Volume 6 – Chapter 9 – Part 2 – Voices of The Past

Third Person Point of View

…

In a certain section of the Dimensional Gap stood a man with a massive smile on his face. He watched as many houses, shops and various other buildings were constructed in front of him. With a mix of shadow soldiers and his own dragon army the building process was progressing very smoothly.

His name was Antares and he was building Aaron's new home in the Dimensional Gap. However, not only will he build a new home here that will resemble a large castle, he will also create a functioning city for fans of his master to live in.

The city had two sections, the residential district with multiple homes, shops, and a few businesses and the entertainment sections. In the middle of this section would be his master's home. Antares wanted to go all out to show his loyalty to his master and knew he would be praised extensively when Aaron saw it. However, only 42% of this section was finished while the other section was around 10% complete.

The other section was where everything else would be. This is where most businesses would be set up with a few homes as well. However, the main attraction to the other section was the massive building that would house Rating Games in the future. The large building would be constructed with both itself and a separate dimension in mind to use as the field.

Aaron planned on having this place be a tourist destination and a regular place where International Rating Games would be played.

"Antares, there are a few pests lurking around, but they've been dealt with. It seems like they're just observing us from a distance. Should we start with setting 'those' up?"

Antares turned to his side and saw a fellow colleague. "Ah, Kokushibo. Hmm, indeed that wouldn't be a terrible idea. Let's set up around 12 of them to start. They'll be a mix of my dragons and your demons," he replied.

"Hmm. I will leave the design to you… how long do you think all of this will take to complete?" Kokushibo asked as he looked around at the current city.

"With our work force and my detailed plans… I would say by the time Aaron-sama and everyone else graduate from high school," replied Antares. "Ah, I wish to attend it!"

"…But you won't be able to? Nevertheless, you could ask Aaron-sama to tour this place for his graduation trip—"

"A splendid idea, Kokushibo!!" screamed Antares. The man beside him simply stared at him in disbelief.

All the Electa have respect and loyalty towards Aaron, however, Kokushibo acknowledged that some of them are insanely devoted. He himself is also very devoted. However, if he had to compare himself to Antares then…

Kokushibo would be a 500, while Antares would be a 10,000. The difference was quite noticeable. It didn't mean Kokushibo was any less loyal or respectful, but he could do it and show it in moderation. However, the brief interactions he had with Aaron made him realize that the man he called master would take all of this in stride and wouldn't stop this fanaticism.

"Is that so? I will leave then—ah, Adel should be done with those arrangements in that section too, along with Celestin. I would suggest giving Adel a break since she's been complaining a lot about not seeing Aaron-sama," said Kokushibo as he slowly left.

"I will keep that in mind," replied Antares.

…

In a different section of the city being build by Antares were Celestin and Adel. Both had finished their jobs for the moment, and they were having some tea.

Adel put a hand on her cheek and sighed. "I wish to go back, I miss Aaron-sama~"

"I believe you won't see him until graduation, Adel," answered Celestin. But when he saw his fellow Electa nearly in tears, he regretted telling her how reality was, but—

"Oya? Celestin and Adel. I see both of you are done with your jobs. Good work," said a male's voice.

Both of them looked up to see one of the [Guardians]. In total there were eight of them—they were assigned to protect Aaron's new home in the Dimensional Gap, unlike the [Goddess of Battle] who were assigned to protect the human realm, and there were sixteen of them in total.

The man who called out to them was called Inialos, the deputy commander of the [Guardians]. He had long blonde hair, deep blue eyes and had elf ears. He wore a long dark blue, navy and white coat with navy pants and a white and purple cape. Furthermore, he carried a unique-looking book with him, wore a monocle under his right eye and had a large circular machine floating behind him.

"Inialos. We had just finished. Adel was a bit troubled because he couldn't see Aaron-sama," Celestin explained.

"I see, I see. However, construction is taking quite some time because of Antares' specifications, so expect to see him when he graduates from high school," said Inialos bluntly.

"Ugh…"

"However, your workload will be decreased significantly in the next few days. We received a message from Aaron-sama not too long ago that a certain G.o.B will be joining us today—"

"Me," said a voice behind them.

"Fufu, impeccable timing as always, Claudira," said Inialos as he turned around to face the woman.

Behind Inialos was a woman with short blue hair, she had heterochromia eyes, the right is blue, and the left is red. She also wore glasses. She wore a long white and blue dress. Behind her were wings that resembled the light wings of [Divine Dividing]. All around her were blue screen-like holograms.

Claudira sent a blue screen towards all three of them, and from them were instructions and how long it would take (her estimation). "Those are your current jobs that you must fulfill today. Of course, I've taken into account breaks, so please keep that in mind," she told them.

"As efficient as always," said Inialos as he sounded a bit irritated at her.

Claudira and Inialos are one of the smartest among Electa that Aaron made, hence why they do not get along. Inialos can relax and have a bit of fun while he does his work, he also likes deviating from his plans when the situation calls for it.

Meanwhile, Claudira tends to be a stickler for the rules. The only exception is when Aaron overrides them, or orders her to do it. Claudira also almost never smiles around people and takes her work very seriously. In Inialos' words, 'It's like she has a vibrating stick up her ass and she refuses to pull out and just deals with it, even though it makes her uncomfortable'.

Due to these factors, these two tend not to get along in general. But can put away their differences when they do their work for their master.

"If you wish to avoid the deadline that everyone has set—graduation, then I suggest you follow these. I have left some shadow soldiers in my place in the human world, so I will be here semi-permanently. If we follow my plans, and I've already gotten permission from Antares, then we will finish at least a month early, if not two, so—"

"Let's get to it!" shouted Adel with renewed vigor.

Both Celestin and Inialos laughed at Adel as she rushed away, and then both followed after her. Claudira stood there as she looked at her own plans—a sudden yet rare smile spreads across her face.

"If all goes well, we can see Aaron-sama soon," she said to herself.

…

In one of the sections of the Khaos Orders base stood a lone figure. However, in this dimly lit room, the door suddenly opened and in came another.

[Malacoda,] the figure called out.

[Barbariccia. Speak,] replied Malacoda.

Malacoda, the leader of the [Malebranche], and the most powerful out of them—it was said to never unseal him, as even the original Satans feared him and his power. However, he was now free and had been for the last few months.

[We received reliable information. It seems there will be a new classification for certain Sacred Gears in the future,] said Barbariccia. [Apparently, they will be called the [New Longinus], as these are Sacred Gears with the potential to rival the original 13 Longinus.]

Malacoda turned his head and looked at Barbariccia. [[New Longinus]? On par with the original 13? That's quite a thing to say. Who did you hear this from?]

[Sources say from certain devils of Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the current Satans, furthermore, it seems the Middleman and Dual Dragon Emperor is the one who wanted to create the new classification,] replied Barbariccia.

Malacoda squinted his eyes and scowled. [Middleman… the man with two Sacred Gears, just like Mitsuya Kanzaki… two humans who wish to play as gods…]

[Well, one of them is a god—stronger than the God of the Bible in fact—no, the gods of our universe,] added the deputy commander. [What shall we do?]

[We will wait. Our original goal was to have a death battle with each Longinus possessor. However, with these [New Longinus] we will wait and see. That man has been destroying the rules of our world for far too long. As such, we will also kill these [New Longinus] possessors. We will prove that we, the [Evil Claws] are superior.]

The aura that Malacoda unleashed was enough to shake the base of the Khaos Order, and the small area their base was in. Barbariccia stepped back and gulped. He hadn't felt that power since they were created and it reminded him just how powerful their leader was.

[I shall inform the others then,] said Barbariccia and he quickly left the room.

…

Universe – Crepuscule Phantasma

…

In the new base of the Ueboros, a new member stood in front of Elanor, one of the Eradicators. The member of Ueboros was given a briefing of what was going to happen, and then they would go to the Draconic Deus to join the operation.

"Cyran, you are aware of the risks that are involved in this operation, correct?" asked Elanor.

"I am. To be able to die this way—I see it as an honor, Lady Elanor," replied Cyran.

Rank 6th of the Ueboros, Cyran. A man born from power in the universe of the Phantasma. He has long gray hair, yellow eyes and wears a black general's outfit. On the left side of his chest is a large golden device attached to his heart—it helps regulate his power. Behind him is a multicolored cape.

"Is that so? Very well then, you will be teaming up with a certain ally from the Evie faction, a monster from the Monkai Association and Nagendra from the Seekers of Truth. However, your role will be to delay the Middleman along with the Evie and another individual," explained Elanor.

"Delay the outer god... is that even possible? I certainly will try, but…"

"I can understand your uneasiness, however, we are there to try to collect an item, if possible, then we will have the upper hand on the DxD Alliance and Team [DxD]. However, if we fail… well, we have other ways of obtaining another item, but it will take longer, so we wish to obtain this one instead."

"I will put my life on the line, Lady Elanor," he answered firmly.

"Mmm. Off you go now, it's in a place called Tanzania… here, take this. It will guide you to the location," she said and handed Cyran.

Cyran nodded and teleported to the Draconic Deus.

…

Universe – Evie Etoulde

…

The [Wicked God] Seraselbes sat on a chair in her room. She originally wasn't one of the Evie Gods. Her original planet was meant to be eradicated—destroyed by the mechanical gods of the Evie faction, however, she—Seraselbes was one of the few on their planet that was strong enough to oppose the ones invading their world.

Melvazoa and Regalzeva were part of that invasion. However, they saw potential in her and saw that they could become even more powerful if they had her on their side. So they made a deal with her. They would spare their world and even put it under their protection, but she had to join their ranks and become a mechanical god. Another part of the deal was that the people of their world were to become their underlings and take part in future invasions of the universe and worlds.

Seraselbes saw this as an opportunity to keep her world and species alive—so she accepted the offer. The other fighters of her world were against it and tried to convince her otherwise, but… in the end they had to comply. In the end, she was reborn as a mechanical life form and served as one of the gods of the Evie faction.

She was even named as the younger sister of Melvazoa and Regalzeva because of her power. After that, she along with her people started participating in invasions to conquer universes and planets. They did not enjoy it at all, but… they had no choice in the matter.

If there were any signs of rebellion, their planet, and species would be wiped out. No questions asked—and Seraselbes would be the one to do it. And unfortunately Seraselbes, who once had a moniker of a God of Peace and Tranquility had been changed to that of a [Wicked God]. It pained her, but if it was for the survival of her species, she would do it all over again.

However, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel—the Middleman—the Dual Dragon Emperor—the Outer God! If she could secretly make contact and make an alliance with him, then maybe, just maybe, she and her species could make it out of this predicament.

She had tried with the Etoulde faction, but none of them would listen to her secret pleas. So she decided to give up on them and wait for a different opportunity. It took a long time, at times she nearly gave up, but…

"How… how do I go about it…?" she pondered. If she even messed up in the slightest it could spell disaster for her species, and possibly death for her. Seraselbes needed to be even more cautious this time around.

Not only did they join the Khaos Order who had many cautious individuals, her species was also slowly dying out before because of the neglect of the overseers of the Evie faction. One of the Shepherds was quite abusive to her species, but even she couldn't do anything as she was away for most of the time because of the new alliance.

She needed to be quick, but cautious—this left her at a dead end. She just needed something to get in contact with the outer god.

…

Universe – Draconic Deus

Grigori

…

Avezza's Soliloquy

…

It's been a few days since I came back from my mission of infiltrating the Khaos Order. Many of my colleagues seemed to act strangely towards me, however, I just brushed it off because of me being away for so long. A few don't act differently towards me, especially Penemue as she just calls us 'Purple haired sisters' or something along those lines.

The last time I was her she was a lot less happy than she is now. She was more… I guess you could say, more professional, never showing too much of her emotions, but just enough to not come off as unapproachable or condescending. Back a few thousand years ago, she only did anything to help humans in a none romantic way, but now…

"Raynare-chan~! Did you fuck Aaron yet?" asked Penemue in the distance.

"W-w-w-what are you talking about, Penemue-sama!?" Raynare asked while a bit panicked.

"Fufu, hey, hey, how about we just go on a double date with him~?" asked Penemue.

"…Double date, I don't mind. Should we ask him when he gets back?"

"Fufu, I knew you'd agree to it."

Those two seemed to be having fun, but Penemue tends to speak about either work or just her feelings towards Jin or romance in general. To think that such a young man would get very old fallen angels…

Suddenly these two approached me with terrifying expressions stretched across their faces. It felt like I had said something to them, even though I didn't and they got offended…

"H-hello Penemue, Raynare… how can I help you?" I asked them.

"You've only been back for a few days, Avezza, but what do you think of the new Grigori?" she asked me.

"It's fine? I mean apart from the newly added sections constructed by the Middleman, there hasn't really been any changes. Also, it seems like we lost a few more fallen angels. I can guess they were killed, exiled or went rogue?" I asked.

"Yeah, Acacius went rogue, though you probably saw him in the Khaos Order, right? How was he in it, by the way?" asked Penemue.

"He was mostly the same, he would sometimes question if this was what he really wanted, but I guess it's nothing too strange from him. I mean he's always been like that, right? I guess he had a soft spot for Tobio Ikuse, Slash Dog-san."

Acacius always walked the line of good or evil. A part of him liked or even loved humanity, but he was slowly brainwashed by Kokabiel and Azrael. He was the type to be influenced by very powerful people, and in the end, he chose to side with them. Acacius saw Tobio as a little brother of sorts. They even bonded with each other to an extent, but I guess he wanted more power rather than keeping a relationship going in the end.

"Hmm-hmm. He acted like a mentor and even older brother sometimes to him~ too bad he was killed, if only he chose Grigori in the end instead of the Khaos Order and power. Though I heard Ikuse-kun was quite devastated for a couple of days—he was the one to kill him in the end after all."

I heard it was partially a suicide, but I won't correct her on that. However, after saying that Penemue got very close to me and asked, "So how about your love life?"

"H-huh?" I didn't understand what she was asking. What about my love life? I've been away on a mission; how does she expect me too—

"Is it Tamiel? Armaros? Sahariel? Or… Azazel?" she asked and grinned.

"W-w-what are you talking about? I am busy with research and helping the alliance with the information I gathered…!" I replied and turned away.

"Oh? Oh? Did she blush at the mention of Azazel? Fufufufu~"

"Penemue-sama, Avezza-sama is clearly uncomfortable. Let's just drop it…" said Raynare.

You're a godsend, Raynare! Well, I like this version of you a lot more than the old you! Even while still part of Azrael's faction of fallen angels, she wasn't exactly easy to get along with. However, there were times I caught her looking rather sad, and at the time I wondered if that was the real Raynare or not.

I'll never know unless I ask her about it. I believe she had a very troubled history before falling—power and jealousy… I've heard Penemue talk about their life in Jin's home, and it seems that they get along with the Great Seraph Gabriel who also lives there.

"I need to get going. I was about to go share more information on my research that I managed to attain while being a researcher at the Khaos Order. He's been pestering me about it, and I've finally rewritten all my notes on it," I said to them.

"Fufu, if you say so Avezza! Tell us the details after!" said Penemue as I walked away.

I shook my head and made my way to one of our research facilities. During my time in the Khaos Order I made many breakthroughs and even managed to create what I call [Artificial Longinus], I only had a few ones that I classified as complete, but the rest were still in testing phases.

With this and Azazel's current research, we should be able to make a more stable version. It should be a big breakthrough, well… if we don't include the Middleman casually creating Longinus type Sacred Gears like they're candy…

I entered through the door and found a few researchers there too. In the far back I saw Azazel looking at certain tools and parts, as well as a book. I quickly made my way there while being greeted by a few other fallen angels.

"Azazel, I finally wrote them all down," I told him as soon as I arrived beside him.

"Hmm? Oh, Avezza. Good timing, I was about to contact you. Show me them," he said and I handed him one of my notebooks. I also brought the rest out.

I grabbed his hand and pushed my chest towards him and asked, "Do you think we'll be able to recreate them in a timely manner? I had a lot of help from Promestein, Satanael and a few other researchers that were from the Evie and Phantasma."

I saw his lips twitch but he shrugged his shoulders. "Truthfully, I don't know. I've asked Jin if he would help us. However, so far, he's said that he may ask one of his subordinates to help us in the future. He said to wait for him to finish his trip and alliance with the Hindu gods first."

"Also… I can't work if you hold onto my arm like that, Avezza…" he muttered and I let go.

"Haha… sorry about that, let's get started then!" I exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, let's do our best," he replied.

…

Third Person Point of View

…

In a heavily guarded and inconspicuous spot somewhere in Tanzania, Africa was one of the bases for the Seekers of Truth, Nagendra. He was a snake youkai, a very smart one—and from a very young age, he always sought out power and knowledge.

To him, as long as you have both, you would stand above everyone else. He saw many of his friends and family die meaningless deaths or be killed in such idiotic ways that it angered him. To him, they could have chosen a different path in life and would still be alive, yet they decided to make those choices and die.

Nagendra didn't like the fact that Sacred Gears worked through the wielder's will and desires—emotions. While he had emotions, he tried to suppress them a lot. To him, it hinders logic and common sense. He does acknowledge it as a powerful tool, but still an idiotic way to gain strength because to him, it's inconsistent.

Since he joined the Monkai Association and then the Seekers of Truth, he had slowly started to gather up his own army. Once he found out about the truth—the multiverse—the outer gods, and the many more worlds out there, he wished to travel to them and take anything he thought that was valuable—anything that would increase his knowledge and power.

He would prefer to get an immortal body, one that wouldn't be killed through old age and any type of ability or technique—true immortality.

Nagendra was making a few last-minute preparations. Soon he would either truly live his dream, or be erased from this world's history. He looked at his backups and knew that if the Middleman found them, it would be truly over for him. But this was a gamble he was more than willing to take.

"Soon," he muttered. However, he was quickly brought out of his own thoughts when he felt a magic circle appear from the ground, and out came a gray-haired man.

"Hmm, are you the one called Nagendra?" asked the man.

"I am… are you the one from the Evie or Phantasma?" he asked back.

"I am from the Phantasma, call Cyran. Who else are we waiting for?" asked Cyran.

"The one from the Evie, and another colleague of mine."

"We only need to wait for one more," answered a voice. A female with white hair stepped out of the shadows. It was Ashtulai a subordinate of Yashina, and the hybrid born from Aži Dahāka and Yashina.

"Ashtulai, I see… so you're the one who's helping today? You're a clone though," said Nagendra.

"I am a clone, but that's enough for now. I should be able to help with delaying the other gods, especially a few Hindu gods," replied Ashtulai.

"Yoooo! I'm here with the big hunk of metal!" said an unfamiliar voice. "I'm Jackal by the way."

All of them turned to it and saw a 15-meter-tall robot with black-crimson body with orange accents. He had wings behind his back and had glowing red eyes, and a man with yellow hair and animal ears.

Jackal appears as a young muscular monster. He had dark blonde hair, reaching down to his shoulders and covering the left side of his face, perpetually hiding his left eye from sight.

Jackal wears a striped tank top on his torso. Jackal's pants, reached down below his knees, are noted for being extremely loose and baggy. His outfit is completed by plain black boots with light soles.

[I am Unguentum, one of the Evie Gods, I am part of the [Combat Fanatics]. I will be helping you today,] he explained to them. Unguentum exuded an unbelievable amount of aura to them, as some of them stepped back, the only one to stand up to him was Cyran.

Everyone else as they stared at both Unguentum and Cyran thought the same thing, that they were beyond the level of dragon gods, the previously strongest of their world. Meanwhile, Unguentum and Cyran were silently staring at each other, sizing each other up—but also curious about each other's strength, however—

"Let us discuss our plan of attack once more," said Cyran. He then turned to look at Nagendra who smirked at him.

"I have plenty of monsters and youkai ready, I take it that the Evie and Phantasma will provide some of their own?" he asked the two strongest in the room.

[Affirmative, we will supply around a million of our soldiers that range from 'Satan-class' to 'God-class'. I am above them—according to your world's ranking system, I should be slightly above the two dragon gods of your universe,] he explained.

"Can you afford to do that?" asked Ashtulai.

[Yes. We have an abundance of soldiers; they are quite easy to create with that kind of power level. Anything beyond it will take time, however, this should be enough for this operation.]

"What about the Phantasma?" asked Nagendra.

"They will be sent over soon. We will provide a million shadows too," replied Cyran.

"Then until they arrive, we won't proceed with this mission… Jackal, was it? How about you?"

"I'm fine, I can just transform into my [True] form and be on par with at least combat-focused God-class beings. The way I am now, I am at least Satan-class," he told them.

"Very well, that should be fine. All we need now is to set up in key locations to split up the forces of the Hindu gods. I have heard rumors that the Middleman is there to add them to the alliance, so it will be a very challenging operation, but we must press forward. We must retrieve what we set out for," said Nagendra.

Ashtulai grinned as she looked forward to fighting the Middleman, or at least experiencing his power. She had heard too many stories already, and she was eager to see it for herself in person.

"The earliest we can attack is tomorrow, or near the end of it," explained Nagendra and they all agreed.

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

After I heard Shiva ask me that particular question, I just stared blankly at him for a few seconds before I sighed.

"What am I, huh?" I paused and looked at the table. I then looked back at him and said, "Would you believe me if I said I know what I am and at the same time I don't?"

He stared at me for a few seconds with squinted eyes before he let out a soft chuckle and nodded his head. "I can easily tell when someone is lying and not telling the truth. I can also read minds. You yourself are sure of what you are, but at the same time you find yourself questioning what you are. You live a very complicated and interesting life, Jin Skyward. However, tell me one more thing, what is your goal?"

"My goal? Do you have any idea how many times I've been asked that?"

Shiva simply laughed at me when I said that. "I understand that many will ask you that question, but I would like to hear the answer from you as well," he said.

I paused and surveyed the outside. We sat near a window and I saw many people carrying about their daily lives in this relatively unpopulated part of the realm. I then looked back at the kitchen. I could hear some kind of music being played, the husband and wife talking to each other and laughing about something. Finally, I looked back at Shiva who smiled at me.

"My answer and reasons have stayed relatively the same. I want a harem and I want peace. However, it also slightly changed. I've met a lot of people, seen a lot of things, experienced a lot of things… even though I'm my own person, I was also influenced by a single individual in my life so far. I owe a lot to them."

"It's still for my own selfish reasons, but… I want to protect those people's lives. Even if I won't be that relevant to theirs. You see a person in the street one day, to you, in that brief moment they're nothing but a stranger, but… they too are alive, they have their own problems, dreams, loved ones and life to live. I don't want the selfishness of 'evil' people or terrorists to take that away."

"But I'll still protect those near to me most of the time, but if I can help it—I'll lend my hand to those who seek it. I've come to love the life I have and the people around me. To some, life is but a brief flash and then they're gone—forever. I try to live life like that—as much as I can in a single day, full-throttle."

"…Sorry it feels like I'm rambling, but I just want the world I live in—the universe I live in to be peaceful. We can't achieve true peace, unless we eradicate all 'evil' in the world, but there will always be someone against the peace I seek, some find it painful, I'm aware of that, but… if it's for the overall populace, I'll choose to sacrifice those few for them."

Shiva listened to what I had to say carefully and with his full attention. In the end he let out a small chuckle and then started to laugh. But it wasn't to mock me or anything, he just seemed… relieved, I guess?

"I never thought I'd hear something like that from someone so young. But I'm glad, I was worried that you'd have a naïve way of thinking, maybe play 'hero', but I'm glad I was wrong, Jin. What you strive to achieve is something difficult, but you also have the power to do so… with that said, I made up my mind. I may be called the God of Destruction, but you have my support."

He then stood up, pointed at me and declared, "I've lived a very long life. Many have said they wanted the same thing, but failed. So, show me, Dual Dragon Emperor. Show me the world you wish to achieve. A child can dream of it, but can you truly make it happen?" He then grinned and added, "Many of the gods around the world are aware of what you did, 'Miracle Dragon'."

He then sat back down and stretched his body. "Whatever endeavors you have in the future, don't be afraid to contact me. I will give you my full support… the plans I had for the future, I will scrap them," he said casually.

…If I remember correctly, 'that' happens in the future. But back when not too many 'Shin' volumes were out many speculated about what Ichi meant by Shiva being the last boss of the book. However, if he scrapped that idea because of me and my speech, then I'm thankful.

I like the dude. He's a chill god, and I would rather not kill him if I could help it. Before we could continue, our food finally came out and the owner placed it in front of us.

"Oh! Thanks, Daksh! You outdid yourself again… but isn't this more portions than usual?" asked Shiva as he looked at the food.

"Both you and Oppai Dragon visited my small shop, of course I would add extra! Come, come, eat, eat!" he said and gestured to our plates.

So both of us thanked him for the food and we began to eat. I didn't know the name of this dish, or whether it was just a unique one made in the supernatural side of things, but it tasted good.

"It's called Biryani. It's pretty popular in this area of our realm. What do you think?" asked Shiva.

"Biryani… it tastes delicious. I hadn't tasted it before, but I really like it," I replied.

After that we ate our food and had a lighter conversation. Most were about the rumored International Rating Game.

…

Not too long after, we finished eating our food and we were walking back to the hotel. We hadn't said anything after we left the cozy place where we ate, and I tipped the man around $100,000 in cash and he nearly fainted.

"I meant what I said earlier, Jin Skyward. If you come across a situation you need help with—especially with a famous god, contact me," said Shiva as we arrived near the hotel.

By the entrance, Lavinia was waiting alone, and when she saw us, she ran over and embraced me. Upon seeing this, Shiva smiled and laughed.

"I will go back to Indra's abode then, until we meet again," he said and left.

"I wasn't gone that long, Nia," I said but she shook her head against my chest.

"The day is nearly ending. What were you talking about?" she asked as I embraced her back.

"Oh, this and that, nothing too serious. Anyway, let's go back… we can have dinner later since they have that in the hotel. Anyway, what's everyone doing in the room?" I asked as she moved over to hug my arm and we walked back to the hotel.

"Shirone-chan and Gabriel-chan are still asleep on the couch. We can order food into our room apparently, so we were just waiting for you to come back. Prithvi-san is just chatting with Suzaku. I was too, but got tired of waiting for you, so I was about to go and look for you…"

"And Kuroka?"

"Still eating, I think she'll have an upset stomach by the time dinner comes," she said worriedly.

"I doubt it. Kuroka and Shigune literally have the void as stomachs…"

"Be nice…" she said and lightly hit my shoulder. We eventually returned to the hotel and found our way back to our room. Once we got there… we saw Kuroka sitting in a seiza position on the floor, a bunch of snacks all over the place and Suzaku above her lightly scolding her.

I can guess what had happened, but this is almost comical… no, this is a semi-regular occurrence back home, it's just that Kuroka tends to behave more because of the presence of Grayfia and Raiko.

I put my hand out and cleaned up the mess, and we joined them in the dining room. "Kuroka… I know you love eating but let's calm down, alright?" I asked her and she agreed. "Can you forgive her, Suzaku?"

She looked at Kuroka and then at me before she sighed. "Fine… but please don't go overboard like that again, Kuroka…"

"Yes nya…"

"Does this happen as a regular occurrence in your home?" asked Prithvi.

""Kind of,"" Lavinia and I said at the same time.

After that little event, we relaxed and enjoyed our time in the hotel room until we had dinner. My plans to explore the forest had been delayed until tomorrow instead. However, I had my shadow soldiers explore it for me instead, and I waited for the results further into the night.

…

"…Ugh I feel sick nya…" said Kuroka as she held back the urge to puke. Both Suzaku and Gabriel were patting her back trying to comfort her.

"I warned you not to go overboard, Kuroka. I should report this to Grayfia…" muttered Suzaku and Kuroka's face paled even more.

"W-wait nya! D-don't I don't want spartan maid training n-nya…!"

"But if I don't—"

"I-I promise I'll behave ny-nyaaaaa…?" she looked up at Suzaku trying to act cute—

Suzaku sighed and agreed. "Fine… but if you break that promise, I will definitely report your behavior to her, do you understand?"

"Y-yes nya! Loud and—ugh, bathroom…!" Kuroka ran ahead of us and barged into our room. I had the key card out just in case and we could hear the retching sounds even from out here.

We had just finished eating dinner. It was quite extravagant. We were originally going to eat in our room, but Prithvi convinced us to dine in the dining hall, and there were a few guests there, and it also turned into an impromptu meeting and greet with the Oppai Dragon and his companions.

Because of that, Kuroka got free rein to eat whatever she wanted, and went overboard. It was both a spectacle and horrifying for many who had seen it happen.

…

It had been a few hours since then, and it was just slightly past midnight and I was still awake. The rest of the girls I slept with had fallen asleep. Prithvi decided to stay with us, but slept in the living room. She revealed to us that the couch that Gabriel and Shirone fell asleep on was a pull-out bed too, so she's just down there for the night.

I felt my shadow soldiers approaching so I carefully left my bed and walked downstairs. I was surprised to see Prithvi still awake and waved at me. Apparently, she was reading a book.

"Good evening, Jin. I wasn't expecting to see you still awake. Do you mind telling me why?" she asked and put her book down.

I stood behind the pull-out bed and sighed. "I sent my shadow soldiers out earlier to survey the forest, so I'll have an easier time exploring tomorrow and checking whether or not you have any holes in your realm where the Khaos Order can easily slip into," I replied.

"My, to think you did that, so are they coming back?"

"Yeah. They're here," I said and two shadow soldiers arrived. One looked like an ant from Jeju Island, from the solo leveling world, and the other was a humanoid shadow in knight armor. I glanced back at Prithvi and she looked a bit shaken and shocked.

"Report," I said and they kneeled.

"We have explored around 97% of the forest and we have not found any areas that the Khaos Order will use to enter this realm. However, there are still some others that are exploring the remaining 3%. While there are some questionable individuals that are hiding there, they do not pose a threat to this realm," said the Knight.

"There are some supernatural snakes that we are led to believe are connected to the man called Nagendra, so we captured some, however, most have died already. We believe that they were scouting the area. But we still kept some of their bodies just in case you wish to read their memories," explained the Ant.

"The rest are just recluses who wish to live their lives in a quiet place and surrounded by nature. Some were willing to speak to us, while the rest were too scared," added the Knight. The Knight then brought out a snake and put it in front of me.

I tried to read the memories of it, but there were none. It's as they said, it was most likely a hollow and empty recon snake. "Good work, and no I can't read anything from it. You can dispose of the rest. If you find anything more in that remaining 3% then report back to me, if not then just spread out across the forest and stay on guard."

"Yes my liege!" they said in unison and left.

"My, they sure are a loyal bunch," said Prithvi.

"I did design them like that. I can't afford to have a traitor among my subordinates," I told her and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. Prithvi quickly joined me and asked for some coffee too.

"So you still plan on traveling to the forest tomorrow? The same with heading to Naraka (Hell)?" she asked as I handed her a cup of coffee. "Thank you~"

"Yes I do, I can't take any chances, but I'm also preparing an army in the human world if they decide to attack that instead. However, I'm still expecting them to break through using other means, so… the attack isn't out of the question yet," I replied and took a sip of my coffee.

"Well, I'll be with you all the way, [EXE]-leader-sama."

Prithvi and I spent a few more minutes talking to each other, before she headed to bed. After that, I stayed awake for another hour before the two shadow soldiers came back and reported to me again. Apparently, they didn't find anything else apart from a small village, but I'll still go and check it out tomorrow. After that, I also went to bed for the night… or day?

…

"I controlled myself nya~" said Kuroka.

It was the next day and we had finished eating breakfast. Now we were on our way to the forest again. Kuroka was bragging (I think?) about holding back and not eating a lot for breakfast. In fact, she did! I mean, she ate half of what she would usually do, but it's still a lot…

"Nee-sama, you still ate a lot…"

"Details, Shirone, details!"

We passed by the same area where the large projector/screen was being put up for the premier of the new movie. They even had a poster of me (in boosted gear scale mail), Lavinia (in her witch outfit), Suzaku (in her shrine maiden outfit), Shirone (in her hellcat-chan outfit) and a few others doing poses.

"They did a lot for that poster. It looks like some kind of world-ending arc is happening," I said as I pointed to the poster. I do watch some of the Oppai Dragon episodes when I have time. I know a couple of the girls are a big fan of it, Natsume, Kanami and Shigune to name a few.

"My outfit was a lot more revealing, but I'm glad I convinced them to let me wear that instead, as I usually do when I go into battle," said Suzaku as she blushed a little.

"Well, I would have had a talk to if they refused, so don't worry about that…"

"…Your eyes look dangerous, Aaron," said Suzaku and she pinched me on the cheek.

We bantered back and forth until we arrived at the same spot as yesterday and teleported back into the forest. Once we arrived, and even this early in the morning there were already people fighting and training. All around the area, I could feel my shadow soldier's presence and I think those kids could 'feel' them since they looked uneasy.

When we passed by them, they greeted us and—

"Oppai Dragon! Are you shadow subordinates here?" one of them asked.

"Hmm? They are, but what makes you say that?" I asked back.

"I saw some walking around, but then they disappeared. I thought I was seeing things though."

"I see. Well, don't worry about it too much and keep training, but please be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, alright?"

Thankfully they all agreed and went back to training. It's great having kids that take orders without needing too much context, especially if it involves things like this.

"Where are we going to first, Aaron?" asked Gabriel.

"…There's a small temple in this forest. We'll go there first, but what is it?" I answered Gabriel and then asked Prithvi.

"Ah, w-well, at one point a rich person in our realm wanted to create a mini-pyramid in this place since it's mostly uninhabited you know? So he started it, but then he was killed. His children didn't want to continue it, so the project was abandoned. He was an eccentric man so he probably added a bunch of gimmicks to it to make it fun," explained Prithvi.

"…Alright, you guys can go ahead. I'll go and check the corners of the forest and I'll join you all."

They agreed and I left

…

Suzaku Himejima's Soliloquy

…

Aaron quickly disappeared from the spot he was standing on. Lavinia and I were hugging his arm and when he did that, we felt a bit empty. I hid my feelings a little better than Lavinia as she audibly sighed in disappointment.

"Can you lead the way, Prithvi-sama?" I asked.

"Sama? You don't need to add that for me, Suzaku. But sure, I'll lead the way, actually let's talk. I have a lot of questions concerning Jin—first, why do you all call him Aaron?" she asked as we started to walk away.

Before any of us could say anything, Lavinia spoke up.

"When he moved to Japan, he wanted to have a more 'Japanese' type name, so he chose Jin. But he wanted to stay true to his parents by being 'eccentric' too, so he chose Skyward. His original name from Ireland is Aaron Toole," she explained.

'This is what Aaron said to Shuri, an explanation for his name,' she told us telepathically.

I see. So that's why Auntie knew of his name… I'm a little upset that he hadn't told us yet, though he has been quite busy so I can understand.

"Aaron Toole, huh? So… which surname are all of you taking once you marry him?" she asked.

"I already call myself Lavinia Reni Toole, ma'am!" exclaimed Lavinia proudly.

Prithvi stared at her briefly before laughing. "Is that so? Who else is he engaged to, actually? I can see you all have rings on your fingers," she asked.

"Yasaka, Lavinia, me, Grayfia, Akeno and Raiko," I replied and glanced at Kuroka who looked a little sad.

"My, that's already a lot," she said and also looked at Kuroka. "Well, he'll eventually get to everyone, so don't rush him too much. I'm guessing he wants to get the mood right."

"Hmm, I guess so? I think Yasaka said that he proposed to her in a casual way, that Aaron didn't even realize it himself," said Shirone.

We passed through a small river here and walked on a log to cross it. There were various animals everywhere, some of which were normal, and many that were considered 'supernatural'. It was also quite humid here, almost like we were in a rainforest.

"Nee-sama is upset because Aaron hasn't asked her to marry him yet," she added at the end.

"N-nya?! S-Shirone!" Kuroka yelled.

"It's true though. You haven't been made 'that' either, and I already am… maybe he has some grand plan? But we really don't know how his brain works most of the time."

Perhaps it's just me and Lavinia, but I think we understand him a little bit more—I think the same could be said for Akeno and Grayfia, or perhaps it's because they've been with him longer?

"W-well, I'm in no rush nya. He'll do it eventually, so I'll wait nya!" she announced and clenched her fist.

…

After a few more minutes of walking and running, we arrived in front of a relatively large temple. It wasn't finished as there were parts of it missing, and a lot of shrubbery had started to consume it. There were also some nests for birds and other animals in it after taking a quick glance at it.

Suddenly, a large white pillar erupted from one of the corners of the forest, but it quickly died down.

"I think Aaron found something?" asked Gabriel.

"Probably! But let's go ahead with our own investigation! Ah, I should tell him once he gets back, but there's probably two more spots he would probably want to investigate. That big tree, even though it's not as imposing as many others in Svarga, it's still quite substantial if we compare it to human trees," said Prithvi as she pointed at the largest tree in the forest.

We could barely see it from here, but there was definitely a tree that stood out more than the rest, not just because of its height, but also because it was slightly glowing. However, we quickly entered the temple through the front entrance which was also in ruins.

Once inside, there were no signs of any supernatural activity here. It was just decaying, rotting and being lived in by creatures of the wild. However, after that, we felt two more pillars of light erupt into the sky meaning there was only one more left before Aaron rejoined us.

The temple was just one room with what seemed to be an attempt of making another floor above us, and it seems there were plans to make a basement of sorts because there was a rotting staircase leading down.

"It's pretty barren, right? Everything is mostly rotting or destroyed. It's also mostly occupied by wildlife. Maybe the occasional person may stay here for the night for shelter, but apart from that, there's nothing here," explained Prithvi.

"What about the basement?" asked Lavinia as she poked her head down into it.

"It's unfinished, and I think it's not even fully dug out yet," replied Prithvi as she summoned a small ball of light and threw it into the basement. We all made our way there and it was true, only a small part of it was dug out, the floor was still dirt, the same with the walls.

Again, we felt another pillar of light explode and suddenly…

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

After going to one of the corners of this forest, I noticed there were possible places that could be exploited, so I sealed them up. I created invisible pillars that would repair these newly constructed barriers I set, as well as defend this forest against attackers or invaders.

I also saw a few notable things while rushing around the forest, such as a tree and a small group that built a small community here. My shadows did inform me of this, but said they didn't look important, but it wouldn't hurt to check on them before heading to Naraka (hell).

"I'm done, what did you guys find?" I asked them and Lavinia came back over and embraced me.

They gave me a brief summary and I nodded; it seems like this place wasn't anything special. So we quickly left the temple, and we started walking towards the tree. We made idle chatter until we arrived there.

"Wait, isn't this a ficus religiosa?" I asked Prithvi Mata.

"Ficus religiosa?" asked Kuroka.

"Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to the Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipal tree, ashvattha tree (in India and Nepal), or Asathu in Sinhala."

"The sacred fig is considered to have a religious significance in three major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Hindu and Jain ascetics consider the species to be sacred and often meditate under it. This is the tree species under which Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. The sacred fig is the state tree of the Indian states of Odisha, Bihar and Haryana," I explained.

"You seem rather knowledgeable about these things, Aaron. But yes, it is a ficus religiosa. But as you can see, it's more in tune with the powers that lay in this realm. It absorbs it and grows—it may take hundreds of years to grow, but it's become this large since it was planned many years ago."

Aaron? How does she… I looked at the girls and they probably told her about the 'explanation' I gave to Shuri. I didn't mind since it was believable enough. If I'm not mistake, I had some Asian friends who decided to have a more 'western' name.

"Okay, so it's influenced more by the supernatural… does it do anything?"

"Well, it helps heal people, and also protects this land. But that's it, however, it is worshiped by, I guess a 'tribe' here? Though they're just a small community that built itself here, we can speak to them before we leave," she suggested.

"I planned on doing that, actually. I saw some of them when I was repairing some things and improving the defenses here," I replied. I walked over to the tree and touched it.

…

'Hey, Aaron what are those books you keep on reading and buying?'

'Huh? Oh hey mom, they're called Light Novels, they're mostly from Japanese authors. The ones I collected are Arifureta, High School DxD, Slash/Dog, Konosuba, Classroom of the Elite and a few others, why do you ask?'

'I've run out of books to read, and I'm off for two weeks, so I was just wondering… what do you recommend? You know I'll read anything.'

'…Then how about High School DxD? It's a bit lewd, but it's funny and the plot's pretty enjoyable.'

'…Hmm, a lot of lewd drawings. But I'll give it a shot. Can I borrow the first book?'

'Go for it.'

…

"...…"

"Aaron?" asked both Lavinia and Suzaku.

"It's nothing. I just heard something good. Anyway, let's go," I said and turned around and left with two confused ladies beside me.

"Fufu, you saw or heard something, didn't you?" asked Prithvi. I looked at her and she continued. "Apart from healing and protecting the land, it also sometimes—on rare occasions show anyone that touches it a fond memory or voice of the past."

"…Yeah. I heard a past conversation of me and my mom, it was nice hearing her again. Anyway, can you tell us anything about this 'tribe' we're traveling to?" I asked her. Following my statement, both girls tightened their embraces.

"Like I said, it's mostly a ragtag kind of group. They either left our society by choice and chose to live out here because it's relatively peaceful, or they were shunned or exiled from their family or for another reason. But they eventually founded a small community here," she explained.

"They don't have a 'real' leader, but they do listen to one person. It's a youkai and I believe in a rare kind—a Nekoshou."

Both Shirone and Kuroka froze when they heard that.

"N-nekoshou? We're both Nekoshou nya! Our species is already near extinction, and even males are even rare in Nekomata's! It's really rare to find one!"

"Hmm, I suspected that you two were a variant, but I didn't think that you were Nekoshou. Well, just wait until you meet him. He's been looking for a mate for a while now," she said and smirked at me.

We eventually reached the small village after walking through a lot of forest terrain. The village was quite primitive. It was surrounded by large poles of sharp logs with a few torches and small guard posts at the entrance. There were two people on the guard posts and when they saw us—probably Prithvi Mata, they left their post and the door opened with one of them there.

"Hello, Yaboa. We're here to check out your little community. I'm here with the Middleman today," explained Prithvi.

"Lady Prithvi, w-welcome. P-please come in, you too, M-middleman!" he said nervously and we entered into their small community.

The homes here were mostly wood, but some also included stone and brick. The largest was probably the leader's home, but as Prithvi said earlier, the ones here were from all walks of life. Monsters, youkai, but no devils, but there were some fallen angels.

"My partner has gone to get the leader. Please wait a moment," said Yaboa. "Ah, there he is."

We looked towards the place he was pointing to and we saw a man that was around 5'9" in height, gray hair with gray cat ears on his head. He also had yellow eyes and wore a plain gray hoodie, blue pants and gray shoes. But I couldn't feel his presence.

I wasn't the only one on alert, the girls were too, but we remained composed. When he reached us with a few others, he greeted us, "Hello there. I'm Kiyoshi, the leader of this small little community, I am also a Nekoshou. I originally came from Japan. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

He put his hand and I shook it. "I'm Jin, the Middleman, a pleasure to be acquainted with you."

I heard small bits and pieces about this man from my two double agents, Yaku and Kubota. They spoke about a Nekomata in their rankings, and while there were a few others, he stood out from the rest for being quite powerful and brutal towards his opponents.

"We've heard of many of your exploits, Jin-san. Are you here to make an alliance with the Hindu gods?" he asked.

"Yeah I am," I replied.

"I see. Please enjoy your stay here then, I was in a small meeting, so I will have to leave for now," he said and left with two of his guards.

"Let's 'explore' this village," I told them and we split up. Shirone and Kuroka went with each other. They looked curious about the man called Kiyoshi, but since he was part of the Khaos Order they lost interest quickly.

We'll 'explore' this place, to see and find anything that will tell us that they might have anything to help with the invasion that's coming. If not then we'll just have this place and anyone that's part of the Khaos Order in under heavy watch.

The other groups were Lavinia and Suzaku and me, Gabriel and Prithvi Mata. My group would explore near the home of Kiyoshi, Shirone and Kuroka would cover the south and west, and Lavinia and Suzaku would cover the east.

"Why did you guys look so stiff with Kiyoshi?" asked Prithvi.

Gabriel and I glanced at her and told her about what we felt and she became alarmed.

"But for now, we'll try to find anything related to the Khaos Order in this place, and then we'll go from there, but they won't be able to harm any of the residents here that aren't aware of his or their plan," I replied. "They're nearly done with the documents, right?" I asked.

"Very and yes, they are. It should be done near the end of today if nothing goes wrong. So you plan on telling them about this? Or whatever you find here?" she asked.

"Yeah, but like I said, I already have this place surrounded, and anyone living here won't be in danger of losing their lives."

After that, we walked around exploring the place to find anything useful, but in the end there was nothing. I think he was just another scout, so he might just relay information he heard here back to the Khaos Order or Nagendra himself. If that's the case, I'll just strike when he makes his move, but…

I tap my foot and leave a small spell in this place, so if they attempt anything…

…

"Anything?" I asked.

"No nya, everything seems normal nya," replied Kuroka.

"We didn't see anything on our end either, and I believe he is a cautious man," said Lavinia.

"Seems like it, well I have my shadow soldiers and a spell ready, so we can leave this place for now," I said and turned around. "If he does join the—"

"Leave him to us nya. I want to ask him a few things," said Kuroka as she looked back at the home of Kiyoshi. Shirone agreed with her older sister and we left the forest and the small community.

…

Once we were back in Sewkusta Prithvi led us to a different part of the city. It was in a secluded and rundown part of the time, I didn't think there was a part of this city like this, but it was either designed like this, or a natural part of the town.

"There are three ways of entering Naraka. One, be one of the gods and goddesses here, and know where to teleport to, two, die and be brought there, and three, a secret magic circle that had been engraved by Yama himself," explained Prithvi.

We arrived at a very run-down and seemingly abandoned building. However, once we stepped inside, it's as if it was an illusion and the inside was any normal clean and functioning building. However, there was one thing there, a small staircase that led down.

"That's not a spiral staircase, right?" I asked hesitantly.

Prithvi laughed at me and shook her head. "No, it's not, so you don't need to worry about that, Aaron."

I sighed out of relief and we descended the stairs. The stairs weren't long and we arrived in a basement-like area with a magic circle in the middle.

"We just take this and we're off to Naraka. Ah, before you ask, no not just anyone can enter this, they will need permission from any of the gods here, or they need a god to accompany them to enter it," she explained. She then stood on top of it. "Let's go!"

And we quickly joined her.

…

Naraka

…

We arrived at a building that was made out of red and black stone. The red of the stones glowed. In front of us was a doorway with no door, and we saw the outside quite clearly. From the distance we could see lakes of lava, waterfalls of lava and more of the black and red stone everywhere.

"If I had to say, this is the hell that's cliché in cartoons," I said and walked out of the building we were in. I glanced back and saw Prithvi Mata was already sweating quite profusely. "Why are you sweating? Aren't you a goddess?"

"Just because I'm a goddess doesn't mean I'm immune to everything! Actually, why are all of you so fine?! You're wearing more clothes than me!" she snapped back and started fanning herself.

"Actually," Lavinia then told her why we weren't sweating, and she became irritated.

She lunged at me, grabbed my collar and started shaking me. "Give it to me! Apply it to me! We're going to be part of the same organization, right?! I would appreciate it if you gave me this privilege now, Aaron—no, Aaron-sama!"

"The same organization?" the girls asked in unison and suspicion.

I sighed and put a barrier around us and explained what she meant. I didn't want to reveal this yet, but it can't be helped, but I did ask them to keep this a secret for now.

"Nya? Then how are you going to fight nya?" asked Kuroka.

"For the time being, I'll alternate between [Abyss Extinction] and [Demon Armor: Incursio]. I haven't used them much yet, nor have I seen anyone compatible with them yet," I explained and looked around us again.

"Anyway, where do we find Yama in all of this?" I asked.

"You haven't given me an answer…!" she complained. I poked her forehead and gave her a spell that would regulate her temperature.

"That should do for now, right?" I asked as she immediately cooled down.

"As expected of Aaron-God-king-super-harem-sama. Yama actually lives in his own castle here with some servants. He goes on patrol every six hours, so he should be resting right now. Follow me!" she explained and walked away.

Also, what kind of nickname is that…?

The place was quite barren as most of our surroundings were the same. They consisted of just rocks, rocks, rocks, or just lava. This is a lot more barren than what the Underworld is, or the Netherworld where the Grim Reapers stay at. I also wonder if I'll visit there in the future…?

"I wonder if my ice can freeze lava…" muttered Lavinia as she stared at the lava and aimed her hand at it.

"Please don't," said Suzaku.

"Are there like… lava monsters or something? I was expecting lava snakes, lava golems and lava dragons!" shouted Kuroka.

"Nee-sama, you've been playing too many RPGs. I think some do exist, but to that extent it's—"

Dwosh!

Just as Shirone started to say that, something came out of the lava… and it was a lava snake! It was around 30 meters tall, and had a black body and glowing red scales. It seemed quite hostile and fired a lava ball at us.

In spite of its attack, we managed to dodge it and it slithered towards us.

"D-did I just jinx us?" the black Nekoshou asked.

"Nee-sama…" Shirone muttered sounding very irritated.

"We should—"

I cut Prithvi off and walked in front of everyone. Maybe these guys can be used for some defense if they do break through here, but I won't kill them. I stared at the lava snake that was coming towards us and then hit it with a blast of [Conqueror's Haki]. After it was struck by it, the lava snake fell to the ground looking rather tired and horrified of me.

"Can you understand me? If so, blink once for yes and blink twice for no."

The snake in front of me blinked once. "Good, we're just here to visit Yama. If you don't want to die, go back to your home," I said to it, and it left, albeit with a lot of struggle. "I didn't know you had future sight, Kuroka."

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Laugh it up!" She huffed and crossed her arms.

…

We eventually arrived at a castle that looked like it came out of the Middle Ages in Europe. However, the bridge to the castle was suddenly lowered and out came… a man sitting on top of a bull.

He had long black hair, bull horns on the side of his head, and had a handlebar mustache. He wore a long fur coat over his body and carried a very large hammer behind him. The bull he was riding was also quite large, and its eyes glowed red.

"Ah, Yama, you're only heading out now?" asked Prithvi.

"Hmm? Oh, little Prithvi. I didn't think you would come here… hmm? I have guests—and one of them is the Middleman. Now this is interesting," he said and he hopped off the bull. When he did, it was revealed that he was around 7'11" in height and towered over the rest of us.

"He's tall! —Ah!" shouted Kuroka, then she covered her mouth.

However, The God of Hell, Yama just laughed at Kuroka. "A Nekoshou, huh? A very rare breed. Hmm, why are you here Middleman? You surely aren't here just to make a visit?" he asked.

I shook my head and told him for the reason of my visit and he nodded sagely.

"I see. Well, I have been patrolling this realm for many years, and have watched over sinners. To my knowledge there hasn't been anything like what you saw in that forest."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" I asked.

"I do not mind, feel free to explore it, however, activity of certain creatures increase as the day passes," explained Yama.

"It's fine, I'll make it quick. I'll go ahead, you guys can wait here," I said and left

…

Suzaku Himejima's Soliloquy

…

"Ah—! He left us!" said Kuroka.

"He just wants to get this done quickly, Kuroka…" I told her, although I did share the same sentiment as her. I wanted to go with him. When I glanced at Lavinia, she puffed her cheeks like a child.

"Naraka is quite vast. Do you believe he will be able to check the spots he wishes to go to?" asked Yama. He, too, was unsure.

"He will, if it's A—Jin, he can," replied Lavinia with confidence. She didn't hold any doubt when she said those words.

"Hoho? You're quite confident in your lover, little miss," said Yama as he laughed.

"I think so too nya!"

"…Mmm."

"Me too!"

The two sister and Seraph readily agreed, everyone else looked at me for my answer.

"It's already a given, that's the type of person he is. He doesn't break promises," I said with confidence.

"Pah! Look at them, so young yet so in love! It makes me jealous. How about you, Prithvi Mata?" asked Yama as he laughed heartily.

"Fufu, if they believe then so will I—"

Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing!

Multiple lights at various point suddenly erupted, it illuminated the entire realm from the looks of it, both Prithvi Mata and Yama were quite shocked to see this. We weren't sure what Aaron did but—

He surely was done by now…

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

There are way too many places they could use to come in through here. Even if they have to result into using Lapis' tools in the end to get it, it's better than just letting them waltz into this pantheon and realm.

I wanted to check out the Realm of the Dead, but I doubt Hades would let me just walk in there, unless he's long since abandoned it too. I also asked Cúntóir about this place—if it was connected to the Underworld in any way, but apparently it's not. This place is in its own dimension.

I added pillars and repaired the forest earlier, so these places should be harder to break into, and if they do, they won't easily get through those areas with pillars as they have defensive mechanisms in place.

"That shoul—"

Before I could finish my own sentence, the area around me distorted and I became alarmed and I readied myself, but—

…

"…Where am I?" I asked out loud. The place I was in felt like the same Naraka, but also different—almost as if nothing was 'alive' or 'real'. Everything felt fake. That's the most accurate way I could describe it.

'Amaris? Cúntóir? Elsha? Rudra?' I called out to my companions, but didn't get any answers from them.

Please don't tell me I fell asleep or something—

<—>

"…?" I turned around to see… a man? It was just a shadow but it did resemble a man's shape.

<—re>

Re? I was confused, so I walked towards the figure and the closer I got, the more I could understand his words. The figure seemed to be talking to itself, or to someone I couldn't see. But as soon as I arrived close enough, the figure turned to me and I felt a lot of anger and hatred coming from it.

<Failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, failure! I set you up for life! I had big plans for you! Yet you failed! Failure! Failure!> it shouted towards me.

I was confused. Who the hell was this thing talking to? But for some strange reason, that voice felt familiar to me.

But another humanoid shape appeared, this time a white one, a white shadow as strange as that sounds.

<It's not his fault!> the white shadow shouted back.

<You coddle him! You and that whore made him weak! I was setting him up for success! Now he's dead!> snapped back the black shadow.

<…Don't talk about my child like that!>

<That piece of garbage failed me! Now I need to make a new heir. We will make another child, if you refuse, I will simply divorce you and find myself a more suitable woman.>

<…>

The black shadow disappeared and the white shadow remained. For some reason I could see the white shadow was sad. I had no evidence of this, but my gut told me that it was.

<I'm sorry, Aaron… I'm a failure of a mother.>

"H-huh? Wait, wha—"

…

[Aaron? Are you okay? You just froze up,] asked Elsha.

"…" I looked around me and saw that nothing had changed… whatever happened, I was probably… no, I can ask Yama about this.

'Oh no, I'm fine. I just blanked out just now,' I replied.

[But—]

'Don't worry, I'll tell you guys later, for now I'll go back to the rest.'

I checked my surroundings on last time before I appeared beside Lavinia who hugged me.

"Welcome back!" she said happily.

"It seems you were put through it, young Dual Dragon Emperor," said Yama.

"…Put through it?" I asked. I had a hunch on what he meant.

"Mmm. I have seen many sinners here over the years I've lived here. They usually live a painful part of their past here through memories of times that they are aware of or not aware of. It seems this place subjected you to a part of your past. This only happens at certain sections of this place for the living that occasionally come here," explained Yama.

"I see… haha, yeah, I guess I was. I was confused at first though, but I wasn't that bothered by it," I replied. "Anyway, we're done here, so we can leave now," I said and turned around.

"Young dragon. Do not keep those feelings to yourself. It is better to let them out and let your loved ones known to them," said Yama.

"…I know."

"A-ah, by the way, we just got confirmation that they finished with reading through all of those documents, Jin. So we can head straight back to Svarga," said Prithvi.

"Great, we can get this alliance done and dusted then," I replied and we left for the teleporter again. The girls looked like they wanted to ask me, but were hesitant because of Prithvi being here.

…

Svarga

…

We passed through the city of Sewkusta and nothing seemed out of the ordinary there. So we quickly made our way to the teleporter and now we're back in the Heavenly realm of Svarga. We quickly made our way to the moving platform and were shot up into the sky and arrived in front of the god's meeting room.

Once inside, all the gods were there, the majority of them seemed exhausted, Indra especially since I doubt he liked doing paperwork of all things.

"Yo, Ecchi Dragon Emperor! Glad you could join us," said Indra. "We're finally done and those Android things you summoned were very useful. Though they vanished as soon as we were done."

"Yeah, they're designed like that… anyway, one last document to sign," I said and summoned it. A few of them flinched but after I explained they also sighed with relief. They all quickly signed it and so did I. Once that was done, I looked at them and said, "Welcome to the DxD Alliance."

"Then now we can fig—"

Before I let Indra finish his sentence, I turned around, and put my hand out and pulled the guards that were outside the door into the room and created multiple barriers around the building outside and in front of me.

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

"They got through, huh?" I said as many of the gods behind me were shocked.

"Oh? So they've got the balls to come into Svarga and attack us directly, huh?" Indra asked and had an amused smirk on his face.

The one who blew away the front of the building we were in was a youkai. He had yellow hair and ears. He looked like Jackal from Fairy tail, so he might be from the Monkai Association…

"Hello~! We're here to start a part—"

Don!

Before he could finish his sentence, Indra appeared in front of him and punched him straight in the face, which launched the youkai far away, but he quickly corrected himself, but Indra didn't let him recover fully as the god flew towards him and started a physical brawl with him in the sky.

"He's enjoying himself, even though our realm is potentially under attack…" muttered Vishnu.

"…Do you guys have valuable items or tools?" I asked.

"Plenty, why do you ask?" asked Brahma.

"They may be targeting those, these guys won't attack for no reason, I can deal with the attacks myself, can I leave you—the gods to protect those precious artifacts?" I asked.

"Very well. We will see to it that we protect them, Jin. I will leave the protection of the rest of the realm to you," said Shiva authoritatively. "All of you, go to those sections and protect those sacred items with your life," he ordered them.

The gods quickly agreed, the same with Prithvi.

I can leave my feelings and those voices aside for now but…

"Jin nya, I'm going to the forest with Shirone!"

"I will go to Naraka with Gabriel," said Suzaku.

"Then me and Lavinia will defend Bhuloka and the city of Sewkusta. Alright, go!" I shouted at them and they disappeared. I also ordered my shadows to defend all three realms of the Hindu pantheon.

"Indra! I'll leave this place to you!" I shouted at him.

"Yeah! I'm enjoying myself, haha!" he replied quite happily, but I could tell he was pissed off too.

…