Chapter 7: The Paths We Take

I – Hyoudou Issei – am currently wandering the night streets in a priest's outfit. Not just me, but Kiba, Koneko-chan, and Saji, who is the servant of another House, are also with me.

...I think this is pretty questionable behavior for a Devil, but it's all for the sake of our comrade, Kiba.

I negotiated with Xenovia and Irina and got permission to destroy Excalibur. I thought the negotiation would be difficult, but it went smoothly thanks to Xenovia's sophistry: 'borrowing the power of a Dragon, not a Devil.' ...This is a secret from Buchou (President) and the Kaichou (President), who is Saji's master. What we are doing might upset the balance between Devils and the Church if we mess up, so we must not get caught.

We heard a rumor that a priest was being attacked, so we thought if we disguised ourselves as priests, the culprit would come to us. However, we've had no luck for the past few days. Since it was so boring, I brought up something that had been on my mind to Saji and Kiba: the pillar of flesh that is causing trouble in the Underworld.

"That column of flesh that killed the first generation of leaders. What exactly is it? Buchou said it's a creature that doesn't exist even in the history of the Underworld."

"Who knows? Kaichou said she doesn't know. The Maou-sama's (Devil Kings) don't know either, apparently. That's why they started talking about forming an alliance with the Gods and Fallen Angels, who should be their arch-enemies. It's similar to that incident at the church, but the Fallen Angel side has also had their bases in the human world attacked in the last few months. There was an incident in this town too, apparently. They suspect it might be related."

Ah, I know about that. It must be the gas explosion that happened at the church where Asia was supposed to be dispatched. Buchou told me it wasn't a gas explosion at all. ...Asia, I hope I can see you again soon.

I see. The same thing is happening everywhere. If only the Fallen Angels were being victimized, I could say they deserved it, but if Devils are also suffering, I can't think that way. I wonder what happened to Yuuma-chan... no, Raynare.

"However, it's not all bad news."

"Huh?"

"You're talking about the power balance between the Maou Faction and the Great King Faction, right?"

Saji nodded to Kiba's question. Kiba then explained to me, who wasn't grasping the situation.

"Issei-kun, the balance of the current Devil government is roughly divided into the Maou Faction and the Great King Faction."

The Maou Faction is the force led by the Four Great Devil Kings who succeeded their titles, starting with Sirzechs Lucifer-sama, Buchou's older brother. They are the reformists, creating new era waves, such as creating the 'Evil Pieces.' Conversely, the Great King Faction is the force that respects the traditions of the 72 Pillars that have existed since ancient times. Due to their differing principles, they don't get along well with the Maou Faction. Of course, both the Maou and Great King Factions are not unified and consist of multiple smaller groups.

"It's no exaggeration to say that the conservative Great King Faction was virtually run by the first-generation Great King, Zekram Bael-sama. That first-generation Great King suddenly passed away. Therefore, the Great King Faction has no leader. The current Great King and previous Great Kings don't have the same charisma as the first-generation Great King. In fact, because the first-generation Great King is gone, there's a struggle within the Great King Faction over who will be the de facto leader next."

"E-even when the Underworld is in such trouble?"

"Because the Underworld is in trouble, it's easier to stab someone in the back and easier to be targeted. As I just said, the Great King Faction is a large faction, forming one wing of the Devil government. Many government officials belong to it. In short, the parliamentarians of the Great King Faction are in a state of paralysis. This is because the Great King Faction's policy has not been unified. If they act on their own, they might be expelled from the faction once a new leader is decided. Since the Great King Faction was a faction that followed the first-generation Great King's policies, there aren't many parliamentarians willing to act independently. And with the Great King Faction unable to move, the Maou Faction's opinions are more likely to pass."

"There were some first-generation leaders who would always voice their opinions even if they were cooperative with the Maou Faction. Kaichou was vague about it, but this incident was definitely a plus for the Maou-samas."

So that's the 'not bad news' he was talking about. Certainly, there are many times during parliamentary broadcasts when I think, "Why are they spending time on this?" Fewer clashes mean faster political decisions. Is that why negotiations to form an alliance with the Gods and Fallen Angels went smoothly? As I was thinking this, a chill ran down my spine.

"Up there!"

Responding to Saji's shout, everyone looked up to see a white-haired boy descending with a long sword raised.

"May the grace of God be with this band of priests!"

Kiba blocked the white-haired priest's attack by summoning his Sacred Gear sword. Kiba's Sacred Gear is an amazing one that can create any kind of demon sword.

And I already knew about that white-haired boy-priest.

"Freed Sellzen!"

"Heh? You know me? It's tough being a celebrity, isn't it!"

I had received information about this Stray Exorcist from Xenovia and Irina. Freed Sellzen. His tone and attitude are ridiculous, but his skill is apparently very high. He was a genius but also a madman who had even killed his own comrades.

Kiba had actually fought him a few days ago. He should have reported it to Buchou, but he kept silent because this guy had Excalibur. He wanted to defeat him himself. To destroy Excalibur with his own hands.

"I will destroy Excalibur!"

"Don't talk like you're dreaming, you damn Devil! It won't be that easy!"

Kiba created a new sword with his Sacred Gear and attacked with two blades, but Freed parried them.

After clashing swords a few times, Kiba and Freed retreated to create some distance. Freed looked relaxed, while Kiba was sweating coldly.

"Tch! It's not easy to destroy Excalibur after all."

"No, it's not just the sword; I'm the one who's strong! After all, I'm a super-genius! And yet... so this is a 'Gremory' servant."

Hmm? I felt like his tone changed just now. Not the vulgar speech filled with madness, but a more mechanical and organized tone.

"I hate you guys so much! I'm gonna kill you! Drop dead!"

No, I guess it was just my imagination after all. Anyway, I have to defeat this guy and break the connection between Kiba and Excalibur!

The Chaos Brigade, a group of calamity.

This is an organization formed by the unstable elements of various factions, essentially terrorists among the races. The internal relationships are complex, with everyone using each other. Currently, members from various places are gathering and accumulating power beneath the surface of world affairs.

In name only, the leader is the 'Infinite Dragon God,' Ophis. However, this leader has been constantly slipping away recently, going somewhere on their own. Since Ophis is the banner used to gather strength, we would prefer them to refrain from acting arbitrarily, but we cannot control them. Not many people view this as a problem, as many only care about being lent Ophis's 'serpent' power. Given that no major incident has occurred, Ophis is probably not making contact with any gods, Buddhas, or Devil Kings.

Within this group is a faction called the Hero Faction. It is the second largest faction after the Old Maou Faction, consisting of the descendants of the True Maou and their subordinates. All members are human. They banded together with the main goal of seeing how much humans can achieve against the supernatural. It includes descendants of famous heroes, reincarnations, and even an owner of the Longinus, the God-Slaying Tool.

The leader, Cao Cao, is a descendant of the Cao Cao of the Three Kingdoms era. The Sacred Gear residing within him is the True Longinus, the Holy Spear of Twilight, which is even called the strongest Longinus, the God-Slaying Tool. Since it is the spear that pierced the Savior, it paradoxically harbors the power of God-slaying. As a 'Holy Spear,' it has holy power, making it effective against impure entities like Devils. Furthermore, Cao Cao has awakened the sub-species Balance Breaker, giving him a wide range of attacks. Cao Cao was a man fit to lead the Hero Faction.

Georg, who acts as the strategist, is also an owner of a Longinus, the Dimension Lost, which is hailed as the strongest barrier-type Sacred Gear. Naturally, he has also awakened the Balance Breaker.

These men are now lying exhausted at an airport in a certain country, looking like they've suffered a tremendous setback. In fact, they have just failed a recruitment mission. And they didn't just fail to gain personnel; something much larger was broken.

The incident began with the attempt to verify the truth of a rumor. The content of that rumor was: 'there is a nurse who can extract Evil Pieces.' If this were true, the Hero Faction couldn't stand by. No, there wouldn't be any entity that knows about the 'Evil Pieces' that could hear this rumor and remain silent. The reason why no one else besides Cao Cao was moving in a big way was because the rumor lacked credibility. Their advantage as terrorists operating beneath the surface was their mobility.

Finding the 'nurse' mentioned in the testimonies was not easy. The information had clearly been erased by someone. Even finding traces of information manipulation would be difficult for an organization lacking sufficient manpower. Yet, relying on meager information, they finally found the nurse they were looking for. The location was a hospital in a certain conflict zone.

But the place they finally arrived at was – hell.

It was hell, yet it was also a scene that every human who had lived on the battlefield, ancient or modern, must have witnessed.

The injured begged to be killed in hoarse voices. Many were missing limbs and unconscious. Every visible bandage was stained with blood. The pervasive, unbearable smell of death. Mixed with the endless screams, one could hear the footsteps of the Grim Reaper. Many grown men were wailing, begging God for forgiveness.

Cao Cao and Georg had fought before. They had taken lives. They had seen grotesque corpses. They even had experience with human experimentation as part of the organization's research. But seeing the scene that past heroes must have routinely witnessed, inhaling the air saturated with nothing but pain, made them want to vomit.

What was there was the complete opposite of the glory they sought. There was no honor for the warriors that should exist on a battlefield. Just blood, pain, suffering, and death.

Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly. Painful, painful, painful, painful. Dirty. Dirty. Dirty. Dirty. Suffering. Suffering. Suffering. Suffering. No, no, no, no. Scary. Scary. Scary. Scary.

Denying in their minds that their war was not like this, that they would not end up like this, Cao Cao and the others averted their eyes. Both from the hell in front of them and from their own future.

In that hell, the nurse was fighting. Although the woman herself looked quite bruised and exhausted, her spirit did not seem worn down. The women helping her were also visibly fatigued, but they did not stop working. They did not flinch at the patients' angry, abusive language but instead forcefully silenced them. They secured sanitation, administered treatment, and finished quickly. With every movement they made, the negative atmosphere filling the space seemed to thin out.

A hero.

She was different from the hero they were trying to become. But no other word could be found. And unlike them, who wanted to be heroes, she was already one. She was a single, perfected human being. Her radiance was dazzling, even provoking jealousy. Their figures were the very definition of beautiful angels.

The initial assumption was that this hospital was a front for extracting 'Evil Pieces.' But it was actually 'just a hospital,' and she was 'just a nurse.' What was being done there was not special or cutting-edge, just 'plain treatment' that was a bit rough. To her, extracting an 'Evil Piece' must have been nothing more than one of the many treatments she performed.

Once the treatment was momentarily finished, Cao Cao and the others were able to speak with her. They explained the existence of the Hero Faction, their objective, and requested cooperation. As soon as they finished their pitch, she said:

"You people are sick."

After this, Cao Cao and the others, to put it mildly, had their spirits crushed.

They received a 'treatment' in the broader sense—a perfectly on-point counseling session. What exactly was said is best left known only to them.

Then, as new patients were being brought into the hospital, Cao Cao and the others took a chance and fled. Using the Dimension Lost ability at full power.

And so, we arrive at the present. Cao Cao stated his resolve.

"Georg. Let's forget about that nurse now."

"Agreed. I never want to see her again... Let's hurry back to the base."

"Fou!"

"Hm?"

Cao Cao and the others looked down at their feet and saw a small white animal, like a cat or a rabbit. As they wondered when it had arrived, a girl's voice came from behind them.

"Where do you think you're going? The doctor's treatment is only halfway done."

"Vali. We've confirmed the location of that idiot Kokabiel. Of all places, it's in Sirzechs's sister's territory. Hurry up and go retrieve him."

"Understood, Azazel. It was a provincial city in Japan, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. The detailed coordinates are here. ...Speaking of Japan, there was a rumor recently that an incredibly strong Youkai flowed into Kyoto."

"That sounds interesting. Could you look into it while I go retrieve Kokabiel?"

"Alright. Should I send someone who has a little free time to check it out? I like Japan, too. I can't have Kyoto getting trashed.

"I hope he's a strong enough opponent to satisfy me."

"Is that so? I wonder why you turned into such a battle maniac. Oh, and one more thing. There's talk that Rias Gremory's servants include the Sekiryuutei (Red Dragon Emperor), but don't fight him. We need to form an alliance soon. Plus, because of that idiot Kokabiel, we're in a bad position. We can't afford to make it any worse."

"What if I have to fight?"

"Absolutely not. If you want to fight, you'll probably get a chance to fight that pillar of flesh, so be patient with that. If the alliance succeeds, you'll inevitably have to fight anyway."

"Heh. It's powerful enough to defeat the first generations of the 72 Pillars. That pillar of flesh will surely entertain me."