"Except that his body isn't strong enough for that either." Rias grew pale at Azazel's words and Medusa stood between him and Issei. The Pawn himself didn't wish to harm the little devil so he took a step away just to make sure. "Relax, he isn't going to die or anything like that, most sacred gears have safeguards for this kind of situation." He began to rub his chin. "If I didn't know any better I would say he has a Longinus of some kind to be acting like this."
"Speak plainly, Azazel. What is going on?" Sirzechs demanded for the peace of mind of many present.
"Well, you know how Issei here is the Red Dragon Emperor? Do you remember what happened with the first ones?" The boy in question shivered at the words. Azazel gave him a look of sympathy but regardless continued. "It is something like that."
"Like a spirit inside Forbidden Balor View is trying to escape and Gasper can't fight it?" Iri approached the boy to pat his head. "But I never heard his sacred gear having something like that."
"Forbidden Balor View is a powerful but exhaustive sacred gear, all who awaked them were strong individuals." Grayfia reminded everyone. "While a rare sacred gear, since it was made to counter the Agares Clan it is no surprise it would be too much for someone so young."
"He awoke his sacred gear in a stressful situation, correct?" Azazel easily believed that because of the boy's demeanor. "Anyway, giving just the Red Dragon Emperor's blood would be risky because it would make his sacred gear spasm more."
Rias frowned. "What would be the side effects?"
"An influx of power that would freeze time in a larger area." Azazel didn't bother to calculate how big. "Sure people like us wouldn't be affected but, low baling here, he would probably get the whole school."
"It would just be a few minutes, right?" Irisviel looked for a silver lining.
"With enough mana for a larger area it would be more than just a few minutes." Grayfia had the patience to do the math. "Assuming the area would be only the school's then at least an hour or so."
"And everyone would check their cell phones, see the lost time and panic. Soon the story would spread out and the moonlit world would be exposed." Sirzechs thought about the situation politically. "It would be an unmitigated disaster."
"Brother, stop it, you are scaring Gasper." The former dhampir was shaking in Rias' arms and she was getting angry. "None of that is going to happen. Sure we need dragon blood to help his training but it doesn't need to be Ise's."
Sirzechs was quick to agree. "It will take some time but we can make the calls."
"That won't be necessary. There is a way for him to use the Red Dragon Emperor's blood safely." Azazel received some glares for the omission until that moment. He just smiled at them. "The problem is the excess of mana but fortunately the other Heiress of Fuyuki has a dragon as well, one that can drain that excess. Can we borrow the boy with the Absorption Line? I wanted to meet him anyway."
"You need to fix your timing, Azazel." Iri pointed out flatly, earning a laugh from the man.
"Sona is also busy…" Rias was sure she would have her hands full with Serafall.
"Come now, Serafall won't mind if you let her come along." Sirzechs commented with a grin that reminded Rias how overbearing the two could be together. "She also hasn't talked with Azazel for a while."
"We should go drink later."
"Oh, oh. I know a cool spot. I just hope Copenhagen is still open." Iri spoke excitedly before brushing it off. "Of course it is. That place is excellent. We also need to get Maya."
Azazel looked much more excited. "She is here? Hell yeah, maybe if she is drunk she is going to give me some attention."
"Not likely~" She already knew the black haired woman wasn't going to drink and just keep an eye on things.
Issei approached his King who managed to calm herself and Gasper. "Buchou, should I call Saji?"
"You have his number?" The Pawn nodded and Rias was relieved. "Great, do it. Say we need his help and it is a matter of life or death."
Medusa shook her head. "Gasper just needs to live among people stronger than him or stay in the club. I doubt he finds this situation a 'matter of life or death'." The little devil nodded his agreement fast enough she stopped his head to not hurt his neck.
Akeno felt safe to approach as the adults talked about going around town. "It is life or death for her. She doesn't want to get an earful from a stressed Sona about everything that is happening."
With no reason to hesitate, Issei picked up his cell phone and made the call. Saji was quick to pick up but the boy was frantic and believed the situation at school was more urgent. He also didn't want to abandon his King in her time of need as from the cell phone everyone could hear the crowd gushing over Serafall.
As there were many students wanting pictures, Saji and others from the Sitri Peerage were trying to calm things while Sona dealt with her sister. Not an easy task for any means for the looks of things. With a skimpy outfit, attractive appearance, positive attitude, cheerful demeanor, Serafall was turning into an idol.
"Give it to me." Medusa requested and Issei found no choice. "Saji Genshirou, this is Medusa."
*The goddess?! Sorry but- Hey, I saw you push! Detention! Look I can't help you guys now-*
"Turn the video feed on, put the volume to the maximum and give me a view of the crowd. I will take care of the rest." Medusa left no room for arguments and Saji scrambled but began to follow the orders.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the purple haired goddess stretched her neck and began to breathe slowly as her aura began to grow. Her Divinity began to fill the area in a gentle fashion and when the image of the crowd's backs appeared she opened her eyes which were glowing amethyst.
"Calm down." The noise and struggles began to seize slowly as many realized the melodious voice which had spoken. Little by little students and parents turned to Saji who was holding the phone above his head. "This is a happy occasion where two sisters are meeting again and you all are causing a ruckus. Return to whatever other activity you wish but leave them alone."
Her command resonated, the members of the Sitri Peerage and Serafall watched stunned as the messy crowd simply began to disperse, chatting amicably or just parting ways with no animosity or rush.
Akeno found the surprise of the devils through the phone funny. "Fufufu, that is a new one. Since when can you lead the masses like that?"
"Most gods can use effigies to communicate with followers. For those that have no omnipresence they are the best way to be in multiple places at once." Medusa turned her focus to Sona who was approaching the phone with a pouting Serafall. "Sona Sitri, we request Saji Genshirou's assistance on a personal matter. Will you let him help us?"
Grateful for Medusa's interference, Sona was happy to nod. *Of course, if it isn't anything dangerous-*
"It is just training and Azazel promises to not allow anything to go wrong."
*Azazel is there?! Sister, how many things have you not told me?*
*Sorry, sorry, I was chatting with my fans-*
*The leader of Grigori is on my territory! I suppose he was invited?* Serafall nodded at the exasperated Sona who turned to the phone again. *Are you at the ORC? Saji will be there shortly. Thank you for controlling the crowd like that.*
Medusa pushed her hair back proudly. "That is something only a true idol could do." It was something her sisters would have said.
*Are you saying I am not-* Medusa ignored the Leviathan, throwing the phone to Issei who barely grabbed it. *Hey, put that goddess back on. She hurt my pride as a magical girl and I won't stand for it.*
"An impressive display of power." Sirzechs swiped his hand over his neck and Grayfia stepped forward to stop Serafall's rant. It wouldn't be easy but the Ultimate Maid had experience with Serafall. "But didn't you say you lost almost all of your powers when you asked for safe haven?"
"I also said that I was recovering. Besides, that was a cheap trick at best." She let out a deep breath and was looking exhausted. "'Charm' still only works on those of weak minds and if they were losing control like that just because of their lust then they are that weak." Serafall began to shout louder through the phone.
Rias remembered how Medusa could control trained warriors with less effort. "Do you need to sit down? Doing that from here must have been hard."
"Doing it at all was hard. Unfortunately my recovery is slower than I wanted it and that was never my Authority." Medusa placed a hand on her own chest, feeling the power of her sisters. "But using a video is more viable than a statue or picture."
"Not surprising since a video is just a portrait that is moving." Azazel commented, studying Medusa with a grin before turning to Sirzechs. "But her attitude is the right one and she was pretty decisive. Michael will approve."
"Approve of what?" Irisviel stepped beside Medusa, her eyes not the same of the doting mother or kind woman. These were the eyes of a cautious individual and when Azazel just smiled they grew more fierce. "I must remind you all that she is a guest at my son's home. I won't allow you to play games with her." She glanced at Sirzechs as well, her stance clear.
Medusa watched Irisviel's attitude and posture, nodding in appreciation. The goddess could feel the sincerity of the mother's heart, similar to her son's. Rias and Akeno both stood beside the pair with determined looks and Issei soon joined them with Zeoticus sheepishly smiling to his son before setting himself behind his daughter.
It didn't matter Sirzechs rank or reasons, he would not be getting his way if it was anything they didn't approve of.
The actual Lucifer waved his hand to calm everyone down. "There is no need to worry, we don't intend to harm her and my question wasn't one of suspicion. If anything I am impressed by her rate of recovery. Especially since she has no followers and has been recovering more passively." He shook his head with a smile. "No, if anything I am pleased since that will help with the Peace Talks."
"It will?" Rias asked with a raised eyebrow but before they could continue, Azazel clapped loudly.
"Explaining stuff is well and good but Vritra's host is going to be here soon and we have work to do." Grayfia nodded at his words since she managed to confirm with Sona that Saji was on the way. "Besides, Gasper needs space to train and I don't think he needs to hear this discussion."
"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Irisviel asked with a frown. Turning to Sirzechs the man showed no reaction at her sharp red eyes. "You asked us to help with security and Kiri asked you more than once to not spring random stuff during an operation."
More than a few eyebrows raised at Iri's attitude but her eyes were firmly on Sirzechs who raised his hands. "Okay, okay, I can see we have a failure of communication here." He pointed to himself and then Azazel repeatedly. "This is not random but something that was raised for the meeting after we got hold of Michael. It is harder to get him on the phone than anyone else. Also nothing has been decided but I need to talk with Medusa about it." He then relaxed as he saw the curiosity on Iri's face. "It won't change anything either, we are still going with Kiritsugu's plan for security with Maya as chief. It is not like Medusa wasn't in town and wouldn't be in the area anyway."
Grayfia stepped forward and bowed to the goddess respectfully. "Be as it may, many opportunities were open because of Kokabiel and this may be a chance not only for peace but for lady Medusa to recover completely." Now the goddess didn't bother to hide her curiosity and wide eyes. "So please listen to what my King has to say."
"Let's get into the club before anything. I find conversations like that better with beverages." Rias said it with a smile and inserted herself as a spectator to that meeting even if she wasn't invited. She turned to look at Akeno who nodded and began to proceed back to the building. "Ise, I will be trusting you with Gasper and Azazel. Don't let him do anything too extreme."
"Yes, Buchou!"
Sirzechs chuckled at his sister's small maneuver but made no comments, he saw no issue if Medusa didn't and the goddess just stepped forward towards the building with Iri right behind. The Emiya Matriarch had positioned herself as a lawyer of sorts, her eyes still focused mostly on Sirzechs for any mischief.
Azazel rubbed his chin as Issei and Gasper approached him, the smaller devil still weary. "Relax, the examination part is over and if you don't want to, I won't even touch you anymore."
Gasper still looked nervous. "Do I really have to drink blood?" Azazel did a double take before he began to laugh. "Eh?"
"It is not funny, 'Ace'." Issei stood before his kouhai protectively, something the former dhampir really appreciated as he wanted to rush back to the club.
"Fufufu, still upset? Come on, I told you that is really my name… is some States." He shrugged as it was obvious Issei wasn't really mad. The brown haired devil just wanted to show he had the blond one's corner. "And you have to admit; a vampire who doesn't drink blood is kinda a funny joke."
"He isn't a vampire, he's a devil." Gasper smiled at Issei's words and the Pawn patted his head. "It isn't like he doesn't drink blood either but he doesn't like to drink in front of strangers."
Dropping into a crouch, Azazel smiled to Gasper "Then I will just stand behind that tree when he needs to. Sounds better?" The Bishop nodded slowly and smiled again. "Perfect. Don't worry about me too much, I will be here just to give advice. Hah, It is even good you need the extra help."
Those words made Gasper curious. "Why?" He hated that his weakness just kept giving the people he cared for trouble.
But the fallen angel looked elated. "Because I will get the chance to study another sacred gear and help Genshirou to reach his true potential."
Surprisingly to Azazel, Issei easily nodded to his words. "He prefers to be called Saji, just so you know."
"I suppose that would be polite too." He chuckled, looking at Gasper again. "By the way, you stopped time an extra five times since the others got inside."
"Eeeeeeeee! I am sorry."
"Calm down, Gasper. Please don't cry."
"Hahaha! This is going to be fun"
"Maybe for you!"
…
Akeno felt a great deal of relief for not being in Azazel's presence anymore, even if he was just outside of the building. It took effort to remain calm when the man spoke about siblings as memories threatened to have her lash out. The Queen managed to keep hold of her bearing and was grateful for Grayfia's help as they prepared the tea.
Now that she could use Medusa's situation and meeting with Sirzechs to occupy her thoughts, Akeno couldn't be more grateful. 'I need to remember to thank Rias for getting me out there.' For those that didn't know her she looked calm but there was a rush to get inside the ORC that had never been there before. 'Why does this meeting need to be here? Couldn't it be in the Underworld or something?'
"Because, as was explained, this is the most relevant and neutral ground possible." Akeno dropped the cup in her hand but Grayfia quickly seized it.
"Did I… speak out loud?"
"No, but your face is easy to read. You were doing a great job before but it is clear that relaxing is giving the chance for the anxiety to catch up with you." Grayfia nodded before finishing putting water for the tea. "Not that I can blame you, knowing your history. However you made the Gremory proud with your control in a high stressful situation."
"Thank you but… I don't feel very accomplished." Akeno offered the silver haired woman a smile.
Grayfia returned it, her hand landing gently on the younger Queen's shoulder. "I understand. Let me tell you something about Azazel that may calm you down." She was happy that Akeno didn't react to the name. "He won't bring him up." Violet eyes grew wide but the pause was short. "Azazel is the kind of man who will fight for what believes in but the thing he values more above many is freedom of choice. He can understand that you suffered and that your family is a sore topic."
She let go and began to set the trail. Akeno was surprised but moved to help the little she could. It didn't take long for Grayfia to continue.
"That being said, don't expect him to not be indirect in his approach." The two traded looks, Grayfia's eyes full of sympathy. "The man is intelligent but can't help himself and that man is his family." She stopped short and smiled again. "And you are ours, so if he is bothering you tell me and I will set him straight."
Took a second for Akeno to realize she wasn't speaking with 'Grayfia the maid'. "Thank you."
Another sincere smile later, the silver haired maid's face grew more severe. "Keep making the Gremory name proud, Himejima Akeno. Now let us go, it is unbecoming of a Queen to let the King wait."
Fixing her school uniform to make sure there were no wrinkles, Akeno followed Grayfia back to the entrance hall of the ORC where everyone else was waiting. Since Rias suggested they drink while talking, the Sirzechs decided to not explain anything until the tea was served. He even joked around his father and Iri, the two men sitting on a couch as the woman sat in a chair beside them.
On another couch Medusa was close to Iri but her focus was in studying Sirzechs to figure out what he had planned for her. The goddess wanted to start the conversation as quickly as possible but refused to request it. Perhaps it was a small childish thought but she wasn't going to break first.
Rias also was trying to divine her brother's intentions but held her head with a hand, her arm on the arm of the couch with two seats of distance from Medusa. The youngest pureblood devil in the hall remained mostly to herself even when Iri tried to rope her into conversation.
Sure she was extremely polite to the mother of her lover but Rias wouldn't lie and say that her curiosity wasn't eating her.
Worse was that her brother knew it and Sirzechs was willing to let her think as much as she wanted.
Zeoticus was having a lot of fun talking with Iri as the two hit it off and were almost acting like old friends. Already they bonded over the fact their children were in a relationship and the man was getting as many details from Iri as he could. Had Rias not hyper focused on figuring out her brother's plans she would be a mess of shame at what Iri was telling her father.
When finally the tea arrived, Medusa couldn't be more grateful. "We have our beverages now so we can talk."
"We haven't taken a sip yet." Sirzechs joked back, ignoring the small bite in her tone. Medusa was too cute when in return she just swallowed all of her tea and kept looking at him. "Fhe, I see you are anxious."
"Curious." She was underselling it and Rias would as well. Immediately the devil invited Akeno to sit beside her, both taking sips of their tea so Sirzechs couldn't use them to stall.
Iri was of the same mind as she received her cup from Grayfia and turned her attention to the Maou after thanking the woman. For her part the maid didn't sit or even had tea, she just stood behind her King ready for anything. It was the perfect position to watch everyone both as a maid and as a bodyguard.
Sirzechs chuckled at Medusa's reponse. "Very well, since we are finally settled, then allow me to present you with this." From his suit the man pulled out a red envelope that had Zeoticus grinning.
"Lucifer or not you are still a Gremory." The father messed with his son's hair a little.
Both Medusa and Iri looked at Rias for an explanation. "It is a tradition that when we want to deliver good news we use a red envelope." The goddess nodded and retrieved the envelope, studying the symbol on it. "That is my brother's personal seal. It means that this is a good thing but still business."
The purple haired goddess looked at the smiling Maou and how he beckoned her to open the letter. That made pretty clear he wasn't going to say anything else and that she should read it.
'Isn't this the first time I get a correspondence?' Medusa did receive books from her favorite store but that was her first true mail. Suddenly her eyes began to shine at the idea which made her even cuter.
Iri had to hold back to not hug the goddess as she opened the letter excitedly and began to read it eagerly.
A raised eyebrow and a look of confusion had many curious. "So, what does it say?" Irisviel asked after just a few seconds.
Medusa looked at the smiling Maou before reading it out loud. "'Lady Medusa, you are cordially invited for the meeting between the Three Factions.'" She held the letter for Sirzechs. "What is the meaning of this?"
"What it looks like, we are inviting you for our meeting in an official capacity."
"Weren't we going to be part of it anyway?" Rias asked her brother cautiously. "We faced Kokabiel. I expected our testimony to be called."
The Maou nodded. "And it will. But Medusa's situation is special; she isn't part of our Factions and a goddess. If she is to join our alliance, obviously she is going to get a seat at the table."
Those words surprised everyone but Grayfia who calmly refilled her King's tea cup.
…
"Heaven owes you a great debt."
"I didn't fix Caliburn for a reward or anything like that. I just didn't didn't want people to keep abusing it."
"That makes your actions even more noteworthy. Even more reason for you to take our thanks and a suitable reward once I think of one."
"I already said you don't need to do it."
Xenovia watched the back and forth between her Master with the Seraph and couldn't help but chuckle. It has been a few minutes since Michael started to offer praises to Shirou but the redhead wasn't interested in whatever reward the angel wanted to give him.
Usually that would be that but Michael was proving himself to be surprisingly stubborn in making Shirou accept a reward of some kind. Caliburn was something precious to him and with how he looked at the sword it was clear the Seraph held it in the highest esteem. If there was someone who disliked the fact it had been broken in the first place it was him.
However the unstoppable force had met the immovable object as Shirou refused each and every suggestion of gifts Michael offered, insisting that it wasn't a job since there were no deals for him to reforge Caliburn and he did it out of his own volition so it would be unethical for him to receive payment..
If anyone told Xenovia that Michael, Archangel and Right Hand of God would pout at being rejected she would ask what they were smoking. Yet she was witnessing just that as the Seraph found himself without arguments and Shirou was too stubborn even for him.
Yet he wasn't the Leader of Angels for nothing and changing tactics was an option he had. "How did you manage to fix Caliburn? I confess that I gave up hope of that even being accomplished due to how many had tried."
Taking a deep breath, Shirou debated the question since the answer could vary between extremely simple or really complicated.
He went with simple, trusting Michael's character. "I have a Reality Marble." The angel's eyes grew wide.
"I see… Thanks for trusting me with this. Neither Azazel or Sirzechs gave up your secret and I have to say… that makes a surprising amount of sense." Michael approached the magus and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."
"Thank you."
"Not at all. I already said that we owe you a debt."
That was exactly what Shirou wanted to hear. "But if you keep my secret I can consider the debt repaid."
The Mage of Swords expected that to be the end of it but Michael let out a small laugh. "This isn't how this works. The same way you would fix Caliburn because of your principles, I would never reveal your secret due to mine." Shirou cursed under his breath, earning a frown from the angel. "Language."
"Right, sorry." The redhead shook his head as the angel turned back to Caliburn.
"Still, there is more than we owe you, not only about Caliburn." Michael sounded a little depressed and when he looked back at Shirou, his eyes held a deeper sadness. "I spoke with Ariel."
"Ariel?" Xenovia didn't know what made her more curious; the name or the fact Shirou winced at it.
"Is she… Did she recover?" That was the closest thing to hesitation the bluehead had seen from him.
"'Recover' is a strong word. She is coherent but refuses to leave Heaven." At Shirou's look of confusion, Michael knew he needed to explain. "She is afraid that if she leaves then she is going to Fall." The magus nodded in understanding, not surprised in the slightest.
"Excuse me." Xenovia raised her hand like she was in the classroom. "Who is Ariel?"
The two men traded looks and Michael took the lead. "She is an angel. One of the younger ones." He chuckled. "Although that is more for us angels since to you she can be considered old by a few centuries." All humor left him. "One of the last sisters made by Father before his demise, Ariel was supposed to be a Guardian Angel."
"A Guardian Angel? So she should be on people's shoulders?" Shirou couldn't help himself and didn't even flinch at Xenovia's elbow.
"Not on people's shoulders but she is the kind of person who would lend an ear and help when necessary. A Guardian Angel's original function was 'to guide and protect a certain person'. Once upon a time Father wanted an angel for everyone on the planet."
If God still was around then that plan would have happened but unfortunately He wasn't. "Ariel being there was my father's fault." Shirou rubbed the back of his neck with some shame. "The old man was trying to teach me a lesson and that gave her an opportunity to show up on the island."
"Even if the opportunity was presented by the Magus Killer, Ariel shouldn't have taken the bait. That was her mistake and hers alone." Sounded harsh but in reality Michael didn't blame Ariel. She was doing what she was born to do; help Humanity. Defeating a monster was right on that alley. "Did you know she would talk about you? About that Noble Phantasm?" Shirou nodded cautiously. "Why not enforce a Geas on her then? You did so with her bodyguards."
"After all she went through I pitied her." He could still remember the mumbling angel praying to not Fall. Considering God was dead, that made him feel worse. "Ariel just wanted to do the right thing; to protect everyone and solve the threat of the Shapeless Island. Had she not kept attacking after Medusa was saved then I would have loved talking with her."
Michael nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately that wasn't what happened. Never I expected a Noble Phantasm to affect us so much. Muramasa…"
"All it did was bring out the worst of her goals, feeding them until they turned into obsession." With how Ariel was, she never saw Medusa, only the Gorgon. "Had I let her kill Medusa then she wouldn't have been affected. I just couldn't let that happen because no matter how much Ariel would suffer, Medusa suffered more in her prison."
Michael surprised Shirou. "I think you made the right call." He almost couldn't believe what the Seraph said. "If she had killed Medusa, someone that was a victim of her circumstances, that would have made her Fall out of guilt. Swords or not." He smiled kindly. "So as bad things were, they could have been worse. Unfortunately." The angel approached Shirou with a look of resolve. "Your Reality Marble is connected with swords, correct? You still have that Noble Phantasm in a sense."
"Yes, but I don't lend it to anyone." There was no way that Shirou would risk someone's mental health.
A decision Michael approved. "Could you lend it to me?" The redhead was too shocked by the sudden request to comment on it.
"Lord Michael, are you sure?" The risk of the Leader of Angels turning into a fallen angel actually scared Xenovia. "I have seen Muramasa in action, it is powerful but I'm sure you don't need it."
The blond raised a hand and offered the former Exorcist a gentle smile. "It is not a matter of power but that sword may help me with something else. To understand myself." The students gave the angel a look of confusion but he kept smiling. "I just desire to hold it."
"That will already be enough for it to take hold of you." Shirou warned.
"Good. I feared that I would need to spill blood, although I would give it my own. Now that I know I don't need to and that is a relief." Michael was making it clear he wasn't going to budge on it and Shirou decided to take the risk.
Muramasa was Traced without fanfare. "If I feel there is something wrong I am making it disappear."
"I expected no less from you." The confidence behind the angel's eyes was enough to outshine any sadness. "But this is something I need to do." Michael presented his hand, making no effort to take the sword.
Shirou gave it to him and once Muramasa was in his hands Michael revealed his wings once again. Already the magus could tell that differently from Ariel, Michael wasn't affected by the sword, the man taking a few swings with it. While there was some skill behind his strikes, it was like Muramasa was heavier than what he was used to.
"Hmm. I understand." Michael returned the sword to Shirou who released its existence. "A good sword. Adding the power of an angel and maybe it could have killed the Gorgon." Yet the angel looked at his wings again, a sadder look on his eyes before he folded them. "Ariel is recovering but it will take time until she is mentaly prepared to descend from Heaven again."
"That is good. That is good." Shirou looked conflicted regardless.
"But she will recover." Xenovia spoke of noticing the emotions spreading on the magus' face. "And won't feel guilty about hurting anyone. That is a good thing."
Shirou could see what she was doing and smiled. "Yeah, you are right."
Michael smiled again and turned to look at Caliburn one more time. "I need to go soon, there is much to be done before the meeting proper." He glanced at Shirou with a pout before a look of realization filled his face. "Say, if Azazel told me the story right, omitting your Reality Marble of course, you picked a fight with the White Dragon Emperor, right?"
"Please don't remind me of that."
"So you did." Michael sounded pleased. "What do you say about me lending you a Dragon Slaying Sword?" That had Shirou's attention and Xenovia's excitement. "Sounds like something you need."
Shirou gave Michael a deadpan stare. "You aren't going to let me say 'no', are you?"
"You are free to reject it, the same way I am free to keep asking."
"Master, Master, a Dragon Slaying Sword could really help you." Xenovia also wanted to take a look at it.
Not that Shirou wasn't interested either, the smith in him certainly was. "Well, my old man taught me to use all resources at my disposal. But you are just lending it, do you hear me? After I take a look at it my Reality Marble will take care of the rest."
Michael nodded with a bright smile. "I will have it sent to you today through Sirzechs. Even if it is a Holy Sword I don't think he will mind." He then offered a grin. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Ascalon?"
Now Shirou was really interested and Xenovia couldn't stop herself from grinning. "Saint George's sword?! Master, can I use it? Please, please, please please please!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down a little." By the face she was making, Shirou already knew Xenovia would never forgive him if he rejected it.
…
When he got called to help with Gasper's training, Saji didn't know what to expect. On seeing how strong the former dhampir became with some of Ise's blood he quickly understood what he needed to do and Absorption Line got to work.
It was then that things got weird. "So you can only make one tongue?" Azazel asked, his eyebrows raised as Ise trew tennis balls so Gasper could stop them from falling.
"Can we please not call it a tongue?" Saji used it on spars against girls so he got easily embarrassed.
Something that had Azazel rolling his eyes. "Fine, so you can only make one line?"
"Isn't my sacred gear named 'Absorption Line'?" He said while moving his arm up and down. "You know, singular?"
"Oi, don't get cheeky with me." Despite that Azazel chuckled. "You do know that sacred gears grow with the user, right?"
"So?"
"So… why don't you try and make another line?" The look of disbelief on Saji's face had Azazel laughing. "Hahahaha! Oh Heavens, you haven't thought about that, did you?"
"Is that possible?" Saji frowned at his sacred gear but nothing changed.
"It won't be if you don't believe it is." Azazel laid his arm around Saji's neck. "Don't think too hard, just make another line pop from the lizard's mouth."
Immediately Saji got to focus on that, getting distracted and making Gasper's power pulse too much. "Saji what the fuck?" Ise demanded to know as most of the area was frozen in time until the Bishop fell to his knees. The Pawn ran to help the smaller devil as Saji winced. "Gasper, are you alright?"
"Sorry senpai. But I managed to hold it back." With the smile of triumph on his face, Ise didn't blame him for the mistake.
He blamed his fellow Pawn. "Dude, Gasper can't control the power, you are supposed to be absorbing it."
"My bad but this guy was putting weird ideas in my head." He pointed at Azazel with his thumb.
"Hey, hey. I was only trying to help. Didn't your King explain that absorbing too much power could be bad for you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Saji remembered the warnings even if most of them lacked an explanation. Sona just said it would be dangerous and he took her word as law.
"Well if you have a second tongue- I am sorry you sensitive baby, line, then you can absorb energy and send it out at the same time." Both Pawns gave Azazel baffled looks and he facepalmed. "Did nobody point out that your sacred gear can send your energy to other people?" Saji nodded and the Cadre was happy he at least knew the basics. "Now don't you think it would be too much work, or leave you too vulnerable, if you only have one line to work with?"
It clicked. "I can make more lines!" Immediately another line sprung from the lizard's mouth.
Ise wasn't impressed. "Okay, cool, he can make more lines. Can we focus on Gasper now?"
"Don't mind me." The little devil hid behind the Pawn, shaking a little.
However, Azazel wasn't done. "Most people wouldn't know about it since the Absorption Line is an extremely dangerous Longinus."
"Aren't all Longinus kinda dangerous by default?" Ise asked nonchalantly and from his hand the gem of his sacred gear began to shine.
[More than normal, partner, since there isn't a cap for how much energy it can absorb.]
"But Kaichou said that was dangerous."
"She certainly didn't want to give you any nightmares because of it." Azazel patted Saji's back hard a few times. "But now you don't need to fear it. Send one line to the ground and keep the other on young Gasper. Once you get the hang of it then you won't have to worry about it ever again."
"I will be even more helpful." With a new boost of confidence, the new line was shot on the ground while the other grew tighter on Gasper's wrist. "Hell yeah! Let's keep going!"
"Slow down you idiot, Gasper is about to pass out." At Ise's warning, Saji stopped as the Red Dragon Emperor helped the Bishop.
"Give him more blood so we can get going." Azazel began walking towards the box with a lot of balls with a grin. "Come on children, I want to see what this small vampire can do. Maybe he can become a cloud of bats, every single one with the ability to stop time?"
"Meep!"
"Too soon?" Azazel joked as Gasper bit Ise's finger and soon mana began to flow through his body. "See, no harm no foul. Now let's get to work."
"Can't we slow down a little?" Ise protested weakly as he joined Azazel.
"Can I drag him to my lab for some tests?" The dry look he received was answer enough. "Then we can't slow down. Depending on what is decided on the Peace Talks then I may not have another chance to work with you." He took a few steps back while juggling a few balls. "We will be launching it higher to give Gasper more time to get used to it! Then, once he manages to stop one a few times, we will start throwing two or three!"
"Roger!" Saji was far more excited now that he didn't need to fear his sacred gear.
However Azazel wanted to talk about it, that was why he made sure he was out of Saji's ear shot. "What did you tell your partner about Absorption Line, Ddraig?"
The dragon hadn't dismissed his jewel since the training began. [Nothing much, certainly not what an uncontrolled Vritra can do.]
Azazel nodded in understanding and then began with a casual question. "Have you ever been to the Caribbean, Issei?" The look of confusion on the student's face was telling. "Do you at least know what the Caribbean is?"
"It's an island, right?" A moment of silence passed by them. "I don't have the best grades."
The Cadre couldn't help but massage his temples and take a long breath. "Go check the internet later, do some research. Already have too much on my plate to teach you Geography." It was not that he didn't have the patience to teach but only when it interested him. "But in modern day the Caribbean can be described as a formation of islands."
"'In modern day'?"
"Hah, catched on to that, did you?" Azazel threw another ball that remained in the air for one second before falling down. "We are aiming for at least seven seconds here! Seven seconds! I am sure Rias will love that reference." Issei avoided wincing since he was the one who told the fallen angel about his King's hobby.
He threw another ball while Issei processed everything and to his credit the Pawn didn't need long to deduce what happened. "You're saying…" He gulped nervously. "That Vritra did that? He made some islands?"
"Close but no cigar. Want to try again?" Azazel chuckled as he threw another ball. "It used to be a single island. Take that as you will." It was amusing for the fallen angel how pale the devil became. "I wasn't there but fortunately someone else was. Right, Ddraig?
[Hmm, it is partially my fault that the island was broken into pieces but Vrita's host was the main responsible. My host at the time was the captain of a ship and we stopped there to resupply.] The dragon's voice was full of nostalgia. [You never would have met a better crew on the seven seas than them, true pirates.]
"Pirates? Your previous partner was a pirate?"
[Don't sound so surprised. I had an amalgamation of partners of all walks of life; officers of the law and criminals alike. But Davey and his crew lived as dragons would; take what you can! Hahahaha!]
"At least tell me you heard about Davy Jones." Issei's neck almost broke with how fast he looked at Azazel, his eyes ready to jump from his head. "But never heard about the Caribbean. To be fair it is on the other side of the globe."
"I watched too much TV when I was a kid, alright!" Issei threw the ball he had been holding for a while. It went a little too high but Gasper managed to catch it. "But Davy Jones, the legendary pirate? Even I heard about him."
While happy that Issei knew about one of his predecessors, Ddraig focused on the story. [Vritra's host at the time was a conqueror who took over the island and ruled it with an iron fist.] By the severity of his tone it was evident that person wasn't a good ruler. [As pirates there are few ports that will receive you and the Caribbean of those days had no contacts with Europe so Davey and his crew were not criminals to them. We were well received, fed and even traded some of our cargo. Then Vritra's host came along to ruin everything.]
A curse left Ddraig's inexistent lips because he remembered having fun that day until everything went downhill. And it went fast.
['Tribute', he said, we owned his tribute from using his land and interacting with his people. Now if there is one thing you have to understand about real pirates is this; we hate taxes.] None commented how Ddraig began to calm himself 'pirate' in the middle of the story. [And that right there was a tax and Davey's response was… properly dragon-like.]
If it was something Ddraig would approve, Issei could guess. "He punched the guy, didn't he?"
[Hah! A punch? He shot the bastard in the knee and told him 'you are only king because I don't care' and went back to drinking. Why bother killing a weakling when we could enjoy the party. We even let the bastard be carried out, that was our mistake.]
"When too much energy is accumulated, the fragment of Vritra's soul begins to act up and the true power of the Evil Dragon can be unleashed." Azazel explained solemnly, already knowing where the story was going. "That is because, unlike the Boosted Gear, Absorption Line only has part of a dragon. It has no intellect or even the ability to properly communicate."
[And when it is left out you can bet that the thing is pissed from being woken up. Even the original Vritra had a better temper.] And coming from another dragon that was saying something. [That was how the bastard became king, he absorbed the power of his warriors and just used it to conquer the place. So he tried to pull that on us but of course Davey and I wouldn't lose to a wimp like that. Our second mistake was not killing him immediately.]
Things began to fall into place soon after for Issei. "He absorbed too much power?"
[Bastard unleashed dozens of tongues and grabbed everyone in sight. Even some of our crew got caught which made things worse because they were protected by Davey's Balance Breaker.]
"Wait, his Balance Breaker protected his crew?"
"Now you are starting to understand why the name is 'Balance Breaker'." Azazel commented with a chuckle. "Some of them are just so powerful and bizarre that no other name would do them justice." He chuckled again at some sort of personal joke.
Still Issei was still trying to wonder what kind of Balance Breaker Davy Jones had. "So he had the Scale Mail around his whole crew?"
[Scale Mail is my Balance Breaker, only my partners can use it. No, Davey's sacred gear was called Flying Dragon Vessel because 'a captain is only as great as their crew and ship'.] Obviously the dragon was fond of that memory. [It was a magnificent piece of art, partner. Our whole ship was covered with my scales and every member of our crew was like a small dragon in their own right.]
"They could even make their ship fly." Azazel spoke a little jokily but it was clearly not a joke.
[Anyway, point is that by seizing one of our crew, Vritra began to build up power fast. Too fast for us to stop and soon the bastard was unleashed.]
"This is the part where I remind you that is only a fragment of the dragon, not the whole thing. No conscious thought, just fury and instinct, almost like Vritra was still fighting Indra."
[We rushed back to the ship and got ready to fight, all hands on deck. It was the second toughest fight of Davey's life, only the White One of that age could compare.] There was a grunt of irritation from Ddraig. [Even as a fragment, Vritra never was a push over and kept absorbing everything to get more power. You think it odd that Azazel told him to send energy to the grounds? At some point he can take it from there too if he tries.]
Azazel shrugged in response. "But it takes time to build up enough energy to be able to do that. Time that most people don't have in a fight. Indeed, the only reason the Caribbean Conqueror ended up unleashing Vritra was because of previous preparation and fear. Mostly fear." He looked at Issei with a severe look. "And by that point he just needed a little nudge and one member of Davy Jones' indulged him."
[They were pirates, usually not the sharpest tool in the box.]
"Hahahaha! Fair, fair." Azazel held back a little more before continuing. "Anyway, compared to Divine Dividing, calling the Absorption Line a Longinus is kind of a stretch. Both have the same power but in a different scale; Divine Dividing robs the power every ten seconds while Absorption Line takes longer to have the same effect if as much." He was not counting their Balance Breakers but the point stood. "However, the Absorption Line is still the 13th Longinus, why is that?"
Only then Issei remembered he was part of the conversation. "Because of Vritra, because he can escape."
"Not escape but you got the idea. Smarter than you give yourself credit for." Azazel found Ise's flushing funny. "13 is considered an unlucky number for many reasons; it was Judas' number in the Last Supper, dates with that number are ideal for witchcraft, to mark certain sights, to calculate the values of certain curses. A number full of meanings, dangerous meanings." The Cadre threw a ball extremely high to distract Saji and Gasper while he pointed at them, at the Pawn. "Those who are Vritra's host have low power and potential for if left alone they will unleash the fragment of the Evil Dragon. Then people will die, including them for unlike Ddraig and Albion, Vritra's fragment won't stop. Can't stop."
Issei was shocked at the words as he looked at Saji with a deep sense of pity and desperation. When thinking about his own situation Hyoudou could only be glad he had the Boosted Gear, besides a Rival that was far stronger than him there were little to no drawbacks and it was an extremely powerful tool.
However Saji's position was basically the reverse as if he were to use the power of his sacred gear to its full potential the consequences could be devastating.
"Can we help him?" Issei finally asked in desperation and Azazel offered him a gentle smile.
"Well, I have a plan but we need to see how the meeting goes first." His smile then gained a mad scientist's mania. "After that, if the problem is Vritra being divided, we just have to patch the dragon back together."
…
"Why?" Medusa asked flatly, her eyes sharp as she studied the man.
Sirzechs did as a good devil would and smiled like a true businessman. "'Why' what exactly, lady Medusa?"
If anything it made the purple haired goddess less impressed. "Why me; a goddess without followers, barely any power, no lands, or anything of value to her name, is being invited to a meeting of Three Factions which may lead to their union? Potentially the most important event in your history?" She immediately raised a hand. "And don't you say something like me being a witness; many here are already invited and my input wouldn't be missed.".
"That is indeed true, this invitation is just for you. Even if all the others are going they are mostly being summoned as they are our subordinates and allies." Sirzechs admitted but many were looking at him skeptically. Such admission still said nothing. "Either way your position is special and so you are officially invited."
"But why?" Medusa was starting to get annoyed and she made an effort to not show it. Her face remained calm, her tone firm. "Stop stalling. I may look like a child and lived most of my existence like a monster but don't you dare pass me as ignorant."
"I would never."
"Then explain."
The demand held no threat and carried no magic to compel the man to talk, none of it would work on Sirzechs anyway. She had no leverage and no power compared to Lucifer.
However she had a weapon many couldn't claim to possess. "Please." Her eyes were doe-like, her hands were together in prayer of hope as she leaned on the table with her upper body, she blinked slowly and made her lip shake a little.
Sirzechs was caught off guard and almost cracked then and there. However his wife was already prepared to relieve him. "He cannot explain, it would violate some of the conditions for the Peace Talks." The woman that the goddess herself bestowed as the Ultimate Maid remained absolutely professional. "One of the parts of the alliance requested that things only be explained during the meeting."
"Grayfia, that sounds ridiculous." Rias pointed out but the woman barely glanced her way. "They want her to go to a meeting and not even tell her why? What is the point? It can't be her presence in Fuyuki, it makes no sense."
Distracted from the cuteness attack, Sirzechs managed to recover. "There is a reason, I just can't say it." He offered them a small smile but not a single woman in the room could take his word at face value. "We have no intentions of expelling her or anything like that and if you read the whole letter then you will see that she doesn't need to go if she doesn't want to. That is the point of an invite."
"May I see it." Medusa gave the letter to Iri who read it thoroughly. "All you are asking is her presence, saying that it is for something important, suggestions of security-"
"I have only one protector and he will already be there."
"More reason for you to go." Sirzechs suggested happily.
Iri pouted at being interrupted but shook her head after finishing the letter. "What are you not telling us?" The man's lips were sealed and she sighed. "Mou. This kind of thing is why Kiri doesn't like to work with you directly."
"Wait, he doesn't?" Sirzechs was the one pouting now.
"Do you realize how unpredictable you can get? We already have enough with our children." Rias could sympathize with the taller woman's plight. The former Einzebern couldn't help herself and massaged her temples. "I get that politics needs secrecy but you should still be telling this stuff to your security. If Kiri was the kind to do it, he would have a fit. Maya for sure will be annoyed."
"I can tell you." Sirzechs surprised everyone and even his father was confused about what kind of game he was playing. Only for the man's posture to change and his eyes become sharper. "But you may not tell Medusa about it."
The one speaking wasn't Sirzechs Gremory who came to visit his sister but Sirzechs Lucifer who ruled the Underworld. Zeoticus began to lean forward on his seat as he watched the mask of the Maou with some caution. While proud of his son's accomplishments, he was unsettled.
And he wasn't the only one as all looked at Lucifer carefully. "Lady Medusa." Even his tone sounded more authoritarian. "As the letter states, this won't compromise your security or position, you have my word. If you go or not, the choice is yours."
"Can you at least tell us which Faction called for her?" Akeno's question surprised many. "It cannot be the devils, there would be no need for secrecy otherwise."
"That leaves two others." Sirzechs offered but crossed his arms and relaxed before smiling again. "Even if you can deduce who requested your presence, I still can't tell their reasons. Looks like you will have to go anyway."
"You want her to go." Irisviel realized but the devil didn't react.
They all realized he couldn't and so Medusa let out a sigh of frustration while finding her resolve. "Very well, I shall go."
All watched the Maou but his reaction was neither positive or negative, he just crossed his legs and nodded. "Good, with that all members of our meeting have confirmed their presence. Should we consider Shirou going as your bodyguard or our guest?"
Medusa waved the question off. "Either way is fine. My protector will act if needed."
"Good to know but I doubt it will be necessary. There will be plenty of guards around before the bodyguards in the room ever will have to do anything." He then let out a confident grin. "Not even counting us, of course. Few opponents would dare to face Lucifer, Michael and Azazel in any circumstance."
"Which brings me to remind you that there are plenty of fools who would try anyway and some who are capable of actually doing damage." Irisviel worked with her husband enough to know that he would approve of her observation. She still let her shoulders drop. "Going to have to call Maya to update the security during the meeting and add another chair for Medusa."
"Sounds simple enough." Sirzechs comment earned him a glare from Iri but she let out a sigh and picked up a phone to make some calls. Since the taller woman would be busy, he turned to his sister. "So, should we go back to class?"
Raising an eyebrow, Rias wasn't ready to let things go. "It was Heaven." The sudden announcement shocked some but she sounded absolutely certain.
"Oh, why do you say that?" Sirzechs didn't look ready to confirm or deny anything.
However, now that Rias chose her course of action she needed to either commit fully or give up. "Azazel would have told us already but his interest in Medusa was in passing while he paid more attention to Shiro and Ise." There was also the fact the man wasn't present for this but her brother could offer other justifications. "It couldn't be us, devils, since she has been in our territory for a year now and nobody made a big deal. On top of that you wouldn't let her be bothered after she saved my life, onii-sama."
Sirzechs nodded, pleased by the deductions. "Still can't confirm anything, but understand that this shall also be a topic broached at the meeting, be Medusa there or not." He looked at the goddess who frowned. "Don't worry, it isn't anything I would disapprove of and the final word is yours. All you have to do is wait for the Peace Talks and everything will be revealed. Anyway, you don't need to leave Fuyuki unless you take the deal."
"Sirzechs-sama, be careful. You almost violated the contract." Grayfia chastised the man who shrugged.
"So there is a contract and I can guess most of the leaders can't speak about certain things until the meeting." Akeno immediately threw the possibility out there and Sirzechs was free to nod, showing that the contract does not affect the contract itself. "Since you can tell Iri, she also is on the contract." The woman laughed nervously but nodded. "And if I have to guess you can tell us what we already know and nothing else, to an extent."
"Correct again." Sirzechs admitted, confirming he couldn't say anything new. "This is a great opportunity for our Factions." He began with a soft smile. "After millenia of war, we are about to make peace, real peace. Most of our talks are going to be public later and the contract isn't applied to those. However, what someone needs to talk to Medusa may not go public, depending how things go." He chuckled and shrugged. "So the less people know, the better. This is for the sake of Peace and I need to respect my future ally request even if you will learn that later when the actual meeting starts."
"I understand." Medusa relaxed more, knowing the whole situation was just due to caution and presented no danger for her. At least none she could see. "Thanks for being honest."
"As much as I can." He nodded, his smile always gentle.
…..
Working at her lab with a lollipop in her mouth, Illyasviel enjoyed the treat as her fingers moved constantly on her most important project to date. Her hands moved like she was conducting a symphony but any musician could tell it was the most complicated piece ever composed if it was real.
The lab where she was in was completely white with many working in various giant tubes, objects, instruments and other kinds of experiments, all under her guidance. Some were volunteers who wished to learn for her but the majority of the workers shared her white hair and red eyes.
Homunculi worked around and with their brethren as some were still growing in their tubes. If anything they were the ones that Illya trusted the most with her experiments but because of the organization she was in the woman knew she had to 'play ball' and accept others.
Not that she minded when she had permission to kick any idiot off her lab but she still found the whole thing annoying. Good for her then she had an excellent assistant who noticed some sweat forming and quickly cleaned it up. She was not only great at getting rid of the annoyances but actually predicted what Illya needed before Illya herself.
"Thanks Sella."
"Of course, Illya-sama." The maid was still as formal as ever and moved little in her mistress' field of vision to not interrupt the delicate procedure.
She didn't need to bother as the many failures got Illya so good at it she spent most of her time playing with her lollipop. 'Humm~ Cherry~' Even then her mind still held that the operation was too important to make mistakes so her eyes never left the giant glass box in front of her.
Playing with her tongue, Illya also moved her indicator to manipulate the wires her brother gave her as a gift. Mana worked to make the movement perfect as muscle kept it stable even as she worked fast. All her fingers moved in this rhythm that could not be broken as her eyes missed no detail.
Threads of silver metal kept going and going as special silk which she made herself transformed before her very eyes as many of her volunteers watched in astonishment. And this wouldn't even be her greatest work once it was done, just part of it and she was still on the schedule even after some delays.
Much like Sella almost everyone in the lab avoided even talking to not disturb what could only be called a work of art. Inside the special glass it looked like something normal but they knew what their leader was making and so didn't dare to even think about interrupting her, doing so would not only earn her ire but of those backing her.
Many couldn't do it without losing their heads after, many who could would hesitate. "Illyasviel von Einzbern!" Some jumped at the woman's voice as her two guards pushed the doors hard enough for them to slam the walls. Illya just played with her lollipop and kept working. "What is the meaning of this?! You took away half of the support you promised!"
The woman was a couple of centimeters taller than Illya and unlike the white haired maiden who was using a lab coat and purple sweater the woman dressed to flaunt all she had. With how her cleavage was exposed it wouldn't be hard to mix her up with a worker of the night.
Despite her clothes the woman acted much like a noble and strode inside the lab confidently, no one dared to step in her way. While her clothes would be scandalous in any court they still were high quality. Her dress was extremely low cut, leaving nothing to imagination with a high slit which barely hid her breasts.
Those that were not homunculi and so less resistant to the appeals of the flesh couldn't help but allow their eyes to wander in her voluptuous breasts which perfectly complemented her figure.
Her glasses, which didn't hide her purple eyes, also gave her an air of an intellectual even as the fury revealed a warrior of some kind. Her brown hair also was tied in many braids suited for a woman of high station with a headset for a bun right at the top that looked like a crown.
The bespectacled woman stopped only when someone stood in her path. "Out of my way, Heracles."
"You are not disturbing Illya's work, Katerea." The muscular man crossed his arms and his glare grew more intense. "What she is doing is too important for you to interrupt." Of all present only he dared to challenge the devil and she didn't like it.
"You think a mere descendant of a hero can stop me?" Mana began to pour around the area in a level that showed the woman wasn't joking. "I am Katerea Leviathan and I will not be-"
"Let her through, Herc." Illya didn't look away from her work even as Sella looked ready to attack. "If we try to stop her something important may break and I don't have the patience to fix it. Say what you want, Katerea, then leave my workshop."
Heracles did as instructed and stepped to the side, still close enough to intervene. "You dare to treat me like I am one of your dolls?!" More power poured over but Illya still didn't turn around. "Look at me when I am talking to you, Einzbern!"
"I am literally building one of the key components for my Faction's operation after I already did a lot for yours." If anything Illya just sounded unimpressed. "So, Leviathan, if you want me to stop, threats are not going to help because they are not relevant enough."
If one would look at the two from profile they could notice that both of them were practically opposites despite the same main color of clothes.
There was no denying that the duo had noble bearings but where Illya was the image of boredom which hid wisdom, Katerea was an almost volatile fury.
From the detached sleeves that exposed her shoulders and reached her wrists, Katerea lit a magic circle before stopping herself and looking at Heracles. The man was still too close and even with the power she was letting out he clearly was going to stop any attempt of an attack.
No, Katerea Leviathan was noble of birth and decided to act as such, retrieving her power and fixing her white long skirt which had an opening revealing her legs. She fixed her hair and while she smiled there was poison in it that still showed her fury.
Not that Illya cared as her fingers kept working around. "Why did you take away some of the warriors from my operation?"
"Five hundred is more than some and I touched no devil. It is your Faction's thing, after all." A spark of energy showed Katerea's irritation but it went mostly ignored. "The Hero Faction is entering the final stages of our preparation, soon we are going to move for real. We can't go around risking our men anymore."
"You are still part of the Khaos Brigade and need to contribute to assisting its other components or else our alliances are pointless." Her smile turned more malicious. "If we don't show support for each other's goals then betray and assassination won't be very far."
"I am still supporting." Her left hand, still connected with strings, was raised and turned into a fist. "Go Old Satan Faction. Kick their asses. Yay." It went back to work as Katerea gritted her teeth. "See, supportive."
"Words are wind and we need numbers." Illya saw things wrong with both sentences but said nothing. "We need the magicians that we were promised to capture and work the-"
"Time Stop idea, yeah, yeah." But she never was that patient and the older woman was irritating her. "Don't know why you want to do it since it won't work against any of the leaders of the Three Factions. Still makes sense if you want to eliminate their guards without many losses but there are a lot of heavy weights there and I wouldn't recommend going forward with it but that is your operation, not mine." Illya played around with the lollipop again, wishing she could stop working to take it off her mouth. "But I don't remember promising to help with this one."
"The payment-"
"Was for other operations and we already did our part. The fact that you are complaining to me means that either Gilgamesh already rejected you or you know that he won't hear of it."
To Illya that meant that Katerea had nothing that Gilgamesh wanted and was running out of cards to play. Their plan to use a certain sacred gear to secure an easier victory was a good one in her opinion but the white haired woman knew they didn't need it per say. Not when the heavy hitters weren't going to be affected by it, just the guards.
But then again there were other things they had prepared and the Old Satan Faction held more power than just Katerea for that particular operation, it was because of such power it was green lit.
The number of trump cards was fundamental when fighting in the moonlit world, double so when the opponents are the leaders of Factions, especially strong ones like the Three Factions of Christianity.
Regardless, both knew all that and yet the Leviathan still showed with demands. Illya just didn't have any interest in them.
"Oh~ But I do have something you want." This time Katerea's words sounded sweet, so sweet that they were believable. Illya stopped moving her fingers and raised her head to show she was listening. "I have news about your precious brother~ I have to say even I am starting to grow interested in the type of man he is becoming~"
Illya's teeth destroyed the lollipop. "Careful, Skank, or you won't leave this place alive."
"So you don't want to hear what you brother did that was so impressive our spies rushed to tell me? He is making the news these days but mostly only with devils. I doubt you will get it if I tell our men to remain silent." She placed her hand over her lips. "Perhaps you don't care about his success? What a cruel sister you are, Illya. Then again that is very human of you."
"From a devil like you? That is a complement." The come back had no bite as they both knew Illya was in check. Everyone in the lab knew it. "Fine; I will send a convent of witches with you, they are more than enough to pull off the ritual."
"How many are those? Thirty or so?" Katerea scoffed at the low numbers. "Odds are they won't even be strong enough to capture the devil we need." She began to pace around, watching some of Illya's assistants with false intrigue. "No, we need more to help against the elite of the Underworld. The five hundred we requested will be enough."
"Rejected. I don't control that many people, Gilgamesh takes care of most of our infantry and Cao Cao is the one commanding most of our sacred gear users." Illya was sure it was common knowledge but she could understand the numbers were uncertain. "I can get you one hundred if you insist on bulk; some good magicians also can summon golems and familiars to help in the fight so you can count that as up to one thousand bodies if you like."
"But with five we would have five thousand~" Katerea touched one of the tubes with an object she couldn't identify no matter how much she studied it. "Come now, I know you have more than just one hundred people. Don't try and push yourself down by saying the men control more than you."
Illya rolled her eyes at the attempt of garner sympathy. 'She thinks I will fall for that? Of course she does. Blind bat with the whole proud devil thing who thinks every scheme she concots is clever even when they are suicidal. Or just plain dumb.' After a moment she decided how she would play that out. "Yes, they do, don't waste time debating that. Not that it matters since I need many magicians to coordinate dozens of rituals and other stuff. Or do you think this is my only workshop?"
"I can ask my colleagues to make some devils available to work for you. You don't need to depend just on homunculus and magicians, Illyasviel." That would also put spies in her labs which she didn't want nor need.
However, to get the conversation going, Illya pretended to consider it. "Two hundred, that is as high as I can go without risking the Hero Faction's interests."
Katerea smiled in victory. "If that is all you can give then it is all I will take."
"So… my brother…" Illya made sure to sound eager and easy to please.
Exactly what the devil wanted. "Some eager men confirmed that he really was the one who restored Caliburn. Rumor has it that his actions alone foiled Kokabiel's plans."
"I already knew that." Illya replied unimpressed but that showed engagement, what the devil wanted. "If anyone could fix Caliburn then only Shirou has enough swords in his brain to do it."
However Katerea knew the woman enough to leave the best for last. "Undoubtedly, as expected of the Magus Killer's son…" She let the title linger but didn't call Emiya on it. Some of her followers looked nervous but Heracles and Sella didn't take their eyes off Katerea. "But what is more impressive is that, by repairing Caliburn, he may have succeeded in poaching an Exorcist from the Church. A girl whose beauty was compared to the stars."
"What?" Disbelief and irritation colored Illya's tone as her shoulders twitched.
And the devil wasn't done. "Oh yes, a story worthy of a fairy tail; the woman knight came to claim the sword but the prince spoke and his words were so moving that the maiden refused to take it." Her tone made it all sound even more grandiose than it was, totally dramatic. "Then she dropped to one knee and swore to follow him for eternity. Usually the roles are reversed but everyone loves a good classic." Illya had not moved for a full minute. "About those two hundred-"
"You will have them. Now go before I change my mind."
The devil's smile went unseen together with the mocking bow of respect. Katerea left under Sella and Heracles' glares. None said another word as the guards escorted their mistress out, the Leviathan feeling proud in her triumph.
Only when the doors closed did someone talk again. "Annoying Skank, come here to interrupt my work." Illya spat the lollipop stick and cracked her neck. "Well, that was a waste of time."
"You shouldn't say that, Illyasviel-sama. Irisviel-sama will be so happy once she hears about Shirou-sama's new paramour." Sella sounded excited herself.
It made Illya wince. "I haven't acknowledged that woman yet!" Her declaration had a little more fervor than she wanted. If her hands weren't literally tied then she would have jumped as well. "As the older sister I will judge that- that girl whoever she is." Sella was the only one who noticed how her mistress was holding back a blush. "I won't accept her if she isn't good enough for my brother."
"Illyasviel-sama… if we consider your standards…" Illya's glare stopped her from finishing that line. "I mean… not many women are up to your standards."
"She shall be judged! Damn it, the Skank forgot to give us a name. That cursed Leviathan, as much of a serpent as her ancestor." Illya cursed a little more under her breath as the homunculi returned to work.
Some of the assistants were still too disturbed by the reveal of Illya's parentage but they were used to her work ethic and returned to their jobs. They knew their boss wouldn't harm them even with her father's reputation but the Magus Killer was still a boogeyman to many in the moonlit world.
Heracles shook his head with a chuckle. "Let your brother enjoy the flowers, Illya. It isn't romantic that he managed to charm a girl from the Church? Would be cooler if she was a nun." His words just made the white haired woman fume and he exchanged a look with Sella. A change of subject was needed and he had questions. "Why send just two hundred? If you found their plan worthwhile you could easily field over five hundred people, more if Gilgamesh and Cao Cao agreed with you. I think their plan is quite good." He crossed his arms with an annoyed scowl. "At least they will get some action."
Illya let out a sigh and turned to look at her colleague. "Herc, the Khaos Brigade is an alliance of ultra convenience. We actually don't want our individual components to succeed." The tall man, and many others in the lab, blink in surprise. "Think about it for a second, let's say that the Old Satan Faction takes over the Underworld; what is their next goal?"
"I… have no idea." Heracles admitted with a shrug.
"They want to conquer the world, or better yet, create a World Order based on the ideas of the Original Satans. That involves human enslavement, no gods and everyone doing whatever they want if they are a devil, pureblood from preference. Heck, even the other supernatural creatures are going to be just servants to the 'superior species'." The last part said in a pompous sarcastic tone. Many looked distressed as Illya just kept working. "And we… want to decimate or contain them." She shrugged. "Pick the goal of any of our Factions and you will see that it goes completely opposite to the others. We shouldn't be allies."
"Then why are we?"
"Because you only have each other." It was Sella speaking so Illya could focus on the job which she nodded in appreciation. "The actual World Order is ruled by too many beings too powerful for you to compete individually. An example is the new Underworld where all Maou are said to be stronger than their predecessor, even if that remains unproven."
"Yep, yep. The truth is that nobody here wants the other to win so we sabotage each other." Illya added with a shrug.
Sella chose to elaborate. "Why do you think each Faction needs justification or payment to help one another?" The tall man still looked confused and the woman thought of a new approach. "Think about the Khaos Brigade like a hydra with bickering heads." Heracles' eyes grew wide with realization and the woman let out a sigh.
"So we're actually enemies pretending to be allies to see who will be the number one?"
"An oversimplification but a correct one, I suppose." Sella was happy that he understood in his own way. "The only thing binding us together is Ophis' existence and her collaboration. Without her and the power she offered the Khaos Brigade wouldn't exist in its current form."
"Not that she even realized that we are just using her. I think only our Faction actually has a plan to deal with Great Red and we don't want to." It was Illya who was more crude with it. "And as enemies, we don't want their plans to work either, the same way they don't want our plans to work." Her maid facepalmed as some of her assistants just stared. "Are you telling me you guys didn't know? Great! Don't stand there and go back to work! I will get a memo or something to make sure our people are on par with the situation. That is supposed to be Cao Cao's department."
"I will talk to him." His colleague was better at explaining this sort of thing. More patience too but Heracles didn't need to say that, Illya knew her faults. "So that is why we aren't really helping this op, huh. Can't they still win?"
A complicated question that Illya dismissed. "Their plan is to kill the leaders and throw the Three Factions back on their old habits so they can seize power. Even without the Time Stop idea they are smart enough to actually have counters for the leaders." She turned to look at Heracles. "You know who I am talking about."
"Yeah, if he is involved then that will be quite a fight." Heracles nodded in understanding with a savage grin. "He is strong enough to face the Gremory even if Katerea isn't. It will probably be easier if they use Ophis- No, wait, that guy would never do that." A natural born fighter, the descendent of the Strongest Greek Hero, quickly shakes his head. "But he is not the problem, Katerea is the weak link."
"And she knows it, you can bet she is going to use Ophis' power and probably die." Illya explained coldly. "While the Old Satan Faction think their leaders are a big deal, they aren't. They are just Ultimate Class devils with little fighting experience against a Super Devil, Michael and Azazel, men who fought wars." She then shrugged, focused back on her work. "No amount of power can challenge a combination of experience and power. Lowballing they all are Ultimate Class devil equivalent, highballing, and we know Sirzechs is stronger than that, they can crush her easily, Ophis or not."
"But Illya-sama, that is why the Old Satan Faction isn't risking everything in that play." Sella reminded Illya with a frown. "If anything they are being cautious in just sending Katerea Leviathan on this mission."
"Feh, that just shows how dispensable she is. Thinking she is some hot shit while having no chance of winning."
"Ophis may give her a chance." The maid tried again.
Illya found the attempt amusing. "Fine, maybe Ophis' power will give her an edge. Not like she will be there on her own or anything stupid like that." Once again her fingers began to work on her project.
Inside the glass box that isolated its contents from everything including mana and air with the exception of the energy being transferred from Illya's fingers through Shirou's gift to produce the intended result.
Forever the older sister will be thankful for them because if she didn't have them she would either end up almost bald. Even if she could accomplish her project without them, they sure spared her a huge headache and saved her hair.
So yes, she would be forever grateful even if her brother wouldn't approve of what she is using them for. The wires were being used for something akin to a common task; wavering silk to create clothing.
It was such a simple thing that many would find the steps she took before beginning to sew her creation wasteful. Most would fail to understand that Illya wasn't just sewing something truly spectacular with silk born out of some of the most rare and powerful materials she could get her hands on.
Much like Shirou, Illya also was able to use alchemy to combine a plethora of ingredients to create something new. But comparing the alchemic skill between them was almost unfair with how far Illya actually was. She was born for it, one way or another, and her studies on it were uninterrupted while her brother showed many interests.
Her focus and the Khaos Brigade's resources managed to help her create something new but old; a proof of concept that couldn't be completed but she planned to adjust its function and make it evolve.
Inside the glass box the strings of silk began to glow in a white celestial light which caught the attention of everyone in the lab as Illya smiled.
Wires moved with inhumane precision, their connection made them look like there were hundreds even if it was just ten for that was how much her fingers could keep up with. They acted as more than fingers, waving and sewing her creation down on the molecular level, transforming her combination of materials perfectly down to the atom.
All stood admired by the radiance that began to cover the lab, knowing what it was but in disbelief since it should have been impossible.
"You did, Illya-sama!" Sella wanted to celebrate more but kept a respectful distance.
"Illya, I can feel its power from here even in that box. It sings to my soul." Heracles felt an orange aura cover him before it disappeared and a teal one took its place. "My sacred gear is retreating and my blood is- is- I can't even describe it!"
"Don't celebrate yet, you two! This is just a small sample of what is to come!" And Illya was right because the white silk of her creation was barely bigger than a sheet of paper. She wanted to do more but her mana was almost spent. "Engage the conservation matter subroutine and power the ritual immediately!" She was reaching her limit and due to a break.
""""Yes, ma'am!"""" Many voices said together as people moved around and placed their hands on panels around the glass box.
Soon magic circles and seals began to power up and surround the new creation with a boundary field that froze it in time.
Only then did Illya let out a breath of relief before smiling proudly. The wires in her fingers let them go and she began to approach the glass, a hand landing on it. "Soon." Sella quickly offered her a towel which Illya took with a grin.
"How soon?" Heracles sounded as excited as her.
"Very soon~ Don't worry~ It won't take that long~" And Illya meant it, confident in her work.
"While the construction of the dress is in the final stages, Illya-sama, I must remind you that we still need a Holy Grail."
"Urh, can't you let me celebrate a little before raining on my parade, Sella?" But she couldn't disagree either and shrugged. "But that is fine, I am sure my father gave my brother one. The one made from Justeaze's body. Once we convince him, it will be all too easy."
"I don't think Shirou-sama can be so easily persuaded. He certainly didn't sound like he approved of your plans before. And that was just with the broad strokes." Illya groaned, once again unable to disagree.
"We could take it from him." Heracles earned himself a deadly glare but waved a hand to pacify Illya. "Hey, we don't need to hurt him or anything. Just get the Grail. Besides, Cao Cao said that if we can't get his Grail, there is another, right?"
"Doesn't matter~" Illya waved both off. "Even without the Grail, even without the whole system, I am sure we can finish our plans." She admired the small piece of white cloth with a proud grin. "Once we have my Dress of Heaven, we won't need Ophis anymore. A new Age of Heroes shall end the Age of the Gods once for all."