Since the great war between the three Biblical factions, it was, in truth, the Angel faction that had suffered the most devastating losses.
On the Demon side, thanks to the current Demon King Beelzebub, the system of "Evil Pieces" had been created, allowing them to replenish their numbers through reincarnated devils.
As for the Fallen Angels, their population depended entirely on the number of Angels who fell from grace.
After the disappearance of the God of the Bible, true Angels could no longer be created. Worse still, many Angels, having lost their Lord, saw their faith collapse—and in that despair, chose to fall, becoming Fallen Angels themselves.
Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels were fundantally irreconcilable enemies. And yet, Michael now found himself forced to confront a harsh reality: if things continued this way, the Angel faction would be the first to be eliminated among the three.
To address the issue of dwindling numbers, Michael had modeled a system after Beelzebub's "Evil Pieces," constructing a new frawork based on a deck of playing cards.
The four Archangels each represented a "King" of the four suits. The remaining twelve cards of each suit could then be used to select suitable humans, transforming them into "Reincarnated Angels."
Of course, since the system for "Reincarnated Angels" had only recently been developed, it was still incomplete and lacked refinent.
Reluctant as he was to admit it, the current Seven Great Demon Lords of the Underworld were exceptionally capable. During this period of truce, the overall strength of the Devil faction had already surpassed that of Heaven's Angels.
At present, the faction most eager for peace talks was neither the Devils nor the Fallen Angels—it was the Angels.
As for Ren Kuroda, who represented the yokai faction—another major force of the Human World—Michael had no intention of letting a re Holy Sword derail the three-way summit, nor did he wish to offend a powerhouse like Ren.
In fact, Michael's descent to the human world this ti had another purpose: he hoped to win Ren over.
By a twist of fate, the three Biblical factions and the "Two Heavenly Dragons" had gathered once more after the last great war.
But the Red Dragon Emperor had beco a Pawn of the Gremory household, while the White Dragon Emperor had grown closely aligned with the Fallen Angels.
Already the weakest faction after the war, the Angels now faced an even worse situation: the overwhelmingly powerful "Two Heavenly Dragons" had each joined opposing sides.
At this point, the Angels were practically playing a losing ga.
Thus, Michael's visit to the human world served two purposes: to attend the three-way summit, and to make contact with the Kyoto yokai faction in hopes of establishing cooperation.
Ren had attempted to challenge Michael to a fight, but the Archangel maintained a gentle, refined deanor throughout, making it impossible for Ren to find an opening.
Left with no choice, Ren eventually gave up and withdrew.
Though the process had been sowhat roundabout, the Holy Swords were now in his possession. All things considered, the night had not been a waste.
The two four-winged Fallen Angel won who had been stripped by Issei's technique were sentenced to hundreds of years of confinent. As for Kokabiel, who lay there with his heart pierced, eyes wide open in death, Azazel could only sigh helplessly.
Though his relationship with Kokabiel hadn't been as close as with Barakiel, they had still fought side by side for many years. That such a comrade would die here was sothing Azazel had never anticipated.
While he felt a trace of regret over Kokabiel's death, Azazel not only couldn't seek revenge—he even had to apologize to the other factions for Kokabiel's actions.
Stealing the Church's Holy Swords, plotting to kill Rias and Ren, and then intending to fra the Angel faction…
That series of moves had managed to offend Angels, Devils, and yokai alike. Even if it had all been Kokabiel's personal doing, he was still a high-ranking Fallen Angel officer.
Walking ho with several Holy Swords in hand, Ren felt that tonight's harvest had been quite satisfying. Not only had he enjoyed a rather… generous visual feast, but he had also secured the sacred gear materials needed for his system upgrade.
He should have been in high spirits.
But the mont he glanced behind him and saw the large crowd trailing after him, his mood instantly soured.
"The situation's already resolved, and it's getting late. Why are all of you still following instead of heading ho?"
At first, when they had left together, Ren assud that Azazel and Michael were simply heading in the sa direction. After all, his residence was near Kuoh Academy—they might have been going there.
But after several turns, it beca obvious that his route had already diverged from the direction of the academy… and yet, they were still following him.
That's when Ren realized—they weren't just coincidentally heading the sa way. They were deliberately tailing him.
"Lady Yasaka, the supre commander of the Kyoto yokai, arrived here a few days ago. She should currently be staying with you, correct?"
Azazel spoke calmly, offering a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"As witnesses to the three-way peace talks, there are matters we must discuss with her directly."
Michael nodded repeatedly beside him, affirming the statent.
Ren let out a quiet sigh, then shifted his gaze to the others.
"And what about you lot? If I rember correctly, you're just young pure-blood Devils and low-ranking reincarnated Devils, right?
"The big shots are heading over to discuss important matters—what exactly are you tagging along for?"
Yasaka had ntioned the three-way summit to him before, saying it would be beneficial for the Kyoto yokai as well. And indeed, Azazel and Michael had perfectly valid reasons to et her.
But Rias, Issei, and the rest of the group trailing behind? That part, Ren simply couldn't understand.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to host them.
The problem was… his household situation was, frankly, complicated.
There were far too many beast-eared maids—and for reasons that were painfully obvious, they tended to dress rather… provocatively around him.
Azazel and Michael were one thing. Those old guys had seen it all, and as leaders of their respective factions, they'd probably experienced far more outrageous things.
But Rias and Issei were still students at Kuoh Academy. And Ren himself was, technically, a teacher.
If they saw those scantily clad beast-eared maids and started spreading rumors at school about him having… certain tastes, what then?
"We can't let Angels and Fallen Angels take the lead alone. As Devils, we naturally can't fall behind."
Rias spoke with a composed smile.
"My brother is currently occupied with other matters, so he has temporarily authorized to participate in these discussions."
She had contacted Sirzechs earlier, but he seed tied up with sothing else, and had entrusted her to attend in his stead.
Issei coughed lightly, puffing out his chest.
"I heard the yokai commander is a total beauty—and, uh, has an incredible figure…! Ahem! As President Rias's Pawn, it's my duty to ensure her safety. I, Hyoudou Issei, will not back down!"
Akeno and Koneko exchanged a glance before speaking in unison:
"We're just curious about Sensei Ren's residence. Also… we heard you keep a young girl there?"
Ren and Xenovia added their own reason without hesitation:
"We'd like to see the place where you train your swordsmanship."
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