One-Punch DxD: NEO

Okay, gonna be honest, folks. Starting this point, I... intend to shift this story's atmosphere from shonen... into more Seinen territory. Have fun!

Valper Galilei was receiving looks of varying degree from Griselda, Irina and Xenovia. Inside the hotel, Griselda placed her hand on her weapon as she slowly circled the father. Irina and Xenovia were standing behind – their holy swords were stored until their next outing, both were nervous and not daring to move from seeing Griselda bearing a mask of palpable hostility.

She was no longer smiling.

"...Father Galilei. Care to explain yourself why you lied under the eyes of our lord?" Griselda asked with a calm tone.

"...Well, I admit this is... awkward. I was hoping that my involvement would keep staying in the dark." The portly priest then bowed before the exorcist. "However, please understand that I have a reason for what I did."

"Young Shidou, young Quarta." Valper addressed the two young girls in the room, "You learned about my past from his journal, did you not?"

"We only learned the first paragraph, that's all we know." Irina replied, along with Xenovia nodding.

"Yet, you kept this a secret from us." Griselda interjected. "As an archbishop, you should know that such deception is a blasphemy to our God and your position. Why have you kept quiet until now? The atrocities aren't something you can just deny."

"It is, for the lack of better word, the failure that I'd rather bury in the past." Valper admitted.

"What did you bargain for?" Griselda demanded. "You traded taboo knowledge for what? With who?"

Irina and Xenovia did not reveal the identity of the one that cursed the Red Dragon Emperor. They looked at Galilei, the tension growing so thick it was almost suffocating their bodies.

"Hmmm, I am afraid that is rather… personal." Galilei answered.

"That is your shield for not answering?" A portion of her sword left her sheath, the blade glimmering in the room light.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty." Galilei raised his hands in mock surrender. "Young Xenovia and Irina are exhausted from tonight. Shouldn't we continue this tomorrow where we can continue our conversation?"

Griselda stared at the father's pleading face, her eyes scrutinizing him for a moment. The blade completely entered the sheath as she turned her face away, the tension still high in the room.

"Yes, they are. Tonight, you will relinquish all of the weapons you brought in this mission and you will stay in your quarters, locked in a holy ward. I will send word of your transgression to the Vatican once you are secured."

"Of course." Valper humbly nodded.

"Then remain there. Xenovia and Irina, please bind Father Galilei's hands and chain him to his bed. I have a report to the Vatican to deliver."

Irina and Xenovia straightened their posture at Griselda's words.

""Yes, Sister Griselda.""

Both girls waited as Griselda made her way towards her room. Once the doors closed, both girls turned towards Valper.

"...I am sorry for this." Irina apologized.

"Don't be sorry. This was inevitable." Valper dismissed.

"...I will go get the special handcuffs." Xenovia informed Irina.

The handcuffs were specifically made for Devils, baptized silver with holy scripts and sigils melted into the metal once dipped in holy oil. Any devils bound by this invention would find their powers stripped and their strength waned. It should be enough to keep Valper at bay, and they brought enough to apprehend seven devils.

Xenovia went to find their luggage where they kept the handcuffs to Valper.

"Where is the one we keep…" Xenovia took out the silver-colored luggage. She set it down and unzipped it, opening it to reveal the tools of the exorcists from the light swords to light pistols.

However, before she could take them out, the windows bursted, glass panes shattering as a bounded field immediately covered the entire room.

Alerted, Xenovia grabbed one of the light blades and ignited the blade of light out of the pommel as she turned to the noise.

"What is that?!" Irina shouted.

In the room from a broken glass window stood a sight that destroyed their expectations.

Wings of pure white unfurled, golden red hair fell past his shoulders as his white and gold armor shone, his lone sword of golden light in hand as his gentle blue eyes laid onto Valper.

It was an angel - not a fallen one of the Grigori, but a pure heavenly soldier that served The Lord.

"Malkuth, you have impeccable timing." Valper noted.

Griselda ran out of the room. It barely took a couple of seconds for her eyes and brain to register what had taken place in the room.

"Xenovia, Irina! Get behind me!" Griselda shoutd as her eyes affixed onto the angel, drawing her baptized blade out.

Grabbing the nearest light sword, Xenovia obeyed and ran towards Griselda as Irina ran towards her. Xenovia handed Irina the weapon as the latter ignited the blade in her hand.

"Once again, you have impeccable judgement, Malkuth." Valper smiled as his kindly features fell.

It was as if he was removing a mask, the way his eyes opened and his lips curled into a cruel and vile smile, ugly and twisted as the old priest started to giggle like a madman.

"Your mistakes have forced my hand, you sinner." The angel that was known as Malkuth shook his head as if disappointed.

"Well, I admit, I underestimated Father Pudrin. To think he would find a trail to the famous Dark Hand." Valper admitted as he pushed up his glasses, flashing his wicked white teeth at the three female exorcists while the newcomer turned his hardened gaze towards the trio.

To their shock, the angel stood with Valper.

"What is the meaning of this?" Griselda sternly demanded with a murderous lasing gaze. "Why is an angel here? Do you know who you are standing with right now?"

Why was an angel here? Angels must receive permission from the highest ranks to arrive on Earth.

"Oh, don't mind dear Malkuth. He is not used to conversing with mortals like us." Valper replied with a slightly amused tone. "Do you wish to tell them or should I do the honors?"

"What is the point of revealing our intentions, pest?" The angel spat at him with venom.

"Now, now. I just received word that the plan is reaching the final phase faster than we thought. It will no longer matter if they knew or not." Valper chortled.

Griselda, Xenovia, and Irina were lost.

"...Sir Malkuth." Griselda's eyes lased onto him with fire. "Are you committing what I think you are?"

The Angel remained silent as he stared at her.

"...And what if I am?" The angel asked.

"What you're doing is worthy of stripping you of your place as a soldier of God. In fact… you being here aiding him only further proves the suspicions gnawing me."

"Why, I admit to everything, dear Griselda." Valper smiled, his warped and twisted lips curling upward. "Really, I find this more rushed than I anticipated, but yes. What would you like to confirm? That I worked with the true mastermind? Yes, yes, all of it was true."

"...What?"

Everyone turned to Irina, whose expression was an utter disbelief as she listened to Valper's words. "Father Galilei…. That can't be true, right? You're- you are the one who helped and taught us, the Church, to wield holy swords… You were the one who blessed me!

Griselda and Xenovia grimaced in pity at their comrade - back at the Church, not only that Irina had always been a devout believer, she looked up to Valper Galilei as something akin to a mentor figure. Hearing that the said mentor has been orchestrating some vile schemes with Heaven's enemy, it was only natural for Irina to be shaken.

"How do you think someone like you was blessed? Poor, poor Irina, the fool that never questioned how the world works."

Griselda narrowed her glare at Valper as she gently pulled Irina behind her, intending to shield her from any more corrupting words from the Archbishop. Xenovia also followed her gesture as she also stood next to her.

"But first, before we continue… shouldn't you go fetch my favorite cross?"

"...What?" Griselda stared at Valper.

Malkuth raised his other hand, light spears forming. Griselda grimaced as she stood in front of Irina.

Then, suddenly, Griselda felt an immense pain shot through her back, all the way through her chest, as she looked down and saw the iridescent light of the light blade protruding from her torso.

"...Eh?" Xenovia could not believe what she saw next.

"...What have you gotten yourself into, Ise?"

Rias asked Issei with an exasperated expression as she and Sona, along with the rest of their peerages - sans Gasper, who still could not leave the old school building, as well as some members of the boy's 'peerage' and everyone else of the Hyoudou Residence, were gathered in the living room of the Hyoudou Residence.

"Sorry, but as long as this mark exists, I cannot tell you anything without it screwing me over. The guy is probably watching me as we speak." Issei replied while showing the mark the God of Poverty and Fortune had placed upon him.

Both of Rias and Sona's injuries had been treated, Asira has proven herself as the undisputed healer in Kuoh once again. However, while Rias' fractured bone should've been mended, her arm would be held in a sling in case her joint was still too tender.

"Still, we got something out of this, plus a few souvenirs. The guy that stole the swords is someone I know, and he is probably not messing around this time. Valper is another story. I just learned that fucking human souls are needed for the thing that makes someone holy-sword-worthy."

Yuuto grimaced at the mention of Valper.

"...Freed said something about the director of the Holy Sword Experiment." Yuuto mentioned.

"Did he? You weren't clear when you talked about it." Issei asked.

"...He said he knew the director of the Holy Sword Experiment…" Yuuto muttered aloud. "And you saw Valper's name… could he…"

"...Are you inferring that Valper has a connection to our political dilemma?" Rias summarized to her growing shock.

"Freed did say that he had inside help…" Issei mentioned.

The group remained deathly silent. Sona's face turned glower as her neck still throbbed in pain. Gloom befell Rias' mien as well when her recent experience returned to haunt her.

"...Then this situation just got more complicated." Sona muttered.

"Why not just march over there and apprehend Valper on the spot?" Saji asked.

"That's a one-way ticket to the second Great War, dude. We need hard evidence for something like that or we will end up becoming the war criminals," Issei retorted, causing Saji to look away awkwardly, "So yeah, I don't think that's the best idea."

"Actually, you said something about knowing the one behind the sword-theft. Who was it?" Rias asked.

Issei was silent for a second before replying, "...Kokabiel."

The name caused Rias and Sona's expressions, along with some others, to grow concerned.

"Um… Who?"

However, there were others like Saji, Tsubasa, and other low-class devils who did not recognise the name.

"Kokabiel. He's one of the cadres in Grigori. A veteran from the Great War, one of the strongest amongst the fallen angels," Akeno provided the summary.

"What she said." Issei gestured at Akeno. "I made a call on the way back home. Azazel said that Kokabiel has been missing from Grigori for the past few weeks. He is preparing reinforcements our way as we speak."

"Uh, he does sound like bad news, but… can't you take this guy yourself?" Saji asked Issei.

"Nope." Issei flatly denied. "I'm just another fish in the ocean. I just got owned recently by someone whose name I cannot say and got this as proof to show where I stand." Issei raised his palm, showing Binbougami's mark.

"Oh… crap."

"Yeah. It kind of explains how Black ended up like this. He probably has a plan to deal with everyone until he finishes whatever he is planning."

The room fell into contemplative silence.

"Issei, you have grown up within the Grigori. Can you tell us anything about him? Any information about Kokabiel can help us now." Sona implored.

It probably wouldn't help since any veteran from the Great War was a force of reckoning, a being of experience and skill none of them have to match.

"Kokabiel, huh…" Issei sucked in his breath as he leaned back on his chair. "Give me a moment, there's a lot to say. Alright, let's see… shit."

"What?" Rias asked.

"Frankly, I can only remember him flying into the wall every time he challenged my dad." Issei grimaced.

"...Eh?" The two peerages uttered in dumbfounded unison at Issei's unexpected reply.

"...Is he weak?" Tsubasa asked.

"No no, he's strong. It's a long story, but we don't have time to get into it, so moving on. Like every angel, he uses light spears, big strong ones. He's also a master swordsman. I kept seeing him practice his swordsmanship every now and then. The guy is a master mage as well, firing a bombardment of magic at my dad every time. It's kind of funny, honestly."

"...And the Egghead still won?" Tsubasa asked with a gaze of suspicion.

"Oh, you should've seen it. One punch each and every time." Issei threw a fist to the air with a smile.

"You know, I am starting not to believe you the more I hear about him." Tsubasa called out with a frown.

"You'll meet him soon, so hold out until then." Issei dismissed. "I think that's about it. He has a good head on his shoulders when it comes to fighting, so I don't need to talk about his experience. As for weaknesses, well… Muramasa." Issei gestured to Muramasa in Yuuto's hand. "Demon swords can hurt angels like holy swords to devils, right? Never seen it myself, honestly, though. Frankly, Kiba's kind of the only guy who has a shot to even the playing field, and that only counts if he has a way of cutting through whatever other protections he might have."

"Well… saying it that way, I'll try to live up to all of your expectations." Yuuto awkwardly flashed a strained smile.

[Fufufu, it shall be my first tasting of a Fallen child of God.]

Muramasa giggled to Yuuto mentally with anticipation.

"That is true. Tell us more," Sona requested.

Issei hummed, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "Kokabiel is…. A warrior first and foremost. Never really a social type, but during my stay at Grigori, he would sometimes spar and even give me tips and pointers whenever he was free to watch my training."

Everyone listened, some nodded in understanding as they did not interrupt.

"I always see him as a mentor… or maybe even a brother figure in a sense. He was always eager in telling me his war stories when I asked. We… kind of share something, like our dislike for the angels and the Church. Thinking about it now, he always said how much he hated how the war ended."

"...Okay, how exactly does he hate how the war ended?" Saji asked.

"Kokabiel is… kind of a fallen-angel supremacist." Issei replied. "According to him, compared to angels, fallen angels are not restricted by any set of rules as he believed fallen angels are 'liberated', yet still retain the power to kill the devils... He always called the angels the 'Slaves of God.' I never asked for a deeper meaning behind that since he seemed uncomfortable when I asked the first time."

"...He wants to restart the Great War and finish the job." Sona suddenly drew a conclusion. "Of course, there are indeed those like him even among us Devils. For example, those of the Old Satan Faction support the belief that they should resume the war with supremacist ideals."

Rias then mused, "The theft, Freed Sellzen, however, the clues we have are still too few for us to completely prove that Kokabiel wants to restart a war. I mean, if I were some maniac supremacist wanting to start a war, what's with the round-about ways? If he is as strong as Issei said, why didn't he just waltz into this town and start a fight with us?"

"That would defeat the point." Sona shook her head. "We might be high-class devils, but Kokabiel has survived the war between the three factions with a wealth of experience. Killing one or two High-Class devils usually won't be enough to start a war."

"But not in our case. Our siblings will commence it if they discover our fate." Rias countered, "Admit it, Sona. Both my brother and your sister will shed blood in our name if anything were to happen to us. The assassins are proof of that… But I still can't understand why he wouldn't do it himself."

"...If he simply kills you, it would not be a true war, more like a war against the devils." Issei conjectured. "It was a three-way war before, right? Killing you two alone will just start a 'war with the devils', not the 'great war.' Not only that…"

Then, Issei blinked as if he just realized something, "...Where is Rover?".

Everyone else also blinked at the sudden curve ball and looked around, finally noticing the lack of a certain canine.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I didn't see him running towards you when you came back." Tsubasa noted.

The dog was almost always there whenever Issei returned home.

"Mom, what happened to Rover? I don't see him," Issei turned to his mother.

"Rover? I think I saw him barking at something outside the fence a while ago." Haruka replied, "Then when I heard him stop barking, I thought he was fine."

Everyone shared glances at each other, until Issei rose from his seat and ran out the door.

"Rooooveeeer!" On the front yard, Issei shouted and whistled for a few times, "Rover! Buddy!? You there!? Answer me, boy!"

However, what replied Issei was merely an empty night air.

"Shit…." Issei cursed.

He returned to his seat with a face of distress.

"I think he got Rover."

Faces twisted to surprise at the mention of Rover's defeat.

"...Are you for real?" Saji asked. "How? I mean, that thing?!"

The thing that could nuke everything to hell with its atomic bark and a hide so tough not even Devil powers could penetrate it.

"Wait, wait, time out." Tsubasa asked. "How do we know if Rover is out? I mean… there's a chance of getting lost, right? I mean, this is the best chance to have Rover nuke that Fallen Angel veteran to kingdom come, so…"

Issei sighed, "Alright, fair. But who should go look for him?" He looked around the room, silently asking for volunteers.

Everyone only glanced at each other and refused to raise their voice.

Issei gave a flat look. "...Really? Guys?"

"I don't want to." Tsubasa shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure that thing still sees me as food." Saji retorted.

"Seconded." Koneko shook her head.

"Sorry, but no." Akeno shook her head.

"I am not good with dogs." Rias gave him her excuse.

"...Kiba?" Issei looked at the other male.

"Uh… I'm not adept in finding dogs?" Yuuto gave an awkward grin.

Issei looked at Sona and the rest of her peerage. They all looked away.

"Seriously? The one time we need him and none of you want to- I still have my hands full with the Church! And I am marked!" Issei pointed at the 'debt' kanji on his palm.

"Um…" Asia raised her hand.

"Sorry, Asia. But we still need you around as our team medic." Issei dismissed Asia.

"Then how about I go?"

Everyone blinked and turned towards Haruka, who had been sitting with them - they actually forgot about her.

"...Are you sure, mom?" Issei asked.

"Please, this is not my first time looking for that dog. You know that." The matriarch replied.

Issei took a breath, "...Okay, but this is a serious one. I mean, you might get…"

"Please. I don't think the Church is that foolish to try it again after last time." Haruka waved off. "But if you insist… Does anyone want to join me? I might as well use some company." Haruka asked.

"Err…" Saji looked away when he made eye contact.

Yuuto then raised his hand up, "Ma'am, I don't think-"

"Perfect, you'll do." Haruka then abruptly chose Kiba.

"...I beg your pardon?" The Knight blinked in confusion.

"You have the sword that Black originally procured for Ise. Isn't it time for you to repay your massive debt?" She asked with a smile, though her narrowed eyes glinted a mischievous light. "Someone like you should know a debt of gratitude. Even if that gratitude is worth more than billions of dollars."

"Err…" Yuuto trailed off as he glanced at Issei, silently asking for assistance. Issei just glared at him as if screaming 'just do it' with his eyes and pointed at his mother.

"...Alright…" Yuuto replied with his head down, sighing in defeat.

"If you don't mind…" Everyone then turned to see Catherine raising her hand up, "I'd like to help as well. If the problem master Ise is as dire as we fear, I believe having an extra hand in escorting madame Hyoudou will be prudent."

"Honey, we're only looking for our dog, but… Okay, I guess an extra pair of eyes will help." Haruka replied with a shrug.

Catherine then walked up towards her fellow Knight, "May we find the monster dog, Mr. Kiba."

"Uh, yes, let us do this, Lady Lazuli." Yuuto nodded in return.

"Okay, now that it's taken care of…" Issei then addressed the rest, "Looking back at Sona and Rias' story - until this whole mess is dealt with, nobody moves alone. Everyone probably will have to share some living space, and… move in a team of two or three. Thoughts?"

Everyone seemed to agree as they shared nods and a few whispers of affirmation were thrown around.

The next day - per Issei's proposal, everyone would move in groups until the threat over Kuoh was dealt with.

Haruka would spend the day with Catherine to look for Rover, with Yuuto joining once the school was over in the afternoon.

Sona and Rias would take a day off from school, both of them, accompanied with their Queens, would investigate the assassins that attacked them on the night before. They did not have much clue that could help them in identifying their assailants, however, Sona had managed to scrape some blood tissues from what little remained of her assassin, while Rias had kept the corpse of hers to take a sample from.

The results would be ready by a week or two, and that was them being optimistic.

Issei, on the other hand, was staring at another problem.

"...Issei?" Tsubasa asked, pointing at the thing sitting at his bed.

It was a desiccated hand with blackened skin, its pinky finger broken.

"Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT….!" It was the first time Issei cursed so much in a single sentence as he held his head and turned away, starting to hyperventilate with stress for the first time in his life.

"Issei? Is that a hand? Please don't tell me that's a frickin corpse hand." Tsubasa pointed at the desiccated hand with growing nervousness in her tone.

Issei only groaned at the loudest volume he could muster before he turned back around, "AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. This is bad!"

"Seriously, what's wrong?!" Tsubasa pressed on.

She had never seen Issei this distressed even with Rover.

"...Ever heard of the Monkey's Paw?" Issei asked with an ominous hushed tone.

Tsubasa stared at him for a moment. She looked at the hand on the bed before she slowly turned her head back to Issei.

"Issei. Please tell me what I'm thinking isn't on the mark."

"Oh, it is definitely on the mark, and I hate it. I didn't know the Monkey's Paw will fuckin' FOLLOW ME!" He cried as he groaned again.

"WHAT?! Throw it away!" Tsubasa shouted as she backed away from the cursed hand.

"That thing followed me from a fucking safehouse! It'll just come back!" Issei retorted.

"Then… Burn it! Destroy it! I don't know!" Tsubasa frantically scooched away from the cursed hand.

Issei was about to retort, but he thought for a second, "Well… Not that it's indestructible, but 'destroying' something like a Monkey's Paw requires more than just burning it."

"...Can't the dragon inside you do anything about it?" Tsubasa asked.

Issei stared at his girlfriend for a second before trailing to his left hand.

[To answer your question, I don't know how to specifically destroy that thing. But I do have something that will burn that corpse hand from existence. However, the Heavenly Father has placed a very powerful restriction on my powers when I was sealed inside Boosted Gear.]

"Does it have the power to stop something from reforming back into existence?" Issei asked.

[...…Depends. Why?]

"I binged the records of the monkey's paw when I was in a phase. Turns out, you can break it, burn it, etcetera, but it will always come back good as new… and kill the person that tried to destroy it."

"And how does it kill said person?" Tsubasa asked.

"It ate their souls, instantly, no survivors. Frankly, I didn't think the monkey's paw could actually follow the guy that made the wish. And I didn't even want to make a wish with that thing!"

"...Dare I ask what wish did you ask that thing in the first place?"

"A plate of fries on a whim."

"...What?"

"I was just testing the damn thing, okay? I didn't think it was the actual Monkey's Paw when I first saw it. Hell, I wasn't even trying to make a wish, it just responded from a casual joke!" Issei flailed his arms dramatically.

[...Well, when you put it that way… I don't know. I never tried to burn something that can come back like that. I'm kinda impressed that it can, actually.]

"Are you telling me you're basically screwed?" Tsubasa uttered with disbelief.

"Not if I find a way to get rid of that damn thing."

"Don't you know how to do it? You said you binged-read the thing!" Tsubasa shouted.

"I did! Every book about it in Grigori! And guess what?! NO ONE survived after using the stupid thing!" Issei shouted.

The two then fell into silence, and Tsubasa's face went worried, "Ise…"

The boy then inhaled, "Look, things are looking bad, but it's still under control… Hah, sorry, sorry. I mean… I feel a bit stressed out."

Tsubasa remained silent as she stared into Issei's troubled eyes. Without a word, she pulled him in and kissed him, locking lips with the cursed boy as they wordlessly reciprocated the mutual embrace.

"Do you feel better now?" Tsubasa asked, blushing, yet she smiled.

"...Yeah." Issei nodded. "I think I needed that."

Tsubasa smiled as she hugged him, which Issei gladly accepted.

"We'll pull through this together." Tsubasa said as she pulled back, smiling at him. The two then pressed their foreheads together for almost a minute until Tsubasa asked, "...So, how do we deal with a cursed item that can grant wishes?"

"That's a tricky question. I'm gonna need some magic experts. The Grigori's library is great, but there should be more info on the monkey's paw elsewhere. I'm gonna see if Rias or Sona can help me deal with the thing. Hopefully, they can seal it away or something."

Issei sighed as he looked at his palm…

"Oh, I really am dumb." Issei sighed as he slapped his face with the mark of Binbougami.

"What? What you got?" Tsubasa asked with an excited smile.

"Frankly, I forgot about the owner of the thing… wait… I think he used it before." Issei recalled reading a certain section of the journal about a rabbit's paw and other stuff.

"What? Someone actually used that thing?"

"Yeah, I remembered. And he lived." Issei remembered. "I think he found a way to use that damn thing…"

It was from one line in the journal under the Valper title. He remembered now. Still, to find out that someone discovered a way to use the Monkey's Paw was completely ridiculous.

"...Okay, who is this guy you are talking about?"

"The guy that placed the mark on my palm." Issei showed her the debt mark.

Tsubasa's expression went thoughtful for a second, "...Do you think he's gonna help you?"

"...Not for free, at least." Issei grimaced. "I saw the guy's place. It is loaded as hell. He is someone that has expensive taste, and I don't have the cash or stuff to pay for it."

"Why don't you use Rias-senpai's credit card?" Tsubasa asked.

Issei glanced at her and made a somewhat complicated expression on his face, "Well, about that… I gave it to him."

Tsubasa was giving her boyfriend a flat stare, "You gave that card to that guy?!"

"It's either that or he'll kill us all on the spot. Or sell us as one of his goods," Issei retorted.

"Kill you on the… Seriously, who is this guy?!"

"If he lets me say it, I'll tell you. But I'll tell you this, don't you ever look down on someone that looks like he is a hundred years old."

"For some strange reasons, I will keep that in mind." Tsubasa replied. "Now, back to the matter at hand, what are we gonna do with that thing now?"

Issei glanced at the Monkey's Paw sitting on his bed.

"...Let's meet with Rias first, see if her Power of Destruction can do something about this."

"And what if it comes back and 'eats her soul?'" Tsubasa pointed out.

"...Yeah, dumb idea." Issei regretted that. "Alright, first we'll see if we can seal the thing. Then we ask for all hands on deck to research how to get rid of it… while I make a call to Azazel." Issei took out his phone and dialed the number.

"Alright, good plan. What about the Church and the Swords, then?" Tsubasa pointed out.

"Monkey Paw first. I am NOT going to move on with that thing haunting my ass."

oXo

Rias, Sona, and Akeno stared at the severed hand on the table in the living room with everyone else. Ravel sat on the table with Koneko sitting beside her, eating a cookie. Haruka was out with Yuuto and Catherine searching for Rover.

"...Issei." Rias broke the silence.

"Yes?"

"Why is there a severed hand on the table?" Rias asked, pointing at the thing with a broken finger.

"...Ever heard of the Monkey's Paw?" Tsubasa snarked.

The Devils stiffened, Koneko stopped nibbling, Ravel stopped sipping her tea at the mention of the hand's name.

"...What's the monkey's paw?" Ravel asked.

"You don't know what the Monkey's Paw is?" Koneko asked.

"...Do you?" Ravel asked back.

"...No." Koneko bashfully lowered her ears.

"The Monkey's Paw is a cursed item famous for granting wishes that will harm the user in subtle indirect ways." Sona explained as she pushed up her glasses, leaning forward to inspect the hand. "But I have never seen it in the flesh. This is interesting. Does it actually work?"

"It worked alright." Issei scoffed. "And I need your help in uncursing me from it."

"May I ask how you even ran into this item? And what wish did you ask?" Rias asked as she rubbed her forehead.

Issei replied with a sigh, "It's a long story, Tsubasa can fill you in. I just want to know if you can seal this thing or something."

"Why not just destroy it?" Ravel asked, sipping her tea.

"If you try, it'll come back and eat your soul."

Ravel stopped sipping her tea as she stared at the corpse hand.

"...Did you try that before?" Ravel asked.

"No, but the others before me did. They all died."

Rias then sighed, "...I will send this item to my house for safe-keeping for the time being. My brother and his peerage should be able to figure something out."

"...This thing will just reappear at my bed if you do."

"Perhaps, if we are talking about normal means." Rias replied with a knowing smile. "You can leave this to me and my family, Ise. High-class devils like us are experienced in dealing with cursed objects. I myself have experienced purging curses before…. Albeit not one of this calibre." She cautiously eyed the wrinkled hand at the end - The Monkey's Paw was oozing with ominous aura that made her skin crawl.

"Again, it is the Monkey's Paw. Did you ever deal with something that grants wishes?" Issei replied.

Rias thought for a second before shrugging, "No, not exactly. But again, please leave this to me and trust us." She finished with a reassuring smile.

"...Alright. Let's see what you Devils got." Issei decided to roll with it.

Rias simply flicked her wrist - then the next second, her family sigil suddenly appeared underneath the cursed object, enveloping it with a crimson light before disappearing.

"You sure it won't suddenly appear back in my room?" Issei asked.

"I use my signature spells when I have to isolate a cursed item, so it should be fine. I'll send a message to my house to keep that thing under surveillance." Rias replied, "But now, let's go back to another, more pressing matter."

Sona then followed, "In regards to the assassination attempts on Rias and I, while we still have to wait for identification, our testimonies manage to narrow down our list of suspects."

Issei nodded, "Yeah, looking back at your stories - equipment made out of silver and blessed metal like silver daggers, stakes and wires…. We're looking at old-school types."

The weapons used by the assassins were not the normal gears that the current generation of exorcists used in general. Some time after World War II, the Vatican had received a blessing in the form of knowledge on how to weaponize the Holy Light element like the angels themselves - to preserve the planet's resources along the way. Thus, swords of light and special firearms with hard-light ammunition had become the current exorcism-arms ever since.

"You are not wrong." Rias conceded, "However, the description we have doesn't match with anyone in the Underworld database. We need to send a message to the Church and Grigori to discuss this matter further. What we've had that night can be considered an act of war."

"You guys have a database of exorcists?" Issei asked.

"Of course we do. We need to-"

However, before the talk could have gone further, something crashed onto the table, pushing away all of the cups and entering to the floor. The sudden entrance alerted everyone, Rias and Sona quickly jumping out of their seats and aimed their palms, each brimming with magic, at the intruding object.

"X-Xenovia?" Issei uttered, blinking after he recognized the sight.

Xenovia was sprawled on the ruined table. Tears were flowing from her eyes. She wasn't bruised, she was still in her skimpy exorcist battle suit.

Xenovia could not believe it.

Irina had rammed her light sword through Griselda, from the back to the front.

Griselda slowly looked back, seeing Irina as her assassin. She would have asked Irina 'why,' but blood overflowing her throat, choking her words down.

"Thank you, Malkuth, for giving dear Irina an opening." Valper snickered. "Did you really think that I did not plan a way to deal with you? Oh, you really should've bound me in chains as soon as you learned of my suspicion."

Valper was gloating as Griselda dropped to her knees, blood trickling down from her lips to her chin.

"I-Irina!"

Xenovia charged at Irina, but a light spear zipped past her eyes and punctured a hole into the wall.

"Stay put." Malkuth ordered, and the next second, Xenovia found herself being violently slammed to the floor by Irina, her partner pinning her arms behind her back.

"Irina, what are you doing?!" Xenovia's words were halted when she stared at Irina's face.

Indifference.

Irina's face was devoid of any emotion as she did not even blink at Xenovia's incredulous expression. She did not look much different than a doll by that point.

"Word of advice. You should really take the rumors of the Church's corruption seriously. You have no idea how easy it is to hypnotize young minds these days." Valper noted much to Xenovia's shock - and her growing anger as she shifted her gaze towards the old fat man with blossoming rage.

"What did you do to her?!"

"Oh, nothing much. Just practiced sessions of…. Counselling with her ever since she was placed under my care. The results are showing remarkably."

Valper sneered as he made his way towards them.

"And as for you..." Valper stood over the kneeling Griselda as blood pooled beneath her. Valper slapped Griselda's cheek with his backhand. "I have plans for you. Oh, it is quite a chore, working under the roof of three beautiful women takes its toll on a healthy male like me. Don't worry, you won't die tonight. We… might still find some use of you."

Griselda weakly turned towards Valper and gurgled, but her color was leaving her.

Valper then stood over Xenovia and Irina. The pinned girl widened her eyes in outrage as the Archbishop reached towards Irina's locks and literally took a sniff at her hair, all the way until his face was next to Irina's head.

"...You are a filthy disgusting being." Malkuth commented with visible revulsion.

"Amazing, isn't it? The young warrior who was born from the results of my research…. A warrior capable of wielding a legendary holy sword." Ignoring the angel, Valper whispered as he ran his wet tongue on Irina's cheek, all while the girl in question did not even flinch at the contact.

"As for you, I am sure my master would let me keep a souvenir. I always wanted to fiddle with a natural holy sword wielder… in my private chambers."

Xenovia snarled, "How did you-?! Don't you dare…"

Valper did not let her finish as he snapped his fingers, "Malkuth, please knock her out. I need her to rest for what we plan to do next."

Malkuth simply grunted.

"Has Kokabiel set up the barrier around this town?"

"Oh yes, he has been busy." Valper nodded. "It should be ready around tomorrow. Alongside the diversion, it should buy us enough time to commence the execution. What about your side?"

"I have done as you asked." Malkuth banished his golden sword of light as he crossed his arms. "Two more angels will join us. They know nothing, but they won't hesitate to raise their blades against the human that shamed the servants of heaven all those years ago."

"Good." Malkuth walked up to Xenovia. Xenovia widened her eyes when the angel raised his leg and dropped it down on her head.

oXo

The last thing Xenovia remembered was the echoing pain in her head before her vision turned black. The next moment when she opened her eyes, she found herself somewhere dark.

Her head was still disoriented, but it banished when the stench of something foul befell her nose.

Xenovia grimaced as she tried to move, but when she did, she found her hands bound together to something hard.

Xenovia looked up.

Her hands were bound together to a pipe. She looked down on her legs, seeing that her ankles were bound together as well, both pairs of limbs handcuffed by the same materials they brought to handcuff Devils.

"The drama that unfeld destroyed my expectations. So many twists and turns, and that was not the climax."

Xenovia flinched at the voice.

She heard the sound of a match light up. The darkness lifted slightly, revealing some parts of the room.

It looked like a storehouse with all the crates stacked up around her.

Sitting on a crate across her was a familiar face, the wrinkled face of the God she did not expect to see so soon.

"You are…. Binbougami." Xenovia remarked.

"Oh, of course I am. Feel free to ask your questions. We have time, and my words are free." Binbougami chortled as he tapped his strange white crescent shaped baton onto the wood.

"...Or do you want me to ask some for you? Like… where you are? What am I doing here? Or did the disgusting fat man do anything to you in your sleep?"

Xenovia stared at the old god for a moment as she processed her current predicament.

"Last night…"

"All of it happened. The angel, the surprise betrayal, everything. I watched everything unfold, and it forced me to take action. Imagine my surprise when I saw a non-fallen angel come to the aid of my former client."

Xenovia grimaced as she recollected.

"Irina…" They may have not spent a year together, but… if Xenovia had to describe her, she was her first friend. The one by her side that she could count on… as quirky as she may be.

"...How long was I out?"

"It is… about to be afternoon. Time has passed in your slumber, many gears are turning as the sun stands high."

Xenovia looked up at the god.

"Why are you here?"

"Curiosity at first. I have goals, you see. When I first saw you with the son of the strongest man… I was perplexed. I allowed you three to do whatever you want for a while as I consider my options for my future. You see, I have done many things." Binbougami explained.

"I have dealt with so much of the ugly aspects of the world we stand on. I have lied, yes. I have made illegal dealings, yes. I have taken the souls of those that cheated me and used them well for my own gains. But, never once, have I broken my word. And I have never forgotten my standards as a god."

Xenovia listened to the old god as the decrepit elder dropped towards the floor.

"Is there a reason why you're telling me this?" Xenovia asked as she looked at the old god.

"It is a synopsis of my story. Tell this old god your desire, and I will carry it out to the best of my ability. I am… selling myself as a humble merchant of fortune and poverty," The old god chortled, the burning candle in his hand still flickering, lighting his decrepit face in the darkness.

"...Are you offering to free me?" Xenovia asked.

She was bound and imprisoned, the only people that could help far away from her.

"Gather all the desires that rest in your heart and air them out, then we shall see." Binbougami brushed off.

Xenovia's gaze dropped as she recalled everything that happened last night.

The shame, the humiliation, the ire and hate that burned when the man that tutored her friend betrayed and… used her like that.

Her heart burned with anger and desperation as she spilled out her heart.

"I want to be free from this prison. I want… to save Irina and Griselda from that man. I want to deliver divine punishment to Valper for what he has done to us, no, I want to cut him to pieces when…!" Xenovia ranted as she looked down on her legs as she reflected.

How did all of this happen? They were supposed to be champions of justice and all that was good… but thinking about what happened last night reminded her of what Issei criticized about her Church, her faith, and herself.

Binbougami watched as Xenovia remained silent to herself, lesting her mutter in hushed whispers.

"The pot calling the kettle black…" She muttered as she laughed at herself.

"Oh-ho." Binbougami quirked a wrinkled brow. "That's quite a hefty boulder of doubt on your shoulder there."

Xenovia looked up at the god, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"How could I not? I… I didn't see it coming. What… everything that happened just proved… everything he said about us. I didn't… everything that happened here is because of my ignorance. I should've seen it coming, and… because of me, Irina is…!" Xenovia's voice started to break as the tears continued to flow, dripping onto her breasts.

"Oh ho ho... Well, it is obvious. But what matters is that you learned to take in what lies beyond the wool over your eyes and become stronger from it. For example, stop relying on silly old texts to light your life. If you walk out of the light you know, you will see how bright and colorful the world can be." Binbougami hummed.

Xenovia remained silent for a while as she contemplated the words of wisdom. It was not something she would expect from someone like the former god of poverty.

"...Thank you." Xenovia looked up at Binbougami.

"Do you wish for freedom?" The God of Poverty and Fortune asked once again.

"...Will you help us?" Xenovia asked back.

"Oh, only this once. I prefer to remain a hushed secret, but I have a way to make do with a few witnesses." Binbougami hummed.

"Tell the son of the strongest man that he is further in my debt."

That was before Xenovia found herself falling onto something hard, the sound of tableware and plates crashing onto the floor.

oXo

"...And that is what happened." Xenovia explained her story as she rubbed her wrists, rubbing the pain of the cuffs out of her skin.

She was wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of hot chocolate served courtesy of Haruka. The rest of others were currently sitting around her, with Asia preparing to treat any injury on Xenovia's person.

"Then our suspicion has been confirmed." Rias nodded, "Valper Galilei is the one behind - no, he's working directly under the mastermind behind all of this."

"...And here I thought that guy is just an angsty old smuggler." Issei commented on Binbougami. "He sure knows what to say and do with style."

He was even more surprised that Binbougami could just teleport Xenovia here. He thought teleportation magic was to be more cumbersome to cast, but here she was, dropped here out of the blue.

And since Xenovia was not marked like Issei was, the girl had the freedom to divulge Binbougami's identity without any consequences.

"The guy that owned the Monkey's Paw is that Japanese god?" Tsubasa pointed out. "...And that guy beat you?"

"Hey, don't get me started. He knows how to kick ass. The old thing is tough," Issei looked at the palm.

"Are we not seriously going to talk about the frickin' angel?" Saji called out.

The room remained in silence on the topic.

"...I thought angels like that should fall or something for… like working with a criminal." Issei pointed out.

"You're not the only one. That is what worries me." Rias sighed. "Pure angels are born with heavy restrictions placed on them by God. I don't think anyone knows how one like… this Malkuth could stay unfallen despite everything that happened."

The Sitri heiress' phone rang with a ping from a message it received - an attachment that showed a letter with the seal of Vatican. The President then turned towards others.

"...I believe things have gotten complicated now. The Vatican just told me that Ms. Xenovia had gone rogue - she had been deemed as a spy and effectively excommunicated."

Xenovia's face was pale while Asia gasped in shock. Issei stared at Sona before replying, "...Mind translating that from bullshit to Japanese?"

"...The cause of her treason was the attempted assassination of Griselda Quarta and Valper Galilei. It said that Irina was the one that stopped her in time… and that Xenovia was in league with the Devils." Sona continued with a rare expression of rage contorting her face, the hand on her phone trembling. It was surprising that Sona could retain her calm tone reading this.

"That's absolutely ludicrous!" Rias, on the other hand, shouted in outrage as her demonic aura flared out. "Both Sona and I were nearly killed just the other night! They can't just suddenly accuse us without telling us anything!"

"They won't trust us, Rias!"

Rias was stunned when Sona jumped from her seat and shouted back with equal volume.

"The words of our kind will always fall on deaf ears of people like them! That is how it always works! We can't mend anything past this point!"

The group remained silent as everyone watched Sona starting to pant from her outburst. The tension bled as Sona returned to her seat, her breaths calmed.

"...I think I know a way to buy some time." Issei perked his head as an idea struck him.

There was a way to buy some time before the Church breached the borders of his hometown.

"...What are you talking about?" Rias asked.

"Sona, think you ask your folks to pass on a message to the Vatican for me?" Issei asked.

Confusion settled in the room as Sona quirked a brow.

"What are you planning? Wait, tell me the message." Sona squinted at Issei.

"Got a bold plan. Tell them that my dad is heading towards the Vatican again on grounds of treason of the Church for breaching our contract."

"...Huh?" Saji and the rest of the room each displayed their faces of confusion.

"Oh, I see." Haruka hammered her palm. "You're planning to buy some time with a bluff."

"Make a call to Azazel and inform him of the plan."

The others were staring at the mother and son duo with incredulous expressions.

"Wait… wait, wait, wait." Tsubasa was the first to connect the dots. "Are you planning on banking on the bullshit story behind your father with the church? The guy that supposedly barged into the Vatican's front door and laid waste to everyone there."

"You'll be surprised. What, you all still don't believe me?"

Everyone stared at him.

The others were either shrugging or shaking their heads awkwardly.

"No matter how you phrase it - your story is complete and utter bullshit."

Everyone turned to Sona with widened eyes at the words that came out of her mouth. Sona pushed the rims of her glasses up as she stared at Issei with her usual stoic expression.

"Language, young lady!" Haruka chastised.

"I am speaking the unhoneyed truth." Sona calmly retorted.

"...It sounds completely ridiculous if you think about it." Rias agreed.

The others, minus Issei and Haruka, nodded in agreement. Even Asia agreed with them.

"Tell them that Saitama is heading their way for sending an army of priests to our borders and see if I am." Issei dared.

Sona looked at Issei for a moment. She made eye contact with Rias briefly, the latter shrugging.

"Well, not like we have many options." Sona sighed as she started texting back on the phone.

Sona stared at her phone for a moment as her face scrunched, perplexion showing. Rias and the other devils noticed it. Saji scooched behind Sona and peeked over her shoulders out of curiosity for what made her react like that.

Sona typed again, her thumbs tapping on the motion-sensitive screen.

Sona stared at the phone for a moment before she looked up at Issei.

"Well?" Issei smugged.

"...We will wait for a moment to see-"

Sona's phone started pinging again.

She looked back to her phone and started to read the contents aloud.

"...The Church is opening to renegotiations." Sona uttered with disbelief.

"Wait, what?" Tsubasa asked, unable to believe what she just heard.

"What the fuck, that was way too fast!" Saji cussed as he squinted at the screen over Sona's shoulder.

"...They want to hear the demands of the Red Dragon Emperor." Sona continued, her stoic expression fell to complete shambles of dumbfoundment.

"Hah!" Issei shouted in victory. "Told you! Mom, start calling Azazel!"

"Already on it, sweetie!" Haruka giggled with triumph as she placed a phone to her ears.

The others watched the matriarch phoning the Scapegoat of the Grigori.

"Hello? Hi, Azazel. How are you? Yes, yes, I am doing fine… No, I didn't, but we'll talk about that soon enough." Haruka sounded threatening to the other person on the phone and the rest in the room.

"But I'm not here for that, no no. I am here to update you for a favor. Where is my dear husband? Hmmm? Please tell me that you know where he is."

Haruka's smile slowly fell.

"What do you mean that he is unavailable? You know full well what I'll do to you if you keep this up. What about Genos?"

It was the first time the others saw Haruka's unamused face.

"…Never mind. I need you to do something. There's an army of the Vatican exorcists being sent our way. Yes, the reasons are getting complicated, just send Golden or Genos to the Vatican headquarters to intimidate them. No, I don't care if it will risk a war, a war will start if we don't buy some time. It is that serious… Alright, just send whoever able agent you have to help us dealing with Kokabiel. What did I do? My son just threatened that my husband is coming over to their place to buy us some time…. Yes, our relationship with them will be strained, but continue buying time for us until the mess is sorted. Okay? Either of them better come here as soon as the next few days, or I will have Rover eat the one place you cherish between your legs."

Haruka's tone deepened with a dark tone as she slammed the phone back into the slot.

The rest of them stared at Haruka, some amazed, others a little scared of the matriarch's display of authority over the leader of the Fallen Angels.

"...So, you said that they want to talk with my son?" Haruka then asked Sona, smiling.

"Huh? Err, um, yes. I did, ma'am." Sona found herself fumbling over her words, much to her embarrassment.

"Well? Put Issei on the phone with them!" Haruka gestured.

Sona and the rest weren't prepared. The story they chalked as nonsensical was tipping towards the scales of truth on the dubious fulcrum.

"It's… well..." Sona tapped onto her phone. Her phone pinged again with another message.

"They are accepting the call, but they want representative Galilei to speak for them. In person."

Issei scrunched his brows.

"Why in person?"

Sona tapped onto her phone to ask Issei's question. She waited for a while for a response as she grimaced when they answered.

"They want the talks to be sanctioned." Sona repeated the texts. "...They say that the condition is non-negotiable. Valper will be ready in the evening to receive you."

Issei shared glances with everyone in the room, particularly Rias, Sona, Tsubasa and his mother. Eventually, he nodded, "Tell him I'll meet him… Did he say the place?"

"At the same hotel you frequented around six past the afternoon." She typed Issei's question to them. She grimaced as she typed again with irritated haste, the others watching her type longer than usual. Once she received a response, she read it with practiced swiftness.

"They also want a representative of the Devils to come with you to discuss the terms with us as well… the representative can come with a bodyguard."

Issei sighed as he glanced at Xenovia. He could see the mug of hot chocolate in her hands trembling.

"I think I can see where this is going. Buy time so they can prepare some political mumbo-jumbo." Issei rolled his eyes. "Who's going to tag along with me to asshole central?" Issei asked.

"I will." Rias volunteered herself. "And Akeno will come as well." She glanced at her Queen, who nodded.

Issei glanced at the king-queen duo, seeing Akeno rising from her seat to stand beside Rias.

"We're not done yet." Issei mentioned.

There was still the problem with Griselda and Irina, like where was the first being held, and Issei was sure as hell that Binbougami was not going to spill.

"He is correct. All of you forgot one more thing." Sona pushed up her glasses as she rose from her seat.

"Not the time, Sona." Issei dismissed Sona's correction. "Someone needs to lead a second team to find out where they're keeping Griselda. There's no way we're going with Valper holding leverage… and we still need to find a way to disarm the mind-control if what he said is true."

Issei pondered on his options on that one. The only two things he could think of was the Urn of Wei Cheng… and that blasted corpse hand which would definitely bite him in the ass.

"I'll go." Xenovia stepped forward.

Issei regarded Xenovia for a second.

"You sure? Can you fight without your holy sword now that I'm wondering?" Issei asked, never before seeing Xenovia fighting without her weapon.

"She will not be alone." Yuuto stepped up and handed Xenovia a two-handed heavy broadsword, the ceiling light reflecting off the gleaming dark steel. Xenovia stared at Yuuto for a moment and at his offered weapon.

"Differences between us aside, I know who to point my sword at now."

Xenovia stared at Yuuto and the materialized demon sword. Her head reached out and gripped the hilt of the weapon.

"...Likewise. I have much to answer for my prior arrogance once this is over."

"I want to help too." Ravel stepped up from her seat, placing her teacup down.

Issei regarded the young Phenex for a moment, and nodded, thinking that Ravel's tactical prowess could help in locating their missing sister.

"Are you sure about this?" Issei asked.

"This matter concerns all of the devil race. If I don't step up and contribute to solving this incident, what would my parents think? I have a duty to uphold the reputation of my clan." Ravel harrumphed with crossed arms.

"Hn, then count me in." Koneko followed, placing her plate of treats down. "Someone needs to watch over the rookie." She glanced at Ravel, who pouted.

"I'll have you know, I do have fighting experience." The blonde retorted.

"Okay, but you do know that your healing factor ain't gonna help you much in this scenario, right? Holy element beats demon regeneration, and that doesn't count for their holy swords." Issei reminded her, though he did not know how well the holy swords work against Devils.

Ravel looked at him as if she was offended.

"I do understand that. It is why I must go and test my progress against the anarchists."

Issei remained silent as he addressed the search and rescue team.

"Alright, let's go over the plan. We need to first pinpoint where they would most likely hold Griselda first before we move out."

"Well, this is a blunder."

Valper massaged his temples as he sat on the chair in the reception room of the hotel. Since Griselda was in custody and the others were dealt with, he was free to use the hotel as his lavish base of operations, no proper eyes of the Church spying on his activities.

Meaning he could sit in the cafeteria alone with his accomplices and hired cohorts joining him for lunch, the angel included as they sat on the opposite end of the table, the furthest away from Valper. Memory Magic was very convenient for something like this.

"I received word that Lord Michael is requesting utmost cooperation. My men are not going to accept it willingly considering it is his offspring." Malkuth glowered at the fat corrupt priest.

"Well, I thought as much. However, I didn't expect that he would play a bluff. I was assured that man would take too long to arrive here, so I am conjecturing a bluff to buy time… although that did not account for the other individuals that accompanied him." Valper mused.

"What about us having an 'easy hunt' for the Vatican traitor, old man Valper?"

Valper turned his head to a group of people clad in clerical garments, complete with a golden-rimmed black hooded cloak over their heads. The leader of the group spoke, the head of a mercenary group that specialized in dealing with Devils.

"Almic, I sincerely apologize for the sudden notice. The Church will still be cemented on the fact that Xenovia Quarta is a traitor, after all. They do not know our true motives, so you should still be able to hunt that girl down. Which reminds me, did you uncover how she managed to escape from her confinement, Sir Malkuth?" Valper asked.

There was no way that she could have escaped those bindings. As strong as she may be for a human, the building she was in was under strict watch, yet she somehow disappeared from the room without a trace. All of her items were confiscated as well.

"I do not. I am not a detective, filth. There is no trace of magic as far as I've noticed." Malkuth shook his head with a hint of irritation in his tone, not for the corrupt priest, but at his own short-comings.

"Hm..." Valper dug his knife and fork onto his plate, slicing a piece of sausage. "Then we should assume that Xenovia has reached her comrades and informed them of our plans. How should we move on?"

"I say we will take care of our whistleblower while you keep the devils busy." Almic piped up, "They don't have any concrete evidence of what we're up to, as long as the traitor dies, we can still meet our end game."

"She will most likely be heavily protected." Valper pointed out as he lifted the slice of sausage into his mouth, chewing. "They will most likely look for Griselda as well. We can use that to our advantage to stave off the opposition's heavy reinforcements. Not only that, dear Irina. Won't you fetch me another plate of food for me?"

"Yes, Father."

Irina, dressed in a customized French maid outfit that exposed a lot more skin than the standard uniform, bowed before doing as she was told. She went over the food stand, ignoring several whistles and cat-calls directed at her from the mercenary group.

"Ahahaha! You should definitely teach us the trick. We wouldn't mind getting some cute girls for our own use." Almic smiled lecherously.

"It is a classified secret of the angels. I am afraid I can't divulge or else Sir Malkuth would take all of our heads for doing so." Valper gestured to the angel sitting across him that was glaring at him with unhidden contempt.

"Well, bummer." Almic rolled his eyes.

"But hey! Can't you lend her to us for tonight, at least!? Some of us can definitely use some good stress-relief!" one of Almic's subordinates - a rogue exorcist with particularly unkempt appearance, shouted with a lecherous smile while looking at his colleagues, who lightly chorused in agreement.

Valper took a sip from his glass of wine before sighing, "...My dear protegee has her own task to fulfil for this operation, I'd appreciate it if you can control yourself until we achieve our goals."

"Bah, we might not know how you put the leash on her in the first place, but we do know that you've prepared her enough to be a tough cookie to crack! That bitch will still be fine after a few rounds with us for a minute or two!"

The unkempt-looking exorcist did not cease his leering, oblivious to the subtle glare given by his superiors. However, Valper finished the rest of his drink before he beckoned Irina over. The mind-controlled girl dutifully approached him and lowered her head enough for Valper to whisper to her ear.

Then, Irina straightened up. She refilled Valper's glass with another wine, before she walked towards the corner of the room, right behind Valper specifically. The corrupt Archbishop then addressed the unkempt-looking exorcist.

"If you really want her so bad, then why don't you indulge yourself right over there?" Valper pointed his thumb at Irina, who simply stood at the corner.

The unkempt-looking exorcist was confused at first - contemplating what the Archbishop was having in his twisted mind. He glanced at his colleagues, who simply shrugged and shook their heads, being as confused as he was. He looked at Almic, hoping for any hint, but the leader simply closed his eyes, unwilling to aid him in any way.

The unkempt-looking exorcist then glanced at Valper, who ignored him in favor of enjoying his drink, before he looked at Irina. As if noticing the eyes directed at her, Irina then moved her hands towards her mini-skirt, reaching up for a second before her hands going down.

The eyes of the rogue exorcists widened when they learned that Irina was pulling down her panties; she lifted one of her legs up to allow the undergarment to slide out and fall to the floor. She then pressed her back against the wall, spreading her legs slightly.

The unkempt-looking exorcist swallowed a small lump, as lust and desire began to replace his confusion. He glanced at his colleagues, who shared his expressions, silently goading him to make a move, while some others shook their heads, as if having bad premonitions. Almic on the other hand, still refused to even look at him. He then glanced at Valper and Malkuth - the former still focused on admiring the wine in his glass, while the latter did not even open his eyes.

He swallowed another lump; he then downed the liquor straight from the bottle, before he stood up from his seat and walked towards the vulnerable-looking girl. He approached with caution, looking for any sign or deceit; but he was already intoxicated a while ago, and finishing the whole bottle only made it harder for him to look away from Irina's face and body.

His unholy urge reached the limit when he arrived right in front of Irina, who did not even move from her position. Staring at her lifeless eyes for a second, the rogue exorcist finally let lose as he wrapped his arms around Irina's back and head, and pulled her until his lips crashed against hers. Some of the other rogue exorcists then began to cheer and leer at the sight of their comrade having his way with the girl, while the other three leaders did not react whatsoever.

The kiss was rough, sloppy, yet Irina's eyes did not even twitch as she simply stood there and let the rogue exorcist pushing himself against her, roaming his hands across her frame, all while forcing his tongue into her throat.

It was nearly a minute later, when the rogue exorcist's hands were busy lifting one of Irina's leg up and unbuckling his pants, when things took a sudden turn that caused the spectator's eyes to bulge.

Almic noticed with a glance from the corner of his eyes - his undisciplined subordinates was thinking with his genitals too much that he did not notice that the girl he was violating, had been slowly moving her hands to reach the knife that was still strapped on his belt.

Everything was too late for the unkempt-looking exorcist; as the girl before him suddenly grabbed the hair on his head and yanked his head away from her with surprising strength, and drove the blade she stole from him through his neck.

The rogue exorcist's arms flailed around, trying to push the girl away, but he did not even have any chance to fight back as Irina pushed and held him down with a strength that a girl like her was not supposed to have; he was already choking through his own blood as Irina twisted the blade in his neck and yank the knife across his jugular.

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck?!"

"She's crazy!"

The rest of the rogue exorcists watched in mortification the vulnerable-looking girl was beheading their comrade with a single knife, splattering his blood across the wall and herself. They all stood up, wanting to interfere, only for Almic standing up and ordered his men to stand down by glaring at them and stretching his arm out blocking them, signaling them not to do anything, as Irina finally finished separating the head of her violator from his body.

The girl then walked away from the corpse towards the squad of rogue exorcists, who flinched in fear at the sight of her. Her upper-body was splattered and mostly covered in blood. Her right hand was holding the bloody knife, with her left hand grabbing the head of their comrade by hair. In addition, the fact that her face remained stoic for the entire time only served to unnerve the rogue exorcists even further.

Suddenly, the sounds of clapping hands filled the air. The rogue exorcists turned to see Valper was clapping with a pleased smile on his face. "Excellent, excellent! Wonderfully done as usual, my dear Irina!"

In response, Irina simply dropped the knife and the severed head onto the floor, before she turned towards Valper and curtsied at his praise.

"Now, go ahead and clean yourself up before you resume your duties." Valper commanded.

"...Yes, father." Irina replied before she walked towards the door and left the premise.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence for some time until Almic growled at two of his men, "You two, clean it up."

The said pair looked startled when they were addressed, but the glare from their leader managed to force them to act - holding themselves desperately from puking out of disgust as they retrieved the severed head and brought the rest of the corpse out of the room.

"...I believe my message had been heard loud and clear?" Valper asked with a smug expression towards Almic, who pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out a long-suffering sigh.

"Look, while I've been hating that guy and planning to fire him for a long time, did you seriously have to go that far?!"

"An example has to be made, my friend." Valper simply replied, glancing at Malkuth who had already opened his eyes some time ago. The angel was glaring disdainfully, yet did not say anything in return.

"Alright, fuck it, so what's the plan? We set a trap for them to spring and then off the Devils we see accompanying the target?" Almic decided to change the subject, so he could get the entire shit-show dealt and done with.

"Yes, a trap sounds ideal. However, I do not think we have time for a proper trap as I have a meeting with the Son of the Strongest Man in several hours. But first, let us address the issues at hand. Are you with us and the other mercenaries with us, Almic?"

The squad leader shrugged, "Eh, considering we've gotten ourselves this deep, might as well see this shit-show through the end."

Valper nodded, "Very well, you shall prioritize in executing Xenovia Quarta. I have other groups hired as helpers to deal with the Devils and guard Griselda, after all."

"How are you going to proceed with the negotiations?" Malkuth asked. "The eyes of the Church will be upon the meeting. Do not ruin everything we have planned."

"Of course, of course, you can leave the political matters to me. Prepare yourself and your comrades. In a few days, the finale will commence. We just need at least one more addition to spark the fireworks."

Welp... May God have mercy on my soul.

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