Chapter 395: Trial
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With the sun peaking through his window and shining down onto his face, Alex stirred slowly from slumber before his thoughts caught up to him. Today they opened the gates to the DXD world.
With Hajime having finished the next pair of gates the day before, nothing was stopping Alex from trying to open them once the first one was anchored into place. With anticipation filling him, Alex reached out and smacked the closest one of the four pale rumps around him.
"HIYA!" Kokoa cried out while jumping up from the pain in her buŧŧ, waking her sisters at the same time as they looked around sleepily. The moment she saw Moka though, Kokoa readily launched herself at her and buried her face into her sister's nȧkėd brėȧsts before crying,
"Big sis! Protect me from this brute!" Her brow twitching in mild annoyance, Moka was about to tell her to get off when Akua suddenly cried out this time with blood dripping from her nose,
"No fair Kokoa! I also want to bury my face in Moka's brėȧsts first thing in the morning!" She then proceeded to start scuffling over Moka while Alex and the fourth Shuzen sister, Kahlua, watched from the side.
"Are we a part of Alex's harem or Moka's?" Kahlua muttered out loud, as, while she did love her little sister dearly, she wasn't infatuated with Moka like the other two were. Shrugging in response to her musings though, Alex then suddenly grabbed Kokoa and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he headed for the bathroom.
"H-hey! What are you doing?!" She demanded angrily, before being answered with a crisp,
PA!
Again Kokoa cried out in surprise as Alex delivered another sharp slap to her rump, before he followed it up with another, and then another. A smirk on his face, Alex played with Kokoa's ȧss cheeks like they were a set of bongo drums as he went to wash off, while the other three sisters hurriedly followed. They all then enjoyed a(only slightly ėrȯtɨċ) bath in the girl's herbal treated water, as unlike Moka they hadn't yet managed to find a way to make the other vampiress's from her world immune to the effects of water.
After their quick bath, the group then made their way down to dining hall to join the others for their breakfast, though each of the four vampires made sure to sink their fangs into him during their bath. Sitting down at the table, both Mikan and Haruna hurriedly filled his plate with food while Alex felt Kurumu, Ageha, and Akeno fumbling with his waistband under the table, allowing him to eat his fill while the three women eagerly blew him.
It was only after he finished eating that Alex looked around while adopting a serious expression(despite Kurumu's lips still being wrapped around his ċȯċk), and began,
"Today, we're finally going to attempt to go home." Dead silence met his declaration, as everyone one of his wives, lovers, and sėx toys listened intently while he continued,
"I don't know how it'll go, but chances are it'll be hard since I'll essentially be punching a hole through reality itself to do so. That's why, I'll probably need help from some of you, to keep the hole open after I make it, and to help set up the gate on the other side after its open." The words were bȧrėly out of his mouth when Mirajane said,
"Of course! After what you've done for us, we will do whatever it takes to help you achieve what you want." With Lucy and Erza nodding in agreement, Rias quickly followed up with,
"And I think I've kept my parents waiting for me to take over the Gremory Family long enough, plus it's about time they finally get to meet their grandson." With Akeno and Koneko both nodding in agreement due to the Gremorys being akin to their second family after their troubles in be past, the rest of the girls started adding various other things they wanted to do as soon as they returned home.
An affectionate smile on his face, Alex listened to them talk excitedly for a while as everyone discussed going to favorite stores and restaurants they visited frequently before leaving, certain landmarks, family and friends, and much more. Knowing they wouldn't get anywhere just by sitting around talking about it though, Alex clapped once to regain everyone's attention(since he couldn't stand for obvious reasons), and said,
"As excited as we all are, I would like to remind you all that one of the most frustrating opponents any of us has faced will still be there, Trihexia." As he said that the women from the DXD world adopted pensive looks as they recalled their former foe, while those that hadn't faced Trihexia before asked,
"I know you've talked about it before, but is this Trihexia really that powerful?" Smiling wryly, Alex explained,
"Though it is quite powerful, I was actually stronger than it when I faced it. The problem is its vitality. If I compared it to a video game, it's like it's health is almost unlimited, and each attack, no matter how powerful, only deals one point of damage at a time. That was why to deal with it we had to seal it in another dimension with some of the most powerful figures from our world, so they could keep it from destroying the world while slowly wearing it down over the course of the next ten thousand years or so."
When they heard this the other girls adopted a pensive look this time, as they tried to imagine a creature so unkillable that even Alex couldn't destroy it. seeing this, Alex smirked and continued,
"Hey, remember this was before I got things like Spirit magic and the skill 'Soul Break'. When I see it again I'll probably be spoiled for choices on how to deal with Trihexia." Hearing this, Rias nodded and said,
"Of course, none of us are the same as when we left!" When she said that the rest of the girls from the DXD nodded in agreement, a fire in their eyes.
They had all spent the majority of their time since leaving training to become stronger, to the point that they would easily be able to compete with the old monsters that had been around for millennia, if not stronger. As this thought crossed everyone's minds though, a weird chuckle started emanating from Serafall as she uttered in an unusual tone,
"Ufufufufufu...I'd like to see any of those old farts try and bully my beloved So-Tan now!" A intense killing intent then began to radiate from Serafall's body as she recalled how her beloved baby sister had been treated prior to their departure.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her attitude, though he understood her completely, Alex then said,
"Alright, that's enough talking, let's get ready to go." Immediately the girls got up and started to either make their way to the exit or begin prepping to do so, while Alex remained seated a moment longer until he once again filled Kurumu's mouth with spunk.
Despite their eagerness, it was only after Alex spent a few hours getting his children ready, and making his usual rounds, that everyone finally gathered at the place where the gate had been built. Around it, quite the crowd had gathered sue to the curiosity of Alex's home world, as well as the excitement of the former residents of the DXD world.
The crowd quickly made way though as the hulking figure of Alex in his SSJ4 transformation arrived, allowing him to approach the gate and those that were waiting for him.
"About time you got here." Hajime said when he saw him, his tone carrying traces of mock annoyance. Alex however snorted at him and replied,
"Some of us have families to take care of." Hajime's brow twitched when he heard this, as Kaori and Yuuka had both been bugging him about that exact topic recently. So, instead of continuing such a discussion, he simply produced an old beat up looking bronze key that had a skull crafted onto the head, which he offered to Alex wordlessly.
Alex ċȯċked a brow when he saw the(formerly crystal) magic key, which he had left in Hajime's care overnight so he could upgrade it to handle the amount of energy Alex was about to channel through it.
"An actual Skeleton Key?" Alex asked incredulously, to which Hajime replied while almost sounding genuinely offended,
"It's a key thats been modified to open anything and takes you anywhere you want! Why wouldn't it be a Skeleton Key?!" He then began to go on one of his prepared rants regarding a man's romance and why each and every one of the decorations he had added were necessary, while simultaneously pulling out a forty page power point presentation to support his claims.
Knowing he was about to go on for hours, Kaori quickly stepped in and seized her husband by the ear, before dragging him off to the side for his own lecture regarding his rants. With Hajime being taken care of, Alex and the others were finally free to continue their preparations.
"BALANCE BREAK!"
With his already powerful aura skyrocketing even more, many of those who were surrounding Alex backed off as the ground below them began to rumble, and small stones began to levitate slowly, even without Alex trying to exert his energy. Ready, Alex pulled out the Skeleton Key that Hajime gave him, and pointed it at the keyhole in the side of the gate.
"Is everyone ready?" Alex asked one last time, only to be met with firm gazes and cheers of confirmation. Smiling, he then put his focus on the Skeleton Key.
Over and over Ddraig's voice sounded from the jewels of the Boosted Gear as Alex built up more and more power, before finally the last shout echoed out,
Instantly the key began glowing as more power than Alex had ever summoned was transferred into it from him, before he put it into the keyhole and focused intently on one of the mountains in the Gremory territory.
"...come on...!" Alex muttered as he willed the portal to open, while the world and the portal itself fought him just as hard, if not harder. That was to be expected though since Alex was literally trying to force open a hole through reality itself, an easy enough feat for the 'Angels' when it came time for them to change world's, but infinitely harder when they tried to do so themselves.
It was only when the energy Alex had built up had almost ran out that a small spark appeared in the arch of the gate, symbolizing the beginning of the opening of the gate.
'Ddraig...I need to build up more energy...' Alex told his partner despite the strain he was currently feeling, to which Draig replied,
Despite the warning Alex smirked fearlessly as he internally remarked,
'So, just another Tuesday then?' His comment earned him a boisterous laugh from Ddraig as the great dragon remarked,
With both in agreement, Alex's armor soon rang out once again with a series of
...
Meanwhile, within the Gremory territory, a servant was hurriedly walking through the manor in order to help prepare for the event that the Duke had planned after the conference. Currently Zeoticus and Venelana were in the Underworld Capitol city of Lilith to attend the conference between the factions of the alliance, at which every head of the major noble houses were attending to welcome the leaders of the other factions.
While the servant had full confidence in the capabilities of his master and lady, he still couldn't help but feel nervous regarding the current state of affairs in the Underworld.
It happened when he was walking by one of the many grand windows while recalling the most recent events, and a brilliant flash of light temporarily blinded him.
"What the hell?" The servant muttered to himself as he looked towards the source of the bright light, which came from one of the one of the many empty mountains surrounding the castle. However, before he could even think of reporting the phenomenon to one of his superiors, one of the most powerful, and terrifying auras he had ever felt started to emanate from the source of the light.
*The next day*
In the grand city of Lilith, named for the first Lucifer's wife and the mother of all Devils, in a grand and brand new hall built just for such occasions, the conference was going on for the third day in a row.
The reason for the conference was for the leaders of the greatest factions in the world to meet and discuss certain topics regularly, but with the world currently at peace after the sealing of Trihexia, it was more of a casual meeting between the faction leaders to maintain good relations. At least, it was supposed to be.
Currently an entire faction of the Devils that had started regaining power were staring down at a certain duo was was bound in the center of the hall, making it feel more like a trial than a peaceful meeting. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what it was as the man was forced to kneel bloody and beaten, while his wife was next to him after being stripped completely nȧkėd and chained in a way that spread her legs while preventing her from covering her exposed body.
Amongst the Devils leering down at the duo, a certain woman had a particularly vicious sneer as she leered down at them and took an exceptional amount of pŀėȧsurė from the woman's shame being exposed to all. Meanwhile her husband tried to catch his breath and glare up at the woman, despite his swollen face and the blood dripping from his already Crimson hair.
Practically holding back her cackling from glee at the scene before her, Katerea Leviathan then asked,
"Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory, how do you plea to crimes you've been accused of?" The husband and wife duo looked up at Katerea, the women who until recently had been locked up after being defeated by Alex during the peace conference years ago, and the only remaining member of the Old Maou Faction that had joined the Khaos Brigade.
Meanwhile in the seats reserved for the Maou, Ajuka Beezlbub sighed as he watched his closest friend's parents being humiliated, the feeling of failure welling up within him once more.
This all began even as far back before Trihexia was released, when Diehauser Belial revealed the corruption within the rating games and the names of those involved, including himself. What had followed was a drastic attempt to restructure the entire Underworld government, which would have worked if not for Trihexia's release. As a result, two of the four Maou had been sealed along with the apocalyptic beast, leaving just himself and Serafall to run things.
Unfortunately Serafall was busy with some kind of important project, leaving just Ajuka to manage all four of the Maou's responsibilities while also trying to completely restructure the government and the Maou system as a whole. This is where things began to go wrong, as the Devils who had been forced out of their positions began to try and use the political instability to try and regain their lost authority.
At first the worst they were able to do was harass Grayfia regarding her past and Millicas, something Ajuka didn't even bother trying to intervene in since he only felt pity for those who got on her bad side, but then something happened that none of them saw coming.
Overnight, Alex had disappeared along with Rias, Sona, Seekvaira, Ravel, Ingvild, Vali, Roygun Belphagor, Gabriel, Serafall, Yasaka, and Barakiel, along with all of their respective peerages. Meanwhile, Sairaorg had disappeared several days prior with his own peerage after the house of Bael tried to move against him and his mother.
This meant that the Underworld had lost its most promising youth overnight, while Ajuka lost five of the candidates he intended to try and make into the next generation Maou, which also included himself and Diehauser. After their disappearance, there was nothing preventing those same bastards from taking advantage of Ajuka's insane workload to regain the same authority they once had.
That wasn't where they stopped though, as time went on they became greedier as they tried consolidating more wealth and power while simultaneously spreading as much slander as possible regarding Alex and the others. No one believed it at first of course, but after several years of hearing the same message over and over without any of the people themselves around to disprove them, some people had started to doubt the Dragon Emperor.
Anything they said and did before though paled in comparison to their latest move, which was freeing Katerea Leviathan from prison.
While Ajuka was planning to rally people behind Alex due to his status as the 'Dragon Emperor', those who had been plotting against him decided to make Katerea their own figurehead after the 'New Maou' faction 'failed' them. Katerea of course was more than happy to go along with them, as, if everything went their way, then she would be able to unite the Underworld in the name of the Leviathan clan.
Of course, the best bonus was the one before her, Zeoticus Gremory, bloody and beaten as he kneeled at her feet; while his wife Venelana was stripped nȧkėd for her shame to be displayed for all to see.
As the one who defeated her and caused her to be imprisoned, Alex was almost at the very top of Katerea's list of people to get revenge on, with the only one above being the man who killed her beloved Creuserey Asmodeus, Sirzechs. Since the man himself was currently out of her reach though, then Katerea decided she'd settle on destroying any semblance of respect his parents had.
At the moment, it definitely seemed to be working as many of those who supported her shamelessly leered at Venelana's exposed snatch and brėȧsts while muttering ȯbsċėnė comments to themselves. Despite the blatant disregard for her modesty, Venelana didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her being uncomfortable with their stares, instead retaining an impassive expression as if she was bored with the whole affair.
She only appeared interested in what was going on when Katerea asked how they pleaded to their 'crimes', to which her husband, Zeoticus, unhesitatingly said in a calm, clear, and steady voice despite their current situation,
"We plead not guilty." Unsurprisingly, no one was surprised by Zeoticus's denial of his and his wife's guilt regarding the current charges against them, which were ludicrous to say the least. Of course this included Katerea herself, but instead of talking about it she simply stated,
"I see.....you admit your guilt and plead guilty!" Declaring so for the recorders to write down, there was a mild uproar as it was clear to everyone that Zeoticus had pleaded 'not guilty', yet Katerea was acting as if that wasn't the case.
Unable to watch this farce go on much longer, the current governor-general of the Fallen Angels, Shemhazai, stood up and asked,
"Lady Katerea, perhaps you'd be so inclined to remind us what exactly the crimes that the lord and lady Gremory are accused of! Surely whatever it is doesn't warrant such treatment!" Katerea looked at Shemhazai with undisguised annoyance, and was about to tell him off for meddling in their affairs, but when she saw almost everyone else around them giving her similar questioning looks, she sighed and explained,
"They are being tried for aiding and abetting the so-called Dragon Emperor, a person who's blood thirst and and murderous tendencies are notorious through all of the world's, yet has remained unchecked until now." Naturally, before the words were even out of her mouth Katerea's claims were met with the greatest uproar yet as the entire ȧssembly protested what she said about Alex, even including those who had humiliated by him in the past.
Ignoring the uproar, as even the elderly Sun Wukong threatened to teach her a lesson, Katerea then practically shouted over the sudden noise,
"Plus there was the massive pulse of energy felt from the Gremory territory just yesterday! Not only are they refusing to elaborate on what it was, but every one of the men we've sent to investigate have gone missing! They're obviously planning something!"
While everyone doubted the latter half of her declaration, they couldn't say anything about the surge of power they all felt the day before. It had been so overwhelmingly powerful, that event he gods present had shuddered in awe while people in the human world, the different divine realms, and even heaven all sent messengers to demand to know what had happened.
In the end though, there were only more questions than answers since, as Katerea already said, none of the people sent to investigate what was happening in the Gremory territory had returned, and there had been no word from anyone who was still there either. Every faction in the world was still in the dark regarding what had happened in the Gremory territory, and, instead of really trying to figure out what was happening, Katerea had used the situation as a pretense to have Zeoticus and Venelana arrested the night before, where he was then beaten while she was stripped nȧkėd and left in a compromising position for their jailers to leer at all night.
Katerea then took advantage of the silence that had settled over the hall to declare,
"No matter what it is they're planning, I will not tolerate traitorous actions or intentions under my rule!" This earned her several more looks of incredulity, as technically Ajuka was still the only active Maou, while Diehauser was the only other person who was even being considered for the role.
Seemingly unaware, or uncaring of this, Katerea continued,
"As the only living member of the original four Maou clans, I WILL take the Underworld out of the deteriorating cesspit that it has become, and return it to its past glory! No matter the cost, or who gets in my way!" As she declared the latter part Katerea purposely looked out over the gathered clan heads that she specifically knew would resist her the most, before then looking out over the gathered allies until her gaze settled on Ajuka himself.
The message was exceedingly clear, Katerea would not hesitate to break up the alliance and declare war on the other factions just to inflate her own ego and sense of self worth.
This was the reason for the creation of the New Maou Faction to begin with, as well as why the family members of the Old Maou Factions clans had been wiped out, they were simply too stupid. If Katerea and the other members of the Old Maou Faction had their way, then the entire devil civilization would have been destroyed in their pointless war with Heaven.
They only cared about their own sense of entitlement due to being born as the successors of the previous Maou, believing that they would never suffer consequences for their actions while their own arrogance was simply too extreme. Even now Katerea didn't doubt her own superiority, as she readily implied that she'd go to war with any of the factions simply to prove her point.
That wasn't where things ended though, as Katerea directed her attention back Zeoticus and Venelana, and declared,
"I'll start with the two traitors here and now! Venelana will be detained and 'questioned' at our leisure, for any and all information regarding the Gremory family's plots and the current whereabouts of their daughter and the Dragon Emperor!" Though her hard expression didn't shift in the slightest, Venelana's complexion paled a bit when she heard her sentencing.
Devils were notorious for being exceptionally cruel when it came to any prisoners they might have, to the point that while they were at war it was common place to use captured angels as sėx toys to see how long until they gave in to the pŀėȧsurė and fell. With the way Katerea was intent on shaming her, Venelana knew that she would only have a similar future to look forward to if this continued.
However, any concern she had for herself instantly vanish as Katerea looked to Zeoticus with a particularly sinister smile, and declared,
"As for Zeoticus, he will be of no use to us. He is to be executed immediately!" In an instant the hall was in an uproar while several people even began to try and make their way to Zeoticus to free him and Venelana, but, showing that they had planned this beforehand, a powerful barrier prevented them from doing so.
Venelana herself had thrown away all sense of dignity and stoicism, as she desperately threw herself against her bindings to reach her husband while one of Katerea's men slowly approached him. Rather than panic or act dishonorably though, Zeoticus simply looked back towards his wife and said three words to her.
"I love you."
At this point genuine panic set in on Venelana's face as she did everything she could to get to her husband, while the executioner approaching him readied their sword to take off his head, and Katerea watched with growing excitement.
Then, it happened when the executioner was only a step away from Zeoticus, his sword raised to make the final blow.
BOOM!
The doors leading outside were suddenly blown inwards, sending numerous people flying in the shockwave, while the debris from the destroyed door impacted several others, coincidently, all Katerea's men.
"WHAT NOW?!" Someone roared as they tried to figure out what the newest development was, only for their breath to suddenly catch in their throat when they saw who walked in through the destroyed doorway.
As more and more people noticed who had arrived, silence settled in the previously chaotic hall as a series of emotions swept through them. The figure, followed by an entire entourage, then said to the now deathly silent hall,
"Sorry for the delay, punching a hole through reality itself was a lot more draining than I'd hoped it'd be. Had to spend the last day recuperating before we arrived." Despite him addressing them, no one replied to the newcomer's remark as he casually approach the still captive Venelana and Zeoticus.
Unlike the others who had been stopped at the barrier though, the man simply raised his fist, and shattered the barrier as if it was glass with a single punch before continuing on his way to the couple.
"Sorry we took so long. If I'd known it was this bad, then we would've been here sooner." He told them while snapping his fingers, immediately releasing their restraints and healing their injuries while simultaneously dressing both in elegant clothing that matched what they usually wore.
Nether one seemed to register the clothes though, as Venelana could only breathlessly utter,
"...Alex...?!" Alex smiled wryly at them, and said,
"Yeah it's really me, and I brought some people with me as well." Turning, Venelana and Zeoticus saw a certain duo standing at the head of Alex's entourage, their long crimson red and silver hair making them stand out quite a bit compared to everyone else.
"Rias...? Grayfia...?" She uttered, to which Rias returned a sad smile as she said,
"Hello mom." Of all the ways she imagined the reunion with her parents going, Rias never pictured them being bound, beaten, bloody, and humiliated while one was about to be executed.
This was an issue that Alex was going to fix immediately though.
With Rias leading Venelana and Zeoticus aside and out of the line of fire, Alex used Creation magic to make a majestic throne grow out of the ground beneath him, before it continued growing up on a platform surrounded by steps until there was no one else seated higher than him. He then took a seat on his newly created throne, before turning towards Katerea and asking in a deathly calm voice while his bȧrėly suppressed energy made the entire hall rumble,
"So, who would like to explain to me what the hell is going on here?"
(A.N. Before people start making ȧssumptions or asking if I wasn't clear enough about it, Venelana was not rȧpėd)
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
With the sun peaking through his window and shining down onto his face, Alex stirred slowly from slumber before his thoughts caught up to him. Today they opened the gates to the DXD world.
With Hajime having finished the next pair of gates the day before, nothing was stopping Alex from trying to open them once the first one was anchored into place. With anticipation filling him, Alex reached out and smacked the closest one of the four pale rumps around him.
"HIYA!" Kokoa cried out while jumping up from the pain in her buŧŧ, waking her sisters at the same time as they looked around sleepily. The moment she saw Moka though, Kokoa readily launched herself at her and buried her face into her sister's nȧkėd brėȧsts before crying,
"Big sis! Protect me from this brute!" Her brow twitching in mild annoyance, Moka was about to tell her to get off when Akua suddenly cried out this time with blood dripping from her nose,
"No fair Kokoa! I also want to bury my face in Moka's brėȧsts first thing in the morning!" She then proceeded to start scuffling over Moka while Alex and the fourth Shuzen sister, Kahlua, watched from the side.
"Are we a part of Alex's harem or Moka's?" Kahlua muttered out loud, as, while she did love her little sister dearly, she wasn't infatuated with Moka like the other two were. Shrugging in response to her musings though, Alex then suddenly grabbed Kokoa and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he headed for the bathroom.
"H-hey! What are you doing?!" She demanded angrily, before being answered with a crisp,
PA!
Again Kokoa cried out in surprise as Alex delivered another sharp slap to her rump, before he followed it up with another, and then another. A smirk on his face, Alex played with Kokoa's ȧss cheeks like they were a set of bongo drums as he went to wash off, while the other three sisters hurriedly followed. They all then enjoyed a(only slightly ėrȯtɨċ) bath in the girl's herbal treated water, as unlike Moka they hadn't yet managed to find a way to make the other vampiress's from her world immune to the effects of water.
After their quick bath, the group then made their way down to dining hall to join the others for their breakfast, though each of the four vampires made sure to sink their fangs into him during their bath. Sitting down at the table, both Mikan and Haruna hurriedly filled his plate with food while Alex felt Kurumu, Ageha, and Akeno fumbling with his waistband under the table, allowing him to eat his fill while the three women eagerly blew him.
It was only after he finished eating that Alex looked around while adopting a serious expression(despite Kurumu's lips still being wrapped around his ċȯċk), and began,
"Today, we're finally going to attempt to go home." Dead silence met his declaration, as everyone one of his wives, lovers, and sėx toys listened intently while he continued,
"I don't know how it'll go, but chances are it'll be hard since I'll essentially be punching a hole through reality itself to do so. That's why, I'll probably need help from some of you, to keep the hole open after I make it, and to help set up the gate on the other side after its open." The words were bȧrėly out of his mouth when Mirajane said,
"Of course! After what you've done for us, we will do whatever it takes to help you achieve what you want." With Lucy and Erza nodding in agreement, Rias quickly followed up with,
"And I think I've kept my parents waiting for me to take over the Gremory Family long enough, plus it's about time they finally get to meet their grandson." With Akeno and Koneko both nodding in agreement due to the Gremorys being akin to their second family after their troubles in be past, the rest of the girls started adding various other things they wanted to do as soon as they returned home.
An affectionate smile on his face, Alex listened to them talk excitedly for a while as everyone discussed going to favorite stores and restaurants they visited frequently before leaving, certain landmarks, family and friends, and much more. Knowing they wouldn't get anywhere just by sitting around talking about it though, Alex clapped once to regain everyone's attention(since he couldn't stand for obvious reasons), and said,
"As excited as we all are, I would like to remind you all that one of the most frustrating opponents any of us has faced will still be there, Trihexia." As he said that the women from the DXD world adopted pensive looks as they recalled their former foe, while those that hadn't faced Trihexia before asked,
"I know you've talked about it before, but is this Trihexia really that powerful?" Smiling wryly, Alex explained,
"Though it is quite powerful, I was actually stronger than it when I faced it. The problem is its vitality. If I compared it to a video game, it's like it's health is almost unlimited, and each attack, no matter how powerful, only deals one point of damage at a time. That was why to deal with it we had to seal it in another dimension with some of the most powerful figures from our world, so they could keep it from destroying the world while slowly wearing it down over the course of the next ten thousand years or so."
When they heard this the other girls adopted a pensive look this time, as they tried to imagine a creature so unkillable that even Alex couldn't destroy it. seeing this, Alex smirked and continued,
"Hey, remember this was before I got things like Spirit magic and the skill 'Soul Break'. When I see it again I'll probably be spoiled for choices on how to deal with Trihexia." Hearing this, Rias nodded and said,
"Of course, none of us are the same as when we left!" When she said that the rest of the girls from the DXD nodded in agreement, a fire in their eyes.
They had all spent the majority of their time since leaving training to become stronger, to the point that they would easily be able to compete with the old monsters that had been around for millennia, if not stronger. As this thought crossed everyone's minds though, a weird chuckle started emanating from Serafall as she uttered in an unusual tone,
"Ufufufufufu...I'd like to see any of those old farts try and bully my beloved So-Tan now!" A intense killing intent then began to radiate from Serafall's body as she recalled how her beloved baby sister had been treated prior to their departure.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her attitude, though he understood her completely, Alex then said,
"Alright, that's enough talking, let's get ready to go." Immediately the girls got up and started to either make their way to the exit or begin prepping to do so, while Alex remained seated a moment longer until he once again filled Kurumu's mouth with spunk.
Despite their eagerness, it was only after Alex spent a few hours getting his children ready, and making his usual rounds, that everyone finally gathered at the place where the gate had been built. Around it, quite the crowd had gathered sue to the curiosity of Alex's home world, as well as the excitement of the former residents of the DXD world.
The crowd quickly made way though as the hulking figure of Alex in his SSJ4 transformation arrived, allowing him to approach the gate and those that were waiting for him.
"About time you got here." Hajime said when he saw him, his tone carrying traces of mock annoyance. Alex however snorted at him and replied,
"Some of us have families to take care of." Hajime's brow twitched when he heard this, as Kaori and Yuuka had both been bugging him about that exact topic recently. So, instead of continuing such a discussion, he simply produced an old beat up looking bronze key that had a skull crafted onto the head, which he offered to Alex wordlessly.
Alex ċȯċked a brow when he saw the(formerly crystal) magic key, which he had left in Hajime's care overnight so he could upgrade it to handle the amount of energy Alex was about to channel through it.
"An actual Skeleton Key?" Alex asked incredulously, to which Hajime replied while almost sounding genuinely offended,
"It's a key thats been modified to open anything and takes you anywhere you want! Why wouldn't it be a Skeleton Key?!" He then began to go on one of his prepared rants regarding a man's romance and why each and every one of the decorations he had added were necessary, while simultaneously pulling out a forty page power point presentation to support his claims.
Knowing he was about to go on for hours, Kaori quickly stepped in and seized her husband by the ear, before dragging him off to the side for his own lecture regarding his rants. With Hajime being taken care of, Alex and the others were finally free to continue their preparations.
"BALANCE BREAK!"
With his already powerful aura skyrocketing even more, many of those who were surrounding Alex backed off as the ground below them began to rumble, and small stones began to levitate slowly, even without Alex trying to exert his energy. Ready, Alex pulled out the Skeleton Key that Hajime gave him, and pointed it at the keyhole in the side of the gate.
"Is everyone ready?" Alex asked one last time, only to be met with firm gazes and cheers of confirmation. Smiling, he then put his focus on the Skeleton Key.
Over and over Ddraig's voice sounded from the jewels of the Boosted Gear as Alex built up more and more power, before finally the last shout echoed out,
Instantly the key began glowing as more power than Alex had ever summoned was transferred into it from him, before he put it into the keyhole and focused intently on one of the mountains in the Gremory territory.
"...come on...!" Alex muttered as he willed the portal to open, while the world and the portal itself fought him just as hard, if not harder. That was to be expected though since Alex was literally trying to force open a hole through reality itself, an easy enough feat for the 'Angels' when it came time for them to change world's, but infinitely harder when they tried to do so themselves.
It was only when the energy Alex had built up had almost ran out that a small spark appeared in the arch of the gate, symbolizing the beginning of the opening of the gate.
'Ddraig...I need to build up more energy...' Alex told his partner despite the strain he was currently feeling, to which Draig replied,
Despite the warning Alex smirked fearlessly as he internally remarked,
'So, just another Tuesday then?' His comment earned him a boisterous laugh from Ddraig as the great dragon remarked,
With both in agreement, Alex's armor soon rang out once again with a series of
...
Meanwhile, within the Gremory territory, a servant was hurriedly walking through the manor in order to help prepare for the event that the Duke had planned after the conference. Currently Zeoticus and Venelana were in the Underworld Capitol city of Lilith to attend the conference between the factions of the alliance, at which every head of the major noble houses were attending to welcome the leaders of the other factions.
While the servant had full confidence in the capabilities of his master and lady, he still couldn't help but feel nervous regarding the current state of affairs in the Underworld.
It happened when he was walking by one of the many grand windows while recalling the most recent events, and a brilliant flash of light temporarily blinded him.
"What the hell?" The servant muttered to himself as he looked towards the source of the bright light, which came from one of the one of the many empty mountains surrounding the castle. However, before he could even think of reporting the phenomenon to one of his superiors, one of the most powerful, and terrifying auras he had ever felt started to emanate from the source of the light.
*The next day*
In the grand city of Lilith, named for the first Lucifer's wife and the mother of all Devils, in a grand and brand new hall built just for such occasions, the conference was going on for the third day in a row.
The reason for the conference was for the leaders of the greatest factions in the world to meet and discuss certain topics regularly, but with the world currently at peace after the sealing of Trihexia, it was more of a casual meeting between the faction leaders to maintain good relations. At least, it was supposed to be.
Currently an entire faction of the Devils that had started regaining power were staring down at a certain duo was was bound in the center of the hall, making it feel more like a trial than a peaceful meeting. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what it was as the man was forced to kneel bloody and beaten, while his wife was next to him after being stripped completely nȧkėd and chained in a way that spread her legs while preventing her from covering her exposed body.
Amongst the Devils leering down at the duo, a certain woman had a particularly vicious sneer as she leered down at them and took an exceptional amount of pŀėȧsurė from the woman's shame being exposed to all. Meanwhile her husband tried to catch his breath and glare up at the woman, despite his swollen face and the blood dripping from his already Crimson hair.
Practically holding back her cackling from glee at the scene before her, Katerea Leviathan then asked,
"Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory, how do you plea to crimes you've been accused of?" The husband and wife duo looked up at Katerea, the women who until recently had been locked up after being defeated by Alex during the peace conference years ago, and the only remaining member of the Old Maou Faction that had joined the Khaos Brigade.
Meanwhile in the seats reserved for the Maou, Ajuka Beezlbub sighed as he watched his closest friend's parents being humiliated, the feeling of failure welling up within him once more.
This all began even as far back before Trihexia was released, when Diehauser Belial revealed the corruption within the rating games and the names of those involved, including himself. What had followed was a drastic attempt to restructure the entire Underworld government, which would have worked if not for Trihexia's release. As a result, two of the four Maou had been sealed along with the apocalyptic beast, leaving just himself and Serafall to run things.
Unfortunately Serafall was busy with some kind of important project, leaving just Ajuka to manage all four of the Maou's responsibilities while also trying to completely restructure the government and the Maou system as a whole. This is where things began to go wrong, as the Devils who had been forced out of their positions began to try and use the political instability to try and regain their lost authority.
At first the worst they were able to do was harass Grayfia regarding her past and Millicas, something Ajuka didn't even bother trying to intervene in since he only felt pity for those who got on her bad side, but then something happened that none of them saw coming.
Overnight, Alex had disappeared along with Rias, Sona, Seekvaira, Ravel, Ingvild, Vali, Roygun Belphagor, Gabriel, Serafall, Yasaka, and Barakiel, along with all of their respective peerages. Meanwhile, Sairaorg had disappeared several days prior with his own peerage after the house of Bael tried to move against him and his mother.
This meant that the Underworld had lost its most promising youth overnight, while Ajuka lost five of the candidates he intended to try and make into the next generation Maou, which also included himself and Diehauser. After their disappearance, there was nothing preventing those same bastards from taking advantage of Ajuka's insane workload to regain the same authority they once had.
That wasn't where they stopped though, as time went on they became greedier as they tried consolidating more wealth and power while simultaneously spreading as much slander as possible regarding Alex and the others. No one believed it at first of course, but after several years of hearing the same message over and over without any of the people themselves around to disprove them, some people had started to doubt the Dragon Emperor.
Anything they said and did before though paled in comparison to their latest move, which was freeing Katerea Leviathan from prison.
While Ajuka was planning to rally people behind Alex due to his status as the 'Dragon Emperor', those who had been plotting against him decided to make Katerea their own figurehead after the 'New Maou' faction 'failed' them. Katerea of course was more than happy to go along with them, as, if everything went their way, then she would be able to unite the Underworld in the name of the Leviathan clan.
Of course, the best bonus was the one before her, Zeoticus Gremory, bloody and beaten as he kneeled at her feet; while his wife Venelana was stripped nȧkėd for her shame to be displayed for all to see.
As the one who defeated her and caused her to be imprisoned, Alex was almost at the very top of Katerea's list of people to get revenge on, with the only one above being the man who killed her beloved Creuserey Asmodeus, Sirzechs. Since the man himself was currently out of her reach though, then Katerea decided she'd settle on destroying any semblance of respect his parents had.
At the moment, it definitely seemed to be working as many of those who supported her shamelessly leered at Venelana's exposed snatch and brėȧsts while muttering ȯbsċėnė comments to themselves. Despite the blatant disregard for her modesty, Venelana didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her being uncomfortable with their stares, instead retaining an impassive expression as if she was bored with the whole affair.
She only appeared interested in what was going on when Katerea asked how they pleaded to their 'crimes', to which her husband, Zeoticus, unhesitatingly said in a calm, clear, and steady voice despite their current situation,
"We plead not guilty." Unsurprisingly, no one was surprised by Zeoticus's denial of his and his wife's guilt regarding the current charges against them, which were ludicrous to say the least. Of course this included Katerea herself, but instead of talking about it she simply stated,
"I see.....you admit your guilt and plead guilty!" Declaring so for the recorders to write down, there was a mild uproar as it was clear to everyone that Zeoticus had pleaded 'not guilty', yet Katerea was acting as if that wasn't the case.
Unable to watch this farce go on much longer, the current governor-general of the Fallen Angels, Shemhazai, stood up and asked,
"Lady Katerea, perhaps you'd be so inclined to remind us what exactly the crimes that the lord and lady Gremory are accused of! Surely whatever it is doesn't warrant such treatment!" Katerea looked at Shemhazai with undisguised annoyance, and was about to tell him off for meddling in their affairs, but when she saw almost everyone else around them giving her similar questioning looks, she sighed and explained,
"They are being tried for aiding and abetting the so-called Dragon Emperor, a person who's blood thirst and and murderous tendencies are notorious through all of the world's, yet has remained unchecked until now." Naturally, before the words were even out of her mouth Katerea's claims were met with the greatest uproar yet as the entire ȧssembly protested what she said about Alex, even including those who had humiliated by him in the past.
Ignoring the uproar, as even the elderly Sun Wukong threatened to teach her a lesson, Katerea then practically shouted over the sudden noise,
"Plus there was the massive pulse of energy felt from the Gremory territory just yesterday! Not only are they refusing to elaborate on what it was, but every one of the men we've sent to investigate have gone missing! They're obviously planning something!"
While everyone doubted the latter half of her declaration, they couldn't say anything about the surge of power they all felt the day before. It had been so overwhelmingly powerful, that event he gods present had shuddered in awe while people in the human world, the different divine realms, and even heaven all sent messengers to demand to know what had happened.
In the end though, there were only more questions than answers since, as Katerea already said, none of the people sent to investigate what was happening in the Gremory territory had returned, and there had been no word from anyone who was still there either. Every faction in the world was still in the dark regarding what had happened in the Gremory territory, and, instead of really trying to figure out what was happening, Katerea had used the situation as a pretense to have Zeoticus and Venelana arrested the night before, where he was then beaten while she was stripped nȧkėd and left in a compromising position for their jailers to leer at all night.
Katerea then took advantage of the silence that had settled over the hall to declare,
"No matter what it is they're planning, I will not tolerate traitorous actions or intentions under my rule!" This earned her several more looks of incredulity, as technically Ajuka was still the only active Maou, while Diehauser was the only other person who was even being considered for the role.
Seemingly unaware, or uncaring of this, Katerea continued,
"As the only living member of the original four Maou clans, I WILL take the Underworld out of the deteriorating cesspit that it has become, and return it to its past glory! No matter the cost, or who gets in my way!" As she declared the latter part Katerea purposely looked out over the gathered clan heads that she specifically knew would resist her the most, before then looking out over the gathered allies until her gaze settled on Ajuka himself.
The message was exceedingly clear, Katerea would not hesitate to break up the alliance and declare war on the other factions just to inflate her own ego and sense of self worth.
This was the reason for the creation of the New Maou Faction to begin with, as well as why the family members of the Old Maou Factions clans had been wiped out, they were simply too stupid. If Katerea and the other members of the Old Maou Faction had their way, then the entire devil civilization would have been destroyed in their pointless war with Heaven.
They only cared about their own sense of entitlement due to being born as the successors of the previous Maou, believing that they would never suffer consequences for their actions while their own arrogance was simply too extreme. Even now Katerea didn't doubt her own superiority, as she readily implied that she'd go to war with any of the factions simply to prove her point.
That wasn't where things ended though, as Katerea directed her attention back Zeoticus and Venelana, and declared,
"I'll start with the two traitors here and now! Venelana will be detained and 'questioned' at our leisure, for any and all information regarding the Gremory family's plots and the current whereabouts of their daughter and the Dragon Emperor!" Though her hard expression didn't shift in the slightest, Venelana's complexion paled a bit when she heard her sentencing.
Devils were notorious for being exceptionally cruel when it came to any prisoners they might have, to the point that while they were at war it was common place to use captured angels as sėx toys to see how long until they gave in to the pŀėȧsurė and fell. With the way Katerea was intent on shaming her, Venelana knew that she would only have a similar future to look forward to if this continued.
However, any concern she had for herself instantly vanish as Katerea looked to Zeoticus with a particularly sinister smile, and declared,
"As for Zeoticus, he will be of no use to us. He is to be executed immediately!" In an instant the hall was in an uproar while several people even began to try and make their way to Zeoticus to free him and Venelana, but, showing that they had planned this beforehand, a powerful barrier prevented them from doing so.
Venelana herself had thrown away all sense of dignity and stoicism, as she desperately threw herself against her bindings to reach her husband while one of Katerea's men slowly approached him. Rather than panic or act dishonorably though, Zeoticus simply looked back towards his wife and said three words to her.
"I love you."
At this point genuine panic set in on Venelana's face as she did everything she could to get to her husband, while the executioner approaching him readied their sword to take off his head, and Katerea watched with growing excitement.
Then, it happened when the executioner was only a step away from Zeoticus, his sword raised to make the final blow.
BOOM!
The doors leading outside were suddenly blown inwards, sending numerous people flying in the shockwave, while the debris from the destroyed door impacted several others, coincidently, all Katerea's men.
"WHAT NOW?!" Someone roared as they tried to figure out what the newest development was, only for their breath to suddenly catch in their throat when they saw who walked in through the destroyed doorway.
As more and more people noticed who had arrived, silence settled in the previously chaotic hall as a series of emotions swept through them. The figure, followed by an entire entourage, then said to the now deathly silent hall,
"Sorry for the delay, punching a hole through reality itself was a lot more draining than I'd hoped it'd be. Had to spend the last day recuperating before we arrived." Despite him addressing them, no one replied to the newcomer's remark as he casually approach the still captive Venelana and Zeoticus.
Unlike the others who had been stopped at the barrier though, the man simply raised his fist, and shattered the barrier as if it was glass with a single punch before continuing on his way to the couple.
"Sorry we took so long. If I'd known it was this bad, then we would've been here sooner." He told them while snapping his fingers, immediately releasing their restraints and healing their injuries while simultaneously dressing both in elegant clothing that matched what they usually wore.
Nether one seemed to register the clothes though, as Venelana could only breathlessly utter,
"...Alex...?!" Alex smiled wryly at them, and said,
"Yeah it's really me, and I brought some people with me as well." Turning, Venelana and Zeoticus saw a certain duo standing at the head of Alex's entourage, their long crimson red and silver hair making them stand out quite a bit compared to everyone else.
"Rias...? Grayfia...?" She uttered, to which Rias returned a sad smile as she said,
"Hello mom." Of all the ways she imagined the reunion with her parents going, Rias never pictured them being bound, beaten, bloody, and humiliated while one was about to be executed.
This was an issue that Alex was going to fix immediately though.
With Rias leading Venelana and Zeoticus aside and out of the line of fire, Alex used Creation magic to make a majestic throne grow out of the ground beneath him, before it continued growing up on a platform surrounded by steps until there was no one else seated higher than him. He then took a seat on his newly created throne, before turning towards Katerea and asking in a deathly calm voice while his bȧrėly suppressed energy made the entire hall rumble,
"So, who would like to explain to me what the hell is going on here?"
(A.N. Before people start making ȧssumptions or asking if I wasn't clear enough about it, Venelana was not rȧpėd)
With the sun peaking through his window and shining down onto his face, Alex stirred slowly from slumber before his thoughts caught up to him. Today they opened the gates to the DXD world. With Hajime having finished the next pair of gates the day before, nothing was stopping Alex from trying to open them once the first one was anchored into place. With anticipation filling him, Alex reached out and smacked the closest one of the four pale rumps around him. "HIYA!" Kokoa cried out while jumping up from the pain in her bu, waking her sisters at the same time as they looked around sleepily. The moment she saw Moka though, Kokoa readily launched herself at her and buried her face into her sister's nkd brsts before crying, "Big sis! Protect me from this brute!" Her brow twitching in mild annoyance, Moka was about to tell her to get off when Akua suddenly cried out this time with blood dripping from her nose, "No fair Kokoa! I also want to bury my face in Moka's brsts first thing in the morning!" She then proceeded to start scuffling over Moka while Alex and the fourth Shuzen sister, Kahlua, watched from the side. "Are we a part of Alex's harem or Moka's?" Kahlua muttered out loud, as, while she did love her little sister dearly, she wasn't infatuated with Moka like the other two were. Shrugging in response to her musings though, Alex then suddenly grabbed Kokoa and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he headed for the bathroom. "H-hey! What are you doing?!" She demanded angrily, before being answered with a crisp, PA! Again Kokoa cried out in surprise as Alex delivered another sharp slap to her rump, before he followed it up with another, and then another. A smirk on his face, Alex played with Kokoa's ss cheeks like they were a set of bongo drums as he went to wash off, while the other three sisters hurriedly followed. They all then enjoyed aonly slightly rt bath in the girl's herbal treated water, as unlike Moka they hadn't yet managed to find a way to make the other vampiress's from her world immune to the effects of water. After their quick bath, the group then made their way down to dining hall to join the others for their breakfast, though each of the four vampires made sure to sink their fangs into him during their bath. Sitting down at the table, both Mikan and Haruna hurriedly filled his plate with food while Alex felt Kurumu, Ageha, and Akeno fumbling with his waistband under the table, allowing him to eat his fill while the three women eagerly blew him. It was only after he finished eating that Alex looked around while adopting a serious expressiondespite Kurumu's lips still being wrapped around his k, and began, "Today, we're finally going to attempt to go home." Dead silence met his declaration, as everyone one of his wives, lovers, and sx toys listened intently while he continued, "I don't know how it'll go, but chances are it'll be hard since I'll essentially be punching a hole through reality itself to do so. That's why, I'll probably need help from some of you, to keep the hole open after I make it, and to help set up the gate on the other side after its open." The words were brly out of his mouth when Mirajane said, "Of course! After what you've done for us, we will do whatever it takes to help you achieve what you want." With Lucy and Erza nodding in agreement, Rias quickly followed up with, "And I think I've kept my parents waiting for me to take over the Gremory Family long enough, plus it's about time they finally get to meet their grandson." With Akeno and Koneko both nodding in agreement due to the Gremorys being akin to their second family after their troubles in be past, the rest of the girls started adding various other things they wanted to do as soon as they returned home. An affectionate smile on his face, Alex listened to them talk excitedly for a while as everyone discussed going to favorite stores and restaurants they visited frequently before leaving, certain landmarks, family and friends, and much more. Knowing they wouldn't get anywhere just by sitting around talking about it though, Alex clapped once to regain everyone's attentionsince he couldn't stand for obvious reasons, and said, "As excited as we all are, I would like to remind you all that one of the most frustrating opponents any of us has faced will still be there, Trihexia." As he said that the women from the DXD world adopted pensive looks as they recalled their former foe, while those that hadn't faced Trihexia before asked, "I know you've talked about it before, but is this Trihexia really that powerful?" Smiling wryly, Alex explained, "Though it is quite powerful, I was actually stronger than it when I faced it. The problem is its vitality. If I compared it to a video game, it's like it's health is almost unlimited, and each attack, no matter how powerful, only deals one point of damage at a time. That was why to deal with it we had to seal it in another dimension with some of the most powerful figures from our world, so they could keep it from destroying the world while slowly wearing it down over the course of the next ten thousand years or so." When they heard this the other girls adopted a pensive look this time, as they tried to imagine a creature so unkillable that even Alex couldn't destroy it. seeing this, Alex smirked and continued, "Hey, remember this was before I got things like Spirit magic and the skill 'Soul Break'. When I see it again I'll probably be spoiled for choices on how to deal with Trihexia." Hearing this, Rias nodded and said, "Of course, none of us are the same as when we left!" When she said that the rest of the girls from the DXD nodded in agreement, a fire in their eyes. They had all spent the majority of their time since leaving training to become stronger, to the point that they would easily be able to compete with the old monsters that had been around for millennia, if not stronger. As this thought crossed everyone's minds though, a weird chuckle started emanating from Serafall as she uttered in an unusual tone, "Ufufufufufu...I'd like to see any of those old farts try and bully my beloved So-Tan now!" A intense killing intent then began to radiate from Serafall's body as she recalled how her beloved baby sister had been treated prior to their departure. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her attitude, though he understood her completely, Alex then said, "Alright, that's enough talking, let's get ready to go." Immediately the girls got up and started to either make their way to the exit or begin prepping to do so, while Alex remained seated a moment longer until he once again filled Kurumu's mouth with spunk. Despite their eagerness, it was only after Alex spent a few hours getting his children ready, and making his usual rounds, that everyone finally gathered at the place where the gate had been built. Around it, quite the crowd had gathered sue to the curiosity of Alex's home world, as well as the excitement of the former residents of the DXD world. The crowd quickly made way though as the hulking figure of Alex in his SSJ4 transformation arrived, allowing him to approach the gate and those that were waiting for him. "About time you got here." Hajime said when he saw him, his tone carrying traces of mock annoyance. Alex however snorted at him and replied, "Some of us have families to take care of." Hajime's brow twitched when he heard this, as Kaori and Yuuka had both been bugging him about that exact topic recently. So, instead of continuing such a discussion, he simply produced an old beat up looking bronze key that had a skull crafted onto the head, which he offered to Alex wordlessly. Alex ked a brow when he saw theformerly crystal magic key, which he had left in Hajime's care overnight so he could upgrade it to handle the amount of energy Alex was about to channel through it. "An actual Skeleton Key?" Alex asked incredulously, to which Hajime replied while almost sounding genuinely offended, "It's a key thats been modified to open anything and takes you anywhere you want! Why wouldn't it be a Skeleton Key?!" He then began to go on one of his prepared rants regarding a man's romance and why each and every one of the decorations he had added were necessary, while simultaneously pulling out a forty page power point presentation to support his claims. Knowing he was about to go on for hours, Kaori quickly stepped in and seized her husband by the ear, before dragging him off to the side for his own lecture regarding his rants. With Hajime being taken care of, Alex and the others were finally free to continue their preparations. "BALANCE BREAK!" With his already powerful aura skyrocketing even more, many of those who were surrounding Alex backed off as the ground below them began to rumble, and small stones began to levitate slowly, even without Alex trying to exert his energy. Ready, Alex pulled out the Skeleton Key that Hajime gave him, and pointed it at the keyhole in the side of the gate. "Is everyone ready?" Alex asked one last time, only to be met with firm gazes and cheers of confirmation. Smiling, he then put his focus on the Skeleton Key. Over and over Ddraig's voice sounded from the jewels of the Boosted Gear as Alex built up more and more power, before finally the last shout echoed out, Instantly the key began glowing as more power than Alex had ever summoned was transferred into it from him, before he put it into the keyhole and focused intently on one of the mountains in the Gremory territory. "...come on...!" Alex muttered as he willed the portal to open, while the world and the portal itself fought him just as hard, if not harder. That was to be expected though since Alex was literally trying to force open a hole through reality itself, an easy enough feat for the 'Angels' when it came time for them to change world's, but infinitely harder when they tried to do so themselves. It was only when the energy Alex had built up had almost ran out that a small spark appeared in the arch of the gate, symbolizing the beginning of the opening of the gate. 'Ddraig...I need to build up more energy...' Alex told his partner despite the strain he was currently feeling, to which Draig replied, Despite the warning Alex smirked fearlessly as he internally remarked, 'So, just another Tuesday then?' His comment earned him a boisterous laugh from Ddraig as the great dragon remarked, With both in agreement, Alex's armor soon rang out once again with a series of ... Meanwhile, within the Gremory territory, a servant was hurriedly walking through the manor in order to help prepare for the event that the Duke had planned after the conference. Currently Zeoticus and Venelana were in the Underworld Capitol city of Lilith to attend the conference between the factions of the alliance, at which every head of the major noble houses were attending to welcome the leaders of the other factions. While the servant had full confidence in the capabilities of his master and lady, he still couldn't help but feel nervous regarding the current state of affairs in the Underworld. It happened when he was walking by one of the many grand windows while recalling the most recent events, and a brilliant flash of light temporarily blinded him. "What the hell?" The servant muttered to himself as he looked towards the source of the bright light, which came from one of the one of the many empty mountains surrounding the castle. However, before he could even think of reporting the phenomenon to one of his superiors, one of the most powerful, and terrifying auras he had ever felt started to emanate from the source of the light. *The next day* In the grand city of Lilith, named for the first Lucifer's wife and the mother of all Devils, in a grand and brand new hall built just for such occasions, the conference was going on for the third day in a row. The reason for the conference was for the leaders of the greatest factions in the world to meet and discuss certain topics regularly, but with the world currently at peace after the sealing of Trihexia, it was more of a casual meeting between the faction leaders to maintain good relations. At least, it was supposed to be. Currently an entire faction of the Devils that had started regaining power were staring down at a certain duo was was bound in the center of the hall, making it feel more like a trial than a peaceful meeting. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what it was as the man was forced to kneel bloody and beaten, while his wife was next to him after being stripped completely nkd and chained in a way that spread her legs while preventing her from covering her exposed body. Amongst the Devils leering down at the duo, a certain woman had a particularly vicious sneer as she leered down at them and took an exceptional amount of psur from the woman's shame being exposed to all. Meanwhile her husband tried to catch his breath and glare up at the woman, despite his swollen face and the blood dripping from his already Crimson hair. Practically holding back her cackling from glee at the scene before her, Katerea Leviathan then asked, "Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory, how do you plea to crimes you've been accused of?" The husband and wife duo looked up at Katerea, the women who until recently had been locked up after being defeated by Alex during the peace conference years ago, and the only remaining member of the Old Maou Faction that had joined the Khaos Brigade. Meanwhile in the seats reserved for the Maou, Ajuka Beezlbub sighed as he watched his closest friend's parents being humiliated, the feeling of failure welling up within him once more. This all began even as far back before Trihexia was released, when Diehauser Belial revealed the corruption within the rating games and the names of those involved, including himself. What had followed was a drastic attempt to restructure the entire Underworld government, which would have worked if not for Trihexia's release. As a result, two of the four Maou had been sealed along with the apocalyptic beast, leaving just himself and Serafall to run things. Unfortunately Serafall was busy with some kind of important project, leaving just Ajuka to manage all four of the Maou's responsibilities while also trying to completely restructure the government and the Maou system as a whole. This is where things began to go wrong, as the Devils who had been forced out of their positions began to try and use the political instability to try and regain their lost authority. At first the worst they were able to do was harass Grayfia regarding her past and Millicas, something Ajuka didn't even bother trying to intervene in since he only felt pity for those who got on her bad side, but then something happened that none of them saw coming. Overnight, Alex had disappeared along with Rias, Sona, Seekvaira, Ravel, Ingvild, Vali, Roygun Belphagor, Gabriel, Serafall, Yasaka, and Barakiel, along with all of their respective peerages. Meanwhile, Sairaorg had disappeared several days prior with his own peerage after the house of Bael tried to move against him and his mother. This meant that the Underworld had lost its most promising youth overnight, while Ajuka lost five of the candidates he intended to try and make into the next generation Maou, which also included himself and Diehauser. After their disappearance, there was nothing preventing those same bastards from taking advantage of Ajuka's insane workload to regain the same authority they once had. That wasn't where they stopped though, as time went on they became greedier as they tried consolidating more wealth and power while simultaneously spreading as much slander as possible regarding Alex and the others. No one believed it at first of course, but after several years of hearing the same message over and over without any of the people themselves around to disprove them, some people had started to doubt the Dragon Emperor. Anything they said and did before though paled in comparison to their latest move, which was freeing Katerea Leviathan from prison. While Ajuka was planning to rally people behind Alex due to his status as the 'Dragon Emperor', those who had been plotting against him decided to make Katerea their own figurehead after the 'New Maou' faction 'failed' them. Katerea of course was more than happy to go along with them, as, if everything went their way, then she would be able to unite the Underworld in the name of the Leviathan clan. Of course, the best bonus was the one before her, Zeoticus Gremory, bloody and beaten as he kneeled at her feet; while his wife Venelana was stripped nkd for her shame to be displayed for all to see. As the one who defeated her and caused her to be imprisoned, Alex was almost at the very top of Katerea's list of people to get revenge on, with the only one above being the man who killed her beloved Creuserey Asmodeus, Sirzechs. Since the man himself was currently out of her reach though, then Katerea decided she'd settle on destroying any semblance of respect his parents had. At the moment, it definitely seemed to be working as many of those who supported her shamelessly leered at Venelana's exposed snatch and brsts while muttering bsn comments to themselves. Despite the blatant disregard for her modesty, Venelana didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her being uncomfortable with their stares, instead retaining an impassive expression as if she was bored with the whole affair. She only appeared interested in what was going on when Katerea asked how they pleaded to their 'crimes', to which her husband, Zeoticus, unhesitatingly said in a calm, clear, and steady voice despite their current situation, "We plead not guilty." Unsurprisingly, no one was surprised by Zeoticus's denial of his and his wife's guilt regarding the current charges against them, which were ludicrous to say the least. Of course this included Katerea herself, but instead of talking about it she simply stated, "I see.....you admit your guilt and plead guilty!" Declaring so for the recorders to write down, there was a mild uproar as it was clear to everyone that Zeoticus had pleaded 'not guilty', yet Katerea was acting as if that wasn't the case. Unable to watch this farce go on much longer, the current governor-general of the Fallen Angels, Shemhazai, stood up and asked, "Lady Katerea, perhaps you'd be so inclined to remind us what exactly the crimes that the lord and lady Gremory are accused of! Surely whatever it is doesn't warrant such treatment!" Katerea looked at Shemhazai with undisguised annoyance, and was about to tell him off for meddling in their affairs, but when she saw almost everyone else around them giving her similar questioning looks, she sighed and explained, "They are being tried for aiding and abetting the so-called Dragon Emperor, a person who's blood thirst and and murderous tendencies are notorious through all of the world's, yet has remained unchecked until now." Naturally, before the words were even out of her mouth Katerea's claims were met with the greatest uproar yet as the entire ssembly protested what she said about Alex, even including those who had humiliated by him in the past. Ignoring the uproar, as even the elderly Sun Wukong threatened to teach her a lesson, Katerea then practically shouted over the sudden noise, "Plus there was the massive pulse of energy felt from the Gremory territory just yesterday! Not only are they refusing to elaborate on what it was, but every one of the men we've sent to investigate have gone missing! They're obviously planning something!" While everyone doubted the latter half of her declaration, they couldn't say anything about the surge of power they all felt the day before. It had been so overwhelmingly powerful, that event he gods present had shuddered in awe while people in the human world, the different divine realms, and even heaven all sent messengers to demand to know what had happened. In the end though, there were only more questions than answers since, as Katerea already said, none of the people sent to investigate what was happening in the Gremory territory had returned, and there had been no word from anyone who was still there either. Every faction in the world was still in the dark regarding what had happened in the Gremory territory, and, instead of really trying to figure out what was happening, Katerea had used the situation as a pretense to have Zeoticus and Venelana arrested the night before, where he was then beaten while she was stripped nkd and left in a compromising position for their jailers to leer at all night. Katerea then took advantage of the silence that had settled over the hall to declare, "No matter what it is they're planning, I will not tolerate traitorous actions or intentions under my rule!" This earned her several more looks of incredulity, as technically Ajuka was still the only active Maou, while Diehauser was the only other person who was even being considered for the role. Seemingly unaware, or uncaring of this, Katerea continued, "As the only living member of the original four Maou clans, I WILL take the Underworld out of the deteriorating cesspit that it has become, and return it to its past glory! No matter the cost, or who gets in my way!" As she declared the latter part Katerea purposely looked out over the gathered clan heads that she specifically knew would resist her the most, before then looking out over the gathered allies until her gaze settled on Ajuka himself. The message was exceedingly clear, Katerea would not hesitate to break up the alliance and declare war on the other factions just to inflate her own ego and sense of self worth. This was the reason for the creation of the New Maou Faction to begin with, as well as why the family members of the Old Maou Factions clans had been wiped out, they were simply too stupid. If Katerea and the other members of the Old Maou Faction had their way, then the entire devil civilization would have been destroyed in their pointless war with Heaven. They only cared about their own sense of entitlement due to being born as the successors of the previous Maou, believing that they would never suffer consequences for their actions while their own arrogance was simply too extreme. Even now Katerea didn't doubt her own superiority, as she readily implied that she'd go to war with any of the factions simply to prove her point. That wasn't where things ended though, as Katerea directed her attention back Zeoticus and Venelana, and declared, "I'll start with the two traitors here and now! Venelana will be detained and 'questioned' at our leisure, for any and all information regarding the Gremory family's plots and the current whereabouts of their daughter and the Dragon Emperor!" Though her hard expression didn't shift in the slightest, Venelana's complexion paled a bit when she heard her sentencing. Devils were notorious for being exceptionally cruel when it came to any prisoners they might have, to the point that while they were at war it was common place to use captured angels as sx toys to see how long until they gave in to the psur and fell. With the way Katerea was intent on shaming her, Venelana knew that she would only have a similar future to look forward to if this continued. However, any concern she had for herself instantly vanish as Katerea looked to Zeoticus with a particularly sinister smile, and declared, "As for Zeoticus, he will be of no use to us. He is to be executed immediately!" In an instant the hall was in an uproar while several people even began to try and make their way to Zeoticus to free him and Venelana, but, showing that they had planned this beforehand, a powerful barrier prevented them from doing so. Venelana herself had thrown away all sense of dignity and stoicism, as she desperately threw herself against her bindings to reach her husband while one of Katerea's men slowly approached him. Rather than panic or act dishonorably though, Zeoticus simply looked back towards his wife and said three words to her. "I love you." At this point genuine panic set in on Venelana's face as she did everything she could to get to her husband, while the executioner approaching him readied their sword to take off his head, and Katerea watched with growing excitement. Then, it happened when the executioner was only a step away from Zeoticus, his sword raised to make the final blow. BOOM! The doors leading outside were suddenly blown inwards, sending numerous people flying in the shockwave, while the debris from the destroyed door impacted several others, coincidently, all Katerea's men. "WHAT NOW?!" Someone roared as they tried to figure out what the newest development was, only for their breath to suddenly catch in their throat when they saw who walked in through the destroyed doorway. As more and more people noticed who had arrived, silence settled in the previously chaotic hall as a series of emotions swept through them. The figure, followed by an entire entourage, then said to the now deathly silent hall, "Sorry for the delay, punching a hole through reality itself was a lot more draining than I'd hoped it'd be. Had to spend the last day recuperating before we arrived." Despite him addressing them, no one replied to the newcomer's remark as he casually approach the still captive Venelana and Zeoticus. Unlike the others who had been stopped at the barrier though, the man simply raised his fist, and shattered the barrier as if it was glass with a single punch before continuing on his way to the couple. "Sorry we took so long. If I'd known it was this bad, then we would've been here sooner." He told them while snapping his fingers, immediately releasing their restraints and healing their injuries while simultaneously dressing both in elegant clothing that matched what they usually wore. Nether one seemed to register the clothes though, as Venelana could only breathlessly utter, "...Alex...?!" Alex smiled wryly at them, and said, "Yeah it's really me, and I brought some people with me as well." Turning, Venelana and Zeoticus saw a certain duo standing at the head of Alex's entourage, their long crimson red and silver hair making them stand out quite a bit compared to everyone else. "Rias...? Grayfia...?" She uttered, to which Rias returned a sad smile as she said, "Hello mom." Of all the ways she imagined the reunion with her parents going, Rias never pictured them being bound, beaten, bloody, and humiliated while one was about to be executed. This was an issue that Alex was going to fix immediately though. With Rias leading Venelana and Zeoticus aside and out of the line of fire, Alex used Creation magic to make a majestic throne grow out of the ground beneath him, before it continued growing up on a platform surrounded by steps until there was no one else seated higher than him. He then took a seat on his newly created throne, before turning towards Katerea and asking in a deathly calm voice while his brly suppressed energy made the entire hall rumble, "So, who would like to explain to me what the hell is going on here?" A.N. Before people start making ssumptions or asking if I wasn't clear enough about it, Venelana was not rpd
