I, Necromancer Chapter 13

Observing the groups of Devils, Humans and Fallen Angels from afar led me to make several discoveries.

Not only did they seem to know the area, moving according to a set map they had memorized in these apparently not so uncharted wastelands… But they also had a way to ward off the monsters.

I couldn't exactly make out what, but it just… Made the monsters avoid them. Weaker ones ran away, stronger ones just got tense and stared in their general direction.

Far stronger ones, usually High Class or Ultimate Class, would sometimes go towards them to check, only for these robed figures to do something and make these monsters run away.

Whatever they were using had some form of aura it released, which warded off any monster from trying to approach them. Gate Monsters are feral, they usually rarely show fear or terror and run away… So whatever they hold that can make even Ultimate Class cower?

It has to be something from a creature far above the Heavenly Dragon Class.

And if these fuckers are the Khaos Brigade like I suspect them to be… Then they might be holding onto something related to Ophis. But why just use it to hide within No Man's Land? What's their true reach here?

I left Rhapthorne with the sleeping Ddraig to guard over his form, and am now just flying above the clouds of the Underworld on top of the giant Hydra I made. A smaller Undead Dragon was flying below the clouds, keeping an eye on the group swiftly moving across the wastelands from afar.

Still, as we move in deeper, I start to notice some weird things. A whole lot of monsters, but no Gates. Some Superimposition Types are there, but spatial tears that are Gates for the Horde and Dungeon Types? None.

Plus… The territories claimed by certain types of monsters start disappearing. They all start mingling among each other obediently, even High Class and Ultimate Class beasts seem cowed into submission.

Something's weird is going on, and I don't like it one bit. The Khaos Brigade seems to always be one step ahead, having ways to do things no one else could.

I've taken away the Graal, which means they won't be able to use Trihexa this time… But what if something worse than Trihexa comes out of a damn Gate?

Sometimes I regret unleashing all this upon this world, but it isn't like a I fucking knew it would actually come true… Plus, better this than the damn Machine Gods.

Everyone is so damn busy doing politics and just fighting against what appears in their territories that they are just wasting time. They could use all this to train, to grow stronger, better, for what is to come.

But they don't. They just sit back, expect the Dimensional Gap to heal, and expect for the beasts of No Man's Land to just sit back and not unleash a catastrophic beast tide that none could handle unless they join hands.

I perk up when my Undead Dragon flying beneath the clouds spots a spot far ahead of the rogue group, who seem to be making a beeline for it.

A weird, massive mountain made of jagged black rock that pierced high above the cover of the clouds. High enough that even with my elevation, I have to lift my head to look at its peak, and even then I still barely see it.

It was a massive structure, clearly brought here by a Superimposition Type – By Lucifer, there are so damn many of this Type in No Man's Land – as seen by how the land around it in a certain discernible square was of a different color, and not made out of the weird jagged black rock.

Looks like obsidian, but I am not sure.

The entirety of the mountain is covered in holes. Perfectly spherical, dug into it from something large, and I spot corpses of giant house sized ants made of metal lingering around the mountain.

Some split apart, others crushed, and all covered in rust, showing that they've been left behind for a long time.

The rogue group moves closer to the mountain, then enters it through a specific tunnel dug into it. I summon the only Graal in my hands once I lose sight of them, and my eyes soon glow, peering through the jagged black stone and into the compound hidden within and dug beneath the very mountain.

An anthill turned into a base. There are hundreds of people inside, humans, Devils and Fallen Angels, all mingling about and… Herding monsters, as I can see their broken and twisted Souls.

They have an army of monsters contained within that anthill, each one obediently quivering in what must be cells, but there are also copious amounts of Souls, from previously killed monsters.

Thousands of Souls- My eyes widen as one Soul reacts at my probing, making the Sephiroth Graal flash with a near blinding milky white light.

The Graal trembles in my grasp, a fractured Soul – more damaged than all the others I've seen – using the slight connection of my prying gaze to force its way towards the Graal, then appear right above the cup overflowing with milky radiance.

The Soul is a radiant bloody-red color, flooding the air with its power despite being so crippled and damaged… As is someone roughly took a chunk of its Soul out and used it for something else.

The weird Soul does nothing for a moment, then seems to direct my gaze, a gentle probing to my eyes, directing it towards the mountain, then towards the deepest level of the compound built beneath it.

There, in the depths of the anthill, is a relatively weird Soul… One whose make I instantly recognize despite being so different.

It's an Artificial Soul, like the ones I create through the Sephiroth Graal for my Undead… But it's incomplete.

...They were already using the Sephiroth Graal when I killed Valerie to retrieve it, weren't they? No wonder she was just sleeping soundly despite the destruction Fleurdelys caused… She was likely already comatose.

My shoulders sag in realization that my burst of greed ended up destroying whatever plan these bastards were working on.

I turn my gaze to the Soul that had guided my eyes towards the Artificial one, a piece of its Soul having been used to forge this new one.

And this fractured, crippled Soul… It was the Soul of a monster. A Gate monster.

So why is it asking me to save whoever has been created with a part of its Soul?

How is it still rational… Unless Death grants their Soul relief from the effect caused by the Gates when they are released here, which makes all of them feral.

So even monsters capable of speech and feelings are sent here, huh? Though I guess I should have realized with Rhapthorne.

I gaze at the flickering Soul that very likely came from a Maou Class monster – how the Khaos Brigade felled it is something I cannot even begin to fathom – then back at the Artificial Soul at the bottom of the compound.

"Very well." I sigh out, and I feel the Soul relax and melt in gratitude, growing weaker with each passing second before I stop its collapse with the usage of the Graal. Milky white mist wraps around it, then stores it inside the Graal as I let it disperse.

With that done, I pat my foot on the scales of my gigantic Hydra. "Dive bomb the base." All nine heads release deafening roars, its colossal body lowering into a dive before flapping its wings.

My hair whip through the rushing wind as we smash through the cover of the clouds, revealing the ten other giant Jiangshi Dragons I had brought along for this massacre.

The massive mountain draws closer and closer, and the giant Hydra raises its colossal claws and aims them forward right before it smashes into the mountain side with enough force and speed to send forth a catastrophic shock-wave.

The black stone is pulverized on impact, and the entire thing is shown to be very fragile when my Hydra just smashes through layers and layers of tunnels until we reach the main chamber, having left behind a massive hole right above us.

Stone, dust and debris fill the air, shouts and screams echoing past the ruckus of the falling stones and the collapsing ceiling.

Then said shouts and screams quieten when my Hydra peeks out of the layers of smoke with all nine heads, a baleful green light glowing within its maws.

Before it spills forth as I feel it call upon its Corpse Qi and Necrotic Bile. A glowing green liquid rushes forth in enormous jets, then sets alight with blinding and twisted pale green flames that liquefy everything they touch.

Humans, Fallen Angels and Devils are turned into puddles of blood and meat slurry as my Hydra ravages the surroundings, each head having a different target.

I blink as the smoke clears away fully, revealing a… Huh, caught them while they were eating. No wonder there were so many people gathered in one place, this is basically a cafeteria. Well, it was.

My eyes flick to the other side of it, the whole building looking highly technological and made out of the very same black stone that makes up the mountain. There, towards a pair of entrance door, was one of the idiots I followed here.

The one who had used something to send the monsters running. "Lu Bu." A rush of wind, and the Devil who was trying to run away ended up getting pinned to the wall, a large halberd piercing through his chest.

I don't need him alive to question him. I can just force his Soul to answer my questions, after all.

With a mental command, I make the Undead Dragons still outside fly in a circle around the mountain, ordered to kill any who dare run away. "Kill anyone that attacks us, Lu Bu." I order my giant Undead Minion, who grunts and jumps down from the growling Hydra.

The area was filled with that sticky liquid melting everything and everyone, the Necrotic Flames burning so brightly that it stings my eyes just staring at them.

Did I just accidentally create Necrotic Napalm without meaning to?

It is likely the effect of Corpse Qi that created this change. I have so much more to research once I go back, which is nice.

Still… It's literally melting everything. This place will become unstable very fast at this rate.

Lu Bu disappears deeper into the compound, tearing through any who were rushing towards the ruckus, which is making me frown at a lack of any strong figure within this place.

Did the higher ups abandon it? Or is it just not an important site now that they have lost the Sephiroth Graal?

I fly down from my Hydra, ordering it to keep guard as I summon the Graal back in my grasp while approaching the corpse pinned to the wall. Lu Bu left his halberd here knowing that he might cause too much destruction using it in such tight spaces.

But hearing the rumbling and feeling how much the floor is shaking right now… Yeah, ain't much of a difference, big guy.

The Soul of the impaled guy soon appears above the golden cup, the white mist enveloping it and suppressing the consciousness of the Soul, "What is this place?" I ask, casting my Soul Sight around to check on how many more enemies remain.

"Research Site Number Forty-Three." The Soul drawls out, voice monotone while my eyes blow wide open at the answer.

Forty-three?! There as so many of these damn places scattered around?! Just how massive are their forces?!

"What were you researching?"

"Nothing." ...What?

"Then what is the purpose of this site?"

The Soul wobbles a few times before answering, "It was turned into a Containment Unit for Subject One."

"What is Subject One?"

"A Super Devil made through the corpses and Souls of monsters from Gates." I breathe in a sharp inhale through my nostrils at that reveal.

They do not have Koneko's hair clip, yet… Could they have found a way to replicate Super Devils through the Sephiroth Graal and empower them by using monster bodies?

Did Rizevim allow himself to get studied by the Graal so that he could create armies of Super Devils? Or did they just figure a shortcut?

I don't know, but I don't like it. Not one bit.

I knew that things were going way too fucking well…

"Was the experiment successful?"

Once more, the Soul takes a while to answer, "No. The sudden loss of the Sephiroth Graal forced the experiment to a halt." So they did have the Graal, and were actively using it…

Damn it, how much did they end up doing with it? Only two people could use it at a time, for the third Graal needed to remain with Valerie, lest she dies…

I can expect Rizevim to hold one… Perhaps his lackey held the other?

Doesn't matter, they called this an experiment, meaning that it wasn't a success. But I do not know if the other sites had any success.

If Rizevim did allow himself to get studied by the Graal, and let it be used in the creation of this Super Devil… Then I might be able to that analysis for my own Graal, and maybe apply it to myself and the others.

It could be an enormous boost in powers, which will surely be welcome. I can only get this information by scanning the body of a Super Devil, thus the Soul is useless.

Alas, so far the only available Super Devils are all enemies, and I can't really ask Ajuka and Sirzechs to let me scan them. Ajuka might let me, though…

I shake my head and turn back to the Soul, "What are you using to control and terrify monsters?" This is the most important matter that I need to focus on.

The answer I receive? It does not please me one bit.

"Monsters from Gates obey any powerful monster above the Heavenly Dragon Class." My free hand clenches into a creaking fist, but the Soul keeps going, making things work.

"And we have the blood of the Ouroboros Dragon."

I snarl and rush to his corpse, pulling it off the halberd and flip it around before searching his body. I find nothing in the pockets of his clothes or cloak, but I find a vial held by a chain wrapped around his neck.

A vial filled with some viscous black liquid that released a suffocating pressure.

The Graal lights up, trying and failing to study the blood… Because it isn't really blood. It's essence. Liquid power.

This is a piece of Ophis' corpse.

...The destruction of the Dimensional Gate killed both her and Great Red, didn't it? Blew them apart, returning them to Concepts without bodies. Without avatars to possess.

They might come back, in due time… But will it even matter by then? Will it still be them, even?

I shake my head and store the vial in my pockets. I might find a use for it later, or I'll just give it to any of my scouting monsters in the future if that fails.

How the Khaos Brigade managed to get their hands on this, I do not know… And they likely have enough to go around for all of their bases, so to keep monsters away from them.

The group this Devil was part off… It was likely sent back to either gather supplies, search for recruits, or maybe even check on any important news from the other Factions.

They can't use phones here, even with Magic, as they are too far away from any array that connects them to the network. But can they teleport to the human world from here? I believe there are only a few spots one can do so, and all the Factions have already occupied them.

Just in case, I flare my Devil Energy and deploy the Magic Circle below me, only for it to shatter, allowing me to release a breath of relief. Yeah, they can't teleport from here.

They didn't make bases in areas where they can reach Earth through Teleportation Spells. I don't know how it exactly works, though.

Then why did they set a base here…?

Lifting the Grail, I bring back the bloody Soul that asked me to save the supposed Super Devil at the bottom of the facility, "Lead me to them." I ask, and the fractured Soul gladly obeys.

I leave the Hydra behind as Lu Bu rushes back, grabs his halberd and follows after me. The facility is a maze of tunnels and hallways, with dozens upon dozens of rooms all holding monster parts, monster blood, and even corpses of all kind.

Some are room with magic circles all over the walls, meant for some kind of ritual I have no interest in as I just keep rushing through the barely lit tunnels, descending further down the base built into the anthill.

I can feel my Undead Dragons killing the ones that have tried to escape by leaving the mountain, and a quick sweep around with my Soul Sight reveals that there are no more hostiles left in the base other than the captured monsters.

Speaking of the captured monsters… I reach the massive hall where they are held. A giant chamber where they didn't really bother changing, all made of that jagged black rock with uneven ground, and just some massive jail cells made to contain the monsters.

Snarls, howl, cries and roars fill the air together with a dense stench of coppery blood and a thick killing intent that makes it hard to breathe.

Yet, despite all their animosity and hostility, the monsters don't even throw themselves at the cages to try and get at me, instead they are all retreating against the back, trying to make themselves disappear.

My gaze flicks towards the middle of the massive chamber, where a small altar lay. In it is a small pool of black, viscous liquid, enough to fill a small bottle.

So that's where the vial comes from… They likely gather a bit from here before leaving, and use the majority to keep all the monsters outside the mountain from not attacking the place.

"Kill everything." I order Lu Bu, who doesn't waste a second in tearing through the hundreds of cages and possibly the thousands of monsters held within, with some cages being stuffed full.

Once he is done, I have him remove the altar so I can store it inside my Spatial Inventory, so that I can research the liquid later on.

The bloody Soul tugs me along, bringing me to the other side of the monster containment chamber, where I have Lu Bu move a destroyed cage out of the way to reveal some form of large hatch that leads deeper.

He tears the metal door open, then takes the lead for me, halberd primed to strike. There are no monsters, but that doesn't mean that it is trap-free.

Luckily, there are none, and we swiftly reach the end of the stairs, which open up to a small… A living room?

A couch, a kitchen, a table… It looks well kept, brightly lit, and even comfy. The couch is one of those that open up into a bed, and there's a bookshelf filled with old books.

All about the story of Devilkind, but I recognize the rest as banned books as they are basically Blood Purity propaganda spread by the Old Satan Factions and secretly supported by the Great King Faction.

Were they trying to keep the Super Devil here and slowly brainwash them to their cause? Why couldn't they just make their Soul obedient- Ah, wait, is this because they lost the Graal? It might be why they resorted to such a pathetic endeavor.

Aside from all the furniture, there is also a door, and the bloody Soul is tugging me towards it. My Soul Sight reveals the Artificial Soul right beyond it, so…

The wooden door creaks open, revealing a small and dark room assorted like that of a hospital. The scent of antiseptics and medical alcohol fills the air as my gaze strays to the only large bed in the sterile white room.

Laying on it is a sleeping woman. A woman with long dull gray hair is laying on it, her face holding a serene expression as she sleeps, the right side of her face covered by a bandage that hides away her right eye.

The Graal appears back in my grasp, and its white light washes over the sleeping woman likely stuck in a coma.

She… Isn't a Super Devil. Not quite, at least. She is barely a Devil, even.

Her body was made through the corpse of a powerful monster, then Devil genes were mixed in. Her Soul instead was forcefully made powerful by ripping apart the Souls of other monsters and just… Shoving them together.

Right, just holding the Graal doesn't mean it tells you how it works. Only the real owner of the Sacred Gear does… So they were basically fucking around and finding out whatever stuck together and worked.

The white mist intensifies, and the sleeping woman's breathing grows easier and more relaxed. I fixed her Soul, gave it the finishing touches it needed to become whole. "I'll take her away from here." I tell the bloody Soul, which seems to sag in relief.

Then it jumps in surprise when I repair it too, stopping it from further collapse. "I can bind you to her, if you want." I offer, knowing that I could easily have this Soul stay together with the woman, bind her to share the body and watch over the sleeping beauty. "Then maybe create a body for you in the future. One that won't let you go feral."

The bloody Soul wobbles at the offer, before dimming in quiet but thankful acceptance. I smile and activate the Graal once more, moving the bloody Soul into the body of the sleeping Devil, then storing it within her Soul in turn, binding them together akin to how a Sacred Gear is attached to one's Soul.

This might be a worthy investment, after all. The bloody Soul was most definitely a being on par with the Forest Dragon, so having it on our side might be helpful.

Plus, the sleeping Devil… She has some form of Bloodline Power I could detect with the Graal, but I couldn't fully study it other than memorize the information.

Whatever it is… The woman is incredibly powerful, and she'll grow even more once her body and Soul fully stabilize.

I move her on my back with Lu Bu's help, then move to leave the base. I don't think they sent a reinforcement call back, but it is best not to risk it. I already gathered all the Souls here to question later, and while the gathered monsters parts and blood would be good to sell…

I'd just rather tear this whole place down, honestly.

We exit the hatch and move to cross the monster containment chamber- Only for Lu Bu to suddenly reach out, stopping me from moving further.

I blink and look at him as his giant form stomps forward, blackish-red Touki thundering to life around him and his halberd, filling the air with thick killing intent that dwarfs what was already lingering around.

His narrowed gaze locks on the other side of the chamber, right where we came from… And I frown when I see a thick purple mist slowly come into view. A very familiar purple mist.

Dimension Lost? The Hero Faction? Are they already working with the Khaos Brigade?

The Hydra is still alive, so did they sneak past it and the other Undead Dragons outside?

I watch as the purple mist swallows our exit and the other side of the chamber, while Lu Bu fearlessly strides forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

Until a hole is punched through the mist as something pierces towards me, shrieking through the air and aimed straight at my forehead- Only for Lu Bu to just lazily move his halberd in its path, not even quivering under the powerful impact that blows back my hair.

A beautiful woman stands in front of Lu Bu, blocked by his halberd and wielding a long odachi-like sword longer than her whole body. Her hair were a burning, radiant orange, literally glowing with power and sparks of blazing hot plasma, akin to the flares on the Sun's surface.

Above her forehead is a strange sun insignia, her glowing orange eyes locked onto me despite Lu Bu being in the way.

Her tall body was clad in a white revealing tunic, with copper armor beneath it that showed her well-built body and incredibly long legs.

Her style was very… Roman. And I don't recognize her… More changes to this world that come out of nowhere.

The air warped with heat, the very aura washing forth from the tall woman being nearly on par with Fleurdelys', making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

I tilt my head, gazing past her as more figures walk out of the mist. The majority I don't recognize, but they are all armed and Soul Sight reveals them to be Sacred Gear holders. All Humans too.

The one I recognize though is Georg, the one with Dimension Lost. I don't see Cao Cao, though… Nor Hercules or Jeanne.

"Is the Hero Faction already dogs of the Khaos Brigade?" I muse aloud, earning a strange frown from the orange haired woman as I shrug, "Whatever. Lu Bu, go wild-"

I pause and blink when the woman locked in a stalemate with Lu Bu actually pulls back, her blade held together by her orange plasma disappearing with a flick of her arms. "It appears there was a misunderstanding. My deepest apologies."

I reel back in surprise, "You're… Not with the Khaos Brigade?" Now this is surprising.

The woman straightens herself and nods sharply, "Not since I took over." Her hands move to rest on her hips, her gaze relaxing, "I am Augusta, Spirit Inheritor of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor."

Her voice was strong, deep, and very beautiful. It also had that nice edge of pride that Fleurdelys carries, which I always find quite attractive.

They are more similar than I thought. "Since you took over?" I parrot in genuine confusion, "What about Cao Cao?"

Augusta sneers, a look of disgust flashing by her radiant eyes.

"I decapitated that filth."

…

Welp, there goes my chance on getting my hands on the True Longinus. "May I ask how you discovered that base?" Augusta probes, turning her head to shoot a sharp glare towards Georg, who avoided her gaze by lowering his head, "So far, we've destroyed four bases thanks to the knowledge held by some cowardly filth, but this was the last one available to us."

I hum softly, then shrug, "One of my Undead spotted a group of Humans, Devils and Fallen Angels moving through the monster territories in No Man's Land with far too much ease, so I trailed after them and discovered this base." I tilt my head to show the sleeping beauty on my shoulder, "They were using it contain her. She was created through the usage of monster parts and Devil genes."

Augusta frowns heavily, hands clenching and sparkling with plasma at her sides, "Vile filth…" She curses beneath her breath, then pauses when I have Lu Bu move behind me to hold the sleeping woman.

Once freed up, I summon the Graal in my grasp, making Augusta's eyes widen, "I see, you are a Reincarnated Devil…" Huh, seems like her impression of me rose quite a bit.

The golden cup flashes, and the Soul of the idiot Lu Bu impaled to a wall is summoned back above it, "Do you have a map of the Underworld on hand?" The eyes of the Roman styled woman widen in realization before she flips towards her group.

"Bring me a map of the Underworld! Quickly!" She barks out, voice powerful and sharp, making some of the members jump and swiftly rush to her side.

A massive map is soon spread out on the floor, and I hold the cup above it, "Point out the location of any base you have knowledge off." I order, and the Soul swiftly complies.

Strands of milky white light break off and fall on the map, pointing out several locations, all within the outer edges of No Man's Land.

"Eight… Nine… Ten… Eleven…" Eleven bases in total are soon pointed out on the map, and I swiftly move through all the other Souls I collected from the members in this base.

In the end, there are thirteen bases in total pointed out on the map. Augusta proceeds to remove three of them after confirming they were the locations she attacked previously, thus leaving a total of ten bases.

Once marked, she retrieved the map and gave me a thankful nod and smile, "Hopefully we can go through them before they evacuate." I nod in agreement at that.

It won't really be a huge blow to them, considering there are more than forty, but it is still something. It'll put them on guard too, but that was bound to happen.

"I presume your current plan isn't the idiotic 'Genocide the Supernatural Races' thing from before…" I question Augusta as we straighten ourselves, earning a short laugh from her.

"Of course not." She shakes her head, eyes glowing with determination, "I am gathering Sacred Gear users, and will make this Hero Faction actually stand by its name. We'll protect humans from the arrogant Supernatural beings… And preferably bring a whole stop to the whole Evil Pieces thing in the future."

I hum at that, then flick my gaze around the countless monster corpses, "You should gather everything in this base. You can sell it all for a great deal of funds." I suggest, already forming plans to support this much better Hero Factions and see if I can tie them to me.

And if they turn out to be useless, I'll just cut ties without a problem.

Augusta hums, considering my words, "We don't really have a way to sell them, as the Human World isn't affected much by Gates." True, I forgot about that…

"You could approach my King." I offer instead, "We splitting off from the New Satans since they aren't doing a good job in handling their Government, so my King wishes to create a city where the Low Class Devils and Stray Devils can seek refuge, without being mistreated by Nobles."

"Once the city is up, reach out to us. You can form a connection with the Chinese Faction through us and sell off any monster material you have, and acquire their services."

Augusta blinks, then she smiles at me, amusement in her eyes, "You sell quite the good sales pitch."

"Thanks, I practice before a mirror." A snort escapes her before she shakes her head.

"Very well then, I shall keep it in mind." She then nods at me, and offers me her hand, "And thank you for your assistance… Uh?"

I blink, the realize I didn't introduce myself, "Scaith, just a harmless Necromancer." I introduce myself with a warm smile while shaking her hand.

Augusta just blinks flatly at me, "Yes, 'harmless'…" She glances at Lu Bu, then back at me.

My smile just grows innocent.

With that done, Augusta orders her guys to clear up the base of everything of value while we move back to the top. I have my Hydra fly us out of the we smashed into the base, earning me another flat stare from Augusta, who mouths the words 'Harmless, huh?' towards me once more.

Wait 'till she finds out I got a Ddraig in my backyard. "How did you get here, by the way?" She blinks, then nods towards the meek and quiet Georg in the back.

I'm pretty sure she beat the crap out of him, seeing how he flinches with every glance she throws his way… She didn't kill him to keep his Sacred Gear around, huh?

"We can quickly move around thanks to Dimension Lost hiding us from the monsters, even powerful ones." Augusta informs me, crossing her arms below her chest, "And we have Sacred Gears that can help us move around fast, so we'll soon rush-"

My eyes widen in alarm, and my Hydra swiftly moves to hide into the hole it smashed into the mountain, "Quiet!" I call out sharply, my stomach dropping when I feel it again.

I just lost a few more Undead Dragons… All in a split second… What the fuck happened?

Look up at the clouds, my face paling and heart stopping as I watch the downright colossal shape slowly drift past us from above the clouds cover, turning the land below completely dark.

Soul Sight reveals a Soul blazing as brightly as the sun itself… Whatever that fuck that this is, it's way stronger than even Ddraig…

There's another Heavenly Dragon Class Gate nearby, isn't there?

I gulp as me and Augusta remain tense, watching the immense shape drift across the sky, the clouds parting as a claw that could make the mountain we are in look small in comparison descends down.

Five sharp nails cleave ravines into the earth, grasping anything it could within them before it retreat above the clouds as the shape drifts off, disappearing over the horizon soon after.

...It appeared because I removed Ophis' blood from the mountain's altar, didn't it? Fuck, that was close…

"We need to leave, before it comes back around." I tell Augusta, who nods with a frown on her face. "Don't risk your lives for the other bases. This place is just too damn dangerous."

Augusta moves, joining the others and giving me one last nod before she and Georg disappear inside the mist of Dimension Lost, which swiftly descends down the mountain and moves across the valley.

I move the sleeping woman on my back once more, then have my Hydra take flight and make a swift beeline for my previous base of operation. I might need to move now that this area has been compromised by that gargantuan flying beast…

But first, I think it is best I reconvene with the others.

~~XXX~~

Rias mewls as she feels the hands dig along her bare back, a pleased smile on her face as Fleurdelys massaged her.

The light scent of sea-water hung in the air as the Leviathan scion hummed a low, happy tune. Her bare, naked body sat on Rias' back, the redhead equally naked and laying down on her front.

Having just ended a tiring and far too long training session, Rias was being spoiled by Fleurdelys once more.

The horned beauty smiles, her massage slow as her Devil Energy flowed into Rias, stimulating her recovery, causing her to sweat quite a bit due to her accelerated bodily functions.

"Have you talked with your family yet, Rias?" The ashen-blonde asks softly, her fingers now kneading the redhead's shoulders.

The Gremory Heiress grumbles softly, "Mother tried to approach me, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain her…" She sighs out softly, "Grayfia too…"

Fleur hums softly, slowly leaning down, laying her enormous chest over Rias' back. Her fingers brush a strand of crimson hair out of the way, and the Heiress turns her head, happily welcoming the kiss that came her way. "You put your foot down…" Fleur starts, breaking the kiss and licking her lips with a smile.

"Now it is more likely that they will listen to you, so let your voice be heard." Straightening herself, the horned beauty resumes her massage, "Family is everything, after all…"

Rias' bright blue eyes drop, "I know… I'll try when I go back." Then a huge pout forms on her face, "Now massage me! I demand it, after you smashed me so deep into the earth that I couldn't tell up from down!"

Fleurdelys nods, "How did you not see my tail coming at you?"

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe because you dropped a mountain-sized sphere of water on me just before!?"

Her whines and grumbles amused the Leviathan scion's greatly, but Rias' sheer progress also pleased her quite a bit. Her reserves were growing at a speed that could put others to shame, and her control over her Clan Trait was downright exquisite.

"That dress of pure Destruction you made was wonderful. Quite the incredible defensive technique." She praises, making the Heiress preen happily and giggle like a swooning schoolgirl.

"I made it on the fly!" The redhead reveals, surprising Fleurdelys quite a bit, "I thought about a suit of armor, but it wouldn't fit me! So I went with a dress instead! I'll have to mess around with it some more later."

With a hum, Fleurdelys slows her massage, "You've grown a lot. You and your Peerage." She praises softly, her gaze warm, "You just need more experience fighting hard Gates. It'll be hard, but I have faith in you."

Her Peerage was also doing wonderfully in their training. Akeno had finally stopped holding back her heritage, her speed in casting Spells had also grown a lot, and she now learned to not stay still when casting.

Koneko had also started touching on Touki and Senjutsu, but without a proper teacher for Senjutsu she just focused heavily on Touki, trying to mimic the sheer immensity of Lu Bu's aura.

The man still held the title for the greatest user of Touki in history. He had stood at the peak of strength in his time and required all of the greatest champions of China to come together in order to fell him.

Yuuto had also gotten more creative with the type of weapons he was creating, like boosting speed, sharpness, defense or controlling gravity, the elements- So on and so forth. He too had also started tapping on Touki, to obviously boost his physical capabilities.

Gasper instead had sort of… Ascended. He reached a point where he'd just disassociate himself, becoming some form of blank puppet so that he could handle his very simple training of being stared at by the whole army.

...Well, Valerie did make things worse when she started using the training so to shove Gasper in different outfit, then present him to the whole army, who would either cheer or boo.

It was a lot worse than being stared at, so Gasper found a solution to escape and… Well, it was working. Somehow.

Suddenly, the doors to Fleurdelys room all but exploded open, startling the two naked beauties within just a bit, "I did it!"

Changli steps in, panting heavily, looking disheveled, covered in soot, and with heavy bags under her bloodshot, nearly manic eyes. "I did it!" She repeats, hysterical smile on her face-

"Oh dear." Only for her to calm down and flush slightly at the very erotic and delicious sight before me. "Don't mind me, keep going…" Her tired mind supplies, making her forget her natural shyness and refined acts, bringing an amused snort out of her King's nostrils.

"Didn't I tell you to rest, Changli?" The Phenex woman twitches, but Fleurdelys decides to have mercy on her. For now. "So, what is that has you so agitated?"

Startling back into focus, Changli swiftly raises the object in her hand. A small black box, which she proceeded to open to show a blood-red Pill within. The moment it was revealed, a bloody stench filled the air, together with a strange but powerful heat, "I've perfected it! The Dragon Body Pill!"

Fleurdelys' eyes widen as she stands from the bed, uncaring of her nudity and the gazes it attracts as she approaches Changli to inspect the Pill, "I can feel my very body burn just by being close to it…" She whispers, amazement in her voice.

Changli gulps and draws her gaze away from the twin mountains before her, "Y-Yes! It'll stimulate your body and Devil Energy, making you stronger at an impressive rate! It'll be very painful and long, though… But the results should more than make up for it!"

Then, her near manic gaze flicks towards the naked Rias on the bed, "Shall we use her as a guinea pig?" The redhead squeaks, then huffs and flops on the bed. Not like Fleurdelys will let such a thing happen-

"Go ahead." Rias twitches, "I am curious to see the final result." The giggling, creepy and very, very tired Phenex woman approaches the now trembling and absolutely terrified Rias on the bed.

"W-Wait, my h-heart is not ready yet-!"

Fleurdelys shuts the door behind her just as a terrified scream rings out. All that just for a Pill… She sighs fondly, before a flash of magic wraps her in her familiar clothes.

Her senses sharpen just as she turned to float down the hallway, a familiar magical presence suddenly sparking into existence right outside the mansion.

Her eyes widen, and a wide smile filled with warmth and delight blooms on her beautiful face as her feet leave the ground, and she swiftly flies out of the mansion through a nearby open window.

"Scaith!" She calls out, joy and love in her voice as the black and white haired man lifts his gaze up, blinking in surprise as she rapidly descends down before him.

"Good evening to you too-!" His were cut off when she grabbed his collar and pulled him close to her, her soft lips mushing up to his in a very hungry, possessive kiss that lasted quite a few seconds.

Once released, the beautiful man blinks and licks his lips, then grins that dangerously sexy grin of his that always makes her belly twist in all the good ways, "Well, I don't mind being greeted in such a way." He chuckles out as Fleur directs her gaze to the woman laying on his back.

"Who is this?" She asks, reaching over to feel the sleeping woman's forehead. She was a Devil, that much she could tell… But she also felt different in ways she couldn't guess.

"I'll explain in a bit. Think you can call the Angels for a quick meeting?" Her face scrunches up in a frown at the urgency in his voice, and she soon nods.

"I will. Do you need time to rest?" She could see that he seemed fatigued, but Scaith shakes his head with a smile.

"I'll put this woman in a room, grab a drink, then I'll be available."

Whatever he had discovered had clearly shaken him, making her worry even more.

….

It didn't take long for Michael to gather the other Great Seraph's for a quick emergency meeting once he received word from Fleurdelys, where he welcomed her, Scaith and Zani to Italy to meet up again.

They couldn't teleport within Devil territory without going through Serafall, so it was best to host the meeting within Angel territory. Not that Fleurdelys minded.

"Apologies for the sudden request, Michael." Scaith starts, sighing as he drops in his seat, his eyes looking quite exhausted.

Michael offers a reassuring smile as he takes his own seat right beside his three other siblings, "It is alright, I can tell that it is rather serious."

Scaith nods, then breathes in and leans forward, "Alright, I'll start with some very bad news." He sighs out, "I've likely discovered another Heavenly Dragon Class Gate."

Sharp intakes of air ring out across the whole room, but Scaith keeps going, "By 'likely' I mean that I… Had a close encounter with a terrifyingly powerful being that I cannot even begin to describe."

"It was… Colossal. Just a claw was the size of a giant island, and the entire body was above the clouds, casting the land below into darkness just by how massive it was."

Michael leans forward, clenching his hands together in worry, "You didn't see the Gate?"

Scaith shakes his head, "No, this monster… It was migrating. Flying around freely, likely not bound by its Gate… Or its scope is just that enormous."

Which they couldn't hope it was. It was best to mark the information down.

"The good news is that I encountered it in a spot that is far from any civilization, and this giant being was flying deeper into No Man's Land." This reveal allowed them to relax, but just the knowledge of such an existence now roaming freely left them drenched in tense sweat.

"There's more, I presume?" Gabriel probes gently, her divine voice soothing all of their nerves and stress, which always made Michael glad to have such a wonderful sister around.

Fleurdelys' handsome Queen nods, "While I was taking care of Ddraig's body, one of my patrolling Undead happened upon a rather strange sights. A group of Devils, humans and Fallen Angels… All moving deeper into No Man's Land without fear, as if they've done it countless times."

That makes all the Angels and Devils around the table lean forward with serious frowns on their face.

"I trailed after them, noticing how the monsters seemed to just avoid or run away from them for some reason. They led me to a mountain, a former Superimposition Gate they cleared out and turned into a base of operation…"

Scaith then goes to explain about how he discovered about the existence of this Khaos Brigade, what exactly they were using to make monsters docile, and just how many bases they had scattered around.

Worse off, he even revealed his discovery of how monsters stronger than Heavenly Dragon Class could control the monsters weaker than them.

The thought of a possible beast tide from No Man's Land now deeply terrified Michael.

"They likely have spies in all Factions, but I cannot fathom what their real goal is." Scaith finishes off, leaving everyone quiet and in deep thoughts.

Such a Faction, with such massive scale and capabilities, likely existed for a while now, and had somehow gained ties with the Ouroboros Dragon- Perhaps said Dragon itself had gathered these individuals.

Only for it and Great Red to eliminate each other, devastate the Dimensional Gap, and now have the remains of their body likely being used as monster warding incense by this group.

"They must've been hiding and plotting for decades now…" Raphael offers, her beautiful face marred by a frown, "Their foundation must run deeper than we can imagine."

And the worse part is that they couldn't even guess what their goal was. Unpredictable adversaries were just the worst, especially those who don't make themselves known and actually bide their time patiently.

"Do you mind if we share this information with the other Faction?" Michael questions, turning towards Scaith, as he was the one that discovered this immense hidden plot and group.

Thankfully, then man shakes his head, "Go ahead, I believe it best everyone raises their guard from now on." He states, before leaning back and blinking, "There is another matter I want to bring up, something I had hoped would help me fix His Soul much faster."

Michael blinks at that, but Gabriel beats him to the punch as she leans over the table with wide curious eyes, "What is it?"

Scaith smiles as he turns to the beautiful Great Seraph, and Michael couldn't help but like the man more and more when not even an ounce of lust flashes past his gaze when he gazes at Gabriel, just pure admiration for her beauty.

"I actually knew the location of the True Longinus for a while." The Angels startle in surprise at that, especially at hearing about the strongest Longinus Tier Sacred Gear, and the strongest Holy Relic there is.

Uriel leans forward, confusion on his face, "Any reason you didn't bring it up before?"

At that, Scaith scratches his cheek nervously, "The wielder was a genocidal maniac that wanted to kill all of the Supernatural Races…"

…

"Good riddance." Gabriel huffs out, a cute angry pout on her face, "To dirty that Holy Relic with his hands… I'd have vaporized him myself!" Raphael has to reach over to stop Gabriel from swinging her hands through the air in her cute bout of anger.

Mostly because Scaith was visibly trying not to stare, but Gabriel was making it very hard for the poor Reincarnated Devil.

Michael's lips twitch at that, for he knew that Gabriel was doing it on purpose. Why she wanted to fluster the guy was beyond him… But it was funny.

"Right, anyway…" The Reincarnated Devil coughs into his fist – Michael can feel the smugness radiating from Gabriel without even looking at her – "This guy was actually the Spirit Inheritor of Cao Cao. He gathered other Spirit Inheritors and Sacred Gears wielders to his cause… Somehow got the Spirit Inheritor of Jeanne on his side too."

"But now… Well, he is dead, and this 'Hero Faction' is now controlled by Augusta, Spirit Inheritor of Augusts, the first Roman Emperor. She is actually much better than Cao Cao, so this group could be good allies."

A group of human Sacred Gear wielders banding together… Michael smiles at the thought, for he knew his Father would utterly adore such a thing.

"Michael." Raphael's voice cuts in, and the Archangel with golden wings turns to regard his sister, her glasses lowered so that their eyes could meet, "May I…?"

He blinks, then smiles kindly and nods, "We actually have some news to share too." He tells Fleurdelys, her Queen and her Knight, his gaze growing serious once more.

"I was able to catch a glimpse of the monsters of the Heavenly Dragon Class Gate we want to take on." Raphael reveals, getting straight to the point.

Fixing her glasses, the beautiful woman stretches out her right hand, palm facing upward. A flash of light erupts, turning into a large screen that shows a ravaged, scorched landscape.

Humanoid figures draped in gold and black cloaks filled the air, long glowing white hair descending down their backs, and pale veils covering their faces.

Each one of them clearly stood at over two meters in height, with many even taller than others.

Scaith's eyes slowly widen as he takes in their appearance, "Are those… Angels?"

The Angels before him couldn't give him a proper answer.

Each of those robed beings had beams of platinum-gold light stretching out of their backs, piercing through the air, with some having six rays of light, while the much bigger ones had up to ten.

But then, they all had to focus on the titan among those humanoid figures. A giant over a hundred meters tall, his robes seemingly made of woven gold, the veil before his face being made of platinum gold flames.

Within his grasp lay a scorching blade stabbed into the earth, which had turned the landscape around into a smoldering wasteland.

And from behind his back stretched more than twenty colossal beams of light, each one stretching for dozens of meters through the air, causing it to warp and twist from the heat.

"This is all I could gather before that Titan turned its gaze towards me, and I had to flee." Raphael sighs out, dispelling the screen of light and leaning back into the comforting back-rubs she was receiving from Gabriel.

"Despite looking like Angels, their powers seem more related to Fire." The Leviathan's Knight points out, voice lazy and eyes droopy yet focused. Despite nearly falling asleep close to a dozen times by now, she was still paying attention somehow.

"And we cannot expect them to work on the same logic as our World and power system." Scaith points out right after, "They might look like Angels, but they might as well not be. It wouldn't be the first time that their likeness was used to fool others."

The actual Angels in the room couldn't help but raise their shoulders and have their eyes go wide at the Queen's words.

Since this discovery, a clump had been stuck in their throat. The idea that out there, across the immense wastelands of No Man's Land, there could be being similar to Angels from other worlds… It had left them quiet.

Nervous.

But Scaith's words… They weren't delivered to comfort them, they were just a basic observation. Yet, that basic observation lifted so much stress and worry off their shoulders… Because he was right.

They might look like Angels, but they aren't.

"Thank you, Scaith." Gabriel sweetly says, her smile so radiant that the Sun was put to shame, "We really needed to hear those words."

The black and white haired man blinks, his peculiar pupils fixed on Gabriel's breathtaking smile for a moment before he returns it with a gentle one of his own, "No need to thank me for that."

His smile then grows as he claps his hands, "So, who wants to wake the Big Guy up?"

No one was able to move fast enough to stop the a squealing Gabriel from flying across the table so to tackle Scaith to the ground.

But it did take everyone to pry her off of him before he suffocated between her breasts.

….

Michael lets out a slow, shaky breath.

The soft clouds beneath him swayed with each of his steps, a grand golden throne glowing with a dim light laying right before him.

The highest layer of Heaven, where the Throne of Heaven and the System behind it lay. It once used to glowing with a blinding golden light when his Father was alive, causing this entire beautiful layer of clouds to always glisten like pure gold.

Now? Now Michael could barely make the glow stretch even a dozen meters… But things were about to change.

In his grasp lay the Sephiroth Graal, a glowing white liquid contained within the small cup.

The concentrated energy of tens of thousands, if not more than a hundred thousand Souls gathered from countless monsters of all kinds.

His feet stop right before the throne, where a golden Soul lay, swaying lightly, almost as if a gust of wind could shatter it fully.

Michael licks his lips, mutters a light prayer beneath his breath… Then pours the concentrated liquid – He refused to call it Soul Juice no matter how much Scaith tried to goad him into doing it – on his Father's cracked Soul.

He watched as the dim golden light flickers less and less, then starts glowing with greater light.

The familiar aura of his Father Holy Light washes across the highest layer of Heaven, then it does so again as a far more powerful pulse of power.

Michael gasps as the Throne of Heaven rumbles, its light flaring to blinding levels that he could never achieve when he once sat upon it.

Was it working? Was it a success-

"Michael…" The Archangel quivers as that familiar, ethereal voice rings within his ears, "Oh, my child…"

His eyes redden and overflow with tears, and he soon crumbles to his knees as that warm Holy Light washes over him, like a gentle caress from his loving parent.

"Time has not been kind to you, my child…" The gentle voice sighs out, "But…"

"Why is there a Devil in Heaven?"

Behind Michael, Scaith twitches as he is suddenly put on the spot.

Slowly reaching out with his foot, Scaith taps Michael for support, "Quick, throw Gabriel at him…" He whispers out, plastering a tense smile on his face.

"N-Now, let us not get hasty…"

Did God just stutter…?

A.N. Decided to switch between Draugr and Necromancer for the updates, so I don't get burned out and don't keep everyone waiting for either fic.

Y'all didn't expect for Cao Cao to be dead, eh? It was bound to happen that someone stronger wouldn't agree to his shit and remove him off the board, after all.

Next chapter will have Ddraig throwing hands with the Titan Angel! It'll likely be a very long chappy, since there will be quite a few POV changes!

Hope y'all enjoyed this chappy!

Toodles!