Chapter 10: Choices

To fulfill these two objectives, a certain Heroic Spirit was summoned. When that Heroic Spirit learned about the plan for the Scripture Revision, they pointed out the following about the plan.

"We need to establish an alibi, don't we?"

To make the Scripture Revision a perfect crime, the Heroic Spirit presented their own argument.

The influence the Scripture has on the world is immense. It's not just the world's largest religion. The Common Era would not have begun without the Savior. One of the stated reasons for the Age of Exploration was evangelism. The base of the world's shared ethical values includes many of the teachings of the cross. The book most printed and sold in the world is none other than the Bible.

To attempt to rewrite those teachings, consistency is required. Simply changing the records would be unnatural. Simply replacing memories would lead to inconveniences.

Even if the Scripture is weakened, raising the profile of other pantheons would defeat the whole purpose. The tragedies caused by gods would remain unchanged. The screams caused by demons would not cease. The balance of power between the mysterious and civilization must be maintained as is, and only the definition of the Scripture must be altered. For that, elaborate past tampering was necessary. The Demon Gods Pillars understood this, but the Heroic Spirit proposed an approach from a different perspective.

If Goetia's plan up until now was Document Forgery, the matter proposed by the Heroic Spirit was the preparation of a False Testimony.

In the past, the royal families of every country declared themselves to be the Descendants of God. They asserted that because they possessed the blood of a god, they had the duty and right to rule over people. Naturally, even if a god truly existed, it's not the case that the royal families claiming to be Descendants of God actually had divine blood. The Hero Faction is the same. The fact that there are Descendants of Cao Cao means the Cao Cao who lived in that era existed. The fact that there are Men who inherit the soul of Heracles proves the reality of the great hero of legend.

Something similar needs to be done. They must find modern heroes whose stories align with the rewritten myths. Then, elements related to the Scripture that is planned to be rewritten must be added to those heroes.

To put it in a more common way, it's like retroactively adding a lineage setting to a manga protagonist. Or perhaps, it's like drawing a future arc to adjust the main story's setting.

And, a perfectly suitable artifact had been confirmed. The spear that slays the Savior, which appeared before Florence Nightingale, who was being monitored by the Control Tower. In some circles, it is said that whoever acquires it will conquer the world.

However, the spear alone is not enough. A cup is needed, not as a wish-granting device, but to interfere with the System. A cross is indispensable, not as an execution tool, but to decipher the legacy of God.

The fixation of the world line using Holy Relics. This was a strategy led by Baal. When this operation is executed, the possibility of failure of the great undertaking is completely eliminated.

Preparations to burn the Underworld are underway. Negotiations with the realms corresponding to hells in various mythologies have already concluded. Starting with the Age of Exploration, the forces of the Scripture focused too much on evangelism. It's something done in every mythology, but they overdid it. In particular, the recent damage caused by the Evil Pieces made the heads of the Hells nod in agreement.

As for the realms corresponding to heavens in various mythologies, the gods in the heavens will not be as easy as the Hells. It is clear how despicable they are if one examines the mythologies.

If negotiations with the gods in the heavens are neglected, arrangements must be made to swiftly burn the heavens after burning the Hells. Even having accomplished the Incineration of Humanity spanning three thousand years, it's impossible to easily burn an entire world. Furthermore, intervention from Indian Mythology is extremely troublesome, both in terms of nature and influence. Many of the higher-ups in that mythology, starting with the War God Indra, are powerful gods. Individually, they may not equal Goetia, but as a collective, they are very troublesome. There's also the possibility of Odin, the chief god of Norse Mythology, who is eager for knowledge, rising to power.

And, as a final problem, there's the response of the angels mentioned in the Scripture. It would still be better if they could formulate a countermeasure for the [Light Band]. Because then it would just be a matter of surpassing that countermeasure. The worst-case scenario is a Seraph realizing Goetia's true intentions and self-destructing, taking Heaven with them in a desperate move. In this case, they would perform a self-destruction that would not yield energy. If that happens, fuel will be insufficient. The Hells alone are not enough; their great undertaking, the Scripture Revision, cannot be accomplished.

That's why an operation led by Flauros was necessary to solve these two problems. He, the apostle most trusted by Heaven, the strongest military force of the Church, and the possessor of a High-Tier Longinus, needed to betray them.

In the past, there were four Demon Kings in the Underworld: The Morning Star Lucifer, the Lord of the Flies Beelzebub, the Monster of the End Leviathan, and the Great Demon of Lust Asmodeus.

However, all four were killed in the previous Great War of the Scripture's three-way conflict. It is said that the devils were the most exhausted party in the last Great War. Part of it is the depletion of their numbers, but the greater reason is the loss of all four Great Demon Kings. If all four representatives are annihilated, they would inevitably be weakened.

Moreover, the devils experienced a major civil war after the Great War. It was a civil war between the families of the Old Demon Kings, who wanted to continue the war, and the revolutionary faction—later the New Demon King Faction—who aimed to rebuild the state. To state only the result, the revolutionary faction won. The families of the Old Demon Kings were stripped of their power and pushed to the remote regions of the Underworld. In addition, the title of Demon King was degraded to a position. It would be unnatural not to resent this.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the Old Demon King Faction—or the True Demon King Faction, as they call themselves—would become terrorists.

Their ideal, to put it mildly, is a ridiculous one. It is for the devils, no, the Demon Kings, to become the rulers of all.

"What is going on!"

Shalba Beelzebub, of the Beelzebub bloodline, was furious.

"Where did Ophis go! What about the Serpents, the promised Serpents!?"

Ophis is not just a Dragon with infinite power. On the contrary, having such power and yet being only strong would be the greater problem. Ophis can create Serpents that augment the user's power. The Serpents can be used in various ways, but they are mostly used for power enhancement.

Ironically, those whom Shalba and his peers call the False Demon Kings are stronger than them. That's why the existence of the Serpents was indispensable. Using the Serpents, Shalba and the others can raise their power to the level of the former Demon Kings. Conversely, this also means that they can only reach the level of the former Demon Kings by using the Serpents.

Does he not believe the rumor that Sirzechs Lucifer is ten times stronger than the former Lucifer?

The Serpents previously handed over by Ophis have run out due to experiments and test runs. It was only while searching for Ophis for replenishment that they realized she was gone. All members of the Khaos Brigade are searching, but no one seems to have seen her for several days.

At this rate, replenishing the Serpents was hopeless.

"Those brats of the Hero Faction are getting too cocky too!"

Recently, strange movements have been observed in the Hero Faction, the second-largest faction in the Khaos Brigade. A strategist claiming to be Napoleon is said to have joined, and their actions have changed ever since. While it is too vague to describe concretely, if forced to say, the atmosphere has changed, or madness has become visible. Something that was never there before has been added to a group that was previously just insolent for being human. Shalba was not aware that he felt avoidance more than just revulsion toward this transformation.

Hades of Greek Mythology, who was in a secret cooperative relationship, has also become reluctant to cooperate recently. The reason is unknown. Hades harbors total disgust towards the current Underworld—or rather, the forces of the Scripture itself. The pact among the Three Factions should be a negative for him too. Yet, it was precisely because of this that they sought the Grim Reaper's aid, but he refused. His response suggested that he would refrain from future cooperation.

This is bad.

With this—they won't be able to disrupt the meeting of the Three Factions, which is rumored to be held soon. The magicians and the devils of the True Demon King Faction, while they might manage the numbers, are critically short of 'individual' fighting strength. The plan was for Cattleyea Leviathan, a descendant of Leviathan, to challenge the leaders alone, but now Shalba and Creusey Asmodeus will also need to participate.

They do not for a moment think that they, the True Demon Kings, will lose, but they understand that Sirzechs and the others are stronger. They were filled only with indignation that the plan had been decisively messed up. Putting aside his own faults, he vented his anger at Ophis for breaking her promise.

In addition to this, there is the matter of the 'Flesh Pillar' [Niku-bashira]. He doesn't care if they are the culprits who attacked the Church. He doesn't care that they attacked the first-generation devils who chose the False Demon Kings over the True Demon Kings. However, according to information from a certain source, they claim to be the True Seventy-Two Pillars. Such an ugly monster is defiling the name of the devil. As a Demon King bloodline, this was unacceptable. Their strength, true identity, or objective were not even a consideration. He was preparing to crush them in his wrath.

It is also rumored that that monster was involved in the recent annihilation incident of the Hexennacht (Witches' Night). This incident caused damage because they had close ties with the Nilrem magician faction of the Khaos Brigade. The disappearance of one of the Longinus, the Holy Cross, is particularly significant.

"Damn you... Damn you, damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU! You False and Hypocritical Demon Kings! You Idiot Dragon! You Detestable Tentacle Monster!"

The True Beelzebub clenched his fist in humiliation. The option of choosing to seize the future, which should have been prioritized over past pride, did not exist for him. This was not a matter of thinking or executing. —That option vanished on the day they lost to Sirzechs and the others.

The old Demon King bloodline had no other choice.

"Request from Gaap. The heat overflows. The anger spills out. Are we to do nothing and wait until Baal's and Flauros' operations are complete? Are we to endure this fury? Let us slay as many of their fakes, as many of the angels who demean Heaven, and as many of the fallen angels who mock humans as we can!"

"Proposal from Glasya-Labolas. We should prioritize slaying Sitri's fake."

"Rejection from Goetia. The death of a Demon King will activate the devils' movements. We absolutely must have them on guard, or the plan will be disrupted. But, Glasya-Labolas, why do you bring up such a thing now?"

"Confirmation from Balam. I hear that Glasya-Labolas's fake—the Demon King Falbium Asmodeus—has delegated his work to his subordinates. This laziness is known to all factions, and the Underworld tolerates it. Do you despise the depravity? But why do you hate Sitri's fake—the Demon King Serafall Leviathan?"

"Answer from Glasya-Labolas. I harbor a stronger fury towards Sitri's fake than my own. Why? Why is it? Why is such a magical girl impostor tolerated?! An ordinary person in power indulging in childish games and broadcasting their disgraceful acts on public airwaves. That woman is insane. The race of devils is insane. What value is there in such a magical girl impostor! Why do they not realize that those who see such an unsightly figure become uncomfortable, and those who perceive it feel revulsion! That woman... her very existence is an insult to them!"

"Question from Decarabia. We request an explanation of Glasya-Labolas's true intentions."

"Answer from Barbatos. Unknown."

"Conjecture from Paimon. Considering her race, Sitri's fake is not of an age that can be called a girl. Furthermore, devils who reach a certain age should be able to make themselves look younger. However, Serafall Leviathan appears as a magical girl in an age-appropriate body. Glasya-Labolas cannot tolerate that."

"Denial from Amdusias. The source of Glasya-Labolas's fury is not there."

"Report from Bune. It seems a meeting of the Three Factions will be held. A pact will likely be concluded depending on the outcome. Information exchange, including the recent Gremory incident, should also take place."

"Supplement from Asmodai. Demon King Sirzechs Lucifer, Demon King Serafall Leviathan, Archangel Michael, and Fallen Angel Governor Azazel are scheduled to attend."

"Supplement from Ronove. As witnesses, Rias Gremory and her peerage, and Sona Sitri and her peerage are also scheduled to attend."

"Supplement from Orias. A ceasefire and the conclusion of a joint front are almost certain."

"Question from Halphas. Why won't they start a war? Why are they ending their conflict? The fighting will not stop. The pain will not disappear. They have been at the bottom of the spiral longer than mortals. Why do they think they can join hands based only on fear of us? Why do they choose to ignore their distrust of one another? If such a thing can stop the fighting—why haven't they done it until now?"

"Order from Goetia to Glasya-Labolas. If you're eager to work, go run an errand. However, your fighting strength will be limited. Go cool your head."

Author's Note (Summary of the Demon Pillar Meeting)

I must refrain from writing a long, paraphrased translation (or "free translation") of the Demon Pillar Meeting in the comment section, as it tends to violate the rules of Hameln. I understand that everyone wants to see a free translation, but seeing the characters "運対" in the comment section is somehow distressing for the author.

So, I've written it down instead! Please use this only as a reference.

Gaap: "We have time until Baal's and Flauros' operations are done, so let's kill as many of those pests as possible!"

Glasya-Labolas: "Yes, especially Sitri's fake."

Goetia: "Rejected because it will disrupt the plan. But, Glasya-Labolas, what's with the sudden outburst?"

Balam: "Glasya-Labolas's fake is apparently lazy. I get it if you hate that, but why Sitri's?"

Glasya-Labolas: "I hate Sitri's fake more than my own fake. I mean, that woman, she calls herself a magical girl with that look?! She's mocking magical girls!"

Decarabia: "What is Glasya-Labolas even saying?"

Barbatos: "I don't know."

Paimon: "Maybe he hates that she calls herself a magical girl when she's not a girl?"

Amdusias: "You don't get it. It's not about that."

Bune: "The Three Factions are finally having a meeting. The Gremory story is likely to be brought up too."

Asmodai: "Two Demon Kings, the Archangel, and the Fallen Angel Governor will attend."

Ronove: "The devils who were on site will also attend."

Orias: "Well, it'll probably be a ceasefire and the conclusion of a joint front."

Halphas: "They've had grudges for thousands of years, and they think they can just get along now?"

Goetia: "Glasya-Labolas. If you're so eager, go do it. But I won't give you much magic power. Frankly, you're expected to lose."