— — — — — —
Mount Meru—
Seated atop a radiant lotus throne, a man with greenish-brown hair and lavender eyes rested his chin on one hand, gazing down at the lesser god below. His hair was cut short, a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose, and prayer beads hung loosely around his neck.
"So... the three factions have agreed to peace talks? And they're signing the agreement in twenty minutes?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Heavenly Emperor."
The minor god kneeling below trembled as he spoke, terrified that any flaw in his intelligence work might earn him punishment from the man above—Indra.
In the world of High School DxD, the Heavenly Court had long since vanished, replaced by the Buddhist stronghold of Mount Meru. And its ruler—Indra—stood at the head of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
He was also the one figure the three factions feared most, the reason they had kept the truth of their God's death hidden for so many years.
"Strange… what made those guys bold enough to pull something like this?" Indra frowned, puzzled.
He prided himself on knowing the leaders of the three factions well. From his perspective, an alliance between them shouldn't be happening now.
Lowering his gaze, he looked at the trembling god below.
"You didn't leave anything out, did you?"
"N-no," the minor god blurted out—then his expression changed abruptly. "Ah—no, wait! There is… one unusual detail."
He hesitated before continuing, "The Fallen Angel Governor-General attending the meeting seems to be… someone else."
"Oh?" Indra leaned forward slightly. "Who?"
"A man named Ryo Yagami. Completely unknown. We're still investigating his background."
"I see." Indra stroked his chin. "Then the problem lies with this Yagami."
"With Azazel's personality, there's no way he'd take the initiative to propose peace talks."
A faint smile tugged at Indra's lips. He glanced down at the trembling god, his tone calm.
"You pass. This time."
The god nearly sagged with relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Keep watching what the three factions do next. If they truly go through with the peace…"
Indra's smile sharpened, his voice turning playful—almost amused.
"Then I want the death of their God to become common knowledge."
The little god sucked in a sharp breath.
That… was practically a death sentence for all three factions.
The reason they held such vast faith was because all gods acknowledged that their Invincible God still lived.
If news of His death spread, they would face the harshest possible backlash.
Total collapse wouldn't be out of the question.
But… what did that have to do with a little Buddhist deity like him?
Reassured by that thought, he bowed his head. "I'll see to it immediately."
"Go."
Indra waved him off.
Once the subordinate had left, Indra remained seated on his lotus throne, chin propped on his hand. His eyes slowly lit up with interest.
"A new Fallen Angel Governor-General with this kind of nerve… interesting."
"But that works in my favor. Once the three factions fall into chaos, the Khaos Brigade will surely rise with the tide. The whole world will descend into disorder."
"And that's exactly what I want."
"Only in an age of chaos can the heroes I seek be forged… only then can I reach that level."
He murmured softly,
"Shiva… Shiva…"
"How long can you maintain that invincible stance?"
His voice faded as his eyes slowly closed, his breathing evening out.
...
..
Somewhere in a forest within an Indian federation.
"Oh? The three factions are negotiating peace?"
A handsome young boy sat by a quiet stream, clad in a straw raincoat, fishing rod in hand. A faint smile played at his lips, tinged with mockery.
"The weak huddling together for warmth, I see…"
"If the Creator God was still around, there's no way He'd allow something like this, right?"
"Good and evil coexisting peacefully, helping each other?" He chuckled. "If He were alive, I'd love to see the look on His face."
In this world, light and darkness, good and evil—these things had been clearly defined.
And the one who defined them was the Creator God, with Heaven's system serving as the tool that enforced those definitions.
Now, angels—embodiments of good—and devils—embodiments of evil—were sitting down for peace talks.
That alone was already a violation of God's order.
If God were still alive, it would never be allowed.
"…So He really has fallen."
Shiva let out a quiet sigh, a trace of regret in his voice.
Once, he had entertained a sliver of hope—perhaps the angels might exhaust everything they had to resurrect Him.
But now it seemed the angels, worn down over the years, could no longer hold out. Forced into negotiation, they had no choice but to compromise with devils.
And once that happened, the truth of God's death could no longer be concealed.
"My lord, should we intervene?" a goddess beside him asked.
"No need." Shiva shook his head lightly, still holding his fishing rod. "Indra will handle it for us."
He paused, then added calmly, "Sit. Let's watch from here—watch them rise, and watch them fall."
...
..
Underworld — Headquarters of the Devil Council
"Why were we only notified twenty minutes in advance?!"
An elderly devil slammed his hand down, glaring furiously at the four figures seated at the head of the chamber.
"Peace talks with angels? Absurd! Completely absurd! For a thousand years, devils fought to drive those angels back to Heaven—and now, we're handing everything back? Ajuka Beelzebub, Sirzechs Lucifer—are you traitors or idiots?!"
"We refuse these talks! The devils won't accept it! The Council won't accept it! Even the Devil Progenitor herself would never—"
"She has already agreed." Ajuka's flat voice cut him off.
Just four simple words. Yet they struck like a thunderbolt.
The old devil froze, eyes wide, mind reeling.
"…Impossible. How could she agree? How could she possibly agree? I don't believe it!"
"This is her written decree. See for yourselves."
Ajuka tossed a parchment onto the table.
Several council members rushed forward, nearly coming to blows over it.
Only after an older, more respected devil barked at them did they settle down and pass it around to read.
One by one, they fell silent.
"Any objections?" Ajuka removed his glasses, wiped them clean, then gave them a light breath. "If not, I'll be leaving."
Silence answered him.
Seeing that, he stood and walked out without another word.
Only after he was gone did the chamber erupt into hushed whispers.
"So… what do we do? Still oppose it?"
"The Devil Progenitor agreed. How can we oppose it?"
"But can we be sure that was truly her will?"
"You're suggesting Satan Beelzebub forged her decree?"
"I didn't say that…"
"…"
"What, everyone suddenly gone quiet? Don't tell me you've all accepted the peace talks."
"But what choice do we have? The meeting's probably already started. Even if we rushed, we couldn't make it in time."
"I heard the location is Kyoto?"
"…You mean that organization?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Yeah, yeah. We all get it."
One by one, the devils exchanged knowing smiles—pleasant on the surface, but hiding something far more dangerous underneath.
.
.
.