— — — — — —
Rias stood there in a daze, silent and unmoving, not even blinking. She looked like a wooden doll.
Seeing her like this, Akeno couldn't bring herself to make another sharp remark. She simply patted Rias on the shoulder in comfort.
That small gesture made tears well up in Rias's eyes.
Sometimes it's better not to be comforted. The moment someone does, the frustration only grows. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and the more cheated she felt.
What had she even been thinking back then?!
Right now, Rias wanted nothing more than to go back to yesterday and strangle that idiot version of herself.
"Are you okay?" Gabriel stepped closer, offering a handkerchief, her voice tinged with concern when she saw Rias's shaky expression.
"Thank you." Rias took it and wiped the corners of her eyes, then forced herself to calm down. "It was just a misunderstanding. I didn't actually lose anything."
In truth, she regretted it deeply.
She'd confidently accepted that so-called "marriage arrangement," only to find out she'd been reading too much into it. That alone would've been embarrassing enough. But she'd made a fool of herself in front of Akeno, Gabriel, and the others.
Someone with a weaker heart might actually wanna die after that.
And the worst part? Ryo acted like nothing had happened, joking with her in a completely normal tone, as if the whole thing hadn't mattered at all.
Seriously… am I that lacking? You can't even pretend to care a little?
She was a beauty, wasn't she?
The more Rias thought about it, the angrier she became, and the angrier she got, the more wronged she felt.
She refused to believe it.
Just a fallen angel governor. There was no way her charm wouldn't work.
...
Meanwhile, completely unaware of Rias's stubborn inner turmoil, Ryo was chatting with Michael.
"So according to you, Sirzechs will arrive in Kyoto after an hour. If that's the case, why is the three-way conference scheduled for tomorrow?"
"There are some things we need to discuss beforehand." Michael smiled as he looked at the bustling street outside.
Gabriel had set up a barrier around their seating area, so they could talk freely without being noticed. With that in place, Michael spoke more openly.
"Neither I nor Sirzechs can be sure how many within our own factions oppose the peace talks. So, just in case, it's better to settle certain important matters in advance."
"As for the formal meeting, it's mostly just for appearances."
"Fair enough. Some things aren't suitable for official discussions anyway." Ryo nodded slightly, agreeing.
When it came to negotiations between the three great factions, there were always layers of interests, bargaining, and power struggles behind the scenes.
Arguments, breakdowns, even fighting weren't unusual outcomes. But airing that kind of conflict publicly wouldn't look good.
"Let's hold the meeting tonight then," Ryo suggested seriously. "While everyone's present, we can hammer out a solution in one go. If we drag it to tomorrow, it'll turn into endless bickering."
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Michael smiled and extended his hand. "I'm glad we've reached a consensus."
"Likewise."
Ryo shook his hand, thinking to himself: Let's see if you're still this calm after hearing about God.
He already understood that the angels would suffer the most in this three-way negotiation.
The devils' general stance was to suppress the revival of the Creator God. Sirzechs and Ajuka would likely be willing to pay a price for that.
As for Ryo himself, all he needed was for the three factions to establish a foundation of peace and mutual assistance.
Once that was in place, he had plenty of ways to steer them off course and toward dominating the world together.
He had already decided to step into the spotlight and lead the three factions to crush everything in their path.
Even if that meant possibly sacrificing the Loki spirit rank he obtained from Athena to block the gaze of the Little Garden gods, as long as the risk was manageable and the benefits worthwhile, he wouldn't hesitate.
He knew exactly when to be reckless and when to be steady.
"Sirzechs will probably head to Yasaka Shrine first. Why don't we hold the meeting there?"
"Agreed."
---
Evening—
Sirzechs arrived at Yasaka Shrine, travel-worn and exhausted. Under the reception of Nurarihyon, the third-in-command of the yokai faction, he was quietly led to the meeting room.
"Man, I nearly froze to death getting here."
Entering the room, Sirzechs had a towel wrapped around his neck, wiping water droplets from his body. He spoke to Rias, who stood in the corner acting as his temporary assistant.
"Rias, get me a glass of water please."
"Here." Rias poured warm water from the dispenser and handed it to him.
"Sir, what happened?" Akeno, serving as Ryo's assistant, asked in confusion.
Sirzechs downed the cup in one gulp, exhaled, and complained like he needed to vent. "What else? I smuggled myself over from the Underworld inside a refrigerated truck."
"The situation on the devil side is that bad?" Ryo frowned from the head seat.
"Those fossils in the council are getting more and more blatant."
Sirzechs scrubbed his face with the towel, then narrowed his eyes and looked around the room.
Fallen angel governor Ryo Yagami, with assistants Azazel and Akeno.
Angel leader Michael, with Gabriel.
Plus himself and Rias.
The leaders of the three factions were all present.
With that in mind, Sirzechs walked to the only empty seat, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
"You've all heard of the Khaos Brigade, right?"
Azazel's pupils shrank slightly. Then he spoke in a low voice.
"A terrorist organization formed by the Wizards of Oz and the fallen angel Satanael."
He paused, then added, "Rumor says the leader is… that one."
"That one?" Michael frowned, puzzled.
Sirzechs gave Azazel a knowing look. He had long suspected Azazel had planted informants inside the Khaos Brigade. Then he explained, "The Infinite Dragon God — Ophis."
Silence fell instantly.
The Infinite Dragon God, Ophis.
The world's number one True Dragon. The absolute strongest.
If the top ten powerhouses in the world were divided into tiers…
Ranks six to ten would be the third tier.
Ranks three to five, the second tier.
Second place, the God of Destruction Shiva, stood alone in the first tier.
And number one, Ophis…
She was an existence beyond classification, separated from second place by an entire dimension.
That was the Infinite Dragon God.
A monster even the Creator God hesitated to confront.
As if piling on worse news, Sirzechs continued after naming Ophis.
"According to the informant I placed inside the Khaos Brigade…"
He sighed. "Ophis has explicitly stated she's coming to Kyoto. Anyone who tried to stop her… was killed."
"We don't have much time left."
.
.
.