Chapter 186: Bishop—Asia
Rias pinched her chin and fell into silence. After a long while, she slowly said, "I know none of you want to have too much contact with fallen angels, but our strength is insufficient to drive him away..."
Everyone understood Rias's dilemma. Grayfia's meaning was clear: as long as Azazel didn't do anything too extreme, the upper echelons of the devil world would not take action.
The timing was sensitive. Whether for peace or hostility, once both sides confirmed their stance, similar matters would be easier to resolve.
In case of hostility, it would be a matter of whose fist was bigger.
If it were peace, there would be specialized personnel for negotiations, similar to diplomacy between nations.
But precisely at this moment of transition from hostile war to peaceful cooperation, neither side dared to make any drastic moves.
If the negotiations broke down because of this and led to another great war, the responsible party would surely be condemned by history.
Regardless of what they thought inwardly, everyone verbally opposed war.
"President, you make the decision. We unconditionally support you."
Haruto also understood that driving Azazel away was no longer possible. It was better to gain some more favor with Rias, and he believed she wouldn't truly invite a wolf into the fold.
No matter how well Azazel disguised himself, a girl's intuition was infallible.
Even without Freed's words to Asia, Rias and the others had no goodwill toward him, always sensing a faint aura of malice surrounding Azazel.
Rias looked at the others. Akeno, Yuuma, and the others nodded simultaneously, indicating they would follow Rias's orders.
Seeing her Servants trust her so much, the red-haired devil beauty's face bloomed into a smile.
"Actually, Azazel's offer is quite advantageous for us."
She pointed at herself, then at Yuuma's group of three and Akeno Himejima.
"If I want to break through to Ultimate-Class Devil soon, aside from fortunate encounters or dual cultivation with Haruto, seeking guidance from powerful mentors is the only remaining method."
"As for you four—Akeno and the others—all of you possess Fallen Angel bloodline. Azazel's guidance would undoubtedly be highly effective."
Akeno's mother was human while her father was a Fallen Angel executive. After being reborn through Evil Pieces, she now carries mixed blood of human, devil, and Fallen Angel.
Yuuma's trio became devil-Fallen Angel hybrids after their rebirth.
Fallen Angel power constitutes a significant part of their strength. As the Governor of Fallen Angels, Azazel has reached the pinnacle in utilizing Fallen Angel abilities.
With his guidance—provided he holds nothing back—the strength of Akeno and the other three would inevitably grow rapidly.
In reality, through dual cultivation abilities, Haruto also possesses Fallen Angel bloodline, though he has never revealed this fact. Even Rias remains unaware of this information.
"As for Koneko and Yuuto..."
Rias said seriously, "The power within you is immense but difficult to develop. As an experienced Fallen Angel, Azazel might be able to provide considerable assistance in this aspect."
Rias didn't mention Asia and Haruto. Asia hasn't been reborn yet, and even after rebirth, Rias could guide her personally.
As for Haruto, his strength is already too formidable and he could break through at any moment, making Azazel's intervention unnecessary.
Having reached this point in the discussion, everyone understood Rias's intention.
Since they couldn't drive him away, they might as well utilize him to the fullest—better than living in constant apprehension.
"Rias..."
Akeno, deeply distrustful of Fallen Angels, was so worried that she momentarily forgot to address her as "President" and instinctively used their private form of address.
"If we're to accept his guidance, either he comes to us or we go to him..."
Rias chuckled and shook her head, "Akeno, don't worry. He wouldn't dare try anything."
"The Satan is unwilling to intervene, fearing it might affect the upcoming Three Faction Summit. Azazel is in the same position. If he makes any moves, we can expose him during the summit."
Should such a situation occur and place the Fallen Angels at a disadvantage during the Three Faction Summit, Azazel would face serious trouble.
Akeno nodded. As the Devil King's biological sister and the next head of the Gremory family, Rias undoubtedly qualified to participate in the Three Faction Summit.
With this assurance, she had nothing more to say.
"President, should I prepare the reply now? Regarding the supplies to be provided—should we cover them ourselves or use public funds?"
With the matter settled and no objections from her Servants, Rias visibly relaxed.
Hearing Akeno's question, she smiled slyly, "Since the Satan instructed us to make contact, this counts as an official assignment. Of course we'll use public funds."
The Four Great Satans are supported by the entire devil race. Upon ascending to that position, they must even relinquish their family names.
Rias's behavior wasn't exactly cheating her brother—just reasonably exploiting resources from the entire devil race.
Additionally, using public funds would prevent Azazel from making exorbitant demands.
If the requested resources were too excessive, the higher-ups would naturally notify the Satan during reimbursement. Upon learning this, the Satan would personally visit a certain former fallen angel governor for a serious discussion.
Setting aside the collaboration with Azazel for now, drafting the contract would take some time, and both sides needed to send representatives to negotiate the terms.
Implementing the cooperation would require at least a week.
Taking advantage of Grayfia's appearance as an opportunity, Rias formally extended an invitation to Asia to become a reincarnated servant.
Although the time had been short, Asia had already fully integrated into the Occult Research Club.
The others had often brought up the topic intentionally or unintentionally, so when the golden-haired little nun saw the Evil Piece in Rias's palm, she blinked without showing much surprise.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with devils; it was just that suddenly being asked to abandon her human identity left her momentarily indecisive.
"Asia, there's no need to rush your decision."
Seeing the hesitation in the golden-haired little nun's expression, Rias reassured her, "Even if you don't join, you can still stay. Everyone will remain your friends."
Touched, the golden-haired little nun glanced at Rias and nodded firmly.
Just as Rias was about to retract the Evil Piece, Asia reached out with both hands and clasped Rias's slender palm.
"President, I'm willing!"
"Asia?" Rias was momentarily taken aback, then broke into a smile. "Are you really sure? From now on, you won't be able to pray to God anymore."
Asia reflexively clasped her hands together over her chest. "Ah, I'm sorry, Lord…"
After her prayer, the golden-haired little nun looked at Rias earnestly and said, "I want to stay with everyone forever. I also want to be able to help everyone. I believe Lord God will understand me."
Gods truly existed in this world—both Eastern and Western ones—but for unknown reasons, they neither descended to the mortal realm nor manifested their power.
Chisato Hasegawa, who possessed the strength of a Ten Pillar God, had sealed all her power just to remain in the mortal realm.
Once the seal was released, she would have to leave the human world.
Seeing Asia's innocent and adorable demeanor, everyone smiled in unison, but no one teased her further.
"I understand your resolve, Asia. Let's work well together from now on."
"Hmm—"
A crimson magic circle formed beneath Asia's feet, and the girl's slender body slowly levitated. The Bishop piece in Rias's palm also drifted away, floating toward Asia's chest.
The Evil Piece, tainted with Haruto's aura, passed through the nun's habit and, after a blinding white flash, merged into Asia's delicate frame.
However, the magic circle beneath Asia's feet remained, and she continued to float in the air with her eyes closed.
Rias paused in surprise, then immediately produced another Bishop piece.
This was her only Mutation Piece, highly valuable, but after what had happened with Haruto, she didn't want any further mishaps and decided to use it without hesitation.
As the special Mutation Piece merged into Asia's body, the reincarnation ceremony concluded smoothly.
"I never imagined Asia's potential would be so great that a single Bishop piece wouldn't suffice."
Rias felt a tinge of regret. The situation had arisen suddenly, and she hadn't properly assessed the number of Evil Pieces required for Asia's reincarnation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have wasted the previous Bishop piece.
After her brief regret, she quickly regained her spirits. After all, Asia's immense potential was also a boon for her.
Akeno and the others stepped forward to congratulate the little nun, while Haruto alone remained standing in place, somewhat lost in thought.
He clearly remembered that Asia only needed one Bishop piece to be reincarnated... Could it be because her Sacred Gear hadn't been stripped away?
The Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet could occupy the value of seven Pawn pieces, and the Twilight Healing enhancing Asia's potential made sense—it was logically consistent.
But Rias directly used the Mutation Piece, so what about Gasper, the reincarnation of a fragment of the Evil Dragon's consciousness?
Without the Mutation Piece, that cross-dressing boy who insisted he was a girl, loved wearing women's clothing and was attracted to men, couldn't possibly become Rias's servant.