For Kiyoshi, a short vacation ended in the blink of an eye. During the rest, he, accompanied by his cats and one dragon, enjoyed the hospitality of Okinawa. The sun, the sea, the beach for a whole week delighted the Zankoku family. Afterwards, they went to Tokyo, where he and his wives went on a separate trip, while Ophis and Kumiko visited an anime exhibition. Kiyoshi was very surprised by Ophis's story about an unexpected meeting, but he laughed heartily at the moment with the intimidation of the Demon Lord. He was not worried about Leviathan — family is too important to her, at least her sister.
After the noisy city, the group headed to the mountains. Several days were spent visiting the Eastern faction of the youkai, where some of the best hot springs in Japan were located. The village of nekomata was also not deprived of attention. Magari happily welcomed guests to her settlement. The presence of Ophis was not a problem, because the leaders of the yokai and Shinto knew the connection between them. It was not beneficial for the Gods themselves to reveal this secret, so they would remain silent, and no one had canceled the wrath of the dragon God.
Returning to Kuoh, the half-demon began to prepare for the opening of his club. All preparations were coming to an end, only the final touches remained, which were completed in two days.
Many people were impatiently awaiting this day. Rumors about a new place of entertainment had long been circulating around the city. Especially among them stood out the rumor that the owners of the establishment were yakuza, warming up people's interest.
Young people happily came to the opening of one of the most popular nightclubs in the country. Even the huge queue did not frighten people. On the contrary, it proved that this was not an ordinary place, but some kind of elite establishment.
Kiyoshi and Shinichi watched the merry crowd from the second floor of the club, where the VIP areas were located, for influential or rich people. There was a satisfied smile on the guys' faces.
At one point, Zankoku felt a powerful being enter the building. The unknown person did not try to hide, allowing himself to be noticed by anyone connected with the supernatural world. In Japan, everyone knows who the owner of this chain of clubs is, which means the guest wants to talk.
— Be ready, — the blond addressed his deputy. — And in the meantime, I'll go talk to our guest.
After waiting a little while for his people to prepare for the unexpected, the blond went down to the unusual guest. During the time that had passed, he had settled in the corner of the room at one of the separate tables. Coming closer, Kiyoshi watched as a man of about thirty years old with dyed blond bangs talked with one of the enterprising girls who like to drink at someone else's expense.
— Go for a walk for now. I have something to talk to him about, — the half-demon said, approaching the table.
The lady turned around and wanted to send the speaker away, but seeing who it was, she suddenly changed her mind:
— Of course, — the girl stood up. With visible fear, she took her purse, looking at Kiyoshi's figure. — Then I won't bother you.
— Well, there you go, you've deprived me of wonderful company, — the man was indignant.
— It's okay, — Zankoku waved his hand, sitting down opposite him. — You'll find a dozen more like him here.
The men were silent for a while until alcohol and two glasses were brought to their table. Having poured a full glass for each, the half-demon pushed one to his interlocutor, and sipped the second himself.
— To what do I owe the visit of the Governor of the Fallen himself, Azazel? — asked Kiyoshi, not taking his eyes off him.
— Do you really need a reason to visit such a beautiful place after work? — Azazel smiled carefreely.
— I'm glad you like it here, but let's not play games, — the young man leaned back in his seat, stopping glaring at the man. — I will never believe that the leader of the fallen would appear in the territory of the demons. Especially the sisters of these crazy Lords, — Azazel chuckled at Zankoku's comment. — This could result in another war. I don't think you want that.
— Ha-ha-ha, that's right. I'm not interested in war, — the fallen agreed. — I'd rather spend time in the lab or some similar place in the company of beautiful girls.
— I have no doubt about the latter. After all, you "fell" because of this.
The man only laughed at Kiyoshi's dry words:
—Aha-ha, you can't argue with that, — he continued, wiping away the tears that were coming his way, — but I really am a good scientist. Only in recent years my research has been hampered by some unrest in the ranks of the fallen.
— What kind of unrest? — the blond decided to play along with his interlocutor and asked the obvious question.
— For over five years now, mysterious disappearances have been occurring in our ranks. The most amazing thing is that there are no traces left indicating who did it. Only the place of the battle and the bloody massacre, but no bodies or other clues, — Azazel continued, looking at Zankoku and not seeing any changes in his face:
— I even checked a couple of places myself, but I didn't get any results either.
— What's the point of this conversation? Do you want to complain about your hard fate?
— No. Not at all. This is what I'm getting at, — the man refilled his empty glass. — Upset by my failure, I decided to wash down my sorrows and visited the popular club "Fox Tail". Pleased with my visit, I found out more about this place. Imagine my surprise to learn that this network of nightclubs is owned by the recently notorious yakuza gang. And not just any gang, but subordinates of the leader of the Kyoto yokai. But that's not the main reason for my surprise. All the disappearances of the fallen occurred in cities where this establishment is present.
Seeing the half-demon's mocking look, Azazel continued:
— You can say that these are just coincidences, and I would even agree with you if it weren't for one interesting piece of information that I managed to obtain while studying the new leader of Hyakki Yakou, — the fallen one pretended to remember what he had read earlier. — Kiyoshi Zankoku — presumably human. Mother: Keiko Zankoku human. Died in an accident. Father unknown. Lived with his mother's parents until he was fourteen, but on his birthday he unexpectedly left his hometown. The next time he was seen was in Kyoto, surprisingly, both in normal and magical. From that moment on, he joined Hyakki Yakou, — Azazel continued speaking, tracking the boy's reaction. — As we managed to find out, he disappeared for a short time, and when he appeared, he easily took the place of the leader, killing his predecessor. Naturally, with the permission of the patron of the gang — Yasaka. After that, Hyakki Yako gradually began to expand his influence, up to complete domination of the Japanese criminal world.
— So what's unusual about that? — Kiyoshi couldn't help but comment.
— Really nothing, if you don't take into account that around the time you became a yakuza boss, the first group of fallen angels disappeared. But the most amazing thing is that I learned, completely by accident, from one of my subordinates. Not long before they disappeared, one of that group got drunk at a bar and let it slip that his stupid Boss had gotten himself and was torturing a certain half-demon. The poor guy went gray from pain and shock. After that, no one ever saw that angel or his group again.
Azazel wet his throat with alcohol. The long conversation is taking its toll, but it is not over yet:
— It's a funny coincidence that when Kiyoshi Zankoku became the new leader, his hair was white, which does not match his previous color. Although this can still be attributed to a change of image, but your recent demonstration at the Demon Rating Game showed your kinship with the Phenex clan. So the identity of the unknown reaper who became a bogeyman has become obvious to me.
After these words, an oppressive silence formed at the table. For several minutes, the silence continued until the blond broke it:
— Let's say… you were right, what next? Are you going to take revenge?
— Revenge? God forbid. Aha-ha-ha, — the fallen laughed, but there was not a shred of humor in his eyes. — Among those killed, all were from Kokabiel's faction, and they, like their leader, are all warmongers who do not want peace. Because of my decision to make peace between the Biblical factions, Kokabiel betrayed me by officially leaving the Grigori.
— Why are you telling this to me and not the demons? After all, it is obvious that he is targeting them.
— It is simple, Kiyoshi. In Kuoh, there were my subordinates, whom I have long suspected of betrayal. And since you are here, and there are familiar traces in the abandoned church, my guesses were correct, — the man moved closer and his face became serious for the first time in the entire conversation. — I am telling you this because you clearly want revenge on Kokabiel and want to kill him. Go ahead! I am not against it, quite the contrary. I will use this to my advantage. You obviously have to protect the Lords' sisters from danger, otherwise you wouldn't be allowed into this city, and my brother is eager to start a new war. Your clash is inevitable, isn't that why you're still in Kuoh?
— Yes. He won't let this opportunity pass. But I'm curious about something, — seeing the man silently asking him to continue, Zankoku asked, — Did you really come here just for this?
Azazel smiled widely upon hearing the question.
— Yes. Telling you about Kokabiel was my plan, but I also wanted to warn you, — the half-demon felt the pressure emanating from the monster that had lived for more than a millennium. — Just because you haven't touched a single fallen one other than Kokabiel's faction, I won't touch you. But as soon as you target my other brothers or sisters, I'll kill you!
Kiyoshi calmly endured Azazel's murderous intent and stood up from the table as if nothing had happened.
— I heard you. Since you brought me such good news, all your alcohol is on the house today.
— Hooray! This is just wonderful!
Before leaving, the blond warned the cheerful man:
— You shouldn't treat everyone here. The offer is only for you, Azazel.
— No problem, buddy!
***
After the visit of the Fallen Governor, Kiyoshi began to prepare for Kokabiel's attack. He summoned most of his strongest fighters from other places to Kuoh. Observers were stationed around the entire perimeter of the city. Now it was impossible to enter its territory unnoticed.
Five days later, this bore fruit. A man with a source of holy power entered Kuoh. The exorcist's affiliation with the ranks of the militant fallen was confirmed as soon as the apostate of the church decided to hide instead of warning the Gremory and Sitri of his presence.
Zankoku decided to follow him further, because just one person, even with a holy sword, would not be a big problem for the heirs of the pillars. In the opinion of the half-demon: Kokabiel is not so petty. His plan must be more grandiose and probably with his personal participation. And Kiyoshi was right — within a week, three more Excalibur owners and another priest arrived in the city. Also, on the border of the demon territory, groups of fallen angels were increasingly being spotted.
While preparations were being made to kill the Demon Lords' sisters, the girls themselves had no idea what was coming. Today, they were meeting two representatives of the church, equipped with two sacred swords.
Kiyoshi understood that there were only a few days left before the battle, so he sent Shirone back to Kyoto. At the same time, he warned Yasaka and took a squad of youkai and a group of onmyoji from five clans as reinforcements. Amaterasu and Yasaka plan to gain a good advantage over the Biblical faction.
The next day after the exorcists arrived in Kuoh, squads of fallen angels began to arrive. Observers reported to Zankoku that a group of demons accompanying the churchwomen were attacked and their excaliburs were taken away, seriously injuring everyone.
— It's time to begin our operation, — Kiyoshi informed the squad leaders. — Set up a barrier around the city. Don't let that filth leave our territory. We need to show those bastards that they shouldn't meddle in our land! Let them sit in their hell and keep their heads down. Japan belongs to the Shinto faction, not to stupid crows! Let's also show those pathetic demons our strength!
— Yeeeessss! — a chorus of voices supported him.
***
Rias Gremory's Pov
With the appearance of Issei, my life began to improve. With his help, I was able to get rid of the marriage that was forced upon me. Also, the glory of the Red Dragon Emperor increased my influence among the younger generation of demons. All I have to do is train my pawn and I will have no equal.
Ise himself is not bad. Although he is perverted and obsessed with breasts — this is not something bad. But his feelings for me are very sincere, it is especially funny to watch how he blushed during his confession. Only his dream of a harem... I should tie Issei to myself more tightly, so that he wouldn't dare think about another girl except me.
With the appearance of exorcists on my territory, things started to get worse. First, the visit of the churchwomen to the Hyoudou family home made me worry about the well—being of my servants. Then the news about the theft of the excaliburs and their trail leading to Kuoh, which is not very encouraging. And Kiba got mad because of the sacred swords in front of him. The challenge to a duel by the churchwomen did not cool my horse's ardor. He, ignoring orders, went in search of the stolen swords with the aim of destroying them.
The conversation with Sona worsened the mood even more. According to her, Shirone has not been attending school for some time. She gave the reason for her absence as a showdown between the crows and bats. This made it clear that that bastard Zankoku already knew about the situation, but didn't tell us anything. Asshole! I don't understand what Akeno saw in him. And she's constantly sad because of him after the Rating Game.
— Rias, we have a problem! — Sona exclaimed, bursting into my office.
— What happened? — Seeing that almost all of her figures had come with her friend, it was clearly an important matter. Akeno also threw off her melancholy, concentrating on the guest.
— Sanji and Hyoudou were injured when they were helping the churchwomen search for them.
— Ise! — That's why I haven't seen him today. Well, I'll give him a hard time. — Is he okay?
— Yes. — The enemies were aiming for the excaliburs, so they disappeared after receiving them, — Sona said, adjusting her glasses. — My familiar is watching them. We need to teleport to them immediately to provide first aid.
— Okay. Let's go.
Having moved, we quickly healed our servants, and at the same time had to treat the exorcists. The death of the church representatives would be too problematic for us. During the announcement of the punishment due to Issei's stupid act, a surge of energy unfolded in the direction of the academy.
— It happened on the territory of the academy, — Sitri said. — It seems our enemies are waiting for us there.
— Then let's go back, — this is a great chance. If we defeat Kokabiel, it will glorify our names. — We need to deal with them.
Once we found ourselves near the gates of the academy, we divided up the duties. Sona and her retinue will put up a barrier over the school, while I with my feathers and the church girls who followed will attack. When we reached the school playground, where the fallen angel was hanging in the sky, the city was enveloped by a barrier.
Who could it be? Judging by the faces of Kokabiel and his henchmen, it wasn't them. Then who? There's no time to think, we need to defeat this fallen one.