"Is that all? That man nearly destroyed this entire city," Serafall Leviathan, one of the Satans, growled, her voice laced with discontent.
Her anger stemmed from the fact that her younger sister had been caught in the crossfire and nearly killed.
Azazel shrugged helplessly.
"He is currently imprisoned in the deepest depths of Hell, subjected to an eternal sentence of cryogenic freezing. He won't be causing any more trouble. Haven't these details already been compiled into a report and sent to your archives?"
Michael, the Archangel, sighed.
"That's just like you, Azazel. Such a dismissive explanation. But what I want to know is whether your personal desire to avoid further conflict is genuine."
"Of course, I have no interest in war. Kokabiel often criticized me for this pacifistic stance. Haven't you all known this for a long time?"
Azazel's words brought a measure of relief to Sirzechs and the others.
Badr found the Fallen Angel leader's attitude rather peculiar.
The Fallen Angel faction was undoubtedly an organization rife with chaos and debauchery. Since their fall from Heaven, they had made no effort to conceal their desires, exceeding even the Devils in their indulgence.
Yet, the leader of this organization seemed remarkably laid-back...
Sirzechs suddenly spoke. "I have a question, Azazel. Why have you been gathering Sacred Gear wielders for the past few decades?"
"Indeed. I initially assumed you were attempting to bolster your forces, possibly to wage war against Heaven or the Underworld. I was quite concerned when I learned you had acquired the [White Dragon Emperor]."
The White Dragon Emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons, joining the Fallen Angel faction had indeed caused a great deal of anxiety for both Heaven and the Devils. They had remained vigilant for a long time, only to find that the Fallen Angels made no aggressive moves.
Azazel chuckled wryly.
"I was merely collecting them for research purposes. Can't we long-lived monsters have hobbies? If you're worried, I can share some of my research data with you."
The Fallen Angel Governor General seemed genuinely aggrieved.
"I never intended to start a war with them. Times have changed. I've lost interest in war long ago. I'm quite content with the current state of the world and have no intention of interfering in human politics. Honestly, it seems my credibility is the worst among the three factions."
"It is, actually."
"Indeed!"
Both Michael and the two Satan nodded in agreement.
Badr couldn't help but find the situation amusing. Azazel lacked their trust...
Azazel was rendered speechless, cleaning his ear with a bored expression.
"Tch... So you're all just as troublesome as God and the previous Lucifer. Fine, I understand. Let's establish this peace treaty then. That was your intention all along, wasn't it? I agree!"
His acquiescence brought immense relief to everyone present.
They had initially anticipated the Fallen Angels to be the biggest obstacle, expecting them to be unwilling to accept peace so easily.
After all, Kokabiel was a Fallen Angel. Who could be certain that he wasn't acting under Azazel's orders, perhaps with some ulterior motive in mind?
Now it seemed Azazel had been telling the truth...
With all three factions in agreement, the peace treaty was officially decided.
The next step would be for the leaders of the three factions to sign the contract.
Badr watched their actions, but his mind remained on high alert.
He couldn't shake the feeling that this meeting wouldn't end so smoothly.
This feeling was inexplicable at first, but he gradually became aware of its source, it seemed to be coming from his Sacred Gear, the King Sword and Shield.
It was as if the Sacred Gear was constantly on guard against something...
Badr trusted his Sacred Gear implicitly, so he maintained his vigilance.
Come to think of it, even though this meeting was held in complete secrecy, it was impossible for such major events to occur without any rumors spreading, right?
If some information had been leaked due to negligence, there would undoubtedly be individuals like Kokabiel who opposed peace and would try to disrupt it.
If there were to be any unexpected incidents, now would be the time for those individuals to make their move!
He calmly surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping over the Satans, the Archangel, and the Fallen Angel Governor General engaged in their discussion. Everyone seemed to be acting normally.
Then, Badr's eyes fell upon the angel accompanying Michael and the young man with Azazel, Vali, the White Dragon Emperor.
As if sensing his gaze, Vali, perhaps due to his instincts as a powerful being, lifted his head and looked at Badr.
Their eyes met, and Vali offered a faint smile.
Badr nodded in return, a sense of unease stirring within him.
It was too calm.
Was he simply being paranoid?
At the meeting table, the leaders of the three factions extended their hands towards a special contract. Once they imprinted their Sacred and demonic power signatures upon it, the treaty would take effect.
But at that very moment, a sudden surge of strange power swept through the room. The space around them cracked like a shattered mirror!
Space itself was breaking apart!
Badr, who had remained vigilant, instantly activated his fused holy-demonic power. King Shield appeared in a flash, emitting a golden light that enveloped everyone present.
-Aegis of the King!!
...
Within the fractured space, a colossal black city, seemingly endless in its expanse, materialized.
Badr, controlling King Shield, instantly entered the [Breakdown] state, activating the [Endless Dusk City] while simultaneously unleashing King Shield's ultimate defensive technique, Aegis of the King.
It was an area-of-effect [Stasis] ability that rendered all those within its golden light immune to any changes in their state.
[Aegis of the King] and [King's Judgment] were the ultimate techniques of King Shield and King Sword, respectively, both requiring the activation of the [Endless Dusk City] to be used.
The last time Badr had used this forbidden technique, he had been in a [Promoted] state.
But now, having achieved Balance Breaker, he could activate it in his base form without needing to [Promote].
Balance Breaker had significantly boosted his power.
By now, those under Badr's protection had also realized what was happening.
"A terrorist attack, perhaps..." Michael frowned slightly.
"Heh, as expected of the Sacred Gear wielder who piqued my curiosity. Your reaction speed is remarkable," Azazel commented, marveling at the power of King Shield.
In contrast to his calm demeanor, Rias and the others were filled with fear.
Space had shattered, and the entire old school building was now caught in a chaotic void of spatial turbulence!
If Badr hadn't acted in time to protect them, those with weaker powers like Asia might have perished along with the collapsing space.
"Well done."
Sirzechs nodded to Badr in approval.
Even he hadn't reacted quickly enough to protect those around him. The spatial collapse had been too sudden.
Badr remained silent. He had simply been maintaining his vigilance.
The unusual reaction of King Sword and Shield had not been unfounded. It had sensed the anomaly in the surrounding space beforehand.
Thankfully, he had noticed the subtle change. Had he been careless and ignored the faint warning, Koneko, Asia, and the others might not have survived.
"What's happening?" Asia and the others looked outside warily.
The entire building was engulfed in spatial turbulence. Only the barrier erected by the leaders of the three factions prevented it from being torn apart.
Badr deactivated [Aegis of the King]. While powerful, the technique consumed a considerable amount of energy. Without [Promotion], his demonic power couldn't sustain it for long.
"We're under attack. The enemy likely intends to trap us in a separate dimension and eliminate us," Serafall Leviathan explained.
Azazel chuckled.
"In every era, whenever factions are about to sign an agreement, there are always those who oppose it and attempt to interfere."
He was right. It was exactly as Badr had feared.
The three factions were on the verge of signing a peace treaty, but there were bound to be many who opposed this outcome. Those individuals would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to disrupt the proceedings.
...
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Chapter 111: Peace Conference Under Siege
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...
This explained the unusual reaction from the King Sword and Shield earlier. Badr quickly connected the dots and pieced together the series of events.
By now, the dimensional turbulence seemed to have subsided. Badr and the others had been transported to a different dimension.
He observed the desolate landscape outside. The sky appeared to lack even an atmosphere, offering a direct view of the cosmos.
"What a crude dimension" Badr commented calmly. "A battlefield thrown together after learning about the meeting between the three factions."
The leaders present narrowed their eyes at Badr's words.
None of them were fools. They understood the implication.
There was a traitor among them.
Yes, that was the only logical explanation. The traitor had leaked information about the meeting, allowing the enemy to pinpoint their secret location...
Was their goal to prevent the peace treaty?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rocked the protective barrier as someone outside attacked it.
Everyone turned towards the window. Numerous figures were teleporting into the dimension.
They were clad in black robes, resembling mages, relentlessly bombarding the barrier with magic attacks.
Azazel approached the window, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he observed the figures outside.
"Those appear to be the so-called magic users, wouldn't you say? Those tricks they call magic are a unique school of thought derived from the legendary mage, Merlin Ambrosius, who interpreted and restructured the demonic power system."
"They're not weak. Based on their attack intensity, each one possesses the power level of a mid-class devil."
Michael's words caused Rias and the others' expressions to change.
Currently, Koneko Toujou, Asia Argento, and the others were only at the mid-class devil level in terms of demonic power. Only Akeno Himejima, Rias, and Sona Sitri possessed the power of high-class devils.
Of course, Badr and Xenovia's strength surpassed their demonic power rankings.
And now, their enemies continued to pour in, their numbers exceeding three hundred!
"They're certainly sparing no expense."
Azazel chuckled and with a flick of his wrist, unleashed a volley of light spears.
Instantly, a large swathe of magic users in the distance fell, their bodies obliterated by the light spears, scattering blood and gore in a sickening display.
Despite the sudden loss of over a hundred enemies, the sky above the dimension continued to shimmer with teleportation magic. It seemed like an endless wave of magic users, relentlessly teleporting into the dimension.
The concentration of demonic power in the atmosphere steadily increased.
"Prolonging this could become problematic. They're clearly planning to destroy this dimension and amplify the destructive power by continuously pouring in demonic energy. Even Maous wouldn't be able to withstand that," Sirzechs said with a smile, surprisingly calm considering the circumstances.
However, with Badr present, this tactic was easily countered.
Suspecting a traitor among them, Badr remained silent, calmly observing the magic users' frantic assault on the barrier.
After all, it was a barrier maintained by two Maous, a Governor General of the Fallen Angels, and a Seraph. There was no need to worry about it being breached by these mid-class devil level magic users.
The mastermind behind this would surely realize that and reveal themselves soon.
Compared to his earlier vigilance, Badr felt more relaxed now.
Hidden enemies were the most concerning. Now that they had shown themselves, he no longer needed to be constantly on guard.
Whatever their next move, he would be ready to counter it.
...
As time ticked by, the magic users continued to channel energy into the dimension.
A massive magic circle gradually formed in the previously empty sky, pulsating with terrifying power.
"Heh, the legendary Extinction Magic, said to rival the power of a God with a full-powered attack, combined with the destructive force of dimensional collapse. They're truly pulling out all the stops to deal with us," Azazel said, gazing at the magic circle in the sky, recognizing its origin.
"We can't play into their hands. We need to take the initiative," Michael said calmly.
"Let's find a way to disrupt their teleportation circle first. Otherwise, we'll never be able to eliminate these endless hordes of small fry."
Sirzechs and Michael simultaneously reinforced the protective barrier, their expressions grim as they observed the ominous Extinction Magic circle in the sky.
"If Michael and I combine our powers, we should be able to withstand that attack and protect everyone," Sirzechs stated seriously.
He was incredibly powerful, but the enemy's plan was clearly targeted.
With Rias and the others present, Sirzechs had to protect his younger sister. In this situation, self-preservation was easy, but protecting the weaker members was a challenge.
"Alright, we'll leave the protection to you two. I'll go deal with the mastermind," Azazel declared with a confident grin, his fearless demeanor exuding authority.
"Lucifer-sama, please allow me to handle the teleportation circle," Rias stepped forward, volunteering for the task.
"Heh, that's just like you. Go then. I'll have Grayfia clear a path for you."
"Yes!"
Rias accepted the order, and Akeno Himejima, Badr, and the other peerage members all stepped forward.
As Rias servants, her will was their guiding principle. They would naturally follow her lead.
Grayfia stepped forward calmly, approaching the edge of the protective barrier. An immense surge of demonic power emanated from her.
