Sekke and Mereoleona soon reached the meeting hall.
Charlotte, Kaiser, and Rill, who were the ones present there, looked at the couple, and the older ones looked at the pair with raised brows.
The news about his engagement with Mereoleona and Mimosa was not yet spread around, so it was a surprise for them to see the two walk hand in hand, even more so the fact that the lady was Mereoleona made them doubt their eyes.
Rill, being the aloof guy he was, didn't think much of it.
"I will be joining the Captains' meet on behalf of Yami-san," said Sekke and took a seat.
"Wizard King called me too, so I am joining the Captains' meet too," said Mereoleona and took a seat beside Sekke.
"Sekke-kun. Did you fight those devil hosts?" asked Rill.
"I did. I defeated them too, but just like devils, their cockroach-like behaviour let them slip away. I didn't end them thinking that we can get some information from them, but now I am regretting that," explained Sekke.
"How are they? What magic do they use?" asked Mereoleona in a serious tone.
"I suggest that we should wait for the other captains and the Wizard King to arrive before we start distributing the information about the incident," said Kaiser.
Mereoleona snorted but accepted the suggestion.
Sekke nodded as well and waited for the other captains to arrive.
Soon, Fuegoleon and Nozel entered, both eyeing him and Mereoleona suspiciously, until she threatened to punch them, which quickly fixed their expressions.
Following them, Jack arrived next and took a seat directly across Sekke. He still felt sore about the fight on the day of his promotion to Grand Magic Knight.
Dorothy came soon after and was walking effortlessly while sleeping.
Finally, Yuno entered the hall looking depressed and took a seat as well. His gaze fell on Sekke, and he bowed in gratitude.
"Thank you for treating the members of the Golden Dawn. I heard you used healing magic on all of us," said Yuno.
"Don't worry about that. If I were able to save even one more Magic Knight, then it's all good. How is your squad?" asked Sekke.
"...Their spirits are down because we lost a lot of comrades....but don't worry, we will get back on our feet soon and be ready to deal with the enemy," said Yuno in a determined tone.
Sekke nodded and looked towards the gate.
The moment he did, it opened, and Julius and Marx walked in.
"Julius-sama?"
"You are big again?"
The Captains were surprised to see the older Julius. Last time they saw him, he was still in his child form.
"Settle down. As for this. Sekke-kun helped grow big again," said Julius and took a seat with Marx standing behind him.
The captains and Yuno looked at Sekke, who just gave a nod of appreciation.
"Now then, let's start the Captain's meet. We have already informed the gist of it, but Yami and William were taken away by the enemy. On their behalf, Sekke-kun and Yuno-kun are joining the meeting. I asked Mereoleona to be present as well, since she too is a Captain-level Magic Knight."
The official captains nodded, not minding their presence much.
Julius nodded back and officially started the meeting.
---------------------
After the details about yesterday's incident were provided by Sekke and Yuno, the room fell into a heavy silence.
They were attacked in broad daylight by only a handful of men, and even then, their forces were easily subdued by the enemy.
The Black Bulls were the highest-ranking Magic Knights Squad at the moment, and the Golden Dawn was the second-ranked Magic Knights Squad; these two squads were attacked and had their captains kidnapped as well. This was beyond humiliating for their kingdom.
"Three Devil Hosts, and many Dark Disciples," muttered Fuegoleon.
"The Devil Hosts are capable of using two types of magic and are contracted with the highest-ranking devils," added Nozel.
"And for this tree of Qliphoth, they kidnapped Yami and William," added Kaiser.
"Magic Knight Captains and yet such a pathetic display..." said Charlotte with a frown, though on the inside she was panicking about Yami.
"We fought with everything we had," started Yuno.
"At the very least, the Dark Triad members are more powerful than a Brigade Captain....and that to when he wasn't even serious," said Yuno and gritted his teeth.
"Hah! Now there's a fun story!" said Jack.
"Sure, you didn't get freaked out and overestimate him? Mr. I-was-so-close-to-getting-slaughtered-golden dawn vice captain?! I am not taking his example since he is a freak, but the royal girl from Black Bulls was able to take one down as well," said Jack and pointed at Sekke.
"Calling me a freak just because you are weak....well, what can I say?" replied Sekke and shrugged.
Jack glared at Sekke and wanted to slice him up, but stood back. He knew the man could end him in one attack if he wanted to.
"As for Noelle's situation. First of all, she is my disciple, and since coming back, I have started training her once again. Her level is far above what you are thinking. Secondly, her magic attribute had an advantage against Megicula's devil host. Thirdly, I had cast a support spell on her too, which allowed her to fight back without sustaining many injuries. I cannot say about the Devil Host that the Golden Dawn fought, but the other two are not opponents that you can take on one-on-one.... well, apart from Captain Dorothy, Leona-san, and Lord Julius if he was in top form, but I cannot add him in his current state," said Sekke in a serious tone.
The captains and Julius frowned at his words.
Jack slammed his fist on the table and pointed his magic blade at Sekke.
"Mind your tongue, brat, or I will cut it for you," said Jack in a cold tone.
"Take it out on me if you want to, but that is true. The devil host that attacked my HQ could crush anything under his gravity, and even if you managed to land a hit, he could heal right back up. The devil at Heart Kingdom managed to even stop me for a moment, and that too when her body was literally in tatters. She can also curse you to make your body explode. The blood magic can take control of the opponent's body. One-on-one against them will be totally in their favour," explained Sekke.
The captains digested the information that Sekke gave them.
Jack snorted and got back in his seat. He would simply cut through their magic.
"We need to act fast. They may be on the verge of linking this world with the underworld as we speak," said Fuegoleon.
"Hmm...on top of that, we don't know what shape Yami and Vangeance are currently in," said Kaiser.
"Huh?! Could they be dead already?!!" said Rill in panic.
"Keep your frivolous guesses to yourself," threatened Charlotte.
"Don't kill him just yet. I still have to take my money back from him," said Sekke with a 'smile'.
"Hieee!!!" shrieked Rill.
"Heh, this is stupid!! Nothing productive will happen in this meeting. I'm outta here," said Jack and stood up, and started walking away.
"Wait," called Nozel.
"Huh?"
"You'd better not be planning to march into the Spade Kingdom," said Nozel.
"Heh. And what is it to you what I am planning?" asked Jack back with a glare.
"You're not the only one who wants to kill them with their own hands," said Nozel with a glare as well.
"Count me in as well. I suggest we attack them and make them regret invading us," said Sekke.
"I will join in as well," added Yuno with a serious look on his face.
"Would you all calm down!!!" yelled Fuegoleon and released his mana, trying to gain the momentum.
However, Sekke simply glared at him with his glowing eyes, and all the mana pressure faded in an instant.
"Considering that our squad and base were wrecked by those bastards, and they even kidnapped our Captain. I think I am being plenty calm by not straight-up flying there and ending the Spade Kingdom, once and for all," said Sekke in a cold tone.
Fuegoleon got silenced by Sekke's glare. He could feel Salamander, urging him not to offend Sekke.
Hearing him talk about ending the Spade Kingdom, all of them turned silent, especially Yuno, who had just learned that he was the prince of the Spade Kingdom.
All of a sudden, Sekke felt a familiar presence enter the room and looked to the side.
"You all are motivated if nothing else. That's good to see," said Nacht, who entered the meeting hall along with Asta.
"Hello," greeted Asta with a helpless smile.
"However, I hate people who can't even hold proper meetings," said Nacht and glared at the others.
The captains got alerted in an instant, and all of them got ready to attack Nacht.
"Who are you?!"
"An intruder?!"
"Hm?" muttered Nacht.
Devil-like horns sprouted on his head, and four devils materialised and held the captains back.
"Devil Host?!" exclaimed Fuegoleon.
Asta looked surprised as well. He thought Nacht only had one devil, yet right now four devils appeared around them.
"I believe I'm quite qualified to attend this meeting as well."
"Calm down, everyone. He is the Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls," said Julius in a calm tone.
"Wizard King!!!"
"He's been in the Spade Kingdom spying. Although even I didn't know he was a devil host."
All the captains looked at Nacht with surprise; they had never seen the Black Bulls' vice-captain but to think he was a devil host.
"Now then. We're short on time...I would like to move on to the main topic. Please sit down. All of you," said Nacht and looked towards Jack and Nozel.
The two in question glared back but still took their seats.
Sekke sighed at that. He tried to rally the captains to attack the Spade Kingdom, but Nacht seemed to have other plans.
Still, he decided to keep his part of the deal of not acting before hearing Nacht's plan and made chairs for both Asta and Nacht to sit.
"So thoughtful. I like thoughtful people like you," said Nacht and took a seat.
"Thanks, Sekke," said Asta with a smile and took the seat as well.
"I will start now. As you're aware, the Dark Triad intends to open a gate to the underworld. To that end, preparations for the ritual of the advent of Qliphoth are no doubt underway at Spade Castle," said Nacht.
"Yami and Vangeance will serve as the core of that ritual as sacrificial offerings. From this point on, over seven days, the advent of Qliphoth will begin. Seven levels. Seven Gates will open gradually. Inside those levels are ten devils matched to Qliphoth in separate locations. The deeper the level, the stronger the devil."
"The upper-level devils are equals of the Dark Triad. The lower-level devils are even more powerful...and if the final devil, Lucifero, emerges, then this world is finished."
At those words, all the captains frowned.
"As the catalysts for the advent, Yami and Vangeance will die as well. Conversely, until the gates are fully open, they will both be alive," said Nacht with a smile.
Rill raised his hand in doubt.
"Why would the Dark Triad want to do something so dangerous as this?"
"Probably for no reason we could understand. As Magic Knights, you all should've seen far too many of that kind. Scum who hurt others without a second thought for the sake of their desires. Trash who feel no sense of guilt as long as they themselves benefit. The Dark Triad are no different than that. I don't care what their unknown reasons are. I don't even want to understand them. Illogical evil. They're the type I hate the most."
"Even if Gods and Devil forgive them....I never will," said Nacht in a cold tone.
"....That's nice and all, but what is your plan to stop them. I am still pitching my idea of giving them a taste of their medicine and destroying them on their own turf," said Sekke.
"I am getting to that. I can't defeat the Dark Triad on my own and so...I am going to count on Sekke and Asta as our ultimate warriors."
"One has the power to easily defeat the Dark Triads, and the other has Anti-Magic, the potential to counter their magic."
Sekke and Asta looked at Nacht.
'If you are dumping the responsibility on me, then let me do it on my terms...' thought Sekke.
"Three days from now, the gate to the underworld will open. Before it does, we'll take Yami and Vangeance and destroy the tree of Qliphoth."
"If that's your plan, why wait for three days. I can just go right now, save the two captains and show them hell," said Sekke.
"It's not a feasible idea. Right now, we are operating on the fact that there are only those three devil hosts out there. You can defeat those three, but even then, there will be a lot of collateral damage, and the citizens of the Spade Kingdom will inevitably get caught up in that as well. There is also the fact that you will face the Dark Disciples and all the Devil Hosts all at the same time on their own turf. Not to mention, if there are more devil hosts and Dark Disciples out there that target the other kingdoms while we attack them, then more destruction will be caused in other places, too," explained Nacht.
"In three days, not only will we get the chance to prepare well for the attack and the defence of the Kingdom, but the Dark Triad will also start the advent of Qliphoth. They will summon all their forces back to make sure that no interruptions occur, making it easier for us to tackle all our enemies in the same place."
Sekke thought for a while and nodded. The possibility that Nacht proposed would be devastating for them. When an entire squad of Magic Knights got defeated so easily, then normal citizens won't even get a chance to call for help.
"...Alright," said Sekke.
Nacht smiled, seeing that Sekke didn't argue with his plan.
"To that end, we'll build an elite force around the two of them. It will comprise those with the potential to defeat the devils and finally mount an assault on the Spade Kingdom. With my magic, we'll be able to infiltrate the castle unnoticed. Then we'll storm the Dark Triad and take them out separately. However, my magic won't let me take a crowd along. I'll need to choose the individuals."
While Nacht was explaining, Sekke suddenly stood up from his seat, making all of them look at him in surprise.
'My King!!! The Heart Kingdom is under attack once again!!! They have taken the Queen as hostage.' warned Exodia.
"Carry on. I have an urgent task at hand," said Sekke.
[Sun Spirit Magic: Glorious Arrival]
Sekke's body glowed as he disappeared from the hall.
Arriving in the Heart Kingdom, Sekke immediately used his mana and ki sensing to locate Lolopechka and turned into a golden blur to appear beside her.
He could sense Exodia fighting somewhere close, though, because of the citizens he was trying to hold back, something he was not very good at.
Sekke shook his head and took Extase out of his sheath, and sliced the spells that were heading towards Lolopechka from all sides.
"Lord Sekke!!!" exclaimed Lolopechka, seeing th familiar man coming to her rescue.
"Who are these assholes?" asked Sekke casually and summoned some gaster blasters around him, blasting the people away.
"These are the Dark Disciples that came with the Devil Host of Beelzebub," explained Lolopechka and sighed in relief.
She was holding back 10 Dark Disciples on her own.
"Taking on 10 people on your own? You've grown," said Sekke with a smile.
Lolopechka smiled at the compliment and nodded.
"Where are Noelle and the others?" asked Sekke.
"They have gone with the elves to train somewhere. Since Lord Exodia was here, they thought that it would be fine to get stronger as fast as possible," explained Undine.
"I specifically told them to help out in case multiple people attack. Those idiots!!! *Sigh* Where is the devil host?" asked Sekke.
"You don't need to worry about that!!!! You will die bef-" a Dark disciple jumped at him only for Sekke to punch him straight in the face, breaking his nose, teeth and jaw in a single hit and sending him flying.
Lolopechka and Undine winced at the sight of such an attack, but Lolopechka thought that it looked kind of cool.
"Which smartass wants to eat a knuckle sandwich next?" asked Sekke as he saw the Dark Disciple that was blasted away coming back.
All of them glared and started to prepare their spells to attack him.
"All of you? Ok," said Sekke as his grimoire started flipping.
[Bronze Creation Magic: Meteor Fist]
Suddenly, the sky above them turned dark, making all of them look up only to widen their eyes in disbelief.
A giant fist made of bronze and the size of the mountain, floated above them.
Lolopechka and Undine, too, were shocked beyond belief, but the two broke out of their stupor when Sekke suddenly held Lolopechka and blinked away using sun magic.
The trio appeared directly above the giant fist as Sekke snapped his fingers, making the fist dive down at great speed and causing a minor earthquake throughout the Heart Kingdom.
Lolopechka covered her ears to shield them from the sound but still looked at the scene with awe.
She looke at Sekke, who was inches away from her, and felt her face heating up.
'So strong!!!' thought Lolopechka and looked at the arm that was holding her.
"One more for good measure," said Sekke as the fist flew back up and slammed down on the ground once again.
Sekke smiled in satisfaction, no longer feeling their mana or ki.
"You alright?" asked Sekke and glanced at Lolopechka.
"Hm? Huh? Me? Yes!!! I am great!!! In fact, I was never better!" stammered Lolopechka in embarrassment, thinking that she got caught admiring Sekke.
"Now, where's the Devil Host?" asked Sekke.
"Lord Exodia is dealing with him," said Undine. However, Sekke suddenly punched her, making the water spirit look at him with shock.
His fist passed through her water body without any issues and hit the devil host that started coming out of a space magic portal.
"Lord Sekke!!! Don't scare me like that!!!!" whined Undine.
"Sorry about that. I will go and deal with that bastard right now. Stay he-....actually scratch that. I already made that mistake with Yami-san. You will stay with me," said Sekke in a firm tone and looked at Lolopechka.
Lolopechka, however, looked at the scene with a rosy filter.
'Huh?! Stay with Lord Sekke!!! Proposal!!!!!! Wawawawa, thought Lolopechka.
Sekke didn't say anything further and appeared near Exodia in an instant.
"My King!!!!! I missed seeing you. We have been separated for 18 hours and 23 minutes," exclaimed Vritra dramatically.
"You struggling?" asked Sekke.
"I apologise, my king. Holding back is more difficult than I initially thought. Weak spells are not killing him, and strong spells will do too much collateral damage," said Exodia and blinked from his spot, only to appear beside the devil host Zenon and punch him away.
Right now, Exodia was the size of a normal human to fight efficiently without destroying the kingdom in the process.
"Send him here. You are taking too long," said Sekke as his hand glowed with divine flames.
"Understood, my king," responded Exodia and grabbed Zenon's head and threw him towards Sekke.
Sekke looked at the incoming devil host as the mana around his arm intensified.
Lolopechka, who was closest to him, started feeling the heat from the flame and immediately asked Undine to cool her down.
Zenon looked straight at Sekke, more specifically at Lolopechka, his target and used his space magic to teleport behind Sekke and Lolopechka, to grab her and teleport away. He could feel that if the battle continued, he wouldn't be the one winning.
However, once again Sekke predicted where Zenon would appear and changed his attack's direction accordingly.
[Sun Spirit Magic: Divine Sword Escanor]
A simple swipe of a hand that was covered in divine flames resulted in a fiery slash that blew away everything in its path.
Zenon, who was still in his portal, looked at the incoming attack in horror and immediately used his bone and space magic to stop the attack.
The moment the flaming slash came in contact with the bones, it burned through them. Even the spatial portals were burned away by the heat of the divine flames.
The flames cut through Zenon's bony armour as a deep slash wound appeared on his body before charring the skin beside the wound.
The devil's presence winced from the divine aspects of the flame as Beelzebub inside Zenon cursed at Sekke.
Exodia appeared above Zenon and punched him straight into the ground, making sure that the vile being did not get away.
But being the spatial devil he was, Beelzebub used his magic to get away from the two of them. He didn't want to fight with the holy flames that the two hateful beings could use.
"Come back, you heath-" yelled Exodia, only to see the devil host going through a portal to escape them.
Sekke looked at the portal closing and thought of pursuing the enemy, but decided against it.
In the fight just now, the devil aimed for Lolopechka, so there was a chance of them coming back to get her once he went after the enemy. Taking her with him was also not optimal since he would be taking her to them himself.
"...I really miss the other world where I can fight without consequences," muttered Sekke, remembering the good old days of massacring the soul superiors with any care.