Sigh* Enjoy yourself then sister. I look forward to seeing how radiant you are." Michael finally said with a supportive smile once he saw how much she seemed to care about this.

He could let her have her fun. It was innocent, but he would have to be more careful after others outside of Heaven learn of how perfect she is.

"It will be great! And then we can watch Lith and everyone kick butt!" Gabriel replied as she did a few cute shadow boxing punches.

But hearing his pure sister say the words 'kick butt' made the poor older brother freeze again as he began to worry about exactly how much she had been influenced due to her friendship with these devils.

•Sometime Later in the Commentary Box

On the great screens of the colosseum, the images of two people appeared, causing everyone to quiet down a bit and focus on the change.

"GOOD DAY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF ALL RACES!

I AM APOLLON, GREEK GOD OF THE SUN AND MUSIC, INVITED TO BE YOUR COMMENTATOR ALONGSIDE THE BEAUTIFUL ICE FAIRY OF THE UNDERWORLD, SERAFALL LEVIATHAN!" Apollon said as he introduced today's commentators, with many women cheering at the handsome god.

"HEY EVERYONE~! YOUR FAVORITE SATAN IS HERE!" Sera cutely said with a pose as the majority of devils and men in general cheered for her.

"INDEED, EVERYONE'S FAVORITE! ESPECIALLY ONE OF OUR COMPETITORS THIS EVENING!" Apollon said to her with a small smile.

"YUP! SORRY LORD THOR BUT I'M CHEERING FOR MY HUBBY!" The girl shamelessly said with a bright smile which made many men feel both happy and extremely jealous.

"HAHA! WHAT HONESTY!" The sun god replied in amusement. "BUT SPEAKING OF WHICH, LETS INTRODUCE TODAY'S EVENT JUST IN CASE SOME SPECTATORS HAVE BEEN UNWITTINGLY INVOLVED!"

"NO PROBLEM!" Sera said as as screen appeared to display both main competitors. "TODAY WE HAVE THE FIRST RATING GAME HELD WITH SOMEONE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE UNDERWORLD. THIS BATTLE WILL BE BETWEEN LORD THOR ODINSON AND LORD LITH AZAROTH.

FOR THOSE UNAWARE OF WHAT A RATING GAME IS, IT IS A FORM OF COMPETITION WHERE THE LEADERS OF A PEERAGE, OR 'KING', RECRUITS INDIVIDUALS BY REINCARNATING THEM AS A DEVIL USING OUR PATENTED EVIL PIECES. THESE EVIL PIECES ARE BASED ON CHESS PIECES AND GIVE DIFFERENT ABILITIES DEPENDING ON WHICH PIECE WAS USED TO REINCARNATE SAID INDIVIDUAL.

SAID PIECES ARE THE 8 PAWNS, 2 BISHOPS, ROOKS, AND KNIGHTS, AND THE QUEEN PIECE. THE BISHOP GRANTS SUPERIOR CASTING AND MAGICAL ABILITIES, THE ROOK OFFERS STRENGTH AND DURABILITY, THE KNIGHT SPEED AND DEXTERITY, AND THE QUEEN RECEIVES ALL OF THEM. ONLY THE PAWN OFFERS THE WEAKEST ABILITIES, BUT IN EXCHANGE CAN BE PROMOTED TO ANY OF THE ABOVE SHOULD THE PROPER CONDITIONS BE MET."

"NOW, FOR TODAY'S MATCH WE WILL NOT SEE FULL PEERAGES CLASHING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. THIS IS BECAUSE LORD THOR REFUSED A FEW PIECES DUE TO DESIRING A 'FAIR' BATTLE ONCE LEARNING LORD AZAROTH HAD NOT FINISHED HIS OWN PEERAGE YET. LORD AZAROTH DID NOT CARE FOR THE DISADVANTAGE, BUT IT WASN'T AS IF HE COULD FORCE HIS OPPONENT TO USE THE PIECES REGARDLESS." Apollon announced as many thought quite highly about this honorable decision on the Thunder God's side. "AND TO NOT ALERT ANY GODS REGARDING THE CAPABILITIES OF THESE EVIL PIECES, I WAS INFORMED BY THE CREATOR OF LORD THOR'S TEMPORARY PIECES AND BY ASGARD ITSELF THAT THEY COULD NOT BE USED ON GODS AND THAT THESE SPECIFIC PIECES WERE CRAFTED TO PERMIT THE VARIOUS SAFETY FEATURES OF THE RATING GAME TO WORK AND FOR LORD THOR'S PEERAGE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME PIECE SPECIFIC BONUSES AS HIS FOE'S."

"THAT'S RIGHT,MY HUBBY ISN'T AFRAID OF A FAIR FIGHT EITHER." Serafall enthusiastically added as many felt a desire to obtain said pieces to improve their forces. "BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN THE MAIN EVENT, WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL TREAT FOR THE AUDIENCE."

"AND WHAT A TREAT IT IS. AS A GOD OF MUSIC, I MUST ADMIT THAT THEIR PERFORMANCES HAVE SHAKEN ME DURING REHEARSALS." Apollon said as he caused the gods who knew him to be rather intrigued now.

"HEHE~! I'M SURE THOSE GIRLS ARE VERY PROUD TO HEAR SUCH PRAISE FROM LORD APOLLON." Serafall happily said as this was a compliment to herself and her lovely friends and family. "FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THEM AND THOSE WHO DON'T, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO WELCOME THE IDOLS OF THE UNDERWORLD: DEVIL HEART!"

As soon as those words came out almost every Devil cheered wildly within the darkness as light was snuffed out. Many others were curious or confused at the new level of energy from the crowd.

But then a spotlight shone on the stage below to show a beautiful and delicate young teen.

This was Marie Antoinette, sporting her iconic twin-tails, wearing a black and purple fluffy dress which stopped at her knees, a pair of thigh high boots and little horns on her head to look like a cute devil.

"Hello everyone~ Marie here! Just for this special and wonderful occasion that has brought so many together, we wrote a brand new song for all of you!" Marie peppily said, causing people to get even louder and others to somehow feel some measure of excitement from the feel she gave off on stage. "Hehe~. Thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy our new Devil Heart original - Gathering!"

(Ok, so I just wrote these lyrics and I know Jack shit about proper music, so you can skip if you want. Just try not to be too harsh. I don't know enough idol music and wasn't going to spend hours going through stuff.)

As the crowd cheered wildly, the sound of a gentle piano began to echo, forcing everyone to look in quiet expectation towards the girl on stage.

"Here~ we are.

All ga~thering.

To see a new start.

To see a new day."

Her voice was clear like Crystal and pure enough for it to stir souls directly.

Then a second figure walked onto the stage with her own spotlight as violins joined into the piano. She was wearing a matching outfit as Marie, with her long silky purple hair also in twin-tails, but instead of the cute and kind vibe of Marie, she was more mischievious.

The goddess of men, Stheno was here. With a voice tempting men to do as she bid.

"Here~ we are.

All to~gether.

Listening to our hearts.

Speaking through our souls."

And then from the opposite side, an identical figure to the second idol, but her every movement and expression drove men to want to spoil her.

So the goddess Euryale arrived.

"Here~ we are.

To see~ it all.

Hearing all your pleas.

Seeing all your pains."

But then something different happened once the three member of Devil Heart came together. A fourth spotlight emerged, pointing at the commentator box where Serafall Leviathan herself come out with a matching outfit, flying in the sky with a cheeky smile and energizing voice.

"Here~ we stand.

Before~ you.

To sooth all your cries.

To answer all your pleas."

The audience couldn't hold their cheers from the unexpected bonus, but then an even bigger surprise happened as a fifth spotlight pointed at one of the VIP boxes, with another figure flying out to reveal a twelve winged Angel of immaculate beauty, wearing the same outfit as all the others but her bountiful body made it near sinful.

Thus Gabriel appeared, completely shocking everyone present, but her gentle and soothing voice then enveloped them all.

"So~ we all are here.

Seeing all the lost souls crying.

Signing for your peace."

And now with all five members together the music erupted with a supportive melody and lights burst out while the audience watched in awe at the five beauties stealing their hearts and souls.

"So~ don't lose hope,

We all~ are here.

As long as we don't forget

Our hopes and our dreams.

Hear~ our hope,

And hear~ our call

For all of you to come,

To our Gathering!"

Then the twin goddesses harmonized back-to-back as they each let out purple light from their free hands, forming a hearts

"Times might get harsh,

Life might be hard."

Followed by the two beauties in the sky as they twirled around each other, unleashing a gentle snow and light refracting off the falling flakes.

"But that just means you might need help.

Don't be afraid to reach out!"

The Marie took the focus as she stepped forward with the stage as her support.

"Its in all us

To help someone.

It doesn't take a Saint,

As even Devils care."

Coming together for the chorus as the twins flanked their 'leader' and the flyers hovered above the trio.

"So~ don't lose hope.

We all~ are one.

As long as we don't forget

Our hopes and our dreams

Hear~ our cry.

And hear~ our call.

For all of you to come

To our Gathering!"

And finally the music died down and the four members let their 'leader' forward to have her clear and soul touching voice ring out unimpeded.

"It doesn't take,

So much~ from us.

As long as we are together

to help a soul in need.

So don't stop hearing

Our call and hope.

Don't turn a blind eye

To our gathering."

Without that final note the lights turned off, leavening the audience awestruck until a resounding cheer was heard not just from the stadium, but from across the viewing Underworld and even in other Pantheons who had purchased viewing rights.

The many important visitors couldn't believe what they had just seen, but they couldn't say they didn't like it.

Hell, Odin was almost drooling at the sight of so many beauties in such outfits. It could almost reach whore houses in his mind.

Azazel though, was dreaming about Da Vinci in a similar outfit with a nose bleed.

Meanwhile the Satans were just stunned that one of their own did something like that so publicly and that Gabriel herself went along with it. The implications of that were rather fascinating.

And the rest of the gods either had a strong desire to 'obtain' such beauties, but unfortunately for them they would later realize how untouchable those girls were and would have to settle for being fans.

"HEHE~! I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYED OUR PERFORMANCE!" Serafall said from the commentator's box after they had all enjoyed the cheers and returned backstage.

Her words received another round of cheers.

"THAT WAS MARVELOUS! AND NOW TO THE MAIN EVENT!" Apollon announced as the crowds energy was still riding high.

(Sorry about this, ended up being too long for one chapter so… Cliffhanger-no-jutsu)

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EXTRA AUTHOR NOTES:

Ok so, that musical number kind of came out of nowhere when I just got a sudden inspiration and thought it would be pretty fun to have Marie's idol group be an opening performance and then have Sera jump in and bringing Gabriel for more fun.

This can also be very symbolic due to the fact that a reincarnated Devil, two goddesses, a Satan and 'Great Seraph' all did a number together during the first great gathering of so many races in a long time.

As for the lyrics, well those were just some things I wrote down quickly while trying to fit the theme and whatever I was picturing in my head.

Now about this Thor Vs Lith fight.

This was actually suggested by a comment and then I developed it more.

I thought that if Lith wanted to open a Neutral Ground which would be respected at the highest level, he would need more to show his armies were powerful. He would need to show he can take on the strongest in the world so none would dare fuck with him.

So I took the idea from the Azazel cup and had that happen here basically.

As for Thor's peerage, there are some people not really mentioned in DxD, but Sif is said to be something like Thor's consort in Norse Mythology and Magni his son with her, so I added them both. The Sleipnir, Sköll and Hati from his father and brother 'supporting' him and Göndol because she should still be active right now and is known for her magic. Vidar was chosen as Thor's Queen because I'm pretty sure the brothers would very much enjoy 'sharing' this battle.

As for the various POV's, well I wanted a bit more characters building from everyone and to display some relationships.

I couldn't find much about Benemune so I made her with a venomous tongue for fun.

And yes, Lith and Sirzechs had a disagreement due to their conflicting ideologies and methodologies, but they aren't children and understand that they are still friends. The things about Sirzechs trying to stop him was because alll thought Azaroth is essentially an independent territory, it still has many alliances, agreements and trade deals with other houses and can't just drop them all without breaking numerous rules and regulations they entailed.

Anyway, hope you like. Gonna have a fight focused chapter next, not sure how that's gonna go but I'll do my best.