"So then, the Three Factions have formed an alliance. We will no longer invade one another, and we will unite together to deal with foreign gods and other external threats."
Sirzechs organized the treaty documents with practiced efficiency, his crimson hair catching the light as he looked up at the assembled leaders.
"Whether in alliance or facing hostility from outside forces, the Three Factions will stand together. Everyone agrees?"
The red-haired Maou's tone carried the weight of history.
"Well, no objections here," Azazel replied, his casual demeanor belying the seriousness of the moment.
"Now that we've lost God and the original Satans, this is the only path forward for survival. The Angels agree." Michael's gentle voice held a note of solemn resignation.
"May the Lord bless His people... Amen."
"Very well." Sirzechs nodded approvingly. "Additionally, we will establish a joint peacekeeping force to maintain stability among the Three Factions. When threats arise that could destabilize our alliance, this team will be deployed to handle them."
"The team composition is as follows: Takeyo from the Devil faction will serve as captain, Dulio from the Angel faction as deputy captain, and Tobio from the Fallen Angel faction as executive captain. The remaining members will be determined through joint discussion."
"Any objections?"
"None from me," Azazel confirmed.
"Agreed," Michael added.
The Governor of the Fallen Angels and the leader of Heaven both understood the necessity of such arrangements for maintaining peace.
"I accept the commission," Tobio said quietly, his serious expression unchanging.
"This is the Lord's guidance," Dulio smiled and nodded, accepting the appointment with characteristic cheerfulness.
"Well, I'll take the position, but don't expect me to do much," Takeyo said, touching his chin thoughtfully. "After all, I still have school to attend."
He had no objection to being team captain, mainly because he found the administrative duties tedious. The world still held so much knowledge waiting for him to absorb.
Although he'd already learned more than half of Devil magical theory, now there were Angels and Fallen Angels to study as well.
Perhaps he could find an opportunity to extract knowledge from Michael or Azazel somehow?
"Alright then. Since everyone's in agreement..."
"Let's sign the contract," Michael suggested with a warm smile.
"Ah, this is for the continuation of all our races," Azazel agreed, standing up.
Under the witness of everyone present, the leaders of the Three Factions signed the historic peace treaty.
From this day forward, the supernatural world's power structure would undergo subtle but profound changes.
The Three Factions that had been hostile to each other for nearly an eternity, since time immemorial, had reached a peaceful agreement for the first time in recorded history.
This moment held trans-epochal significance.
During the God of the Bible's lifetime, His power alone could rank among the top three in the world. Now, although the Three Factions had suffered extensive internal attrition, their combined strength rivaled the might of the Biblical God at His peak.
However, how much the world would change remained to be seen.
For now, Takeyo needed to brief his new team members.
"I usually don't have time for routine tasks, so I'll leave those to you two, Tobio and Dulio," Takeyo said with a casual smile, addressing his teammates directly.
"As you know, I'm still a student. I even have final exams coming up in the next few days."
He spread his hands in a gesture of helpless resignation, offering what was essentially a perfect excuse.
"In other words, you won't get involved unless it's something important?" Tobio pondered, his analytical mind already working through the implications.
In truth, he suspected they wouldn't need to act together often. With the remaining two members' strength, most problems should be easily manageable.
"Exactly. But if you encounter serious trouble, feel free to call me," Takeyo confirmed.
"Takeyo-san, if we face something we can't handle, can you really arrive in time?" Dulio asked curiously.
He knew Takeyo was powerful, but could he respond quickly enough in an emergency?
"Yes, I can. If you're in danger, call me and I'll definitely come. For everything else, handle it yourselves." Takeyo's tone carried absolute confidence.
"Does Takeyo-san possess such abilities? How fortunate... Amen." Dulio's genuine faith colored his words with wonder.
"Well, that settles it for now. I don't think there will be many situations requiring our intervention anyway."
After exchanging a few more details, Takeyo said goodbye to the two men.
He intended to find Irina.
While the faction leaders were still deep in discussion, Takeyo spotted Irina waiting beside Michael.
She noticed him too.
Her beautiful eyes lit up with excitement first, then flickered uncertainly toward Michael, her internal struggle evident on her face.
"Yo, Irina. Feeling better now?" Takeyo approached with a warm smile.
He understood the conflict in her gaze, the struggle between her duty as a guard and her desire to speak with him.
"Yes... I'm much better," Irina replied softly, lowering her eyes.
'Yang-kun has been watching over me this whole time,' she thought, her heart fluttering.
When she'd been dragged into the dimensional space created by Dimension Lost, Irina hadn't lost consciousness despite being poisoned.
That helpless, weakened feeling was something she never wanted to experience again.
But watching Takeyo fight to protect her and everyone else had been... incredibly moving.
"Irina, I heard you were reincarnated as an Angel?" Takeyo asked gently.
He could see her shyness clearly.
Irina truly was an adorable girl, though his feelings for her weren't as deep as his faith in knowledge, not yet, anyway.
"Yes! Yang-kun, I became Michael-sama's Ace!" Irina spoke enthusiastically, simultaneously extending a pair of pristine white wings from her back.
"An Angel really suits Irina's character perfectly," Takeyo said with genuine sincerity.
He remembered that in the original timeline, after the Four Great Seraphs lost three of their members, Irina would eventually become one of Heaven's managers.
"Suits... suits what?" Irina's hands crossed nervously in front of her. "Does Yang-kun really think so?"
"Yes, of course." Takeyo's eyes were clear and sincere. He truly believed it.
Irina possessed an affinity and kindness beyond ordinary people, qualities perfect for an Angel.
"I... I see..." Irina showed a relieved smile, the corners of her mouth curving upward involuntarily.
"By the way, Irina, may I touch your wings?" Takeyo made his request directly.
"Huh? Huh?!" Irina covered her mouth in surprise.
'Yang-kun wants to touch my wings? Why? Does he simply want to feel Angel wings? Or does he want to touch... me?'
The thought made her face flush crimson.
"Does Irina not want me to?" Takeyo asked, noting her reaction with amusement.
"No... no..." Irina responded immediately, not wanting him to think she disliked him.
"Then Irina is willing?" Takeyo already knew what her answer would be.
"Yes... if it's Yang-kun... if it's what Yang-kun wishes... then... it's okay," Irina said, mustering all her courage.
"Thank you, Irina," Takeyo said gently, reaching up to touch the Angel wings.
When he thought about it, Irina had been his first connection in this world, even before Sona. After all, she was his childhood friend, someone who'd once said she wanted to be his bride when they were young.
Takeyo gently stroked the Angel wings.
Unlike Yuuma Amano's Fallen Angel wings, these felt uniquely Irina's, soft, warm, and pure.
The touch was unexpectedly pleasant.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for completing a sign-in! Sign-in level: Silver!]
[Sign-in location: Irina Shidou's wings!]
[Congratulations to the host for receiving: Almighty Wings]
[Almighty Wings: A pair of seemingly ordinary wings that can manifest various effects depending on the power injected and development level achieved.]
Though it showed no immediate effect, Takeyo instinctively felt the potential of this reward.
It wasn't that the wings were currently powerful, but that they could become incredibly powerful with proper development.
"Ah... Yang... Yang-kun? There... there is..." Irina made shy sounds as he touched her wings.
"I remember that wings are where an Angel's power gathers, and they're also the most sensitive area, but this reaction seems excessive," Takeyo observed, smiling helplessly.
He'd touched Yuuma Amano's wings before, and her reaction hadn't been nearly this intense.
"Um, I think touching a girl's wings so openly is inappropriate," a soft voice interrupted.
"Ah! Gabriel-sama!" Irina began explaining frantically. "This is just... this is just..."
"This is simply interaction between childhood friends, Gabriel. It's a symbol of our close relationship," Takeyo explained calmly.
"Oh, I see." Gabriel accepted the explanation without any suspicion whatsoever.
Her innocent nature showed clearly.
"This is etiquette in the human world, so you might not understand, Gabriel. Irina and I have been childhood friends since we were young, and we've always had a good relationship," Takeyo continued smoothly.
"Oh, I understand now!" Gabriel felt she'd learned something new.
Human world customs were truly profound and extensive.
"..."
Irina remained silent.
She felt that lying in front of a Seraph would definitely cause her to Fall.
However, if she didn't speak, neither exposing nor agreeing with the lie, could that still be considered deceiving Lord Seraph?
After the meeting concluded, Takeyo prepared to head home.
He still needed to review for several hours before exams. After all, maintaining his first-year ranking required consistent effort.
However, before he could leave, Azazel stopped him.
"Hey, Takeyo, wait a moment. I have a question for you."
"Hm? What is it? Though I should warn you, I don't necessarily know the answer to every question." Takeyo paused.
He'd heard that Azazel would soon be stationed at the Supernatural Research Club as an advisor representing the Fallen Angels.
Since Azazel was technically on his side now, there was no harm in answering a few questions.
"Well, what I want to ask is actually quite simple. First question: are you a Sacred Gear holder? I think that thing on your chest is a Sacred Gear, right?" Azazel gestured toward the artifact visible on Takeyo's chest.
The Sacred Gear research expert was referring to Takeyo's "True World Dragon's Sacred Heart."
"I suppose it counts as a Sacred Gear. But shouldn't you, as the artifact research expert, be answering that question instead of asking me?" Takeyo spread his hands.
It seemed to be a Sacred Gear, or more accurately, a Gift from another world that surpassed typical Sacred Gears. But since it qualified as an artifact, it should count, right?
After all, Devils who surpassed other Devils were still Devils, weren't they?
"Well, if it is a Sacred Gear, it must fall into the Longinus category based on its immense power. But there's no record of it anywhere in our databases," Azazel scratched his head in frustration.
"Then consider it the fourteenth Longinus that was just born. Now, what's the actual function of this Sacred Gear? It was created from the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing souls, so is it a dragon-soul-type artifact similar to those?"
Azazel's curiosity was practically radiating from him.
"I can only tell you the name, it's called 'Sacred Heart of the True World Dragon.' As for other details, I can't share them. I don't want enemies researching my abilities and discovering weaknesses," Takeyo replied cautiously.
Even though he felt relatively secure for now, the principle of "prepare for any contingency" remained wise.
"Come on, you don't think I'm your enemy, do you, Takeyo? I'm about to become your advisory teacher at the Supernatural Research Club," Azazel protested.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't necessarily trust all your subordinates." Takeyo's implication was clear.
"What do you mean?" Azazel's eyes narrowed.
Was Takeyo suggesting there was a traitor among the Grigori who might leak information to his enemies?
Simply put, an internal spy?
"Nothing much. I'll be leaving now." Takeyo yawned and started walking away.
He'd said everything that needed saying. The rest was up to Azazel to investigate himself.