Rias was in surprisingly good mental health after she woke up... Besides the clear inclination to kill the people who fucked over her family and led to the deaths of her father and brother. Wanting to get revenge for such things were beyond understandable to me so I didn't bother dissuading her, either way. She ended up joining in on my meeting with Grayfia and Venelana to get an idea of what was going on and what needed to happen.
"Currently, the devil underworld is in turmoil... The stronger members of the Devil Clans both in all three factions of the Great King, Old Satan, and the New Satan faction are jockeying for position as the new 'Satans'... The biggest issue is that either they are too weak physically to take a seat but are too strong politically in connections to ignore them as they can starve the underworld of important supplies if they throw a fit." Venelana began to explain while I folded my hands together and rested my chin on them.
Venelana paused before speaking aloud. "Obviously, there are a number of contenders for the seat of accepted Satan, especially the Lucifer seat to rule over Devil kind... Such name being Zekram Bael, the leader of the Great King Faction who is seemingly willing to finally come out from ruling in the shadows and take the stage openly... He certainly has the strength to become a Satan but his disdain for other devil clans and seeing the Power of Destruction as the only worthy bloodline has alienated many to his cause." Venelane took a breath and then Grayfia continued elegantly taking over the conversation.
"Likewise, in the New Satan faction, the heir of the Phenex Clan, Ruval Phenex, is famous for being one of the top ten fighters with his peerage keeping him in the peak runnings of the Ranked Rating games. Same as Diehauser Belial, who is deliberately running for a position as a Satan but has specified that he wasn't running for the Lucifer position." She said and my mind whirled at that information before I snorted at the reminder of Ruval Phenex.
"With the Phenex clan having to attempt to assassinate me before I could get up to speed on the current world events... And with the Gremory family having dozens of Phenex cows to get infinite Phenex tears for the next few centuries if not millennia with how the cow's aren't aging... I am going to kill Ruval to send a message to the underworld." I said with a tense weight filling the room.
"The devil clans are still subordinate to the Gremory and Sitri clan via the Lucifer and Leviathan seat... I literally bear the Lucifer bloodline as well as the rest of the other original Satan's bloodline along with Sirzechs they have right to challenge me as the Devil of devilkin." I said with finality and I could feel Ddraig chuckle within my soul as his voice came to my mind.
"Well said partner, break the wills of these rats and show them the essence of Domination!" He encouraged me with a draconic chuckle ringing out before he faded back into his typical rest.
All three ladies in Rias, Grayfia, and Venelana shared a look before Venelana cleared her throat and said lightly with a cold smile. "Actually Jake, if you are so assured of your strength... Then cut the head off the snake of this rebellion and ambition in killing Zekram Bael. While also calling out the assassination to force Ruval to tip his hand in either having to fight you openly or be called a coward so you can take the rest of his clan's holdings fairly through the right of conquest when you force him into battle." I raised an eyebrow before remembering that the Phenex clan was by far the richest clan in both precious materials and wealth due to them selling their Phenex tears to other clans and even illegally to other factions.
And as to what would happen to Ravel and her mother Rayna? I didn't care, sure Ravel was hot and intelligent or whatever that allowed her to become Issei's 'manager'. But I didn't need her so once I dealt with Ruval that would be the end of that.
But as for Venelana's recommendation to simply kill the Great King?
I nodded and said. "I agree with your thoughts. I suggest that we spread the word that in order to bolster the flagging and extinct clan's before and to come. That I will be gracing the maids of the Gremory clan with children born of immaculate conception akin to Lililth, that will have great potential as well as the extinct clans bloodlines and abilities with all of them having the Power of Destruction to make sure they become powerful weapons." I said with a cold smile as there was no greater bait for Zekram Bael.
The man was obsessed with blood purity and was the main supporter and pusher for Rias to be married off to Riser and wanted to create more Super devils that he could this time control... The knowledge that I, a clear Super Devil in the making, was going to make my own army of Super Devils with my well-known fleshcrafting. Oh, he was going to lose his shit.
Rias hummed in thought getting my attention and our gazes met as I turned my head towards her and her question actually stumped me a bit. "So what about the Old Satan faction? What are those old fossils doing?" She asked without too much care as the Old Satan faction didn't actually have anything to do with her losses.
And both Venelana and Grayfia shared a wry smile as Grayfia spoke with her lips twitching despite her normally great control over her emotions. "Ah... That's complicated as they are having their own minature civil or cold war due to Katerea Leviathan having captured her cousin Ingvild Leviathan from the hospital she was within, and has sworn to serve you Jake Barriss, as the true born Satan and Leviathan who is destined to rule over Devil kind with your ability to remake the clans of old." Grayfia's face was naught but a small smug smile as she reported without shame. "All of these factor into basically making you essentially the original Lucifer and Lilith in one package of devil worship to her."
Even as Rias asked about Ingvild who was apparently awoken from her sleeping sickness via Katerea doing... Something apparently. Either way, Ingvild was being used as a weapon of war in using captured lesser drakes to attack other Old Satan factions using her dragon controlling, and strengthening, sacred gear Nereid Kyrie.
I was just honestly baffled about the arrogant Katerea Leviathan bowing her head to someone.