"If we asked him, he would solve all of our problems; if Dusk-chan wanted to hurt us, he would do so by exposing what HIS cousin did!, and don't forget, HE is the reason why all of this took place." A young female Devil's annoyed voice was heard in a meeting with only three Devils, not understanding why they can't ask HIM!

Surrounding them is not a problem with Annihilation Maker, and the rest of them are strong enough to deal with the leaders.

How infuriating!

"In such a situation, seeking outside help would only harm our reputation... Ajuka, do you have any other options?... Ajuka?" Another voice retorted with logic, not accepting the suggestion of the female devil, by the look of things, he is the one in who has the final say, he was perplexed as to why the third evil is lost in thoughts.

"No, no. She's got a point." The third voice comes from a Devil, who appears to be on the more intellectual side; if the female voice is the attacker and the authoritative voice is the defender, he is the middle ground.

"See! Ajuka is also on my side "Said the female voice, a little relieved that the discussion had finally reached somewhere after days of going around in circles. 

The three Devils are naturally three of the four Satans. 

Serafall Leviathan, Ajuka Beelzebub and Sirzech Lucifer.

As for the fourth, he's probably sleeping somewhere...

"I'm not on your side, but... we're not getting anywhere at this rate, and I have projects to complete... And, if he is as dangerous as you claim, we can gather information about his capabilities during this raid." With annoyance in his voice, Ajuka stated. 

he, too, is a victim of Ahm without even realizing it... What's the worst part? He can't do anything because it's partially his fault as the creator of the pieces and the one who failed to protect them.

"Fine… Are you certain he'll be able to pull it off? There are ten targets, and if each of us chooses one, he will have to deal with seven of them..." Sirszech tried to confirm their helper once more, but no one could fault him... Discovering that, under their nose, an entire faction seizes control of a critical part of the Devil race without them even catching a glimpse of it during years… 

it's not a pleasant feeling, at all

If he doesn't take care of them once and for all, his pride and reputation as the stronger Devil will suffer, which is why he needs to ensure that everything is done correctly so they can get information from the owners of the King pieces and then start dealing with the old satan faction.

This also implies a lot of machinations and assistance from people close to them...

"He wields the Annihilation Maker, and the only thing you don't need to worry about is numbers. In terms of strength... Remember that he is not alone and if they can't win, stalling them until we finish won't be a problem. " Serafall stated with certainty, but withheld some information about them because... She can't simply tell them that each member of a newly formed group of outsiders is capable of dealing with their top ten...

Especially given that they are all humans and... not all that old...

Sirzechs is simply out of options because this problem has been brewing for years... Using people of their own race risks leaking information, compromising the entire operation and their most important advantage.

The element of surprise. 

He has no other choice…  It's asking for their help or…  waiting months…  even years before they can even think about it… 

"I want you to gather information about them and keep track of them while they are in the underworld, Ajuka. If we tell them that the surveillance is for our protection, they won't be able to refuse. Serafall, you have to contact Dusk and negotiate a contract. That's all there is to it; have everything ready by the end of the week." Sirzech gave the orders and dismissed the meeting. 

Yes, they could ask the Grauzauberer, Mephisto Theles' magician organization, or Mephisto himself for Tannin, one of the dragon kings and his peerage member, but even if Mephisto despises the old satan, there is no proof that the others in his organization are not part of them...

Dusk has proven, at the very least, that he is not a member of the old Satan faction... The entire operation is proof of it. 

…

..

. 

|Later|

"So... he wants us to raid... What exactly is it? Seven of the highest-ranking players in the rating game, as well as members of their peerage? I'm guessing Dieauser and Ruval Phenex are both included, so... five real targets?" Sera informed me of Sirzechs decision on how to proceed.

"Yes, as you mentioned, those two do not have king pieces, but I can't guarantee they will surrender without a fight... " Serafall expressed her concern for those two, a little concerned because she is aware of their strength, and injuries are the last thing she wants to see on any member of either party.

"Diehauser isn't a problem, I know him but... Phenex may attack but he shouldn't be a problem if we explain things to him. All I have to do is ask the girls if they want to do it or not but... We should be able to handle them." I shouldn't tell her that Scathach and I are enough to deal with them... [Ink] and Annihilation Maker combined with my reality warping are too difficult to deal with and… with runes to prevent them from teleporting? 

Yeah, good luck, the only issue is those who use the 'King' pieces because the power boost is significant.

The only weakness of the 'King' pieces is the same as that of the Booster Gear: if the user is unable to withstand the sudden surge of power... plop!

If the user is too strong, the boost of strength can be enough to break their bodies, and unlike the Booster Gear, this power up is permanent and all of a sudden, as opposed to the Booster Gear's continuous duplication.

"Thank you, Dusk-chan! we'll use this week to finish everything we need, and we should be able to make our move in the next few months." Serafall said cheerfully, the discussion went well for both parties and all we have to do now is wait for the right moment to strike.

"I still have to ask them if they want to do it or not... " I reminded her because I'm not sure what they'd say.

After all this time, I doubt they'll be able to pass up the opportunity to face powerful opponents.

This is the real reason I agreed; there aren't enough strong opponents to put us to the test, and sparring is different because it's obvious that we don't want to kill each other, which causes us to hold back unconsciously.

It's been a long time since we had a good fight, and this time the opponents are really strong, with some of them even rivaling Grayfia in strength, not enough to worry me or Shishou, but the rest should get some good exercise.

They won't be killing me unless they use a weapon that can damage the soul or consciousness, and Shishou is simply too powerful for them.

I'm actually interested to see how they fare against them...

Isn't it poetic to release some horrors into the underworld? Having devils run with a mixture of terror, fear, and despair on their faces, as 'demons' are known to do in folklore...

Now, which ones to pick... so many alternatives

Should I dispatch actual demons? Some hunters or predators... from the air... the earth... or the water? Even something that travels underground is an option... or perhaps…  

So many options...

"Is there anything else? Sera-chan? " I asked her because I'm eager to get started on planning what to do with the Devils and creating some horrors with new ideas to try…

New experiments need new test subjects… 

Jumpscaring Jalter is a lot of fun if you don't mind her chasing you while throwing cursed fire at your butt...

Or some of the organization's more mature members... Having a girl with her own hair covering her face come out of your TV the day after watching THAT movie... yeah…

They blasted them with spells, so I had to make some new TVs… and walls…  and…  

Anyway.

"Nothing else, I'll be free after this week, so I'll go to Ahm to kill some time... I may not be able to see him for some time..." I don't need to read Sera's mind to figure out that she is cursing her paperwork… again. 

Maybe… MAYBE one day I'll give her a paperwork monster to help her...

Maybe…