The moment Gabriel dragged Arthur through the giant gates of Zebel, the scenery changed again.
The group stepped onto a wide, polished pathway and froze.
Before them stretched a breathtaking city on top of the clouds.
Every structure, from the towering spires to the elegant bridges connecting them, seemed crafted from silver that reflected the golden light of Heaven, and rivers of light flowed between the buildings.
"Whoa."
Valerie and Jeanne whispered, their eyes wide.
Lavinia's gaze softened as she observed the skyline.
"It's… beautiful."
Even Siegfried couldn't hide his awe.
"So this is the Sixth Heaven."
Heracles whistled low.
"Alright… yeah. This beats the first few floors."
Arthur stood still for a moment, taking it all in.
(This is what I imagined the Silver City from the Sandman would look like.)
Gabriel suddenly spread her twelve wings wide, her smile radiant as she turned toward them, gesturing to the entire city.
"Welcome to Zebel! The home of the Four Great Seraphs!"
She said happily, her voice echoing lightly across the plaza.
Gabriel clasped her hands together.
"Come, come! I want to show you everything!"
Before Arthur could protest, she grabbed his wrist again and began pulling him forward.
"Gabby, wai-!"
The others followed quickly.
As they moved through the city, Gabriel eagerly explained everything she could think of.
"Did you know, Zebel used to be even more lively? Long ago, there were five Seraphs instead of four, and many more angels lived here."
She said, her tone turning a bit nostalgic.
"But after the War in Heaven… everything changed."
Arthur glanced at her.
"Lucifer's rebellion?"
Gabriel nodded sadly.
"Yes."
They passed through a wide plaza filled with hundreds of statues of angels, each one carved with incredible detail.
"Now, the whole region has become quieter. But despite being the only four Angels left living here now, we still take care of it. It's our home, after all."
Gabriel continued, smiling again.
Arthur watched her as she spoke.
(She really loves this place…)
Soon, Gabriel led them down a quieter path, away from the central structures.
"Huh? Where are we going now?"
Heracles muttered.
Gabriel stopped in front of a small, humble house.
Compared to the grand city, it was simple, cozy, and surrounded by a wide garden filled with all kinds of flowers, with sunflowers standing tall among them.
Arthur blinked.
"Is this your place?"
Gabriel nodded happily.
"Yup!"
She pulled Arthur closer, almost dragging him into the garden.
"Look! I take care of these myself!"
As Gabriel excitedly showed Arthur her work, the others exchanged glances.
"She's really focused on Arthur."
Valerie whispered.
Lavinia nodded slightly.
"More than usual."
Arthur noticed it too.
(Gabby's more excited than yesterday. It's like she's trying to impress me or something.)
He glanced at her as she pointed out each flower with enthusiasm.
(But she's happy, so I guess I'll just let her do her thing.)
So he said nothing.
After a brief tour, Gabriel clapped her hands together.
"Alright! Now for the main event!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Main event?"
"You'll see!"
She grabbed him again.
They made their way toward the center of the city.
"We're here. This here is Big Brother's residence."
Gabriel explained.
At the very heart of Zebel stood a massive structure, far grander than anything else.
The enormous doors opened slowly as they approached.
Inside was a large, elegant chamber, and soon enough, they reached the meeting room of the Four Seraphs.
Gabriel giggled suddenly, her excitement barely contained.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Why do I feel like something's about to happen?"
"Get ready, everybody."
Gabriel said with a bright smile.
The doors fully opened and all of a sudden...
Arthur's instincts screamed.
Arthur grabbed Heracles by the shoulder and yanked him in front of him.
*BOOM!*
A confetti blast exploded point-blank.
Heracles took the full impact, his whole figure covered head to toe with confetti.
The room filled with colorful paper as Lavinia, Valerie, Jeanne, and Siegfried froze in shock.
"What just happened?"
Valerie whispered.
Arthur peeked from behind Heracles.
Standing at the center of the room was a blond-haired, green-eyed young man in exorcist robes, holding a massive confetti cannon with a stupidly wide grin.
"No fucking way."
Arthur muttered.
It was Dulio Gesualdo.
"I'M BACK, LADIES AND GENTS! MISS ME?!"
Dulio yelled proudly.
Gabriel burst out laughing.
"Surprise! Dulio wanted to greet you like this, so I agreed."
She added happily.
Heracles slowly opened his eyes, wiping away the confetti from his eyelids and mouth.
"Why can I taste colors?"
He muttered, coughing slightly.
Arthur stepped out from behind him and dusted off his hoodie.
"Sorry, Herc. I didn't wanna cover my favorite hoodie with confetti."
Heracles blinked once, then looked at Dulio.
A second passed, then his face lit up.
"DULIO!"
"HERACLES!"
They immediately walked up to each other and did a quick high five.
"What's good, man?"
Dulio grinned.
"Alive and kicking. You?"
"Same! Been busy toughing up the newbies and kicking ass when I get the chance!"
"Yeah? Still getting into trouble?"
"Always."
They laughed as if nothing had happened.
The girls stared, confused at the situation.
Valerie blinked.
"He forgave him? Just like that?"
Lavinia tilted her head slightly.
"That was quick."
Jeanne nodded.
"I thought they were gonna fight for a second."
Siegfried shrugged casually.
"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't get it, ladies."
Arthur stepped forward, brushing a few stray pieces of confetti off his shoulder as he approached Dulio.
"So you're really back."
Arthur said, raising an eyebrow.
Dulio grinned widely.
"What, missed me already?"
Arthur gave him a flat look.
"…No."
Dulio placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Ouch. How can you say that to your favorite senior?"
Arthur stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
"Since when did you become a favorite of mine?"
"Since right now."
Dulio replied instantly.
Arthur sighed and crossed his arms.
"When did you even get back from your mission?"
"Last night. But I came straight to Heaven instead of Avalon."
Dulio answered casually.
"Arthur."
A calm, authoritative voice cut through the room.
Everyone turned, and Michael stood there with his golden wings faintly glowing behind him.
"Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming here."
Michael said with a gentle smile.
Gabriel beamed.
"Big Brother!"
Arthur nodded respectfully.
"Michael."
Michael's gaze shifted briefly to Dulio and the confetti still scattered across the floor.
"Dulio."
Dulio scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Heh… sorry."
Michael sighed lightly, though there was a faint hint of amusement in his expression.
"Please... refrain from such stunts inside this room."
"Got it."
Dulio said, raising a hand casually.
Arthur shook his head slightly before looking back at Michael.
"So… why call me here again?"
Michael gestured toward the table.
"Please. Sit. This will take some time to explain."
...
Moments later, everyone was seated around the large meeting table.
Michael sat at the center, Gabriel sat near him, while Dulio leaned back in his chair, far too relaxed for the situation.
Arthur sat across from Michael, with Lavinia and Valerie beside him, while Heracles, Jeanne, and Siegfried took the remaining seats.
Then Michael spoke.
"Tell me, is any one of you children familiar with Cocytus?"
Lavinia raised her hand slightly.
Michael nodded.
"Go ahead."
Lavinia straightened slightly as she spoke.
"Cocytus, also known as the Ice Hell, is the deepest region of the Underworld, directly connected to the Realm of the Dead. It serves as a prison for the most dangerous and powerful entities and for rare, extremely dangerous creatures. Those who committed the gravest sins or acts of ultimate betrayal are bound there eternally."
Michael nodded approvingly.
"Correct."
Arthur leaned back slightly, already sensing where this was going.
Michael continued, his tone turning more serious.
"Recently, I was contacted by the ruler of the Realm of the Dead, Hades, who asked for our aid on a particular subject relating to Heaven."
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
(Hades… asking for help? That doesn't happen.)
Heracles leaned forward slightly, confused.
"Hades, huh…"
He rested his chin on his hand.
"…So what does the most reasonable out of the Big Three Greeks want help with?"
Dulio answered this time, his tone more serious.
"A few days ago, Hades discovered that someone had infiltrated Cocytus."
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
"…And?"
Dulio looked at Arthur and continued.
"They broke in and stole one of its prisoners."
Silence.
Michael's voice cut through it.
"That prisoner…"
He paused.
"…is Samael."
The room froze.
Valerie was confused.
"Samael?"
Jeanne's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
Siegfried's expression darkened.
"Crap... It had to be the Dragon Eater."
Gabriel lowered her gaze slightly, sadness flickering across her face.
Arthur went completely still; his mind moved rapidly.
(Samael… If he's free, then no dragon is safe.)
Inside his mind, Ddraig spoke, his tone serious.
(You're right to be concerned. I heard that that... thing's.. poison is so cursed that even Dragon Gods aren't immune.)
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
(But who the hell wants that monster out of Cocytus?)
Ddraig continued.
(The real question is… how did he escape without Hades noticing?)
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
"Michael, how did this happen? And who was responsible?"
Michael looked at him and exhaled softly.
"We don't know... But Hades reported faint residual energy at the site. After careful investigation…"
He paused slightly.
"…the energy was identified as Holy in nature."
Arthur frowned.
"Holy?"
Dulio leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.
"More specifically, Fallen Angel."
The room grew even heavier.
Before anyone could speak, Michael continued.
"I have already contacted Azazel regarding this matter."
Arthur's eyes flickered slightly.
Michael's expression hardened just a bit.
"It appears there is a traitor within Grigori who has their own agendas."
"That can't be good."
Lavinia muttered under her breath.
"Now that's an understatement."
Heracles crossed his arms.
"The traitor didn't just infiltrate Cocytus; they also stole several important assets from Grigori. They copied Azazel's research on Artificial Sacred Gears."
Dulio added.
"Artificial Sacred Gears?"
Jeanne's eyes widened.
"Also, they abducted all the students in Nephilim."
Dulio continued,
Valerie blinked.
"All of them?"
"Yes. Every single one. And all of them are Sacred Gear users."
Dulio said grimly.
Silence fell again.
Gabriel slowly turned her head toward Arthur.
"Arthur, what do you think of this matter?"
Arthur didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the table, his expression unreadable.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Last night, after everyone left… Azazel stayed behind."
All eyes turned to him.
Michael raised an eyebrow.
Arthur continued.
"He told me about the traitor named Satanael, a former Cadre of the Grigori who shared Azazel's fascination with Sacred Gears, but maybe a bit too much to the point of obsession. He defected Grigori just a year ago."
Arthur leaned back slightly.
"Azazel then added that before Satanael disappeared, he had stolen two key items. The first is the Holy Demon Sword, Arondight."
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
"And the second…"
He paused briefly.
"…is a Sacred Gear Extractor."
The room went completely silent.
Even Michael closed his eyes briefly.
Arthur continued.
"When I asked him why he told me this info, Azazel asked me if I could retrieve those items, rescue the Mephilim students, and capture Satanael."
He looked at Michael directly, his tone remained calm.
"And in return, Grigori will form an alliance with the Counter Corps and share their research on Artificial Sacred Gears."
No one spoke.
Then Michael released a long, tired sigh.
"…Azazel, you cunning fox."
He muttered quietly.
Michael's gaze remained on Arthur for a moment after the explanation.
"So, what is your response?"
Arthur leaned back slightly in his chair, crossing one leg over the other.
"I told Azazel I'll think about it after the situation is resolved."
Michael nodded once.
"Reasonable."
Then Michael shifted his attention slightly.
"Very well. We will revisit that matter at a later date. But now… onto the second topic."
Michael turned his head to Dulio, who just blinked at the Archangel's gaze.
"Huh? Are you pointing to me?"
Dulio slowly pointed at himself.
"Yes."
Michael confirmed.
Dulio shrugged.
"Okey dokey then."
He stood up casually, rolling his shoulders, and cleared his throat.
Arthur leaned forward slightly.
"This already feels like it's going to be a headache."
Dulio ignored him and clapped his hands once.
"So during my one-year mission…"
He paced slightly.
"I was searching for clues on Gilgamesh's whereabouts."
Arthur's expression sharpened immediately.
"…And?"
Dulio sighed dramatically.
"Dead ends. A lot of them. Every time I got close, the trail just… vanished."
Jeanne frowned slightly.
"Vanished how?"
Dulio shrugged.
"Like that annoying asshole keeps deliberately erasing his trail. I did manage to capture one of his fanatical minions a handful of times."
Heracles leaned forward.
"Oh?"
Dulio nodded.
"Yeah. The problem is they game-ended themselves before I could interrogate them properly."
Valerie's expression tightened slightly.
"That's disturbing."
Dulio exhaled.
"Yeah, well. But not before they said one thing."
Dulio's tone became more serious.
"They keep telling me 'My King sends his regards.'"
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
The room went quiet.
Jeanne frowned.
"That sounds personal."
Heracles scratched his cheek.
"More like annoying."
Dulio rubbed the back of his neck.
"Trust me, it was."
He sighed.
"Anyway, recently I got another clue. I managed to stealthily overhear a conversation between some of his followers. But unfortunately, I didn't get everything clearly."
He pointed upward slightly as if recalling it.
"But managed to hear them say something like 'Our King gets to enjoy authentic sushi and watch the cherry blossoms bloom.'"
A pause.
Arthur blinked.
"Is Gilgamesh... in Japan?"
Dulio snapped his fingers.
"Bingo! Arthur wins!"
Arthur leaned back slightly, expression turning thoughtful.
(This is no coincidence anymore. First, the Heavenly Of Aloha Incident… now Gilgamesh possibly in Japan?)
He exhaled slowly.
(Please don't tell me these are connected. Otherwise, this mission is gonna be more complicated.)
Dulio stretched his arms.
"So yeah, that's my report."
Then he grinned.
"And guess what that means."
Arthur glanced at him.
"We're going to Japan?"
Dulio pointed at him dramatically.
"Exactly!"
He suddenly pumped his fist.
"ULTIMATE JAPANESE GROUP TOUR, BABY! YEAH!"
Everyone went quiet.
Then Heracles stood up immediately and yelled.
"ULTIMATE JAPANESE GROUP TOUR, BABY!"
"YEAH!!"x2
Dulio and Heracles cheered, and their gaze landed on Arthur.
Arthur looked at the two idiots, sighed loudly, and stood up as well.
"…Fine."
He cracked a faint smile.
"ULTIMATE JAPANESE GROUP TOUR, BABY!"
"YEAH!!!"x3
The trio cheered.
Jeanne slowly turned to Siegfried.
"Are they serious right now?"
Siegfried crossed his arms.
"Yes. Yes, they are."
Jeanne pointed at the three of them.
"Then it's a good thing you didn't join them."
Siegfried opened his mouth, paused, then clicked his tongue.
"Are you serious, right now? I'm not gonna join these three stooges just because they start cheering and shit."
From across the table, Heracles immediately shouted.
"SIEG, IF YOU'RE NOT JOINING US YOU'RE GAY!"
Siegfried froze like a statue.
Jeanne narrowed her eyes at Siegfried.
"Don't you even dare..."
Siegfried looked at Jeanne, then at the boys, and he slowly stood up.
"ULTIMATE JAPANESE GROUP TOUR, BABY!"
The four boys raised their fists in the air in unison.
"YEAH!!!"x4
The three girls stared at them in complete silence.
Valerie blinked once.
"Are guys always like this?"
Lavinia sighed softly.
"They're men. They're always like this."
Jeanne rubbed her temples.
"I need a vacation."
Gabriel, meanwhile, clapped her hands happily.
"I'm glad everyone is excited!"
She said brightly.
Michael exhaled slowly, then shook his head and muttered.
"…Children."
But despite himself, a faint smile tugged at his expression.
DxD
Hello readers!
I apologize for missing the second upload.
I was visited by something I would like to call... Unexpected College Projects With Ridiculously Close Deadlines.
The good news is that with the power of all-nighters, countless cups of coffee, and praying to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I managed to finish them on time.
Otherwise, my teacher will serve my burnt and shredded butt on a silver platter and deliver it to my parents, where they will instantly crucify me on the spot.
The bad news is that my wallet got g*ngb*ng*d by multiple projects at once and, in the aftermath, left me with only a handful of change.
But now at least I've got a little bit of breathing room, so in the next upload, I'll try to upload two chapters as an apology.
Thank you, everyone, and see you later!