"These two here are Igor von Dimori and Aurelia von Drachenburg, the last two Aryans in the world. And these two are Asia Argento and Akeno Himejima, Ria-tan's newest friends."
Zeoticus noticed Akeno's heritage, but made no fuss about it.
"A pleasure to meet you all."
As he gave a small bow in greeting, Aurelia also reciprocated.
"Likewise, Gremory-san. On behalf of my lord, we greet the lord and lady of the Gremory household.".
|DxD|
.
Igor was not one for meaningless pleasantries. When Aurelia spoke, he remained silent, all while he observed the Gremory couple and their entourage. They were dressed rather elegantly. Well…atleast Venelana was. He wasn't sure if Zeoticus was trying to be an army naval officer or something else.
"..."
In short, he was not impressed. In fact, he was almost disappointed to the point of disgust.
[They've lived so long but they're so weak?]
He could not only feel their strength, but also their lifeforce. They were numerous centuries old, but their combat power was weak. The woman was better to some extent. She was somewhere around the lower end of Ultimate Class…which was still weak for someone who lived this long.
The discrepancy between their powerful lifeforce and weak combat power tickled his senses in the not-so-fun kind of way.
[Tch. What a waste.]
Maybe it's because of how everyone and their mother in the Heavenly Realm was strong, but he couldn't accept that these people had lived for so long yet remained stagnant.
Regardless, he did not voice nor show his displeasure. He thought the parents of Sirzechs would at least be in the realm of God Class, but it seems he vastly overestimated them.
[Maybe the others will be stronger.]
Surely not all devils would be weak, right? Atleast he hoped so. Just from feeling the strength of most of the devils here, even the children in the Heavenly Realm would walk all over them.
As he zoned out in his thoughts, the group was escorted into the living room where they were seated. Rias had taken Asia and an unwilling Akeno out to explore.
The little ravenette still didn't feel safe being in the midst of all these devils, but she knew her elder brother was nearby. Furthermore and thankfully, none of the devils she saw seemed repulsed by her, or atleast didn't show their repulsion.
Igor also kept his senses on them. No matter what, he wouldn't let harm befall them in any manner. He respected the Gremory family, but not to the extent that he wouldn't kill any member that tried to harm his little sisters.
.
|DxD|
.
The pressure in the living room was slightly tense. The luxurious and ambient lighting did little to alleviate this pressure. It was only fortunate that a barrier had been erected otherwise, this pressure would've spread throughout the entire mansion.
Igor and Aurelia sat on one couch together. Sirzechs sat alone in the middle while his parents sat together on his right.
It was understandable why the atmosphere was tense. Previous relations between Aryans and Devils were rather tense and the last time Aryans visited Devil Territory, a clan head of a pillar clan was inflicted with a debilitating disease.
Still, Sirzechs knew he had to act as the intermediary here, especially for his parents.
"Mother. Father. I once more introduce to you Aurelia von Drachenburg. But you might know her under her previous alias as Kurohime."
""?!""
There was no need to give an extensive introduction. Everyone of note knew of Yasaka's famed assistant. Not only a master diplomat, but also one of, if not the finest seal master in Japan. Her most famous work was the massive teleportation circle implemented in all major cities in Japan as well as the Great Barrier surrounding Kyoto. Just these two achievements have cemented her name in history.
However, no one would ever think that the one and only Kurohime was an Aryan, one of royalty no-less. It would seem that those who wished her death of old age would have to add a zero to the number of decades.
"Once again, a pleasure to meet you, Aurelia-san."
"I also extend my pleasantries to you, Aurelia-san. I never figured my wife and I would meet such a master in the flesh."
Zeoticus and Venelana extended their sincere greetings to Aurelia. Similarly, she replied kindly.
"Please. To meet the esteemed parents of the Maou is a pleasure in of itself."
Zeoticus chuckled lightly.
"You're so kind, Aurelia-san. My son has worked hard to get himself to where he is."
How could old devils like them not see the benefits of befriending her? Establishing good relations with such a master would net them interest in a myriad of ways. As for grudges? What grudges? Their surname is Gremory, not Sitri.
Once the pleasantries were done, Sirzechs moved on and introduced Igor with a small smile.
"As for this young man here, his name is Igor von Dimori. Not only powerful in his own right, he's also the disciple of Shiva, the God of Destruction."
""...""
The Gremory couple could be forgiven for their slow reaction. If Aurelia's achievements were astounding, then Igor's were simply out of this world. He was the disciple of Shiva, the god who made ten nuclear bombs traded during the Cold War between the Americans and the Russians vanish like they never existed.
The widely acknowledged third strongest entity in the supernatural world, popularly known for his elusiveness, took on a disciple. And that disciple was sitting in front of them.
"We are pleased to make your acquaintance, Dimori-san."
Reacting faster than her husband, Venelana extended her sincere greetings once more.
"?"
Hearing his name, Igor turned to face her and gave a nod before staring intently at the ceiling. He was already aware that what came next would be politics…and he had no interest. His time would be better spent watching over his sisters as they played in the room above.
No matter how many IQ points were to be shoved into his brain, Igor would never enjoy politics. Even if his age had four digits, he would still choose fist over thought any day. As far as he was concerned, Sirzechs had told him who he could get rid of. It wasn't that he was looking forward to it, but already knew that it was inevitable.
Either way, he wouldn't care for the lives of a few devils.
.
|DxD|
.
True to Igor's prediction, what followed next was a series of political talks. Sirzechs no longer hid what he planned to do to his parents. He fully explained the plan him and the rest of his friends had thought up, the benefits, and the consequences.
Surprisingly, to the extent that Igor took notice, Venelana and Zeoticus were more worried for their son than the fact that him and his friends just conspired to effectively cull the council. Of course, they weren't blind. Although they were slightly averse to such an idea, they understood why.
As the talks continued, Igor learned that the reason why such drastic actions were taken was because the council voted for devils to involve themselves in the war against Aryans decades ago. Fortunately, no direct army was dispatched, but they were to supply the invading army with weapons, magical artifacts, and medicine.
Unfortunately, as one of the clans known for their prominent medical capabilities, the Sitri Clan Head was also one of the people sent to help. As a result, he was immediately targeted by the Aryans with The Sleep Disease.
Furthermore, there were no benefits gained from the war. The moment the Aryans died, their dimension collapsed, allowing no one to steal their treasures. Even if there were benefits, the fostered hatred Serafall bore for the council could never be quenched while they still drew breath. By extension, nearly everyone who bore close relations with the Sitri harboured a small hatred for the council.
It was also why the Gremory couple were not entirely opposed to their son's plan. Their only problem was the level of political power and diplomatic immunity Igor and Aurelia wielded.
But once Igor said…
'Whether it's in ink or not, my actions would not change.'
…there were no further arguments.
Such a bold statement silenced the room. It was one thing to be allowed by the contract. It was one thing to explicitly state that the contract meant nothing to him. Though…he did have the capital to be domineering and uncaring.
Disregarding his strength, his status as a disciple of Shiva could allow him not to care about the contract. It was also because of this that Venelana and Zeoticus realised the contract meant nothing. Even if it were to be amended, it would not restrict his actions. Of course, no one would dare discuss the talk of a soul contract.
Further plans were discussed with Igor remaining a casual listener. Although most of his attention was on the presence of Asia, Akeno, and Rias, he still spared an ear to the conversation taking place…as well as another ear to the surroundings.
Igor prided himself on being stupid, but that was only when he chose to be. Even he knew that the talks going on were important and as such, there must be no other witnesses.
"..."
It was slight…very, very slight, but upon focusing, he heard a breath, one that did not belong in this room. He closed his eyes in focus. If his thoughts were true, then someone else was in this room.
"..."
As he closed his eyes, no one bothered him. After over an hour of talks, they had come to understand that Igor did not care for the contents.
However, absolutely no one expected him to make this next move.
"There!"
Su!
Without ceremony, he vanished in a burst of speed towards the corner of the room. Time slowed around Igor as he sensed a very, very, very faint aura fluctuation. He could vaguely sense the aura radiate in the form of a humanoid figure, one he would capture very soon.
Brandishing a crimson aura blade, he slashed across without hesitation, and his hunches were proved right. With his slash, he cut off the legs of the now-visible figure. They wore very tight black clothing made for stealth, to the point that even their entire head was covered in the material.
From the build, it was a woman, a very shapely woman. But that didn't matter. Man or woman, his blade didn't discriminate.
Shiing!
With an upward swing, he cut off the woman's right arm before letting his blade vanish. At the same time, he grabbed her by the throat so that she wouldn't fall down. As time resumed at its normal pace, the woman, overbidden by the sudden pain, released a bloodcurdling scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAH-"
"..."
Without care, Igor shoved his hand into her open mouth. Her screams of pain were of no concern to him. His hand moved around as if searching for something until finally, he found it.
"Got it."
With complete ruthlessness, he ripped out a tooth that had a small sachet tied to it. Observing it briefly, he threw it on the carpet before placing his palm on the woman's stomach. Ignoring her screams, he closed his eyes as if sensing for something.
He rubbed his hand over her chest with no perverted intentions. It glided over her breasts towards her navel until it finally settled on her stomach. For a while, his hand lay still until slowly, a red aura covered it.
"Found it."
Reeling his hand back, he straightened his palm before stabbing it into her core like a blade. With that action, the woman froze and the small red sphere she made dissipated.
Calmly, Igor looked at the woman who was glaring at him with eyes that could kill. There was no emotion on his face. Like a switch that had been flicked on, he had turned into the killing machine that slaughtered the Himejima Clan.
"Now…who might you be?"