"Oh? Looks like I walked right into a trap. What a surprise. Let me see who came to greet me."
The Fallen Angel with savage eyes flapped his wings in the sky before landing on the ground. He looked excitedly at the four people who had already surrounded him, then began naming them one by one with an attitude that said everything was still under his control.
"Let's see. Serafall-sama, who won outstanding military achievements with ice magic during the Old Demon King War, claimed the name Leviathan among the Four Great Satans when the new era divided up power, and now handles diplomacy for the Underworld..."
Serafall, who had already gathered ice magic in her hands, froze when she heard Kokabiel praise her like that.
"Unfortunately, it's just an empty show. Merely because Shadow is called a Demon King, they panicked and stopped using the title of the Four Great Demon Kings. They really are just like the Four Great Demon Kings of ancient times, possessing the power of gods, yet not daring to call themselves gods.
No, you're not even as good as those four. At least they achieved something no other Pantheon could. Hahaha..."
The very next second, Kokabiel's tone changed, and he began mocking Serafall wildly, laughing without restraint as a twisted grin spread across his face.
"You, you..."
Serafall could only stammer, unable to say anything. She looked genuinely furious, because what Kokabiel said was indeed true.
But what else could they have done? Words could be said carelessly, but titles could not be claimed carelessly. Sharing the same title was not frightening. It was only embarrassing for the weaker side.
Would the Heavenly Dragons and Dragon Kings other than the Two Heavenly Dragons dare call themselves Dragon Gods? Back when the Heavenly Lord was alive, which other Pantheon would have dared openly claim the title of "God"?
When she went out on official business, if someone came up and asked, "Rumor has it that the Four Great Satans of the Underworld and Shadow are both called Demon Kings. I wonder which side is stronger?" how was she supposed to answer? Say the four of them were a seventy-thirty match against Shadow?
"The title of Demon King was never the basis by which we led the people of the Underworld. It was merely a relic from the era of the Old Demon Kings, something that should have been swept into the dust of history along with the Old Demon King government long ago.
We have the courage and the ability to prove that the Underworld's new government is no worse than the old one, and that the strength of us Four Great Devils is no weaker than the original Four Great Satans."
In truth, she should have started fighting immediately. The problem was that Kokabiel had mocked her like this in front of people from several other factions. If Serafall attacked without saying a word, how would people talk about it afterward? At that point, she would not even need others to advise her. She would step down from her position herself.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
Kokabiel clapped happily and looked at Serafall with a trace of admiration, though the malice on his face was completely unconcealed.
"As expected of someone in charge of diplomacy. You really do know how to talk. That's exactly why I say you're far inferior to the original Four Great Satans. Your purity is far too low. You actually have time to bother with diplomacy!"
As if he had heard a hilarious joke, Kokabiel gave a bitter smile, but his tone remained playful.
"The way to prove you're stronger than the original four Demon Kings is simple. If you have the ability, replace the sacred God like they did.
Oh, sorry. I forgot. All your achievements came from fighting a civil war. If the fusion of worlds hadn't exposed the fact that God was dead, you would still be hiding the Heavenly Lord's death to intimidate the other Pantheons. Hahaha..."
This time, Serafall was completely unable to speak. There was no helping it. In a world ruled by strength, no amount of eloquence mattered if one lacked power.
"I don't really know you. Would you mind introducing yourself?"
Kokabiel pointed at Dulio and asked with a slightly more serious tone, though the corner of his mouth curved into a strange smile.
"...Hello, Kokabiel-san. I'm Dulio Gesualdo from the Church, the Joker of Michael-sama and the others. Please explain why you attacked our team members, and also..."
Dulio did not seem surprised by Kokabiel's claim that God was dead. After a brief silence, he began speaking calmly and reasonably, but Kokabiel waved him off halfway through.
"I get it, I get it. You're that legendary Heaven Joker with a hole in his head, right? You clearly have the second strongest Longinus, yet you spend all day calling for peace. Michael must have lost his mind to make you their Joker. No, wait. With Michael's soft-hearted nature, maybe he's actually very satisfied with you."
"What's wrong with peace?"
Dulio's face darkened as he condensed a light spear in his hand.
"Isn't it better like this? Our factions don't need to fight. No battles dragging innocent civilians into them, no unnecessary killing..."
"That's why people like you, who have nothing but peace in your mouths, just like Michael, are no different from lunatics. Listen carefully."
Kokabiel waved him off in boredom, cutting him off. Then his eyes changed. He spread both arms as if embracing the sky, his voice passionate and his gaze fanatical.
"War is the eternal truth of life in this world. How long can your peace, maintained by outside pressure and a single piece of paper, possibly last? Only by destroying one side and tearing it out by the roots can you obtain a brief peace. The chains of hatred only disappear when they're cut."
"You..."
Dulio was furious at Kokabiel's twisted logic and looked ready to attack in the next instant, but another voice interrupted him.
"You're nothing but a madman. All these words are just excuses to dress up your ambition to start a war and satisfy your own desires."
"That's right. You're just a lunatic trying to destroy the hard-won peace we have now and drag all of us into the whirlpool of war. What exactly did you do to Kiba and Saji?!"
Rias and Sona Sitri cursed him one after another, then flew into the sky to face Kokabiel, loudly demanding to know where their Peerage Members were.
"Daughter of the House of Gremory, that crimson hair of yours reminds me of your brother. It disgusts me so much I almost want to vomit. But your words make me want to laugh."
Kokabiel glanced at Rias and was about to knock both of them down with a single blow, but then he seemed to remember something and withdrew his attack.
As for why he did not mention Sona Sitri, there was no need to ask. Rias could serve as a substitute for her brother, but Sona Sitri's sister was standing right there. Why would he settle for a substitute?
"Peace? Anyone else has the right to say that. You alone don't, daughter of the House of Gremory.
Do you know how many people have died because of you?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Seeing Rias's confused expression, Kokabiel's smile widened.
"What, you don't know? Then let me tell you..."
"Hey, shut your mouth..."
Kokabiel dodged Serafall's ice and continued excitedly.
"Because of that game of yours, every major faction suffered heavy losses. As retaliation, the number of Devils dying on the World Battlefield has been climbing nonstop these past few days. Hahaha..."
"What?!"
Hearing Kokabiel's words, Rias trembled violently and let out a disbelieving cry. She no longer had the attention to spare for the whereabouts of her Peerage Members. Her eyes fixed straight on Kokabiel.
"Rias-chan..."
"Is what he said true?"
Rias looked at Serafall in panic, hoping she would deny it. But Serafall only gave an awkward smile.
"Hahaha, of course it's true. There are countless ways to harm someone on the battlefield. For example... refusing to save someone, arriving just a little too late with support, treating those more badly injured than the Devils first. There are far too many methods.
Now do you understand? Your so-called peace is a pile of shit. The fighting, both in the open and in the shadows, has never stopped."
Kokabiel directed that last line at Dulio, and this time, Dulio had no way to refute him.
"And you, Vali..."
After mocking the two of them, Kokabiel pointed at Vali next.
"I..."
Before Vali could speak, Kokabiel cut him off with a look of disgust.
"We know each other well enough, so I won't waste time. You're just an orphan who lost both parents and ran to our Fallen Angels' headquarters, sucking the fatherly affection you craved from Sirzechs like a dog. The strongest White Dragon Emperor in history... Oh, sorry. I forgot what happened yesterday. You're also the first White Dragon Emperor to get beaten down with the power of Divide. Hahaha..."
After tearing into Vali's scars, Kokabiel looked toward Arthur, who was holding the Holy King Sword Collbrande.
"As for you, I have nothing to say to a piece of trash who drags his own family down, needs his little sister to protect him, and lets me use him as a pawn."
Arthur and Vali, who had been mocked over and over, raised their heads. Bone-chilling killing intent filled their eyes.
"Die."
Those two cold words made Kokabiel feel a chill no weaker than Serafall's ice, but he merely smiled in excitement.
"Then come. I've been craving a fight for a long time."
"...Sona-chan, please take care of Rias for now. Big sis is going to beat up the bad guy."
Seeing that the fight had already begun on the other side, Serafall handed the stunned Rias over to Sona Sitri. She flashed a playful smile, then turned around and instantly changed expression, charging at Kokabiel with rage written across her face.
Watching her sister's back, Sona Sitri fell silent for a moment and sighed. She was about to pull Rias down with her when Rias suddenly stopped her.
"Rias, let's deal with the others first, then help them afterward."
Seeing Rias's unwillingness, Sona Sitri tried to persuade her gently, but Rias only shook her head, her gaze fixed straight on Kokabiel.
"I want to ask him something."
"...All right. But in your current state, we can't get too close. At the very least, we can't become a burden to my sister."
After thinking for a moment, Sona Sitri agreed. They might not be able to beat Kokabiel one-on-one, but in a three-on-one fight, providing support should be manageable.
"Whoosh!"
The sky suddenly darkened, and a black shadow appeared overhead, swatting down at Rias and the others as they flew.
"Watch out!"
Although they noticed the shadow's attack in time, Rias and the others were still knocked down to the ground.
"President Rias!"
"President Sona!"
Rias and Sona Sitri climbed up from the ground. They had no time to pay attention to their teammates' concern. Their eyes locked onto the direction the attack had come from, where two figures stood.
One wore a suit and carried a large rectangular bag on his back, his whole bearing resembling that of a traditional Knight.
The other had brown hair and wore armor that looked like the hide of some creature. Each of his arms had a lizard-like launcher attached to it, and one of them had fired a long black cord. The attack that had struck Rias and the others just now had come from him.
Strange.
Cid looked at the two familiar figures with a strange expression. For some reason, he felt they should not be like this. It was like two completely mismatched colors had been mixed together.
"Saji!" "Kiba!"
Staring at the two in shock, Rias and Sona Sitri both recognized who they really were.
Hearing the voices of Rias and Sona Sitri, Yuuto Kiba's body trembled. Beside him, Genshirou Saji suddenly showed a struggling expression, then looked at Sona Sitri with joy all over his face.
"President, save me! I'm being controlled!"
"What?!"
No, something was wrong. One side was darkness flecked with white, while the other was white spirits working together to help a black soul. How could that be called control?
The more Cid thought about it, the less it made sense. He channeled Magical Power into his eyes, saw the disharmony in the two of them, and began thinking about those souls...
On the other side, without Cid's eyes, Genshirou Saji's explanation made everything click for Sona Sitri. Relief washed over her, and a smile appeared on her face before she could stop it.
"Thank goodness. That explains everything."
"Yuuto, are you also...?"
After witnessing all of this, Rias also looked toward Yuuto Kiba and murmured, unable to stop herself from making the same connection.
Feeling Rias's gaze, Yuuto Kiba's body trembled even harder.
"President, hurry! Kiba and I have temporarily broken free of the control. Catch us now and undo it. Hurry, Yuuto and I can't hold on much longer!"
"Right!"
Hearing Genshirou Saji's desperate shout, Rias and Sona Sitri still had plenty of questions, but after exchanging a glance, they moved to rush toward the two of them.
"No, wait! Be careful!"
Cid had not expected the two of them to be fooled so easily. He hurriedly pulled them back with both hands. He had already drawn so much attention today that one more time would not make much difference.
With that thought, Cid pulled them back. In the very next second, a black rope appeared where the two of them had just been standing. Even from several meters away, the force of the wind pressure was clear. If that strike had landed, Sona Sitri and Rias would have had their heads smashed open.
"Tsk. So you noticed. You were clearly hit by that attack just now, yet you still had the clarity to react. Hey, Human, what's your name? I'm interested in you."
Genshirou Saji watched the scene with great interest, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
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