Overlord of biblical proportions

Zeoticus Gremory usually preferred not to do paperwork.

First and foremost because he didn't like doing it. After all, wasn't that what a leader's job was? To find the right number of suitable and competent deputies, and have them work smoothly under ideal conditions, periodically distributing rewards and punishments to them according to their performance. In other words, the job of the leader is to push his own work to his subordinates.

It's not like he was not busy – managing even a dozen people alone was extremely difficult, it required a delegation of authority. So imagine the workload of one of the most powerful Devil aristocrats? His job was to find the right number of competent deputies, and then do his best not to interfere with their work.

And if he also liked to spend his time embarrassing his children with stories about their childhood, or dance in the costume of his Devil clan's mascot doll… Well, everyone was allowed to have hobbies, weren't they?

The second reason why Zeoticus Gremory rarely did paperwork, was that he was generally bad with paperwork and bureaucracy. That is to say, over the long, long years of his life, Zeoticus had learned all the necessary skills, as proper of course. He had even received outstanding training that had firmly planted the duties and rights of a Devil clan lord in his mind.

Only to find that he had absolutely no flair or acumen for such matters.

Someone skilled in it could, like a bureaucratic hound, instantly see the numbers in two columns that didn't add up. Or even translate all the bureaucratic language into ordinary language when read, and keep three years of reports in his head for imaginary graphs.

While for Zeoticus, he had to read and re-read the report, frowning his eyebrows, rereading the lines over and over, then pulling up past reports, doing research that sometimes took him more than a day… Just to understand the current day's report. It was simply inefficient, better hand over the work to someone that is better at it.

And the third reason was that, strictly speaking, Zeoticus didn't receive many documents that required his personal eye or stamp in the first place.

Sure, the streams of reports on the funding of certain territories under his control, the endless congratulations and notices of the ongoing Ranking Games, Zeoticus was invited as a guest of honor, were endless… But nothing out of the norm. Nothing requiring an urgent response and the highest authorization.

The life of Zeoticus Gremory, his land parcel, and even the entire Devil faction as a whole was… Lacking excitement, if not routine.

Of course, unexpected events, being unexpected, do happen, requiring his input, but they're rare. But, when they did happen, they were very special, for example the current development, the movement towards the conclusion, a formal end to the Great War with a Peace Treaty.

But, after the burst of excitement, everything returns to business as usual.

And so, it was all the more strange for Zeoticus Gremory to find himself sitting in his office, a room that would have been covered in dust a dozen years ago if not for the incessant service of his maids. He was staying in his office, reading a report, an urgent report that was constantly updated due to the magic nature of it, updating Zeoticus of the current situation.

The reason Zeoticus was doing so, however, was even rarer than him actually being in his office.

It was rare for the Satans to leave the Underworld, the movement of such powerful figures always drawing the scrutiny of the other factions, the movement of several of them at once could easily be seen as a full-blown provocation. And in the case of some of the more nervous or belligerent pantheons, even a declaration of war.

But it was even rarer for unknown gods to appear out of nowhere on the very doorstep of the Devils, causing them to act in a similar fashion, threatening, metaphorically speaking, to give the other factions the finger. And it was especially rare that Zeoticus' eldest son, his wife, and youngest daughter were all in danger at the same time due to such a confluence of circumstances.

Even though he knew in his rational mind that no god, unknown or not, could not pose a threat to Sirzechs, Serafall, Ajuka, and Grayfia at the same time, Zeoticus was still worried as only a parent could. Especially when watching their child go straight into the jaws of a lion, even if he knew that their child was a professional lion tamer and could wring the lion's neck if they wanted to.

Which was why right now, Zeoticus had a report in his hands, updated every ten minutes, while his wife, Venelana, was tending to their grandson, Milicas, in the small living room.

A flicker at his peripheral vision caused Zeoticus to note the new update, looking away from the report, sighing slightly. Sirzechs, Ajuka and Grayfia had arrived in Kuoh… And while this is just the beginning, as the supposed negotiation team had just arrived, and that there's still the meeting ahead, Zeoticus was grasping at everything he could to calm his nervousness.

At least the plan was being followed, even if it's just arriving at the negotiation location.

However, an unpleasant feeling prickled Zeoticus' temples, causing him to cover his eyes and exhale, trying to calm himself down. The last thing he needed was to get the dreaded [Sleeping Sickness] from all his nerves.

However, that same unpleasant feeling pricked Zeoticus again, a little more persistently, so that after a few seconds, Zeoticus realized that the unpleasant feeling he felt was not generated by his nerves, but was coming from the outside.

Instantly, Zeoticus opened his eyes, looking around, but a superficial glance around did not reveal his reason for such a feeling. And if that reason couldn't be seen with his own two eyes, that reason could be determined by a Devil's inner gaze.

Zeoticus didn't have much talent for magic, he found out early that he wouldn't be comparable to the real masters of the art, like his son, but he was still a High-class Devil. He might never truly raise to the Ultimate-Class, but he was still one of the strongest High-rank Devil with a great education befitting one of the head of the 72 Pillar families, with Centuries of experience under his belt.

It only took him a couple of seconds to determine the cause of the frenzied feeling. It took a couple more for him to believe his own senses, the prospect of what he had found out was just that ridiculous.

"It's an attack!"

A moment later, Zeoticus' cry of warning was drowned out by the rising howl of a siren, one that many veterans were equally familiar with and dreaded. It was practically a relic of the past, not used since the Demon Civil War, an emergency broadcast that instills fear to all inhabitants of the Gremory territory even with its calm robotic voice.

"Please. Keep. Calm. And. Proceed. To. The. Protected. Sanctuaries. And. Stay. There. Until. Further. Orders."

These words were followed by a broadcasted call for combat-ready Devil to gather at the nearest assembly point and for all Devils to be put on full alert. But that part Zeoticus no longer heard.

Instantly forgetting both his nervousness and the report in his hand, Zeoticus rushed away to his wife and grandson, sending emergency communications as quickly as he could. The spell was barely formed before it fizzled, his message of warning unsent.

"Of course, the first rule of a surprise attack is to cut off communications to the outside." Zeoticus gritted his teeth, moving with all the speed a powerful Devil could muster. Even if the jamming would only last for five seconds, in the world of the paranormal, where powerful individuals could deal severe destruction in ten, it could still give one side of the confrontation an unrecoverable total advantage.

Instantly a message reached Zeoticus from his [Queen], causing him to sigh in relief slightly for a moment, at least communication was possible inside the imposed barrier, then he asked the first and most important question.

"Who?"

'The Fallen Angels,' Came the instant reply, causing Zeoticus to inwardly curse. Fallen Angels, why the hell did they just stick their noses into Devil territory!?

'About three hundred, mostly two-wings and four-wings.' Zeoticus' friend continued to quickly and concisely summarize the situation. Before Zeoticus could sigh in relief at the weak force attacking, his friend continued.

'And two dozen six-wings, a couple eight-wings, and one Cadre.'

"Shit," Zeoticus silently swore, the situation just turned from bad to worse. A Cadre at the head of an attack meant a huge problem – a Satan-level opponent. It was impossible to put one down without large casualties with just Zeoticus' current forces – if only they could send a call for help to Asmodeus…

Three of the four Satans had left the Devil's territory at the moment, and he could not call on the help of the last Satan.

Zeoticus didn't have time to think about the reasons for the attack, he would think about them after he had repulsed the attack of the Fallen. Right now, he needs to organize the defense, and at the same time…

'Venelana!', Zeoticus' sent a hurried mental message to his wife. 'The Fallen has attacked and…'

The next moment, Zeoticus' reply was drowned in a rumble like thunder, as the giant [Spear of Light] sent by Kokabiel vaporized the part of the Gremory Estate, along with Zeoticus.

***

Kokabiel only had one shot, one single chance to get a result, to make his attack worth it.

What could be considered a victory in this case? Not the destruction of the Devil per se, he simply had no time to accomplish it before he was intercepted. Even with the strongest Devils away from the Underworld, it wouldn't take long for them to return, and neither did he have enough force with him to overwhelm the defenses. Kokabiel could only bring the Fallen that were under his command, and those that believed in his cause.

He could've waited to gather more forces to his side, but he couldn't waste the chance, even when he knew that after this attack his days were numbered. He had broken the precarious balance the Three Biblical Factions had maintained, that Azazel had wanted to maintain. After this, he would either be hunted down by the Devils, or Azazel himself would break his diplomatic stance, and slaughter everyone who believed in his cause to a single Angel.

No, Kokabiel's victory was not to finally end the Great War – it was to start it anew. To make it flare up again, and to let fate take its course, which would bring everything to the final question, until one faction would remain.

Victory or death.

But arranging such a thing was not so easy, it was not enough to organize an attack on the Devil to provoke them into a full-fledged war. It required something more than a couple of hundred randomly killed Devil in the streets of a half-forgotten mansion of a nameless baron. It required a great provocation, a personal cause, a tragedy.

And who better suited for such a thing than to provoke a Satan, an individual in whose hands are concentrated immense personal power and official authority of the Devils?

And he had more than ample targets, as two of these Satans, the Leviathan and Lucifer? Are obsessed with their family.

More specifically, their younger sisters, they would make the perfect target, and in Kokabiel's original plan those two would have fallen on the blade of the stolen Excaliburs. The perfect opening strike to restart the Great War.

But, those two were at Kuoh, the place where the four Satans are currently congregated – he might have a dead wish, but he was also planning not to die in a stupid way. So, he has to settle on the next best thing, the other member of their families, and here he's spoiled for choices, in both senses of the word.

The Leviathan have long maintained a cold relationship with the Sitri except for her younger sister, Asmodeus seemed so lax that he'd forgotten his clan existed, and Beelzebub was too pragmatic and balanced to provoke him into rash actions…

But not the Lucifer. He was perhaps the worst person to threaten the family of, which makes him the perfect target.

The Crimson Satan, known for his strong relationship with his own family, and anyone he cared for really, a Devil who famously joined the Devil Civil War simply because a student of his was killed. He provided a target rich individual with his family, his father, mother and son, left unattended by the faction's strongest Devils, gathered in one place as if as a gift to Kokabiel.

And Kokabiel planned to take full advantage of this gift!

So the Fallen, having cracked the defenses of Gremory's territory and cut it off from the outside world, with simple, but reliable and able to last a few minutes shields that cut off their communications, rushed forward. The Fallen Heavenly host splitting into three groups.

The first included the vast majority of the Fallen, but also represented the weakest attack force, the two-winged and four-winged Fallen Angels. They were to hunt the civilians and sow as much panic and chaos in the enemy ranks as possible, confusing the defense plans and forcing the defender to spread out. They were to act as a distraction to allow the other two teams to attack the real target.

Led by Kokabiel himself, the second group consisted of his former bodyguards and aides. They were to take out Lady Gremory and the Lucifer's son without caring if they were to be cut down, spending their life to deal the worst damage to the Crimson Satan. Lastly, the third group, Kokabiel himself, after destroying the protection on the estate to allow the second group to attack as swiftly as they could, planned to deal with the most dangerous and powerful opponent, Lord Gremory himself.

The death of any one of the three was already a victory for Kokabiel. More than one? Just a gift to Kokabiel.

After this? Kokabiel would have liked to retreat after that and regroup, but he won't insist on it. Sometimes there's a need for sacrifices for great achievements – and if Kokabiel would achieve this accomplishment? He was willing to pay any price for it.

And so the moment the adjutant's cherished words rang in his ears, that they had pierced through the Gremory territory's protection, and Kokabiel had emerged over Gremory territory, he did not hold back.

A dozen spears of light instantly rained on the Devils who had not yet realized the danger they're in, incinerating some of them and subjecting others to painful deaths. Instantly, panic and chaos reigned among the Devils, and soon more would die, but that was the concern of the first group of Fallen.

Kokabiel himself? He was targeting a much larger fish.

Instantly, the flapping of wings drowned out all sound and a black cloud of the Fallen covered the blood-red skies before the siren blaring from every nook drowned the noise, but Kokabiel was not distracted by such trivialities. His gaze drifted towards Gremory's manor, as his pupils narrowed into pinpricks as he searched for his target.

Kokabiel was bad at this sort of search and destroy, specializing more on the 'destroy' part, but spotting one angry and panicked high class Devil approaching the ultimate class in power wasn't that difficult for Cadre. Therefore, after only a couple seconds, a [Spear of Light] appeared in Kokabiel's hand. It was a large spear, blinding, as if a second Sun had lit up the sky, one look at which could hurt Devils. He had only one chance at this, and Kokabiel was planning on making it count, and with a heave of his arms, the Spear flew true.

Even if somehow it did miss, a miss by a dozen meters with a [Spear of Light] of such power and size was completely insignificant.

The spear cut through the distance between Kokabiel and Zeoticus with blinding speed, slicing through the defenses of Gremory's mansion. For a brief moment, the light solidified into the shape of a blade of the Lord's wrath as it reached its target. Kokabiel imagined he could see Zeoticus' eyes before the [Spear of Light]'s form distorted, losing its shape, as a ball of light consumed a large portion of the Gremory mansion.

A bright flash of light, capable of instantly stripping the flesh from the bones of anyone too close to the center of the explosion, there's no chance of Zeoticus surviving the surprise attack. Kokabiel allowed a grin to appear on his face to celebrate the death of one of the Fallen's great enemies, before he moved on to his next target, using the hole in the manor to search for it.

The Lady Gremory was to be the next target of his attack, his Fallen could massacre the young child without his help.

"Have you located the Lucifer's moth…!?" Kokabiel addressed his followers a moment later, but had no time to get an answer before his centuries-honed fighting skills screamed, causing him to lunge to the side without any interference from reason, dodging the attack.

Kokabiel's keen, battle-honed gaze immediately glanced at the projectile that flashed by his side, noting its elongated spear-like shape and scarlet-blue shimmering color. It was not a [Spear of Light] so betrayal can be discounted, before, with a flash, the spear passed by him.

A [Demonic Spear] was a damned imitation of the simplest attacks of Angels and Fallen, created by the Devil as more of a mockery… But at the hand of a strong Devil, it still poses a threat. The [Demonic Spear] tossed at him, possessed the power of an eight-winged angel, a strong one at that. Or, in the Devil's parlance, it was the equivalent of an attack from an Ultimate Class.

Considering the fact that Venelana Gremory possessed the [Power of Destruction] and would most likely attack using her clan's trait, only one other person could have delivered such an attack…

And that in turn meant that the attack on Venelana was delayed for a few more minutes, which would take Kokabiel to get rid of the annoying fly that refused to die.

***

Zeoticus lost consciousness for only moments, less than a second of agonizing pain stealing his awareness before the old instincts of a seasoned warrior returned to his body. For a long time now, Zeoticus had been living in the stable, peaceful world after the Civil War – but a creature who had fought for hundreds of years could not so easily squander all of his combat experience.

The destructive power of the [Spear of Light] had managed to strip the skin and some of the muscles on the left side of his body, turning one of his limbs into a non-functional stump. But, he had no time to seek a healer at the moment. A moment later, Zeoticus' power surged around his body, trying to preserve his body from the merciless, searing, angelic light, if one tainted by sin. Still, the light still has the same effect of one delivered by the most righteous light of heaven to a Devil.

Flaring his power has the effect of saving Zeoticus from further damage, but also mercilessly vaporizes his reserves of strength. Just because Zeoticus could withstand such a hit from his opponent, didn't mean he should do it. Another hit like that and he would be dead.

As the light from Kokabiel's attack dissipated enough, Zeoticus was able to see the multi-winged creature hovering aloft, watching over Gremory Manor from above. A Cadre.

There were no longer any thoughts in Zeoticus' mind about what had caused the attack or who was behind it at the moment, whether it was an official declaration of war or anything else. All that was bouncing around in his head at the moment was one single thought.

'We need to call for backup.'

Zeoticus might possess his clan's ability, the main strength of the Gremory clan…

He was strong. Yes, that was the special ability of the demonic Gremory clan.

They were simply strong.

It was this fact that made the Gremory the most enviable partners for the Devil aristocracy's eugenic games. The Gremory clan always passed on their hereditary power to their children without suppressing the characteristics of other clans. The perfect complement that allowed Zeoticus to get Venelana as his wife, the whispered excitement that allowed Sirzechs to become the Crimson Satan, one that Zeoticus wouldn't confirm, Sirzechs is an anomaly even among anomalies. And the reason for the Phenex to sacrifice their past clan heir for a marriage with Rias Gremory.

However, therein also lay the Gremory's greatest weakness.

Zeoticus had no other abilities – other than being stronger, even if significantly stronger than other Devil aristocrats, he had no powers of regeneration, pyromancy, destruction, or anything like that.

Which meant that against a Cadre of the Fallen, Zeoticus didn't stand a chance.

'We need to break through the barrier.'

However, behind Zeoticus' back was the Gremory Manor, where his wife Venelana is along with his grandson, Milicas. His subordinates, his territories, the entire Devil community under his family. It is simply too much for him to sacrifice.

'We have to kill Kokabiel.'

Which in turn meant that where Zeoticus couldn't take his opponent with a retreat for a better fighting chance, he planned to tackle him with his brute strength.

***

Kokabiel dodged one attack, then another, replying with a dozen [Spears of Light] at once, one volley after another, probing Zeoticus' capabilities. Noting with satisfaction that while the old nobleman boasted considerable strength, there was a significant gap in his combat experience. It's no surprise really, even among the Fallen, there were few that had more battle experience than him.

However, this did not guarantee an instant victory for Kokabiel. As one would expect from Crimson Satan's father, he was a worthy opponent.

A lash of fire slid past Kokabiel like the tongue of a wild beast, licking clean an entire clearing of trees, but Kokabiel had dodged it easily. But still, no matter how easy this fight had turned out to be, a frown decorated his brows. To finish off Zeoticus would only be a matter of time, but therein lies the issue, time is the last thing that Kokabiel have in ample supply.

In a flash the tainted light of the Fallen turned to stakes, a crude semblance of Angelic techniques, nevertheless, mastered and perfected by Kokabiel for Devil slaying, fell like raindrops. And judging by the way Zeoticus let out an angry howl a moment later, retaliating with another lash of fire, at least a few of the projectiles had found their target.

However, Kokabiel could only click his tongue in dissatisfaction. He needed to deal with Zeoticus quickly, ideally followed by killing the entire Crimson Satan's family, including his son, then retreating before the Satans arrived for backup, that was what his entire plan relied on. If he was killed before he retreated to Azazel and dragged the Fallen into the war, or failed to give the Lucifer a personal reason to give no damn about diplomacy and rush in after him, then his entire plan would be jeopardized.

And so, when Zeoticus attacked, not with fire, but with pure demonic energy gathered into many small arrows, Kokabiel did not bother dodging, but rushed in front of his opponent's fire. A second's hesitation was all Kokabiel needed. This time his [Holy Spear] was not in the form of spears, but spread out over his hand, transforming it into the likeness of a holy blade, Kokabiel's own personal design.

Disregarding the damage done to him by not defending himself from Zeoticus' spells, he arrived right in front of his target, his blade poised over the Devil. Zeoticus formed a hasty defense, but it was too late, Kokabiel's blade slammed into the Devil's flesh, on the way cutting one of Zeoticus hand that was raised in defense, before slamming into Zeoticus' flesh, severing the palm of his hand that had been exposed in a hasty block.

A demented grin formed over Kakbiel's face when he noticed that Zeoticus had not actually worn any protective armor, the surprise attack preventing it. Soon, the Fallen's light, like poison, spreads all over the wound created by his [Blade of Vengeance], a name Kokabiel has created for his created spell, like a corrosive substance.

Kokabiel viciously enjoyed the look of shock and pain on Zeoticus' face, the wound he inflicted turning into charred flesh. He didn't even pay attention to his own wounds, a small price to pay for the lucky blow that had robbed Zeoticus of his other arm.

He was unable to follow up on his lucky strike, however, as instantly, more than a decent amount of demonic energy began to concentrate in Zeoticus's body. Kokabiel didn't bother checking to see if he was prepared for a sacrificial blast, retreating for a moment.

Under other circumstances, the loss of two arms would be a significant wound for any opponent, but nothing more. Every creature of the Biblical Faction possessed the ability to regenerate the most seemingly fatal wounds, thanks simply to their reserves of strength.

However, angelic light acted as the perfect antithesis to the Devil's regeneration.

Pure angelic light would not even allow the Devil to regenerate lost limbs, unless they found a suitable, and outstanding, healer. The light of the fallen angels was much less toxic to Devils, but even so, the possibility of regeneration in the middle of the battle was a moot point, Kokabiel had won the fight. And so, the idea that Zeoticus sacrificing himself to deliver his final blow to Kokabiel was not without logic.

As he stepped back for a moment, however, Kokabiel was instantly convinced that his assumption was false. As he concentrated, and waited, Zeoticus's power did not erupt in a devastating explosion, but in a concentrated blast into space, breaking the barrier that was intended to impede information transfer. It would be a fatal blow to Kakbiel's plan if he were planning to keep his attack a secret.

Kokabiel grinned instead, keeping his attack a secret would actually mean his plans failing.

Another moment later, Kokabiel's hand pierced Zeoticus' chest, punching through straight to his heart. A wound that, for a Devil of Zeoticus' power, meant little despite the visceral look of the injury, it was not a fatal attack.

At least not instantly.

A moment later, the cold, steely voice of one of Kokabiel's follower reached his mind, informing him of the information he already had. The simple and unsophisticated barrier had been breached, and the emergency message of the attack had gone out – directly to the Lucifer.

Zeoticus, frozen in a rictus of pain on the Fallen Angel's arm, not a mortal wound aside, it still hurts, tried to draw in air, forcing his grinding lungs to fill with blood and attempt to expand. With one last breath, he smiled at the Fallen's pensive face, confident that with his last act he had doomed the Fallen's plan.

"I have won… Sirzechs will be here soon."

"Yes, indeed, I'm counting on it." Kokabiel couldn't contain the satisfied smirk as his plan finally came together, causing Zeoticus' expression to fall, but Kokabiel was no longer willing to divulge his plan to the dead man any longer. Now, to make sure his plan was completed perfectly, he turned to his followers, "What about the Lucifer's mother and son?"

'Lucifer's mother was wounded, but escaped pursuit' One of his eight-winged subordinates calmly replied, aware of Lucifer's approaching wrath. 'The squad sent to eliminate Lucifer's son reported contact, before suddenly stopping checking in. We suspect that they have been defeated.'

Kokabiel inwardly cursed, Venelana's injury, the failed attack on Milicas, and only one dead Zeoticus, would that be enough… No, the success of the plan had to be guaranteed, so they could not tarry here any longer even if he personally wanted to search for the two targets, and so he ordered his followers to retreat to Azazel.

The Fallen would need all the power they could muster to put an end to the Great War for good. He, on the other hand…

Kokabiel shook the arm on which the Gremory's patriarch hung, causing Zeoticus to hiss in pain, and grinned.

He had to finish what he had started.

***

The information brought to Ajuka's attention instantly made him clench his knuckles, the Fallen had attacked the Gremory' territory…

A whole host of thoughts ran through Ajuka's mind, from the possible motivation of the attackers to Satoru's possible involvement in the event, but above all, they needed to return. Intervention and negotiation with Satoru could be done later, right now, the Satans needed to return to the Underworld.

A Cadre level opponent, potential further attacks, and the possible casualties of House Gremory… Sirzechs had to know about it.

So, as soon as the Satans left the meeting room and traveled from the Church to Kuoh Academy, with Serafall and Sirzechs staring at Ajuka questioning his actions with a furrowed brow. He only needed to whisper one phrase as an explanation.

"The Fallen have attacked Gremory Manor."

It took a moment for the two other Satans to parse such information, not that Ajuka could blame them. Certainly such news amidst the distractions of their negotiations with Satoru and the treaty of a formal peace between the Biblical Factions hovering in the air seemed… Strange.

But the moment passed, and Ajuka managed to react quickly enough to protect himself from Sirzechs' power hitting in all directions. The dull, savage roar of an angry beast, a raging dragon, swept through the surrounding city. Before, the out of control wave of the [Power of Destruction], usually so perfectly controlled by Sirzechs, swept the Academy away like a sandcastle hit by a tsunami. Thankfully, the Academy was empty, lest they would have their work cut out for them to explain so many deaths.

His peripheral vision informed him that Serafall had managed to put up her own defenses, but the moment of distraction cost him, as Sirzechs easily ripped open the fabric of reality, instantly rushing inside Gremory Manor, leaving him behind. Though either way, Ajuka was smart enough not to get in Sirzechs' way at the moment, opening his own portal to the Gremory Territory.

An instant later, Gremory's territory appeared in front of Ajuka's, immediately spotting the reason the attack had remained secret, a barrier. But apparently, the barrier in place prevented information transfer, but not teleportation.

In the distance, Ajuka spotted his friend. A shimmering black and scarlet blot on reality, Sirzechs fully unleashed form of the [Power of Destruction]. And in front of that font of pure destruction the architect of the attack on the Gremory, on the Devil Faction.

Kokabiel, a Cadre of the Fallen Angels, and on his hand the brutalized body of his friend's father, Zeoticus Gremory.

Against his will, Ajuka's gaze noted the glassy look in Zeoticus' eyes as he fell to the ground, and the weakly pumping heart, clutched in Kokabiel's hand.

"Azazel sends his regards!" Kokabiel laughed cruelly, darting away from Sirzechs into the Dimensional Gap.

Sirzechs, unable to hold back, struck out in all directions with his own power, rushing after the fleeing Cadre, but it was too late, Kokabiel had escaped.

Ajuka stood still for a moment, summarizing the events he had seen and its result, realizing what had happened, which he summed up in one simple phrase.

'The Great War has broken out again.'